Texas Roads (A Miller's Creek Novel) - Cathy Bryant

Synopsis:
City gal Dani Davis just wants to find a place to call home. Miller's Creek, Texas, with its country charm and quirky citizens seems like the perfect place to start over. Perfect, that is, except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town... Dani secretly finances renovations to downtown Miller's Creek, but malicious rumors force her to choose between keeping her involvement a secret and the home for which she's always longed. Then the discovery of an age-old secret propel her down a road she never expected to travel. Steve Miller is determined to save his dying hometown. When vandalism jeopardizes the Miller's Creek restoration project, he can't help but suspect Dani, whose strange behavior has become fodder for local gossips. Will Steve and Dani be able to call a truce for a higher cause, and in the process help Dani understand the true meaning of home?


Author Bio:

Cathy Bryant's debut novel, Texas Roads, was a 2009 finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis competition. A Texas gal by birth, Cathy lives with her husband in a century-old Texas farmhouse, complete with picket fence, flowers, butterflies, and late summer mosquitoes the size of your fist.


©2010


Author Interview:
1. Please tell readers about your current book.

TEXAS ROADS is a 2009 finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest, and tells the story of a disillusioned widow’s quest for home. When Dani Davis visits her aunt in the back roads Texas town of Miller’s Creek, she’s convinced she’s found the perfect place to start over…except for the cowboy who gives her a ride into town. Then malicious rumors and a devastating discovery propel her down a road she never expected to travel.

2. Who or what inspires your writing?

Inspiration comes from everywhere for me! The inspiration for the spiritual thread of TEXAS ROADS came from my own desire to put down roots after moving from one small Texas town to another with my husband’s work. The heroine, Dani, came to me as I worked out in my garden and a car passed by—too slowly for my liking. The person in the car stared as they passed and it irked me a little. Then I wondered how a city gal would react to the lack of privacy you sometimes experience in a small town. The story pretty much wrote itself after that.

3. When did you know you would be a writer?

Sometimes I think I was born with a pen in my hand, because I can’t remember a time when words and stories didn’t flow from my mind. I was an early reader and I devoured books as a child. It was a natural progression into writing. I entered and won several high school writing contests and worked for the town newspaper as my after school job. So, to answer your question, I guess I’ve always considered myself a writer.

4. How long did it take you to write your first novel?

It only took one month to get the lousy first draft on paper, but it took the better part of a year to polish it up.

5. What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Definitely the edits and revisions! I’m hoping my second book in the Miller’s Creek series will be a little easier since I’ve leaved so much about writing during the time I wrote TEXAS ROADS.

6. Do you have any writing rituals?

I’m a big planner. To sit down and start writing a book without knowing the details is akin to setting out on a trip without a destination in mind, and I would end up lost in both situations! I probably spend the better part of a month filling out lengthy character charts and writing a detailed plot outline. The first draft comes pretty easy after that.

7. Have you written any thing else?

I started several novels when my boys were at home, but never finished one. (I still have them tucked away. Maybe one of these days I’ll dust them off and see if the ideas are actually book-worthy.) I have several devotions published both online and in print books (Spirit & Heart: A Devotional Journey and Faith & Finances: In God We Trust), with another one scheduled for publication in the Upper Room magazine in July 2010. I’m also about 50,000 words into the second book in the Miller’s Creek series.)

8. Any advice to aspiring writers?

Read voraciously, especially in the genre you’re writing. Study the craft of writing. There are some awesome books out there to hone your skills as a fiction writer. My personal favorites are: Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins, Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon, and Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Brown and King.
And write, write, write. The only way to get better at writing is to write.

9. Who is your favorite Author?

Picking only one is sooooo hard! I’ll say Francine Rivers, but I also love some of the classic writers, such as the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.

10. What is your favorite book?

Redeeming Love is my all-time favorite, with Anne of Green Gables coming in a close second. I know it may sound weird to have a book from my childhood as one of my favorites, but I related so well to Anne that I often pull it out to read it again.

11. What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading No Other written by my friend, Shawna K. Williams.

12. How do readers find out more about you?

I love connecting with readers. You can learn more at my website, www.CatBryant.com or my blog (http://WordVessel.blogspot.com). I’m also at Facebook, Twitter and ShoutLife.

Readers, if you’d like to take TEXAS ROADS for a trial spin, you can sign up for free chapters at http://TexasRoadsbyCathyBryant.blogspot.com. Hopefully you’ll get engrossed in the story and decide to buy it! ;-) If you do, it’s available at Amazon.com in print, and in e-book format at Smashwords.com.

Freda, thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. I enjoyed it very much!


To purchase print copy: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Roads-Cathy-Bryant/dp/0984431101/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267824883&sr=8-1

To purchase as an e-book: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8963





My Opinion:
I have to give kudos to Cathy on her debut novel! What a beautifully written story about faith, compassion, and perserverance. At least that is what it meant to me.
Though the leading character, Dani, thought she had no faith in the beginning I believe it was there all along. She just couldn't see it. Once she saw her own faith, and believed in HIM, she knew happiness again.
Dani goes through a lot in this story, and right along with her, you empathize. Though I admit, at the start of the story, I thought Dani to be a bit hoity-toity. I grew quickly to enjoy her, as I saw it was a bit of a mask. To shelter years of pain.
We can all relate to that in some way, either in our own lives or through some one we know. It is easy to step into the book and get lost in it. For me this was a very fast read.
I am recommending this book, to everyone. I also want to add that I'm anxiously awaiting Book 2 in this series, A Path Too Narrow. I can't wait to see how life is for Dani, after she begins to enjoy living. Hopefully it will appear in my mailbox one day, *hint hint*.
(4.5/5)


~I received a copy from the author. I was not compensated for my opinion.~