MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome Donna to Discover Yourself. If you'd like to be in the drawing for a free print edition of Mail Order Brides (US only), please leave a comment!
The idea for this story came
from a love of a movie and a friend with a great story to share.
The movie was “The Fugitive”,
both the original series pilot and the more recent remake. I loved the idea of
a train ride leading to a second chance.
My friend had recently taken
a train ride from Denver to San Francisco, and she shared several delightful
stories. I wondered if a train ride might be like a cruise in that it would provide
an insulated environment where the travelers might do something they’d never
done before. If so, this was perfect fodder for a romance, much like the old TV
show, “The Love Boat”.
And then I saw “Murder on the
Orient Express”, and as a lover of anything Agatha Christie, decided to
incorporate a few of the details in my story.
The result? A chance meeting,
two characters with integrity, and a way for God to reach both of them.
Leave a comment for a chance
to win a free print (US only) copy of Mail-Order
Brides Collection.
1895, Train to
California
John Stewart
needs a wife. Mary Johannson needs a home. On her way west, Mary falls in love
with another. Now both must choose between commitment and true love.
October 1895
Mary Johannson
has scars on her body that can’t compare with the scars on her heart. She is
alone in the world, with no family, no prospects, and no home.
John Stewart
is at his wit’s end. His wife of three years died in childbirth, leaving him
with a toddler and an infant, both girls. Theirs was the love of fairy tales,
and while he has no illusions about finding another like her, his children need
a mother.
Though separated by thousands
of miles, they commit to a mail-order marriage. But on their journey to
Heartbreak, they meet another and realize the life they’d planned would be a
lie. Can they find their way back from the precipice and into the love of God
and each other, or are they destined to keep their word and deny their heart?
Buy link: http://amzn.to/2Cur1I4
About Donna:
Donna lives in Denver with
husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical
suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of
Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid author who has published a number of books under
her pen name and under her own name. She is a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a local critique group, and
teaches writing classes and courses. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of
fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She loves
history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is
proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com Receive
a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter
Other Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2gZATjm
Excerpt: (when John and Mary
first meet)
John
handed his bag to the porter, an older, stooped Negro, who nodded and smiled,
thanking him for riding with him. John held back the sharp retort itching on
the end of his tongue for release. It wasn’t the old man’s fault he had to
change trains.
He
climbed the three steps and hesitated. Left or right? With no assigned seating,
the only question was which car would be quieter. He’d had his fill of crying
kids and snoring men.
He
glanced through the door of the car on his left. A woman reading a magazine,
and two men playing cards. On the right, a woman with three children who ran up
and down the aisle.
Left
it was.
Inside
this car, he sat in the second row. The woman was to his right, and the card
players were behind him. He propped his feet on the seat facing him, crossed
his legs at the ankles, tipped his hat over his face, and closed his eyes. With
any luck, he’d have a good long rest before the conductor woke him for dinner.
But
while his body screamed for sleep, his mind wouldn’t settle. He worried about
his daughters. He fretted over how Martin was handling things on the ranch.
Sure, he was experienced. Sure, he’d managed things before when John was
preoccupied with Sophia’s illness.
He’d
always been there in case Martin had a question. Now he was hundreds if not
thousands of miles away. What if a cow went into a breach labor? What if a
steer broke through the fence again and ended up in the mire? What if—
He
snapped his head up. He could “what if” himself to death. John drew a deep
breath and settled his chin on his chest. No matter how bad things got in
Heartbreak, there wasn’t one thing he could do about it. He might as well
relax.
Pages
rustled beside him, and he glanced at the woman reading the magazine. Pink
tinged her cheeks, and her mouth formed a tiny “o” as though she was reading
something pleasing. He couldn’t make out the cover of the magazine from this
angle, but he doubted it was a Sears catalogue. She was much too engrossed in
it.
The
irony of the situation didn’t escape him. Here he was, caught up in worrying
about what was happening in the real world—his real world—beyond the confines
of this train, and there was this young woman purposely losing herself in the
make-believe world of her reading material.
No comments:
Post a Comment