Shannon here: Contemporary romance author, Lesley Ann McDaniel shares the inspiration for her series, including her latest release, Rocky Mountain Romance (Book 3 Montana Hearts). Comment on any post dated Feb 3 – 5 to enter the drawing for a copy. Deadline: Feb 15th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Lesley:
Rocky Mountain Romance Story Behind the Story
By Lesley Ann McDaniel
My three-book “Montana Hearts” series (published by Heartsong Presents) is very dear to my Montana Girl Heart.
I wanted to write a romance because…well, face it—readers love romance. I did a little research and discovered a couple of common themes in current romance novels—small towns and cowboys. So I said to myself, “I’m from Montana. Surely I can write about small towns and cowboys.”
Since I work in the entertainment industry, and they say you should write about what you know, I crafted a plotline about a movie being shot in a small town in Montana. The heroine of Lights, Cowboy, Action, Courtney Jacobs, works as the personal assistant to a diva movie actress.
In Book Two, Big Sky Bachelor, Courtney’s sister-in-law, Janessa Greene, finds love with a big shot rodeo champion while devising a plan to leave Thornton Springs to go to culinary school.
When it came time to develop the plot for Book Three, Rocky Mountain Romance, Courtney’s BFF elbowed her way into the spotlight. After all the great romantic advice she’d given Courtney in Lights, Cowboy, Action, Sheila Macintosh deserved her own romance.
Then the burning question became, who would play her love interest?
Since the heroes of Books One and Two are both cowboys, I decided to change things up a bit. I started to scope out peripheral characters from the first two books. Much to my delight, Courtney’s very shy brother, Ben Jacobs, reminded me that he had met Sheila at Courtney and Adam’s wedding. As a city boy and a computer programmer, Ben was about as non-cowboy as they come.
So, do Sheila and Ben find true love? Read Rocky Mountain Romance and find out!
About Lesley: LESLEY ANN MCDANIEL is a lifelong lover of words, and theatre. While earning a degree in acting, she fell in love with theatrical costuming, and pursued that as a career while nurturing her passion for writing on the side. Through God’s guidance, she has shifted her focus to honing her skills as a writer of Women’s and Young Adult fiction. She is a member of the Northwest Christian Writers Association and of a wonderful critique group. A native Montanan and a Big Sky girl at heart, Lesley now resides in the Seattle area.
About the book – Rocky Mountain Romance: Sheila Macintosh is head over heels for Ben Jacobs, but they haven’t spoken since his sister Courtney’s wedding last summer. Now that they’re back together again on Courtney’s Montana ranch, Sheila’s wondering if she only imagined that Ben cared for her—and their time together was just a beautiful dream.
Ben’s crazy about Sheila, but he’s too shy to tell her, and he’s praying for another chance to win her affections. Can this sweet computer expert overcome his shyness and show her that sometimes dreams really do come true?
Come back Feb 5th for Lesley’s character interview!
Looks like a good book.
I’ve read it! What a sweet tale of people who like each other very much, but who each don’t think they’ll ever get together. The twists and turns of the plot keep you guessing right to the last chapter.
I love McDaniel’s dry humor, easy-to-read writing style, and her wonderful descriptions of Montana and ranch living.
I HIGHLY recommend this take-you-away-from-your-ordinary-life book. You’ll be glad you took the time to read it.
Thanks, Bonnie! Sylvia, I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the book. I really enjoy “going” to Thornton Springs. Let’s meet at the diner for coffee some time;)
would love to win.
Oh my, this sounds so sweet! Thank you for the chance to win a copy. It was nice getting to know you better!
I heard from friends on facebook that this book is really good. I’d love a copy. 🙂
My cousin Sheila married Benji, so this is a great sign….to read a book about another couple of those names!
This sounds like a great book and a great series! Thank you for sharing the story behind the story.
This story sounds like a lot of fun. I’m excited to read it.
Lesley’s Montana Hearts series sounds awesome, I need to put it on my wish list. Thanks for the giveaway!
worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com
We have the books, “Heartsong Presents” in the Church Library. I would love to win this book to add to our shelves.
Thanks for the opportunity to do so.
Looks like a good one!