Vickie McDonough ~ Finally A Bride ~ Book Giveaway

Help me welcome one of my favorite authors, Vickie McDonough.
She is an award-winning author of 23 books and novellas. Her books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY/Carol Awards. She was voted Third Favorite Author in the Heartsong Presents Annual Readers Contest in 2009.

Vickie is the author of the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series from Barbour Publishing. Watch for her new books from Moody Press, Texas Trails: A Morgan Family series, in which she partners with Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin to write a 6-book series that spans 50 years of the Morgan family. The first three books release this fall. Also, next year brings the release of a new series from Guidepost Books, Whispers on the Prairie, set in 1870s Kansas. Vickie hopes readers find her stories An Adventure into Romance.

If time and money did not enter in the equation, what would be your dream?

When I was younger, I wanted to grow up and marry a rancher. Instead, I married a computer geek who's scared of horses. :) I’d still love to live in the country where I could have a horse, although now I think it would be fun to raise miniature horses.

They say what a person would take from a burning building tells a lot about them. If you could only save one thing (nothing living) from your home, what would that be?


My laptop, because my latest book is on it, and I have a deadline approaching. But I can tell you that I wouldn’t take just one thing. I’d be grabbing my purse, photos, cell phone, anything I could carry. And if the fire wasn’t too bad, I’d probably go back in for more. I know, I know, but I’m stubborn like that.

What are you currently reading?

Surrender the Night by Marylu Tyndall. It's great! What is your favorite genre for personal reading pleasure? historical Christian romances with western settings.

If you could live in any time, when and where would that be and why?

As much as I love writing about the 1800s and other past times, I prefer to live in this day and age. I love technology and new gadgets being created all the time. I also enjoy watching my favorite shows on TV or a good movie, and flying to another city in just an hour or two.

Where are you right now (LVR, DR, Bathroom) and what are you wearing? You have to tell the truth. In my living room. I’m wearing jeans, a teal thermal knit top, and gray house shoes. I’m sitting in my recliner, working on my laptop, and my husband is sitting in his recliner on the other side of a small end table watching NCIS LA. 

What was the last movie you saw in a theatre?  The Grace Card Did you like it? Yes, it was a good movie with a powerful message of loving other who are different and of forgiveness. Who was with you? My husband, Robert, and our good friends, Mike and Kathleen What snacks did you eat? Robert and I shared a small popcorn and a Coke.

Who's your one biggest fan/supporter of your writing?
  That would be my husband, Robert. He has encouraged me from day one and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. He’s never complained about all the money I’ve spent for writer’s conferences or traveling for research trips. Right behind him is my mom, who proofs most of my stories and gives copies of my books away to the nurses and aids who come to her house to help her with her physical needs.

Other than the Bible, what is your all time favorite book?

A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke.

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

1. When I was 10, I begged and pleaded until my very citified parents bought me a horse.  

2. At age 14, I bought a Honda motorcycle with money I earned babysitting.
3. My husband and I lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a year.
4. I’m the mother of four boys, all grown now.
5. My books have sold nearly 3/4th of a million copies. :D

What kinds of things can readers expect from your books?

An exciting adventure, a message of hope, and a satisfying romance with a dose of humor.

What facet of the writing craft comes easiest to you?

Cashing my advance check. J

What is the hardest thing about writing?
The actual writing process.

What do you feel are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
 Being the mother of four grown men, I’ve learned a lot about males. I’ve been told I write males well. Dialogue and characterization are other areas that I’ve been told I’m good at.

What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
Forgiveness; that no matter how far you’ve fallen, God is always willing to reach out and help you; and no matter how bad the circumstances, God longs for you to reconcile with Him.

What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Finally A Bride is the 3^rd book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series. In the first two books, The Anonymous Bride and Second Chance Brides, there is a feisty young tomboy named Jack. When it was time to write the final book, I knew that it had to be Jack’s book. It will take a special man to tame her.

Tell us about Finally A Bride.

Jacqueline “Jack” Davis is a reporter for the Lookout Ledger bent on discovering the truth and nabbing her story at any cost. When Noah Jeffers comes to Lookout as a temporary pastor, Jack suspects that there may be something hidden beneath his shepherding ways. Soon, though, Jack begins to be attracted to the new pastor despite her initial hesitation. But as she uncovers the truth, will this story cost her too much? Will she reveal what she’s uncovered or keep it hidden to protect newfound love?

Carly Payton returns to Lookout after years in prison, hoping to rebuild her life there. But she soon discovers that new starts and second chances are not always easy to find. Garret Corbett is determined to marry—but not to a jailbird like Carly. When Carly is equally repelled by Garret’s prank-playing ways, will the two see past their dislike and give each other—and love—a second look?

Watch love make a way in Lookout!

The Anonymous Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 1)

Check yourself into the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series by Vickie McDonough, where you’ll meet Luke Davis, marshal of Lookout, Texas, who flippantly tells his cousin he’d get married if the right woman ever came along. When three mail-order brides are delivered to Luke a month later, he’s in an uncomfortable predicament. How will he ever choose his mate? Rachel Hamilton’s long-time love for Luke is reignited with his return to town. So when three mail-order brides appear, she panics. Will she find the courage to tell Luke that she loves him? Or take an anonymous part in the contest for his hand?

Second Chance Brides (Texas Broading House Brides, Book 2)

Fans of The Anonymous Bride, will feel for Shannon O’Neil and Leah Bennett who are stranded in Lookout, Texas, without husbands or future plans. Thankfully, the marshal has ordered the rascally Corbett brothers to pay for the women’s lodging at the boardinghouse, but will the brothers’ idea of hosting Saturday socials really bring these women the kind of loves they long for? Will Shannon choose to marry just for security? Will Leah reject love when the challenges mount?



WHERE TO FIND YOU ON THE WEB

Web site: http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/
Facebook: Search my name: Vickie McDonough

Vickie, thank you for stopping by and sharing with us. To have the possibility to receive a copy of Finally A Bride leave a comment with your email (name at domain name dot com). To make it a little more fun, go to Vickie's blog or web site and find out something of interest that is different from all other comments about Vickie or one of her characters. Giveaway closes Sunday, April 24, 2011 at midnight (CST). Only US postal codes.If you're reading this on Feedburner, Facebook, or Amazon please come to www.AJHawke.blogspot.com to leave your comments.