Monday Author Meetup: Linda Hubalek

I’m happy to welcome western historical romance author Linda Hubalek to my little corner of the blogospere.  Today I’m featuring Linda’s  Brides with Grit trilogy, Don’t you love that series title? For me it personifies our strong pioneer foremothers perfectly.

About the author: Linda Hubalek grew up on the Kansas prairie, always wanting to be a farmer like her parents and ancestors. After earning a college degree in Agriculture, marriage took Linda away from Kansas as her husband worked in engineering jobs in several states.

Meanwhile, Linda wrote about pioneer women that homesteaded in Kansas between 1854 to the early 1900’s, especially her Swedish immigrant ancestors.

Her historical fiction and western romance book series are: Butter in the Well, Trail of Thread, Planting Dreams, the Kansas Quilter and the Brides with Grit.

Linda and her husband finally returned back to Kansas, where they raised American buffalo (bison) for a dozen years.

Linda will begin by describing her favorite place to write.

I have a home office in my house, with a desk, book shelves, and credenza. I use a big monitor and curved keyboard to write, so I’m always at my desk. I have many antique dishes that my ancestors used displayed on shelves to give the feel of the 1800’s time period to my writing space. I have a nice rural view out my window with pink rose bushes and bird feeders right outside my window.

Sounds lovely!Can you write amid noisy distractions or do you need absolute quiet?

Nope, it’s got to be total quiet. I can’t “think” in the 1800’s with modern distractions.

I completely agree. How do you develop your plots and your characters?

I have a spiral notebook where I write down ideas on pen and paper, then type my thought into the computer so I can move the plots around, eventually forming an outline, and then expanding it into individual scenes.

My best ideas come on quiet country walks, or right when I wake up in the mornings.

Do you consider yourself a Plotter or a Pantser?

I start out with an outline, and, then make a new list of things I wanted to include, and find a place to work them in the story—and then do this about seven times before the book is finally ready for the editor.

Are your books professionally edited?

Absolutely, but even then readers will write to me, finding words that should have been found and corrected. But I appreciate them taking the time to do it, because I can correct the ebook or print book easy enough these days.

If you don’t mind telling us, which of your books has been most favorably reviewed? Why do you think it’s a favorite among readers?

Trail of Thread. Right now it’s at 132 Amazon reviews with a 4.5 star rating.

I think it has done well because of the work I put into it, and the fact that people are fascinated with pioneer woman’s wagon trail stories.

To research my Trail of Thread book series, I drove to Kentucky, and Ohio, and back to Kansas to follow the trails that my ancestors would have traveled in 1854-55. I needed to see what they left behind, and then what they encountered along their journey. I saw the rivers they had to cross, what towns were in existence then, and how the scenery changed from day to day. I stood on a hilltop next to the original log cabin in Kentucky that my Pieratt ancestors left, and stood in the private graveyard of my Kennedy ancestors in Ohio, and ended my trip at the land they homesteaded next to each other in Kansas.

Fascinating! You obviously love researching. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing your books?

Several of my historical fiction book series are based on real people and places. So the connections of family and time, and realizing my ancestors lived through the 1800’s has made me fascinated with the homesteading era. The connection of standing on a piece of land that my ancestors homesteaded in the middle of the open prairie and seeing the same view as they did…me walking up the steps in the house that their feet touched…just electrifies me.

Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. What project are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on the Brides with Grit series. I’ve outlined eight books of the series and writing them pretty much in sequence, but I’ll think of scenes for other books and write them down too.

This is a clean historical western romance set in 1873 around the famous cowtown of Ellsworth, Kansas. It’s based on real-life type situations, and strong women that want a decent husband, home and community life

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***Linda just told me book 2, Millie Marries a Marshall will be out this week!

 

I’ve used catchy titles so people realize it goes with the series. First book, Rania Ropes a Rancher, is available now. Millie Marries a Marshal will be out in late November and Hilda Hogties a Horseman in December.

Catchy titles indeed! I also like the book covers. They convey an old time feeling and tie together very well. Don’tyou agree,readers?

 

 

Rania Ropes a Rancher

A Historical Western Romance

Book Blurb:

Ellsworth, Kansas,1873- Rania Hamner spent her life herding cattle up the Chisholm Trail with her family. Something on the trail caused her to doubt her worth, and her ability to trust a man enough to become his wife. Once the family buys a homestead in Kansas, she meets rancher Jacob Wilerson, who begins to make Rania believe she can trust and fall in love after all.

When Rania’s past attacks with new danger, she decides to fight for all she’s worth because she realizes she wants to be with Jacob forever.

When Jacob realizes Rania is in danger, he rushes to save her, whether or not she still loves him, hoping to rope Rania—his heart—once more, as she has roped his.

Excerpt:

Before Jacob could run down the twenty feet to the little boy, the horsewoman trailing the herd, snapped a lasso through the air which landed around the six-foot spread of the bull’s horns. She yanked the rope back hard with her right, gloved hand at the same time her horse jumped backwards, snapping the animal’s head back from its disastrous route. Both bull and boy were bawling at once, but the horse and rider just pulled the animal back onto the route of the herd, like it was an everyday occurrence. The woman was attuned to the livestock, but she also saw the child in danger in an instant, and took care of both.

Now that’s the kind of wife he needed, someone who could ride, rope, handle livestock and children—a woman with grit.

Purchase Links for Linda’s books:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-K.-Hubalek/e/B001K7XO7I/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-K.-Hubalek/e/B001K7XO7I/

Autographed paperbacks: http://lindahubalek.com/store/products/

Find Linda on these sites:

Newsletter sign-up: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LindaHubalek

Website: http://lindahubalek.com

Twitter: @LindaHubalek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindahubalekbooks

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-K.-Hubalek/e/B001K7XO7I/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/102327.Linda_K_Hubalek