Valentine's Day Giveaway - Begins February 1st

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I'm so excited to announce a very special Valentine's Day giveaway.

I've joined with eleven best-selling author friends to bring our readers this great giveaway. In addition to a brand new Kindle Fire HDX, the winner will receive new or upcoming books as follows:

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander
Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble
Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter
Hallowed Halls by Hannah Alexander
It Had To Be You by Susan May Warren
A Match Made in Texas by Mary Connealy
Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck
A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher
Shadowed by Grace by Cara C. Putman
Silver Bells by Deborah Raney
Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt
Wildwood Creek by Lisa Wingate

* The giveaway runs from February 1st through February 13th. A winner's name will be drawn on and announced on Valentine's Day.
* This giveaway is open to entrants with USA mailing addresses.
* Entrants must be 18 years old and over. No purchase is required.
* The winner will receive a Kindle Fire HDX and 12 novels.
* Not all novels included in the prize package will be available at the time the winner is announced. Books will be sent to the winner as they become available. The prize is valued at over $400.
* Entrants must complete ALL 12 MANDATORY entry options (the first 12 listed on the Rafflecopter form) to be eligible to win. Before the prize is awarded, completion of all 12 mandatory entry options will be confirmed.
* Entrants can earn extra entries by completing any or all of the remaining twelve options.
* Every attempt will be made to announce the winner within 48 hours of the end of the giveaway.
* The winner of the Kindle Fire HDX and novels will be given 48 hours to reply to the email they are sent. If they do not respond to the announcement email within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Everyone's Story--and a chance to win A Match Made in Texas

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I'm on

Everyone's Story

today

With Elaine Stock

CLICK HERE AND LEAVE A COMMENT THERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

BIG VALENTINES DAY GIVEAWAY-COMING SOON

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BOOKS AND A KINDLE FIRE HDX--DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER COMING SOON

Mary Nealy (my scary alter ego) is on SALE!

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TEN PLAGUES
ON SALE FOR $0.99 right now
Amazon
A demon possessed serial killer acts out the Ten Plagues of Egypt on the city of Chicago focusing his murderous rage on former cop turned inner city mission pastor Paul and lady detective Keren.
They are in a race against time to stop the killer who is saving the last two plagues, the plague of darkness and the plague of the firstborn, just for them.

Some Reviews for my single foray into Romantic Thrillers
5 Stars I'm serious...If you watch Criminal Minds, you'll love this book! It is a fast paced, well written thriller. The first chapter starts you on an psychological adventure of suspense & spiritual warefare
5 Stars Awesome Suspense and Romance Story--It is a fast paced, keep you guessing thriller that really has you on the edge of your seat to the end. This book grabbed my attention right away and kept it until the end.
5 Stars What an incredible book. Mary's westerns are so full of humor that I was really impressed at how different this book is from her others and yet so intriguing and a great story.
5 Stars This book was awesome. Days later and I still can't get it out of my head. This is a perfect Christian suspense for those of us who enjoy the thrillers without the steam or the gore.
5 Stars Riveting, Don't Look Away Suspense

5 Stars I didn't want to lay it down.

Every one of the few reviews I got is a 5 star except one and that 3 star review says this: An intense journey that brings suspense, detective, romance and a bit of scifi together in this creative read. I found myself immersed into the plot and as it reached the climax I was glued to the book wondering what would happen. Fans of detective novels will surely enjoy this read. Character development, dialogue and scenery worked and I was challenged in my faith. I would recommend this novel to others...

Not a single negative word! So, okay, I'll take the 3 Stars.    :)

Happy Moo Year 2014

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Classic Connealy Trilogies on Sale

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eBooks ON SALE All ebook Formats $2.99

Lassoed in Texas Trilogy

Kindle

Nook

Montana Marriages Trilogy

Kindle

Nook

Sophie's Daughters Trilogy

Kindle

Nook

 

 

 

Childhood Christmas Memories

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I'm on Bethany Hour Publishers Fiction blog talking about Childhood Christmas Memories today. But why do we look so SERIOUS in this picture? Yeesh! Poor mom. There aren't a lot of pictures of us as kids and WHO CAN BLAME HER IF THEY CAME OUT LIKE THIS???????

http://bethanyfiction.com/2013/12/21/memories-of-christmas-mary-connealy/

Sorry the picture is all blotchy. I have no computer snazzy skillz to clean it up.

A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS IS SHIPPING EARLY!

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I just got word that A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS is shipping from Amazon

A Match Made in Texas

four novellas from

Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Carol Cox and Mary Connealy

There's a secret matchmaker at work in frontier Texas!

In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love?

A Cowboy Unmatched
Neill isn't sure who hired him to repair Clara's roof--he only knows Clara desperately needs his help. Can he convince this stubborn widow to let down her guard and take another chance on love?

An Unforeseen Match
Hoping to earn an honest wage on his way to the land rush, Clayton ends up on Grace's doorstep, lured by a classified ad. He may have signed on for more than he expected though--and he may have found the one woman who can keep him from moving on.

No Match for Love
Andrew can't fathom how refined Lucy ended up as the caretaker to his dotty aunt, and somehow her arrival has prompted even more bizarre occurrences around the ranch. When they join forces to unearth the truth, will the attraction between Andrew and Lucy develop into more?

Meeting Her Match<<<(this one's mine!)
When the tables are turned and a tenderhearted meddler becomes the beneficiary of a matchmaking scheme, her world is turned upside down. As her entire life changes, will she finally be able to tell the banker's son how much she cares for him? 

BOOKSIGNING THIS SUNDAY-COUNCIL BLUFFS LIBRARY

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COUNCIL BLUFFS AUTHORS FAIR

I'll be there signing books

with many area authors including my friends

Lorna Seilstad and Jewell Tweedt

from

1 to 3:30 PM

on

November 24, 2013

at the
Council Bluffs Library

400 Willow Ave
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Four of my Older Short Titles on a Special Sale 99 cents Each on Kindle

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Buffalo Gal

Clueless Cowboy

Bossy Bridegroom

Golden Days

The Pioneer Woman Book Signing

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THE PIONEER WOMAN

 

BOOKSIGNING

IN OMAHA

 

 

 Me, in line. when I left after I got my book signed, it was 7:30, full dark and there was still a LONG LONG LINE outside. Amazing turnout.

 Just to give you an idea of the crowd that was there for the book signing for The Pioneer Woman

I got in line at 3:30 for a 5 pm signing

 

 I felt like I was pretty close to the front of the line but what I didn't realize was there was one of those windy lines inside, with the back and forth, roped off area. I ended up waiting...from my 'pretty close to the front' position...2 1/2 hours to get my book signed...that's 2 1/2 hours after 5 pm. 4 hours in all.

The line stretched the full length past me to the end of this huge Bakers grocery store.

 

 And then, look at this picture below, these folks facing forward...the line, twisted back...all the way BACK the length of the Bakers Grocery store.

 The guy with the cowboy hat is Marlboro Man. Ree Drummond's husband. Famous from her blog.

 I'm standing inside the grocery store now, finally and he was in there, he signed some books.

 Here, below, in the next picture are her two sons. She's got four kids, her older two are girls and they weren't at the signing. I heard Ree say she and her husband and the boys drove up to Omaha from Oklahoma where they live.

 I asked the boys if they'd pose for a picture and they were so polite and smiled so nicely.

 Then, later, seriously a LOT later, I asked Marlboro Man and the boys to pose again and they could not have been nicer. I suppose they're trying to keep everyone who is waiting happy, bless their hearts.

 Finally I'm inside and you can see that Ree is taking time to get her picture taken with anyone who asks. She was so generous with her time.

 Now look at this picture below. Look at the stack of books this lady is buying. This happened over and over and over. People buying four, five, eight books. I suppose maybe buying them for Christmas gifts? Signed books make nice gifts. But there were hundreds of people in line and almost all of them were buying multiple books, in many cases, more then two. I can't imagine how many books she sold.

 And now, f inally it's my turn!

 She took a minute or even a bit more with everyone. The line was close enough I could see her do it. Bless her heart. I can't imagine how exhausted she must have been. But you couldn't tell it. She just had a great smile and energy and she was more than just polite. She seemed genuine and interested and really lovely. In the red bag, I brought her some books and candy and a few other things.

 We've talked just a couple of times through email and she seemed to remember me. If she didn't, she faked it brilliantly, God bless her. LOL Poor lady. I gave her really upscale chocolate from Stam Chocolatier and also, from the same place, a little bag of tiny 'ears of corn' pralines with Cornhusker logos on them and the bag. Trying to give her a little taste of the Cornhusker state.

And that's my brush with fame. The Pioneer Woman. What an experience. I felt like I was standing in line for Rolling Stones Tickets. Of course I WOULDN'T stand in line for Rolling Stones tickets, but for the Pioneer Woman, SURE!

The Pioneer Woman and Me!

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 I attended Ree Drummond's booksigning in Omaha today. Ree Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman. So nice, such a huge crowd but she took a few moments to be a sweetheart to everyone. I waited in line FOUR HOURS and it was worth every minute.

I got my picture taken with Marlboro Man, the husband of The Pioneer Woman and her two sons. Just really nice, genuine people who don't know how to be anything but polite and friendly. Great time.

Out of Control-Free Today on Kindle Click Here to Buy

pin 12 for a chance to win 12

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Want to win 12 novels from 12 award-winning authors? Here’s your chance.
This giveaway is for all you Pinterest fans out there. All you have to do is pin all 12 of the books in the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win these books!

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck
Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter
Stars in the Night by Cara C. Putman
Catch a Falling Star by Beth K. Vogt
Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble
Silver Bells by Deborah Raney
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander
Beloved by Robin Lee Hatcher
Keeping Faith by Hannah Alexander
Take A Chance on Me by Susan May Warren
Alaska Brides Collection by Mary Connealy

 

One winner will be drawn at random after 12PM Noon on Wednesday, November 27. Just in time for Thanksgiving!
Don’t have a free Pinterest account? Get one here: http://www.pinterest.com
How do I find the URL once I pin the image? Take 30 seconds to read this and then you’ll be ready!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/instructions-pinlink/
Due to postage costs, only U.S. Mailing addresses, please.
a Rafflecopter giveaway FIND OUT MORE HERE
http://www.robinleehatcher.com/pin-12-chance-win-12/

A Chance to Win Alaska Brides Collection

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We create characters for our books and we try so hard to make them fresh. Make them fun and interesting. Make them jump off the page. Sometimes we maybe go too far, make them too outrageous. Or maybe we hold back. Maybe we feel like, because we write fiction, our stories have to make sense. READ MORE HERE INCLUDING HOW TO GET YOUR NAME IN THE DRAWING

Letter from Great-grandpa to fiance 1887

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Sent July 28, 1887. John Snider Attorney at Law trying to persuade his fiance Adda Latta that it will be fine to live in three rooms, shared with a family with two children who will live in two rooms rather than spend $15 a month for an entire house. The savings of $5 a month is well worth it.

Letter from my great grandpa to my soon to be great grandma 1887

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He wrote this from Dodge City, Kansas on his way to Hastings, Nebraska where they would live. The second and third line are blurred due to a fold in the paper. The words in the first sentence are: I arrived here safely at a quarter before one o'clock this morning.

I have a whole stack of these and may post them as I find time to scan them. We'll see. I've been meaning to do it for a long time.

Not that interesting except for the glimpse it gives you into the daily lives of the time. I mainly just want to preserve them online for myself and my family.

If you click on each page, they get big enough to read.

 

 

Creating Characters One Layer at a Time-Layer One-The Physical Must Reflect the Character

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I am told I create great characters.

So, I thought it would be a great idea to write a great blog post about how to create great characters.

Except I have no idea how I create my characters.

Except that’s just stupid read more here including how to win a $24 Amazon gift ecard.