Sunday, December 18, 2016

Angela Raines @renawomyn1 Author of The Gift of Forgiveness #HistoricalRomance


Welcome Angela Raines, author of The Gift of Forgiveness.

RW:        Who are your favorite authors?
AR:        I love so many I would be answering from now until, but I do love Mark Twain, Gwen Bristow, Tennyson, Herman Hesse, and Ferlinghetti to name a few old ones.


RW:        Why did you decide to write?
AR:        I’d always told stories—mostly as an actor/performer, and it seemed a natural thing to do.


RW:        What kind of research do you do for a book?
AR:        I am always in the research section of the library. I’ve been researching women doctors in Colorado for over four years. It is a passion, and there were far more in Colorado between 1870 and 1900 than most people realize. Of course, when you look at what was happening during that time, you find all kinds of story ideas.


RW:        Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Where did the idea come from?
AR:        My newest release came about when I did a “what if” as I was researching a murder trial in 1879. There was little said about the wife, and I wondered what would happen if her husband had been killed and she was left to fend for herself and her two children.


RW:        Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?
AR:        Bubble bath, Mountains by the Ocean, Kittens and Caramel

RW:        A biography has been written about you. What do you think the title would be in six words or less?
AR:        No One Told Her She Couldn’t.

RW:        If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?
AR:        Funny thing is, I’d still like to live here in Colorado. It is like heaven to me.
RW:        Colorado’s on my bucket list, but considering the many people who could live anywhere and have homes there, that makes sense. John Denver even changed his name to reflect his love of the state.

RW:        What song would best describe your life?
AR:        Ode to Joy

RW:        What is your secret guilty pleasure?
AR:        Hiking and taking photos.

RW:        If you were stranded on a tropical island, who would it be with? You can choose any living, deceased or mythical figure.
AR:        Robinson Caruso, because he’s been there and done that.

The Gift of Forgiveness

The Plot:

When Nettie Hascall’s husband, Jacob, is killed, she knows she must move away in order to make a new life for herself and her two children, Ila and Albert. But tragedy seems to follow the little family to Agate Gulch, and Nettie feels more and more as if she’s running from Fate. The memories of the evil that had almost befallen now-thirteen-year-old Ila resurface with cruel pranks…and then, the unthinkable happens—seven-year-old Albert is kidnapped. But why? And at what should be the most joyous time of the year, Christmas, the heartbreak is almost too much for Nettie to bear. She must find her son—no matter what.

John Flemming also is haunted by memories of things he did that he can never forget. Happiness will never be his, but he finds himself caring for Nettie and her children, and wanting to protect them all. When Albert goes missing, John knows he must break a vow to himself he made long ago—to lay down his guns forever. Now, he must take up his guns again to save Nettie’s young son—no matter the cost to himself. Going after Albert’s kidnappers spells the end of any relationship he might have hoped for with Nettie, but there is no other choice. Once he rescues the boy, he will move on…again?

Nettie and John have lost so much in their lives. Can a Christmas miracle bring them the love they both hope for? Can The Gift of Forgiveness spell a new beginning for two lonely people?

About Angela:

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Originally from the mid-west, Doris now calls the Rocky Mountains her home. Doris is a writer, historian, actor, and teacher. An avid reader, Doris loves to spend time in archives looking for small, unknown pieces of history. Many times these pieces end up in her stories or poems.

Currently Doris is working in both the Medieval and Western Romance genre. Both have a wonderful history, much not commonly known which adds to the joy of telling these stories.

A photographer, Doris also writes haiku and combines them with her photography on her haiku blog: http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com

Excerpt:

“Jacob Hascall, I stood by you during the trial. I even went along when you made Ila leave out the real reason for the shooting, but that’s no reason to just give up. You still have a family.”

Nettie had been so tired of doing everything while Jacob sat around just staring at the walls. Even to herself, she had sounded shrewish—but she could only take so much. Yes, Jacob was justified in what he’d done. The jury had found him innocent, but the thought of killing the young man, despite what he had tried to do, seemed to take everything out of Jacob.

“Nettie, just leave me alone,” Jacob had growled, slamming the door as he left the kitchen. Later that day, his wagon, with its load going to Leadville, had gone off the edge of the road and down an embankment. Jacob had fallen to his death, his neck broken.

Months had gone by since that awful day, but tears flowed through her fingers today, just as they had almost two years ago. How many times had the scene played over and over in her head? Was there to be no end to it? Nettie remembered the last time she saw Jacob alive. Six months later, she, Ila, and Albert had moved to Agate Gulch. Slowly, she and the children were putting their lives back on track. Up here, they were far away from the notoriety of the trial, the threats and the stares of those who hadn’t understood.

Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get something done. Nettie dried her tears.

CONTACTS:

Amazon Page:  http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL

BUY LINK:

7 comments:

  1. Rochelle, Thank you so much for having me here today. Wishing you and all your readers, family and friends the best this season can offer. Doris writing as Angela Raines-author

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  2. You're so welcome, Doris. And Cindy, welcome to my blog. Happy Holidays!

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  3. Thank you for stopping by Cindy. It was fun answering the questions I was sent. Some were easy and some I had to think about. *Grin* Doris/Angela

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  4. I wish I could take credit for those questions, but I'm not sure where they came from. They're the questions we use for the Marketing for Romance Writers Newsletter Featured Author. I don't remember who devised them. But I've even added a few of the fun ones to my character interviews.

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  5. Doris, I can hardly wait to read your Christmas story. (I must admit, I'm about a year behind in my reading.) One of these days, I'm going to head down to Colorado and we can have a party in the archives. LOL. Merry Christmas to you.

    Rochelle, Merry Christmas! And thanks for hosting Doris today. She's awesome!

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    1. Jacquie, I would love to have an 'archive orgy'. That would be heaven.

      Wishing you the best in 2017, Doris

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  6. Thanks so much for stopping by, Jacqui! Merry Christmas to you too.

    We actually had ours already. My kids gave me a wonderful family photo calendar with everyone's b-days and anniversaries already printed in it. My great-granddaughter got a motorized princess carriage, complete with lights. She's five and she believes she really is a princess. Boy. I didn't get my first car until I was 21 and married. ;-)
    Hugs, Rochelle.

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