A Lady in the Making, by Susan Page Davis - FREE BOOK

 

 

Tell us about your book.

A Lady in the Making is the third book in the Prairie Dreams series. David Stone, a British aristocrat, has been living in Oregon, but has now decided to return to England to claim his title and estate. Millie Evans has changed, choosing to leave Oregon rather than join an outlaw gang with her brother. Hoping for a new future, she boards a stagecoach and finds that one of the passengers is David Stone—a man she and her brother once tried to swindle. As she tries to convince David she’s different now, her brother’s gang holds up the stagecoach. Fighting beside David goes a long way to softening his heart, but he’s still not convinced. Someone is trying to keep him from reaching England to claim his inheritance. Is Millie involved? Millie must trust God to show David the truth, but will he see before it’s too late?

 

Can you give us a sneak peek at your new release?

First page:

1857   The Dalles, Oregon

 

Chapter One

 

“You lied to me, Sam.” Millie Evans peeked out the window from behind the half-yard of muslin that served as a curtain. Outside the shanty they rented behind the feed store, a tall man with thick, dark hair and a week’s growth of beard stood smoking a cigarette.

        Millie turned back toward Sam and glared at him. “You said you were looking for a job, but you went and found that despicable man and brought him back here.”

        “I was looking for a job,” Sam sputtered. “But I couldn’t find one, and then Lucky turned up.”

        “Oh, sure he did. Like a bad penny. I suppose you just happened to be in the saloon when he dropped out of the sky.”

        Sam cringed, and she shook her head in disgust. “I came to The Dalles because you told me we could make an honest living together. Big laugh that turned out to be. And now you’ve brought him here. I told you before, I will not go live with a pack of outlaws.”

        She stalked to the wall and pulled her apron, extra dress, and shawl down from where they hung on nails and threw them on her bed. She stooped and felt underneath the end of the bedframe for the handle of her worn valise. Listening to her half-brother was the biggest mistake she’d ever made.

        “Aw, come on, Millie. I just want to make things better.”

        “Better?” She pulled out the traveling bag and plunked it on the bed. “How is going into crime better?”

        “You can have better things. You know. Clothes and—and jewelry, maybe. Lip rouge, stuff like that. It’d be better than scraping by like we are now.”

        “Is that what you thought when you went with Lucky last year?”

        “Well, no.”

        “Exactly. But then two months ago, you wrote to me and said you were leaving the gang and you were ready to settle down in a nice little house somewhere with me.”

        Sam hung his head, and his face colored. “I’m sorry, Millie.” Neither of them had to speak of the money he’d earmarked to buy that little house. He’d lost it all gambling by the time Millie had traveled up here from Elkton. A woman who’d lived thirty years and more ought to know better than to trust a gambling man, even if he was kin.

 

Are you a panster or do you outline?

I used to be a panster, but I always outline now. It saves me so much trouble that I would not consider writing a book without it again. It’s no fun to write 50,000 words or more and then discover that one of your major plot points is not going to work.

 

How long have you been writing?

I have been seriously writing fiction for 13 years.

 

Tell us something silly about you.

Way back when I was a waitress, I once served Bob Dylan a cup of hot tea. With lemon.

 

What was the first book you ever wrote?

The first one I wrote was a detective story that has never been published. The first one published was Protecting Amy, a western romance set in Wyoming.

 

If you could travel back in time when and where would you go?

I’d love to visit a castle at the height of the medieval period. But I can already tell you, I wouldn’t want to STAY there. I like my modern comforts too well.

 

 

We’re giving away a copy of A Lady in the Making here. I also do a monthly book drawing on my website: www.susanpagedavis.com . Hop on over and sign up there, using the “Monthly Contest” form on the left side of the page. The winners get to choose which book they want.

 Susan has offered one free copy to a lucky winner. In order for their to be a contest at least 10 people need to leave comments WITH email addresses or you can email me at srstormo@yahoo.com and put "contest-Lady in the Making" in the subject line. Winner announced 10/14/12.