Fun with Guest Danica Favorite! #Giveaway

Happy Anniversary Stitches friends! I’m so excited to be celebrating with all of you. Crystal told me I could post about whatever I want, and that I could make it fun since it’s part of the anniversary celebration. Yay for fun! Who needs a little fun in their lives? I’ll tell you, it’s been a rough weird few days in my world, so I’m ready to get out the party hats!

Today’s fun is going to be a game! Woo hoo! I am going to start by posting a line from my new release, The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers, which is out in September. Your job is to post the next line. What? You don’t have the book yet! But that’s the fun part. You get to make it up. The next person will post the next line and so on. Together, we’re going to create a fun mashup inspired by my book. I’m so excited to see where we take it! Even if it goes to outer space!

Here’s the line:

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” she asked, searching his eyes.

Now you go!

I’ll be giving away a copy of my book, The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers for the blog drawing, but I’m also going to give a BONUS copy! If I like your line the best, you win one too!

About The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers:

A Wife for Their Papa

Polly MacDonald intends to tame Mitch Taylor's five mischievous children, even though every other nanny has fled. She needs this job—and Mitch's brood sorely needs affection. Perhaps their widowed papa does, too. But when the children begin scheming to make her their new mother, Polly must resist. She's seen too many bad marriages to want one of her own.

Mitch has come to Leadville, Colorado, to escape a scandal, not find a wife. After the disaster of his first marriage, he's sure he isn't husband material. Though Polly's tender care is working wonders with his children, Mitch knows he should keep his feelings to himself. But can two wary hearts deny the dearest wish of five eager matchmakers?

About Danica:
A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family recently moved in to their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado. Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.

You can connect with Danica at the following places:

• Website: http://www.danicafavorite.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicafavorite
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor

Researching for a Shotgun Marriage with Guest Danica Favorite #Giveaway

The hardest thing about writing historical romance is that you can’t take any fact for granted, like you do today. For example, in Shotgun Marriage, one of the major issues in the story is an orphaned baby Emma Jane decides to raise as her own. Not so much a problem, right? But as I had Emma Jane and Jasper on the run with a baby, I realized something: how does the baby eat?

In this day and age, no big deal, you run to the store and pick up bottles and formula. Not so much in 1881. I knew people used wet nurses back then, but I already had the couple on the run with a baby. How do I add in a wet nurse? My easy story was suddenly getting really complicated.

One of my favorite research resources is looking at old newspapers. Fortunately, in this day and age, I can find a lot of the old newspapers online. As I was reading an old newspaper, looking for inspiration and ideas on how to make my story work, I found the answer: an ad for baby bottles and baby formula! Not only did they have bottles and formula in 1881, but they had all kinds of weird things they used to feed babies back then.

So for a couple, trapped in a cabin with a dying mother, a baby, and a bunch of bandits, with no grocery store or town in sight, feeding that baby without the benefit of a wet nurse would have been possible. I do take pity on Emma Jane, Jasper, and the baby, and they eventually get a wet nurse, but just because I made that part a little easier, things for the couple only get more complicated. Because I’ll admit, I’m not very nice to my characters. But that’s what makes the story interesting, right?

If you haven’t ever taken a look at newspapers from the days of old, I highly recommend looking for one. Not only will you find some fun ads, it’s also interesting to get a glimpse of real life during those times. Granted I’m a bit of a research nerd, but I’m always looking for those little tidbits I can put into a story. I’m amazed at how many fun things from old papers slip in to my stories today. I think it gives a good feel for what people were really like back then. The coolest part, for me, at least, is realizing that we aren’t so different from people in those times.

Have you ever read an old newspaper? What are some of the fun discoveries you’ve made?

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Shotgun Marriage. The winner will have their choice of a paperback or ebook. Winner to be announced in Monday's Weekly Windup post, so be sure to check back on 4/11/16 to see if you've won. 

Book Blurb:
Conveniently Wed

Forced to wed to protect their reputations after being trapped overnight in a mine, Emma Jane and Jasper Jackson's marriage is one in name only. Resenting the choices taken from him, Jasper's determined not to lose his heart. But it's not so easy to stay distanced from his new bride when a gang of bandits abducts them both.

Other young women might be ecstatic to land Leadville's wealthiest bachelor. But Emma Jane would rather have Jasper's love than his family's money. A true bond with her handsome husband seems impossible…until their ordeal leaves Emma Jane caring for an orphaned baby. In reach now is the one thing neither expected—the chance to turn a convenient marriage into a forever family.

A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family recently moved in to their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado. Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.



You can connect with Danica at the following places:

• Website: http://www.danicafavorite.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicafavorite
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor