12 Days of Pioneer Christmas, Day 12: Margaret Brownley & A Pony Express Christmas




It's with great pleasure on this final day to introduce Margaret Brownley, the author of over twenty novels and numerous non-fiction pieces. Her latest book, A Bride of All Seasons, released in June, 2013. She is happily married to her own real-life hero and resides in California. Margaret talks about her upcoming novella in A Pioneer Christmas, titled A Pony Express Christmas. For more information about Margaret and her books, visit www.margaretbrownley.com.

What made you write about your period in time?

I love writing about the 1800s. The westward migration freed women in ways never before imagined. Women abandoned Victorian traditions, rigid manners and confining clothes and that’s not all they did; they brought churches, schools and newspapers to frontier towns, and helped build communities. The gun might have won the west, but it was the women who tamed it.

How is Christmas celebrated in your family and what effect did it have on your writing this story?

The hero and heroine in my story celebrate Christmas in an abandoned Pony Express station with a mule. If they saw my family Christmas extravaganzas they would have thought we belonged to the royal family.

What research did you do to authenticate Christmas celebrations in your story?

Absolutely none. I wanted their Christmas celebration to be simple and rustic given the times and conditions.

When you dreamed up your story idea, what came first, the time period, the story, the location?

I’ve always wanted to write a Pony Express story but couldn’t figure out how to make it work. So the first thing that came to mind was why not have them celebrate Christmas in an abandoned Pony Express station?

What was the "germ" of your story idea and how did you flesh it out?

My heroine is searching for her brother, a former Pony Express rider. I was surprised to discover how little information is available on the Pony Express. It was only in service for 18 months and some station keepers didn’t bother to keep records. As a result little is known about many of the riders. We don’t even know where all the stations were located.

Would you like to have been there?

I was there or at least it seemed that way when I was writing the story.

What aspects of your characters are reflected in yours?

Determination and stubbornness. Also, abiding faith.

Have you been to the locations in which your story is set?

My story takes place in Nebraska and yes, I’ve been there. Of course, it looks nothing like it did in the 1800s.

What surprised you the most about your story?

The end surprised me the most because I had no idea what would happen until I got there. (But then of course I never do.)

Would you have made a good pioneer?

I would have made a great pioneer providing I had a modern bathroom and good mattress.

Were any of your ancestors pioneers? If so, where and when?

Crossing an ocean to get here makes them pioneers, right?

What spiritual themes did you deliberately incorporate into your story? Which ones did you discover later?

The story involves the Chimney Rock in Nebraska and the spiritual theme is God is my rock. But family love and loyalty is also a strong theme.

Just one more day on the giveway! Stay tuned for the winners!


12 Days of A Pioneer Christmas
Monday, August 19 12 Days of Christmas Introduction
Tuesday, August 20 Cynthia Hickey on cynthiahickey.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 21 Kathleen Fuller on www.kathleenfuller.com
Thursday, August 22 Michelle Ule on michelleule.com
Friday, August 23 Marcia Garver on Yielded Quill
Saturday, August 24 Shannon McNear on www.shannonmcnear.com
Monday, August 26 Lauraine Snelling on michelleule.com
Tuesday, August 27 Kathleen Fuller on www.kathleenfuller.com
Wednesday, August 28 Vickie McDonough on www.shannonmcnear.com
Thursday, August 29 Anna Urquhart on The Silent Isle
Friday, August 30 Michelle Ule on Colonial Quills
Saturday, August 31 Michelle Ule on michelleule.com

Sunday, September 1

A Pioneer Christmas Collection Release!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #27

Image
THE HUNT HAS ENDED! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH FOR COMING BY!!! Welcome to the 2020 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! I am SO very excited to get to take part.  If you've just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes! The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com . Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser ( not Explorer). There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt--you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/18 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them. Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author's scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa's site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way! S
Read more

Blog Tour: The Most Eligible Bachelor!

Image
Welcome to our "Meet the Bachelor" blog tour! We have some fabulous prizes, a gift basket with contributions from all the authors, and free books! Please check back for details on how to enter, and where you can read more about the various stories in this very fun romance novella collection. And without further ado, may I introduce you to ... The Highwayman. Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee Bachelor's Name, Age, Occupation – Samuel Wheeler, early 20’s, apprentice wagonmaster (and handler of oxen --hence the adorable plush calf in the gift basket, from Colonial Williamsburg!) Visual inspiration: if you can imagine a young, blond Sean Astin, reminiscent of his role of Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings, only decked out in colonial working-man's wear, with long hair pulled back in a queue, you'd have a good approximation of Sam Wheeler. A Smith Shoeing an Ox (Dujardin: Wiki) Story Setting/Era – the Shenandoah Valley, along the Great Wagon Road that
Read more

Shenandoah Hearts by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Image
This week I'm featuring the first novella in The Backcountry Brides Collection, titled Shenandoah Hearts, by the woman who started it all! Carrie Fancett Pagels founded the team blog Colonial Quills 7 years ago this month (we celebrate TOMORROW with another tea party), and an all-colonial novella collection has been her dream for quite a while now. Shenandoah Hearts is set in 1754 on the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. As the French-Indian War commences, Magda Sehler wonders if Jacob Owens lost his mind to have abandoned his Philadelphia business and moved to the Shenandoah Valley. Or has he lost his heart? Of the setting, Carrie writes: Jacob Owens is a prosperous merchant, owning and running a Philadelphia shop. He’s had the wonderful ladysmith, Madga Sehler, working with his family for years. But the Sehler family is relocating to the Shenandoah region of what is today Virginia. This backcountry area was dangerous.
Read more