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Saturday, April 24, 2021

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Colleen L Donnelly & Letters and Lies!

Good Morning!

Today's guest is brand new to our blog so please welcome Colleen L Donnelly with her novel, Letters and Lies! Take it away Colleen.....

Louise Archer boards a westbound train in St. Louis to find the Kansas homesteader who wooed and proposed to her by correspondence, then jilted her by telegram – Don't come, I can't marry you. Giving a false name to hide her humiliation, her lie backfires when a marshal interferes and offers her his seat.

Marshal Everett McCloud intends to verify the woman coming to marry his homesteading friend is suitable. At the St. Louis train station, his plan detours when he offers his seat to a captivating woman whose name thankfully isn't Louise Archer.

Everett's plans thwart hers, until he begins to resemble the man she came west to find, and she the woman meant to marry his friend.

EXCERPT: 

“He wrote and changed your plans? Why didn’t you tell me? You know I love hearing his letters.”

Everyone loved hearing his letters. Or at least they’d pretended to. I glanced at my friends, especially the one who’d first suggested I correspond with her husband’s homesteading friend in Kansas who was ready to look for a wife. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief while she flicked the fingers of her other hand in a weak wave. I dredged my soul in search of a smile. The man she’d introduced me to truly had penned everything I’d ever wanted in a husband, months of letters which convinced Mama Jim was my open door. Letters I’d foolishly carted from family to friend to blather every word like a desperate spinster. Drat.

“He didn’t send his change of plans in a letter, Mama. He sent them in a telegram.” Don’t come, I can’t marry you. The only words I never shared.  

“Well I imagine your Jim has a surprise for you and didn’t have time to send a letter before you left for Crooked Creek. How thoughtful to wire you instead.” 

Thoughtful…I felt poisoned and Mama would too if she ever found out Jim had shut my open door. Which she wouldn’t, since as soon as I got out there and found him, I’d wedge it back open again. 


Born and raised in the Midwest, Colleen studied and worked in science, using that career to travel and explore other parts of the country. An avid fan of literature, both reading and writing, she loves tales involving moral dilemmas and the choices people come up against. A lover of the outdoors as well as a comfy living room, Colleen is always searching inside and out for the next good story.

Connect with Colleen by visiting here Website, on Facebook, GoodReads and BookBub

Get your copy of Letters and Lies at the following locations:

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3aXuMCl 

Oh my goodness, Colleen, my heart broke for Louise but I admire her tenacity in traveling to Kansas to find Everett and find out what's going on! I hope they find their HEA!

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time,take care and God Bless.

PamT



12 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. Best of luck with your book D.

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  2. Thank you, D.V. Stone and Jennifer Wilck for the good wishes and encouragement! Sending a book into the world is like sending a child off for the first time.

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  3. Sounds like a book my sister and I would really enjoy. I'll have to grab it and let her know about it!

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  4. I love writing letters. Sound like a great story, Colleen.

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  5. Most intriguing and I love the cover. Best wishes.

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  6. Thank you, Susan, and I hope you enjoy Louise's antics!

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  7. Thank you for visiting Pam's site, Barbara, and sharing some encouragement!

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  8. Thank you very much, Jacqueline! That cover does kind of pop, doesn't it?

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  9. This sounds like a fabulous read.

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  10. What a great premise for a story! She's a woman on a mission.

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  11. I enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds like a great read. Congrats and best wishes!

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