Meet Patience, Bride of Washington, from award-winning author Caroline Clemmons

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Travel to Victorian America in 1890 with award winning and bestselling Western Romance author Caroline Clemmons for a humorous novel about two people destined for one another after a turbulent getting acquainted period. This book is sweet and suitable for readers over 18.

After a fire destroys the factory where Patience Eaton worked followed by a succession of job failures, she travels from Massachusetts to Washington to marry the man her father chose via a matchmaker. While Andrew Kincaid appears to be a very nice man, he’s older than her father and not someone she wants to marry. Her prospective groom places her in a respectable boarding house and agrees to give her a job in the office of his commercial apple orchard so she can learn about his life and business. But working alongside her handsome future stepson presents unexpected complications.

Two years ago, an unjust accusation ruined Stone Kincaid’s chance at happiness. Now he concentrates all his energy on building the family business. When he meets his prospective stepmother, he’s angry that his father cares so little for his mother’s memory that he sent for a mail-order bride younger than Stone.  He believes Patience to be interested only in his father’s fortune. Stone plans to keep an eye on the attractive woman who’s slated to become his stepmother.  

Can two people working at cross purposes arrive at a compromise?

Here's an excerpt:

    The other boarders had gone to work and Mrs. Shaw and the woman who helped her were busy elsewhere in the house. The urge to pace the parlor almost overwhelmed Patience. Instead, she sat on the sofa and thought of all the questions she had for her fiancé.

    When Andrew saw her, his face broke into a wide smile. “Ah, you’re ready on time and look refreshing as the sunrise this morning. Shall we go?”

    She took his arm. “I’m looking forward to seeing your home and business.”

    He helped her into the buggy. As they drove through Destiny, Andrew pointed out businesses and homes of his friends. Soon they were out of town and she saw apple trees on either side of the road.

    “I’m fortunate to be here when the orchards are in bloom. Are these your trees?” she asked.

    “Kincaid Orchards begin at the upcoming crossroad. If you watch ahead on your right, you’ll see my home—soon to be yours, too—in a clearing. My first wife and I added on to it as we were able.”

    “I see it now.” Patience leaned forward and her heart leapt to her throat at the idea of living there.       “What a lovely house. Did you choose the color or did she?”

    The large two-story home of pale gray appeared finer than any she’d ever seen, even considering those in which she’d briefly worked. Black shutters framed the windows and bright white covered the other trim. As they drew closer, she could see the front door was dark red.

    Andrew chuckled. “I left all the decorating to her. You may change whatever you wish, of course. All I want is a comfortable place to enjoy with family.”

    “That’s kind and very generous of you. The outside is perfect as it is.”

    “You’ll find it’s a bit higgledy piggledy inside. Our son has a suite of rooms at one side so he has privacy.”

    “How old is he?’

    “Twenty-eight, and he’s a good-looking man if I do say so myself. He’s a hard worker, too. I’m lucky that he plans to take over the business when I retire. I’ve already let him have a good deal of control.”

    Patience knew she should say something but she was reeling from the news that her soon-to-be stepson was five years older than she. What an awkward arrangement. She wondered what he would think of his father and her marrying. She didn’t imagine he’d be pleased.

Meet Caroline

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel. 

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and getting together with friends. 

Caroline also has a series called Bride Brigade. JOSEPHINE has been released and OPHELIA and CASSANDRA will be out very soon. This is a series set in Tarnation, Texas. A wealthy young widow, tired of there being no young families in town, goes east to recruit suitable young women to come to Tarnation and marry. Another series with an early 2016 release is DANIEL, McCLINTOCKS BOOK 4.

Here's where you'll find more about Caroline's books. 

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E.E.: What interesting fact about your state or bride would you like to share with our readers?

Caroline: All my life I’ve heard that Washington apples were the best. I didn’t realize that the first commercial orchard in Washington was begun in 1870. I had to scramble to make my hero’s family fit the timeline to become successful commercial apple growers by 1890. Fortunately, my husband and I used to have a peach and apple orchard and I am familiar with some of the problems of growing fruit commercially.

E.E.: Is this book connected to other books in the series? In what way?

Caroline: Patience, my heroine, is the sister of Mercy, Bride of Idaho, by Jacquie Rogers. They hope to be able to send money to their parents to help with their younger brothers’ education. They also exchange correspondence with Roberta, Bride of  Wisconsin, by Kirsten Osbourne and Jessie, Bride of South Carolina, by Rose Gordon.

E.E.: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

Caroline: Beauty and the Beast. Except I don’t think the beast changed to a handsome prince—I think that Belle got to know him and saw him with her heart instead of her eyes.

E.E.: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

Caroline: My own Hero husband who is everything a hero should be except that he can’t dance—Tone deaf. Everyone is entitled to one fault, right?

E.E.: What is your biggest vice?

Caroline: Chocolate and Dr Pepper. That’s two vices, but I like them together.

E.E.: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

There is no better job in the world than being a romance writer except being a wife and mom.

E.E.: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?

Writing. When I try telling a story, my mind goes faster than my mouth and I appear to stutter as my mind is racing ahead. When writing, I go at my speed and can edit.

E.E.: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

Caroline: I appreciate so much that you buy my books. Hearing from you gives me a real boost.

E.E.: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Caroline: We have numerous Christmas traditions we observe, such as reading the Biblical Christmas story before we open gifts, setting up the tree immediately after Thanksgiving, and using ornaments that have special meaning. One that our youngest daughter originated is giving a small gift in each person’s stocking. She started that when she learned who really filled the stockings. She said that wasn’t fair because I knew what I was getting, so that Christmas, she put a gift she’d saved for months into my stocking. Now we each do a small gift for everyone else’s stocking.

E.E.: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Caroline: I would most like to invite Pearl Parker Kincaid from THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE because she embodies qualities I admire.

E.E.: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Caroline: I read reviews occasionally. If several people mentioned the same thing disturbed them, then I would definitely pay attention. I’m always happy for good reviews, sad at bad ones. Reviews are important to an author and many places require a certain number of 4 and 5 star reviews to before an author can advertise that book.  

E.E.: What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile?

Caroline: Books by Geri Foster, Jane Ann Krentz, Debra Holland, Kirsten Osbourne, and Christine Baker Kline.

E.E.: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do?

Caroline: I grew up listening to my father (who was almost old enough to have been my great-grandfather) tell stories about his family coming to Texas from Georgia and some of the events in their lives. Daddy was an excellent storyteller and made history come alive. I believe that’s why I love writing books set in Texas between 1870 -1889. However, I also write contemporary romance and will be writing more of them in 2016.

E.E.: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Caroline: My book is set in Washington state, which I drew from a list. I wanted to choose something for the plot that would be indicative of the state, so I chose a hero whose family has a commercial apple orchard. The heroine is from Massachusetts and I wanted her being a mail-order bride to be a bit different, so I had her father write for her to a well-to-do groom. She likes the man she thinks is to be her groom, but feels he’s too old for her. She’s quite taken with his son, which horrifies her because she believes she will be this man’s stepmother. He has the same reaction to his attraction to her. This causes some fun scenes in the book.

Today, Caroline will give away a print copy and an e-copy of PATIENCE, BRIDE OF WASHINGTON. Just answer the question and enter the drawing.

What resolution do you have for this New Year? Are books involved?

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