WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACHTER

WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACHTER
8/4/2018 12:30:00 PM by: Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: MAIL-ORDER BRIDES COLLECTION—TRAIN RIDE TO HEARTBREAK

AUTHOR: Donna Schlachter

PUBLISHER: Barbour Publishing

GENRE: historical romance

SERIES OR STAND ALONE: part of novella collection

TARGET AGE: 35+

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACHTER TO PATTI’S PORCH. DONNA SHARES THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF HER RECENT HISTORICAL NOVELLA.

DONNA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A PRINT COPY OF MAIL ORDER BRIDES COLLECTION.

THE STORY BEHIND the STORY . . . A TRAIN RIDE to HEARTBREAK

Donna Schlachter

The idea for this story came from a love of a movie and a friend with a great story to share.

The movie was The Fugitive, both the original series pilot and the more recent remake. I loved the idea of a train ride leading to a second chance.

My friend had recently taken a train ride from Denver to San Francisco, and she shared several delightful stories. I wondered if a train ride might be like a cruise in that it would provide an insulated environment where the travelers might do something they’d never done before. If so, this was perfect fodder for a romance, much like the old TV show, The Love Boat.

And then I saw Murder on the Orient Express, and as a lover of anything Agatha Christie, decided to incorporate a few of the details in my story.

The result? A chance meeting, two characters with integrity, and a way for God to reach both of them.

This is an example of how a couple of ideas gelled into a book. It seems like my mind is always racing, looking at the people and places around me, even snippets of conversation in a coffee shop or a couple kissing at the airport.

I have a friend who is a photographer, and everywhere he goes, he has a camera hanging around his neck. I watched him at a party one night, studying the people around us. I tried to follow his eye to see what caught his eye, and even though he didn’t always have the camera up to take a shot, I soon realized he was taking pictures in his mind, imagining what the image would look like. Occasionally he actually clicked off a few. A teen girl sitting shyly on the sofa, her legs pulled up, her chin on her knees, picking at her fingernail polish. An older man dozing in a corner, his triple chins resting on his chest. The hostess—but not her really—the tray of appetizers she was carrying.

Where he looks around for film pictures, I look for word pictures. Where he looks for a way to tweak a focus, a focal point, a shadow, the hues, I look for a way to rearrange the events so they make more sense—or less. Perhaps today I’m studying people to combine several to make an interesting character. Tomorrow, maybe I’ll take a mountain from Arizona and set it in southern New Mexico in a fictitious town based loosely on a village I visited in Utah last summer.

And as for story ideas, well, those come from everywhere. Newspapers, magazines, diaries, letters, family stories handed down through the generations—a little here, a little there, and a lot of imagination. I tend to not use specific facts but rather I employ artistic license—because really, some of the things that really happen would be overboard for a book. Readers would protest: “that wouldn’t happen like that!”

Blurb for Train Ride to Heartbreak

October 1895

Mary Johannson has scars on her body that can’t compare with the scars on her heart. She is alone in the world, with no family, no prospects, and no home.

John Stewart is at his wit’s end. His wife of three years died in childbirth, leaving him with a toddler and an infant, both girls. Theirs was the love of fairy tales, and while he has no illusions about finding another like her, his children need a mother.

Though separated by thousands of miles, they commit to a mail-order marriage. But on their journey to Heartbreak, they meet another and realize the life they’d planned would be a lie. Can they find their way back from the precipice and into the love of God and each other, or are they destined to keep their word and deny their heart?

Amazon Buy Link

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A PRINT COPY OF MAIL ORDER BRIDES COLLECTION BETWEEN NOW AND TUESDAY, AUGUST 14^TH AT MIDNIGHT MDT. (only US residents eligible)

BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.

Donna Schlachter lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid author who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a local critique group, and teaches writing classes and courses. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.

Visit Donna online

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

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Comments

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 8/15/2018 10:54:22 PM

Thank you, everyone, for visiting the blog and leaving a comment for Donna. This drawing is now closed and the winner is Lual. Congratulations, Lual!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/8/2018 4:02:35 PM

Thank you so much, Lual! I hope you get to read my book soon too. :) Good luck in the giveaway!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/8/2018 4:01:56 PM

I love that you share your books with your mother, Sheila. Happy reading to you both!

Lual Krautter From MT At 8/7/2018 8:26:24 AM

Thank you for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! Would love to win a print copy! I really like this type of story and enjoy reading your books, Donna! They are intriguing and believeable, and keep me turning the page! God bless! Lual Krautter Here's my email: krautter12ATbresnanDOTnet

Sheila Sholly From Pennsylvania At 8/6/2018 7:12:13 PM

I am always looking for CF books for my 92-year-old mother, who averages 2-3 books a week. Mail order brides are some of her favorites!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:44:25 PM

Thank you, Becky, for posting and good luck in the giveaway!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:43:01 PM

Hi Carol - Thank you for your comments. Have a blessed day!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:42:12 PM

Hi Vivian - Glad you enjoyed the interview. Thanks for stopping by.

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:40:53 PM

Thanks for posting, Nicole. Glad you enjoyed the interview. Good luck in the drawing.

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:38:59 PM

Hi Keren - Thank you for stopping by and posting.

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:36:40 PM

Thank you, Margie, for your post. Good luck with the giveaway!

Patti Shene From SE Colorado At 8/6/2018 1:34:54 PM

Thanks to all who have stopped by. Donna and I appreciate your comments!

Donna Schlachter From At 8/6/2018 1:28:29 PM

Thank you, Patti, for having me on your blog.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Donna, it's always a pleasure to have you visit! Thank you for sharing with my readers.

Margie McGinnis From Philadelphia At 8/6/2018 9:33:40 AM

Love reading these collections!!! Would so love to win this one! Thanks for the chance!!

Keren Lyles From At 8/5/2018 11:34:31 PM

Enjoy reading the mail order bride stories. And the interview. Like reading about how New authors started writing. Congratulations on your book. And thank you for the chance of winning your book. Good luck to everyone.

Nicole Cook From OH At 8/5/2018 11:18:38 PM

Sounds like a great book! I enjoyed the interview. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

Vivian Furbay From CO At 8/5/2018 10:58:54 PM

I enjoyed the interview with Donna. As a fellow Coloradan, I appreciate her insight. i would enjoy reading this book.

Carol Kinsey From Ohio At 8/5/2018 9:50:38 PM

Enjoyed reading your interview :) It’s always fun hearing how other authors gain their inspiration! Blessings! Congratulations on another book.

Becky Smith From MO At 8/4/2018 1:51:58 PM

I so enjoyed this interview with Donna! I love to "people watch", and I felt like I was, as she described what the cameraman was seeing. I also agree that real life is almost stranger than fiction! I have read so many strange things in old papers while researching genealogy. Sounds fun to read!