Jacqui Nelson’s North of the Border with guest Kathleen Lawless

Who’s next on my North of the Border guest blog series? Today we have Kathleen Lawless, author of the upcoming Seven Brides for Seven Brothers series!

Where does Kathleen get her inspiration? How is Canada part of her inspiration? Read on and see...

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Island Life @kathleenlawless

Victoria, B.C. has always been home to me, as it has to my parents and grandparents, all born here.  I forget how old I was when I learned I live on an island, but my world expanded quite a bit with that discovery.  A visit to the mainland where one could drive for weeks or months without getting on a ferry was a novelty.  

Because of our deeply-rooted family history here, it seemed natural to take stories from my grandmother about early Victoria, add some research of my own, and craft a historical romance (currently out of print) set in my home town.  At the time, selling a book set outside of the USA to a New York publisher was challenging, but as the series had been pre-sold to Walmart the publisher was more open to different settings for their romances. 

I know that growing up in the Northwest has definitely shaped my writing and given it local color.  A lot of my stories are set on or near the coast.  And in case anyone is not aware, logging has always played an important part in our economy.  West coast beaches are littered with sun-bleached logs that have settled on shore after escaping from log booms.  

I’d never seen a beach without logs until I visited Cape Cod.  To this day, a beach with no log to sit on or lean against seems all wrong to me.  I’m lucky to live a stone’s throw from a beach and find a lot of inspiration and story ideas just sitting and listening to the waves, watching the sunlight play upon the water.  

Not all my books have coastal settings.  As a child I spent many an hour watching Rawhide, Bonanza and Maverick, enamored with cowboys.  I became fascinated with the settling of the west, a time when the area was as wide open as the opportunities for brave settlers willing to uproot from everything they knew and start over in search of a better life.  No doubt my ancestors felt the same way when they left Ireland for Canada.  

I love writing western historicals.  My books feature heroines who are strong and independent, a stance I imagine would have been easier to pull off in the untamed west over a more established society with stricter rules.

I’m having fun right now preparing to launch a new western historical series, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  I expect to release BRODY’S BRIDE, Book 1, in June.  

For anyone who signs up for my reader’s list to receive updates and news of special fan pricing sales, you can also download the series Prequel, Before the Brides, which I don’t plan to offer for sale.  http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

  

Meanwhile, here is an unedited snippet from BRODY’S BRIDE.  

Copyright Kathleen Lawless, 2019

A week passed during which Brody never left the ranch, using a multitude of excuses to stick close.  Never far from mind was the ridiculous task he’d been set.  Damn short straw!

What did he know about wooing a woman?  

He tried to stop his mind from going down that dark pathway to the last time he saw Laura.  Or the first.  

He’d known right from the start that she was out of his league, but his ego got the better of him; made sure she was intrigued by his eighteen-year-old swagger and confidence.   And much as he tried to deny it, he’d never managed to forget her.  Her touch.  Her scent.  Her taste.

He heaved a sigh.  Maybe this little adventure ahead would shake off those cobwebbed memories once and for all.  

He took his time getting ready, shaved, slicked down his hair, put on his best shirt and polished his boots.  Without a word to anyone, he saddled up and made his way to town.

The schoolhouse stood off to one side, shiny as a new pin.  He tilted back his head and studied the exterior of the schoolhouse.  It looked nicer than the one in Yuma.  Cleaner too.      

Slowly Brody dismounted and tied Phoenix to the hitching post out front.  Feeling like he was facing his executioner, he made his way up two steps to the front door, only to find it locked tight.   His heart lightened, feeling a reprieve.  His steps were lighter, too, as he made his way back down to his horse.  He’d barely touched the reins, when he heard a voice behind him.  

“Brody.  Brody is that you?”

Slowly he turned.  Laura stood before him like a vision from the past.  One he wasn’t sure was real or imagined.  All the pain and confusion from ten years ago rushed through him, filling his head with so much chatter he couldn’t hear a word.  

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GIVEAWAY

I’ll be randomly selecting a winner from those who comment on this blog to receive a copy of  ANORA’S PRIDE, Under the Covers Reader Choice Award for BEST WESTERN HISTORICAL!  

Fall in Love with Jesse Quantrill, “a hero who steams into every woman’s heart with his bad-boy-turned-hero machismo.”  Romantic Times

(If you’ve already read this one, I’ll send you a different book of your choice)

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Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys.  Historical or contemporary, cowboys continue to resonate with her today.  

One of her heroes, Steele, is a modern-day cowboy, so when she was dating on-line and met a man called Steel—   Well, he’s not a cowboy but his is an alpha male and her forever hero.  Which is why all of her stories end Happily Ever After.

Not that she can ever stick to just one genre.  So many stories to tell—never enough time.  With close to 30 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, erotic romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction and stories for young adults.      

   

Sign up for Kathleen’s newsletter to receive updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers.    http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

Website:  www.kathleenlawless.com 

Twitter:  twitter.com/kathleenlawless 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/kathleenlawlessnovels

Instagram:   www.instagram.com/kathleenlawless

Blog:  www.romancegems.blogspot.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kathleen-Lawless/e/B001IXS2SA
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kathleen-lawless

~ All pictures (except for the 1st) are supplied by today’s guest with their assurance of usage rights.