WRITING WITH A FRIEND

 I hope you are fortunate enough to have friends who make you laugh. They are a wonderful gift. One friend who makes me laugh is Jacquie Rogers. In my opinion, you can’t beat her Hearts of Owyhee series. In fact, each of us is an award winning and bestselling author.

Several years ago, we decided to write related books and combine them in one volume. This duet was titled Mail Order Tangle. We laughed so much, you may have heard us. Then, we decided to do another, Orphan Train Brides. Both duets hold a special place in my heart.

Let me share them with you:

Mail Order Tangle

https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Tangle-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B00MZ6ZRXC

Mail-Order Promise by Caroline Clemmons

Ellie Dickerson and her sister are in desperate straits when she contracts to become a mail-order bride to a Texas rancher. After her arduous trip from Virginia, she learns her fiancé has died. His handsome brother has sworn to take care of her and she’s instantly attracted to him, but he seems indifferent toward her. What will happen to her and her sister?

Kage Johanssen, co-owner of a ranch in Idaho with his cousin Matt, is forced to take over his family’s Central Texas ranch on the death of his older brother. Kage is in no hurry to get married, and when his brother’s bride shows up, she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife—except she’s stunningly beautiful. Despite his deathbed promise to his brother and his attraction to Ellie, he’s convinced she doesn’t have the grit to be a rancher’s wife.

When a greedy, sadistic villain attempts to take over the ranch and kill Kage, can Ellie save her true love? What will it take to prove that she’s the only woman for Kage?

Mail-Order Ruckus by Jacquie Rogers

Matt Johanssen returned to the ranch he and his cousin Kage started in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, not knowing he took Laura Dickerson's heart with him. Now that her sister no longer needs her, Laura wants a home of her own and a family to put in it. No other man would fill the bill as well as Matt, but he’s not interested. Not wanting to live as a spinster aunt the rest of her life, Laura signs a contract with a marriage broker, choosing to go to Silver City, near Matt’s ranch, in hopes that he might come around. But he’s not on the roster of eligible grooms! When Matt sees Laura among the brides on display on the balcony of the Idaho Hotel, he feels gutshot. He’s in no position to take a wife, not with a ranch eating up every spare moment and dollar. But if he doesn't step forward, the one woman he wants will be wed at the end of the week—and not to him.

Will Matt walk away from the woman who stole his heart or let go of everything he's worked so hard to build go in exchange for love?

 

Orphan Train Brides

https://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Train-Brides-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B07TW8JH44

Two award winning and bestselling authors conspired to bring readers these two heartwarming stories, A Family For Merry by Caroline Clemmons and A Family For Polly by Jacquie Rogers in the duet, Orphan Train Brides.

Become a bride or lose her children!

 

Asked to help with recording who took which children from the orphan train, Merry and Polly Bird took advantage of their position. Determined to liberate five quirky, ragtag orphans not likely to be adopted by caring people, they vowed the children would not end up as they had fourteen years ago. Back then, Merry and Polly and the two boys adopted with them from that orphan train worked as slaves. They received little food, substandard living quarters, and insufficient clothing to protect against the cold winters.

Mary and Polly’s children love their new home and family at the sisters’ Mockingbird Boarding House. The rescue idea appears to have been a great success—until the supervisor from the Children’s Protection Society arrives. Single women are not allowed to adopt. Merry and Polly each has five days to find a suitable husband who won’t steal her share of the boarding house.

 

Orphans gathered by 

and on an orphan train

If you haven’t read these stories, I hope you’ll give them a read. Let me know how you like them.

Meanwhile, why not follow me on BookBub here?

COME FOR A VISIT WITH ME

Usually, I feature books by other authors, but I have decided to feature my books occasionally. This time I’m revisiting a fun duet Jacquie Rogers and I wrote titled MAIL ORDER TANGLE. These two stories are tangles created around mail order brides. The first is mine, MAIL ORDER PROMISE, which is set in Texas. No surprise there, right? The second is Jacquie’s, MAIL ORDER RUCKUS, and it’s set in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory near where her Hearts of Owyhee novels take place. Once again, no surprise.

Jacquie is a ton of fun, as you know if you are part of her Facebook group The Pickle Barrel Books and Bar. We had long phone conversations and lots of emails while we plotted these two linked stories. I'm pleased with the way both books have been received.

Here’s what happens.

Mail-Order Promise

by Caroline Clemmons

Ellie Dickerson and her sister are in desperate straits when she contracts to become a mail-order bride to a Texas rancher on the condition she can bring her sister. After her arduous trip from Virginia, she learns her fiancé has died. His brother is handsome. And single. And he doesn’t want her. But he has sworn to take care of her and see she has a home. Somewhere, but where? What will happen to her and her sister?

Kage Johannsen, co-owner of a ranch in Idaho with his cousin Matt, is forced to take over his family’s Central Texas ranch on the death of his older brother. Kage is in no hurry to get married, and when his brother’s bride shows up, she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife—except she’s stunningly beautiful.  Despite his deathbed promise to his brother and his attraction to Ellie, he’s convinced she doesn’t have the grit to be a rancher’s wife.

When a greedy, sadistic villain attempts to take over the ranch and kill Kage, can Ellie save her true love?  What will it take to prove that she’s the only woman for Kage?

Mail-Order Ruckus

by Jacquie Rogers

Matt Johannsen returned to the ranch he and his cousin Kage started in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, not knowing he took Laura Dickerson's heart with him.  Now that her sister no longer needs her, Laura wants a home of her own and a family to put in it.  No other man would fill the bill as well as Matt, but he’s not interested.  Not wanting to live as a spinster aunt the rest of her life, Laura signs a contract with a marriage broker, choosing to go to Silver City, near Matt’s ranch, in hopes that he might come around.  But he’s not on the roster of eligible grooms!

When Matt sees Laura among the brides on display on the balcony of the Idaho Hotel, he feels gutshot. He’s in no position to take a wife, not with a ranch eating up every spare moment and dollar. But if he doesn't step forward, the one woman he wants will be wed at the end of the week—and not to him.

Will Matt walk away from the woman who stole his heart or let go of everything he's worked so hard to build in exchange for love?

Jacquie and I are still excited about this duet! You can order at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Tangle-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B00MZ6ZRXC/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408824167&sr=1-11&keywords=caroline+clemmons

In 2017, Jacquie and I have planned a new duet involving Johannsen cousins. Once again, two sisters are the mail-order brides, but the grooms are in for major surprises. I’ll let you know when that duet is published.

THANK YOU AND GET READY FOR THE NEXT PARTY WITH THE COWBOY HEROES OF THE WEST!

Thanks to those of you who attended my Facebook Launch Party on Thursday evening for McCLINTOCK’S RELUCTANT BRIDE. We had a lovely party.

Special thanks to Cynthia Woolf, Jacquie Rogers, Callie Hutton, Debra Holland, and Hildie McQueen for helping host the party. Thanks to Sara Benedict of Your Elemental Solutions for setting up the party and helping things go smoothly.

Each of us gave away her own prizes and I lost track of who won what from whom except for those I awarded. Congratulations to my winners:

The overall Grand Prize of a $25. Amazon gift card went to Shirl Deems. 

Morse Dawn, Debbie Chinault Underwood, and Katherine Boyer won an e-copy of McCLINTOCK’S RELUCTANT BRIDE.

Aleen Davis and Tina Hairston won an e-copy of MAIL-ORDER TANGLE.

Thanks again to everyone involved!

I can’t fail to mention the big party on July 25^th https://www.facebook.com/events/421024208081678/ to celebrate NATIONAL COWBOY DAY, Celebrating the Heroes of the West. Join over 30 authors who’ll be giving away prizes all day. You won’t want to miss this! 

WOO HOO! VOTE FOR US, PLEASE, FOR LASR BOOK OF THE MONTH!

MAIL ORDER TANGLE, by Jacquie Rogers and myself, is up for book of the month at Long and Short Reviews. We received five stars for these stories and couldn't be happier. Okay, we would be a little happier if we won this poll at Long and Short Reviews. Yeah, a LOT happier.

Voting is February 1st and 2nd only. Here's where to vote: http://wp.me/p2ZcT9-aT6  Remember, voting ends February 2nd, so please don't delay. We're counting on you.

Here's the 5 star review again (I love writing that):

Sisters… so close to each other yet so different from each other. They are willing to do anything for their loved ones. Being Mail Order Brides is the last chance for a happiness in their lives.

Mail Order Tangle is a set of two books written by two different, popular and best selling western authors.

Mail Order Promise by Caroline Clemmons

Ellie Dickerson becomes a contract mail order bride to a Texas rancher. She agrees to marry to on one condition. Her sister gets to stay with them. However, upon arrival she finds out that her fiancé is dead.

Erik takes a promise from his younger brother Kage on his death bed, to marry his fiancé. A promise to a dying man is binding. Though Kage made the promise he is not willing to marry a city gal. Nonetheless he is willing to take care and make sure she and her sister have a home.

Kage wants a rancher wife. And is dead set that Ellie doesn’t have what it takes to become one.
Through it all, there is someone lurking eager to do anything, even kill to get what he wants.
Will their love conquer?

I was pretty surprised from the first chapter in how different the sisters were from each other. Ellie is a social butterfly. Much more comfortable interacting with other people in dinners and parties than being in the kitchen or cleaning. However, she gets no choice when her fiancé dies. The simple truth is, they can’t go back from where they came. She sets herself to become the kind of rancher wife that Kage wants. Ellie is very stubborn. She makes a drastic transformation to become and survive being on a ranch.

I loved reading how she changed herself. Learning different tasks. Trying again and again until she gets it right. This is a Historical western romance novel. I expected guns and animals and all aspects of ranch life. I got all of that and more. The writing set the scene put me in the story. It was not only romance, for me there were times that made me smile like a fool while other times I couldn’t contain the tears. There was a myriad of emotions to be felt while reading.

If a book can make you feel things then it’s a very good book. This is a very good book.

Mail Order Ruckus by Jacquie Rogers

Matt Johannsen, cousin to Kage returns to the ranch that they built together before Kage had to go back to take care of Erik’s ranch.

Laura Dickerson, older sister to Ellie, is set on having Matt choose her for his bride; for that, she contracts to become a mail order bride in the same town where Matt lives.
Matt is hesitant to marry with his ranch taking all of the money that he makes. But he is put in a very tight place when he sees Laura with all the other brides. Laura is bound to get married, to him or someone else.

More, there is someone who wants to destroy Matt and his ranch.

Laura Dickerson met and fell in love with Matt. However, Matt is adamant. He will marry after one or two years after his ranch has gotten profit. Though this decision is taken out of his hands. I very much liked seeing how everyone came together and plotted behind his back so that Laura has every resource and advantage to get him married to her.

There was something about how the how the animals are depicted in these stories. It was terrifically funny. It really added a comic relief layer to the stories that kept them from being overly dramatic or serious.

It also portrays other mail order brides and their road to love. They find their love and it is entwined with Laura’s. I loved hearing the other bride’s stories. It is written in a way that the reader knows that Laura is the main character and the other brides are the secondary.

Perfect book to unwind at the end of the day and get lost.

Thanks for your support for MAIL ORDER TANGLE! Jacquie and I will appreciate your vote! And if you haven't yet read our duet box set, here're the buy links:

Amazon http://amzn.to/1yZyIfs

Kobo http://bit.ly/167JGUN

Nook bit.ly/1ExiM7A

If you love romance with a dash of humor and adventure, MAIL ORDER TANGLE is for you!

Thanks for stopping by!

FIVE STAR REVIEW FROM LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS FOR MAIL-ORDER TANGLE!

Woo Hoo! Another great review for MAIL-ORDER TANGLE, the duet Jacquie Rogers and I wrote about cousins who marry sisters. We had so much fun writing this together. I hope readers have as much fun reading the books. Two books in one, the second one continuing the first's story. Each book stands alone, but they flow together very well.

Here's the review by Sorrel of Long and Short Reviews:

Sisters...so close to each other and yet so different from each other. They are willing to do anything for their loved ones. Being Mail Order Brides is the last chance for happiness in their lives.

Mail Order Tangle is a set of two books written by two different, popular and best selling western authors. 

Mail Order Promise by Caroline Clemmons

Ellie Dickerson becomes a contract mail order bride to a Texas rancher. She agrees to marry on one condition. Her sister gets to stay with them. However, upon arrival she finds out that her fiancé is dead. 

Erik takes a promise from his younger brother Kage on his death bed to marry his fiancé. A promise to a dying man is binding. Though Kage made the promise he is not willing to marry a city gal. Nonetheless he is willing to take care and make sure she and her sister have a home.

Kage wants a rancher wife. And is dead set that Ellie doesn't have what it takes to become one. 

Through it all, there is someone lurking eager to do anything, even kill to get what he wants.

Will their love conquer? 

I was pretty surprised from the first chapter in how different the sisters were from each other. Ellie is a social butterfly. Much more comfortable interacting with other people in dinners and parties than being in the kitchen or cleaning. However, she gets no choice when her fiancé dies. The simple truth is, they can't go back where they came from. She sets herself to become the kind of rancher wife that Kage wants. Ellie is very stubborn. She makes a drastic transformation to become and survive being on a ranch.

I loved reading how she changed herself. Learning different tasks. Trying again and again until she gets it right. This is a Historical western romance novel. I expected guns and animals and all aspects of ranch life. I got all of that and more. The writing set the scene put me in the story. It was not only a romance, for me there were times that made me smile like a fool while other times I couldn't contain the tears. There was a myriad of emotions to be felt while reading. 

If a book can make you feel things then it's a very good book. This is a very good book.

Mail Order Ruckus by Jacquie Rogers

Matt Johannsen, cousin to Kage returns to the ranch that they built together before Kage had to take care of Erik's ranch.

Laura dickerson, older cousin to Ellie, is set on having Matt choose her for his bride; for that, she contracts to become a mail order bride in the same town where Matt lives. 

Matt is hesitant to marry with his ranch taking all of the money he makes. But he is put in a very tight place when he sees Laura with all the other brides. Laura is bound to get married, to him or someone else.

More, there is someone who wants to destroy Matt and his ranch.

Laura Dickerson met and fell in love with Matt. However, Matt is adamant. He will marry after one or two years after his ranch has gotten profit. Though this decision is taken out of his hands. I very much liked seeing how everyone came together and plotted behind his back so that Laura has every resource and advantage to get him married to her.

There was something about how the animals are depicted in these stories. It was terrifically funny. It really added a comic relief layer to the stories that kept them from being overly dramatic or serious.

It also portrays other mail order brides and their road to love. They find their love and it is entwined with Laura's. I loved hearing the other bride's stories. It is  written in a way that the reader knows Laura is the main character and the other brides are secondary.

Perfect book to unwind at the end of the day and get lost.

Five stars

In case you haven't read MAIL ORDER TANGLE yet and would like to do so, here are the links:

Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Tangle-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B00MZ6ZRXC/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408824167&sr=1-11&keywords=caroline+clemmons

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mail-order-tangle-caroline-clemmons/1120641044?ean=2940046258950

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/mail-order-tangle

Thanks for stopping by!

MEET MY CHARACTER, KAGE JOHANSSEN

MAIL ORDER PROMISE
the first book in
MAIL ORDER TANGLE

I introduced you to Ellie Dickerson two weeks ago, and Jacquie Rogers introduced you to Laura Dickerson the week before that.  They're sisters, and Ellie has come to Texas as a mail-order bride.  Laura, who's three years older, comes wit her sister.

Last week, Jacquie introduced you to Matt Johanssen, hero of MAIL ORDER RUCKUS. Now I’ll introduce you to the hero of MAIL ORDER PROMISE, a short western historical romance that is the first book in a duet with Jacquie Rogers, MAIL ORDER TANGLE, to be released September 12th.
However, the book is already available for preorder on Amazon.

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Kage is short for Karl Gustave Johanssen and he's fictional and a hunky cowboy. Kage is two years younger than his brother Erik and a year younger than his cousin/foster brother Matt. Kage is tall, dark, and very handsome with dark hair and striking sky blue eyes. His grandparents emigrated from Sweden to Central Texas. His father died several years ago, but his mother is alive and keeps house for his widowed grandfather.

2) When and where is the story set?

1880 in fictional Valdesta, Texas near the actual town of Bastrop and not too far from Austin.

The ranch borders the Colorado River and this is what the ranch might look like in the spring when it's all nice and green.

3) What should we know about him/her?

Kage admires his brother Erik and his grandfather Adelbert "Bert" Karl Johanssen. He wants to achieve what his grandfather and father accomplished and build a thriving ranch in spite of all the uncontrollable factors a rancher faces. His word is his bond except in one instance. His dying brother extracts a promise to wed the mail order bride who's due to arrive soon. Kage has no intention of marrying anyone other than a woman he chooses, but gives the promise to ease his brother's painful passing. He salves his conscience by telling everyone he'll make sure the mail order bride is taken care of and find her an acceptable groom.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Because his brother died, Kage must remain in Texas to run the family ranch. He planned to return to Idaho to the ranch he and Matt spent three years building. But Kage can't abandon his mother and aging grandfather, so he agrees to remain in Texas. Still, he's determined to choose his own wife.

When Erik's fiancée arrives, Kage is certain he does not want to marry Ellie Dickerson in spite of the fact she is gorgeous. She just isn't cut out to be a rancher's wife. Instead, she's obviously been raised with servants and knows little about running a household.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

Kage plans to find Ellie a husband as soon as he has time to search for one. In the meantime, he has his hands full with vandalism and death threats.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The title of the duet boxed set is MAIL ORDER TANGLE. My book is MAIL ORDER PROMISE and Jacquie's book is MAIL ORDER RUCKUS.

http://mailordertangle.blogspot.com.

We don’t have much on the site yet, but the cover’s posted and there’s a blurb for each book.

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

September 12th, but you can Preorder this duet now on Amazon! PreOrder HERE.

In the meantime, sign up for my newsletter to be notified of where to post bail, Er, I mean to learn about new releases.

For the latest scoop on Jacquie's shenanigans, subscribe to her newsletter, the Pickle Barrel Gazette, and join her Facebook group, the Pickle Barrel Bar and Books.

And while you're waiting for MAIL ORDER TANGLE's release, why not read one of our other books? Mine are on my Amazon Author Page. My most recent release is another in the Kincaid series, GABE KINCAID.

Or try a Stone Mountain book like BRAZOS BRIDE or try THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE.

Jacquie's other releases include her beloved Hearts of Owyhee series at her Amazon Author Page.

and her SLEIGHT OF HEART

Plus short stories in numerous anthologies.

Thanks for stopping by!

HOW WE WROTE COMPANION BOOKS FOR A DUET BOXED SET

You probably know that Jacquie Rogers and I are writing linked books to be boxed as a duet and released in September. You might wonder (I hope) how one goes about writing linked books with another author. 

For starters, I am a major fan of Jacquie’s books, especially her western historical romances. She knows a tremendous amount about the Old West and writes with wry humor that I love. MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS and SLEIGHT OF HEART are my two favorites, but the woman ALWAYS delivers a great story. So, when she asked if I’d be interested in pairing up for a boxed set, I jumped at the chance.

But that’s the easy part. First we had to work out details so our books were compatible and there was continuity of characters. This took quite a few emails and several phone calls. 

Choosing titles was difficult due to the large number of mail order bride books already published. We locked ours in and Jacquie put up a blog for us at http://mailordertangle.blogspot.com  As time goes along, we’ll post more to the blog. 

As soon as we had the titles, then we could commission a cover. Jacquie and I are thrilled with the cover. Don't you agree?

After choosing 1880 for the first book, we decided our two heroes would be cousins. Of course they would each be handsome, tall, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Sounds like my husband, whom I call Hero. Well, his dark hair is mostly gray now, but you get the idea.

Our heroines are Richmond, Virginia sisters whose debt-ridden father’s suicide left them destitute and disgraced. With no more money after having pawned everything they salvaged from creditors, the youngest sister applied to a marriage broker as a mail order bride on the condition she could bring her sister with her. Otherwise, her sister would have agreed to marry a despicable elderly man so they would have a roof over their heads.

Colorado River near Bastrop, Texas

For locale, we needed the Texas ranch to be on the Colorado River in Central Texas, which is ranching country and supplied herds of cattle to Idaho Territory. All my books are set in Texas and all Jacquie’s books are set in Idaho. Don’t want to waste all our research, right?

The Texas town is fictitious, but based near the real town of Bastrop about thirty miles from Austin. When deciding on a community, we wanted one to which many immigrants had come earlier in the 19^th century. Checking on those in Idaho Territory, Jacquie learned there were a lot of Swedish immigrants in Owyhee County about the time we wanted these books set.

Ranch such as our Texas hero owned.

In Texas, there were more Germans in this area, but also Swedish and Norwegian. We settled on Swedish for our heroes. The fictitious town is named after an actual town in Sweden, which happened a lot when a group of immigrants arrived to settle together. So, we were off and running—I mean writing.

We carefully outlined what we wanted to happen, who the secondary characters would be, names, and the situation in each book. And we all know how the best laid plans work, right? Yes, we had to keep sending our work back and forth so the tone of the books coincided. Plus I had help from my critique group and my plotting group. Apparently, it takes a village to write a book. ☺

MAIL ORDER PROMISE by moi is not as humorous as Jacquie’s MAIL ORDER RUCKUS.  Oh, I have several humorous incidents, but Jacquie has a true gift in that department. We each include skullduggery to keep you guessing how the plot unfolds. Bwhahaha.

Don’t think I’m only going to post about MAIL ORDER TANGLE. Nope, I will maybe once a week for a while, then feature other posts the other two times that week. On Monday, the 25^th, I’ll be posting a character interview with the hero of MAIL ORDER PROMISE. Please come back then. Just like my personal Hero, he’s a keeper.

In the meantime, you can learn about Jacquie's hero, Matt Johannsen, from MAIL ORDER RUCKUS today at her blog at http://romancingthewest.blogspot.com 

Thanks for stopping by!  

MEET MY CHARACTER BLOG TOUR

Welcome to the Meet My Character Blog Tour! My friend Jacquie Rogers is the one who roped me in, er, I mean, graciously invited me to participate. So before we get to my character, Ellie Dickerson, I’d like give you the rundown on Jacquie.

Jacquie Rogers, Author

Jacquie Rogers is a former software designer, campaign manager, deli clerk, and cow milker. Her 2007 release, FAERY SPECIAL ROMANCES, won the Fall NOR Award for Best Print Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance and finaled in several other contests. She also has stories in other print anthologies as well. Her short contemporary novel, DOWN HOME EVER LOVIN’ MULE BLUES, has received several top picks and 5-star reviews. Her SLEIGHT OF HEART and the Hearts of Owyhee series have gained Jacquie a large western historical romance fan base. Her short stories for Western Fictioneers and Prairie Rose Publishing add to her ever-increasing popularity.

Jacquie teaches several workshops both online and in person, and is co-creator of 1st Turning Point, a website where authors come to teach, learn, and share—all about promotion and marketing. You can also find her at her Facebook group, Pickle Barrel Bar and Books, website, Romancing the West blog, Twitter, and Goodreads. Her Amazon Author Page lists all her books.

Whether you prefer reading paranormal or western historical romance or traditional westerns, her stories capture a rich array of emotions accompanied by a touch of her wry humor.  

MEET MY CHARACTER

Now I’ll introduce you to the heroine of MAIL ORDER PROMISE, a short western historical romance that will be included in a duet with Jacquie Rogers, MAIL ORDER TANGLE, to be released in September. (Wow, that's not far away!)

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Ellie Dickerson is fictional—except in my head. My characters are always real people to me, friends who talk to me and reveal their deepest secrets. Then I disclose those details all through the book. ☺

Ellie and Laura might have worn
dresses similar to these

2) When and where is the story set?

My story, MAIL ORDER PROMISE, opens in May 1880 near the fictional Central Texas town of Valdesta. Jacquie’s takes place a year and a half later in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, and is titled MAIL ORDER RUCKUS.

3) What should we know about him/her?

Twenty-year-old Ellie is a redheaded, green-eyed beauty who grew up pampered near Richmond, Virginia. Her mother died when Ellie was ten, and her sister Laura cared for her. Their father’s suicide and the scandal his death unleashed left them nearly destitute and shunned by their society friends. Laura considers marrying a much older man to give them security, but Ellie won't let her beloved sister sacrifice her happiness. At the same time, she doesn't want to risk being separated from Laura, who is three years older than Ellie. On the condition that her sister can travel with her, Ellie contracts with a marriage broker as a mail order bride.

Imagine washing clothes in a pot over an
open fire wearing one of these dresses

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

When they arrive in Valdesta, Texas, they learn the man Ellie contracted to marry was buried only two days earlier. His handsome brother and cousin meet the girls and take them to the Rocking J ranch. Ellie has no idea whether the brother (Kage Johannsen) plans to step in and wed her. When she asks, she learns he has no intention of marrying her because he considers her spoiled and helpless with none of the grit needed to last on a ranch. She and Laura are at a loss as to what to do. Where could they go and how would they get there? Kage’s worthless cousin Olaf adds danger.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

She needs security for her and her sister. She desires a loving husband, nice home, and the respect of those around her. Of course, as she learns more about living on a ranch, her idea of a perfect home changes from a plantation-style mansion filled with servants to a rambling Texas ranch house with Kage. But can she change his opinion of her?

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The title of the duet is MAIL ORDER TANGLE. You can read more about both books in the duet at http://mailordertangle.blogspot.com  We don’t have much on the site yet, but the cover’s posted and there’s a blurb for each book. I love the cover, don’t you? We’ll be adding more to the website in the coming days.

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

We’re aiming for the first or second week in September. It’s an ambitious schedule, but both Jacquie and I are extremely excited for this release. It’s our first time working together, although we’ve been online friends for quite a while, and I’ve been Jacquie's fan for years. (Her SLEIGHT OF HEART and Hearts of Owyhee series are favorite books of mine). I’m honored to be included in this duet with her!

Next week (August 18), please check out these awesome writers’ characters!

Here are the authors I'm Tagging:

Carra Copelin, Author

Carra was born in Dallas, Texas and raised a few miles to the west just a stone's throw from where the Dallas Cowboys now call home. Unlike other authors, she didn't write from childhood or read long into the nights beneath the covers, but discovered romance novels as an adult. Little by little, as she read her way through hundreds of books, she discovered there were many people residing in her head. With all of them demanding their stories be told, she decided to give writing a try. From that day she was hooked and, even though life took over for a while, she's busy bringing her characters to life.

Carra is a member of Romance Writers of America and President of the Yellow Rose Romance Writers. When she’s not writing she loves creating and plotting with her fabulous critique partners, watching NCIS and NASCAR, and visiting with her three beautiful grandchildren. She and her husband reside in Arlington, Texas. You’ll find her blog on her website.

Facebook     Twitter     Website     Amazon Page     Goodreads      Pinterest     Google+

JACQUIE ROGERS

Yes, the same lovely woman who tagged me for this blog tour. I’m tagging her back because I want to learn more about her characters. Maybe she’ll share the scoop on Matt Johannsen, the hunky hero of her book. 

Pretty please?

Thanks for stopping by!

clothing photos from Pinterest