Meet Mary Connealy

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I'm so excited! Today we're kicking off our Back 2 School Book Bonanza! Over the next eight weeks we have 22 Christian authors lined up for spotlights, interviews and book giveaways of their new releases. I hope you'll join us often!

To be entered in a book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on the following Sunday or Wednesday to see if you've won. Those will be our two winner announcement days. Each book giveaway will be open for five days. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar. You can enter twice for each author--once for each post you leave a comment on. Two comments on the same post will only count once, but a comment on the Meet the author post and a comment of the interview with the author post will count twice. *grin* Clear as mud?

And now, here's Mary.

Mary Connealy, author of the Lassoed in Texas series, begins a new series with Montana Rose. She writes romantic comedies with cowboys for Barbour.

Mary is married to her high school sweetheart, Ivan, a Nebraska farmer/rancher. She is the mother of four beautiful daughters Josie, married to Matt, Wendy, Shelly, married to Aaron and Katy. She’s got one beautiful granddaughter, Elle.

You can keep up with Mary (or try to! LoL) at her website or her blog. She also blogs on my favorite writing blog, Seekers and also on Petticoats and Pistols.

Montana Rose
Left pregnant and widowed in the unforgiving west, Cassie is forced into an unwanted marriage to rancher Red Dawson.
No decent man could turn away from Cassie and leave her to the rough men in Divide, Montana. Red Dawson can't turn his back on the spoiled, snooty, beautiful woman. Now he's got himself a wife he's sure God never intended. And when he informs her there'll be no more silk dresses and she has to do some work around the ranch he's surprised she immediately tries to help with everything. Too bad she's a walking disaster. His ranch may not survive her efforts to pitch in.

Now, instead of a spoiled wife he's got himself an overly obedient and badly incompetent one, and poor Red is so charmed by her he can't bear to scold. He's not much for bossing people around, anyway.

While Red tries to survive Cassie's help and Cassie tries to use her own mind instead of meekly obeying for the first time in her life, an obsessed man plots to make Cassie his own, something he can't do as long as Red lives.

Montana Rose was actually inspired by Janette Oke's beautiful classic novel Love Comes Softly. Of course, I'm not Janette Oke (unfortunately for me) and my novel has taken an alarming turn to romantic comedy, suspense and chaos.



Here's an excerpt from Montana Rose.

Cassie got to him. She had ever since the first time Red had seen her nearly two years ago. And now she was available. Someone would have to marry her to keep her alive. Women didn’t live without men in the unsettled West. Life was too hard. The only unattached women around worked above the Golden Butte Saloon and, although they survived, Red didn’t consider their sad existence living.

“You’re established on the ranch these days, Red. Your bank account’s healthy.” Muriel crouched down so she was eye level with Red, who was digging himself down fast. “Maybe it’s time you took a wife.”

Red froze and looked up at his friend. Muriel was a motherly woman, though she had no children. And like a mother, she seemed comfortable meddling in his life.

Red realized he was staring and went back to the grave, tempted to toss a shovel full of dirt on Muriel’s wily face. He wouldn’t throw it hard. He just wanted to distract her.

When he was sure his voice would work, he said, “Cassie isn’t for me, Muriel. And it isn’t because of what it would cost to keep her. If she was my wife, she’d live within my means and that would be that.”

Red had already imagined—in his unruly mind—how stern he’d be when she asked for finery. “You’ll have to sew it yourself or go without.” He even pictured himself shaking a scolding finger right under her turned-up nose. She’d mind him.

He’d imagined it many times, many, many times. And long before Griff died, which was so improper Red felt shame. He’d tried to control his willful thoughts. But a man couldn’t stop himself from thinking a thought until he’d started, now could he? So he’d started a thousand times and then he stopped himself. . .mostly. He’d be kind and patient but he wouldn’t bend. He’d say, “Cass honey, you—”

Red jerked his thoughts away from the old, sinful daydream about another man’s wife. Calmly, he answered Muriel, “She isn’t for me because I would never marry a non-believer.”

With a wry smile, Seth caught on and threw in on Muriel’s side—the traitor. “A woman is a mighty scarce critter out here, Red. It don’t make sense to put too many conditions on the ones there are.”

“I know.” Red talked to himself as much as to them. He hung on to right and wrong. He clung to God’s will. “But one point I’ll never compromise on is marrying a woman who doesn’t share my faith.”

“Now, Red,” Muriel chided, “you shouldn’t judge that little girl like that. How do you know she’s not a believer?”

“I’m not judging her, Muriel.” Which Red realized was absolutely not true. “Okay, I don’t know what faith she holds. But I do know that the Griffins have never darkened the doorstep of my church.”


You can order Montana Rose from Amazon and CBD.

Mary is giving away a copy of Montana Rose. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Sunday, August 16th to see if you've won. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar. You can enter twice--once for each post you leave a comment on. :-)

Be sure to join us tomorrow for an interview with Mary!

25 comments:

  1. The book sounds wonderful. I'll be on the lookout for it.

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  2. Anonymous8:48 AM

    It sounds really good!!
    abster(dot)rose(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ~Abby

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  3. Anonymous9:13 AM

    This sounds good. Have read reviews on it. Please enter me. Thank you
    desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

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  4. Good morning Leann and Abby and Desert Rose...Patty, too.
    Thanks for having me on. Good luck to all of you in the drawing.

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  5. If anyone has questions they'd like to ask I'll stop in through the day and answer them...or maybe fail to answer them. I do some of both!

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  6. Please don't enter me I was already fortunate enough to win a copy of Montana Rose. I just had to stop by and say how wonderful this book is! I read it and reviewed it the day it came in the mail! Cassie and Red are wonderful. I kept hoping Cassie would tell it like it is and by the end of the book she did! So I loved it! If you're not lucky enough to win, DEFINITELY go out and pick up a copy of this book!

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  7. Renee, you are SUCH a good girl. :)

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  8. I'm a fan of Mary Connealy and would love to read this new series. Thank you for the giveaway, Patty.

    cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

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  9. I can't wait to read this book! It would be wonderful to win, but if not, I will definitely go buy it! I love old west stories. Looking forward to it!

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  10. Ohhhh, SO looking forward to this! I'm a HUGE romantic comedy fan (so much so that I try to write it myself... although I know.. I know... humor is in the eye of the beholder!)

    Would love a chance to win!

    krista at kristaphillips dot com

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  11. No offense to Janette Oke, because I loved Love Comes Softly, but this version sounds much more fun! LOL

    ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

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  12. I've been emailing the Lifetime Movie Network telling them exactly the same thing, ~ley. But will they LISTEN?

    I think they may have reported me as spam.

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  13. Mary, thanks so much for being here--really being here--yanno, more than just a picture, but popping in and out like you are. I've loved having you drop by and smile every time I see you. :)

    I just really wanna know how you manage all the writing you do, your day job, the networking and connecting and publicizing that you do and in addition to life. How? Do you ever sleep?

    LoL--I'm serious.

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  14. Oh I would love to get a copy of this book. It sounds so good.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

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  15. Tammy A2:43 PM

    I love Mary Connealy books! Thanks for the chance to win!
    TammyA
    Tatertam1@aol.com

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  16. I love Mary's books and have entered I don't know how many contest trying to win "Montana Rose" but so far have not won it. Please enter me in this give-away to let me have another chance.

    May God bless

    mamat2730(at)charter(dot)net

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  17. Montana Rose is going to be a fabulous read. Mary is one of my favorite authors.
    malward2002[at]yahoo[dot]ca

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  18. Loved the first three books in the series and would love to win this one!

    rodgerandjody at hotmail dot com

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  19. Patty a big part of my writing actually came because I am a crazed insomniac. Late, late, late nights, I would write to stay sane.

    Whether or not I actually stayed sane is in no doubt. My husband has had me tested on several occasiona.

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  20. Today was one of those days though. I'm blogging tomorrow on Petticoats and Pistols.

    I actually have a job and need to do work for that. (how unfair! But they do give me money so I behave)

    I had two books to mail out. One to New Zealand which is expensive but fun once in a while, to send books off to the other side of the world.

    Lists. I make lists and when things get tense.
    I buckle down. I go without sleep. I focus. I try harder. I make lists. I get organized. I squeese wasted seconds out of the day.

    And I actually have a book to write too, and that is always a priority.

    And also, when it all gets to be too much, well, that's what they invented hot fudge sundaes for.

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  21. Molly9:37 PM

    Please enter me in the contest! I would like to tell Mary that I am getting ready to read her book Gingham Mountain....I can't wait to read it! Her books are wonderful! If I am lucky enough to win her book then I will be passing it on and spreading her work throughout my friends and family! Thanks and blessings to Mary! Mollydawn1981@aol.com

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  22. Hi, Molly. Good luck in the drawing. Thanks for the kind words about my books.

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  23. Enter me please Patty! The book sounds like fun! (and so does Mary!!!)

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  24. Have really enjoyed reading not only the post, but Mary's comments on other comments here. I would be interested in this drawing.

    Patty - I know that I live in Canada...but I could give you my parent's US address. Please can I join? :)

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  25. Hi Stina! Now you know one of the reasons why Mary is a fave of mine. =) She interacts with us and her personality shines thru.

    If you win (I'll use that wonderful random number generator) just use your folks' addy. =)

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