Donna
Schlachter writes historical suspense under her own name and contemporary
suspense under her Leeann Betts alter ego. Donna also teaches writing classes
and courses and is a ghostwriter and editor of both fiction and nonfiction.
Learn more about her and her books at her website where you can receive a free
book by signing up for her newsletter. Today Donna joins us to discuss how she
came up with the idea for Train Ride to Heartbreak, the novella she contributed to The Mail-Order Brides Collection.
The idea for this story came from a love of a movie and a
friend with a great story to share.
The movie was The
Fugitive, both the original series pilot and the more recent remake. I
loved the idea of a train ride leading to a second chance.
My friend had recently taken a train ride from Denver to San
Francisco, and she shared several delightful stories. I wondered if a train
ride might be like a cruise in that it would provide an insulated environment
where the travelers might do something they’d never done before. If so, this
was perfect fodder for a romance, much like the old TV show, The Love Boat.
And then I saw Murder
on the Orient Express, and as a lover of anything Agatha Christie, decided
to incorporate a few of the details in my story.
The result? A chance meeting, two characters with integrity,
and a way for God to reach both of them.
The
Mail-Order Brides Collection
What kind
of woman would answer an advertisement and marry a stranger?
Escape into the history of the American West along with nine
couples whose relationships begin with advertisements for mail-order brides.
Placing their dreams for new beginnings in the hands of a stranger, will each
bride be disappointed, or will some find true love?
Train Ride
to Heartbreak
1895, Train to California
John Stewart needs a wife. Mary Johannson needs
a home. On her way west, Mary falls in love with another. Now both must choose
between commitment and true love.
October 1895
Mary Johannson has scars on her body that can’t compare with
the scars on her heart. She is alone in the world, with no family, no
prospects, and no home.
John Stewart is at his wit’s end. His wife of three years
died in childbirth, leaving him with a toddler and an infant, both girls.
Theirs was the love of fairy tales, and while he has no illusions about finding
another like her, his children need a mother.
Though separated by thousands of miles, John and Mary commit
to a mail-order marriage. But on their journey to Heartbreak, they meet another
and realize the life they’d planned would be a lie. Can they find their way
back from the precipice and into the love of God and each other, or are they
destined to keep their word and deny their heart?
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1 comment:
Thanks so much for letting me share with your readers!
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