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Showing posts with label Much Ado About Marshals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Much Ado About Marshals. Show all posts

Monday, June 4, 2012

Winners Much Ado, Lucky in Love and Calico Canyon

 (Sorry this is posted late)
CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS
of Giveaways ended 6/1/12
Anash






Review Copy of Lucky in Love

Barbara E.





Copy of Calico Canyon

pwnmom


Thank you to everyone who entered.
Winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form so I can mail out or let the Author/Publisher know to send the books.  Please reply within 72 hours!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Interview and Giveaway (Open Worldwide) with Jacquie Rogers, Author

Hello Jacquie! Thank you for sharing at Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf.

Questions for Jacquie:
Q1  What inspired you to write western romance?
JR: Thanks so much for inviting me today, Martha!  Ah, western romance—I have a contemporary out although right now I’m peddling my western historical series, ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥, so I can apply the answer to both.  Mostly it has to do with where I grew up, which is in Owyhee County in the southwest corner of Idaho. 

Time sorta passed us by out there, although we were blissfully unaware of it.  Our family went to Grange dances on Saturday nights where they played Little Brown Jug and old songs of that ilk.  Not a week went by but what there would be some sort of community event—a farmer might be laid up and need his fields plowed, disked, harrowed, and planted; or maybe someone was building a house.  We’d pack up food and tools, then make a day of it.  I had no idea that people didn’t do this everywhere.

Then there’s the history of the place.  Drive south and you can visit a mining town, Silver City, that never knew it was supposed to be a ghost town.  Many of the buildings have be preserved and made into residences.  The Idaho Hotel is still in operation.  And it still doesn’t have electricity.  It’s a wonderful place to spend a day.

Not too far from our farm is an old stage stop.  We explored every inch of it as kids, played cowboys and robbers, and had a ball.  Oh, and we rode our horses all over everywhere.  In the other direction from the stage stop is Graveyard Point, which is well-known in rockhound circles for its geodes.  We didn’t much care about that but we sure had a lot of fun riding there and swimming in the canal below.  Some of these features are in the third book in the series, Much Ado About Mavericks, which will be released in a couple weeks.

What specifically inspired me?  Maybe it was those Holsteins—I wanted them to be Texas Longhorns.  Or it could’ve been Dad’s Buick, which I thought of as a stagecoach under attack.  As a kid, my mind kept thinking up all these stories and, well, I guess I just never grew up!

Q2  I just reviewed Much Ado About Marshals and I see that you have a new title out called Much Ado About Madams. Are your books stand alone or part of a series and if series did you have each book plotted out before you started the first one or did the subsequent book(s) flow from the first?
JR: The series, ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥, is actually a set of books connected by time, location, and a few peripheral characters.  It’s not a true series with an overall story arc, or any cliffhanger endings.  The books can be standalone and read in any order.  In fact, the second book, Much Ado About Madams, actually takes place a couple years before MuchAdo About Marshals, which was released first.  I’m currently writing Daisy’s sister’s story in the fourth book, Much Ado About Miners.  I’m not very far into that book yet so it will be at least six months before it sees the light of day. 

Q3  Please share with us one surprising thing about your experience writing Much Ado About Marshals, or about something else related to your career as a writer.
JR: I had to do quite a bit of research into patent medicines and I, in my naïveté, had no idea that heroine and cocaine were common ingredients in them.  Anyone could get these medicines and many substances that are illegal or regulated now were as common as aspirin.  (Side note: In 1900, Bayer trademarked both Aspirin and Heroin, but lost the trademarks in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles.) 

I used Hoffstetter’s Stomach Bitters, which contained heroine, so the widows, who both took it for “nervousness,” displayed signs of heroin addiction, which I also had to research.  Of course, addiction wasn’t common knowledge so my characters’ perspective was mostly that the widows were a little crazy.  Another patent medicine, Dr. Liebig’s Lost Manhood Restorer, well, I’ll just let everyone wonder how I used that. Hahaha.

Q4  How do find your characters and personalities?  Is there any special inspiration?
JR: Cole Richards came from several sources.  His pure heart and altruism come from a man who owned a farm near ours.  His dilemma came from a song about a woman who was in love with two men, and I wondered what that would be like if the two men were brothers, from the “losing” brother’s point of view.  And the identity issues come straight from Shakespeare, who loved to write romantic comedies where no one was who anyone else thought they were.  I find that concept irresistible!

Daisy was one of the most stubborn characters I ever worked with.  I knew the moment I imagined her bounding up the steps of the Oreana general store (now a church)  carrying a package, that this was a fireball of a woman who knew what she wanted and was absolutely determined to get it, whether it was appropriate or not.  But I didn’t know exactly what she did want, and she simply wouldn’t tell me.  She taunted me and refused to cooperate until I guessed her secret.  She’d let me write about two chapters, then slam on the brakes.  Finally, after many iterations, there she was pouring her heart out to me, but still laughing at me because she’d given me a rocky ride. 

Q5  Which word would you use to describe yourself and your personality?
JR: Happy.

Q6  What gave you the idea to create the smart, loveable character of Katie, the mule?
JR: Her owner was rather eccentric—he over-compensated for his small stature by learning Kung Fu, and he certainly didn’t follow any trends.  Others thought they had it made when they could buy a blooded horse, so he bought a blooded mule.  Then I did quite a bit if research on mules because I’ve never owned one.  I always thought they were like horses only more stubborn.  Come to find out, mules that come from superior horse and donkey stock are far smarter, stronger, and have completely different personalities than horses do.  In one training manual, the author equates mule personality more to that of a dog only more intelligent.  Add in the current passion for mule racing, and Katie the racing mule was born. 
She doesn’t play a large part in the book, but a strong one.  And even more importantly, she spawned the idea for Socrates in Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues and Merlin in Willow, Wish For Me.

Questions for Daisy:

Q1  Which word would you use to describe yourself and your personality?
Daisy: Determined.

Q2  What is something you would never be caught dead doing/saying?
Daisy: I’d never be stuck out on a farm raising chickens and children while my husband had all the fun.

Q3  Do you have any pet peeves?
Daisy: I simply cannot abide dishonesty.  If a man can’t tell the truth, I won’t be giving him the time of day.

Q4  When did you first become interested in crime investigation?
Daisy: I’m not sure whether my interest in forensic criminology came from the dime novel heroine, Honey Beaulieu, Lady Detective, or whether she triggered my latent interest.  Have you read Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi?  Fascinating book, and in that story, fingerprints were used to identify the murderer.  And in real life, there was Kate Warne who worked as a Pinkerton detective before the War Between the States.  I always admired her.

Q5  What is the one thing your readers would be surprised to know about you?
Daisy: I can track clues, sort out what’s real and what’s bogus, and spend hours examining whorls in a fingerprint, but those organizational skills don’t transfer to, um, (whispers) housekeeping.

Find Jacquie and her books at these links:
Much Ado About Marshals (Print): http://amzn.com/146639952X
Much Ado About Marshals (Kindle): http://amzn.com/B0058ON1LS
Much Ado About Madams (Kindle): http://amzn.com/B007HRTQ0O

 

Thank you to Jacquie for offering a GIVEAWAY for one lucky commenter:
US Only: Autographed print copy of MuchAdo About Marshals 
Canada or International: Kindle copy of Much Ado About Marshals and a $10 Amazon gift certificate.

Daisy's Final Question for the giveaway: 
Daisy: If faced with the dilemma where being honest and true to the person you love would place your closest friend in danger of losing his life, you’d __________.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:
1. Make a meaningful comment on the Interview or Review -  something more specific please than "nice review", "good interview" - note some detail. :-).
2.  For an extra 2 entries, answer Daisy's Final Question.
3.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.
(Four total entries possible.)

THERE WILL BE ONE WINNER - either print or kindle + GC!
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on June 1, 2012.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on June 2 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.

Book Review: Much Ado About Marshals by Jacquie Rogers

This is a delightfully fun, sweet read.
by Jacquie Rogers
  • Paperback: 306 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace (October 24, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 146639952X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1466399525
Genre:  Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: October 24, 2011
Buy a copy and see for yourself what everyone is talking about. Once you read just one of Ms. Roger's books, I can assure you that you'll be a fan... Diana Coyle, NOR Reviewer

*** CTRR Award ***
Jacquie Rogers creates a witty, delightful, and downright amusing book with impressive charming players. Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance and More Reviewer

Like romance? Love stories about the old west? Want a dreamy cowboy to cuddle up and read about? Then this is the book for you.
~~My Eclectic Bookshelf, 5 dragonflies

Daisy Gardner wants to be a detective just like dime novel heroine Honey Beaulieu.  To her delight, her sister shot a bank robber and he got away, so now she even has a crime to solve. But her parents insist she marry a man whose farm is miles from town.  She can't solve crimes stuck out there. What better solution than to marry the new marshal!

Rancher Cole Richards saves his friend from robbing a bank, but is shot for his efforts, and now is a wanted man.  His friend takes him to Oreana to see the doc, where Cole's mistaken for the new marshal.  Now he faces a dilemma few men have to face--tell the truth and hang, or live a lie and end up married. Either way could cost him his freedom.


Review:
Daisy is a feisty and curious young lady of the America 1885 West.  Her parents own the local general store and want her to settle down with a save, successful farmer. But Daisy has a mind and will of her own and she has decided that she will marry the new marshal.  She plans to be a female detective working right by his side.

Cole Richards is mostly unconscious when his faithful, but somewhat bungling friend, Bosco, brings him to the Doctor in Oreana. Daisy helps the Doctor tend to the injured stranger who they think is the new marshal since he fits the description and they got a wire that the Marshal would be arriving late due to an attack and leg injury. Daisy immediately sets her sights on winning “the Marshal.”

The problem is that Cole knows he is not only not the Marshal but he believes that Daisy’s sister can identify him as one of the men who bungled a bank robbery a week or so before.  Cole thinks  he isn’t good enough for the sweet, stubborn lady who is bent on getting fingerprints to proof the identity of the bank robbers.  The Marshal’s resistance is frustrating to Daisy but she will do whatever it takes, even if it means she has to stoop to feminine seduction.

In addition to the fun push and pull between Daisy and “the Marshal” there are several other delightful, quirky characters. Daisy’s best friend, Sarah, is looking for a handsome man too. The reputable farmer is nice but not alluring. On the other hand the latest stranger in town, the rugged, smart, 'Sam Jones', does catch her attention.  And Jones has the best trained and smartest mule, Katie, who might just steal the show even over the troublesome mutt, Winky, who knocks over an occupied privy!

Ms. Rogers has presented some really likeable characters in a fun, ‘mistaken identity’ plot. There is sweet sensual interest with a zing of sassy innuendo. The flow of the story is easy and light as you chuckle through the frustrations of the characters. I recommend this to anyone who likes romantic comedy and historical western romance. When you want something fun to read - pick this up and enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few fun quotes:
Cole's thoughts on his cowhand buddy:
Few men had bigger hearts than Bosco, even if the poor fellow was one ox short of a team. Location 335.
The Judge has Daisy lock in the cell with Cole:
[Daisy:] "You have no charge against me..."
"The charge is the refusal to listen to the evidence."
"I have not refused to listen to any evidence. I know the facts."
Judge Glover chuckled. "Case in point."  Location 5813.
 
CymLowellI am glad I won this book and appreciate Jacquie agreeing to an interview and Giveaway - see the next post.
I will add this to Idaho for my Where are You Reading Challenge. It will also go on my TBR and New Author Challenge lists.





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