Spotlight on Christmas Novels with Vickie McDonough part 2

Welcome back to part two of my interview with Vickie McDonough. I am half way through this novella and hope to finish it in the next day or so. I haven't posted the first review yet partly because we are suffering through a heatwave and the heat is making me quite tired. But I will post the reviews by the weekend.

1.This month I’m focusing on Christmas books, and Vickie has 2 novellas out. Today we are focusing on Wild West Christmas. How did you go about collaborating for this collection?

Originally, my anthology team was going to do a series set near the Red River, which divides Texas and Oklahoma, but we decided to move it to the Texas Hill Country. More discussion occurred, and we decided to write stories about four sisters who live on a ranch. Each sister has a special ability like roping or tracking. Since there are no sons to help the father run the ranch, it falls to the daughters. The stories are set one year apart, and each sister finds romance around Christmastime.

2. How did you find the topic and was it easy to write for you?


I’ve always been a fan of cowboy shows. I grew up watching them in the ‘60s and have always loved horses. Writing historicals seems to come easy for me. It’s my favorite genre to read, as well as write.

3. How did you come up with the characters for your story?


That’s a hard question. They come in different ways. For Sarah, my heroine in WWC, I decided her special talent would be horse training. I owned several horses when I was younger and felt I could write a book about that fairly easily. I’d had Conner, my hero, on my mind for a while and was waiting until the right story came along. He’s half Scottish and half Mexican, and has endured being a half-breed all his life. He longs to be accepted for the man he is on the inside.

4. Do you have a message you hope readers take out of your story?

No matter who you are or what color your skin is, if you make yourself available to God, He will direct your path.

5. Can you tell us a little about your story?


Here’s the back cover blurb about my novella:

Although horse-trainer Sarah Ames is stunned when her pa hires the part-Mexican Carson Romero to take over her job on the ranch, she gradually becomes attracted to the handsome drifter. But when cattle go missing, Carson seems the main suspect. Has Carson stolen Sarah's heart as well as some prime longhorns?

6. Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share?

Yes, I’m very excited to announce my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series. The first book in the series releases April, 2010 and is called The Anonymous Bride. It’s the story of a town marshal who suddenly has a trio of mail-order brides arrive in town, each one expecting to marry him. A bride contest ensues to see which gal would make the best wife. The first competition is a pie making contest, but instead of three entries, there are four, the last one being from an anonymous competitor.

7. Finally where can we find you on the net?

vickiemcdonough.com

Also, I’m a regular contributor on the Bustles and Spurs blog, which focuses on inspirational books with a western flare. www.bustlesandspurs.com

Thanks for taking part in Christmas books in Nov. (I will find a better title before November!)

Thanks so much for inviting me!

One thing I’d like to mention is that I’m developing an online mailing list. If you’d like to receive quarterly reports from me and new release info, please send your email to me at fictionfan1@cox.net

Please note this is not a giveaway. Giveaways are listed on the right of the blog.