Interview with Lynna Banning, Author of The Lone Sheriff and Giveaway
(Manga Maniac Cafe) Good morning, Lynna! Describe yourself in five words or less.
(Lynna Banning) Shy, smart, determined, and hard-working
(Manga Maniac Cafe) Can you tell us a little about The Lone Sheriff?
(Lynna Banning) I am partial to “wounded warriors,” and was drawn to an orphan of undetermined heritage (maybe part Indian, maybe part Mexican, but he doesn’t really know) who pulled himself up by his bootstraps and in adulthood worked his way up to being sheriff. I saddled him with a privileged back-East girl whom he sees as a “piece of rich fluff” but who earns his respect, then his admiration, and then his love based on her wit and strength of character.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) Can you share your favorite scene?
(Lynna Banning) My favorite scene is the opening one, where Jericho meets the train from Chicago, expecting a male Pinkerton agent, and instead finds himself looking at Madison O’Donnell, who turns out to be a very beautiful lady Pinkerton detective with a feathered hat and a mint-green parasol.
(Lynna Banning) Working out the push-pull dialogue and interaction between Jericho and Maddie, with his stubborn streak and her very smart one-ups-manship capabilities.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) What’s one thing you won’t leave home without?
(Lynna Banning) A book, whatever I’m reading at the moment.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) Name three things on your desk right now.
(Lynna Banning) A photograph of my husband; a straw-basket bed for my cat; and a fluffy feather duster for my computer keyboard.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) What’s your favorite snack when you’re working on a deadline?
(Lynna Banning) Anything chocolate. Sometimes if I’m out of peanut butter cups I pour out a handful of chocolate chips and nibble on those.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be?
(Lynna Banning) A reporter on 60 Minutes, interviewing women historical romance writers.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) You have been granted the use of one superpower for one week. Which power would you choose, and what would you do with it?
(Lynna Banning) My superpower would be the ability to bring clarity of thinking and humanitarian regard to people who are abusing other people, whether in the home, the community, or the nation—any nation.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) What are some books that you enjoyed recently?
(Lynna Banning) Tracy Chevalier’s “The Last Runaway”; Christina Dodd’s “Candle in the Window”; “Duty” by Robert Gates; and my annual re-reading of “Anne of Green Gables,” by Lucy Montgomery.
(Manga Maniac Cafe) How can readers connect with you?
(Lynna Banning) I love to hear from readers! Write me at P.O. Box 324, Felton, California 95018. Email me at [email protected]. My web page is www.lynnabanning.net.
THE LONE SHERIFF
LYNNA BANNING
Harlequin Western historical ~ 75k words
As if tracking down train robbers isn’t enough, now Sheriff Jericho Silver’s backup detective is a gun-toting, head-turning beauty who sure spells trouble.
Madison O’Donnell had the perfect life—a beautiful home and all the ladies
luncheons she could stomach—but it left her bored to tears. Now the determined widow fills her days with daring deeds and wild adventures, including working with Jericho. But he insists on her returning to the city where she belongs and finds she is one lady who refuses to take no for an answer.
Buy links: Amazon B&N Harlequin Romance
Excerpt:
None of them looked remotely like a Pinkerton man. A Pinkerton agent would no doubt be wearing a proper suit. But the only male who looked the least bit citified was Ike Bruhn, home from his honeymoon with his new bride.
Sandy jiggled at his side. “Ya see ’im?”
“Nope,” Jerico grunted.
“Maybe he missed the train,” his deputy suggested.
“Naw, must be here somewhere. Look for a gent in a gray suit.” Pinkerton men always wore grey to blend in with crowds. He scanned the thronged station platform again.
“Check inside, Sandy. Maybe he slipped past me.”
His deputy jogged off and Jericho perused the crowd a third time. Nothing. Maybe Mr. Detective had chickened out at the prospect of fingering an elusive outlaw gang that was robbing trains. He narrowed his eyes and turned to check the station once more when someone stumbled smack into him.
“Oh, I am terribly sorry.” An extremely pretty young woman carrying a green-striped parasol gazed up at him. Her voice sounded like rich whiskey sliding over smooth river stones and for a moment Jericho forgot what he’d come for. She only came up to his shoulder and on her dark, piled-up hair sat the most ridiculous concoction of feathers and stuffed birds he’d ever laid eyes on.
He sucked in a breath to apologize, then wished he hadn’t. Goddam she smelled good. Soap and something flowery.
Made his head swim.
He stepped back. “’Scuse me, ma’am.”
She waved a gloved hand and peered at his chest. “Oh, you are the sheriff.”
“Yeah, I am.”
She smiled and his mouth went dry. “You are just the man I want to see.”
Jericho swallowed. “You have a problem?”
“Oh, no.” She twirled her parasol. “You have the problem. I have come to help.” She waited, an expectant look on her face.
“Help?” Jerico echoed.
“Of course.” The whiskey in her voice was now sliding over some pointy rocks. “I am Madison O’Donnell. The Smoke River Bank hired me to help catch the gang robbing their gold shipments.”
Jericho stared at her.
“I believe you were expecting me?”
He snapped his jaw shut. He sure as hell wasn’t expecting her. The last thing he’d expected was this frilly-looking female with her ridiculous hat. In her green-striped dress and twirling her parasol like that she made him think of a dish of cool mint ice cream.
“Whatever is the matter, Sheriff? You have gone quite pale? Are you ill?”
He jerked at the question. Not ill, just gutshot. “Uh, yeah. I mean No, I’m not ill. Just . . . surprised.”
She lowered her voice. “Most Pinkerton clients are surprised when they meet me. It will pass.”
Hell no, it won’t.
Madison O’Donnell picked up her travel bag. “Shall we go?”
Not on your life. “Uh, my deputy’s inside the station house. ’Scuse me, ma’am.” He strode past her without looking back. Inside, he found Sandy talking to the ticket seller.
“Charlie says nobody’s come in except the two Weatherby women. You want me to hang around and – ?”
Biography for Lynna Banning:
Lynna Banning combines a lifelong love of history and literature into a satisfying career as a writer. Born in Oregon, she has lived in Northern California most of her life. After graduating from Scripps College she embarked on a career as an editor and technical writer, and later as a high school English teacher.
An amateur pianist and harpsichordist, Lynna performs on psaltery and harp in a medieval music ensemble, and she also plays cortholt, recorders, and tar (drum). She enjoys hearing from her readers. You may write to her directly at P.O. Box 324, Felton, CA 95018, USA, or at [email protected]. Visit Lynna’s website at www.lynnabanning.net.
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Giveaway: Seven(7) copies of The Lone Sheriff…Seven(7) lucky winners
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