Mona Hodgson ~ Interview + Giveaway!

**I have recently changed the rules for entering my giveaways and there are new ways to earn extra entries, so be sure to read that section at the bottom of this post. =)**

Today author Mona Hodgson is telling us about her new book, Two Brides Too Many. She has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can include it in your comment for entering the contest. If you are only leaving a question in the comment and not entering the giveaway please say so.

Welcome, Mona! Tell us a little about yourself.

Carman, thanks bunches for this opportunity to connect with your blog audience. Hello everyone!

I’m a wife (nearly 38 years), a mother to two daughters in their 30’s, mother-in-law to one son, and grandmother to three boys and one girl.

I’m also a writer and a speaker. My favorite “work” things to do include writing novels and children’s books, and speaking at women’s retreats.

I like to hoola-hoop, hike, travel, picnic, read, and play games on the Wii. Wii Fitness and Tennis are my favorites.

How long have you been writing? How many books do you have published?
I began writing for publication in 1987. For many years, I wrote devotionals, articles, poems, and short stories for fifty different periodicals, including four newspapers that carried my weekly column, Letters from Home.

I have 28 children’s books published and one novel with a second novel, Too Rich for a Bride, scheduled for release in October 2010, exclusively available at Walmart stores until May 2011.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be?
My style is probably most similar to Robin Lee Hatcher’s and Lori Copeland’s. Maybe Cathy Marie Hake’s and Deeanne Gist’s too.

Also, how would you rate the romance in you books?
G.

In your own words tell us a little about Two Brides Too Many.
Two sisters arrive in an 1896 mining camp expecting marriage, but finding love.

Two Brides Too Many is the first in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series. The books will chronicle the journeys of four sisters and their father to Colorado. Book One is the story of the middle two sisters, Kat and Nell Sinclair, who embark on their journey as mail-order brides. What happens when the girls arrive at the depot in Cripple Creek and find that their grooms-to-be are not there to greet them, let alone marry them?

Blurb:

Two sisters. Two missing misters.

Kat and Nell Sinclair are headed west—away from the manicured lawns of Maine to the boisterous, booming mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, to start new lives for themselves as mail-order brides.

Aboard the train, romantic dreamer Nell carries a photo of her intended close to her heart and imagines an exciting and love-filled future, while her pragmatic older sister, Kat, resigns herself to marriage as a duty, not a delight.

But when the ladies disembark at the train depot, neither fiance’ awaits them with open arms. The well-bred Sinclair sisters find themselves alone in the wild, frontier town—a place where fire threatens to reduce the buildings to rubble, the working women strut the streets, rogues will gamble for the shoes on one’s feet, and God’s grace is found among the most unlikely of folks.

What made you want to write this story?
I was working on a historical set in an Arizona Copper Mining Camp in the late 1890s when an editor who had seen the opening pages of that novel gave me an opportunity to write the Sinclair Sisters’ stories set in a Colorado Gold Mining Camp in the late 1890s. I nearly dropped my cell phone in my jump at the chance. Like Kat Sinclair, the main character in Book One, I am one of four sisters and knew I’d have a lot of fun writing about the complex sister relationships. I love Colorado. And, of course, I had already done a lot of research on mining camps in the 1890s. I knew the opportunity was God’s answer to my prayers; His provision for my dream to become a published novelist.

What research did you have to do for this book?
I emailed the director of the Cripple Creek District Museum with a list of questions, which she graciously answered. And I did a lot of Internet research to begin with until I could actually tour Cripple Creek and visit their museums. I ordered books about Cripple Creek and mining in Colorado. I needed to know what kinds of business were there at the time, about the railroad and its route from the East, as well as all about the actual fires that destroyed the town. I include at least one “real life” woman from the time and place in each of my historical novels, so I did a lot of reading about Colorado women, specifically any who made a difference in Cripple Creek.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?

Kat – Alexis Bledel

Morgan – Jake Gyllenhaal

 

Patrick – Johnny Dep or Justin Chambers

Nell – Rachel McAdams or AnnaSophia Robb

 

Judson – Ryan Gosling

Miss Hattie – Meryl Streep

 

What are you working on now or going to write next?

I’ve recently finished the edits for Too Rich for a Bride, the second book in the Cripple Creek series. I’m working on a proposal for a historical novel for middle grade readers set in Idaho Territory in the 1870s. Next month, I expect to begin writing Beyond a Bride, Book Three in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series.

How can readers get in contact with you?

Readers can learn more about me at my website: www.monahodgson.com. They can connect with me at www.twitter.com and www.facebook.com, and readers can find extras at my Facebook fan page—Mona Hodgson Fan Page. They can email me at www.mona@monahodgson.com and ask to receive my quarterly E-newsletter with updates and behind-the-scenes news.

What are you currently reading?
I seldom read one book at a time. Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary DeMuth, a “Blessings, North Dakota” historical by Lauraine Snelling, and Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella D. Sechrist. Nonfiction, a historical novel, and a contemporary novel. I usually have a middle-grade novel going too, but three books at a time is enough for now.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I’ve ridden a camel, fed a giraffe mouth-to-mouth, and held a baby crocodile. I’ve flown in a helicopter and a bi-plane. I’ve been to Africa.

If you could be any animal, which would you choose? Why?
A roadrunner. Because I tend to dart from here to there and I love to explore. They can keep their lizard lunch to themselves, however. I prefer tacos or grilled cheese sandwiches.

FAVORITES:

Color?
Purple.

Childhood memory?
One of my favorite memories is of camping with my family at Butterfield Country in California. Another is of camping out in the desert with another family.

Era to write about?
The 1800s is a very intriguing time period. I’m inspired by the pluck and faith of the stalwart women, particularly those of the Wild West.

What is/was this book’s release date?
As of October 13, 2009, Two Brides Too Many has been available exclusively at Walmart stores. BUT on May 4th WaterBrook Multnomah will officially release Two Brides. Yes, in less than two weeks, you’ll be able to obtain Kat and Nell’s story from your favorite bookseller. In the meantime, they can accept pre-orders. The book will also be available as an e-Book and as an audio book on May 4th.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter of this book?
Yes. Readers can get a sneak peek at Chapter One at www.monahodgson.com. Click on Mona’s Novels, then on Sneak Peek on the Two Brides Too Many page.

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**Anyone can enter this giveaway**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of Two Brides Too Many!

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you would not like to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

+2 Read and leave a comment on one of my recent book reviews.

**You can earn a total of 4 entries if you do all of the above requirements. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries.**

*The contest will run from today (April 23) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (April 29). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner on Friday the 30th, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.