Interview with Margaret Brownley

» Posted on Oct 26, 2010 in Blog | Comments Off on Interview with Margaret Brownley


This week I’m hosting Margaret Brownley with A Suitor for Jenny and Shannon Vannatter with White Doves. If you want to enter the drawings, 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 (October 31st) evening.

Interview with Margaret Brownley:

More Love and Laughter in the Old West from Bestselling Author Margaret Brownley:
A SUITOR FOR JENNY (in bookstores now)
Some timely advice for landing a husband from Margaret’s new book:

•Charm and composure must prevail at all times. If a gunfight erupts, exit the scene with grace and serenity.
•If you don’t know whether or not to kiss a handsome man, give him the benefit of the doubt.
•Never engage in boisterous laughter. If you must show mirth, a polite smile or titter will suffice.
•Never criticize your beau. If it wasn’t for his faults he’d probably be courting someone else.
•A woman more knowledgeable than a man is obliged to hold her tongue and feign ignorance in all matters except, of course, childbirth.
•Never show affection in public. Love may be blind but the townspeople are not.
•Once your vows are exchanged devote yourself to domestication—his.
•Eschew secrets, for they are normally discovered at the worst possible time. If confronted, weep and deny everything.

1.What made you start writing?

I always wanted to be a writer, but many things stood in the way, mostly my lack of confidence (failing 8th grade English didn’t help). When I became the church newsletter editor, that old writing bug took over and I got a bit—shall we say?—
too creative. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, my then pastor took me aside and suggested that perhaps God was calling me to write fiction.

My children were greatly relieved when I stopped writing funny notes to their teachers and started writing books, instead.

2.How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?

I started by writing contemporary novels. It took me so long to sell my first book it became historical by default. I wrote four books before selling my first,including the world’s worst romance (there’s a reason rejections were invented).

3.How do you handle rejections?

Looking back over my career I’m amazed at how many times a rejection turned out to be a good thing. One book was rejected something like 11 times, but when it finally sold it helped launch a new line for Penguin. Rejections are a second chance to make the story stronger or to find a more suitable publisher.

4.Why do you write?

I love the process of putting words on paper, of creating something from nothing. I can’t knit a sweater without yarn, or plant a garden without seeds, but I can create a story from nothing more than a dream.

5.What are you working on right now?

I just completed A Vision of Lucy which will be in bookstores June 2011. I’m now working on a new series: Spinster Brides. I just love where my new characters are taking me.

6.Do you put yourself into your books/characters?

I think all writers put themselves into their books. It’s not something we do consciously, it just happens. It’s like we put ourselves into our children (whether they like it or not).

7.Tell us about the book you have out right now.

I got the idea for A Suitor for Jenny from a meeting notice in an old 1800s newspaper. It was for a group that called themselves “The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Male Independence.” I don’t know what happened to the group or if its members managed to maintain independence, but I knew I had a story.

Of course the group isn’t the only problem that confronts Jenny Higgins when she rolls into Rocky Creek, Texas, determined to find suitable husbands for her two younger sisters whom she’s taken care of since her parents’ death. The town falls short of her expectations, but she refuses to be discouraged. Once her sisters are safely married, Jenny plans to put the past behind her, move far, far away and start afresh.

Armed with “The Compleat and Authoritative Manual for Attracting and Procuring a Husband,” she follows every rule in the book. Much to her dismay, none of the men meet the stringent requirements, one of which is passing the PHAT (Potential Husband Attitude Test).

Jenny thinks she knows how to pick perfect husbands and it take two rebellious sisters, a handsome marshal, and a whole lot of faith to convince her otherwise.

8.Do you have any advice for other writers?

Enjoy the process: As an aspiring writer you have the luxury of taking as much time as you need to write your book. You can give it all the love and attention it requires without worrying about meeting a deadline and having to deal with the business of writing. The rest will follow.