INTERVIEW WITH PRISCILLA BRADFORD

 By Caroline Clemmons

Please welcome Priscilla Bradford, heroine of QUINN AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE. Priscilla, thank you for agreeing to an interview today.

Priscilla, folding her hands in her lap: Thank you for inviting me. I don’t quite understand the reason for your invitation.

Priscilla Bradford

Me: Readers like to know more about the characters about whom they read. More information than can be included in the book. For instance, where did you attend school?

Priscilla: Mrs. Dempsey’s School for Young Ladies. It was a boarding school but only a few blocks from my home, so I didn’t board there. Entry into the school was limited to those she called of "good families." My father was a descendant of William Bradford of the Mayflower colony. The curriculum was quite rigid, preparing students to entertain and manage a large household after marriage. The staff thought students would marry soon after graduation. I’m afraid I was a disappointment to Mrs. Dempsey because I didn’t marry right away.

Me: You’re a beautiful woman who must have had many beaus. Did none of them suit you?

Priscilla: I confess I found them superficial and more interested in obtaining the heir and a spare than in the needs of their wife. I didn’t enjoy being viewed as a brood mare, so to speak. At least, that’s what it seemed to me. I realize now that was my mistake.

Me: What brought you to this conclusion?

Priscilla heaves a big sigh: I didn’t realize I would lose everything except my brother, Richard. We had never considered that our livelihood was in jeopardy.

Me: My goodness, what happened?

Priscilla: First, Papa’s business burned to the ground. Then, we discovered he had let the fire insurance lapse to conserve money. He was so devastated by his failure that he shot himself. Richard was the one who found him, so I was spared that, at least.

Me: Goodness, that must have been terrible for you and your brother.

Priscilla: A staggering blow, but not the end of trouble. Immediately after the funeral, a banker came to tell us that our father’s loan payments were long overdue. We had no idea Papa had mortgaged the house. Bradford House had been in the family since just after the American Revolution.

Me: That must have been a devastating shock. What did you do?

Priscilla: What could we do? We had no close relatives. Each of our parents was an only child. The banker gave us a few days to clear our personal things from the house. The furnishings were part of the loan. Richard helped me gather my things into two trunks. We moved to a boarding house. Richard wanted me to remain there until he could rent a small house for us, but I wanted to escape all the sad memories.

Me: I don’t blame you, dear. How did you accomplish your escape?

Priscilla: I have accepted the invitation of a man in Texas to become his mail order wife.

Me: Aren’t you afraid of who the groom might be?

Priscilla: Terrified, but I’m determined to have my own home and children. This man named Quinn McRae lives on a ranch with a cook/housekeeper. That sounds fairly secure, and welcome since my cooking and cleaning skills are lacking.

Me: You’re a brave woman, Priscilla, and I wish you the very best.

Read Priscilla and Quinn's story at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Quinn-Order-Bride-Country-Brides-ebook/dp/B0BSTMWV5X

Dear Readers, thank you for reading this post. Stay safe.

QUINN IS HERE!

By Caroline Clemmons

This is a wonderful day! QUINN AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE released today. QUINN is book 3 in the Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides Series. I am super excited about this book. This is a sweet historical western romance. If you read GENTRY, you’ll recognize that Quinn is his younger brother, although each book is stand alone.

Quinn is a good man with a tortured soul that causes him to… umm, to be less than he should be. After fifteen years apart, he is with his two older brothers, something he’s yearned for the entire time apart. He is a step closer to achieving his goal of owning a ranch. First, he has a lot to learn—and a secret to share.

Priscilla Bradford is a well-bred Boston woman to whom fate has dealt a horrific blow. The tragedy might break most women, but not Priscilla. Her quiet, ladylike behavior masks her strength and willpower.

Here’s the blurb:

Priscilla Bradford is determined she and Quinn McRae will have a happy marriage—all she has to do is convince him.

Priscilla Bradford’s once-impressive family has fallen on desperate times. She and her brother have lost everything. Against her brother’s wishes, she leaves Boston to become a mail order bride to a man in Texas. She’s relieved when she arrives and finds her groom is a handsome and charming man. His family welcomes her—at last, she feels part of a loving, happy family. But her husband soon behaves as if he were two people. She’s certain he’s a good man, and is determined to discover the reason for his mysterious behavior.

Quinn McRae is overjoyed to reunite with his brothers after being apart for fifteen years. They don’t understand why he doesn’t fit into ranch life on their terms. How can he explain the heartbreaking event that continues to create his horrific nightmares? He can’t—at least, not without revealing the secret he believes would cause them to send him packing. In addition to his internal battle, a local bully is determined to kill Quinn and his brothers.

How will Quinn overcome the bully’s attempts to destroy his family? Can Priscilla and Quinn conquer his doubts to become the happy couple of her dreams?

https://www.amazon.com/Quinn-Order-Bride-Country-Brides-ebook/dp/B0BSTMWV5X

Priscilla Bradford McRae

Here’s an excerpt when Priscilla urges Quinn to be more gracious to his brother Gentry:

“Easy for you to say, I’m out there working like a dog in this weather while you’re in here living like the lady of the manor. Isn’t that the way you grew up? No worries, nothing but parties and fancy clothes all your life.” His tone was pleasant but his words were spoken to sting.

Why had she bothered? She grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket and waved it as if it was a fan open in her hand while she gestured delicately with the other hand. With a coy smile, she gave her impression of a Southern belle.

“I do apologize, Quinn shugah. Of course, I grew up in fine silks and satins, waited on hand and foot, attended fancy balls and dinners, and besieged by beaus.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Why, a big, str-ron-n-g man like you must wonder why someone like little ol’e me would leave a life of leisure and privilege to become a mail order bride.” She reached up to pat his cheek. “Bless. Your. Heart.”

Narrowing her eyes, she changed to a tone of disgust. “Sometimes you are an arrogant idiot!” She turned and sashayed into the next room.

 

I hope you’ll give QUINN AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE a read. I think you’ll enjoy it. In fact, I think you'll enjoy all three of the books of this series. Let me know whether you do or not at https://carolineclemmons.com