Tasty Texas Treats

Keli Gwyn, author of “A Love Returned” in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, here to talk about treats, tasty Texas-style ones.

My mother grew up in Texas. She introduced me to sweet tea at a young age. In fact, I can’t remember life before sweet tea.

For those who might not know what sweet tea is, it’s sweetened iced tea. The trick to making it “just right” is getting enough sugar in it. If you mix in the sugar when the tea is still warm and then cool it down, you can get more sugar absorbed into the mix. Not that I worried overmuch about that. Part of the fun for my younger self was tipping my emptied glass and letting the excess sugar on the bottom slide onto my tongue. It was like drinking liquid candy. Yum!

My maternal grandmother took charge of preparing our family feasts when she moved to town in my teens. One of the meals I most looked forward to was Nanny’s beans and chowchow, which she served on New Year’s Day. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beans themselves, but I loved burying them under a mound of her tangy chowchow, which was a pickled relish she learned to make when she lived in Texas. I never learned exactly what was in Nanny’s chowchow, but it sure tasted good.

Houston Hart, the hero of “A Love Returned,” spent twelve years in California, but he’s back in Texas now. One of the things he’d been looking forward to upon his return was sinking his teeth into one of the tasty tamales made by the Hart’s cook, Perla. Because of her Mexican heritage, she made the best tamales around, at least according to the Hart men.

Houston’s dream is realized when he sits down to a meal of tamales. Here’s the opening paragraph of the story.

Twelve years was a long time to wait for a tamale. Sam Houston Hart forked a bite and savored the spicy taste.

Since the stories in the collection take place in Texas, I thought it would be fun to offer some tasty Texas treats in my giveaway packages this week. I learned about the Texas Millionaries from my mom, who likes them. My research led me to the Longhorns and the pecan pralines.

Seeing the pralines brought back another memory of the pecan pies Nanny made for Thanksgiving each year. I’m not a fan of pecans or pies, but the memory of my Nanny’s pies is special nonetheless.

Today’s the last day to win the tasty trio of Texas-themed treats I’ve been giving away all week, so be sure to enter the giveaway. Here’s how…

Questions for You
Answer at least one to enter the giveaway.

Which Texas-themed treats are your favorites?

How do you like your iced tea, sweetened or not?

Do you like nuts in your candies? If so, which kinds?

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

Each day this week, I’ve added a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline plus all three books in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan, A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge and A Rancher of Convenience by Regina Scott.

The winner of the day four prize package is Bonnie Roof! Congratulations, Bonnie! I will get your candies and books on their way to you.

Today I’m adding Texas Cinderella, another Love Inspired Historical, this one by Winnie Griggs. That’s a total of SEVEN items, which seems like a fitting number for the final prize package in my Expanding Giveaway, wouldn’t you say?

To enter my final giveaway this week, 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 ask Erica to include the name of Friday’s winner in her Saturday post tomorrow.

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, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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Coralee's Compassion

Keli Gwyn here to talk about Coralee Culpepper, the heroine of “A Love Returned” in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection.

If I were to describe Coralee in one word, it would be compassionate. This Southern belle has a heart as big as Texas, which is one of the many things she’s known for—along with her ringlets, of course. The vintage photograph below shows what I imagine her to look like.

Coralee cares for those in her community. She’s a member of Hartville’s Confederate Widows and Orphans Fund committee. She attends meetings and helps raise funds for the CWAOF, but she goes above and beyond those duties.

If Coralee hears that one of the war widows has a need, she takes it upon herself to meet it. She arranges to have meals prepared by her family’s cook delivered to them. Coralee offers the widows work when she can, too, in an effort to provide needed funds while enabling them to maintain their dignity.

In “A Love Returned,” Coralee hires one of the war widows to make baby clothes for a certain little Hart baby that’s on the way. No spoilers here. To find out which brother is soon to be a father, you’ll just have to read the stories in the collection.

Another way Coralee helps the citizens of Hartville is by serving on the committee planning the lavish Christmas Eve Ball. This annual affair was initiated by the matriarch of the Hart family, the late Victoria Hart herself.

At the time “A Love Returned” takes place in 1874, Coralee is helping plan the ball. As she does with anything she undertakes, she gives her all. This kindhearted woman does nothing halfway.

Because of Coralee’s loyalty to her family as well as her to community and the great state of Texas, few people know the depth of her compassion. She harbors a family secret that she promised to keep, and keep it she has, despite great cost to herself.

What Coralee lost is something readers of “A Love Returned” will discover. If you’re like me, your respect for this generous, selfless woman will grow when you do. I’ll give you a hint. It just might have something to do with a certain handsome Hart brother.

Thanks to GW Hart’s edict, his middle son, Sam Houston Hart, is back in Texas. But is Houston home for good? That’s what GW, Houston’s brothers and Coralee wonder. She can’t trust Houston. He left her once, and she fears he could leave again. After all, he still owns the hardware store he started out in California. She’ll just have to keep her distance or risk heartache all over again.

Questions for You
Answer at least one to enter the giveaway.

What organizations or committees--either in your
church or community--do you belong to?

What church or community projects have you participated in,
and which of those projects have brought you the most joy?

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

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline along with the first and second books in the three-book Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan and A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge.

The winner is Deanna Stevens. Congratulations, Deanna! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.

Today I’m adding the third and final book in the Lone Star Cowboy League series to the prize package. The winner will receive all of the above plus A Rancher of Convenience by Regina Scott—six items in all!

To enter one of my giveaways this week, 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, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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Home is Where the Hart Is. Or Is It?

Keli Gwyn here to talk about Houston, the hero of “A Love Returned.”

Houston is the middle Hart brother, and his story comes smack dab in the middle of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. I thought that would be a good place for it to fall. I’m glad Erica and the others agreed with me and let me have that spot. The vintage photograph below shows how I pictured Houston.

The story begins with Houston’s return to Texas after twelve years away. He’s the only Hart brother to have left home with little to no intention of returning. Like many, he headed to California, where I live. Unlike many, he wasn’t as interested in what the Golden State had to offer as he was in getting away from his father and his father's expectations back in Texas.

People leave home for many reasons. Many are positive and mark normal life passages.

I left home for the first time when I headed to college. Being away from family was new to me. Like some do, I bounced back home for a time. I left again when I got a job and my own apartment, but I didn’t go too far. At least at first. I did spend a couple of years up in Washington state, but I returned to California, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area about three hours from my parents.

A few years later, I met my husband. Carl had a dream of teaching in an American high school over in Germany. We’d only been married a year when his dream came true. All of a sudden, I faced an international move. This was in 1987 before the Internet, Skype, etc. I’ll admit to being scared, but I was also excited. The four and a half years my husband and I spent in Germany were some of my best, but I missed our families and was happy when it came time to return to California.

Twenty years later, I experienced leaving home from a parent’s perspective when our daughter headed off to college. Since she chose a university that was only an hour away, I did pretty well. When she decided to head to Europe after her graduation and work as an English-language teaching assistant, it was hard on me, but my husband and I supported her. How could we not when we’d lived abroad ourselves?

Our gal ended up spending a year in France and two years in Austria before returning this past summer. Although those three years were tough at times, I’m thankful Adriana had that wonderful experience. Even so, I’m glad she’s back now and has settled in our area again. The grin I'm sporting in the photo below shows how happy I was when we picked her up at the airport this past June.

Sending our daughter off to Europe was hard, but we could keep in touch on a daily basis, thanks to Skype and Facebook instant messaging. I can’t imagine what it was like for those who left home back in the 1800s. Both parent and child had to realize that they might never see one another again and that correspondence, if possible, would be slow and infrequent.

Houston made the choice to leave home, despite the distance and difficulty communicating with his family back in Texas. Why?

He didn’t feel like he fit in. Unlike his father and brothers, he preferred running a business to ranching. In order to be his own man, Houston chose to go to California. The trouble was that the woman he loved said she couldn’t go with him, but he knew what she really meant. Coralee wouldn’t go with him.

But Houston is back now. Although he’s in no hurry to see Coralee Culpepper again, Hartville is a small town, so he's bound to run into her. He’ll just have to keep his distance because he’s not about to be rejected again. She’s not the woman for him. But can he find a bride in time to get his inheritance?

Questions for You

(Answer at least one question to be entered in the giveaway.)

When/why did you leave home for the first time, if you have?

Do you live near your relatives, or have you moved away?

Have you had children leave the nest?
If so, what was that experience like for you?

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

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline plus the first book in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan.

The winner is Kristine Klein. Congratulations, Kristine! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.
 
Today I’m adding the second book in the Lone Star Cowboy League to the prize package. The winner will receive all of the above plus A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge—five items in all.

To enter one of my giveaways this week, 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, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Writing of “A Love Returned”

Keli Gwyn here. I’ve had four novels published. They’ve ranged from 70,000 to 100,000 words. Novellas are much shorter. Those in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection are roughly 25,000 words. Telling a satisfying story in so few words isn’t easy.

Sometimes things an author really wants to include in a story have to be cut, which happened to me while writing “A Love Returned.” I had to omit a bit of history I found fascinating. I have a hunch you might find it as interesting as I did, so I’m sharing it here. Think of it as one of those bonus features on a DVD. This one would fall under the heading: deleted material.

When Erica invited me to write a story for the collection and came up with the idea of Houston having spent time in California, I got excited. I love the history of the Gold Country I call home and was eager to include some of it in my story.

I dived into the research, something I greatly enjoy. I knew California’s gold was used to help finance the Union’s efforts in the Civil War and that men from the Golden State did head east to serve in one of the armies. What I didn’t know was whether or not any fighting actually took place here. Even though it seemed unlikely, I wanted to find out for sure.

I’ve been surprised by my research findings many times. This was one of them. While there wasn’t a full blown battle, a single armed skirmish did take place in California in the Gold Rush town of Volcano, about forty miles from where I live.

Several of Volcano’s residents were members of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a sizable Confederate militia in California. In 1862, members in the town of Volcano, which was producing a lot of ore, made plans to seize large shipments of gold bound for the Union and send it south instead.

A pro-Union group known as the Volcano Blues got wind of the planned robberies and petitioned the arsenal in the port city of Benicia for artillery. They received a 737-pound brass cannon that had been made in Boston and used during the Mexican era.

It’s hard to know what actually took place after that, but most sources agree that the cannon, renamed “Old Abe,” was smuggled into Volcano inside a hearse. From there, the accounts vary.

According to folklore, the Volcano Blues set up the cannon on the main street, loaded it with gunpowder, nails and scrap iron, opened the windows of their businesses and fired a single shot. Supposedly, the concussion broke the windows of shops owned by the Confederate owners who hadn’t opened theirs. Since glass was quite expensive, that would have been a considerable loss.

While that colorful tale is more exciting than the truth, more accurate accounts say that the cannon wasn’t actually fired. Its mere presence was enough to quash the Knights’ plans. Had it been fired with the makeshift ammunition it was purported to contain, the blast could have killed a number of those standing nearby.

Old Abe, seen below in a 1925 public domain photo on file with the Library of Congress, is on display in the town of Volcano. The hearse, which dates to about 1850, is owned by the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. The most recent information I could find says its undergone some renovation and is in storage.

Although I wanted to use this real life event in “A Love Returned” as a way to show Houston’s loyalty to Texas and its fight for states’ rights, I didn’t have room. Since I couldn’t use this bit of history, I chose not to mention Volcano by name.

In my mind, though, Houston’s hardware store was in Volcano, he was a member of the Knights and he was one of the merchants whose windows would have been blown out if Old Abe had actually been fired. I’m sure if Coralee knew all that, she wouldn’t be as inclined to doubt Houston’s loyalty to her beloved Texas. What do you think?

Questions for You

If you were to take a visitor on a tour of your town, which historical sites would be must-sees?

What interesting facts about your town excite you?

What is your town famous for?

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

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline. The winner is ablst nlki I. Congratulations! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.

Today’s prize package includes the same three items plus one more. I’m adding the first book in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan.

To enter one of my giveaways this week, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions I ask in that particular post by midnight EST on the date that post is published. 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, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

A Peek Behind the Scenes #1

Erica here:

Wow, release week is off to a roaring start! The Facebook party was a rousing success, with more than 100 participants and hundreds of comments and likes. There were games and trivia and character sketches and plot summaries, cyber-food and prizes and more. You can scroll through the posts on Facebook by clicking HERE

There are SEVEN copies of the book up for giveaway over on Goodreads: You can find that giveaway by clicking HERE.

And our Loaded Kindle Fire Giveaway is really getting a lot of attention! More than 1000 entries so far! Thank you!!! (Enter below.)

On Saturdays over the next few weeks, we'll be giving you a peek behind the scenes on how seven authors worked so closely together to create a cohesive collection of stories that would read as a single story while keeping the characters all unique enough so as not to cause confusion.

Communication was key, and there were two primary ways we communicated.

1. A secret Facebook Group. This group was set up from the beginning, and it was here that we hashed out things like who would get what character as their hero, what the order of the stories would be, and where all the characters would be at any given point in the stories.

2. The Master Document. This is a 25+ page document where we collated and organized all the information we were deciding in multiple Facebook posts. This document contained character sketches, story synopses, timelines, secondary character charts, maps, photographs, and more!

One of the most crucial items in the Master Document was a map of the fictional town of Hartville, Texas. It was important that if Gabrielle had the church at the south end of town in her story, that Keli not accidentally place it in the north end of town in her story.

So, I did a quick search for a map of an old west town. I had thought to find something like Cowtown in Wichita, KS or Stuhr Village in Grand Island, NE but what I found was a map of the town used in the TV remake The Magnificent Seven. (Kind of appropriate, don't you think? What with there being seven magnificent Hart brothers?)

Here is the original map I found:

As you can see, there are lots of things we wanted to include: a church, a livery, a newspaper office, a hotel.

But we needed to customize the map, too. So as the writers plotted and wrote their stories, if they needed a certain building to be in a certain place in the town, they would post it in the FB group and I would add it to our map in red.

Eventually, this is what the map came to look like:

As you can see, we needed a doctor's office for Travis Hart, a Mercantile, a lawyer's office. I know that I referred to the map while I wrote, and I referred to it even more when it came time for continuity edits. 

It was keeping track of details like this that enabled us to work so well together, to create a cohesive set of stories in a fictional world that feels real.

Be sure to come back next week when our hostess is Lorna Seilstad. She's got a swoony hero who is a Texas Ranger and has the most adorable dimples! You won't want to miss her posts!

And don't forget to enter the giveaway below. Please "Like" our FB pages and sign up for our newsletters to be entered. 

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Minnesota vs. Texas

Thank you for making release day so much fun! We had a blast on the Facebook Party and we're excited to see so many people entered in the Rafflecopter drawing. Be sure to stay tuned to this blog for more chances to win.

The winner of a print copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans from yesterday's post is: Anjanette Treadway! Please provide your email in the comments and I'll be in touch!

Don't forget to comment on today's post! I'll announce another winner tomorrow.

Over the course of the next seven weeks, the authors from the Seven Brides for Seven Texans novella collection will fill this blog with fun post all about the Hart brothers from Hartville, Texas. You'll learn more about the authors, the Hart brothers and their brides, and the inspiration behind each novella. Along with all that, we'll be giving away lots and lots of prizes!!

Each author will blog for one week in the order her story falls in the collection. Here's a rundown:

Week One: Nov. 28-Dec 2 ~ Gabrielle Meyer
Week Two: Dec. 5-9 ~ Lorna Seilstad
Week Three: Dec. 12-16 ~ Amanda Barratt
Week Four Dec 19-23 ~ Keli Gwyn
Week Five Dec 26-30 ~ Susan Page Davis
Week Six Jan 2-6 ~ Vickie McDonough
Week Seven Jan 9-13 ~ Erica Vetsch

On Tuesday, I shared a little about my story, First Comes Love, and on Wednesday I told you more about my hero and heroine, Hays and Emma. Today I'm going to share why it was such a challenge to write a story set in Texas, and why I chose Emma to be from Minnesota.

First Comes Love is my fourth published story (I have another story releasing this month, as well, it's called A Family Arrangement from Love Inspired Historical), and my third novella with Barbour. Until now, all my stories have been set in Minnesota. I love my home state. I was employed by the Minnesota Historical Society at the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site for ten years, and I worked at the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum for two years. In that time, I fell in love with the rich history of my state and I enjoy writing fictional stories inspired by real people, places and events.

Last year, I was at the History Museum in St. Paul with Erica Vetsch and she asked me if all my stories needed to be set in Minnesota (since Minnesota is part of my brand as an author). I told her no, the stories don't have to be set in Minnesota, but there has to be some sort of Minnesota connection. She didn't tell me why she'd asked that question, but a week or so later, I found out! She asked if I'd like to contribute to a novella collection set in Texas. The premise of Seven Brides for Seven Texans sounded so intriguing, I couldn't resist! I knew it would be a challenge to set a story in Texas, since I know so little about that great state, but like every good historical author, I knew I could do enough research to make it believable.

As part of the Minnesota connection, I decided to bring Emma Longley to Texas from Minnesota. It also worked for her to be the daughter of the hero and heroine from my first Barbour novella, Four Brides and a Bachelor from The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection. Emma longs to return to Minnesota, and she struggles to find any redeeming qualities about Texas. Hays takes that as a challenge to help her see the beauty of the Lone Star state, and in the process, she learns to love him as much as she does Texas.

Since Emma was raised on the banks of the Mississippi River in central Minnesota, I had her miss the gentle, soothing water from back home. It just so happens that the Sabinal River runs through the Seven Heart Ranch, right through Hays' piece of property. To make her feel at home, he brings her to the Sabinal and she finally starts to see why he loves it so. It's also where he plans to build a house once he's married.

It was fun to create a Texas hero and write a story set outside my comfort zone. It challenged me and made me stretch with my writing. I had to learn about the flora and fauna of south-central Texas, as well as the climate and landscape. My story is set between January and March, which would look way different in Minnesota than it does in Texas. It's something Emma is aware of and something Hays comments on. The clothing would different, the housing would be different, and the culture would be different. I used all these differences to my advantage when looking at them through Emma's point of view.

When Erica and I got together to read through the whole collection, I needed the most help with my Texas dialogue and turn-of-phrase. She was especially helpful with G.W., the patriarch of the family, and I like him so much better now. :)

I'm honored to be part of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Novella Collection. I loved spending this week with you, and I'm excited to see what the other authors will share in the coming months. Be sure to visit often and say hello! Erica will share some fun behind-the-scenes information tomorrow and then Lorna will be here bright and early Monday morning. I'll also be here, commenting with everyone else.

Now I'd love to hear from you! When have you been asked to reach outside your comfort zone? Whether at work, in your community, or in a move? Do you love where you live? How does it differ from what you know of Minnesota or Texas? If you could live anywhere in the United States, where would it be and why? Do you have any other questions for me?

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Don't forget to comment! I'll choose one winner from today's comments and announce them on the blog tomorrow (be sure to comment before midnight tonight!).

Gabrielle Meyer
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Release Day!

The day has finally arrived! Seven Brides for Seven Texans has officially released. We've been working on this collection for over a year, so this day is especially sweet for the seven authors who created Hartville and all those handsome Hart men.

To celebrate, we have put together an awesome grand prize.

We're giving away a loaded Kindle Fire!

And we've included fourteen of our previously published books.

A Family Arrangement by Gabrielle Meyer

A Mother in the Making by Gabrielle Meyer

Family of Her Dreams by Keli Gwyn

A Home of Her Own by Keli Gwyn

Make Believe Beau by Keli Gwyn

The Reliable Cowboy by Susan Page Davis

Heart of a Cowboy Collection from Susan Page Davis

The Bull Rider's Bride by Vickie McDonough

As Love Blooms by Lorna Seilstad

When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad

While Love Stirs by Lorna Seilstad

A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas by Erica Vetsch

The Cactus Creek Challenge by Erica Vetsch

The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection from Amanda Barratt

As well as a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win and be sure to stop by our Facebook Party today to join in the celebration. We're playing games, giving away lots of fun prizes, and answering all your questions! Don't forget to stop by Goodreads, too! Seven copies of the collection are up for grabs.

Each day this week, I'm giving away one copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans here on the blog to one person who comments. Be sure to leave us a comment for a chance to win today's copy! The winner from yesterday's blog post is Melanie Backus! Melanie, please provide your email in the comments and I'll contact you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hays & Emma

I had a blast visiting with everyone yesterday! The winner of a print copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans from yesterday's post is: Bonnie Roof!!!

Don't forget to comment on today's post! I'll announce another winner tomorrow.

Over the course of the next seven weeks, the authors from the Seven Brides for Seven Texans novella collection will fill this blog with fun post all about the Hart brothers from Hartville, Texas. You'll learn more about the authors, the Hart brothers and their brides, and the inspiration behind each novella. Along with all that, we'll be giving away lots and lots of prizes!!

Each author will blog for one week in the order her story falls in the collection. Here's a rundown:

Week One: Nov. 28-Dec 2 ~ Gabrielle Meyer
Week Two: Dec. 5-9 ~ Lorna Seilstad
Week Three: Dec. 12-16 ~ Amanda Barratt
Week Four Dec 19-23 ~ Keli Gwyn
Week Five Dec 26-30 ~ Susan Page Davis
Week Six Jan 2-6 ~ Vickie McDonough
Week Seven Jan 9-13 ~ Erica Vetsch

Yesterday I told you a little about my story, First Comes Love, and one of the reasons I wanted to be the first one in the collection. Today I'd love to tell you more about my hero and heroine, Hays & Emma, and share one of my favorite memories of collaborating on this collection.

It was fun to create the character of Hays Hart. As the youngest brother, I wanted him to be charming and carefree. He didn't have the misfortune of going off to war, and he doesn't carry the burden to prove anything to his pa. Instead, he spent his early years as one of the only brothers on the ranch when his mother died and when his brothers left. He quickly learned how to cover his own pain so he wouldn't add any more grief to his pa's. He loves to make people happy, and if he can shoulder someone's troubles, he will, no matter the cost. Most of his brothers had lived full lives before he was old enough to know what was happening, and he feels he has a lot of catching up to do. If he can marry first, it will make his pa proud and it will prove to the rest of his brothers that he's not a child anymore.

Since Hays is rarely serious, I wanted Emma Longley to be his complete opposite. She is the oldest child of Reverend and Mrs. Luke Longley (the hero and heroine from my first novella Four Brides and a Bachelor in The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection). She grew up in central Minnesota and has come to Hartville with her family, since her father is the new pastor in town. She has also agreed to be the school teacher, but she doesn't care for Texas and plans to head back to Minnesota as soon as she fulfills her teaching contract in two months. At first, she dislikes Hays' carefree attitude, but she soon realizes that his personality compliments hers, and they begin to fall in love.

One of the benefits of a continuity series like Seven Brides for Seven Texans is that when the novella ends you don't have to say goodbye to the characters you've come to love. Hays and Emma show up in each novella throughout the collection, and you'll see that their story continues long after they say 'I do.'

Once I created the character sketches for Hays and Emma, I posted them to our group Facebook page which allowed the other authors to use them in their stories (we each did this). So Hays shows up several times throughout the collection, and his fun, easy-going personality shines in each story. Emma is right beside him, tempering his carefree nature with a little dose of her calm demeanor.

It was a blast to write a novella for this collection because of the authors I worked with. I knew almost all of them before, but I know Erica Vetsch better than the others. Erica and I both live in Minnesota and we have a plethora of things in common (we both write historical romances, we both homeschool/homeschooled our children, we LOVE history, we write for a couple of the same group blogs, and so much more). Though we live about three hours apart, we meet once a month half way between in the Twin Cities before our monthly ACFW chapter meeting. We have so much fun laughing and visiting at these monthly get-togethers, I'm sure the other patrons wonder what we're drinking in our tea. :)

Erica and I had talked about getting together at my house for a weekend retreat, and it just so happened that we had scheduled the retreat about a month before the novellas were due to our editor. Erica had asked each author to send her their novellas early so she could read through them for continuity. I asked if she wanted help, and she said yes.

Over the course of about forty-eight hours, we took turns reading six of the seven stories out loud, in chronological order. That's about 150,000 words! By the end of the weekend, it felt as if Erica and I had lived in Hartville for those two days and all the characters in the collection had truly come to life. We stopped to get a little sleep, eat a few meals, and go to a dinner theater, but that's about it! We fell in love with each hero, oohed and aahed over their love stories, and marveled at the amazing authors we were blessed to work with. It was the most fun I've had in a long time and one of my favorite memories while collaborating for this collection.

Tomorrow is a big day! It's the official release of Seven Brides for Seven Texans. To celebrate, we'll be sharing a grand prize here on the blog and I'll let you know how you can enter to win. We're also hosting a live Facebook Party from 3:00-5:30 p.m. EST. Be sure to RSVP so you're sent updates and reminders! There will be more chances to win prizes at the party.

We want to give away as many copies of the collection as possible, so be sure to visit the Goodreads giveaway, as well!

On Friday, I'll share about some of the challenges I faced setting a story in Texas! And why I chose for Emma to originate from Minnesota...

Now I'd love to hear from you! If you're married, are you married to someone who's your complete opposite? Have you relocated from where you grew up (like Emma)? What were some of your challenges when you moved? Or did you stay in your hometown (like Hays)? What are some of the challenges of staying? Do you have a friend who you have a lot in common with (like Erica and I)? What are some of those things?

Don't forget to comment! I'll choose one winner from today's comments and announce them on the blog tomorrow (be sure to comment before midnight tonight!).

Gabrielle Meyer
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