Hi everyone, my name is Mary Alford and I’m thrilled to be with you today. Along with Romantic Suspense, I write sweet Contemporary Westerns set in the mountains of Colorado and Montana.
I fell in love with the mountains the first time I visited them many years ago. Before that time, I was a beach girl at heart until my husband and I made a trip to the historic town of Silverton, Colorado and that was it. I loved everything about the mountains and Silverton, including its history.
Silverton is a historic silver and gold mining town nestled in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The Animas River that runs around the town is where the old time miners first discovered traces of gold and silver in 1860. In 1874 the town of Silverton was laid out and it soon became the center of numerous mining camps.
Yet, through the years, the mining slowly dried up, but Silverton still remains a popular tourist attraction, being linked to Durango, Colorado by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a National Historic Landmark. And believe it or not, there’s still gold and silver to be found there if you are so inclined to look.
When I set out to write, Grace And The Rancher, my White Rose Publishing release set in the fictional mountain town of Delaney Mountain, it was with Silverton in mind as an example for Delaney Mountain. Although Delaney Mountain is better known for its rich ranch land instead of mining, living in the mountains and forging out a living there as a rancher, has a whole new set of problems.
As hard as the winters in Colorado can be today, with the snowfall piling up, and the isolation that comes with living in the mountains, still, I can’t imagine how difficult ranching in the mountains of Colorado must have been in the old days.
Travel was difficult, the roads crude, supplies were not easily accessible, and the winters brutal on the cattle as well as those who worked them. Just moving cattle from one piece of property to another in search of better grazing consumed time.
While my hero, Kyle Delaney, might not have had to face the difficulties those early cattle ranchers did, he still has his own set of challenges. Kyle is coming back to Delaney Mountain after his father’s death to try and resurrect Delaney Ranch from its ashes. And in the process, he finds something he never expected to find again. Love.
About Grace And The Rancher:
Grace Bradford is living a lie. To the world she has the perfect life: A promising country music career and a husband who adores her. But her husband isn’t the man everyone believes him to be. When a car accident widows her and ends her career, Grace escapes to Delaney Mountain. But moving to the remote town doesn’t wipe away the ugly secret of her marriage. Kyle Delaney never intended to return to Delaney Mountain, but he promises his dying father that he’ll turn their land into a working cattle ranch. He uproots his life in Austin, sells his flourishing business as a music agent, and returns to the Colorado town of his childhood. Can a runaway singer and a makeshift rancher, thrust together by circumstance and held together by the common thread of loss and a love of music, find hope and a happily-ever-after under the stars of Delaney Mountain?
I will be giving away two ebook copies of Grace And The Rancher to commenters today.
A little about Mary:
I was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Soon creating characters and throwing them into dramatic situations that test their faith came naturally for me. In 2012, I entered the Speed Dating contest hosted by Love Inspired and later received “the call”. Writing is truly a dream come true for me.
Thanks so much for allowing me to stop by and talk to you today.
All the best…Mary Alford
Hi Mary, I too am a beach girl, but Colorado is my very next favorite place. Hubs and I spent a week there during peak Aspen foliage a couple of years ago. And we did stay in Durango, too. I can easily imagine the setting for your wonderful story. Best wishes and enjoy your visit in Wildflower Junction!
Thanks, Tanya. I’m happy to be here today.
Hello Mary- you make me want to Visit Silverton. What a beautiful country. I leave July 15th for my dream vacation. Wyoming and Possibly a short visit to Montana. Your book sounds wonderful. You have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks, Tonya. I’m jealous. I would love to visit Montana some day.
IT sounds so beautiful. I loe the mountains. Thanks for the intro to your hero and heroine.
You are welcome, Debra.
The mountains sound so beautiful! I’ve only passed they the mountains in Tennessee when I was a kid. I would love to see the west!
You should see the Rockies. Breathtaking. I’ve heard that Tennessee has some beautiful mountains as well. Thanks for stopping by, Dale.
It sounds like a very pretty place, I love mountains. You are a new author to me so I would love to read your book.
Thank you, Quilt Lady. Thanks for joining me here today.
I have never been to Colorado, but these pictures make me want to go. You book sounds really good too.
Thanks, Janine. I admit, I’m partial to Colorado, but I still love the beach from time to time.
Love the mountains more than the beach.
I’m with you there, Kim. It’s definitely God’s country.
Hi, Mary. Welcome to the blog. I currently live near the beach (can smell the sea if the wind is blowing the right way), but I do love the mountains — but during the summer. I can’t handle all that snow.
Your story sounds good. I do tend to love those second chance at love stories.
Me too, Trish. There’s just something about a couple of wounded souls finding happiness together.
Colorado is a beautiful state. My husband was stationed in Colorado Springs for 3 years and it was our best assignment. Would love to have stayed there, but the military doesn’t work that way. We went to the Durango area whenever we could. We have taken the Train a couple of times and it is a spectacular ride. A big part of the attraction to the area was visiting Mesa Verde. Whenever we head out West, we try to swing through there.
The high meadows are perfect for summer grazing, but moving them out and down the mountain before winter sets in is critical. The weather there is crazy. One year we were out there in July with high 70’s to low 80’s in the Springs. On our way through Rocky Mountain National Park, things changed. The snow drifts high in the mountains were still 15 feet high and we hit a blizzard at the Continental Divide. In the summer it is dry and goes into the high 90’s to over 100. In the winter, you can have 2 or 3 feet of snow one day and the following week, it has all evaporated and it is 70 degrees. Trying to work farming and ranching around that kind of weather is not easy.
It is a special place. The Front Range has developed and grown way too fast. Luckily, there are lots of mountain sides and valleys to spread out, find yourself, and live your life. I look forward to revisiting Colorado and meeting Kyle and Grace.
Beautiful. Especially for us Texans how hate the heat of the summer. TO Patricia B.
Thanks to everyone for joining me today. I had a great time.
Love the post! Love Silverton! We owned a house there for several years. Nothing like those mountains, jeep trails, and beautiful streams.
Absolutely, Melanie. I love four wheeling in the mountains.
I have been to Silverton on the railroad, but it has been a long time. I loved going up there.
Your book sounds like one I would really like to read. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
You are welcome, Susan.