Vickie McDonough ~ Interview + Giveaway!

*You can earn up to 2 entries in this giveaway. Read below for details*

Today author Vickie McDonough is telling us about her new book, Finally a Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides #3) -- April 2011). 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 leave a comment on this post to find out the answer!

Welcome, Vickie! Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a wife of 35 of years, married to a computer geek. We have four grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and a feisty five-year-old granddaughter, whom I babysit twice a week after school. I’m also primary caregiver for my partially-handicapped mom. I’ve lived in the same town all my life, except for a year when my husband and I lived on a kibbutz in Israel.

I’ve been writing for ten years and am the author of 23 books and novellas.

Tell us about your salvation experience.
I’ve gone to church my whole life and gave my heart to God when I was very young. Jesus is my savior and I strongly rely on His help in life and when writing.

How do you handle disasters/BIG problems? Do you have a funny or interesting story showcasing how you handle them?
Fortunately, I haven’t encountered many disasters, and how I handle them depends on what they are. I’m pretty organized, so when bad things happen, I usually kick into maintain mod. Just do what has to be done and get through it as quickly as possible.

I did have something happen that’s funny now but wasn’t at the time. I’d twisted my ankle really bad and was on crutches. I had gone across the street for some reason and was leaning on my crutches at the curb, waiting for a car to pass. But instead of just driving on, this car slowed, the driver leaned forward and gawked at me, then finally drove on. Weird, right? I glanced down, and to my horror, the crutches had somehow pulled up my shirt clear over my bra. Yikes! Talk about embarrassing.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
When I was in high school, I hated writing. True! It amazes me more than anyone that I’ve become a writer. It was just a God thing.

What is one book that you recently read and would recommend to your readers?
I’m just about done with Surrender the Night by Marylu Tyndall. It’s a fabulous forbidden romance between an American woman and a British naval officer. Lots of yummy chemistry and exciting action.

What is your favorite time of day to write?
I prefer to write from 10 – 2, but that rarely happens. Some days I get a late start and other days I’ll write most of the day. It kind of depends on how far away my deadline is.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be?
I don’t like to compare my writing to others. Each author has a unique voice and their own special abilities. I write mostly historicals, and love exciting scenes, a sweet romance with some juicy conflict between the hero & heroine, and a dollop of humor. If you enjoy books by Cathy Marie Hake, Mary Connealy, or Lori Copeland, you’ll probably like mine.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I’m currently writing Long Trail Home, which is set just after the Civil War in Texas. This is a rather unique project. I’m writing a series of six books with two other authors, Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin. It’s called Texas Trails: A Morgan Family series and spans 50 years and several generations of a Texas family. Each author will write two books, and the first three novels release this fall.

Here’s a blurb about my book: A weary soldier returns from the War Between the States to discover his parents dead, his family farm in shambles, and his fiancée married. A pretty, blind woman reaches through his scarred walls, but will the secret she holds ruin all chances for a future filled with love, faith, and family?

Book’s back cover blurb:

Jacqueline Davis, a reporter for the Lookout Ledger, is bent on nabbing her story at any cost. When Noah Jeffers comes to Lookout as temporary pastor, Jack suspects there may be something hidden behind his shepherding ways. Soon though, Jack becomes attracted to the new pastor despite her initial hesitation. But as she uncovers the truth, will the story cost her too much? Will she reveal what she’s found, or keep it hidden to protect newfound love?

Carly Payton returns to Lookout after years in prison, hoping to build a new life there. But she soon discovers that new beginnings and second chances are not always easy. Garrett Corbett is determined to marry—but not a jailbird like Carly. When Carly is equally repelled by Garrett’s prank-playing ways, will they see past their dislikes and give each other—and love—a second look?

What research did you have to do for this book?
Since I live next door to Texas, I’ve been there many times. I didn’t have to do too much research for Finally A Bride, since I had already written the first two books in the series, most of the research I did was in the small details like food and clothing of the time period, confirming when the railroad and electricity came to Northeastern Texas. Writing a book in an area in which you are familiar makes it a bit easier.

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

 

Molly Quinn, the cute red-headed daughter of Rick Castle on Castle, would be perfect for Jack.

Noah is a bit harder to cast. Tom Welling is about the right age and size and his looks are similar to what I imagine Noah looking like.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter or an excerpt of this book?
Yes, the first 1000 words of Finally A Bride will be posted on the Chapter-a-Week Book Club on April 15th.
[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chapter-a-Week-Book-Club/48456973308?sk=wall]

How can readers get in contact with you?
My website is http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/

You can find out about my books there, send me an email on the Contact page, and enter my quarterly contest by signing my Guestbook. I’m also on Facebook.

Is there anything you would like to add, or tell your readers?
Thanks for spending this time with me. I appreciate each one of you. Writers are nothing without readers.

~~~~~

**USA or Canada addresses only, please**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of Finally a Bride!

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 AND your email address.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you do not want 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.

**You can earn a total of 2 entries if you do all of the above entry options. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries. (You can put them on one comment if you want to, you don’t have to separate each entry into its own comment or anything like that.)**

*The contest will run from today (April 8) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (April 14). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly after choosing him/her or on Friday the 15th, 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.

The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough ~ 4 stars

The Anonymous Bride

Vickie McDonough

Texas Boardinghouse Brides series #1

Barbour Publishing

About the book:

Three mail-orders brides arrive in Lookout, Texas, each expecting to marry the local marshal. But—he didn't order a bride. When a contest ensues to discover which bride will make him the best wife, there is a surprise fourth entry--an anonymous one. Mayhem occurs as the whole town tries to figure out who the anonymous bride is, and the mayor pressures the marshal to pick a bride or lose his job. Will Marshal Davis tuck tail and run for the hills? Or will he lose his heart and his bachelorhood?

My review:

I had expected this book to be pretty funny from what I had read about it, but, to me, it was more of a “funny-circumstances’ than a “laugh-out-loud-comedy” kind of a book. I really did enjoy it, just not in a “this book will crack you up” kind of way. The first and secondary characters were great and I loved them all. (I really loved how two certain scoundrel boys turned out to be so protective and caring towards Jack. LOVED IT.)

I liked how Vickie showed how important it is to forgive others in this book. Especially how she showed that the thing we are so angry about, might not even be something we should be angry about. We don’t usually know the whole story and we need to reserve judgment until we do. She wrote that theme into the book in a very poignant way. That lesson will certainly stay with me, and help me to be slower to anger towards others for their supposed wrongs toward me. Definitely recommended to people who like a sweet romance with a message.

Vickie McDonough ~ 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 Vickie McDonough is telling us about her new book, The Anonymous Bride. 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, Vickie! Tell us a little about yourself.

Besides being a writer, I’m a wife of almost 35 years, mother of four grown sons, grandmother to a feisty four-year-old girl, and primary caregiver for my invalid mother. I love reading historical Christian fiction, especially those set in the West in the late 1800s. I also have some fav TV shows I watch like Chuck, Castle, NCIS—and okay, I’ll admit it—I also like V & Fringe.

I also love to travel and like working in my flower garden.

How long have you been writing? How many books do you have published?
About 9 ½ years. As of this month, I have 18 books that have been published, with five more coming later this year and early next year.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in you books?. 
That’s hard. I’m not sure that I can personally compare writing styles with another author, but reviewers have compared me to Lori Copeland and Mary Connealy. If you like historical western romances with adventure, you’ll probably like my books.

It varies some between books, but probably G-Pg. My books are sweet romances, but I love having chemistry between my hero & heroine. I love showing their sensual attraction to the other, while tossing in things that cause conflict. My h & h always kiss at least once and maybe twice.

In your own words tell us a little about The Anonymous Bride.
The Anonymous Bride is the first book in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, which is set in the fictional town of Lookout, Texas. The town has some quirky characters, which add humor to the story, as well as conflict. The main theme of the story is learning to forgive past offense, but I also deal with issues like single parenthood and having a rebellious child. The premise of the first book is “what if a mail-order bride suddenly shows up, expecting to marry the town marshal—but he didn’t order a bride?” Then I took it a step further and said, “what if 3 brides showed up, expecting to marry the same man?” And what if the town held a contest to see which bride would make him the best bride?

Second Chance Brides, book two in the series, tells the story of two of the leftover brides. It releases September 1st.

Finally A Bride is the story of Jacqueline, the ornery tomboy from the first book and a surprise person. It releases on April 1, 2011.

Blurb:

Three mail-order brides arrive in Lookout, Texas, each expecting to marry the local marshal. But—he didn't order a bride. When a contest ensues to discover which bride will make him the best wife, there is a surprise fourth entry--an anonymous one. Mayhem occurs as the whole town tries to figure out who the anonymous bride is, and the mayor pressures the marshal to pick a bride or lose his job. Will Marshal Davis tuck tail and run for the hills? Or will he lose his heart and his bachelorhood?

What made you want to write this story?
I was trying to think up an idea that I hadn’t read before and then thought of the “what if” questions I mentioned above. Those questions morphed into my Anonymous Bride book.

What research did you have to do for this book?
Since I live in Oklahoma, I have visited Texas many times, so I’m pretty familiar with the northeastern part where my story is set. Still, I visited the Denison area and took lots of pictures. I also had to research what type of lawman a small town in the late 1800s would have. I was expecting it to be a sheriff, but in Texas, it was actually a town marshal. He did everything from picking up trash, carrying parcels for elderly citizens to chasing away stray dogs, and occasionally, catching outlaws. I also research flowers and trees and birds and animals of the area, plus information about trains.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?
I’d like to see Brandon Routh play Luke. My hero is a brooding character, and brooding looks good on Brandon Routh.

As far the heroine, I can’t decide. None of the actresses I know seem to fit this character. Maybe your readers could offer suggestions. Rachel has medium brown hair and light blue eyes. She’s a serious person because of her past and her struggles with her daughter, but she likes to have fun too.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I just finished a historical set in 1788 in Charleston for Heartsong Presents. Now, I’m working on the third book in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides’ series.

How can readers get in contact with you?
My website is www.vickiemcdonough.com There’s an email link on the “Contact” page. I’m also a regular contributor to http://www.bustlesandspurs.com/

What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson. It was a very interesting read.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I lived on a kibbutz in Israel with my husband for a year, right after we were first married.

If you could be any animal, which would you choose? Why?
A horse. I have always loved horses. I used to have three of them—but not all at the same time. I use horses a lot in my stories and would like some more current riding experience.

FAVORITES:

Color?
green

Childhood memory?
Special time with my dad. He bowled two nights a week for several years. After my mom went to bed, sometimes I’d tiptoe into my parents’ bathroom and tape a note on the mirror for my dad. He’d wake me up when he got home and we’d eat popcorn together. I think about that now—how tired he must have been after working all day and then bowling all evening, but he never complained. It didn’t happen all that often, but it was a special time when it did.

Era to write about?
Late 1800s, Midwest or western settings

What is/was this book’s release date?
April 1, 2010

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter of this book?
http://thestorybeginnings.blogspot.com/2010/04/anonymous-bride-chapter-1.html

~~~~~

**USA residents only, please**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of The Anonymous Bride!

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 30) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (May 6). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner on Friday the 7th, 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.