Takeover Thursday with Darlene Franklin ... and a GIVEAWAY!

I want to extend a warm welcome to Darlene Franklin. Darlene is giving away a hard copy (US ONLY) of  The Pony Express Romance Collection. You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends April 13, 2017. If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and pass on your information.) Now, here's Darlene...

One of the challenges of writing about the Pony Express, as romantic as it sounds, was how to get and keep the hero and heroine in the same place for very long! So I decided to make my heroine a woman searching  for the father who had abandoned her, whom she believes is the stationmaster at the Chelan Swing Station. I also made her from the South, shortly before the War Between the States. I'm a New Englander by birth and wanted to explore the other side of the war for a few pages.

I was invited to join the Pony Express collection, as I was invited to participate in my first novella collection, Snowbound Colorado Christmas. That novella, Dressed in Scarlet, finaled in ACFW's "Book of the Year" contest (now the Carol Awards). If not for that experience, I might never have turned to writing historical romance. Thank you, Lena Nelson Dooley and Tamela Hancock Murray! That was back at the beginning. This year I'm closing in on fifty unique published titles. That sounds impressive — but it took me fourteen years before had a single book published. That's one of the reasons I tell writers that perseverance is more important than raw talent.

Story blurb...

The Gambler's Daughter is one of nine novellas that happen along the Pony Express route in 1860-1861. 

Gambling debts drive Caroline Adams’s estranged father away from the Chelan Swing Station before her arrival. Can his replacement conquer the temptations goading them both to prove himself worthy of Caroline’s love?

Amazon link for purchase...

http://amzn.to/2nSWb34

Darlene's bio...

Best-selling hybrid author Darlene Franklin's greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. This year she expects to reach fifty unique titles in print, and she's also contributed to more than twenty nonfiction titles. Her column, "The View Through My Door," appears monthly in Bookfun Magazine. Her most recent titles are The Pony Express Romance Collection, Love's Compass, and To Riches Again.

Where to find Darlene online...

Website and blog:  http://darlenefranklinwrites.com/

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/Poet.Darlene.Franklin/

Amazon author page:   https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Franklin/e/B001K8993A/

Twitter:   @darlenefranklin

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Reads with Mary Connealy, Darlene Franklin, and Carla Olson Gade

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing the novellas contained in The Homestead Brides Collection. There are nine stories, and I will be sharing my review of three of them each time.

This book contains nine novellas by eight veteran authors (Mary Connealy, Darlene Franklin, Carla Olson Gade, Ruth Logan Herne, Pam Hillman, DiAnn Mills, Erica Vetsch, and Kathleen Y’Barbo) and one newbie (Becca Whitham).  These stories provide the perfect quick read for your day. While they all focus on the pioneering folks of the 1800s, each story contains its own cast of characters on a quest to secure land and create a bright future.  This collection is a nice way for readers to be introduced to a wide variety of authors and possibly find some new favorites!

Homestead on the Range by Mary Connealy:  Widow Elle Winter and widower Colin Samuelson meet shortly after his arrival on the Nebraska prairie. There seems to be an immediate connection, until he learns that between the two of them, they have seven children. He can barely handle his own three. He does agree to friendship. The connection grows when a tornado hits the area. In addition to dealing with nature, they must deal with the antics of their children. Are they in favor of the union? This tale is a combination of “The Brady Bunch” and “Little House on the Prairie.” Connealy’s wit is evident, even as the characters cling to God in life’s storms. “Martha” leaves the readers with a good reminder: “Love always fits. Family always fits.”

You can find Mary online at www.maryconnealy.com.

Priceless Pearl by Darlene Franklin: Rick Eady grew up poor, and America Barton grew up rich. They meet each other during the Oklahoma Land Rush. The Bartons are clearly out of their element, and Rick offers to help. In exchange for helping them farm, America helps him learn to read. Rick is a hard-working man with a strong faith. Can her parents see that those qualities are more important than money? While some scenes drag at times, overall, this is a sweet romance. The perils at that time are evident, and it is a reminder that many people who moved there were ill-equipped to face things without God’s help.

Proving Up by Carla Olson Gade: Nils Svensson longs for his wife to see the timber business that he is building. He is interested in acquiring the neighboring land. He learns that Elsa Lindstrom has claim to it, which thwarts his dreams. Is his only interest in her land? This story is interesting in the fact that it educates the reader about the Timber Culture Act of 1873 and Swedish immigrants. The tale outlines the misunderstandings and surprises that many faced in this new world.

You can find Carla online at carlagade.com/.

You can purchase the book at the following Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Homestead-Brides-Collection-Pioneering-Couples-ebook/dp/B00RPVRWEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437681248&sr=1-1&keywords=the+homestead+brides+collection