#HeartReads: The Tenderfoot Bride

When I wrote The Tenderfoot Bride, I had no idea the effect it was going to have on readers. 

"This is absolutely one of Cheryl St.John's very best. The Tenderfoot Bride is full of so much love and pain, it really is a great book.

I couldn't put this book down. I was up all night until 8 am reading then woke up a few hours later and finished it off. This breathtaking story is definitely a keeper and will be added to my list of most favorites and re-reading list as well!"

ORDER FROM AMAZON

For Nook at Barnes & Noble

The story began on a pink 5x8 index card with character names. My first notes for Will Tucker say, 'Will doesn't connect w anyone. Without realizing it, he envies their relationships. They get quiet when he comes around. Think early Jude Devereaux heroes - think warrior. Tough, huge, gruff; claw scars from a mountain lion.' 

Early notes for Linnea: 'He's a man to be feared. She knows how to hide feelings of fear and anger., how to keep men in good humor with food; tiptoes around, blending into the surroundings.'

For each book I write, I keep notes, synopsis, GMC grid (goal, motivation, conflict) character traits and flaws, places, research, names, pictures from magazines, everything I've used in development. Even though a bare minimum of research is actually written, a writer still has to know the details--like how bread is baked in a wood-burning oven or parts of a saddle. In this binder I still have notes from my critique group.

The Story:

Secrets and lies made poor references, Linnea McConaughy knew. But her survival depended upon keeping her past hidden, especially from her employer, rancher Will Tucker. True, he'd shown her kindness, even tenderness, but could he ever accept her shameful past--and another man's baby?

Will Tucker did not like surprises, and Linnea McConaughy was not the sturdy, past-her-prime widow he'd expected to manage his household. Instead, she was a tiny slip of womanhood desperately seeking a place to belong. Yet much to his growing surprise, that place seemed to be in his home--and his heart.

 

If you've read it, please leave a review here ----> CLICK

And/or review on Goodreads ---> CLICK

While brainstorming each book, I create a list of 25 THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN. Sometimes I do it again at the halfway point. There's something about pushing through until I hit 25 that makes me think outside the box.

And last but never least, here's Will's horse.