More
Love and Laughter in the Old West from N.Y.
Times Bestselling Author Margaret
Brownley!
“I’ve matched up twenty-three couples over
the years and in all that time I only made one error. Although, I still think
the marriage would have worked had she not shot her husband.”—Aunt Bessie
in Dawn Comes Early
Please tell us a little about yourself Margaret!
First, thank you for inviting me to visit
with your readers.
As for me,
I was always a storyteller and constantly in trouble as a child for making up
stories and day dreaming. The writer part was harder to acknowledge, partly
because English was my least favorite subject. I wasn’t that good in history either. I’m probably better qualified to be an
astronaut than a writer of historical novels.
On
the personal side: My husband and I have three children. As for hobbies, I like to herd cattle, chase
down bad guys, and rob stages. Wait at
minute. That’s not me; that’s my characters!
What
has been your greatest challenge as a writer? Have you been able to overcome
it?
In my other life I was a teacher. At a teacher’s workshop I attended years ago
the instructor asked the following life-changing question: At the end of your
career which statement will be most accurate?
That you taught for 35 years? Or
that you taught one year 35 times?
I use that same philosophy in my writing
career. I don’t want to write the same
book 35 or 40 times. So the most
difficult challenge for me is to stay fresh and original. I can’t say I’ve overcome it because the challenge
faces me anew with each book, but I’m working on it.
If you had to sum it up Dawn Comes Early in 30 or less words,
what would you say?
Disgraced
dime novelist Kate Tenney finds that the Wild West is nothing like she depicted
in her books—and neither are the men!
What
inspired the idea behind your book?
The
idea for Dawn Comes Early was
inspired by a group of fifty ladies of the First Church of Milford who formed a
society of old maids in 1861. Each member vowed she would not marry. Each woman paid five dollars on admission
with the principal going to the one remaining unmarried the longest.
According
to an article in The New York Times
thirty years later all but fifteen of the original had married. I was never
able to find out who won the prize—and being a romantic I sincerely hope that
no one did—but where real life stops, imagination takes off.
In Dawn Comes Early, disgraced dime
novelist Kate Tenney has her own reasons for not getting married. If only she
can stay away from a certain handsome blacksmith and his two matchmaking
aunts…
Do
you have a favorite character in Dawn Comes Early? Who and why?
The minor characters were a blast to
write, especially Miss Walker, Aunt Bessie and the outlaw Cactus Joe. They were full of surprises and kept me on my
writer toes.
Without
giving it all away, please tell us a little something about how Kate is
going to get through their biggest challenge.
Kate has
had a hardscrabble life. Deserted by her father and neglected by her mother
Kate longs for something permanent. She
thinks land will always be there for her, which is why she decides to choose
the ranch over marriage. I think readers
will root for her as she learns the error of her ways.
What
kind of research was involved for the Last Chance Ranch series? Did you find it
became easier with each book?
Since each book takes place on the
same ranch, the challenge was to make each story new and fresh. In Dawn
Comes Early, Kate is challenged by the desert and cattle. In the second book of the series, Waiting for Morning, former dance hall
girl Molly Hatfield has to take care of an invalid brother while learning to
train wild horses. In the third book,
the heroine comes to the ranch as an undercover Pinkerton detective. I had to
do an enormous amount of research and no, it didn’t get easier.
What
do you have in store next for your readers?
I’m
currently working on the third book in my Last Chance Ranch series and a
novella, which I’m doing with Robin Lee Hatcher, Mary Connealy and Debra Clopton.
One of my backlist books A Long Way Home
was just published in eBook and my first non-fiction book Grieving God’s Way: the Lasting Path to Hope and Healing will be
published in July.
What
type of hero do you like best?
I like the strong and not-so-silent
kind. In Dawn Comes Early, Luke Adams
is a blacksmith. Have you ever seen the
chest and shoulder muscles on a blacksmith?
What
type of heroine do you like best?
Feisty, independent, and strong-willed.
What
appeals to you most about your chosen genre?
I’ve always loved
reading about the old west. That was when men were men and women were
women, but a cowboy wasn’t a cowboy unless he was wild, woolly and full of
fleas. Of course my cowboy heroes are more likely to be tall, dark and
handsome, but you know what I mean.
What challenges did you face in
getting your first book published?
I wrote four books before selling my first book to Harlequin. At the time
I was teaching and had three children still at home, so finding time to write
was the
biggest challenge. I did it by
getting up at four a.m. each and every morning. I wrote two hours before
getting the kids up and ready for school.
I did this for five years. It’s
amazing what you can do when you’re passionate about something.
Have you ever literally deleted or
thrown away a book you’ve written?
Absolutely. Six weeks before one of my books was due to
my publisher I realized I hated the whole kit and caboodle. I tossed it out and started over. It was hard to do but necessary. I rewrote the book and miraculously made my
deadline. It was grueling work, but it
turned out to be one of my most popular books.
Thank you
MK and thank you everyone!
The Book
Looking for a woman of good character and pleasant
disposition willing to learn the ranching business in Arizona territory.
Must be SINGLE and prepared to remain so now and forever more. Will be
given ownership of ranch. -Eleanor Walker
Disgraced dime novelist Kate Tenney fled the city that banned her latest book for a fresh start at a cattle ranch in the Arizona Territory. She hopes ranching turns out to be as romantic as she portrayed it in her novels.
But what awaits her is a much harder life. There is no room for mistakes on a working cattle ranch in 1895, and Kate is ill-prepared for her new life. She quickly learns that dawn comes early . . . every day. But she is tenacious.
Having been abandoned by a string of men, Kate has no intention of ever marrying. But she didn't expect to meet Luke Adams either. Luke awakens feelings inside Kate she doesn't recognize, and his steady presence is a constant distraction. She has only written about love in the past, never known it herself. But her feelings for Luke stand in the way of all she has to gain if she is chosen as the heir.
Perhaps God brought Kate to the barrenness of the desert to give new life to her jaded heart.
Disgraced dime novelist Kate Tenney fled the city that banned her latest book for a fresh start at a cattle ranch in the Arizona Territory. She hopes ranching turns out to be as romantic as she portrayed it in her novels.
But what awaits her is a much harder life. There is no room for mistakes on a working cattle ranch in 1895, and Kate is ill-prepared for her new life. She quickly learns that dawn comes early . . . every day. But she is tenacious.
Having been abandoned by a string of men, Kate has no intention of ever marrying. But she didn't expect to meet Luke Adams either. Luke awakens feelings inside Kate she doesn't recognize, and his steady presence is a constant distraction. She has only written about love in the past, never known it herself. But her feelings for Luke stand in the way of all she has to gain if she is chosen as the heir.
Perhaps God brought Kate to the barrenness of the desert to give new life to her jaded heart.
Where can
your readers find you?
My
blog: www.petticoatsandpistols.com
(I’m a resident blogger)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/margaretbrownly
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/brownley1/
Dawn
Comes Early is available in both print and eBook.
Loved the interview! This book sounds awesome and I love that it's part of a series. I'm definitely going to check it out. Oh, and the cover is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about the cover. I have the book on my shelf waiting to be read, so I'm looking forward to it. I don't often find clean reads either.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining us Margaret and visiting about Dawn Comes Early.
MK, I'm delighted that you let me visit. I love the cover, too. It really captures the heroine's dilemma: Land or marriage? Permanence or uncertainty?
ReplyDeleteI like it when characters are faced with dilemmas. It makes me want to make the choice right along with them (or yell at them for not making the choice I want). :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! I am so happy to know you. And I can't wait to read this book. It sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Rionna
Hi Margaret!
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview. I, too, can't wait to read the book. :)
First time on your site and like the pic at top -so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful interview and the book sounds like a great story. I have not read any of her books yet but want to.
thanks for sharing today
Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)
I loved this book, Margaret. I'm smiling just thinking about the curmudgeon characters in it. Very fun.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret! "Dawn Comes Early" sounds like another wonderful story with tons of fun and romance. Great cover, btw. I can already picture your hero and heroine battling it out!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I thoroughly enjoyed your interview. I learned a lot more about you. I did not know you used to be a teacher. But I did know you have an amazing sense of humor and that carries over to your stories.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Dawn Comes Early. I laughed so much. You sure put a lot of zany characters in that story. I loved it.
Wishing you lots of success!
What a fantastic bio - glad he had a word in your ear.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing some of the gang from Petticoatsandpistols over here. Mary, I love that word curmudgeon.
ReplyDeleteBTW: Mary has a new book out. The hero of Over the Edge isn't curmudgeon but he sure is crazy!
Great interview, Margaret!
ReplyDeleteWhat courage it took to scrap a whole manuscript and start another. I don't think I could have done it. But then you're a rock star. :-)
Will try to post this, but I'm Captcha impaired...
Great interview, Margaret. Love your insight, particular about teaching school. That's very thought provoking. Can hardly wait to get your new book. Looking forward to meeting you in person at RWA next week. Big hugs and thanks for a fantastic interview, Phyliss Miranda
ReplyDeleteMargaret, definitely TBR! I love your books. And it's fun today getting to know you even better. Years ago, I took one of your workshops, and it's helped so much over the years.
ReplyDeleteThe interview is fantastic! Can't wait to get together at RWA. Xoxox
Cheryl St John, I KNOW scrapping a manuscript with six weeks to go.
ReplyDeleteWOW!
Are you SURE it was bad, Margaret? Are you sure you weren't just locked into some self-doubt mode?
Wonderful interview, Margaret. As usual your sense of humor shines through. I like your one sentence synopsis of the story!!
ReplyDeleteI love what everyone is saying about the humor in the story. I'm excited to read it.
ReplyDeleteMary, asks a good question. Writers do get locked into self-doubt, but I'm pretty sure the book was bad. At least I hope it was. I hate to think I went through all that agony for nothing.
ReplyDelete