Award-winning
author and speaker Darlene Franklin lives in Oklahoma near her son’s family.
Darlene loves
music, needlework, reading, and reality TV. She has published several titles
with Barbour Publishing, including her two latest releases, A Bride’s Rogue in Roma, Texas, and Merry Christmas, With Love, in Postmark: Christmas. She has also
written two books in the Texas Trails series
with RiverNorth Fiction, Lone Star Trail and
A Ranger’s Trail. She’s a member of
Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers.
MARY ANNE IS ON THE RUN.
Her
father's been murdered, and now the mob's after her, too. Leaving New York City
behind is the only way to stay alive. Yet Mary Anne Lamont finds herself stuck
in Maple Notch, Vermont, when her car crashes straight into Wallace Tuttle's
truck. Wallace and his family offer her warmth and welcome, no questions asked.
But she doesn't dare give them her real name-not without risking their safety
too.
At
first, Wallace chides himself for being distracted by the glamorous flapper.
Mary Anne certainly doesn't fit his image of a future wife. But underneath the
bleached bob and big-city ways is a courageous, caring woman. When the danger
she's been running from draws close, Wallace must risk everything to prove his
faith in Mary Anne, in God's plan, and the dreams they've come to share.
What inspired you to write Hidden Dreams, Darlene?
Reader response to my
first Vermont historical series, Maple
notch Brides, was strong, and Heartsong offered me a chance to write three
more books about my beloved New England. This series from Heartsong, Maple Notch Dreams, follows the Tuttle
family into the 20th century.
A historical timeline
revealed that the worst natural disaster in Vermont history occurred in
November 1927, when the Winnoski river flooded, causing 85 deaths and
destroying 1,200 bridges.
Since a covered bridge
played an important role in Maple Notch
Dreams, I knew I wanted to write about its destruction during the flood. History
also notes the various purposes covered bridges served; since this story was
set during the Prohibition Era, its capacity for hiding moonshine, or “bathtub
gin,” came into play.
Vermont is a very
“green” state, with a strong Audubon Society, so I made my hero a naturalist
observing endangered birds. The general idea of a flapper on the run for
winning money she wasn’t supposed to have came from, of all places, a movie
about the 1920s.
Very creative, Darlene! I love how ideas come from all kinds of places.
What's one fun piece of
trivia my readers might not know about you, but would like to?
I bite my nails. Shame
on me!
Haha! Me, too, but not as much as I used to. I consider myself a recovering "bite-aholic." One trick that helps me is keeping a nail clipper handy so when I feel the urge to bite, I can quickly pull out the clipper instead.
~~
Awesome to learn about Hidden Dreams and your passion behind the story, Darlene. Now, let's look into another new release, Texas Brides, written with several coauthors. This collection also looks intriguing.
This collection of nine
romances brings together the lawful, the lawless, and the lonely in the Lone
Star State. Watch as three Texas Rangers turn from chasing outlaws to courting
women who are determined to remain independent. Experience the trials six
outlaws have as they turn into respectable citizens and seek to settle down
with a spouse to love.
What inspired you to
write this book?
My agent, Chip MacGregor, approached me
with the possibility of writing a novella for inclusion with a new collection
that would repackage two previous, popular titles, Brothers of the Outlaw Trail and Yellow Roses, about Texas Rangers.
Since I wanted to include elements of
both anthologies, I decided to have a Ranger hero and an outlaw heroine. In the
case of my story, Angel in Disguise, I
turned not to history itself but to literature for my story idea. My heroine is
a reformed thief who has recently found Christ. When she sees the church
dragging its heels to help the poor around her, she decides to become a
nineteenth-century Robin Hood, stealing what the rich don’t need and giving it
to the poor. When the church recruits a Texas Ranger who is home recovering
from a bullet wound to solve the mystery, more than money is at stake.
Wow, sounds like lots of fast-paced action in this story, with a meaningful message to boot.
Thanks for sharing with my readers today, Darlene!
For more information about Darlene and her books, visit the following:
You
can find Darlene online at http://darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/darlene.franklin.3 You may also be interested in her
Facebook page, Darlene’s 5 Questions a Day (https://www.facebook.com/groups/542991419047696/?bookmark_t=group) where she answers the first five
questions related to the writing life posed on any given day. Group members are
also welcome to contribute.
http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Brides-Collection-Romances-West/dp/162029463X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367427756&sr=1-1
Don't leave just yet! Darlene's giving away one copy of Hidden Dreams and one copy of Texas Brides! So leave a comment to enter to win!
Don't leave just yet! Darlene's giving away one copy of Hidden Dreams and one copy of Texas Brides! So leave a comment to enter to win!
