Spotlight on Mary Connealy and Cowboy Christmas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARY CONNEALY writes romantic comedies with cowboys for Barbour Publishing. Cowboy Christmas is in bookstores now. Montana Rose, Book #1 of the Montana Marriages series, released in July, book #2 The Husband Tree comes in January and book #3 Wildflower Bride comes in May 2010. Mary is also the author of the Lassoed in Texas series and a cozy mystery collection, Nosy in Nebraska. Mary is a Christy Award finalist.

Find Mary Online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Blog
My Website

COWBOY CHRISTMAS
by Mary Connealy
Published by Barbour Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

A beautiful songstress on the run.
A distrustful cowboy who can't abandon a woman in need.
An evil man obsessed with controlling that stunning voice.
The brutal cold of the Rockies in winter.
A suspicious family risking everything to protect a singer with secrets.
One perfect chance for a star to lead two lonely people to true love. Cowboy Christmas.

Readers, buy your copy of Cowboy Christmas today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

I wanted to write a book about a ‘good girl’ who’s never been challenged to stand up for her faith. She’s lived a very protected life and it hasn’t been hard to be a Christian. But the day has come when, to do the right thing, she has to risk everything, and suddenly she finds that her steady faith isn’t so easy to hang on to when her life is at stake. That’s Annette in Cowboy Christmas. A life long good girl who’s just fumbling every challenge she meets, but her faith is solid so she keeps coming back, trying to do it all right.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

In general ways, I see Annette’s story as my own. I’ve had a very good, safe life. Wonderful Christian parents. Marriage to a man of faith. I’ve wondered if I really had to stand strong for God, what would I do? I’d like to believe I’d face anything courageously for God. But we hear about the suffering people undergo as Christians in parts of the world where Christianity is terribly persecuted and I always hope and pray I could die for my faith and speak truth to power at any cost. So I made Annette do it instead of me.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Annette is Rocky Road. She’s so full of gifts, so full of a sweet faith. But she keeps surprising poor Elijah, too. An occasional crunch he doesn’t expect, like when she uses a length of pipe to fight off the bad guy, right when he was there to be her knight in shining armor.

Elijah and ice cream. . .I’m having a little trouble with that. I adored Elijah. He’s been through something terrible and guilt is eating him up inside. But he’s such a sweetheart. And he loves his mother even though she’s a nag. Is that a flavor? Can you find a flavor in that? Let’s call him Chocolate/chocolate chip. That makes no sense but I’m hungry now so you’ve done your damage, Tiff.

* insert comment: Good! :) *

4. Are there any themes in Cowboy Christmas that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

The theme I wanted was to live bravely for Christ. To believe that God is with you through the good and the bad. Annette is so bend on being courageous. . .especially when she fails over and over, that she fails to see the hand of God protecting her and guiding her.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The scene where Annette was getting swept down the river was hard. An action scene is always a lot of work because, at least for me, it needs to be so tight and so fast paced and I can only achieve that through revisions, many, many revisions. So I need to go over it a lot of times. I can do it, I just can’t yet learn to do it naturally.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

My next release is The Husband Tree, coming in January. It’s a sequel to Montana Rose which released in July. I am completely in love with this book. I had so much fun with these two characters, Belle Tanner, a secondary character in Montana Rose, and Silas Harden.

Belle Tanner buries her third worthless husband and makes a vow over his shallow grave. She’s learned her lesson. No more men.

Silas Harden just lost his second ranch because of a woman. The first deserted him when times got tough. Now he’s had to quit the whole state of New Mexico to avoid a trumped-up shotgun wedding and the noose of matrimony. He’s learned his lesson. No more women.

Belle needs hired hands to move a cattle herd late in the season and there’s no one around but seemingly aimless Silas. She hires him reluctantly.

Silas signed on, glad for the work, though worried about a woman doing such a thing as hiring drovers, only to find out he’s the lone man going with five woman, including a baby still in diapers. After the cattle drive is over, he might as well shoot himself to speed up the process of being embarrassed to death.

A fast approaching winter.

The toughest lady rancher you’ve ever seen.

A cynical cowboy who has to convince five women he’s right for their ma. . .and then convince himself.

And one thousand head of the crankiest cattle who have ever been punched across the backbone of the Rockies.

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Thank you, Mary, for being in the spotlight with us.

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