ASK ME TO MARRY YOU by Heather Blanton


                                              REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, & GIVEAWAY        


If you like novellas with a twist, then you’re in for a treat. Ask Me to Marry You is a marriage of convenience meets mail order bride… er, groom. She wants to keep her ranch. He wants to keep his freedom. Can they both find what they’re looking for in each other?

Audra & Dillon band together to save her ranch, the Diamond D, from the clutches of Jess Fairbanks, who wants to expand his land with the land from the Diamond D. Meanwhile, Audra tries her best to be salt and light for Dillon as he has questions of a more ever-lasting nature.

Ask Me to Marry You is a quick-moving western romance with a little twist. It is a standalone novella in the Brides of Evergreen Series. We see a brief glimpse of Dent (yay!) from Hang Your Heart on Christmas, but the story will make sense even if you haven’t read the first in the series (which you should). I enjoyed Ask Me to Marry You as much as Hang Your Heart. An easy read, it kept my interest and left me wanting more.
           

                                                    MEET HEATHER BLANTON

"I believe Christian fiction should be messy and gritty, because the human condition is ...
and God loves us anyway." 
-- Heather Blanton


A former journalist, Heather is an avid researcher and skillfully weaves truth in among fictional story lines. She loves exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw's note in her hand. 

Heather is the independent bestselling author of several Christian Westerns, including the Romance in the Rockies series [which I recommend]. Christian Westerns is the genre that lets her write about strong pioneer women and men who struggle to find God and then live out their faith in real ways. Romance is always a strong element in her stories because it is such a beautiful gift from God, and a perfect reflection of how he loves His children: sacrificially and lavishly. Heather's stories aren't preachy or cheesy, but she hopes they are heart-warming, realistic, illuminating, and glorifying to God. Like good old-fashioned Westerns, there is always justice, a moral message, American values, lots of high adventure, unexpected plot twists, and more than a touch of suspense. 


What did you like best about writing this story?  
I'm always wrangling for ways to come up with a plot twist or find a different treatment for a genre. When I was asked by author Susette Williams if I would like to include a story in her new mail order bride collection, I immediately wanted to find a way to set the traditional version of the plot on its ear. I remembered an article I'd written about a female doctor in Colorado who couldn't attract patients because of her gender. I knew I had the reason for an "arranged" business deal/marriage that was plausible: discrimination. Audra can't get hands to work for her because she's a woman. 

Who is your favorite character & why?
Dillon is my favorite character because he has a lot of layers to him. This is a short novella, so I held back some of his history, but I hinted at. Believe me, though, it's coming.

What is a beloved tidbit from the story?
There is a scene in which Audra finally decides Dillon may use her dead father's saddle. She needs to let go of her grief and he needs a symbol of authority.

On what are you working now?
A romcom set in 1943 Cheyenne, WY. A fun love triangle in the vein of While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal, it's steeped in World War 2 and 1940's history! Love, Lies & Typewriters will be out in November!

What are four frivolous things you love?
Coffee, wine, popcorn, and pizza. Though I do NOT consider those things frivolous. They are in my survival kit! 


You can learn more about Heather Blanton and her work



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