Author Chat with Cindy Regnier

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time, Cindy. We’re excited about your new release, Mail-Order Refuge. Mail-order bride stories are always a favorite. How did you decide on this for your debut novel?

I needed a way to get Carly to Kansas and it fit perfectly with Rand’s situation. Mail-order bride stories are still popular, probably because in today’s world it’s so hard to imagine traveling away from all you know to marry a man you’ve never met. I think Mail-Order Refuge is a fresh enough take on the mail-order bride trope to make it an exciting story.

I agree. You've tossed a couple of curves into that time-tested trope. Your hero is a rancher raising two young orphaned nieces. Tell us why readers are going to fall in love with him.

Rand is definitely book-boyfriend material. He’s a little rough around the edges, but that is easily forgiven when you see his heart. He is protective of his family, sacrifices his own hopes and dreams to achieve theirs, and, well, he’s a cowboy. Enough said.

You got me with "cowboy." Your heroine is running from something. We won’t give any spoilers here, but tell us why readers will sympathize with her.

Carly has to run away to save herself and her brother from a tough situation she found herself in because of a bad decision on her part. We’ve all made those decisions we wish we could have a do-over on, and the guilt she suffers is a familiar feeling. Beyond that, we see into her heart of gold and cheer her selfless nature as she clears a path through the unknown territory of becoming a wife and mother.

Yes, we can all understand those feelings. Your story is set in Kansas, which I understand is near and dear to your heart. What is it about that area that appeals to you, and how do you convey that to your readers?

I spent a good deal of my childhood in the Kansas Flint Hills because both sets of my grandparents lived there. They instilled in me a love for the beautiful setting as well as a rich family heritage of settling, farming, and ranching in the area from the generations of their parents and grandparents. I want to give that same heritage and love of the land to my characters in order to convey my deep feelings for it to my readers.

I love it when authors bring bits of their pasts to life in their stories. This is your debut novel, how exciting! Tell us a little bit about your journey to publication.

I have been writing ever since I wrote plays for my friends to perform in class back in 3^rd grade. Being published is a dream I’ve chased for a long time because I see it as a way to share parts of myself and my background with people I might not otherwise connect with. My love of country living, animals, and maybe even handsome cowboy sometimes feels like it will explode inside me if I don’t share it through my writing.

We're very happy that you didn't explode.  ;)  Thank you for stopping by Stitches Thru Time, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I appreciate the invitation to visit Stitches in Time, and I love to hear from readers. Connect with me on social media and I might even ask you to help with planning my next novel. I’m thinking of writing a romance for Mary Jo, and need to know if she falls for a cowboy from her uncle’s ranch or a city boy from art school. Opinions welcome!

Where to find Cindy:

https://cindyregnier.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CindyRegnierauthor/

https://twitter.com/CindySRegnier

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19069509.Cindy_Regnier

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cindy-regnier

Fun with Cover Design

It's Fun Friday, lovely readers, and I thought you might like to share my fun working with my cover designer on a new series. This is the first time I've worked on a multi-author series, so I was restricted to certain elements. The series name, logo, sequence, type model, and setting were all set in stone.

The name of this exciting new series is The Brides of Pelican Rapids about a mail-order bride agency and the brides brought from the post-civil war south to marry the bachelors of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. You'll see the culture clash with that, I'm sure. My particular book is number 7 and won't be released until Jan 2020, but these stories are interconnected, so all the covers must be too.

My heroine, Molly, a talented pianist, brings her grand piano--the only thing saved when her plantation is burned--all the way from Georgia. This creates a problem for the hero, since it's impossible to fit the piano into his small farmhouse. A clash of expectations there.

Naturally, I wanted the piano to be on the cover, but the covers had to be set outside. No problem. My idea was to put it in a picnic setting, since Molly plays at the Fourth of July picnic. This is my first cover view.

Lovely--except that's not a grand piano. Back to the drawing board.

There are a few problems with this cover. It is a grand piano, but it's so small, it looks like a toy. I suppose its size in relation to the trees was proper, but it still looks funny, besides, this is not a picnic site, and setting up a picnic, with people, tents, blankets on the ground, etc, would make the cover too busy. The other problem is this part of Minnesota doesn't have mountains like that in the background. On the other hand, I liked this new pose. Notice how the model's hair is outside the collar. Much better.

I finally threw out the idea of the piano. It just wouldn't work. I suggested the farmhouse instead, but with a clean background, no mountains. Here is the result. The farmhouse is way back there, but it's in the picture and doesn't make the cover too busy.

This is perfect, except the logo gets lost in the sleeve lace. To me it looked like that poor pelican got caught in a fishing net. Fortunately, my designer could tweak things like that.

I've really enjoyed working with Evelyne Labelle, of Carpe Librum Book Design. She's not only talented, but she knows how to deal with ticky authors. This is the final, approved design with the logo fixed. In fact, I'm glad to get this cover so far in advance because it's inspiring me to write the story.

What do you expect in a book cover? Do you look at the details?

Everyone, have a great weekend.

Mail-Order Revenge...and Marriage Advice?

Thank you for joining me today for the release of my novella, Mail-Order Revenge. As I will be celebrating my wedding anniversary in a couple weeks (only 6 years, so we are still in the honeymoon stage), I would like to talk about marriage...or maybe I will let my lovebirds from Mail-Order Revenge share their thoughts:

We'll hear from Elizabeth (who also goes by Eliza) first as she was the one who decided to answer the advertisement and travel across the country to become a bride.

     Axel ducked his head and rubbed a knuckle against his temple as a smile tugged at his mouth. “Truth is, Eliza, I wasn’t so sure about this whole arrangement, but after seeing you, I think I might be coming around. And not just because you’re as pretty as you are. When I saw you climbing down from that stage, it occurred to me the kind of courage it must have taken for a woman like you to travel all this way on your own. And I respect that. I don’t think marrying you is a decision I’m going to regret.”
     Elizabeth’s face warmed. Not from his praise, but from the fact that making him regret this marriage was foremost on her mind. 

On second thought, maybe Elizabeth isn't the one to ask for advice. We'll hear from her new husband, instead.

  Axel let a lock of Eliza's hair slip between his thumb and forefinger. Mama’s hair was brown too, but not this dark, and she always wore it piled on the back of her head, or in a thick braid when she’d been confined to her bed. She’d lain there for weeks, propped up with pillows so she could stitch the dainty roses into the array of colored fabric for this quilt.
     “Why is this so important to you, Mama?” he’d asked her a few days before she slipped into the eternities. Her hands shook, making each stitch an exercise of will.
     “Mostly selfish reasons,” she’d said, her smile brightening her eyes as it always did. “I want to leave a mark upon your life. Just you remember, Axel, nothing will make you more miserable, or bring you more joy, than the woman you someday marry. Marriage is like a quilt. It’s patching two lives together, with children to follow. You can tack the cloth together and pray it holds enough to keep you warm, or you can create a work of art that will add color and beauty to your life as well as protect you from the cold.”

I'll leave you with that thought. A beautiful quilt that will last the years and stresses requires forethought, work and care. My prayer for all of you who are married or will be, including myself, is that we take the time to make our marriages beautiful.

What is the best marriage advice you have heard (or given)?

Elizabeth Landvick knows of one man to blame for her family’s loss of fortune and her parents’ deaths. Now, she will stop at nothing to take her revenge and recover their wealth. Even travel across the country to marry the man’s son.

With his focus his sprawling Arizona ranch, Axel Forsberg has little time for wooing a woman, so when his father finds him a bride from the east, he trusts he won’t regret the convenience. Until horses go missing, barns burn to the ground, a range war begins…and he loses his heart. 

Now available on Amazon!

Thanks for stopping by today. You can also join me over on facebook today for my launch party! And leave a comment here for a chance at a free copy of Mail-Order Revenge (print or e-book)!

Mail-order Brides + Cover Reveal!

Though women had been travelling to meet unknown husbands as mail-order brides throughout the early half of the the 1800s, when the Civil War stripped the eastern States of ~664,928 Federal soldiers, and over 483,026 Confederate soldiers, many women were widowed or left without the prospects of marriage. To make matters worse for these woman, the west was opening up to men who wanted land and a new beginning. Or Gold. While a few men went with wives and families, most opted to tame the west as bachelors...until they realized some things remained wild without a woman's touch.

For the next four decades, single men took what avenues were available them to bring future wives and mothers into their homes. Churches, relatives, newspaper ads, and matchmaking organizations lent a hand in arranging these marriages. Many single women, whether maidens, widowed, or runaways, went eagerly wanting a home and to start a family or adventure. Some found what grew to be happy and prosperous unions, while others were painfully disappointed.

With letters often the only way to court, and even the Pony Express's top speeds making lengthy waits between such correspondences, most couples did not know their future spouse very well. That is where my novella, releasing April 26th, differs from most mail-order bride stories. While the groom might not recognize the woman he is about to bind himself to, the bride not only knows her intended, but has planned to make his life as miserable as hers has been. She wants revenge.

Elizabeth Landvick knows of one man to blame for her family’s loss of fortune and her parents’ deaths. Now, she will stop at nothing to take her revenge and recover their wealth. Even travel across the country to marry the man’s son.

With his focus on his sprawling Arizona ranch, Axel Forsberg has little time for wooing a woman, so when his father finds him a bride from the east, he trusts he won’t regret the convenience. Until horses go missing, barns burn to the ground, a range war begins…and he loses his heart. 

I am so excited to share this story with everyone. Please mark your calendars! And pop by my website for updates, or follow me on Amazon and Goodreads. Also, a huge shout out and thank you to my amazing cover artist, Jessica Sprong of Creative Junkie!

Christmas in October?

Howdy y'all! Crystal here. Yep, you read that title right. Today I've got Darlene Franklin with me, and she's got two new Christmas releases she's giving us the down-low on. :) Stick around to the end and you'll get a chance to win a copy.

So, Darlene, tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve spent some time recently on Amazon’s best seller lists, but my greatest claim to fame is that I write from a nursing home. It’s near my son and his family, which is the biggest benefit. I play piano at church services here, read good books, memorize scripture, play an occasional game of Bingo. . .and write.

Wow! And speaking of writing...Congratulations on your new releases! What are your stories about?

I had two Christmas compilations release in September: Face of Mary in A Texas Christmas and Jacob’s Christmas Dream in Christmas Mail Order Angels.

Face of Mary is a reimagining of the story of Joseph and Mary. Mary “Polly” Jessup has imagined herself engaged to Joey Carpenter ever since he made a passing remark at his sister’s 13th birthday party. Years later, he comes home—with a fiance on his arm.


Jacob’s Christmas Dream is a mail-order bride story. Jake Underwood hoped to marry by the time he was thirty, and he’s passed that point. A group of men from Angel Vale gather together to find brides from Jake’s home town, Merville, Maine. Becky Patterson accepts his proposal—until she learns he’s a part-time preacher. She came to Wyoming to escape her father’s parsonage.

You can't go wrong with Texas in my book, and I do love me some mail-order bride stories. Where did you get the inspiration?

Both stories have threads from Bible stories. Face of Mary is obvious. It’s in the East Texas Piney Woods, and included a wandering woodcarver. Gabe asks Joey to paint the nativity figures he’s carving. Joey can’t decide how to paint Mary’s face and looks for a woman who reminds him of Jesus’ mother.

Do you have a favorite scene(s) in the book(s)? If so, can you tell us a bit about it(them)?

In Face of Mary, I love the scenes surrounding the heirloom dishes Polly is forced to sell to repay the money her father mistakenly took from the bank. In Jacob’s Christmas Dream, I like the opening scene, in the prologue, when Jake’s friend Thomas comes up with the mail-order bride scheme and he agrees to help.

Those do sound interesting. Thanks for the peek. :) What do you plan to work on next?

Several different things. I am finishing up a book of devotionals from Matthew for the advent season. I’m also planning for two books: a novella about a tea party that I’ll start right away, and a mystery that I want to write during NANO next month.

My next two books will be both be released in November: An Advent Journey through Matthew and Tobogganing for Two.

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book(s)?

Website/blog: http://darlenefranklinwrites.com/
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Franklin/e/B001K8993A/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darlene.franklin.3.
Twitter: @darlenefranklin

Purchase Jacob's Christmas Dream

Purchase A Texas Christmas

Last but not least, apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?

Music! I still get to play piano for church services here, and I love to sing. I was a musician long before I was a writer.

Oh, I love to sing too. Thank you so much for being our guest today, Darlene. 

Since Darlene and I both love singing how about we share our favorite Christmas Carol? I think mine would have to be "Mary, Did You Know?". What about you? What's your favorite?

Darlene has offered to give away 1 book (with a minimum of 5 comments) or both books (2 winners, if there are 12 comments, aside from hers and mine).  Be sure to check back on Monday for the announcement of our winner(s) in the Weekly Wind-up post. Thanks for hangin' with us today, y'all!

Review - A Bride for all Seasons

Listen up all you romantics. The best mail order bride book of the year is A Bride for all Seasons.

Mail order brides is one of the most enduring premises in historical romance, and why not? Who doesn't admire a woman crazy enough to travel across country to marry a complete stranger, or a western man who plunks down good money gambling that the woman of his dreams will step off the train?

What makes this book so great is there are four novellas rolled in one book, written by four of the best authors in the historical romance genre - Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Mary Connealy.

The match maker in all four stories stretches the truth a little. All right, he stretches the truth a lot. And the brides come with their own problems--one is superstitious, one has a guilt complex, and one brings a ready-made family with her. Nothing the prospective grooms expect; in fact, they have a few surprises for their brides, including one who thinks he's dying. But in the end all four couples find themselves perfectly matched.

There must be hundreds, maybe thousands, of books about mail order brides, but the authors make these novellas fresh and entertaining. Best of all, the stories reminds us that all things work together for good to those who love God.