WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACHTER

WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACHTER
Thursday, February 1, 2018 by Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: A Prickly Affair (Bouquet of Brides Romance Collection)

AUTHOR: Donna Schlachter

PUBLISHER: Barbour Publishing

GENRE: Historical Romance

SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Stand Alone

TARGET AGE: 12-112

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR DONNA SCHLACTER TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. DONNA REMINDS US HOW VALUABLE WE ARE TO OUR CREATOR AND WHY HE PUT US HERE.

DONNA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A COPY OF A BOQUET OF BRIDES.

AM I INVISIBLE?

Donna Schlachter

Do you ever get the feeling that nobody truly sees you for who you are? They only see what you can do for them. Or for how you make them feel.

Sometimes my main character, Lily Duncan, felt that way. She’s a rough-and-tumble cowgirl in the Arizona Territory, writing romance stories under a pseudonym of Daisy Duncan.

Invisible.

But you aren’t.

When people treat us like we don’t really count, that can be hurtful, frustrating, demeaning. It can cause us to question our calling, our talents, our very essence.

As the pseudonym for a writer, Daisy only has the calling, the talent, the essence her creator gave her. Notice the use of a small ‘c’ for creator there.

Lily thinks Daisy is loving, tender, romantic, stylish, and all the things she isn’t.

But as a child of God, you have the calling, the talent, the essence your Creator gave you.

Note the capital C.

He says you are beloved, treasured, and all the things He is.

God created us for three things: to worship Him, to fellowship with Him, and to reach out and draw others into His kingdom. All of those purposes work together. Being wholeheartedly invested in one will cause us to grow and overflow into the other purposes.

You are not invisible. You are not the sum of what you do. You are not what others say about you.

You are cradled in the palm of His hand. You are the face of God in a fallen world. You are what He says about you.

So the next time you feel like nobody really sees you, or others overlook who you really are or try to force you into their mold, remember these things:

Genesis 21:23 -- You are a foreigner in this world. It isn’t our home. It’s just the place our physical bodies live while we complete the tasks God has given us.

Deuteronomy 7:6 -- You are holy unto God. This means He has sanctified you, He has set you apart for His use. It doesn’t matter what others think or say about you.

Luke 19:40 -- if we don’t fulfill God’s call on our lives, He will find someone or something else to do it. We are His hands and feet in this world.

You are important. You are unique. You are called and gifted by God, and nobody--do you hear me? Nobody can say anything different that would be true.

Leave a comment about the promises God has made to you, for a chance to win a free print copy (US only) of The Bouquet of Brides Romance Collection.

Book blurb for A Bouquet of Brides:

Meet seven American women who were named for various flowers but struggle to bloom where God planted them. Can love help them grow to their full potential?

Blurb for A Prickly Affair:

Lily Duncan—“Cactus Lil” to friend and foe alike—is as prickly as her name implies, and she likes it that way. Arizona in 1885 is a land as harsh as the moon, but Lil, born and raised near Cave Creek, feels at one with the sand, rocks, and giant saguaros. She loves living in the desert, and is happiest on her own on her small cattle ranch near Cave Creek, Arizona. Although she’s never been in love before, she pens romantic short stories for a magazine under her pen name of Daisy Duncan.

Peter Golding has never been west of the Mississippi, but a tender young woman named Daisy who writes of love and relationships intrigues him. Through reading her powerful descriptions of what love should be, Daisy’s stories have captured a part of his heart.

When Peter’s uncle sends him to find Miss Daisy Duncan and bring her back to New York City, Peter decides to take matters a step further and bring her back as his bride—surely then his uncle will be impressed with her. But when he arrives, he quickly realizes that Miss Lily Duncan is no shrinking violet waiting to be rescued. In fact, she has to rescue him several times.

Cactus Lil finds her heart torn between this stranger from the east and her desire for independence. If she surrenders to her feelings, will she be forced to do his bidding? When she finds a telegram from her editor telling Peter to bring her back or lose his job, she believes his attentions to be self-serving. Will Peter choose her or his job? And will she decide to surrender her heart or send him packing—again?

Excerpt:

Double D Ranch

Near Cave Creek, Arizona Territory, 1885

Chapter 1

Sally Jo sank to the ground beneath the pain of her wrenched ankle. “Drat. I simply cannot walk one more step in these infernal boots.”

Thomas Peabody, broad of shoulders and narrow of waist, knelt beside her, cupping her aching foot in hands more accustomed to roping steers or shooting the eye out of a gnat at a hundred yards. “Miss Sally, allow me to assist you.”

Sally Jo stared into his eyes. Why hadn’t she ever noticed they matched perfectly the color of the summer sky? “Why, Mr. Peabody, you’re most gallant.”

He straightened, reached a hand toward her, and pulled her to her feet. When she tried to put weight on her aching foot, a jab of pain like a hot poker shot through her, and she collapsed into his arms.

Right where she wanted to be.

He pulled her near, and she closed her eyes, offering her mouth to him. Greedily, as though drawing his very life essence from her, he covered her lips with his own. When she thought she would suffocate, she opened her eyes, and saw mirrored what her racing heart telegraphed to her own mind: this was love.

Lily Duncan surveyed the words written on the page as she chewed the end of her fountain pen. Ink blotches on her fingers attested to her hard work this morning. A clicking sound like a metronome tickled at the periphery of her hearing while she considered whether she needed to change the word telegraphed to something more ooshy-gooshy romantic.

Tsick-tsick-tssiicckk.

She tipped her head to listen. What was that sound?

Lily tossed her pen on the desk and glanced at the silver clock resting on the leather-topped surface. Time was running out. She had less than two hours to finish this story and get it on the last mail stage of the day. That snooty editor, Mr. Hogan, in New York, was waiting for it.

Not that she knew for certain he was snooty. Truth was, she didn’t know anything about him.

She’d only met him through correspondence, so he could be any age, any degree of pretentiousness, any color for that matter.

But that didn’t stop her creating an image in her mind: middle-aged, a monocle, oiled hair parted down the middle and slicked back, muttonchop sideburns, and a beard, of course. A house on Fifth Avenue, a society wife, private carriage, servants, and twelve children. At least.

She sighed. Thinking about all the reasons why she didn’t like the man responsible for buying her stories to publish in his fancy eastern magazine wasn’t going to get the story written. Or mailed.

Tsick-tsick-tssiicckk.

She pushed back from the desk. What she’d written would have to do. She couldn’t work with such a racket. She stepped to the window and listened. Not coming from the front. Must be out back. She crossed the bedroom-turned-office to the window facing the rear of the house.

This view was much more utilitarian than the rolling desert and giant saguaros surrounding the house on the other three sides. A small barn for her three horses, a hen house, corral, and privy filled her line of vision.

Tsick-tsick-tssiicckk.

Yes, this is where the sound came from.

And she knew its exact origin.

Lily hefted the Colt .38 on her hip. She’d take care of that she-rattler right now. She strode to the back door and stepped into the late afternoon heat of the desert.

The musky smell of mesquite, heated by the sun, filled her nose as she paused on the doorstep. How she loved the desert. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Certainly not a place like New York City. No way. Give her cactus and rocks, cattle and dipping tanks, horses and leather any day. Unlike her heroines, she wouldn’t darken the doorway of a town bigger than Cave Creek. And she sure wouldn’t fall for the first man who looked at her twice.

Not that many men looked at her even once. She wasn’t ugly. At least, not ugly like a javelina, with its short bristly hide and snarling tusks. And not ugly like a turkey vulture, with its naked head and red eyes.

She preferred men’s dungarees to skirts. She wasn’t much practiced at cooking and cleaning. But she could outshoot, outride, and outsmart most men she knew.

Which was probably why most men didn’t take a second look at her.

Lily neared the woodpile. She’d been meaning to clean that mess up, sweep out the old tinder from the previous year. Even prop the wood up on a couple of timbers to discourage snakes and other varmints wanting to find a warm place to spend the night. But her best range cow had a difficult birth, and her horses needed shoeing, and the hole in the roof . . .

Too much work for one person. Not enough hours in the day to get everything done. What had she been thinking when she started writing?

An escape, that’s what. Something to while away the long evenings.

Tsick-tsick-tssiicckk.

She pulled on a pair of leather gloves and tipped her head to one side. If she didn’t get that low-down, no-good rattler out soon, there’d be a passel of little ones slithering around.

She glanced toward the horizon. The sun dropped like a lead sinker as though intent on ensuring she missed her deadline to get that story mailed today.

And she sure didn’t need Mr. Persnickety Hogan upset that her latest installment of Love in the Wild Wild West wasn’t on time.

Amazon Purchase Link

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A COPY OF A BOQUET OF BRIDES BETWEEN NOW AND SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH AT MIDNIGHT MST. (print copy US residents only)

Donna Schlacter 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.

Connect with Donna online:

www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com

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

Facebook

Twitter

Other Books: Amazon and Smashwords

SUBSCRIBE TO PATTI’S BLOGS HERE

Comments

Deanna Stevens From Nebraska At 2/11/2018 5:46:53 PM

Love the flower names! All the brides as unique as their names.. Putting in my wanted stack!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Deanna. Glad you got in on the giveaway drawing. Good luck! Thanks for stopping by.

Donna Schlachter From Denver, CO At 2/5/2018 6:44:44 PM

Hi Cynthia: Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Appreciate the encouragement!

Donna Schlachter From Denver, Co At 2/5/2018 6:43:05 PM

Hi Becky: Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the great reminder of how our Abba Father thinks of us.

Cynthia Roemer From US At 2/2/2018 8:40:18 PM

Looking forward to hosting you on my blog soon, Donna!! Thanks for the giveaway, Patti!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Cynthia. I?m glad you will be hosting Donna soon. I would love to win this book, but I can?t enter my own giveaway!

Pegg Thomas From MI At 2/2/2018 6:28:29 PM

Hey Donna! I liked your story in this collection. It's very different from a formula romance and it introduces us to some really interesting characters. Don't enter me in the drawing ... I have a box full of these books. ;)

Reply by: Patti Shene

LOL Pegg! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment to support your fellow authors in the collection.

Cynthia From Pattersonville NY At 2/2/2018 11:18:59 AM

I like the target age for this book and I do fit in there somewhere : ) Thanks for the reminder that God sees all. He is a faithful Father...

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Cynthia. So glad you stopped by. Yes, most of us fit into that age range somewhere. I'm sliding closer and closer to that high end!

Donna Schlachter From Denver, CO At 2/2/2018 9:00:53 AM

Hi Sonetta: Thanks for stopping by. Seems there are many "invisible" women in the Bible, including Leah, and Jael, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery -- and yet God knows every one of them personally by name. You're right -- He not only sees and knows, but does something about it.

Becky Smith From MO At 2/2/2018 8:35:37 AM

I Peter 2:9 I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession,, that I may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. That promise says everything to me! LOVED this wonderful, encouraging post!!

Reply by: Patti Shene

HI Becky. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to let us know how much you enjoyed Donna's post and for reminding us of that uplifting scripture verse.

Sonnetta Jones From New Brunswick At 2/1/2018 7:10:36 PM

I was praying about this yesterday. One of the reasons I love Hannah. We all want to be seen and God reminds us that He not only sees us but that He is right there with us.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Sonnetta. I'm glad you stopped by and that the message in Donna's devotional spoke to you. Thank you for sharing with us.

Donna Schlachter From Denver, CO At 2/1/2018 12:11:01 PM

Hi Vivian: Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I love all the stories in this collection, and am so appreciative of being included with such a great round-up of authors. Good luck in the drawing.

Donna Schlachter From Denver, CO At 2/1/2018 11:40:17 AM

Patti: Thanks so much for the opportunity to share this devotional and book with your readers.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Donna, it is a joy to have you here. Your devotional spoke to me and I'm sure it will do the same for my readers. Thank you!

Vivian Furbay From Colorado Springs, CO At 2/1/2018 4:41:35 AM

I like the synopsis of one of the stories in Bouquet of Brides. This little gal sound like she had a lot going for her and I would like to see how the story ends. Will you notify the winner by email?

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Vivian. Yes, the winner is always notified by email. I also announce the winner on the first page of the website. I wish you the best in the drawing. Thank you so much for stopping by.