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Monday, December 19, 2016

My Texas Heritage & A Texas-themed Giveaway


Keli Gwyn here to talk about my ties to Texas.

Wow! Can you believe all the great posts published and prizes given away on the blog so far? What fun! Don’t miss my giveaway, which you’ll find at the bottom of the post.

I was honored when Erica asked if I’d like to write a story for the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. You might think I accepted right away, but I didn’t.

Although I loved the setup for the stories, with GW Hart’s edict—marry or you’ll lose your inheritance—it was the setting itself that stopped me. All my stories before this one had taken place here in California’s Gold Country, where I live.

Erica overcame my hesitation when she suggested creating a Hart brother hero who had spent time in California. When I heard that, ideas began dancing in my head, and I said yes.

Another reason I warmed to the idea of writing a Texas-set story is that I have ties to Texas. My mother grew up in a small town in West Texas. When my husband and I were dating, one of the surprising discoveries we made was that his father grew up in that very same town! We have ancestors buried in the same cemetery.

Writing “A Love Returned,” the story of the middle Hart brother, Houston, gave me the opportunity to stretch myself as a writer. Despite my Texas heritage, my personal experience is limited, having only visited the Lone Star State three times.

One of those trips took place when I was five, so that doesn’t really count. Another trip was for a writer’s conference where I never left the hotel complex at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The third trip was short. We only visited the town where our parents had lived. Clearly, I need to know more about the area around our fictional Hartville before I could write the story.

I’m grateful for Google. I was able to learn a lot using their search feature, but I wanted to talk with people who’d lived in the area where the Hart family ranch is situated. Thankfully, I have a fellow author friend who spent several years there. Plus, one of my husband’s cousin grew up nearby. They were able to give me a well-rounded picture, complete with the sights, sounds and smells.

Writing a story set in Texas gave me a way to honor my Texas heritage. I also got to talk about things that would never show up in my California-set stories, such as armadillos, which was fun. I’m thankful for being one of the authors in the collection with the privilege of bringing one of the Hart brothers and his sweetheart to life.

Questions for You

Do you live in Texas or have any ties to the Lone Star State?

If you’ve visited Texas, what sights were you able to see?

If you haven’t been to Texas, what sights would you most like to see?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

If you like the giveaways, you’re going to be excited about those I have planned this week. It starts with a fun prize package today that includes three items. Each day’s prize package gets BIGGER and better, ending with SEVEN items on Friday. You won’t want to miss a single post this week—or your chance to win.


 Today’s prize is three tasty Texas treats. The winner will receive a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline. Talk about a tasty trio. Yum!


To enter the giveaway each day, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above by midnight EST. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will announce the winner’s name in the following day’s post, so be sure to check back to find out who won. (I’ll ask Erica to include Friday’s winner in her Saturday post.)

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

26 comments:

  1. I have visited Texas many times. :) My husband and I honeymooned in San Antonio. The Alamo was so much smaller than I thought it would be, and the Riverwalk is beautiful. I've been to Dallas a few times, and I've driven through the Pan Handle region. The XIT Ranch is HUGE!

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    1. I would love to see the Alamo and stroll the River Walk in San Antonio one day.

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    2. Good grief, the comment above was from me! I don't know how I got signed out of my account. :) Keli, you would love the Riverwalk, and the Alamo. The Alamo museum is a very moving experience.

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    3. I wondered if the comment was from you, Erica. I remember you mentioning during our Facebook Release Party that the Alamo was smaller than you'd expected. Since you've visited Texas and even honeymooned there, it makes sense why you do such a good job of writing Texas-set stories. Then again, your stories are great no matter where they take place. You even made Needles, California sound somewhat appealing. Anyone who can romanticize the high desert portion of my state has talent in spades. :-)

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  2. I lived in Houston, TX when I was 5-6, and one of my siblings was born there. I only have a few memories of it, though, because that was about 35 years ago! 😃

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    1. What fun to have Texas roots, Jen, even if you don't have many memories of that time in your life. You were quite young.

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    2. Yes it is fun; I need to get back someday! And I can't wait to read this collection.

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  3. My ties to Texas-other than our handsome Hart brothers, of course-is that I have a great aunt who lives there, and I was in Dallas for the ACFW conference. :) But Texas is such an amazing state, and I'd love the chance to tour all the historic sites!

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    1. One of my best Texas ties is meeting you, Amanda, which I did in Dallas, if my memory is accurate. :-)

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  4. My great grandpa lived there and my grandpa moved away when he married my grandma. We love to visit and my favorite is the Alamo. We took our honeymoon on Port Aransas island.

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    1. Susan, how fun to have ties to Texas, memories of your honeymoon there and the opportunity for more visits to the Lone Star State.

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  5. Hi Keli, I have this book but not read yet-looking forward to it. I did live in Galveston Tx for couple years after graduation long ago and met my first husband there. I have family that lives in Galveston-Hitchcock-Santa Fe and LaMarque. have visited over the years and would like to go back and live there but this hubby does not,Ga born and bred...
    Paula O

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  6. Paula, how special that you have ties to Texas. I hope you're able to visit the Lone Star State again and take in some of the wonderful sights you have yet to see.

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  7. We lived in Texas for four years. Our youngest son was born there. It is a great place to raise a family. We loved going to the Fort Worth Zoo and loved visiting San Antonio too. I survived two tornadoes and stepping on a fire ant mound too!
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
    Merry

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    1. Merry, you have some wonderful memories of your time in Texas as well as some not-so-wonderful ones. I can't imagine living through a tornado or encountering fire ants.

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  8. Some relatives, but not close relatives moved to Texas in the mid to late 1800's. I met a descendant of 1 of them in a genealogy room in my town.

    I have letters written between my grandmother in TN and her brother who was working in Rosalie, Texas. This was before she married in 1893. She was really wanting to visit him in Texas.

    I have traveled through Texas 3 times but it was made to be a fast trip with no real sight-seeing--only pictures made from car window.

    I would like to make pictures in a lot of places in TX--the beach, the mountains, ranches and old towns.

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    1. What fun to have visited Texas three times, albeit briefly. I hope you're able to return one day and see many of the places you'd like to photograph.

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  9. My brother and his family have lived in Lake Jackson area for ~20 years and sad to say I have never visited them there. We did go to Dallas for a conference MANY years ago. Some day I shall go visit my brother!

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    1. Anne, I hope you are able to visit your brother and his family and enjoy spending time with them while seeing more of Texas.

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  10. I lived in central Texas for 3 1/2 years, moving about 11 years ago. I really enjoyed visiting the hill country. Fredericksburg was a favorite place to visit, especially Wildseed Farms. I miss the wildflowers and the people.

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    1. Pam, what fun it must have been to visit the Hill Country. I've heard great things about the wildflowers. Seeing the bluebonnets in bloom is on my bucket list.

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  11. I have never been to Texas, but have ties to Texas, as my brothers wife is from Texas.

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    1. Lucy, maybe someday you and your sister-in-law could plan a trip to Texas. It would be fun to see the state with someone who really understands Texas and Texans.

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  12. I don't live in Texas or have any real connections to the state. My brother was in Air Force basic training in Texas, but I can't think of any other connections.

    I have heard that the River Walk in San Antonio (I think) is a great place to visit.

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    1. Patty, I've heard great things about the River Walk in San Antonio and hope to see it for myself someday.

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  13. I popped over to Random.org to find out who the winner is. Congratulations to ablst nlki I! The Day One E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g prize package is yours. Please send me an email at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.

    If you're a friend of ablst nlki I, please let her know she won. Thanks.

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