Linda Bradley warms up our winter...plus a book giveaway

Interview by Tracey Meyers

We're pleased to have Linda Bradley here today. We featured her Montana Bound series last year and she now has a holiday story to go along with it, A Montana Bound Christmas. Linda has two e-books to share with some lucky readers! It's something you can read in front of a fireplace while sipping hot cocoa. (Or at least it will evoke that feeling!)

Linda Bradley’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments that make readers connect with her characters.

Linda has an Associates Degree in Interior Design and a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts with undergraduate work in Elementary Education and Fine Arts. She wrote and illustrated a children’s book titled, The Hunter for her Master’s Degree. Linda is a member of RWA, as well as the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA and the Capital City Writers Association in Lansing, Michigan. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook. (Bio courtesy of Linda's website.)

Synopsis:
Chloe and John McIntyre await Maggie Abernathy's arrival at the 617 Ranch, but snowfall has halted flights from Michigan to Montana. While Maggie and her mother, Glad prepare for their delayed departure, eight-year-old Chloe prepares for disappointment. Anticipating Maggie's absence on Christmas morning, Chloe invites her Hollywood mother to the ranch hoping to fill the void. Brook's unexpected acceptance, raises the stakes for John who wants his first Christmas with Maggie to be perfect. With a few unexpected twists and turns, along with a missing dog, this cast of misfits manages to band together in true Montana Bound fashion to celebrate the holiday season.

"What fun! From the first chapter to the last, this story is a like a warm hug. Linda Bradley weaves the different worlds of each of the characters together in a rich tapestry that mirrors the story line itself. This could easily become a beloved holiday movie classic, if it were given the chance. Maggie, John, and Chloe will feel as much like family to you as they do to each other. Open a wonderful gift of the holidays, when you open A Montana Bound Christmas." 
~Annette Rochelle Aben, Amazon.Com Best Selling Author


In your bio you mentioned that part of your inspiration for your writing comes from your life. What is an example of a life experience you used in your writing?
In March 2013, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was a wake-up call. The kind that smacks you in the face. I’d been writing, working two jobs, and raising two teenage boys. Right then I realized I needed to buckle down to achieve a dream. I’d been working on several writing projects, but my intuition nagged at me to begin something new. So, I did. I put everything aside and began writing The Montana Bound Series. The story line lingered in the back of my brain with a clutter of other ideas. After seven weeks of radiation treatment, I decided it was time to get myself organized, connect with my characters, and get published. In doing so, I gave my heroine breast cancer. Writing about her journey helped me forge through my own. Four years and four books later, I’m still writing about Maggie Abernathy and her merry band of misfits. With that said, I’m healthy and still writing!

What part of writing do you find the easiest and the hardest?
New characters and story lines manifest themselves easily. The hardest part is trying not to entertain them all simultaneously.

How has your writing evolved over the years?
I’ve been writing all my life. Even as a grade school student, I wrote and entered my work in contests. The progression has been naturally nurtured with the beat of time. I believe my characters have become richer and the flow of words stronger.

What is your favorite part about the winter?
The best part of winter is eating chili on a cold day after shoveling snow and Christmas lights.

A six-year child asks you if Santa Claus is real. What do you tell them?
“Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus.” (Then I have to explain who Virginia is.)

What is your New Year's Eve tradition?
Staying home with my husband, eating in, watching television together, and a midnight kiss to celebrate the New Year.

Thanks to Linda for visiting with us and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends December 17th at midnight EST.