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:
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Twitter: http://bit.ly/2gMSplE
Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL
BUY LINK:
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