INTERVIEW & BOOK GIVEAWAY: BLACKSMITH'S BRAVERY

Today I welcome back Susan Page Davis with a few words about the third volume in the Ladies Shooting Club series, The Blacksmith's Bravery.



By age twelve, Vashti Edwards was orphaned and working her way west in saloons. Life in Fergus, Idaho, has given her new hope in Christian friends from The Ladies Shooting Club and an employer who turned her saloon into a restaurant. But money’s tight, and Vashti tries to get the job she’s dreamed of—as a stagecoach driver. Griffin Bane, local blacksmith, is overseeing the stagecoach line and admits he needs more help. But can a woman—even one known to be a good markswoman—handle the challenges and dangers on the trail? And can he brave the beautiful distraction she makes riding alongside him?
Vashti and her boss, Griffin, turn to the Ladies’ Shooting Club of Fergus for extra gun power when the stagecoach line is targeted by robbers. Members willing to defend the passengers and mail can ride the Fergus-to-Boise route for free. Throw a little unforeseen mayhem and romance, and you’ll find this journey unforgettable.

Now for the interview:


1. In Blacksmith’s Bravery, you not only bring back Griffin Bane, you also make an honest woman of one of the former saloon girls. What was your inspiration for the story?

I wanted to do a stagecoach story. I got reading about Silver City and the other mountain towns in Idaho, and how the stagecoaches took people up there. When I saw the actual terrain, I couldn’t believe it. Driving a car up those roads was bad enough, let alone a stagecoach with horses pulling it. I wouldn’t be brave enough, I’m sure. But when I did some more reading about the stage lines and the robberies and all of that, I knew one of my gun-toting ladies had to be in the thick of it. Vashti was a minor character in books 1 and 2, but she steps up here and takes center stage.

Also, in book 2, the owner of the stagecoach line died, so I needed a new man in charge. At first I thought of having Josiah Runnels (another minor character in the series) take it over, but my editor asked for the blacksmith—Griff Bane. A lot of readers liked Griff and wondered if he could be cleaned up and civilized, I guess. So there you go.

2. You have held many jobs on your way to becoming a full-time writer. One of them was blacksmith. Tell us about some of your more interesting jobs.

Wow, yeah—you remembered that. I didn’t shoe horses for very long. Only a few months, actually. Maybe four months after I finished my certification. Then I discovered I was expecting my first child and my hubby decided shoeing horses was probably not a good idea at that time. I never went back to it.

Other jobs I’ve had—waitress, school teacher, horseback riding instructor, clerk in a fabric shop, news correspondent, to name a few.

3. This year has brought many tests your way, including a cross country move. How do you keep going in the face of opposition?

Our move from Maine to Kentucky was actually helpful. We have less maintenance here, and our two children still at home have enrolled in school, so I have more time for writing now. But we’ve had some difficult moments, and the Lord always sustains us. A routine and work habits help when things seem out of control, too.

4. What do you like best about your new Kentucky home?

So far the climate. The people here are very open and friendly as well.

5. What can readers expect to see next from you? Where can they find you on the internet?
My Website is: www.susanpagedavis.com. Next up is a cozy mystery releasing in January. Pieces of the Past is a part of the Patchwork Mysteries series from Guideposts. The books are writing by various authors. Also in January, a collection containing all three of my Alaska books will release as Alaska Weddings (from Barbour). And Homicide at Blue Heron Lake (Book 1 in the Mainely Mysteries series my daughter Megan wrote with me) will release in hardcover, large print—from Thorndike Press. After that, look for Love Finds You in Prince Edward Island, a new, standalone historical book coming in April from Summerside Press. All of these can be seen on my website or Amazon.com, and most of my books are also available at www.christianbook.com and fine bookstores everywhere.

Susan will be giving away one copy of The Blacksmith's Bravery. Leave a comment for your chance to win.