LINDA WEAVER CLARKE'S SWEET ROMANCES

Please welcome Linda Weaver Clarke to the blog today. Linda is a multi-genre author who today is celebrating the rerelease of her sweet romances in the Bear Lake Family Saga. Linda will give away one of her books to two lucky commenters today. Please remember to leave your email address if you wish to be considered for the giveaway.

Caroline: Tell us something about growing up.

Linda: I grew up in southern Idaho with two brothers and one sister. I was not considered a bookworm but a tomboy. My mother was so worried that I would not grow up to be a young lady. After finding the perfect man for me, we had six daughters, but no sons.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Linda: Yes, I do. In MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST, I included one of my own experiences as a substitute teacher. An eight-year-old student had been labeled as a troublemaker by her teacher. The students had listened to the teacher and steered away from her, not wanting to be her friend. This not only made her feel degraded, but she wanted to fight back and she did. She stopped doing schoolwork, refused to be part of the class, and got into a few fights. She seemed angry at the world but after working with her for a while, I soon learned what a sweet and wonderful child she was. She had characteristics that I was impressed with. When she realized that I really cared, she was willing to do her work, just to please me. In fact, her mother was impressed that her daughter wanted to please me so much. I’ll never know how this young girl’s life turned out, but in my novel I chose a happily-ever-after ending, just because Melinda cared and made a difference in the girl’s life. This subject was important to me because something similar happened to one of my own daughters when she was little and it was difficult to see my child treated this way.

I also added one of my father’s experiences as a boy. When he was thirteen, he was asked to bury the skunks that his father had shot. But before he buried them, he drained the scent glands of each skunk until he had a jar full of “skunk oil.” Then he took it to school with him to show his classmates. He was so excited as he explained how he had done it. But in all the excitement, the bottle slipped from his hands and landed on the schoolroom floor and splattered everywhere. The stench was so terrible that everyone held their noses and ran outside as fast as their legs could go. The teacher excused school for the rest of the day and my dad was considered a “hero” by his classmates because he had closed down the school.

  

Caroline: That is so funny, Linda. Your dad’s anecdote reminds me of some of the things my father told about him and his six brothers. Are these books a linked series?

Linda: This is a series of five books called A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho. EDTH AND THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, the 2nd book in this series, was inspired by my parents’ courtship. They didn’t meet the traditional way. They met through letters. Their story was so romantic that I patterned this book after their courtship and used my father’s sweet, romantic letters. Can people really fall in love through letters? Absolutely! With mysterious letters, cattle rustlers, a spunky woman, Halloween, and young love, there is always something happening.

JENNY’S DREAM, the 3rd book in this series, was inspired because of some unpleasant childhood experiences that I experienced as a young girl and now Jenny must learn forgiveness before she can choose which dream to follow. Meanwhile, a legendary ten-foot grizzly is seen in the area and its boldness has frightened the community.

SARAH’S SPECIAL GIFTt, the 4th book in this series, was inspired because of my great grandmother who was deaf. I wanted to learn more about her life and how she coped with her disability. I learned so much about her and how courageous she was, so I decided to give her experiences to my character, Sarah. This story has deep-rooted legends, a few mysterious events, the mystery of the Bear Lake Monster, and a tender love story!

ELENA, WOMAN OF COURAGE, the 5th book in this series, is my last book in this series. My inspiration was the “Roaring Twenties.” This was a new decade of independent women, when they raised their hemlines and bobbed their hair. I found that if a woman bobbed her hair, she was fired from her job. A new language grew from this time period. They used words like: Cat’s pajamas! Horsefeathers! Baloney! When referring to a woman, they used doll or tomato. What was the difference? A tomato was a woman. A doll was a good-looking woman. A woman’s legs were called “gams” and her lovely shape was referred to as a “chassis.” If you were in love, you had a “crush,” were “goofy,” or “moonstruck.” And when a woman was not in the mood for kissing, she would say, “The bank’s closed.” Thus, my new novel was born! As Elena Yeates fights to prove herself as the newest doctor in town, the town’s most eligible bachelor finds it a challenge to see if he can win her heart.

  

Caroline: These sound so intriguing. Can you give readers a blurb about your first book in this series?

Linda: MELINDA AND THE WILD WEST was a Semi-finalist for “Reviewers Choice Award.” Melinda Gamble wants to make a difference in the world. Without hesitation, she accepts a job as a schoolteacher in the small town of Paris, Idaho. She has many challenges such as trying to help a rebellious student, coming face-to-face with a notorious bank robber, a vicious grizzly bear, and finding herself in a terrible blizzard that leaves her clinging to her life. But it’s a rugged rancher who challenges Melinda with the one thing for which she was least prepared—love.

Caroline: Tell us something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

Linda: I gave birth to six daughters. I can assure you that daughters aren’t as easy to raise as sons… with all their mood swings and little temperamental disagreements with one another, borrowing clothes without permission, etc. But Thanksgiving is a blast with everyone around the table.

Caroline: I wanted six kids, but only have two, so I’m envious. Where can readers find your books?

Linda: Go to my website at www.lindaweaverclarke.com and you may read excerpts from each of my books or click on purchase a book. You may also find them at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Thanks to Linda for sharing with us today. Don't forget to leave your email in your comment if you want to be included in Linda's giveaway. 

Thanks for stopping by!