| And a child will lead them. Even if she’s a seventeen-year-old, raven-haired bear slayer though? Ava May, head strong, fetching, and true of soul grew up wise in the ways of swamp living while so naive concerning the outside world. Gold for her ma to pay off her dead father’s debts and the promise of great adventure transport her from her backwoods Louisiana cabin to Montana’s big sky county to marry a stranger. However, love threatens to thwart all the plans made for the mail-order bride before the wagon train’s wheels stop rolling. Enjoy your journey with Ava and the other brides under Miss Lottie’s care on the Oregon Trail, living though temptations, dangers, and the harrowing trek. Genre: Historical Christian Romance Release date: May 3, 2023 Click here to get your copy! |  |
Interview with Caryl
Intro
Hey, Jasmine! Thank you so much for inviting me to share today! I’m looking forward to meeting some of your readers!
Hey, Jasmine! Thank you so much for inviting me to share today! I’m looking forward to meeting some of your readers!
1. How long did it take to finish writing this book?
I started AVA on December 3rd and finished it a week into February, so wrote its 200+ pages (55, 797 words) in nine weeks! I pretty much write every day, usually first thing in the morning with coffee—well, first thing I do is pray. 😊
I started AVA on December 3rd and finished it a week into February, so wrote its 200+ pages (55, 797 words) in nine weeks! I pretty much write every day, usually first thing in the morning with coffee—well, first thing I do is pray. 😊
2. What drew you to write in this particular genre?
In 2012, I met a New York agent, Mary Sue Seymour at a small writers’ conference in East Texas. I was to be her gopher. . . see to it that all her needs were met! When we went to get her at the hotel, right off the elevator, she came and hugged my neck, saying she’d never met a McAdoo who wasn’t family!
Her maiden name was McAdoo! What a God confirmation that He had plans for us! We hit it off on the way driving her to the airport, we had three hours to talk.
She’d liked our (husband and me) writing but didn’t have a place for a story with a male lead.
She told us if we wrote her a historical Christian romance set in the 1800s, she’d sell it. We did, and she did! Two months later, we had a contract in hand from Simon & Schuster! From meeting her to sale was less than six months—a God ordained miracle in this industry!
While that remains my favorite genre, I write in other genres such as Biblical fiction, contemporary Christian romance, historical mysteries, for young adults, mid-grade readers, and children’s picture stories!
In 2012, I met a New York agent, Mary Sue Seymour at a small writers’ conference in East Texas. I was to be her gopher. . . see to it that all her needs were met! When we went to get her at the hotel, right off the elevator, she came and hugged my neck, saying she’d never met a McAdoo who wasn’t family!
Her maiden name was McAdoo! What a God confirmation that He had plans for us! We hit it off on the way driving her to the airport, we had three hours to talk.
She’d liked our (husband and me) writing but didn’t have a place for a story with a male lead.
She told us if we wrote her a historical Christian romance set in the 1800s, she’d sell it. We did, and she did! Two months later, we had a contract in hand from Simon & Schuster! From meeting her to sale was less than six months—a God ordained miracle in this industry!
While that remains my favorite genre, I write in other genres such as Biblical fiction, contemporary Christian romance, historical mysteries, for young adults, mid-grade readers, and children’s picture stories!
3. Do you have favorite character(s) in this book?
Well, my young heroine is a strong, precious soul who loves the Lord. She is definitely my favorite! I like the hero, too. He’s a Jew by nationality but not by faith, but he is a good guy and kind. 😊
Well, my young heroine is a strong, precious soul who loves the Lord. She is definitely my favorite! I like the hero, too. He’s a Jew by nationality but not by faith, but he is a good guy and kind. 😊
4. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
I hope they will learn to trust and obey their Creator. Many times, we make plans without asking God what His are. Or sometimes circumstances happen in our lives that we never planned on, yet we are living in it . . . we can become disappointed or depressed. Our world is turned upside down.
But if we trust Him, we know He will work every situation to our good. And if we obey His instructions, He will always lead us the way we need to go. For a happy, peaceful, fulfilled life, it all boils down to trust and obedience. Ava learned that and I hope my readers will too!
I hope they will learn to trust and obey their Creator. Many times, we make plans without asking God what His are. Or sometimes circumstances happen in our lives that we never planned on, yet we are living in it . . . we can become disappointed or depressed. Our world is turned upside down.
But if we trust Him, we know He will work every situation to our good. And if we obey His instructions, He will always lead us the way we need to go. For a happy, peaceful, fulfilled life, it all boils down to trust and obedience. Ava learned that and I hope my readers will too!
5. What one piece of advice would you like to give readers?
With publishing getting easier, readers many times get sub-quality stories littered with typos and bad grammar, stilted dialog and full of beginner writers’ mistakes. Rather than leaving a poor review, please contact the author privately through their website or Messenger to let them know.
I absolutely am so blessed when a reader finds one of those and contacts me! Did you know Indie authors are able to go in and FIX the error? I just love that because eventually, all my books should be perfect. It is crazy that after so many people go over it—editors and proofreaders—there would still be uh-ohs, but they are just people who love to read and get caught up in the story and ‘forget’ to edit or proof for a few pages.
If I have ten pair of fresh eyes on a manuscript, every single one will fine typos or small words left out, even misspellings that none of the others catch! An author cannot, should never, edit and proof their own work because our brains just read right over the mistakes!
Personally I’m grateful for EVERY REVIEW! The good and the bad! Reviews are so very important for authors, so if you like or love a book, thank the author by leaving a review! BLESSINGS!
With publishing getting easier, readers many times get sub-quality stories littered with typos and bad grammar, stilted dialog and full of beginner writers’ mistakes. Rather than leaving a poor review, please contact the author privately through their website or Messenger to let them know.
I absolutely am so blessed when a reader finds one of those and contacts me! Did you know Indie authors are able to go in and FIX the error? I just love that because eventually, all my books should be perfect. It is crazy that after so many people go over it—editors and proofreaders—there would still be uh-ohs, but they are just people who love to read and get caught up in the story and ‘forget’ to edit or proof for a few pages.
If I have ten pair of fresh eyes on a manuscript, every single one will fine typos or small words left out, even misspellings that none of the others catch! An author cannot, should never, edit and proof their own work because our brains just read right over the mistakes!
Personally I’m grateful for EVERY REVIEW! The good and the bad! Reviews are so very important for authors, so if you like or love a book, thank the author by leaving a review! BLESSINGS!
Exit
Thank you again for inviting me to your blog, Jasmine! I appreciate you choosing to participate in my Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for AVA! I’d be happy to come anytime! BLESSINGS to your and all your readers!!
Thank you again for inviting me to your blog, Jasmine! I appreciate you choosing to participate in my Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for AVA! I’d be happy to come anytime! BLESSINGS to your and all your readers!!
More from Caryl
2023 is the fifth annual Prairie Roses Collection, and I’m so excited to add AVA to my contributions for this multi-author, covered-wagon-stories project! The sojourners of these grueling treks fascinate me, willingly suffering such hardships and walking two thousand miles for a fresh start.
In fact, Ava May Harley never wanted to leave her home, a log cabin her father built in Skeeter Bottoms. She was born there, but with her Pap gone, for her family’s sake . . . The Word says if we don’t take care of our own, we are worse than an infidel, right?
What have you sacrificed for the sake of your family?
What immediately comes to my mind is the time we gave up our “golden years” and put off our empty-nest for fourteen years to take in four precious grandsugar-sons when we were fifty-two. They were six, four, three, and three-days-old.
Had we not, CPS was going to remove them from our family and spread the brothers out among strangers. Ron and I couldn’t let that happen and asked them to leave the boys with us. Of course, we thought it would only be for a few months.
We assumed their parents would attend the required classes and ‘get clean’ Figured we could do anything for a couple of months, right? The short months turned into years. Each boy left when the graduated high school, except the baby. When the third brother left, he asked to go with him to the other grandmother’s. He was fourteen then.
When people asked how we did it, there was an easy answer. “Only by the mercy and grace of God.” The boys are grown now. The oldest is a fire fighter, and the youngest is a Marine. Ron and I have enjoyed our empty nest since 2017 (at 67 years of age), but we miss our fellers!
In AVA, my sweet heroine was only seventeen when a cousin dangled gold coins in front of her broke and bereft mother. Ma could buy a proper gravestone for her dead husband and pay off his debts if she would only send her firstborn off to marry a stranger in Montana.
My brave and independent character made her own decision to make the journey for the betterment of her family and count it a great adventure. As the miles piled on top one another, taking her farther and farther from her life in the Louisiana swamps, the only home she’d ever known, she doubted her decision more than once.
Her strong faith in God worked with her naivety and kept her on the Oregon Trail, moving ever toward her future. When a person knows God has a plan, and believes they are on that very path, there’s no reason to be afraid or worry. She knew God would never leave her or forsake her.
She knew how completely trustworthy He is.
I fell in love with this precious character, and I hope you will, too. I hope you will enjoy going along with AVA on the harrowing journey!
How involved have you gotten with a book character in the past? Share the character’s name and the book’s title if you will in your comments below!
BLESSINGS!
In fact, Ava May Harley never wanted to leave her home, a log cabin her father built in Skeeter Bottoms. She was born there, but with her Pap gone, for her family’s sake . . . The Word says if we don’t take care of our own, we are worse than an infidel, right?
What have you sacrificed for the sake of your family?
What immediately comes to my mind is the time we gave up our “golden years” and put off our empty-nest for fourteen years to take in four precious grandsugar-sons when we were fifty-two. They were six, four, three, and three-days-old.
Had we not, CPS was going to remove them from our family and spread the brothers out among strangers. Ron and I couldn’t let that happen and asked them to leave the boys with us. Of course, we thought it would only be for a few months.
We assumed their parents would attend the required classes and ‘get clean’ Figured we could do anything for a couple of months, right? The short months turned into years. Each boy left when the graduated high school, except the baby. When the third brother left, he asked to go with him to the other grandmother’s. He was fourteen then.
When people asked how we did it, there was an easy answer. “Only by the mercy and grace of God.” The boys are grown now. The oldest is a fire fighter, and the youngest is a Marine. Ron and I have enjoyed our empty nest since 2017 (at 67 years of age), but we miss our fellers!
In AVA, my sweet heroine was only seventeen when a cousin dangled gold coins in front of her broke and bereft mother. Ma could buy a proper gravestone for her dead husband and pay off his debts if she would only send her firstborn off to marry a stranger in Montana.
My brave and independent character made her own decision to make the journey for the betterment of her family and count it a great adventure. As the miles piled on top one another, taking her farther and farther from her life in the Louisiana swamps, the only home she’d ever known, she doubted her decision more than once.
Her strong faith in God worked with her naivety and kept her on the Oregon Trail, moving ever toward her future. When a person knows God has a plan, and believes they are on that very path, there’s no reason to be afraid or worry. She knew God would never leave her or forsake her.
She knew how completely trustworthy He is.
I fell in love with this precious character, and I hope you will, too. I hope you will enjoy going along with AVA on the harrowing journey!
How involved have you gotten with a book character in the past? Share the character’s name and the book’s title if you will in your comments below!
BLESSINGS!
 Caryl McAdoo | Award-winning, Christian author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory. Of her best-selling novels, readers love her historical Christian romance family sagas most, but also enjoy their contemporary cousins, Caryl’s Biblical fiction, her historical mystery series, and tales for young adults, mid-grade booklovers, and pre-K through 2nd grade picture books. The majority of reviewers award her stories five-stars and praise Caryl’s writing style, citing her extensive research and the depth of her characters. |
The prolific writer loves singing the new songs God gives her almost as much as penning new novels—hear a few at YouTube!
She’s been married to Ron fifty-five years, and they share four children and twenty-five grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the
woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.
She’s been married to Ron fifty-five years, and they share four children and twenty-five grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the
woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away the prize of
a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!
a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 15
Connie’s History Classroom, June 16
For the Love of Literature, June 17 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, June 18
For Him and My Family, June 19
Locks, Hooks and Books, June 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 21 (Author Interview)
Books You Can Feel Good About, June 21
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 22
Splashes of Joy , June 23
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 24 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, June 25
Pause for Tales, June 26
Splashes of Joy, June 27 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, June 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 28
Connie’s History Classroom, June 16
For the Love of Literature, June 17 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, June 18
For Him and My Family, June 19
Locks, Hooks and Books, June 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 21 (Author Interview)
Books You Can Feel Good About, June 21
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 22
Splashes of Joy , June 23
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 24 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, June 25
Pause for Tales, June 26
Splashes of Joy, June 27 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, June 27
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 28
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