This week I’m hosting Mary Connealy with Over the Edge, Debby Giusti with The Colonel’s Daughter, Deborah Piccurelli with Hush Little Baby and Deanna Klingel with Bread Upon the Water. I also have a special guest on Saturday–Nora St. Laurent who runs The Book Club Network. If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (August 12th) evening.
Interview with the heroine from Over the Edge by Mary Connealy:
1. Callie Kincaid, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
I’ve come west with a babe in arms searching for my husband’s family. My father was killed and his land stolen and I could run or die. Now, here I am in Colorado, hoping my poor dead husband’s family will take me in and what do I fine? My husband, not so dead after all. Worse than that? He doesn’t remember marrying me. Here I’ve been thinking I’m a widow and the no account varmint doesn’t have the good grace to even be dead. I’m mad enough at the abandoning polecat that I might just make my widowhood a reality with one well aimed shot from my Winchester.
2. What do you do for fun?
Fun? I’m thinking. It’s been a mighty long time since I’ve had much fun. Between crossing half the country on a stagecoach and getting in a shoot out in a stagecoach hold-up, and being so wounded I’m more dead than alive, and finding my rotten husband alive and well and needing to trek through a blizzard with him to get home and getting so sick I’m stuck in bed for a week, well, I haven’t had much fun for a long, long time.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
I’m not someone who puts off what needs doing. If there’s a task, no matter how tough, I take hold and I don’t let go till it’s done. I have put off giving my runaway husband the ‘rights’ of a husband. Not because I dread it exactly, in truth I’m almighty tempted because I missed him so bad. But I don’t trust him and I can’t stand the thought of being abandoned and bearing another child without him at my side. So I’m putting off being married in all ways to him.
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
I’m afraid of looking like a coward. Funny when you think of it. There isn’t much that would shame me more than to look like I’m afraid. So I’m afraid of being afraid, a dumb thing to say but it suits me, even if I am scared, to hide it and go on as if I’m not a bit bothered.
5. What do you want out of life?
I want my husband to remember me. He’s here now and I reckon he means to stay, much as I can trust the whims of a lunatic. But it hurts to think what passed between us, that led us to marriage and created a baby, wasn’t powerful enough to him to stick in his brain, even if he is furiously mad.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
My son. I will give my life to keep him safe. I will travel across the country, risk everything to find a home where he will be protected from this hard old world.
7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?
I didn’t have much schooling but I learned to fetch around some words when I needed to. We had a Bible at home and not much else. That’s what I read on the rare days when I have time.
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I was raised more boy than girl, riding with my pa and big brother on the range after my ma died. For a lot of years I’d have said I’d change and just be a boy because of all the limits put on me by being female. And then I met Seth and I was so glad to be a woman. So now, I’m happy with myself. I guess I’d toughen up my heart a little so my husband couldn’t hurt me as bad ever again.
9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
I even left my favorite horse behind in Texas when I grabbed my son and ran. No pets, not much time for such nonsense, though a good guard dog wouldn’t come amiss. And I wish we had some chickens around the ranch.
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
I’d go back to the days right after I got married to Seth. I’d never let him out of my sight. He managed to get across the whole country, and find his way home, but if he’d been with me everything would have been different. My pa would’ve still been alive, my brother wouldn’t have run off, we’d be safe in our home in Texas right now. Oh, yes, I’d go right back to those days and I’d watch my crazy husband like a hawk.
