MARGARET BROWNLEY, AUTHOR OF A TEXAS RANGER FOR CHRISTMAS

Included in Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms Anthology

About A Texas Ranger for Christmas:

Texas Ranger Cole Bradshaw would gladly risk it all for the woman he loves. If only he could gain her trust…
Sadie: Anyone I should notify? A wife?”

Cole: (recovering from a bullet wound) “Not married.”

Sadie: “If you’re smart, mister, you’ll keep it that way.”

                                      – A Texas Ranger for Christmas/”Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms”

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Why did you choose to write romance?

I love writing romance novels because every theme known to mankind can be explored through the action of two people falling in love. I also like that romance lends itself to every possible sub-genre from paranormal to thrillers, and many of my western romances include mysteries.  I also love writing happy endings and what’s a romance without a “happily ever after”?

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I like to tackle serious themes with humor.  A Texas Ranger for Christmas is about learning to trust again after devastating loss.

How has Texas influenced your writing?

Everything about Texas is big and bold and that’s how it must be written.  Just using the Lone Star state as a setting makes me want to write characters that are big and bold, too.

Where did your love of reading come from?

I grew up in the dark ages without computers, cell phones or video games.  Our main entertainment was books.  My late-night habit of reading under the covers with a flashlight caused me to fall asleep in school. This made teachers wonder about my health. I didn’t know it at the time, but all that reading taught me the elements of good storytelling and helped me to better understand human nature.

What cultural value do you see in books?

Readers are exposed to many different viewpoints, cultures and ideas. I’m convinced that is the best way to learn tolerance.  Unfortunately, screen time has replaced reading and I believe that’s one of the reasons free speech is now in danger.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the willingness to listen to each other has declined in recent years along with book sales.  Books have a way of teaching us to be more open-minded, and they do it in the most delightful way.

What does your perfect writing spot look like? Is that what your ACTUAL writing spot looks like?

My perfect writing spot would be an office smack dab in the middle of a beach.  My actual writing spot is in my Monet purple office, surrounded by research books and seated on a balance ball chair.  This way I can convince myself that I’m actually exercising while I write.

From my window I can see the Santa Susanna mountains where many old-time westerns were filmed, including Duel in the Sun, Bonanza and The Lone Ranger.  I swear that sometimes when the light is right, you can see a cowboy riding off into the sunset.  It’s a relief to know that according to a University of Minnesota study, a chaotic work space encourages originality and thinking outside the box.  I can now happily forget about cleaning my office.  

What projects are you working on at present?

Right now, I’m working on a new series, “Haywire Brides.” Cowboy Charm School is the first book and it will be out in the summer of 2018.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

New York Times bestselling author MARGARET BROWNLEY has penned more than forty novels and novellas. Margaret is a two-time Romance Writers of American RITA® finalist and has written for a TV soap.  She is currently working on a new series.  Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English.  Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.