LONE STAR LOVE

Yesterday's post introduced you to the 17 short stories in the North Texas Romance Writers of America chapter's 35th anniversary anthology.

For today, I've asked all the authors three questions so you could get to know them a little better. 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Lone Star Love is a collection of short stories set in Dew Drop, Texas

during the annual sweet tea festival and the book is completely FREE

Linda Bolton: refreshing

Clover Autrey: That's it's sweet? 

Tammy Jo Burns: Please don’t stone me, but I don’t like sweet tea anymore. But I love unsweet tea and all the refreshing flavors it comes in, especially mint!

Amanda Byrd: Wow - sweet tea! What can one say? Erm… I don’t like sweet tea. I like the sharp bite of tea without the syrup-sweet.  Sweet in other ways, though, like chocolate, now you have my number!

Christine Crocker: Since I’m diabetic I only drink unsweet tea but a tall glass of iced tea is the best drink for a sweltering Texas summer day.

Gena Ellington: The way it cools and refreshes your body! Especially after 60 minutes of hard work at the gym!

Jen FitzGerald: The Sweet! I had a wicked sweet tooth as a kid and young adult, and sweet tea was a great way to quench my thirst and quell the sweet tooth at the same time, especially here in Texas where it gets super-hot and humid in the summer.

Fenley Grant: My favorite way to drink sweet tea is mixed with lemonade (an Arnold Palmer).

Eva Jameson: I’ve been a Southern gal long enough to enjoy sweet tea. But being originally from Central New York, where the only seasons are winter and the Fourth of July, I prefer my iced tea without the sweet. (Shhh, I’d rather put the sugar on my grits.)

Risa Leigh:  Sweet tea brings everyone together.

Gina Nelson: Um....not too sweet. Half and half, please.

Carolyn Rae: I like it with lots of lemon.

Marsha R. West: My mother made it this way.

Linda Bolton: I'd love to own the Bed & Breakfast or a Bookstore.

Clover Autrey: Antique Store--with lots of pretty teacups. 

Tammy Jo Burns: I think I definitely wrote "The Winning Bid” to what I would be — involved in the school whether it be librarian, teacher, counselor, or principal.

Amanda Byrd: I would own the antiques store. I am a freak for all things with a story.  I love wood. And the smell of age.  And crazy knowledge of how that odd piece of metal used to be cutting-edge technology!

Christine Crocker: I don’t believe I’d own a business but I’d have my favorite table with a couple of cronies at Sweetie’s Tea Cup Café. I would be that outrageous old lady (never mean-spirited or malicious) who knows everything about everybody and sticks her nose into everyone’s business -- for their own good of course.

Gena Ellington: The Brew House.

Jen FitzGerald: As a teen, I used to ponder owning and operating a little diner, so something like that, that serves delicious and filling soups and casseroles along with heavenly breads and rolls.

Fenley Grant: The business I’d own in Dew Drop is the antiques store. I love history and antiques.

Eva Jameson: In Dew Drop, I’d probably publish the town’s local website and newspaper and to keep everyone up to date on the Iced Tea Festival and the great things our Dragons out at Dew Drop High are up to.

Risa Leigh:  Olivia went home to care for her sick mother and revealed a need for home health care services in Dew Drop.  Great business opportunity!

Gina Nelson: Western wear.

Carolyn Rae: A bakery.

Marsha R. West: A book store.

Linda Bolton: In THE ANNIVERSARY, Maggie and Sean - despite their age difference - show love has conquered all.

Clover Autrey: In ALONE MALONE, the Plain Jane heroine realizes how beautiful she is seen by others. 

Tammy Jo Burns: In THE WINNING BID, the wounded warrior aspect, for sure and how he had to figure out he could be a man even without a leg before coming home to her.

Amanda Byrd: About THE PROMISE, the best thing is it was my first short story ever.  It’s amazing how hard to fit romance and a Happily-Ever-After in less than 3500 words. But the challenge stuck since I decided to write two more.

Amanda Byrd: For TRUST, Mina just blew me away!  I had no idea she’d take me in that direction, but I learned that sometimes you just have to trust the character and where she’s taking you.

Amanda Byrd: As for HOPE, I think I love that Lacey is all of us.  She’s that girl that sat in the corner alone because everyone else thought she was a freak. She learns to live with it and has the opportunity for that Happily Ever After. I’d love to pursue Lacey and Walker’s story in more detail.  I haven’t decided how it will play out, but a cozy mystery series about a West-Texas vet with clairvoyant visions may be in my future!

Christine Crocker: In THE LOVE CURSE, that the hero doesn’t give up on the heroine and fights for her.

Christine Crocker: In GIRL TROUBLE, I loved the two kids. I asked my 10 year old grandson, Ethan, what he would do if a girl came up to him and plastered his face with kisses – his answer was exactly what I used for A.J.’s reaction. And my grand-daughter, Emma, is a terrible flirt. Naturally I patterned Angela after her. Like the father in my story, my son-in-law is in for rough teen years with that one. LOL

Gena Ellington: While LIES ABOUT COFFEE is a love story, my favorite part is the dedication to friendship.

Gena Ellington: In MYSTERY MARINE, the effort to "court" someone in a truly honest manner seems so lost these days. It was nice to give it a small tribute.  

Jen FitzGerald: My favorite thing about A BID FOR LOVE, huh? This took some thought, 'cause there are a lot of things I like about my own story, lol. :0) After my two heroes--because what's not to love about two nice, good looking men??--I really like the relationship between Wyatt and his daughter Shelby.

Fenley Grant: My favorite thing about WARRIOR is my main character is a veteran. I’m an Army brat, so the military is close to my heart.

Eva Jameson:  I love stories where love can heal the past and promise tomorrow. In CONQUERING HIS ELEPHANTS, Jazz is caught in his past and not ready to embrace his future. Until Suzie shows up. He chooses to fight for her and to hope for a future sweeter than pecan pie.

Risa Leigh:  You make your own luck, some say. The same could be said about finding love. When you take a step in the direction of your dreams, the most extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary places.

Gina Nelson: In MAN OF STEEL, I highlight the vulnerability of the hero. What would it be like to return home from a tour of duty damaged both physically and mentally? Who is the woman who could make you believe you're still worthy of love? My favorite thing about my story is when the hero realizes he still has something to offer those he loves.

Carolyn Rae: The hero in A HOT TIME IN DEW DROP. A hunky fireman and a tenderhearted paramedic.

Marsha R. West: In THE COLONEL AND HER MAJOR, I love that it’s a seasoned romance and shows it’s never too late for love.

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Angi Morgan

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UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Amanda McIntyre's having a St. Paddy's release party!

Lone Star Love

Celebrating 35 years 

as a Romance Writers of America chapter

NORTH TEXAS RWA

presents

a collection of short stories

set in Dew Drop, Texas

during the annual sweet tea festival

and the book is completely FREE

HAVE A GLASS OF

SWEET TEA & 

MEET THE AUTHORS

Download from Smashwords for FREE

THE ANNIVERSARY

Age is no boundary when it comes to love. 

Maggie and Sean are celebrating their twelfth anniversary and stop into Dewdrop to enjoy fireworks and the bed and breakfast. They share a bit of their story and show their age difference doesn't dampen their love for one another.

Linda Bolton 
@lindalou42

ALONE MALONE

She was the girl he never should have left…but did.

When soap star Ty Harrington returns home, everyone believes he's there to win back the Homecoming Queen, not mousy awkward Malone. Did they even know each other in high school beyond geek tutoring the football hero? 

Clover Autrey

Previous Get Lost Interviews 
@cloverautrey

THE WINNING BID

When the winning bid isn’t enough, can love find a way?

The only man she ever loved rejected her when they needed each other most. Now that he’s back, can she set aside the betrayal for the promise of a future together?

Tammy Jo Burns 

@tammyjoburns

THE PROMISE

Some promises are just meant to be.

Cace left without a word then shows up four years later. Can Sunny forgive him long enough to understand why?

Amanda Byrd

TRUST

For Mina and Garrett, love was never the problem.

Love is hard enough to keep fresh and alive in a marriage. But when there’s no trust…someone has to find a way.

Amanda Byrd

HOPE

When everyone thinks you’re crazy… You don’t hope to find love.

Lacy Flannigan followed disaster to thwart catastrophe. People around her thought she was crazy. It took a stranger to see the truth.

Amanda Byrd 

THE LOVE CURSE

Sometimes the dead keep on killing.

Small town girl, Merilee Porter, and cosmopolitan Englishman, Nigel Lawson are in love; until they run afoul of a vengeful spirit. 

Christine Crocker

GIRL TROUBLE

Kisses, dares and memories reclaimed.

Sugar and spice and everything nice that’s what little girls are made of.’ But to ten year old A.J., girls like Angela are YUCK! Worse luck, his Mom and her Dad used to be an item.

Christine Crocker

LIES ABOUT COFFEE

Actions speak louder than words...or do they?

Dr. Henderickson of Dew Drop swings by the Brew House every morning for coffee from the owner, Allie Myers. When her friend, and top barista, has a medical  emergency, she steps in to help, but Dr. H has a different solution in mind.

Gena Ellington

MYSTERY MARINE

Who needs online dating when there are romance books at the library!

Josie Kincaid thinks she found the man of her dreams... at the library. They've been leaving letters to each other, hidden in books, but will he say yes when she pushes to meet face to face?

Gena Ellington

A BID FOR LOVE

How much would you pay for a chance at love?

My dad and Mr. Mateo like each other. A lot. For some reason, Dad thinks he and Mr. Mateo can't be boyfriends. I think it's because of me. But Dad deserves someone who cares about him and makes him smile, and Mr. Mateo does that. I did what had to be done.

Jen FitzGerald

Previous Get Lost Interview

WARRIOR

Does pie really fix everything?

Katrina Stone lost a lot in Afghanistan, but not her soul…or her mate. Finding her way home has been a long journey, but the final segment doesn’t have to be alone.

Fenley Grant 

@FenleyGrant

CONQUERING HIS ELEPHANTS

Trust love to heal yesterday and promise tomorrow.

Former Navy SEAL Jasper “Jazz” DeGroot is evading his memories by escaping to an abandoned pecan farm outside of Dew Drop, Texas. But he’s also eluding the woman who made him feel too much. Then Suzie Quinn shows up on the anniversary of his losing his best friend in the Sandbox, and he’s overwhelmed with one emotion in particular – hope.

Eva Jameson

BREAKFAST AT SWEETIE'S

Moving on starts with one step.

Who knew finding love was as easy as going to breakfast? Dad, of course!

Risa Leigh 

@RisaLeigh

MAN OF STEEL

Will their love stand the test of war?

Home from war, a tattered soldier finds a love that heals.

Gina Lee Nelson

Previous Get Lost Interview
@GinaLeeNelson

 A HOT TIME IN DEW DROP

Lose a bakery…gain a hot fireman.

When Diedra’s bakery burns to the ground and her life should be over…will the search for the arsonist bring love to her door?

Carolyn Rae 

@CarolynRaeW1 

THE COLONEL AND HER MAJOR

Love finds a way at any age.

Can two retired military find love in Dew Drop?

Marsha R. West

Previous Get Lost Interview
@ MarshaRWest

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DO YOU ENJOY READING SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS?

Get Lost in Marsha West's Vermont Escape

Only Jill Barlow’s grown children remain. Her husband and father, caught in his fight to keep casino gambling out of Texas, are murdered. She’ll do whatever it takes to ensure her kids’ safety. Jill flees from the gambling syndicate that will kill again for the damning evidence she possesses.

Excerpt: Vermont Escape

Jill Barlow reached for her make-up kit and brushed against the one thing she’d been doing her damnedest to avoid. Her heart rate tripped into overtime.

The package she received days after her dad was murdered. One month ago, but she couldn’t face opening a reminder of the nightmare.

Pictures of her vigorous father mixed with recent images of his closed casket. Nausea hit. Again. Damn. Why would someone blow off her father’s head? She didn’t stay to find out. She ran.

She’d pushed herself on a four-day trip from Texas to Vermont. Emotionally and physically exhausted, all she wanted to do was unpack her pajamas and climb into bed. Habit required she clean and moisturize her face. Habit provided comfort when life was chaotic. Habit could get her through the worst. Or not.

In the Woodstock Inn suite, her hand trembled when she removed the package and dropped it onto the bed where it lay on the white coverlet like a scorpion.

Hands propped on her knees, she leaned over, drew in needed oxygen. A minute passed, and then she straightened. “Okay, open this. Every time you’ve come across the thing, you implode, morphing into a quivering mass of mush.”

VERMONT ESCAPE is available now at:  Barnes & Noble   Amazon   MuseItUp

Meet Marsha R. West: Marsha is a retired elementary school principal, is also a former school board member and threatre arts teacher. She writes romantic suspense where experience is required. Her heroes and heroines, struggling with life and loss, are surprised to discover second chances at love.

Marsha, who loves to travel, lives in Texas with her supportive lawyer husband. They’ve raised two daughters who’ve presented them with three delightful grandchildren. She admits to being at the beck and call of two dogs, who run her home. She’s currently editing her latest work in progress.

Jillian: How often to you get lost in a story?
Marsha: Not nearly as often as before I became a writer when I’d read one to two books a week. That’s while I was teaching and looking after my mother. Now I read during TV commercials in the evening. Not the most satisfying way for sure. Going on vacation is fun because, besides the enjoyment of the new location, I get longer chunks of time to read.

Jillian: What’s the first book you remember reading?
Marsha: I read Dana Girls Mysteries when I was in elementary school, just inhaled them. It was like Nancy Drew but with twin girls. As an only child, I liked reading about the sisters. Probably the book that made the most impression on me was GONE WITH THE WIND. One night in eighth grade, I stayed up to the wee hours to finish it and then sobbed uncontrollably at the ending. LOL Set me up to always want a Happily Ever After.

Rocky coastline in Maine.

Jillian: What sound or noise do you love?
Marsha: I love the sound of the ocean waves. We go to sleep every night listening to those sounds on a CD. Now my preference is to be somewhere with the windows open and going to sleep listening to the real thing.

Jillian: What was the first story you remember writing?
Marsha: In 8th grade I wrote a play set during the Civil War and based on a real person, a Confederate hero nick-named the Gray Ghost. I don’t remember much about it, but there was danger and romance. (Always romance and danger. Never one without the other. )
Even when I began writing the first book, I wrote the first scene in the form of a play. I finished the scene and thought, “Hmmm. This doesn’t look much like a novel.” 145,000 words later, I stopped. It’s that book of my heart that keeps the dust bunnies company under the bed.

Jillian: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
Marsha: Two things. One is that my stories have heroes and heroines who are older. So far, they are 40-55. They may have grown or teenage kids and most have older parents. Real love isn’t restricted to young people. The second thing I’d like fans to know that I hope they enjoy the story of Jill and Jerrod, and that I’d love to hear from them.

Jillian: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
Marsha: When I began writing, I didn’t understand craft or the business. I just thought I’d write the book and “poof” someone would love my story and publish it. Even in this day of indie-publishing and with the abundance of small e-presses, this is a tough business.  VERMONT ESCAPE is my first published book. I came very close to quitting a couple of years ago when I was president of my local RWA chapter. Despite finalling in a couple of contests, I’d hit a number of walls, and I began to think maybe this wasn’t going to happen for me. When I first saw the book in my publisher’s bookstore, at B & N, and Amazon, it was like the Fourth of July with all the fireworks going off! I’m proud I stuck with the process. I’m proud I was willing to do the work to learn the lessons I needed. It took me longer than some to get published and less time than others. It’s a journey. I’m glad I’ve gotten to this point in that journey and look forward to what else I have to learn on my travels to the next stop along the way.

Jillian: What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?
Marsha: I’d make the sky turquoise, because it’s my favorite color. Makes me feel good.

Jillian: What would you say is your most interesting quirk?
Marsha: I’m not sure it’s the most interesting quirk, but it drives my family nuts. I talk out loud. To myself. Whether anyone else is around or not.  Quite a few years ago, I trained to get certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Some of you may be familiar with the personality inventory. I learned that my preference is to process information out loud. What I say at the beginning is not as important as what I say at the end as I work my way through a problem situation. It’s made for interesting confusions with my DH and the kids before I and they realized I do this.

How to Contact Marsha:

Website: http://www.marsharwest.com/category/blog for Thoughts on Thursday and Tuesday Author Chats 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/marsha.r.west 
Twitter: @marsha.r.west http://www.twitter.com/Marsharwest  

Marsha's got a question for commenters: After years of wearing suits and heels, I’ve found my favorite clothes to wear now are jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals. What clothes are you most comfortable in?

Marsha is giving away two small lavender sachets to two lucky commenters. In Vermont Escape, the heroine, Jill, buys a crystal store that has the same lovely scent! If you wish to be included in the drawing for the sachet, please leave your e-mail contact information along with your comment. And good luck!

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.