12 Days of Clean Romance - Day 4

ZINA ABBOTT is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her adult Golden Oaks series which includes Family Secrets, the first book in the series, and her historical novels.

Except for the first year of her life, Robyn has lived in California. She started her young life in San Diego and has had gradually moved northward. She has been writing since she was in junior high school.

After working several jobs, including that of being a rural carrier and union steward for the California Rural Letter Carriers' Association, she has spent years learning and teaching family history topics. She enjoys focusing on history from a genealogist's perspective by seeking out the details of everyday life in the past. Several of her family history articles have been published in genealogy magazines.

She resides with her husband in California near the "Gateway to Yosemite." When she is not piecing together novel plots and characters, she enjoys piecing together quilt blocks.

Connect with the Author here: 

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In 1868, Otto Atwell has a 160 acre homestead near Abilene, Kansas and a limp as a result of an arrow shot in his low back while with the 16th Kansas Cavalry on the Powder River Expedition in 1865. What he doesn’t have is a wife. Then again, what woman would want to marry a cripple? 

Libby Jones comes to Junction City as a mail order bride. Not only does the man who sent for her reject her, he tries to sell her to the local brothel to recoup his fee. Otto offers to marry her, but she rejects him in favor of a job with his relatives. 

Will Otto’s offer still stand when trouble from Libby’s past catches up with her?

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~ Amazon Canada ~ Amazon Australia ~

Q&A With The Author:

1.     Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?

I enjoy driving into the mountains to sightsee and take photos. I also enjoy going to one or two seminars a year so I can tour along the way and while I’m there. I’m also a quilter.

2.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

I want to write more novels than what I have time to do. I try to be more realistic with my scheduling. I have been looking at ways to market more effectively without spending an excessive amount of time on social media.

3.     What are your future projects?

I have an 80K book written that I need to do rewrites on after getting feedback from a cultural sensitivity beta reader. I have another novel written that needs some rewrites, then it gets published. I have a new adult series I published under my real name that needs the next book written. I also hope to write more books for two series—one my own and one sponsored by the Sweet Americana Sweethearts blog.

4.     What is the “message” of your writing? 

I write sweet historical romance, but I often touch on gritty, sensitive issues such as the one in Otto’s Offer. I often write about legal and cultural barriers women faced in the past. Even though many today feel those times are over, I don’t wish my women readers to forget (1) many of those legal disadvantages still existed during my lifetime, and (2) the glass ceiling and other forms of discrimination against women may not be as oppressive now, but they are still there. Don’t lose the legal, social and cultural ground we have gained.

5.     Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?

I try for more depth than many romance authors in that I will incorporate actual historical events in my books in addition to the developing romantic relationship and the angst. One example is the history of the American Civil War-era 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry that plays a role in Otto’s Offer. Another entire book series I wrote is set in 1884 Mono County, California east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The plots in most of those books are based on actual historical events and conditions of the involved communities. Those who read my books risk learning something.

6.     Have you done anything writing-related, besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

I’m a blogger. I need to write more for my Zina Abbot Books blog—another goal for this year—but in the meantime I post monthly on three group blogs. One group blog, Sweet Americana Sweethearts, I started two and a half years ago for the purpose of promoting sweet secular romance novels set in North America between 1820 and 1929. As of now, fifteen other sweet romance authors (some are Christian authors) take one day a month to share historical information and spotlight their published books. This blog has its own Twitter account, book club group on Facebook, and we have sponsored several book series for those of our authors who wish to participate. It takes far more time than I would like to administer these activities. However, I feel gratified that I am helping to promote American historical romances that meet sweet standards and are often inspirational, as well as other authors besides myself who write them.  

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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