Character Interview
My guest today is Bonny Bryant, the leading character in author, Norma Gail's debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico.
By the way, Land of My Dreams is the giveaway book for this week! Look under the "Prizes Galore" tab for information to enter to win!
My guest today is Bonny Bryant, the leading character in author, Norma Gail's debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico.
By the way, Land of My Dreams is the giveaway book for this week! Look under the "Prizes Galore" tab for information to enter to win!
Welcome, Bonny! Tell
me a little about yourself.
My
name is Bonny Bryant, and I live in the mountains outside of Albuquerque, New
Mexico. I am an only child, and my parents were only children, also, so I have
no family. I have long, curly, red hair and green eyes, which I inherited from
my Scottish grandmother. I’m 5’2”, with fair skin, no freckles, and am often
thought to be much more delicate than I really am.
I
received my doctorate in American History and American Literature at the
University of New Mexico, and was teaching there before I was 30 years old. My
father and I co-wrote a course combining American history with the literature
about and from different important time periods in our country’s history.
I
love teaching, but my real goal in life is to be a wife and mother. My ex-fiancé
destroyed that dream, so I’m hoping there’s someone out there for me.
How did you end up teaching in a small college in Scotland?
I ran from some really difficult personal problems. My dad's best friend, Dr. Dughlas Cameron, is the chancellor of the college and he invited me to teach. I took the job as an escape from all the pain in life. I love it here! I love my home in the New Mexico mountains, and believe me, I brought the red chile pods and frozen green chile with me! By the way, what do you think of the adorable house they provided for me? Isn't it adorable!
How did you end up teaching in a small college in Scotland?
I ran from some really difficult personal problems. My dad's best friend, Dr. Dughlas Cameron, is the chancellor of the college and he invited me to teach. I took the job as an escape from all the pain in life. I love it here! I love my home in the New Mexico mountains, and believe me, I brought the red chile pods and frozen green chile with me! By the way, what do you think of the adorable house they provided for me? Isn't it adorable!
What do you like
to do in your spare time?
I
have horses, and my favorite pastime is riding. I also enjoy hiking, camping,
and fly fishing, anything to do with the outdoors. I like to ski and take my
dad’s 1967 Land Cruiser out on 4-wheel drive trails. Hill-walking is a national pastime here in Scotland, so I do a lot of walking.
I
am an avid reader of both American and English literature, and prefer the
classics that everyone hated in school. I also sing, play the piano, and write
poetry.
What is your
favorite color and why?
My
favorite color is green, probably because I have always been told it brings out
the color of my eyes. I also love pink, though it is not a color most redheads
wear well.
What is your
favorite food? Why is it your favorite?
New
Mexican food. You notice I did not just say Mexican food. New Mexico is known
for our traditional foods, and nothing in any other state compares. Green
chile, red chile, fixed almost any way, with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Sopapillas and Tres Leches cake are like ambrosia to me. I do a pretty good job
of teaching a Scot to love my favorite foods, if I do say so myself. I took
quite a bit of it with me when I moved to Scotland, packed on dry ice.
My
home state is a great place to live. We have very strong traditions from the
large Native American and Hispanic population. I’m really used to a
multi-cultural setting. It makes things so much more interesting. Chile means
home, special times, and comfort.
What are your
passions?
The
outdoors is very important to me. I think if you took me out of the mountains
for long I would curl up and die. One thing that attracted me to Scotland was
the mountains. I haven’t been disappointed. They are spectacular.
I
like Celtic music and the bagpipes, and prefer classic literature over modern
fiction. Give me a good book by Charles Dickens or the Bronte sisters any day.
I am into anything historical, having been raised with a history professor for
a dad.
What is it about
your antagonist that irks you the most, and why?
Adam
Lawson is so full of himself. He has always treated me like a possession,
rather than a person, but I can’t seem to get over him. He was my first love
and I always thought it would be romantic to marry my first love. Even after he
almost destroyed my world, I can’t stop dreaming of him.
He’s
very competitive and career oriented, with strong political ambitions. Life
with him would never be simple, but there’s a place in my heart that seems reserved
for him, no matter what. He makes me so angry, but he gets this look in his chocolate-brown
eyes, and I melt.
What or who
means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep
him/her/it in your life?
Kieran
MacDonell is everything I ever dreamed of, even if he is 10 years older than
me. I can’t describe the feeling when he walks into the room. His blue eyes are
pools I could swim in forever. Just thinking about him gives me the shivers. The
sheer size of him overwhelms me. The feel of his hand on my back or my hand in
his is irresistible. Of course, the accent and the kilt are enough to sweep any
woman off her feet. Add in the bagpipes and incredible home on Loch Garry—how
could any woman resist.
We
understand the immensity of each other’s loss, the doubt that God has any part
to play in our personal lives. Most of my friends don’t understand that and
lecture me. Kieran knows because he’s been there.
The
first time I saw him across the room at a faculty meeting, I was drawn to him.
When we met it was like two souls being pulled together like a magnet. He is
sweet, thoughtful, self-sacrificing, and gentle. He is my wild, romantic dream,
and the adventure of being loved by him is priceless. I am willing to change my
entire life—give up everything I have ever known, to be with Kieran. Wouldn't you, if you had a chance to live in a place like this?
What one thing
would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the
book in which you inhabit?
I
come across as being really sure of myself and brave, but I am just a scared
little girl on the inside. I’m basically insecure, but I act as if I’m in
control because I’m afraid that if people see how weak I really am they won’t
want to be with me. The brave sounding things I do are really running away from
things that hurt me.
If you could
tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the
direction of the plot, what would it be?
I
want to be a wife and mother. I only stayed in school and went for two
doctorates because Adam wasn’t ready to get married until his law career was on
the upswing. I know he thinks marriage to the right woman would help his
political ambitions, but if you would just make his character straight-forward
and honest, I would go for him in a minute. I want to trust him and feel as if
I really matter to him.
Kieran
is really exciting and quite the hunk, but he isn’t perfect either.
It’s
really tough to be hung up on two such handsome, but very different men. Couldn’t
you have made one of them Mr. Perfect?
About the
author:
Norma
Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland
and New Mexico released in April 2014. She is a former Bible Study Fellowship
discussion leader who established the first weekly women’s Bible studies in her
church in 2003 and continues to lead a weekly small group. Her devotionals,
poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and
in “The Secret Place.” She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the
New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN and homeschool/soccer mom
who loves family research, history, and Scotland. Norma lives in the mountains
of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.
Follow
Norma at:
www.normagail.org
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail
Book Links:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864
?ean=9781941103173
Loved the character interview thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview....thank you!
ReplyDelete