Interview with Ann Malley about her NEW novel, "Rodeo King"

Let's welcome Ann Malley to the blog! 

She's an author published by Winged Publications which is the same company that published my most recent two books!

Today, she's here to talk about a book that's close to my heart because I loved it that much! Her story is called Rodeo King and it's a romance that leaves a lasting impression on the heart of the reader.

Here's the book cover photo:

Isn't her book cover captivating? Look at all those wide open spaces in Montana! 

The woman on the book cover is Leigh Ann Lacie (heroine of the story).

Best of all, ONE of you will receive an e-copy of this book to download to your Kindle for FREE because the author has agreed to a book giveaway contest! 

Remember to enter the giveaway contest via the Rafflecopter widget that is located at the end of this blog post.

Enjoy the interview! God bless you.

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Interview with Ann Malley about her book, Rodeo King:

Alexis: What inspired you to write this book?

Ann: Rodeo King began as a lifeline, a means to stay sane during difficult times. Moved to action by my absolute bestie and long-time critique partner, I picked up the fiction writing that I’d abandoned to homeschool and manage endless cross country moves. Our family wasn’t moving after all. We were stuck in cramped temporary housing that lasted 36 months instead of three, limited to one car, and facing down the “hot” prospect of being redirected to any part of these United States or abroad for my husband’s next position. (Hurry up and wait works best when one has a pen and a mind to take a mental holiday!)

I would have taken anything to avoid that three-year helicopter hiatus. And yet God works as He wills. The particulars of when and where are strictly His domain. We didn’t move again. Well, not across country, but to our own home in Northern Virginia. SIGH! But Harlequin closed their western line. So I dug deeper and transformed Rodeo King into an inspired romance that touches the heart in a way I understood from personal experience. (Conflict and dark moments aren’t limited to romantic love.) And I decided to make Leigh Ann’s struggles a little more personal, something to which I could relate and I hope you will, too.

Alexis: What is the significance of your book’s title, Rodeo King?

Ann: I wanted Frank to represent man at the pinnacle of success, the king of all he surveys. At least that’s what he believes prior to encountering his high school sweetheart. It’s the small things that often trip us up, memories we can’t shake, feelings left unresolved. The Rodeo King is no exception. And Providence has its way with us all, even kings.

Alexis: Let’s talk about the heroine of your story, Leigh Ann Lacie. What does she look and sound like? What is her secret hope? What is her greatest dream? What does she love? What or who makes her mad?

Ann: Beneath a sassy exterior, Leigh Ann looks and sounds like that sad, seasoned friend you wish you could set up with the right guy. She’s only 33, but thanks to a past she refuses to unpack, she’s determined to move ahead. Alone. Unloved. And convinced she’ll never achieve that happily-ever-after she’s longed for as a child of a broken home. Her greatest dream, not that she realizes it, is to form her own legacy of love where she’s accepted for who she is, but one where her unspoken needs are met. She loves children—the hope for the future. If anything, she’s mad at herself for not having made that discovery long before she married the man who’s now left her widowed and somewhat jaded. But having wasted too many years, she’s determined to seek her dreams now, and not allow others to alter their course for fear they’ll harbor the same regrets that are breaking her heart.

Alexis: What’s Leigh Ann’s backstory and how does it affect her outlook on life?

Ann: The product of a disruptive mistake-of-a-marriage, Leigh Ann looks upon life as an antagonist (at least for herself). She’s determined to protect herself from all manner of pain. She doesn’t appreciate being the subject of Wild Horse Montana’s evening news, even if the broadcasting system is limited to Main Street Mercantile gossips. She prefers the anonymity of city living. And yet, when circumstances draw her back home, she can’t deny the satisfaction of returning to the scene of so much childhood drama only to discover that she’s been truly missed. By people who care enough to seek details and not only for something to talk about.

Alexis: Describe the setting of your story “Wild Horse, Montana.” What makes it special for your characters?

Ann: Wild Horse, Montana is a purely fictional town, one that embodies the spirit of big sky country…Big dreams…Family values…And, of course, the vestige of isolation that can give way to the heightened scrutiny of small town living. But small towns can grow just like people. Wild Horse, despite its distance from big cities and burgeoning industry, is finding itself increasingly on the map. This character of sorts will interact with those living the town as the series progresses, challenging everyone to expand much like when people we love change, requiring a different outlook to keep the ties that bind firmly in place.

Alexis: Let’s talk about the hero of your story, Frank Ferguson. What does he look and sound like? What is his worst fear? What or who is his heart’s desire?

Ann: Frank, as we’ve discussed, is the king of all he surveys. His parents didn’t raise him that way, but Providence deigned it would be so. That’s why, contrary to popular opinion, he doesn’t have the big head that Leigh Ann imagines. Quite the opposite. Beset by his own self-recriminations, Frank’s worst fear is that he’ll fail his family, and fail to live up to Leigh Ann’s high expectations. Although it’s masked for self-preservation, his heart’s desire is to settle down with the one woman who’s rejected him since day one, at least where it counts. His rise to rodeo fame came about after Leigh Ann rejected his teen-aged marriage proposal. But even a king can’t always get what he wants.

Alexis: What is it about Leigh Ann that is irresistible to Frank?

Ann: Frank is admittedly drawn to Leigh Ann by the challenge she represents. Competing is what he does for a living. And Leigh Ann is a beautiful woman, more alluring for having matured into life with grace, dignity, and an unwavering strength that he can’t help but admire. His attraction to her goes far deeper as he sees a part of himself in her, a vulnerability that thirsts for family and love without strings. The unconditional acceptance given to him by his family – a gift he’d be lost without – is something he longs to share with Leigh Ann. And he will, whether she reciprocates or not.

Alexis: Why did Leigh Ann reject Frank’s marriage proposal years ago?

Ann: Unlike Frank, Leigh Ann wasn’t reared in the bosom of love and kindness. She’s seen betrayal up front: broken dreams, forgotten promises, and the worst—love turned to loathing. She did love Frank. She loved him enough to let him go. That charity, though seemingly cruel, was a means to preserve the one good thing she had growing up. Seeing him now, unmarried despite his name having appeared in countless news stories associated with other women, she knows she did right. Fame is what Frank truly wanted, not the wife and family that would only tie him down and turn him sour.

Alexis: How does Frank feel when Leigh Ann re-enters his life but doesn’t want anything to do with him and what is he doing about it?

Ann: Frank isn’t surprised when Leigh Ann adopts a frosty demeanor. Her fiery temperament often expressed itself in coolness, but that was something he’d always been able to break through in the past. He secretly enjoyed the spats they used to have, although he’d never say as much, for fear that Leigh Ann would believe he was mocking her. Her parents’ infamous bouts were no joke. But Frank isn’t about to let Leigh Ann get under his skin this time. He’s determined to treat her in kind, be kind, but be cool. He can’t make her love him. But muscle memories are difficult to control, and so is the urge to uncover what’s still hurting the woman he’ll always consider a dear friend despite her angry armor.

Alexis: Why does Leigh Ann behave adversely to fame?

Ann: Leigh Ann considers fame to be a third wheel in marriage, a mistress of sorts that demands ever-increasing attention. For those who seek fame via extreme sports, the courtship involves a death dance as thrills are harder to come by. That spells anathema to a long-term love affair. For Leigh Ann has no desire to compete for a husband’s affections or give her heart to anyone who treats their life – or her love – so lightly.

Alexis: What is it about Frank that warms Leigh Ann’s heart and why does she fight her feelings for him?

Ann: Despite guarding herself, Leigh Ann can’t ignore Frank’s readiness to learn, love, and be there for his family. Yes, he was wrapped up in being the Rodeo KING, something she commented on in the stinging column about him that got her fired, but that hasn’t prevented him from humbling himself. He’s there for his family and for her, no strings attached when circumstances require. But he’s still in love with his work. Frank was born to ride, to risk, and maybe to die. Leigh Ann can’t afford to be a widow again. Her heart can’t take it. And even if Frank gave up riding, the knowledge that she can’t give him the family of his own that he still talks about keeps her guarded. She knows too well what it’s like to hunger after something you can’t have and she won’t limit Frank.

Alexis: What was your favorite moment in this story? Why?

Ann: My favorite – absolute favorite – scene in the story is where Leigh Ann struggles to soothe little David when he’s crying for his mother. Frank walks in and the resulting action is exactly the opposite of what she expects. I get misty just thinking about it. Why? There’s a lot of me in this book. I have six sisters and have had so many examples of what it means to be a woman with all manner of nuanced differences. That said, I’m pretty partial to the balloons scene as well. You’ll have to read Rodeo KING to find out what I mean!

Alexis: If you could step into this story as a licensed counselor and have a session with Frank and Leigh Ann, what would you say to help them resolve their issues with each other?

Ann: I’d ask them both, “What do you want now? Tell me without any reference to the past.”

Then I would encourage them to look to one another as they are today without the baggage. But that’s the trick. We all carry baggage and our eyes and minds are often clouded by it. That’s why we continue to unpack such similar situations across the span of our lives. The ability to move forward only happens when we’re willing to throw out those items we’ve outgrown.

As Christians, we are told to forgive one another, but often we forget to include ourselves in that number. But if we’re to succeed in loving one another as we love ourselves, there can be no true measure if we continue to beat ourselves up with a past we cannot change.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about Rodeo King?

Ann: I don’t know, Alexis. That’s a tough one as I firmly believe that the measure of what one gets out of something is based on what is brought to the situation. Perhaps the take away is an openness to trying and never giving up hope. Leigh Ann and Frank had to become open to the prospect of trying with each other and with the circumstances presented to them. We give up too often – on ourselves and others – relying on fixed ideas instead of what God has planned. I’m glad that Leigh Ann and Frank gave way to grace and accepted the reality that happily ever after is a possibility. That’s the first step to finding it.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview! Do you have closing comments?

Ann: I’d like to thank you, Alexis, for a tough interview. I feel like I’ve spent the morning on the therapist’s couch or in a protracted discernment with my spiritual director. Both can be very good things. Difficult, but well worth the effort as the answers found therein make one live more fully and open the door for true encounters.

~*~
Author Bio:

A believing Christian, seasoned by Providence, Ann writes about real women battling their way to a happily ever after. 

Deadly situations that demand faith and perseverance feature in her romantic suspense stories. While personal demons, the kind that only faith and honest self-reflection can defeat, fill the pages of her sweet contemporary romance.

Tucked securely inside the National Capital’s outer reaches, Ann keeps busy when not writing with her husband of 32 years, three grown kids, and a little kitty named Boo.

She’s a member of RWA, FHL, ACFW, and Inked Voices.

Find out more at AnnMalleyBooks.com.

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Book blurb for Rodeo King:
Widowed too young, childless, and hurting for money, Leigh Ann Lacie leaves the city behind and travels back to her home town of Wild Horse, Montana. 

She hadn’t planned to bump into her high school sweetheart Frank Ferguson, now the famed Rodeo King. Fame is something she never wanted. It killed her husband.

Frank never quite got over Leigh Ann’s rejection when he proposed marriage all those years ago. Though he’s riding high on his career as a rodeo star, he’s bitter at her return. When his flighty sister dumps her twin toddlers on him, Frank makes Leigh Ann an offer she can’t refuse: to care for the children in exchange for financial aid.

Leigh Ann won’t rekindle the rocky romance with her old flame, but she has a secret reason for needing money – a secret that would devastate Frank if he knew.

As for Frank, he lives for a challenge. He won’t rest until he learns what brought Leigh Ann back to Wild Horse – and why she wants to leave again…

~*~

Buy Rodeo King on Amazon

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Connect with Ann:
WordPress Blog - https://annmalleybooks.com/
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07NVT5ZY5
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnnMalleyBooks
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AnnMalleyBooks
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annmalleybooks/

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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True Love Stories: The Cutest Nurse in the Navy

God knew when Laura would marry the man of her dreams and so did her Mom!

But who knew God would inspire Laura to speak four little yet oh so major words to her boyfriend Steve during a water gun fight in her apartment? Four words that changed their story forever.

What were those four words and what was Steve's reaction? You'll have to read today's featured true love story to discover the answer! :)

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The Cutest Nurse in the Navy
Laura Hilton’s true love story

My story begins before Steve and I met. Two years before I traveled with my then-boyfriend to his parents’ house for the weekend. As we left Springfield, Missouri, I knew—God speak?—that the man I was with wasn’t the man I would marry. I could “see” my wedding and the man waiting for me. I couldn’t see his face. But I knew it wasn’t the man I was with. Sure enough, we eventually broke up.

In April of 1987, Mom told me, “You’re getting married this year. I feel it.” And she started preparing. I humored her, but thought she was being kind of silly. After all, while I dated, it was different guys and no one I wanted to spend forever with. In fact, I figured I’d remain single forever. I didn’t think I’d ever love anyone like I had the guy I’d dated for four years.

In August, I went home to visit Mom. I went back to Springfield on Monday afternoon, and a guy I was friends with, but not dating, called me up and invited me to a Backyard Bible Study. I was the one who’d started Greg’s involvement with Backyard Bible Studies, when he went with me to a few I attended. Greg didn’t fit in with the particular group that I mostly attended, since he thought more outside the box. So he started his own with other kids that didn’t fit inside that particular box. I didn’t really like Greg’s choice of people he invited to his, but I went to both—one for the fellowship and the study, the other to support Greg.

Anyway, that afternoon when Greg called, I was tired and didn’t really want to go out. I wanted to curl up with a book, but to be polite I asked Greg who would be there. I intended to refuse, begging off with exhaustion. Greg started rattling off names. And then he said “Steve.” I knew a Steve. I knew several men named Steve. But something made me ask, “Steve, who?” And Greg told me. “He just got out of the military, he was back in Springfield, and he attended church Sunday.” So I decided to go to check out the new guy.

Steve and Greg were playing Bible-opoly when I arrived at Greg’s. They put the game up and we went outside. To this day, I don’t remember who else was there, but when I saw Steve—another God speak?—I knew this was the guy I was going to marry.

I am, by nature, a very quiet, shy person. But with Steve I was rather forward. I remember Greg staring at me in shock. I asked Steve about who he was and what he did in the Navy. He told me he was a Navy “doc” stationed with the Marines. A “doc” is kind of the equivalent of a RN. I think I surprised everyone there when I told Steve he was probably the cutest nurse in the Navy. But it piqued his interest.

After the Bible study, Steve and I went to McDonalds and continued talking and getting to know each other. And from that moment on, we were a couple.

One Sunday night after church our single’s group went to McDonalds for our usual outing. It was pouring down rain, and Steve wanted to be a hero and drive my car up to the entrance so I wouldn’t get wet. I drove a 1969 VW bug named Twinkie. I told him “She won’t let you in.” Steve laughed at me. “It’s a car.” So I gave him the keys. He went to Twinkie and tried ten minutes before I went out and opened the door. He claims I didn’t tell him there was a particular trick to opening the car door. I never thought there was. I just knew that no one else could unlock Twinkie. I figured she knew me and wouldn’t let anyone else in.

In October, Steve and I had a water gun fight in my apartment, and I opened my mouth and said words that I still don’t remember saying. It must have been God again.

Steve stopped shooting water and froze. “Yes.”

“Wait. What did I say?” I look at him. Stared, probably.

He said, “You asked me to marry you. I accepted.”

“No, I didn’t mean to say that!” I don’t even remember thinking it!

Steve shook his head. “Too late. I already accepted.”

We married December 19, four months after we met. 

I was right. I don’t love Steve the way I loved the other guy… I probably didn’t even know what love was back then. But Steve and I have been married twenty-eight years now. I am glad God knew, better than I did, who I would marry.

~*~
Author bio: Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband Steve, and their five children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards), Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard in April 2015, and The Bird House in September 2015. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. 

Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

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Read Laura's book blurb for The Snow Globe:  

Victor Petersheim has left the Amish and works on a river boat on the Mississippi River, spending three months on the river then having three months off. During his off-work months he returns home to his Amish community and helps out on his grandparents’ farm. When he returns home after his most recent absence, he discovers his grossmammi has developed health problems and they’ve hired Esther Beachy to be a “mother’s helper.” Victor is unsettled by this woman living in their home, but has to accept it. Esther loves listening to Victor’s grandmother’s stories and while puttering around in a store while the grossmammi’s in the hospital, she discovers a snow globe that depicts an area where the Petersheims used to live. She buys it as a gift for the grossmammi to cheer her up during her hospitalization. Victor is touched by Esther’s gift and her care for his grossmammi, and strives to be friendlier. Will Esther’s gentle heart draw him back to the community? Or will he return to the river once again? 

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Buy Laura's books:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1FMZOe1

Christianbook.com - http://bit.ly/1AzJIQh

Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/1Gji63U

Deeper Shopping - http://bit.ly/1zZuYGI 

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Connect with Laura: 
Amazon Author page - http://amzn.to/1FMZOe1
Blogs - http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ 

http://lauravhilton.blogspot.com/ 
Twitter - @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

True Love Stories: When God Orchestrates Your Love Story

“Just let God do His thing. It’s easier for me to say that now but I really had to embrace that. Once I embraced that I wanted to focus on me and be sure that I was a whole person and I was enjoying my life as me, that’s when I met my husband.” 

~Mrs. D’Anya Brezzell

~*~
When God Orchestrates Your Love Story
D’Anya Brezzell’s true love story

He met her at a Friday night mixer hosted by a church in Maryland. She lived in New York at the time and was in town to visit her sister-in-law. The date was July 2011. He was the photographer for the event.

Nick the photographer walked over to D’Anya and introduced himself. He wanted to take her picture. After the photos were taken, D’Anya and Nick had their first real conversation and in the moment, D’Anya realized for the first time that was “it.”

“It was one of those things and it was funny because we’d both been in long term relationships and it didn’t work out,” she said. “We both were at a point where we said we need to just focus on ourselves and stop trying to find somebody.”

Nick took a step of faith and asked D’Anya for her phone number. Thirty minutes later, Nick approached D’Anya again, asking for her number because he did not save it properly in his phone. It was a courageous action that to D’Anya spoke volumes about Nick’s character as a man.

“Nick is what I like to call, ‘A man’s man’. He reminds me so much of my dad,” said D’Anya. “Little girls want to marry a man who has the best qualities of their dad. Nick takes on what I call the ‘three-P’s’ that are non-negotiable when finding a mate: He’s a provider. He’s a protector and he’s a priest.”

After their first telephone conversation, D’Anya and Nick spent every weekend together. D’Anya would often visit Nick’s church in Maryland to perform special music on stage during the worship service. One Saturday morning after performing, D’Anya sat down and had a serious, silent one-on-one conversation with God.

“You know, God, I moved to New York without your permission and where I really want to be is here,” D’Anya said. “But I want to be here knowing that You have orchestrated for me to be here.”

D’Anya is a teacher and wanted to stay in that career. So she filled out online profiles for school systems located in Maryland. Soon after, D’Anya received a phone call from a representative from a charter school in Washington, D.C. who wanted to arrange an interview. D’Anya was certain of God’s leading when this school system she did not fill out an application for decided immediately to hire her which moved D’Anya to another heart-to-heart with God.

“Wait, God, this is going too fast. I got the call on Monday. Here it is on Tuesday and I’ve got the job,” D’Anya said. “And He (God) was like, ‘Listen, if you want me to do something, it’s on My time, not on your time.’”

D’Anya filled out the paperwork and went through the necessary employment procedures. Meanwhile, she said another silent prayer.

“I told God if He wants to me be there, I need a financial blessing as well,” she said. “So the school exceeded my expectations and gave me a signing bonus. So I knew I had to move to Maryland.”

The Week Before the Proposal

After two months of dating Nick said to D’Anya, "You know, we should just get married. We’ve been there, done that. It’s like when you know, you know."

The marriage conversation happened in November 2011.

“He said he’s from a traditional family like me so he needs to talk to my dad to ask for my hand in marriage,” said D’Anya. “My dad is a tough cookie—no man is good enough for his girls and he has this like, sternness about him even when he has his idle face on. He’s very intimidating.”

A fearless Nick and a cautious D’Anya traveled to Massachusetts so Nick could meet her dad.

“My dad and Nick bonded over a common love—fishing. My dad told Nick before they finished fishing that he was going to give Nick his blessing even before he asked based on the good character he (my dad) saw in Nick over the past weekend spent with family,” D’Anya said.

It was the first week of December 2011 when Nick set up the scene for the real marriage proposal. He asked D’Anya to come over to his house in Maryland and bring her dog so they could take Christmas photos. Nick turned the living room into a studio with his professional camera equipment. He set the camera on a timer and began the photo shoot.

“As we’re taking pictures together, he kisses me for the first time and it was caught in the cycle of pictures,” D’Anya said. “He’s got the camera going every seven seconds and that’s when he proposed so he caught my real reaction. I was surprised!”

The wedding dress

Finding the perfect dress to fit her short and petite body frame was a concern for this bride, until she found the dress that was made just for her in David’s Bridal.

“I tried the off-white, one-shoulder dress. It was really pretty and I was like, 'This is really beautiful,'” said D’Anya. “But my sister-in-law was like, ‘Try on the pink one.’ And I was like, 'Pink?! No one’s going to wear a pink wedding dress! That’s so non-traditional. I’m a traditional girl.'"

But the sales associate convinced D’Anya to try it with one simple compliment.

“You have the personality to wear this dress,” she said. “None of the brides that come in here have the personality to pull it off. You however, my friend, do.”

D’Anya tried on the pink dress and emerged from the dressing room in love with it and unexpectedly caused quite a stir.

“The people in the lobby stopped looking at their brides and looked at me when I came out of the dressing room,” she said. “Everyone there said “yes” to the dress!”

Wedding Day News

“We actually got married three weeks before our wedding in Maryland on March 9 which is my birthday,” D’Anya said. “The pastor prayed with us at the office in the church, talked with us, signed the marriage license and that sealed it.”

D’Anya became Mrs. Nick Brezzell for the second time in April 2012 during their wedding ceremony held in front of family and friends at D’Anya’s church in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“I knew I should get married at home—the church was free, the church was beautiful,” D’Anya said. “It was free because I grew up there, my parents had their membership there and my grandma had been the organist for like 80 years. So it only made sense and then my grandmother really wanted to play me down the aisle.”

A baby born on Valentine’s Day

“She was our surprise baby,” D’Anya said of her and Nick’s firstborn child, Payton who will turn two years old today. “She’s a firecracker in attitude, stature and all of that. She’s not a pushover by any means.”

Payton was born on Feb. 14, 2013. The Brezzell’s second child, a boy named Cole, was born on Sept. 30, 2014 which made the Brezzell’s a family of four.

“He is a miracle baby like Payton. He was planned. We wanted to get it done and get it out the way,” D’Anya said. “I think Nick really wanted another girl but he’s happy with Cole.”

Advice for single ladies on Valentine’s Day

“Don’t get so caught up in finding someone. Embrace your singleness. Embrace God working on you because you can’t be in a relationship with two broken people,” D’Anya said. “You need to be a whole, happy person paired with another whole, happy person to have a whole, happy relationship and a happy marriage.”