Saturday, July 1, 2017

Cowboys, Horses and the Wild West with Vickie McDonough

Happy Saturday, Friends! Today I am pleased to introduce a blogging buddy of mine. Please help me welcome Bestselling author Vickie McDonough!


Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie is a best-selling author of more than 40 published books and novellas, with over 1.5 million copies sold. Her books have won numerous awards and Vickie has recently stepped into independent publishing.

Vickie has been married for forty-one years to Robert. They have four grown sons, one daughter-in-law, and a precocious granddaughter. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, antiquing, doing stained glass, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com


Welcome Vickie! We're so glad you could visit us today. Please tell us about your book.

End of the Trail is the final book in the six-book Texas Trails series, which I created with authors Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin. The series covers six decades of a family and Texas history. Each book is a complete story, so you don’t have to read all of them—unless, of course, you want to. I wrote two of the six books: Long Trail Home and End of the Trail, but today we’re featuring End of the Trail.

Here’s what End of the Trail is about:

Brooks Morgan is quick on the draw, but his weapon of choice is his smile. He’s smart and witty and has charmed his way through much of life, but now he’s growing older—and a bit wiser. He wants to stop drifting and settle down. He sees his chance when he wins Raven Creek Ranch in a poker game, but when he goes to claim his prize, a pretty woman with a shotgun says the ranch belongs to her. Brooks isn’t leaving his one and only chance to make something of his life—but neither is she. Can they reach an agreement? Or will a greedy neighbor force a showdown, causing them both to lose what they want most in life?

Wow, that sounds intense. Where did the inspiration for your story come from?

I had an idea: “what if two people believed they owned the same ranch?” and out of that idea, End of the Trail was birthed. There’s a scene in End of the Trail that was originally a short story I wrote years ago. When I was thinking of ideas for Brooks’ story, I remembered that scene and decided to include it. It’s a scene where the heroine saves the hero’s life.


Sounds interesting. A bit of a flip from the traditional damsel in distress. How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing?

 I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember. All of my books have a faith element, although it’s stronger in some stories than others. It really depends on my character and his/her level of faith. Some of my characters aren’t a Christian but become one by the end of the book. Others are believers from the start, but struggle in some aspect of their faith.


What is your favorite thing about writing historical romance? 
I don’t know if I have just one favorite thing. I love the slower pace of life in historicals and admire how hard people had to work to survive. As a kid, I watched many cowboy shows on TV with my dad, and I fell in love with horses, cowboys, and western life. Western historical romances set in the late 1800’s are my favorite to read and write, although I do have a series set in the Charleston area and a novella set in Ireland.


Horses, sunsets, guns, what's not to love, right? What are you working on next? 
I’m finishing up something different—a USA Word Find Puzzle Book. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. Last summer, I took a series of webinars and learned how to create one. I’m glad it’s finally coming to fruition. I have ideas for some other puzzle books that I hope to create down the road.


Puzzle books! Not what I would have guessed, but that is exciting. Looks like you have some great stuff going on. Thank you so much for being with us!

Here's where you can check out Vickie's books & connect with her.

End of the Trail on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y55LYPM
Long Trail Home on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXG4SFT

 Connect with Vickie:

Heroes, Heroines, and History blog: http://HHHistory.com
List.ly: https://list.ly/list/1aRD-books-by-vickie-mcdonough

Don't forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for the STT Independence Day giveaway of Dawn of Liberty!

18 comments:

  1. I need to get back into reading about cowboys!!! Just found out Vicki is from Tulsa! My daughter lives in Pryor! We've never got down to see her and her family, they come up to see us! She works in the library there. Blessings!

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    1. Hi Paula! I was almost in Pryor last weekend. I drove to Choteau with a friend to eat at the Dutch Pantry (Amish style food) and to walk through the antique and junk shops. We weren't far from your daughter.

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    2. Wow! Amazing your daughter is so close. :)
      Cowboys are so American and fun. Thanks for stopping by today, Paula.

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  2. We have the first 5 books in this series in the Church Library. I'm sorry the series is coming to an end. Our readers will be anxiously waiting for this book.
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Janet, Thanks so much for carrying our Texas Trails books. The series actually ended several years ago. I recently got my rights back on my two stories and self-published them, as did Susan and Darlene. You should still be able to find a paper back copy of End of the Trail. It's a fun story that I bet your readers will like.

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    2. Hi Janet! So glad you stopped by to see Vickie on the blog today.

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  3. i love the fact that when I open one of your stories, i don't have to worry about things I skip over because they are not good to have in my brain! LOL...I take the scripture of guard your heart seriously.

    If anyone has missed Vickie's books, go find them and grab your favorite chair, drink, and blanket and get ready to put yourself into a beautiful world of Godly romance and wise lessons. You can freely allow your children to read her books and help them learn how to treat themselves and others.

    I have to admit that I am one of those that likes a book in hand - carry them everywhere and only need a little light to read - no electronic interruptions.

    Keep writing Vickie! You have a wonderful gift ~
    Elaine Huffman

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    1. Hello Elaine,
      Thanks for stopping by and sharing! I'm with you, the "guard your heart" Scripture is important to me. I love to find authors I can read without skimming. :)

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    2. Aw...thanks so much for your kind words. I also almost always have a book with me and love a good story. I'm honored to be able to write books that entertain and bless others.

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  4. Nice interview with Vickie. I'm thankful her books are ones you can read without skimming and she's fulfilling her dreams. I'm selective in what I read and will stop reading a book if it goes against my convictions. So it's nice to have wonderful Christian authors providing clean wholesome stories with God's message in it.

    I enjoy doing Word Find Puzzle books. Have you considered doing one with scriptures?

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    1. Thanks for your nie comment about my books, Marilyn! I have thought about doing a scripture word search. I have more puzzle books in the works. I've been thinking about doing a puzzle book for kids based on Biblical stories. I also have a children's book that I'm doing with my granddaughter. Too many ideas and not enough time.

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  5. I enjoy Vickie's books.The Boarding House Brides was my first series. And the most recent was Seven Brides. I enjoy the western books and times gone by. I'm always glad to hear of new books but I stay true to my faith based books and Vickie is wonderful! Many blessings.

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    1. Hi, Flower. Thanks so much for being a fan. You might be happy to know there's a new 7 Brides book in the works--Seven Brides for Seven Texas Rangers. We've just turned in the stories, and they still have to go through edits. The book will be out next March.

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  6. Thank you Vicki for doing this interview! It;s fun learning more about you and your writing. Speaking of which,when it comes to westerns or other types of adventures,your stories always stand out and are enjoyable to read!

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    1. Thanks so much, Lynne! I don't often hear from readers so it's fun to know you enjoy my stories.

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  7. Hi, Amber and Vickie!

    Thanks for the interview, I enjoyed it!

    I also enjoy Vickie's books (sorry Amber I just "met" you a couple of nights ago and haven't had a chance to read any of your books yet, though I'm sure I will enjoy them!).

    Can't wait for the new 7 Brides book!

    Thanks for the opportunity to win a book! Good luck to everyone!!

    Robbie
    (aka RobbyeFaye, aka Robbye)
    robbyefaye (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Hi, Robbye. Thanks for reading my books and stopping by today. Have a great July 4th!

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    2. Vickie,

      You are very welcome.

      Have a wonderfully safe and fun 4th!

      Blessings~

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