MK McClintock offers free book today and it's a blog hop

MK McClintock is celebrating today, Friday the 13th, by offering Alaina Claiborne for free! Are you feeling lucky?  Get your copy today!

How far would you go to avenge your family and save the one you love?

In 19th century England, Alaina Claiborne had a loving family, a cherished friend, and devoted servants. She spent her days riding across the grassy hills of the English countryside, joyful and at peace. Then tragedy strikes in the worst possible way and her world is forever changed, childhood gone and a new course set. Searching for a killer is her only focus, that is until she meets Tristan.

Tristan Sheffield is a man of many talents, among them searching out those who don't want to be found. His past is filled with secrets and deeds he would rather leave deeply buried. However, when his life is unexpectedly entwined with Alaina's, he soon discovers they share more than a mutual desire to catch a murderer.

On their hunt for a man driven by greed, Tristan and Alaina find that love is the greatest weapon against evil and they'll stop at nothing to survive.

Excerpt:

Tristan ignored the pain in his shoulder from busting down the back door as he made his way frantically through the old house. It was dark, dank, and an unpleasant odor wafted from the skeleton of every room. It looked as though someone had been there on and off for a while. The floors were covered in an inch of dirt except through the kitchen and the back hallways, both of which appeared to be well trodden paths through the house. Tristan swore that he could hear rats scuffling along the upper floors and there was the distinct smell of death lingering in the air. Whoever had made their temporary home in that debilitated old structure was probably shoved away in a closet somewhere.

He continued his search, finding nothing. The screams had stopped the moment he broke through the back door and he was now looking everywhere for a basement door. The sounds had been too muffled to have come from upstairs. Charles met him halfway through the search, revealing that he too had found nothing; until they happened upon a door in the kitchen floor.

Charles placed a hand on Tristan, holding him off, wanting to go first, but Tristan shook him off and pulled up on the heavy door. The corridor leading down was darker than the rest of the house and smelled much worse.  Feeling their way along the wall, both men carefully felt their way down the steps. Up ahead a dim light cast shadows and the glowed a little brighter with each step. Picking up his pace, Tristan moved towards the light and came to another door. This one was bolted shut and on the other side came the moans-barely audible, but they were there.

“Alaina?” Tristan yelled through the bars in the door.

No answer; a small moan. Charles studied the lock for a moment.

“We won’t be getting through this one easily,” he offered.

“Like hell we won’t,” Tristan replied and pushed Charles back.

Interview with western romance author MK McClintock

Here to chat about writing and particularly her debut novel Gallagher's Pride, is western historical romance author MK McClintock.

She's giving away some copies of her novel to lucky commentors. Details are at the end of the interview.

Bio:
MK was born on the west coast, but after less than eight years she left with her family to the Rocky Mountains. After more adventures around the country, business college, and culinary school, MK found a place to call home in Montana.

"I've always loved books and spent more hours reading through school than any other activity. I wrote stories when I was younger and even tried my hand at a novel. It wasn't very good and I shelved the idea for years." She pulled the ideas off the shelf and began working on her first novel, Gallagher's Pride, the first in an historical series about a ranching family in Montana.

Over the years, MK traveled the country and visited magnificent Scotland. She dreams of a time when life was simpler, the land rougher and the journey more rewarding. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, MK still calls Montana home.

Welcome, MK. Please tell us about your debut release.
Gallagher’s Pride is an historical western romance set in 19th century Montana Territory about a woman who has some drastic changes in her life and journeys to Montana, following a trail to search out secrets and family. She’s taken in by the Gallagher family and most especially our hero, Ethan Gallagher. Without giving anything away, there is of course the romance, but a bit of adventure and a voyage to Scotland.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to write what I wanted to read! Living in Montana certainly helped with the idea, but mostly I enjoy reading historical western romances that are clean which are difficult to find. I also wanted adventure and to combine my love of Montana and Scotland into one book.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently I’m working on the next Gallagher book, Gallagher’s Choice, where we have the story of Ethan’s brother, Gabriel and a woman from New Orleans. More of the same bit of humor, adventure and romance can be expected.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don’t believe there was any one moment where I knew I wanted to write-it was more gradual and began from an early age. I’ve been writing in one form or another for as long as I can remember, but actually calling myself a writer? I’d have to say the moment that first book was finished. That’s when it became real.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I don’t at the moment and probably won’t, but mainly because I always have so much going on. I own a couple of businesses and I enjoy the work too much to just walk away. Finding the time – now that can be tricky. I had to put myself on a schedule and I’m an early morning person, so I tend to put in a couple of hours early after I exercise. If I find I have an extra hour here or there, I just sit down and write. For me, writing should always be fun and so I make sure I balance it out with the other things I enjoy doing. If I miss a day, I don’t beat myself up.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
It’s more of an environmental quirk, but I like the room to be cold. I just seem to write and think better and can more easily ignore everything else around me. I also need a snack – easy to grab like carrots or grapes.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I had a pretty active imagination growing up and wanted to be a number of things. From a K-9 cop to a cowgirl/rancher and a lot of things in between, including a chef, a teacher, and a doctor. I eventually went to business and culinary school so I followed through on one of the ideas. I haven’t grown out of the cowgirl/rancher dream though.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I write because I love it and I write for entertainment. It was always a dream somewhere in my mind and the moment I became a writer, when that first book was complete, a dream was fulfilled. Dreaming is a gift and I hope everyone is doing their best every day, working towards their dreams.

Readers can connect with me through my blog.

Very nice way to close this interview. Thanks for being here today, MK. Happy writing trails!

Readers, MK is giving away 3 copies of Gallagher's Pride at the end of her virtual book tour (print copy for US residents only, e-book for international residents), to lucky commentors. So I encourage you to comment here, and on any of MK's other tour stops.