Miralee Ferrell-heroine interview

» Posted on Feb 10, 2009 in Blog | Comments Off on Miralee Ferrell-heroine interview


This week I’m hosting Miralee Ferrell with Love Finds You in Last Chance, California and Victoria Bylin with The Maverick Preacher. If you want to be entered in the either of the drawings or both, please leave a comment this week and your email address (this is necessary in order for me to contact you) or you can email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday evening.

Interview with the heroine from Love Finds You in Last Chance, California:

1.Alexia, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
First, I’d prefer if you call me Alex, if you don’t mind? I’m a bit of a tomboy and love the shorter name Papa always called me. Interesting, huh? I guess I’m kind of unusual compared to other girls in town. I’m over 20 and not married…in fact, I don’t even have a beau, although there’s a few young men in the area that are trying to court me. Papa just died and I’m trying to run our horse ranch myself, with my Uncle Joe’s help…but he had an accident recently and can’t ride. I don’t really care for quilting socials and women’s gatherings, so I spend most of my time on the ranch.

2.What do you do for fun?
That’s an easy one. There’s nothing better than taking a long ride on my favorite horse, Banner. He’s a Morgan/Mustang mix and he has an amazing lope. I love riding through the hills surrounding our ranch and spending hours exploring. It’s fun to go alone, or with my dog Hunter…dogs and horses are accepting of who you are and don’t judge you if you don’t fit in, you know. It’s peaceful in the hills and riding brings me closer to God as I see His wonderful creation spread out before me.

3.What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Wearing dresses! Papa always insisted I wear them when I go to town and they’re so bothersome. They get tangled around my legs and get in the way. Why just the other day I came out the door of the mercantile and headed down the boardwalk and ran into….oops! Better not tell you that. I think it’s in the book someone wrote about me and I’d hate to give it away.

4.What are you afraid of most in life?
Hmm…that’s a little harder. I guess maybe not being accepted for who I am. The women in town want to press me into their own mold and I don’t fit their way of life. But my friend Elizabeth tells me that God loves me the way I am, and to trust Him. I know she’s right. It’s just hard sometimes when someone like Mabel Gurney raises her eyebrows at me and makes little snide comments. I’m afraid I might not make the ranch a success, too. Papa trained me to run it and I can work horses and ride as well as any of the hands, but men don’t always like to take orders from a woman.

5.What do you want out of life?
To make Papa proud, even though he’s gone on to heaven. Of course, I want to make my heavenly father proud, too. It’s just that Papa had such high hopes for the ranch and for me. He wanted to see me married and settled, but there’s not much hope of that. I need to keep focused on work right now, or I’ll never get this mortgage paid off. Maybe someday the right man might come along, although it’s unlikely. Mostly there’s just miners in our area, and they keep to themselves. Guess I’ll have to trust God for that part of my life, as well.

6.What is the most important thing to you?
My family and my relationship with the Lord. Of course, Uncle Joe isn’t really my blood uncle, but he was my papa’s best friend from before I was born. And Martha, she’s been with us since right after Mama died, caring for me and trying hard to turn me into a lady. They’re all the family I have left, but I love them as much as if we were truly related.

7.Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?
I don’t have much time to read, what with spending so much time on the bookkeeping and caring for the horses. I read Papa’s bible that he kept on his office desk.

8.If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d like to be a little better shot with my rifle. We’ve had something bothering the stock lately, and I can’t afford to lose any horse. Oh…did you mean something personal? I guess maybe my figure. I’m pretty slender with tiny bones, and I think I look more like a boy than a woman…at least when I’m wearing trousers.

9.Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
Oh yes, and he’s wonderful! Uncle Joe brought me a puppy over a year ago. He’s a big dog, black and tan markings with course, short hair and I named him Hunter. I figured maybe he’d live up to his name and hunt down the wild animals that bother the horses. He’s a big baby, though…he likes to chase the deer and rabbits, but nothing else. All he wants to do is play fetch. But he’s one of my best friends and loves to go on long rides with me.

10.If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
Travel back in time? Do they do that in 2009? My goodness, we’ve never thought of anything like that here in 1877, even with all the modern conveniences they’ve invented to make life easier. How would you do that, anyway? Oops…I guess you needed an answer. I love wild horses, so I think I’d want to go back at least a hundred years before the land was heavily settled, and try to find the big bands of horses that roamed some of the valleys. It would be even better if I could capture a stallion and bring him back to my herd. Can you bring something back with you when you travel through time, or just yourself?

I hope I’ve been helpful. I didn’t go on to normal school to get a teaching license or anything, and I only attended our little school here in Last Chance, so I’m not very educated. But Martha and Papa taught me at home some, so I hope I didn’t shame them while answering your questions. It would be awfully nice if your readers would come visit me, Uncle Joe and Martha, plus get acquainted with some of the people in Last Chance. I’m still kind of scratching my head why Miralee’s book is called Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA….hmm….I wonder if there’s something I don’t know?