Montana Match Interview

How exciting to have Parker Watson the hero from Montana Match written by Merrillee Whren a January 2012 release from Love Inspired Romance.

1. Parker Watson, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

I like to invent stuff. My current project involves turning the waste from my ranch into

fuel. It’s a work in progress. I’ve been studying some of the methods used by other people

and trying to make something that will operate on my ranch.

2. What do you do for fun?

I love to snow ski, but I don’t do it very often because my work keeps me too busy. At

home, I like to watch movies with my girls.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

I dread leaving the ranch and going into town because the people there don’t like me much.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?

I’m most afraid of confronting the people who believed the worst about me when I was

falsely accused of misconduct with one of my students.

5. What is the most important thing to you?

The most important thing to me is giving my girls the best life possible. They mean

everything to me. They keep me going, even when life doesn’t seem fair.

6. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

Most of the books I read are non-fiction. I work as a medical writer, and I do a lot of scientific

research for my work and my inventions. I don’t do much pleasure reading.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would learn how to better deal with the people who hurt me. I don’t know what to say to

them anymore.

8. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

I don’t have a pet myself, but there are lots of animals on the ranch. I recently gave our nanny

a dog for her birthday. It was my girls’ idea, and I thought it would be a great gift since she

has always wanted a dog of her own.

9. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the time when my life was simple and I was a respected

teacher in my community rather than an outcast. But then, my girls, Rose and Jasmine,

wouldn’t be a part of my life. There is no going back, so I have to accept the way things are.

FEATURED BOOK: MONTANA MATCH MERRILLEE WHREN

Nanny to six-year-old twin girls isn't exactly the position Brittany Gorman is looking for. But she needs a job. And the twins' struggling single dad, rancher Parker Watson, needs all the help he can get. Soon Brittany is not only assisting with the girls, but also helping Parker make peace with his past. It seems Brittany's finally found a place to belong. And with two little matchmakers on the loose, there's no telling what the future holds. As her time on the ranch runs out, can Brittany and Parker find the strength to face that future—together?

The States We're Visiting in January

A Love Inspired Romance landed in Montana today, probably at a book store, grocery store, or box store near you. Hmmmm, what's not to love about Montana Match. Set in present day, Montana, Author Merrillee Whren has this to say:

Montana is the fourth largest state in the US, but it is the third least populated state. The state has seven American Indian reservations. I chose Montana for the setting of Montana Match because I lived there when I was a child, and my goal is to set at least one of my novels in every state where I have lived. I also have twin girls in the story who are part Crow Indian. One of my best friends in fourth grade was a girl named Rose who was a Crow Indian. She inspired the little girls in the story.

We have two Montana books bumping up against each other at the stores this month! Christine Johnson wanted to make sure we really understand Montana, so in her book All Roads Lead Home, she goes back in time to 1922. Here's her offering:

Since All Roads Lead Home is a road trip story, it covers states from Michigan to Montana. I chose to end the trip in northwest Montana because I love the way the Rocky Mountains rise out of the plains like a snow-dusted wall. Glacier National Park, which was founded in 1910, hugs the border with Canada and is part of the first International Peace Park with Waterton National Park in Alberta. At the time of All Roads Lead Home (1922), you could drive west to the park and drive north along the eastern edge, but much of the travel inside the park was on horseback. Backcountry chalets provided overnight accomodations along the trails. People especially loved to see the glaciers, for which the park is named, but those glaciers are rapidly melting away. In 1922, trains ran across the southern boundary of the park through Marias Pass, but a car could not drive across the park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road across the park was completed in 1933. I've driven it many times...always with white knuckles!

We wave goodbye to Montana and head clear across the U.S. (Really, we can go no farther) to New York. Jean C. Gordon's comtemporary romance Small Town Sweethearts is an eye opening for those of you who can only imagine Manhattan. Really, New York is so much more. Go ahead, Jean, tell us how much more:

For the many people who think New York State is New York City: Upstate NY, where Small-Town Sweethearts is set, is quite different from the Downstate New York City area. Upstate we have dairy farms, mountains, lakes, orchards, and lots of villages and hamlets with fewer than 5,000 people that aren’t near any major cities. Wyoming County in Western New York, where I grew up, is the number one diary county in the state and has about the same number of milk cows as people (40,000).

If you're still in the mood for states, you can drop down to Mississippe and read Terri Reed's January release. In Mississippi, there's a taste of suspense.

Finding Inspiration for Characters by Merrillee Whren

What can serve as inspiration for a character or a set of characters? I don't know about other writers, but my characters come to me in a variety of ways. One of my early attempts at writing a novel came as the result of my mother's sudden death. I wrote a story about a heroine who was coming back home to her mother's funeral. Writing that story helped me cope. The book went through numerous versions before it finally sold many years later. I was thrilled when that story was published because it is dear to my heart. Here is that book.



The hero and heroine in the story that became my first Love Inspired book formed in my mind because of a song by Dwight Yoakam called "Ain't That Lonely Yet." The song tells that story of a guy who got dumped by his girl, and now she's back and trying to patch things up. He doesn't want anything to do with it. The characters in my book, THE HEART'S HOMECOMING, were born as a result of that song.



Secondary characters often become the heroes or heroines in subsequent books. The heroine of LOVE WALKED IN, Beth Carlson, didn't even have a name in THE HEART'S HOMECOMING. She was only referred to as Max's mom. Max was a fourteen-year-old boy in the story. We see Max again as a troubled teen in LOVE WALKED IN. Ever since I wrote about Max, I've wanted to give him his own love story. But before I could do that, I had to tell Brittany Gorman's story. She and Max eventually become high school sweethearts, but if you read my upcoming January 2012 book, MONTANA MATCH, you will see that their relationship doesn't last.



I could go on and on about what makes characters spring to life in my mind, but I want to know what kind of characters grab your attention? Do you like to read about people who are larger than life or a character who is more like you? What kind of characters stay with you long after you have read a book?

Montana Match Interview

How exciting to have Parker Watson the hero from Montana Match written by Merrillee Whren a January 2012 release from Love Inspired Romance.

1. Parker Watson, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

I like to invent stuff. My current project involves turning the waste from my ranch into

fuel. It’s a work in progress. I’ve been studying some of the methods used by other people

and trying to make something that will operate on my ranch.

2. What do you do for fun?

I love to snow ski, but I don’t do it very often because my work keeps me too busy. At

home, I like to watch movies with my girls.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

I dread leaving the ranch and going into town because the people there don’t like me much.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?

I’m most afraid of confronting the people who believed the worst about me when I was

falsely accused of misconduct with one of my students.

5. What is the most important thing to you?

The most important thing to me is giving my girls the best life possible. They mean

everything to me. They keep me going, even when life doesn’t seem fair.

6. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

Most of the books I read are non-fiction. I work as a medical writer, and I do a lot of scientific

research for my work and my inventions. I don’t do much pleasure reading.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would learn how to better deal with the people who hurt me. I don’t know what to say to

them anymore.

8. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

I don’t have a pet myself, but there are lots of animals on the ranch. I recently gave our nanny

a dog for her birthday. It was my girls’ idea, and I thought it would be a great gift since she

has always wanted a dog of her own.

9. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the time when my life was simple and I was a respected

teacher in my community rather than an outcast. But then, my girls, Rose and Jasmine,

wouldn’t be a part of my life. There is no going back, so I have to accept the way things are.