Following in the footsteps of greatness

Well, at least that's what I'm going to say, since I seem to be having the day Winnie had today. But hey, since I've long loved and admired her, I guess I could be doing worse! :)

Which gives me a great topic for today's blog. Everyone has been asking me about what changes when you get published or what you didn't expect about getting published. So far, I keep saying it's all the same. Because it has been. I just plug away and do my thing and juggle my life. Until release week hits. :) Boy, was I not prepared!! I had some friends advise me that it gets busier and you need to clear your schedule, and I thought I had done a good job. Not so. What I didn't know, was that in addition to your book release, Murphy's law of writers comes into play, and suddenly, your editor wants to do line edits on your next book, you still have revisions on another book to finish, all of your kids' activities have games, performances, and projects that require way more of your time than usual, and... wow!!

When I wake up in the mornings, I always say three things I'm thankful for before I get out of bed. My first was that I had a good night's sleep. My second was for how comfortable I am. And my third- that I don't have to leave the house today!

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I'm pretty thankful that I have so many reasons to be busy. So I'm sitting here, drinking my tea, contemplating my inbox, and thinking how nice it is to have so many wonderful things in my life. After all, the alternative is to go stark raving mad, and who wants that? :)

All that to say, which is really the BIG NEWS of this post, Rocky Mountain Dreams is finally available! I'd love for you to grab a copy and let me know what you think!

About the book:

HIS SURPRISE SISTER 
The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father's silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher's lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She's just not as willing to trust the prospector….
Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he's known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle's plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph's quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….

And hey, if you have tips for surviving life when it gets crazier than you expected, let me know. I'd love to hear how you balance everything!

Feature Book: Rocky Mountain Dreams by Danica Favorite

How exciting to hear from Joseph Stone 

the hero from Rocky Mountain Dreams 

a November 2014

release from Love Inspired Historical Romance .

Here's what you can expect to read!

HIS SURPRISE SISTER 

The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father's silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher's lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She's just not as willing to trust the prospector…. 

Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he's known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle's plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph's quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….

And now for the interview:

1.  Joseph, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

There’s not really much to tell. I get up in the morning, I do what I have to do for my family, and I go to bed. I suppose if you asked one of my sisters, they’d tell you about the time I let them dress me up in one of Ma’s dresses to cheer her up. Of course, that was before Ma died, and things haven’t been the same since.

2.  What do you do for fun?
Fun? I wish I knew the meaning of the word. My fiancée, Annabelle, is helping me change that, but until I met her and we went through the wild ride that happens in our story, I didn’t have a whole lot of time for fun. I suppose I’ll be making up for lost time now that Annabelle is in my life.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Paying bills. It seems like there’s always something I have to choose not to pay because there’s not enough money. I don’t know what’s worse, not following through on your obligations, or having to tell one of the little ones they have to do without. 

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

Letting my family down, not being able to provide for them, or having them taken away from me. I know our situation isn’t ideal, but all we have is each other, and as the eldest, it’s my duty to make sure everyone is taken care of.

5.  What do you want out of life?
For my family to be happy and secure. We don’t need anything fancy, but I’d sure like for everyone to have what they need and for my sisters to be able to take off some of the load of raising the rest of my siblings.

6.  What is the most important thing to you?
Well, if you guessed family, you’d have guessed right. I think that’s probably pretty obvious by now. Though I suppose I have to say my faith as well. Meeting the Lassiters has shown me the importance of not just relying on myself to take care of my family, but of also relying on the Lord as well.

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

Wow, that’s really a hard question. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been through so many changes over the course of my story that I’d really like a break from all that changing. I suppose, though, I would like to learn more about defending myself and my family. There were times in the story that I felt really inadequate in being able to do anything to protect them, and even though I know our ultimate protection is from the Lord, I’d sure like to be better equipped should danger come knocking.

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

We used to have a farm, but all those animals were farm animals, I never really saw them as pets. Once we lost the farm, there was no money or space for animals. However, Nugget has been asking for a kitten, and I just know that one of these days she’ll catch me during a weak moment and I’ll give in.

9. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

I don’t know if this counts as little, in my day, Leadville was the second largest city in Colorado. We even had telephone service between businesses and mines, far earlier than many parts of the country. Of course, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since some of the wealthiest families in America got their start in Leadville.

Danica says, "Thanks for Stopping By!"