About The Story

What do you find interesting about your main characters? 

Emilia is resourceful and stubborn. Although she is living in 1883, a time when women did what they were told, she is determined to do things her way. I think it’s funny how the plans that are made for her are exactly what she would have chosen if she’d been given the opportunity to say what she preferred. But because they were laid out for her, she rebelled mightily by choosing a random cowboy and lying about who he was. She never dreamed one little white lie would snowball and land her in a world of trouble with her parents, her friends, and the handsome cowboy. 

Jasper, too, loves his independence. Although he respects his parents and will not go against their wishes, he obeys their instructions to attend a ball in which he is to meet his bethroathed by doing it his way, dressed as a rugged cowboy. Intrigued by the little vixen who tells him to play along and introduces him as her fiance, he soon learns she is the intended his parents had sent him here to meet. Now, he doesn’t know if he can trust one who lies so easily.

Where does the story take place and why did you choose this setting?

Salida, Colorado in 1883. I love this time frame. Salida is a beautiful town about an hour’s drive from where I live and has a rich history for fodder for a historical story. The railway came through there in this time which helps get characters from their far away ranches to town in less than a day, thus allowing my main male character’s parents to come be with him for his bethrothal. 

Share a little about the story behind the story.

My initial thought was to have my female character be a rebellious young woman. She doesn’t trust her parents to arrange a marriage suitable for her and is looking for a way to get out of the agreement she assumes they have made. When she spies a handsome, rugged, and rather dirty cowboy at her birthday ball, she decides to tell her parents he is her secret courter and they are already engaged to be married. Thinking it will buy her time to get our of her parents’ arrangement and find someone she really can love and live with the rest of her life. But I knew the twist had to be that the dirty cowboy was the man her parents had made the arrangement with and now she wants to set things straight. But the cowboy, while amused by her antics, doesn’t feel he can trust her.

What is the theme or takeaway you want readers to think about?

It’s hard to believe a liar even when they tell the truth.

One little white lie will lead to another and another until you are so entangled it will be difficult to get out of the mess you have made. The only way out is to tell the truth and set the record straight. 

 

About The Author

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I was in my twenties when I absolutely knew I wanted to be a writer. I took a creative writing class then and loved it, but while my babies were young and I worked full time outside of the home I couldn’t not fit it into my schedule. In truth, looking back over my life, I realize I’ve always been a writer. I was the kid who made up the story that we would act out. We played Mom and Dad, children, Cowboys and indians, etc. I wrote plays and coaxed my friends to act them out. I made hand puppets and entertained my friends with little puppet plays.

When I was 53, my life took a drastic turn and I found myself at home as caregiver to my mother with dementia and my special needs sister. I realized I had copious amount of time on my hands and thought, “Why not try this thing called writing?”

I published my first book the next year and now, 12 years later, have 70+ books published on Amazon. It is a career for me now and I love it!

Favorite animal?

I have 7 dogs, 1 cat, 12 chickens. But I love all animals! I can’t imagine life without some critter in my lap or in my house. The chickens are outside, of course. LOL I’m that person who goes to someone’s home and sits down to visit with the pet(s). 

If you could travel to any spot in the world, where would it be?

My  bucketlist is to go to Europe. I’ve never been. I want to go, not as a tourist, but on the insiders track, visit real people, see how they live in that country and eat what they eat, help work in their garden, etc. My second, and more achievable bucket list item, is to take three weeks and drive from my home in Colorado to the east coast, drive up to Maine, have a lobster dinner, then head back on an interior highway so I can see different things from the way up. I want to take our time, stop when we want to, pull off because we saw something interesting, and get there when we get there. 

What’s next in your writing?

I have a Time Travel Historical Romance I am publishing this year, 2022, and I have a Dachshund Cozy Mystery series I wrote half of last year. I will finish that series this year. I have some Multi-Author Series I will be writing in that will publish this year also. IF I can get everything written that I planned, it could be 20 books. But we’ll see and I’ll do what I am able. Nothing says I can’t push some of them over into 2023. 

 

Social media links:

You can learn more about Lynn on her blog, follow her on Twitter @MLynnDonovan, Facebook Author page at LynnDonovanFGG and her website, LynnDonovanAuthor.com.

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For more publications by Lynn Donovan go to: Amazon.com/author/ldonovan