Bertie
by Shanna Hatfield
Series: Pendelton Petticoats, #6
Genre: Sweet Historical Western Romance
Release Date: April 7, 2016
Today we are thrilled to have Shanna Hatfield and a few of her Pendleton Petticoat characters stop by for an interview. We've had Shanna and her characters on the blog before and love hearing about their lives.
An Interview with the Women of Pendleton Petticoats
Our interview today is with three characters from one of Shanna Hatfield’s historical series. Set in the western town of Pendleton, Oregon, the Pendleton Petticoats series highlights brave, determined women.
During the early 1900s, Pendleton was a modern, progressive town, despite its Wild West reputation. In addition to 18 bordellos and 32 saloons, Pendleton offered residents such cultured experiences as an opera house, a French restaurant, and a tearoom. It was the second city in Oregon to have paved streets and boasted a telephone office as well as wonders like indoor plumbing to those who could afford the services. The women in Pendleton Petticoats are from diverse backgrounds but find unity in following their hearts and chasing their dreams.
Aundy, Caterina, and Ilsa join us today to talk about life in Pendleton.
Welcome to you three lovely ladies. Tell us a little about how you each came to be in Pendleton.
Aundy: I came to Pendleton as a mail-order bride for a kind farmer named Erik Erikson. We wed as soon as I stepped off the train, but had a wagon wreck on the way home. Erik died three days later, leaving me, a city girl, his farm and everything he owned.
Caterina: Growing up in New York, I never expected to live so far out west. When a mafia boss decided I would marry him, my family helped me escape and I got off the train here. Aundy was the second person I met and we’ve been friends since.
Ilsa: (Giggles) You forgot to mention the first person you met was your incredibly good-looking deputy sheriff husband, Kade. You literally ran into him when you turned a corner and smacked into his chest in the first hour after you arrived in town.
Caterina: (Glaring at Ilsa) So I did. Thank you for sharing that with everyone. Let’s talk about why you came to town.
Ilsa: Because Aundy, she’s my sister, and Garrett, that’s Aundy’s husband, rescued me from our horrid aunt in Chicago and brought me here. I met Caterina's brother, Tony, and fell in love. Our brother, Lars, moved here, too. He married a wonderful girl named Marnie and they started an orphanage.
What does a typical day entail for each of you?
Aundy: Garrett and I live on the place I inherited from Erik. Our day starts early in the morning with chores. I still don’t like gathering the eggs because our rooster is a nasty little fellow, but I enjoy everything else on the farm. Well, almost everything. I still can’t abide mice or snakes. My favorite thing is riding my horse with Garrett or sitting on the hill above the pasture watching our sheep. Thanks to our Chinese cook, I don’t have to spend a lot of time in the house.
Caterina: Kade and I live on the outskirts of town with his behemoth dog, Ike. We ride into town together in the morning. He goes to work at the sheriff’s office and I go to my restaurant where I create Italian food that reminds me of my family. We have twin boys, Brett and Ben, and another on the way.
Aundy: She’s an amazing cook. You really should drop by sometime for dinner. Her ravioli is divine.
Ilsa: And you have to try one of pastries. In fact, if I don’t stop eating there so often, I’m going to have to let the seams out of my dresses.
Caterina: You could always learn how to cook…
Ilsa: (Shakes her head) I’d rather sew. I have a dress shop just down the street from Caterina’s restaurant. I design and create clothing, primarily for women. I used to sew for the most elite in Chicago’s social circles, but my fashions are now shipped to places like New York and Paris.
What’s one thing people might not know about your town?
Caterina: It’s growing faster than we can imagine. In the few years I’ve been here, there has been a boom in new businesses and enterprises, like Ilsa’s boutique and my restaurant.
Aundy: There’s also a boom in less savory businesses, like those in The Underground.
What’s the Underground?
(Caterina and Ilsa both look at Aundy)
Aundy: There are tunnels running beneath a section of town that connects several businesses and provides a place for unsavory characters to quench their thirsts, play cards, and engage the services of… um… (Aundy leans close and whispers) women of ill repute.
Ilsa: Before the city put in the new sidewalk with glass prisms to light the tunnels, men used to stand down there and peek through the grates set in the boardwalk, trying to get a glance up women's skirts. I was so glad when the grates disappeared.
That’s certainly scandalous. Have any of you ever been in the Underground?
Caterina: Gracious, no!
Ilsa: I should say not! It’s no fit place for a lady.
Aundy: Oh, goodness, look at the time. We really should be going. Thank you so much for inviting us here today. We’re so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to connect with your readers.
Thank you for joining us. Any parting words for our readers?
Ilsa: If you enjoy historical fiction, clean romances, or a good western, I hope you’ll consider reading our stories in Aundy, Caterina, Ilsa, Marnie, Lacy, and Bertie.
Thanks again Aundy, Caterina, and Ilsa! And a special thanks to Shanna for sharing her characters with us!
Dust off your dancing shoes and choose your formal attire for the Petticoat Ball Party on Facebook April 7, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.(Pacific Time) Giveaways, games, and guest authors will make for a fun and memorable event as we celebrate the release of Bertie!
Here is the link to the party:
Invite your friends to the second annual Petticoat Ball, and you could win a $25 Amazon Gift card. Just join the event, click on the "invite" button, invite your friends, then post how many you invited in the comments of this post: https://www.facebook.com/events/423018991216234/permalink/451482635036536/
One randomly drawn person will win, but you get additional entries for every 50 people you invite!
Also, ask your friends who join the party to share that you invited them in the comments in the post. Each friend who mentions your name, earns you another entry in the contest!
Winner will be announced prior to the start of the party April 7!
She needs an adventure -
He needs the warmth of her smile…
Bertie Hawkins survived a traumatic ordeal that stripped away her sunny outlook on life and left her afraid of every shadow. Terrorized and tired of reliving the past, she accepts an offer to change her situation. Although she only intends to work through the summer, the peace she finds at Nash’s Folly keeps her there every bit as much as her interest in a mysterious new ranch hand.
Desperate to escape his memories, Riley Walsh buys a run-down farm in Pendleton, Oregon. To pay for the many necessary repairs, he goes to work for his neighbor, never intending to fall in love with the effervescent girl who helps around the house.
Riley isn’t the only one enchanted with Bertie. His own crazy mule and the neighbor’s son both share his infatuation, driving him past the brink of jealousy.
A sweet romance that embraces the trials and triumphs of yesteryear, Bertie blends laugh-out-loud adventures with heartwarming moments.
Involved in the unfolding story, she didn’t hear anyone approach until a warm hand caressed her bare foot.
Yanking her foot up, she gazed down into Riley’s face. The fiery look in his eyes made heat pool in her belly and her mouth go dry.
“I’ve seen a lot of birds perched in trees, but never one so lovely.”
Bertie’s cheeks flushed at his compliment. “You’ve suffered a heat stroke, Riley Walsh. Apparently, you’ve lost the ability to see properly, otherwise you’d know I’m a wilted mess.”
To emphasize her point, Bertie pushed at the damp curls that had fallen around her face hours ago. Her dress was limp and she felt about as fresh as a wrung-out dishrag.
“I can see just fine, Roberta Elizabeth.”
Much to her surprise, Riley grabbed hold of the limb and swung himself up into the tree, sitting in front of her. “What are you doing out here?”
“Reading.”
“I can see that.” Riley grinned and tapped the book with his finger. “I meant why did you come out here to read? You could do that at the house.”
“It’s miserably hot in the house and Aundy decided I needed a break. I’ve discovered arguing with her does no good at all, so I took the book she handed me and came out here.”
Bertie tried to adjust her skirts to hide her bare legs but Riley held the hem, keeping her from moving. “Riley…”
“If you’re trying to cover up those pretty ankles, you might as well not bother. I’ve already seen them. Enjoy the breeze while you can. I don’t know how you women survive on days like today, fastened into layers of petticoats with stockings and drawers and corsets and…”
Bertie leaned forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Riley! You shouldn’t speak of such things. It’s improper.”
He shrugged and kissed her hand, holding it in his instead of releasing it. “Never understood why it’s so improper to talk about what you wear. Why, didn’t I see a lacy pink…”
The first book in the Pendleton Petticoat Series will be available for
FREE digital downloads April 6-10.
Pendleton Petticoats Series, Book #1
One stubborn mail-order bride finds the courage to carry on when she's widowed before ever truly becoming a wife, but opening her heart to love again may be more than she can bear.
Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.
Click here to enter the giveaway to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card and other assorted prizes!
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