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.
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.
