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Hello All! It’s me again, Debra. I want to share with you a little about book one in the Alabama Brides series, A Marriage of Convenience. It was my self-published, debut novel. This is the book that started it all! :) I’m giving away an ebook copy of this one, too!
Now, the reason I’m wanting to tell you about this book today is because book two in this series will be releasing very soon. Also, here is where I’m doing my title reveal. As a news reporter would say, “You heard it here first on InspyRomance.com”
The title for book two is, A Marriage Worth Waiting For. I’m having to slap my hand to keep from sharing the cover, too, but I guess I need to wait until it’s available for purchase.
Anyway, here’s the back cover Blurb for, A Marriage of Convenience:
In Martin Chapman’s will, his final request is a peculiar one. Upon the day of their marriage, his caregiver Lily Meyers and his grandson Bryce Fowler will become joint beneficiaries of his entire estate, which includes the Chapman Quarter Horse Ranch.There’s only one problem, Lily and Bryce have never met. For the past three years, Lily and her five-year-old son Joey have lived on the ranch with Martin, never knowing they might inherit anything. Will Lily uproot her son from the only stable home he’s ever known, or will she marry a man she doesn’t know to secure her son’s future?Bryce’s decision isn’t an easy one either. Will he leave the fast pace and bright city lights of New York City to move to the sleepy little town in Trinity, Alabama, or will the cowboy life and Lily prove challenging enough to chase him back to his comfort zone?
Now, here’s an excerpt:
The sound of the timber’s rattler made the hair on the back of her neck stand on its ends as beads of sweat scattered across her forehead.
She wanted to kick herself for not being more vigilant as she stared at the rattler curled on top of a sack of feed. Her mind had been on other things, and not on things it should have been on. Now the snake was only inches from her thigh, and she knew if he struck her, the consequences could be deadly.
Champ whimpered but laid down beside Lily’s foot. “Good, boy.”
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Suddenly the barn door swung open. “Lily, are you in here? What’s wrong?”
Pulling on all of her training, Lily did not jump nor turn. Even a flinch could invite a reaction she knew she would not enjoy. For his part, Bryce froze in his steps when he saw her, and then his eyes traveled to the vibrating maraca sound. His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face.
“Stop.” She spoke slowly, quietly, and through clenched teeth, trying not to move. “Don’t come any closer. If you move too quickly, he’ll strike, and I don’t think I can move fast enough to get out of the way. I can’t let him escape because it wouldn’t be safe for any of us with this thing loose in the barn. We have to kill it.” Her jaws ached from trying to speak without moving her lips.
“Kill it?” Bryce asked, and he swallowed. Fear etched his face as he looked from Lily to the snake and back to Lily. “What do you want me to do?”
“I need you to fetch my rifle.”
“Your rifle?” He had to breathe that word down. “Where is it?”
Not moving was getting more and more difficult. Her muscles begged to be let out of their chains. “It’s in the gun cabinet in my bedroom at the guesthouse. The key to the cabinet is hanging on a hook above the door.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“Bryce.”
“What?”
“Be careful with the rifle. It’s loaded.”
With Bryce gone, she returned her attention to the intruder. The rattler moved his head back and forth in a slow rhythm as if it was daring Lily to move. She wondered why this evil creature hadn’t already struck, and even the thought made her heart thump so hard in her chest it sounded like thunder in her ears. Breathe, Lily. Just breathe. God, please help Bryce. Help him hurry. She had never considered herself a crier, but tears were beginning to pool in her eyes, either from the fear or not being able to move. She wasn’t sure which.
Moments later, Bryce eased back into the barn, this time with the rifle in hand.
Lily slowly lifted her hand for the rifle, but when Bryce tried to move closer, the rattler jerked its head up and to one side.
All of Bryce’s movement stopped too. “He’s not going to let me get close enough to hand the gun off to you. I’ll have to do it.”
More fear kicked up in Lily’s soul. “Do you even know how to shoot a gun?”
“I know a little.”
“That’s comforting.” She beat the sarcasm down and instead focused on coaching him through the coming moments. “You can’t miss. You have to get him on the first try.”
She squeezed her eyes tight. Lord, guide his aim. Please don’t let him shoot me in the leg—or worse.
Her breath bucked and jerked, giving her no oxygen as Bryce lifted the rifle and pulled back the hammer. The sound of the gunshot echoed against the walls, moving her without her help. She didn’t feel any pain from a snakebite or a gunshot.
I love to read and write about Cowboys. What do you like to read about the most?
Comment before Saturday May 7 for a chance to win an ebook copy of, A Marriage of Convenience.
Debra Lynn Collins is an Amazon No# 1 bestselling author. She was born and raised in Georgia, but moved to Gaylesville, Alabama after her 1981 marriage. She considers herself a Georgiabamian. God has blessed Debra with four children and seven grandchildren. Through the years, she has tried her hand at many, many crafts. Everything from quilting, candle making, woodworking, cake decorating, scrapbooking, and the list goes on and on. She is now living her own happily-ever-after ending with her biggest fan and husband, Steve, while writing contemporary Christian romances. Debra is a graduate from The Long Ridge Writers Group and an active member of ACFW (American Christina Fiction Writers)
Hi Debra, I purchased this book last year and enjoyed reading it- have re-read it a couple times in fact!! Look forward to book 2.
Congratulations on your latest release, Debra. I enjoyed reading the excerpt!
This blurb was so exciting. Thank you for sharing. I have a deal with my husband that I don’t buy new books until I at least finish the ones I really want to read, so A Marriage of Convenience has been on my list for a while and I haven’t got around to get it yet. (I might need to find a way around this thought.)
I don’t really care for cowboys in general, except that I do love how they are usually stable, dependable, loyal, and strong characters, but still real and humans. Cowgirls Don’t Cry and A Match Made for Christmas are some of my favorites in the sense of really great characters.
I just love marriages of convenience… Marriage is after all a commitment.
Good morning, Wemble! I’m so glad you enjoyed reading, A Marriage of Convenience. I’m super excited about the release of book 2. I have to share this tidbit of information with you, it’s Wade’s story. I felt like he needed a happy ending, too. :)
I loved the excerpt. I enjoy reading about cowboys, athletes, firefighters, dukes, just about any hero does it for me.
Good morning, Jill! Thank you so much!
Good morning, Priscila! I have a must-read list, a want-to-read list, and a I-really-like-that-blurb list. And, I have to admit that my Kindle and my book shelves are overflowing with all of these. So, I do understand. But you may just win this one and that would be one way around your deal. :)
I’m glad you liked my other two books, too! Thanks!
Good morning, Danellaauten! I completely agree with you, marriage is a commitment. I’m still loving my commitment that I made 35 years ago, and the wonderful thing is, I’m still madly in love with him :)
Good morning, Michele! I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I am terrified of snakes. It doesn’t matter to me if they are venomous or not. If they slither, you’ll find me running :) So, I really enjoyed writing that scene, and I thought it would be a great one to share in this post. If a hero makes me swoon, he wins my heart!
Great excerpt! I love reading about cowboys and regency England. Congrats on your new book release!
Good morning, Beth! Thank you so much!
Excellent excerpt from your newest novel. It is very suspenseful.
You’ve got me curious about the blurb for book two now! I hope it does as well for you as Convenience has. :)
Sounds like a fun read! As someone else above mentioned, I like to read about cowboys, firefighters, lawyers, doctors, etc,., etc…. I just like to read!
This book sounds very interesting. Is there a way to get a paperback copy? I would like to order it. If not how do I get an e copy? I would like to be entered. I like to read about cowboys and like Margaret Nelson said I just like to read.
Congratulations! This book sounds like a good read.
Thank you, Tammy! The excerpt is from, A Marriage of Convenience :) I really enjoyed writing that scene. Lily might have not been that afraid, but I would have passed out. LOL!
Thanks, Valerie! The blurb for ‘A Marriage Worth Waiting For’ just may be shared in my next post, along with a giveaway ;)
I love marriage of convenience books. It’s so fascinating to me for some reason.
Hello Margaret! I understand what you mean. If the hero can make my heart race, then it really doesn’t matter what he does for a living :) Even though, I do lean a little more toward cowboy stories, I also enjoy reading so many others, too!
I’m one of those who read your first book and absolutely loved it! You’re definitely a writer, my friend, and a very good one at that. Like some of the others who have commented, for some reason, marriages of convenience really resonate with me. They always have. I look for them when looking at romance stories. My first love among Christian fiction, which is the only type of fiction I read, is suspense/romance or mystery stories intertwined with romance. But I do read a number of other genres including Historical romance and western romances or even contemporary romance. I’m pretty wide in my reading habits. But there is an excitement somehow about marriages where there is the extreme unknown. In real life I’d never want to live through it, of course. Go figure.
May God use you for His glory and His purposes as you write those wonderful stories with which He inspires you.
I do hope I win too.
I also have my paperback and kindle books organized in many lists by topic and must-read, re-read because they are great, re-read good books, and probably will like to read.
Hello, Connie! You can purchase them in paperback through Amazon. Or you can buy a signed copy directly from me. If you’ll contact me through my website http://www.debralynncollins.com or PM me through Facebook, I can give you the details on how to order any of my books.
We all love a good hero, don’t we? :)
Thank you, Karensuehadley!
Hello Dana! Oh, so do I. In this book they are from two completely different worlds. She’s Alabama Country, He’s New York City. The back cover tag is… Will she marry a man she doesn’t even know to secure her son’s future? :)
Hello, Connie! They’re available in paperback on Amazon. But, you can also purchase them directly from me, too. If you will contact me through my website http://www.debralynncollins.com or PM me through Facebook, I can give you the details on how you can order a signed copy of any of my books.
We all love a good hero, don’t we?
Hello Faith! It’s so good to see you here. I’m glad you enjoyed reading, AMOC. Book two in the Alabama Brides Series, is Wade’s story. Like I told someone earlier today, Wade needed a happy ending, too. :) You’re already on my mailing list, Faith, so as soon as A Marriage Worth Waiting For is available, I’ll be sending out a newsletter to let everyone know :)
Congrats on the new book.
Thank you so much, Merrillee!
Sounds like a great book
Oh my, oh my I am hooked! I need to read this one!
I just enjoy anything in the old west, horses, cowboys and a little romance..
Good stuff!
Thank you, Shelia!
Hello DK Stevens! I am right there with you! :)
I love books about heroes, especially cowboys! And I love books about marriages of convenience, so I am really hoping to win this contest!!! Thanks!
Hey Lori! There’s just something about a man in a cowboy hat that makes my heart flutter :) Your name has been added to the drawing. Good luck to you!
I love reading marriage of convenience stories and Amish and contemporary Christian.
Hello Gail! This story is two out of three of your favorites. It’s Contemporary Christian Marriage of Convenience :)
Wow! Exciting excerpt! I just plain love to read. :) I do really enjoy stories that involve showing God’s grace and redemption though!
Hello Juliejobe! Oh yes, that’s the only kind of stories that I read and write. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today if it wasn’t for the grace and the love of God. :)
Congrats on the new release Debra!! Sounds like it’s gonna be fun :-)
Romance is what I like to read about the most…does that sum it up in a nutshell or what….HA! Historical to Suspense, Foreign country to the US, Alpha male to sweet hero, long-time friends to newly met, etc…..as long as there’s always a happy ending, I’m all for it :-)
Thanks for the chance to win your book. I too, like marriage of convenience.
Hey Trixi! I’m with you, I am a romance reading/writing girl all the way!! Happily-ever-afters are the only way to go :)
Wow, you sure now how to tease your readers! I can’t wait to read the entire book. Congratulations, Debra!
Thank you, Jenny! I was hoping the snake scene would catch everyone’s attention :)
I enjoyed A Marriage of Convenience and Cowgirls Don’t Cry. Looking forward to your next book!