25 Days of Christmas Stories: Interview with Davalynn Spencer, author of "The Snowbound Bride"

Today, we're featuring one of Davalynn Spencer's holiday stories, "The Snowbound Bride"! It's her contribution to a new collection of Christmas stories called The 12 Brides of Christmas and it's a treasure! Here's the cover of Davalynn's novella: 

Davalynn decided to give way one e-book copy of her featured novella, "The Snowbound Bride" to one reader who lives in the U.S.A.

All you have to do is to fill out the book giveaway contest entries on the Rafflecopter widget which is located toward the end of this blog post. The winner will be announced on Dec. 11.

Meanwhile, enjoy your visit with Davalynn! She's here to answer my questions about her book.

*Words from Alexis in bold, words from Davalynn not in bold:

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Alexis: Would you please share your elevator pitch for “The Snowbound Bride”?

Davalynn: On the run from a heartless uncle, Arabella Taube steps off the train in Spruce City, Colorado, and hides in a nearby farm wagon. Nate Horne returns to his wagon and heads home to the ranch just as a harsh winter storm sweeps in—stranding his surprise stow-away with the family for Christmas. Despite Ara’s mysterious background, Nate’s mother thinks she is the answer to a prayer and the hope for her son's future.

Arabella is a unique name for your leading lady. Why did you choose it?

My maternal grandmother’s name was Ara and she was German. As I put together the ideas for this novella, I thought what fun it would be to use my grandmother’s name. I extended it to Arabella for the heroine’s given name, but throughout the book she is called Ara.

Paint a picture of Arabella. What does she look like? What or who does she love? What makes her mad? What is she doing this Christmas (talking about your story’s plot)?

Ara has long, near-black hair like my grandmother. She is also a spitfire and not afraid of striking out on her own. This Christmas—because of a blizzard—she’s experiencing a family Christmas like she’s never known before and wondering if a tall, quiet rancher feels the same way about her as she does about him.

Give us insight into your leading man, Nate Horne. What’s his background? What role does he play in this story? What does he like, or not like, about Arabella? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Nate takes strong and silent to the extreme. His father was killed when Nate was 12, and Uncle Buck, his mother’s brother, came to the Horne Ranch to help out. Nate’s biggest problem is wrangling words as well as he wrangles horses. Ara takes his breath away to the point that most of his sentences are comprised of three words, just not the three words Ara wants to hear.

In what ways do Arabella and Nate impact each other’s lives?

Nate is not exactly what Ara planned to run into on her way to Leadville. Nate always wanted to bring a bride home, but he didn’t figure one would show up in the back of his wagon.

What was your favorite scene to write from “The Snowbound Bride”? Why?

I had the most fun writing the tree-cutting adventure and the snowball fight.

What was your go-to drink or food while on deadline for this story?

Chocolate, of course! And coffee.

What did you enjoy most about creating these characters and setting the scene for “The Snowbound Bride”?

These are simple people with simple dreams. Life is hard, but they find joy in everyday activities and in the context of family and faith.

Why did you write this story?

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I wanted to write a warm, wintry tale of someone who did not have good Christmas memories but discovers love and new beginnings in the arms of a welcoming ranching family.

What do you want readers to remember most about “The Snowbound Bride”?

Our life path is rarely what we think it will be, but we have a constant companion in our Lord. He knows every turn in the road and often takes our breath away with His surprises.

Thanks for the interview, Davalynn! Would you like to share any closing thoughts?

Merry Christmas!

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Author bio:

Davalynn Spencer writes inspirational Western romance complete with rugged cowboys, their challenges, and their loves. 

She won the 2015 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for Western Inspirational Fiction and makes her home on Colorado’s Front Range with her handsome cowboy and their dog, Blue. 

Connect with her at www.davalynnspencer.com.

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