Shannon here: Mary Davis shares insight into her characters’ romance plus a chance to win a a PDF e-copy of her latest Historical Romance, The Widow’s Plight. Deadline: July 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Mary:
- How do Edric Hammond and Lily Lexington meet?
They meet as Lily struggles to descend from the train car with her clingy five-year-old son, Toby, in one arm and two carpetbags in the other. Edric has been watching Lily’s tender-loving care of her son for the past two days on the train, so when she needs help, he gladly offers his assistance.
- What’s the most romantic thing Edric ever did for Lily?
It’s when Edric’s daughters are going to ambush Lily to invite her and her son on a picnic that Edric knows she won’t want to attend because she’s too recently widowed. He pre-warns her so she can come up with an excuse ahead of time to not go and let his daughters down easily.
- What is the most caring thing Edric has ever done for Lily?
He found a place for her to live and a job where she could keep her son with her.
- What is the most caring thing your heroine has ever done for your hero?
When one of his daughters’ ponytails comes loose, Lily braids both his daughters’ hair. She also makes pretty dresses for their dolls to replace the ugly ones.
- Who said, “I love you” first, Edric or Lily?
Edric did but told her that she didn’t have to say it back because he knew she was recently widowed and still grieving.
- If Edric and Lily end up married, where will they go on their honeymoon?
Of course they’ll end up getting married. They will go to the hotel in town for a night and then back to their children.
Excerpt from the Widow’s Plight by Mary Davis:
[It’s1893 in Central Washington State, Lily and her son, Toby, have just arrived in Kamola after a weeklong train trip. They have fled an abusive husband/father.]
LILY LEXINGTON BREMMER WOULD NEVER LET anyone hurt her son again…
Lily had run almost as far from her past as she could physically get. Clear across the country.
Toby would be safe here. She rested her hand on a part of his little arm she knew didn’t have any bruises and gently shook her son awake. “We’re here. Time to wake up.”
He blinked his brown eyes at her.
Why did he have to look so much like his father?
But now that they were starting over, she didn’t have to call him by his father’s name even if he was a junior.
She would use the nickname Toby. No one to order her not to.
Toby wrestled around to a sitting position then leaned against her arm. His dejected expression pulled on her heartstrings. Maybe he was just tired. The past week had been hard for them both.
She shifted her son away from leaning against her, stood, and tugged on the hem of the gray striped jacket of her traveling suit. Reaching up to the polished wooden shelf overhead, she pulled down the larger of their two carpetbags, the one made of pink floral carpet, and set it on the green, plush bench next to her little boy. Then the smaller tan and black one. They didn’t have a lot, but they had each other.
Standing in the aisle with her reticule hanging from one wrist, she grabbed a carpetbag in each hand. “Hold on to Mommy’s sleeve.”
“I too tired.” Toby slumped over on the bench.
“Toby, please. I need you to walk. I have to carry our bags.”
He lay lethargic and only blinked at her.
She tucked the smaller carpetbag under her arm so it partially rested on the one in her hand. She held out her free arm. “Okay. Stand up, and I’ll carry you.”
Toby slipped his thumb into his mouth but didn’t move.
She wished he wouldn’t do that but hated to tell him not to after all he’d been through in his short life, so she clenched her teeth in frustration. She couldn’t do everything. She needed him to at least stand. “All right. If you won’t move, I’ll have to leave you on the train. Goodbye.”
As she turned, Toby grabbed her sleeve. “Don’t go.”
She turned around, and Toby stood on the bench with his arms outstretched, his engine in one hand. She wrapped her free arm around him and settled him on her hip. He hugged her around her neck and put his head on her shoulder. His elbow and train pressed painfully into healing bruises on her back. She ignored the discomfort and kissed the top of his head.
Getting off the train without falling was her main concern. Though small and thin, carrying Toby as well as the carpetbags was all a bit cumbersome. She shuffled sideways in the aisle to the exit, looked at the steps, and hesitated, hoping she didn’t miss any of them. She situated herself so she would descend with Toby first.
But what if she tripped? She would land on her baby.
With her hands full, she wouldn’t have the benefit of holding onto the brass handrail.
She backed up and shifted around so the carpetbags descended first. They wouldn’t be a soft landing, but she wouldn’t injure her son. Before attempting the first step, she contemplated tossing the bags to the platform, but her mother’s hand mirror might get broken.
The other disembarking passengers lined up behind her. One of them called out. “Can you hurry, ma’am?”
She couldn’t do this safely and stepped out of the way. “Go ahead.”
The first man, the one in the business suit, scowled at her as he passed and stepped off the train. He must be the one who’d asked her to hurry. Next came a couple of men who appeared to be cowboys, one with a saddle slung over his shoulder. Then an older man and woman.
And several other people alighted from the coach. The last passenger, another man, stopped in front of her.
Even at her own height of five feet seven inches, this man towered over her. Dressed in a black canvas duster, and a black crease-topped hat, he also looked like a cowboy but less trail haggard. Was he going to scowl at her too?
He extended his hand.
At this simple courtesy, she flinched.
After pulling out the carpetbag wedged under her arm, he tucked it under his own above his smaller, brown carpetbag. “Let me get these.”
“That’s all right. I can manage.”
His smile added to the kindness in his meadow green eyes. “I saw how you were managing. I wouldn’t want you to fall and hurt yourself or your boy.” He took her other bag and stepped off the train. After setting all three bags on the ground, he turned and held out his hand.
She stared at it. Dare she take it? Hands could be kind or cruel.
His hand inched higher. “I don’t have a rattlesnake, ma’am.”
Giving a wan smile, she shifted Toby on her hip and placed her hand in the cowboy’s.
About Mary: Mary Davis is a best-selling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has five titles releasing in 2018; “Holly & Ivy” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection in January, Courting Her Amish Heart in March, The Widow’s Plight in July, Courting Her Secret Heart September, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in December. She’s a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-three years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Learn more & connect:
Mary’s Newsletter Mary’s Blog Mary’s Facebook Mary’s Facebook Readers Group
Mary’s Amazon Page Mary’s GoodReads Mary’s BookBub
About the book – The Widow’s Plight: A sweet historical romance that will tug at your heart. This is book 1 in the Quilting Circle series. Washington State, 1893
When Lily Lexington Bremmer arrives in Kamola with her young son, she’s reluctant to join the social center of her new community, the quilting circle, but the friendly ladies pull her in. She begins piecing a sunshine and shadows quilt because it mirrors her life. She has a secret that lurks in the shadows and hopes it doesn’t come out into the light. Dark places in her past are best forgotten, but her new life is full of sunshine. Will her secrets cast shadows on her bright future?
Widower Edric Hammond and his father are doing their best to raise his two young daughters. He meets Lily and her son when they arrive in town and helps her find a job and a place to live. Lily resists Edric’s charms at first but finds herself falling in love with this kind, gentle man and his two darling daughters. Lily has stolen his heart with her first warm smile, but he’s cautious about bringing another woman into his girls’ lives due to the harshness of their own mother. Can Edric forgive Lily her past to take hold of a promising chance at love?
THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT will release in ebook on July 1, and will be out in paperback by mid-June.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Get your copy now! The Widow’s Plight – Amazon
Question for Readers: After a harrowing experience, Edric buys each of the children candy for being brave. He gets black licorice for Lily. Mmm. One of my favorites. What’s your favorite candy?
Come back July 3rd for Jennifer Slattery!
I love anything chocolate!!MMM
Can’t go wrong with chocolate. =0)
Twizzlers. No! Smarties. No! Good and Plenty.
This is so hard. I need chocolate. 😊
Twizzlers, Smarties, AND Good & Plenty! Three of my favorites. I used to try to trade Smarties for any of my other trick or treat candy.
Sweetarts
I love Sweetarts! Even when I’ve sucked on so many the inside of my mouth is raw.
M & M’s. I go straight for the chocolate. Yum.
M&M are really good.
I can’t say that I have a ‘favorite’ candy, lol, at one time though I could have said black licorice, today not so much. This book sounds like a good read, thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
My favorite candy will depend on the day. I love variety! =0)
Anything chocolate!!!!
Mmmm chocolate!
Snickers! I just bought Mary’s book. I’m glad I did!
I have a winner! Wendy Newcomb won the drawing. I appreciate Mary for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.