LET'S WELCOME: The Rancher’s Surprise Baby – Trish Milburn

LET’S WELCOME OUR GUEST

TRISH MILBURN

AUTHOR OF:

Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with this story?  Was it just one that came to you or one you had to hunt for?

Trish:  A little bit of both. It’s the second book about five adopted siblings (all from different families), the first being In the Rancher’s Arms (April 2017). Ben, the hero, is the second-eldest of the siblings, so I had him already. I just needed to figure out his conflict and who should be the heroine. I found that in Mandy, who was the best friend and business partner of Devon Newberry, the heroine of my October 2016 book, The Cowboy Takes a Wife. They’re all part of the Blue Falls, Texas series.

Rad-Reader:  How did Mandy and Ben Meet?

Trish:  They already knew each other from high school, though they weren’t close friends or had anything other than a casual acquaintance.

Rad-Reader:  How many of the children in the Hartley family are adopted?  Are there just the three boys and two girls?

Trish:  :   All five. There are three sons and two daughters, all grown now but who were all adopted as children at different times from different families.

Rad-Reader:  Was the town all trying to be matchmakers?

Trish:  I initially started out with one town matchmaker, Verona Charles, but it seems with each book all the people who are now happily in a relationship are getting on the matchmaking bandwagon. J

Rad-Reader:  Was Greg on the matchmaking mission alone or with the town?

Trish:  Oh, Greg. He’s a fun character, and I can’t wait to write his book. I just have to figure out the right heroine. As I mentioned above, there is everything from passing comments to gentle nudging to full-on matchmaking from a variety of people.

Rad-Reader:  What is it with Ben?  He seems to like Mandy but keeps backing away?

Trish:  He has a hang-up that comes from his past, what he went through as a child that led to his being adopted. I don’t want to say more because it’ll be a spoiler.

Rad-Reader:  Beside Cole being Devon’s husband who is he and what does he do?

Trish:  He’s a retired bull rider who was the hero of The Cowboy Takes a Wife. He’s finding his way in a new career as a large metal sculpture artist, something he would have never expected to do but has a talent for.
Rad-Reader: I kept trying to figure that out.  So thanks!

Rad-Reader:  If Greg won’t settle down why is he pushing Ben into being with Mandy?

Trish:  He likes to tease people. It’s kind of his thing. And it’s what is going to make it really fun when he really falls hard for someone.
Rad-Reader:  It's going to have to be a strong, snarky, yet funny woman with a loving heart to win him over since he is such a joker.  It should be interesting for sure. :)

Rad-Reader:  What happened to Angel's spouse?

Trish:  He’s…not in the picture. Readers will find out more about this in her book, which will be the last of the five about the Hartley siblings. It’s the one I’m writing now.

Rad-Reader:  Ben seemed to avoid a lot of things by retreating to his workshop.  Why did he not go to Mandy's and do it face to face?  Instead of letting time cause a rift between them?

Trish:  Because of his past. And guys are stubborn. J

Rad-Reader:  Do you think being in the fish bowl of the town helped or hindered the relationship?

Trish:  You could argue either way. At times, it would have been nice not to have all those curious people watching every step. But the town is very much a character itself as are all the inhabitants. It’s what makes Blue Falls – and, in turn, the relationships that are built there – memorable.
Rad-Reader: Really what gave Ben his push to come out of his shell.

Rad-Reader:  Did this story take long to write?

Trish:  Hmm, I don’t exactly remember, but I can typically write a first draft in 2-3 months.

Rad-Reader:  What was the trickiest part of the relationship for Mandy and Ben when writing it? 

Trish:  Making Ben’s reactions realistic based on his past and not just stubborn or petty. Even when characters act in ways that makes the reader want to shake them, there has to be a strong, understandable reason why they are acting that way. The reader has to say, “If I were in that situation, I might very well act similarly.”

Rad-Reader:  Did you do research on the tiny homes before you did your story?  I had just read anther book about a character who made them. 

Trish:  I’m fascinated by tiny homes. I’ve read about them, watched video tours of them, always click on Facebook posts that include headlines like “You won’t believe how beautiful this tiny home is.” I think there is an appeal to de-cluttering and making life more simple, less full of things that studies have shown can actually cause you stress. In most instances, tiny homes aren’t realistic for families, but for single people who are okay with living with few positions, it’s an appealing idea.

Rad-Reader:  Do you think if you were single you could live in one?  Or maybe you are and do?

Trish:  I’m married (25 years this year), so no for both of us. Maybe if I were single. That or a small RV where I’d live a mobile life of traveling from place to place, perhaps working seasonally in National Parks. I will say that last year we sold our house and moved to an apartment. We did a lot of stuff culling before we moved, and that was a good feeling. It’s amazing how easily we collect stuff. We live in an apartment now and it’s nice to have less space to clean, and my husband is loving not having to mow. J And if something breaks like our microwave recently did, all you have to do is call maintenance and they come replace it at no cost. Bonus!

Rad-Reader:  If your book was made into a movie who would you like to play…

Mandy: Olivia Wilde

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/52635889371850577/

Ben:  Mike Vogel

 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/757660337280781637/

Trish:

Mandy:   Kacey Rohl
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/370491506833013531/

Ben:   Warren Kole

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/114208540525784081/

Rad-Reader:  Where is the most interesting place in the United States that you drove to that when you got there you went Wow?

Trish:  Yellowstone National Park. I’ve been there a few times now, but the first time I went was in the mid 1990's when my younger sister was working there. It’s beautiful, you can find a phenomenal peace there if you get away from the most crowded places like Old Faithful, and it’s so unlike the landscape in the South where I’ve lived my whole life. It inspired my passion for National Parks.

Rad-Reader:  What are some of your hobbies?

Trish:  Reading, watching TV, walks on the beach (we live a couple of miles from the Gulf of Mexico), cosplay, county counting (it’s where you try to visit every county in every state), visiting parks and history museums.

Rad-Reader:  What was your favorite TV character growing up?

Trish:  I’d say when I was a kid, it was Wonder Woman – both the Lynda Carter live-action show and the Super Friends cartoon on Saturday mornings. It was why I was SO excited about the movie this summer, and it was everything I hoped it would be. So awesome! 

Rad-Reader:  What character out of a book did you want to be when you read it?

Trish:  Laura Ingalls

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?

Trish:  The newest in the Blue Falls, Texas series is actually out this month. Her Texas Rodeo Cowboy is the third of the Hartley family books, and this one shifts to one of the sisters, Sloane. And the hero is steer wrestler Jason Till, who is making a run at the national title.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our reader buy your books?

Trish:  I have a page devoted to each of my books on my website, and each has buy links to various vendors – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Apple, Indie Bound, Kobo, Powell’s, etc. It varies by store, but Walmart's also tend to carry the books. 

This books link: https://www.amazon.com/Trish-Milburn/e/B00350UE26/

Rad-Reader:  Where can our reader find you on the Web?

Trish:  www.trishmilburn.com

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

           Twitter: @TrishMilburn

                 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1335180.Trish_Milburn

                  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/trishmilburn2/

Trish,

Thanks so much for taking the time for being with us.  I really enjoyed your book.  The dynamics of the blended family of adopted children was interesting as well as how Ben's mom allowed him to find his own way to cope but also gave him a little guide push without him really catching on.  Comforts zones are hard no matter what.

So, you too are now a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit so make sure you come back when you have a new book coming out so we can put it on our Shout Out: An Author's Place.

Thanks again,

Char & Pat