Giveaway & Interview with Kathleen Y'Barbo

I'm so pleased to have author Kathleen Y'Barbo on my blog this week! She is the author of a new book that  just came out The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck, third in the Women of the West Series.  Kathleen was kind enough to answer some questions so grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back & enjoy! She's  also offering a copy to one commenter. I already reviewed the book previously here, but was eager to  have an opportunity to actually interview Kathleen, so here we go...

Hi Kathleen! Thank you so much for being here today. How would you describe The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck to someone who has  not read any of your previous novels?

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck is a historical romance with a dash of humor. My publisher  says this: Unlikely romance is sometimes just an inconvenient marriage away.

Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can't seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit  from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte's father Daniel pressures her to settle  into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the  handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.

Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can't refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex's family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.

But when Alex's feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn't so inconvenient after all?

Which part of researching was the most personally interesting to you? Were there any facts that you would have liked to include, but they just didn't make it into the story?

As with any book I write, only about half - maybe less- of what I learn actually goes into the book. I would love to have included more about London but there just wasn't enough word count for it.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

I was blessed by my children with a trip to London for Christmas two years ago. Thus, I got to walk where Charlotte and Alex walked and see pretty much what they saw, minus the modern updates and traffic. I visited Colorado several times before I began the series, as well.

Who designed the cover? Did you have any say in how it looked?

The publisher designs the cover and has the final say about what appears on the book, but I do get to offer input. I'm thrilled with how all the books in the Women of the West series turned out.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I'm reading a fabulous book called Everlasting by Carol Johnson. It's a coming-of-age tale set in the South and was a finalized for the Oklahoma Book Award (http://amzn.to/pao77a).

If you had a book club, what would it be reading — and why?

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck, of course!

I guess we know why :)

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I'm awaiting copy edits on Daddy's Little Matchmakers, my first contemporary romance for Love Inspired. With a Texas beach setting and a widowed dad with three little girls intent on marrying him up to the gal at the classifieds department of the local paper, this book has been great fun to write.

Some fun questions:

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Blue Bell Cookies and Cream is the perennial favorite.

Favorite films?

True Grit (2010 version), It Happened One Night, Pillow Talk, High Noon

Favorite music?

I have eclectic tastes so my favorites range from Christian to jazz to country and everything in between. My Ipod has everything from Chris Tomlin to Vivaldi to Nora Jones and George Jones.

How about food? Do you have a "go to" meal in a pinch?

Go to Chick-fil-a? Kidding! Probably a quiche.

Dogs or cats?

One of each right now.

Last but not least, a favorite Scripture?

Matthew 14: 27-31, the passage where before Jesus fixes the problem (the storm), he calms His  people (the disciples cowering in the boat). Then, in an act of faith that I cannot imagine, Peter  steps out of the boat and walks toward Jesus at His command. I want that kind of faith, but I  must confess I'm more apt to look down and see, as Peter did, that his feet weren't on solid  ground. Verse 31 says, however that Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached out His hand and caught  Peter. After all of that, THEN He calmed the storm. Don't you love that? First He reassures His  people, then He allows Peter to exercise faith. Immediately when Peter needs Him, Jesus  catches him. And after that lesson is learned, He calms the storm.

That's a wonderful Scripture (well, all Scripture is wonderful) but just knowing  that it's possible to have that kind of faith is encouraging! Thanks for sharing that with us.

To find out more about Kathleen and her writing go to www.kathleenybarbo.com . From there you can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or the Books & Such blog!

Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy.  Please read the instructions so you can be entered to win. The standard "Enter me" won't get you entered this time! Please interact with Kathleen by leaving an encouraging word or asking a question.

You MUST leave an email* so I have a way to contact you if you win. I'd really like it if you were a follower here on my new blog, either through Google ( not always showing for some reason) or the RSS Feed (but it's NOT a requirement for entry). You can find that at the very bottom of this page, the little orange thingy on the left :)

Let me know if you follow me and I will give you an extra entry. I'll draw the winner on July 16.  US ONLY! Void where prohibited. Winner is drawn from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Have a great day in the Lord!

*apparently some email addresses I can see even if you don't leave it in the comment. If for some reason I can't see your email, then if it's not in the comment you won't be entered. BUT...so far I can see all emails in my admin area even if they aren't in the comment! Thanks for bearing with me while I learn WordPress :)



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