Margaret Brownley's "A Lady Like Sarah"

We're happy to have Margaret Brownley with us. Read on to learn more about Margaret and her book...

1) How did this story come to you? The story was inspired by the escapades of Pearl Hart. Desperate to help her seriously-ill mother, she stopped a stage and, with the help of a loaded pistol, convinced its passengers to help pay her poor mama’s medical bills. (Bet you didn’t know that health care was highway robbery even back in the Old West.) The question that kept running though my mind was, how desperate would a person have to be to rob a stage? Suddenly Sarah popped up on the page and demanded in no uncertain terms that I tell her story.

So I had my outlaw. Now all I needed was the hero. That turned out to be disgraced preacher Justin Wells who finds Sarah handcuffed to a dying marshal on the dusty trail to Texas.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I entered the book in a bunch of contests at first to get reader feed-back. It won the contests but judges were adamant that I’d have to tone down the heroine if I ever hoped to see the book published. One day, I sat down at my computer to follow that advice, but I felt like I was losing her, losing the person she was meant to be. So I put her back as she was and was determined to keep her that way even if it meant the book would never see the light of day. Fortunately, my agent liked the book the way it was written and she landed me a three book contract. Sometimes, you just have to go with your instincts.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
• I pretty much failed English in school (still can’t diagram a sentence).
• Ditto history (Who can remember all those dates and battles?)
• A historical writer who failed English and history in school isn’t surprising enough?

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I just finished book 2 of my Rocky Creek series, A Suitor for Jenny. I’m currently working on book 3. I haven’t had time to think about what’s next.

5) Parting comments?
Thank you for having me on your blog—and thank you all for visiting. Have a great 2010!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet? You can visit me at www.margaretbrownley.com. I’m also a regular blogger on www.petticoatsandpistols.com