Today I get to introduce you to Caryl McAdoo and her new book Ava, plus be sure to check out the book giveaway from Celebrate Lit.

What is your favorite book that you have written (Published or Unpublished), and why?

For a long time, I would say HEARTS STOLEN, book two in my Texas Romance Family Saga, was my favorite of my stories. It was my very first Indie title (after ten traditionally published books). 

Writing it, I couldn’t see how God could ever untangle the hero’s and heroine’s mess for an acceptable and happy-ever-after. I write for discovery and do not know the end at the beginning. I was thrilled with the way God wrapped all the loose ends up!

Another reason I love the story is that I fell hard for a four-year-old character, Charley. Born and reared his first four years in a Comanche camp as son of the chief, he had quite a bold personality. Researching, I learned Comanche didn’t discipline their children. Once Charley shot a sparrow and commanded his mother. “Cook it!”

His real father had married his mother only a few months before she was stolen off the prairie and traded to Bold Eagle. When she is rescued by the Texas Ranger, the boy doesn’t want to go. He has much to learn.

When I went to pick up the HEARTS STOLEN manuscript, my proofreader said, “Caryl, you know how much I loved VOW UNBROKEN [book one in the series, published by Simon and Schuster), but this story is the cat’s meow!” I agree!

Since then, of my sixty-six titles, I’ve added two more “favorite” stories, THE BEDWARMER’S SON and I AM, My Beloved.

How do you pick your characters’ personalities, or looks?

Choosing the heroine and hero is the first step taken before I ever start writing. I chose her name and age—but never what she (or he) looks like. A background is chosen for the character so that I know why she is the way she is and where she’s at.

I write down good names I hear at Walmart or online or a new baby and keep a list! Ava probably came from a TV show and Noble . . . where did I hear that? Oh, mercy! I can’t remember where! 😊

I never describe a character because I want the reader to develop their own “image” of every character. They don’t seem to mind it, if they’re even aware. I haven’t asked, but my cover is when I see how my character looks like for the first time!

What are your hobbies other than writing?

I only write for an hour of so every morning, so that aspect of creating a book doesn’t take up much of my day. I enjoy working in the yard and making it beautiful. I’m the one who mows our grass, and I enjoy that, too!

When we moved to The Peaceable, our twenty, wooded acres about five miles south of Clarksville in Northeast Texas, Ron wanted everything around the house left natural. If he couldn’t mow it with his fifteen-foot-wide shredder behind the tractor, it wasn’t going to get mowed.

I lived with that a few years. Visitors drove right up to the front porch of the house. It seemed like a Walmart parking lot, and I hated it, so I used big rocks lined up to differentiate the driveway from my new front yard, made a winding path toward the front door, and started mowing the weeds!

I’ve since planted flowers and St. Augustine grass (with my husband’s help) and we have a beautiful yard that made a new UPS driver twirl down the pebble path (looking at everything) and say how it looked so beautiful like a fairy land. I don’t truck with fairies, but it was a heartfelt compliment!

I keep it cut with my little fourteen-inch SunJoe battery operated mower that starts with the push of a button. You charge it like your phone. I mow the back around the Pool of Praise (our pond) and on either side of our half mile driveway before you get into the woods with my new zero turn. It’s like a Six Flags’ ride to me!

I also love to sing and paint but spend the lion’s share of my time at the computer marketing the books. That’s the hardest part of being an author—getting the word out to the world about your books! We need the help of our readers!

What is one thing in your life that you would say has had the greatest impact on your writing? Or in your life in general?

This is the easiest question because ALL my stories are inspired by what Holy Spirit has taught me to be true. It is without any doubt that it’s God Who impacted my life and my writing most. My author’s motto is “Praying my story gives God glory!”

My readers who are sweet enough to leave a review often say things about how seamlessly I weave in the Truth of the Father’s Word throughout my stories. Of course, that’s His doing as I am only a vessel who belongs to Him and offers all that I am to advance His Kingdom!

Lastly, what was your favorite book growing up?

As a child, I loved all things having to do with horses. I was obsessive—even after I got my pony Twinkle Toes when I was nine. He rode home in my lap in the backseat of  Daddy’s company car—a baby Shetland.

So I scoured the school library and read every book they had—she even ordered more just for me—then Mama would take me to the public library on Saturdays to check out more horse stories.

My favorite turned out to be BLACK GOLD by Marguerite Henry. It’s a wonderful story of a little black horse who was loyal and so brave. I loved him!

About the Book

Book: Ava

Author: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Release date: May 3, 2023

And a child will lead them.

Even if she’s a seventeen-year-old, raven-haired bear slayer though? Ava May, head strong, fetching, and true of soul grew up wise in the ways of swamp living while so naive concerning the outside world. Gold for her ma to pay off her dead father’s debts and the promise of great adventure transport her from her backwoods Louisiana cabin to Montana’s big sky county to marry a stranger. However, love threatens to thwart all the plans made for the mail-order bride before the wagon train’s wheels stop rolling. Enjoy your journey with Ava and the other brides under Miss Lottie’s care on the Oregon Trail, living though temptations, dangers, and the harrowing trek.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Award-winning, Christian author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory. Of her best-selling novels, readers love her historical Christian romance family sagas most, but also enjoy their contemporary cousins, Caryl’s Biblical fiction, her historical mystery series, and tales for young adults, mid-grade booklovers, and pre-K through 2^nd grade picture books.

The majority of reviewers award her stories five-stars and praise Caryl’s writing style, citing her extensive research and the depth of her characters.

The prolific writer loves singing the new songs God gives her almost as much as penning new novels—hear a few at YouTube! She’s been married to Ron fifty-five years, and they share four children and twenty-five grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl

2023 is the fifth annual Prairie Roses Collection, and I’m so excited to add AVA to my contributions for this multi-author, covered-wagon-stories project! The sojourners of these grueling treks fascinate me, willingly suffering such hardships and walking two thousand miles for a fresh start.

In fact, Ava May Harley never wanted to leave her home, a log cabin her father built in Skeeter Bottoms. She was born there, but with her Pap gone, for her family’s sake . . . The Word says if we don’t take care of our own, we are worse than an infidel, right?

What have you sacrificed for the sake of your family?

What immediately comes to my mind is the time we gave up our “golden years” and put off our empty-nest for fourteen years to take in four precious grandsugar-sons when we were fifty-two. They were six, four, three, and three-days-old.

Had we not, CPS was going to remove them from our family and spread the brothers out among strangers. Ron and I couldn’t let that happen and asked them to leave the boys with us. Of course, we thought it would only be for a few months.

We assumed their parents would attend the required classes and ‘get clean’ Figured we could do anything for a couple of months, right? The short months turned into years. Each boy left when the graduated high school, except the baby. When the third brother left, he asked to go with him to the other grandmother’s. He was fourteen then.

When people asked how we did it, there was an easy answer.  “Only by the mercy and grace of God.” The boys are grown now. The oldest is a fire fighter, and the youngest is a Marine. Ron and I have enjoyed our empty nest since 2017 (at 67 years of age), but we miss our fellers!

In AVA, my sweet heroine was only seventeen when a cousin dangled gold coins in front of her broke and bereft mother. Ma could buy a proper gravestone for her dead husband and pay off his debts if she would only send her firstborn off to marry a stranger in Montana.

My brave and independent character made her own decision to make the journey for the betterment of her family and count it a great adventure. As the miles piled on top one another, taking her farther and farther from her life in the Louisiana swamps, the only home she’d ever known, she doubted her decision more than once.

Her strong faith in God worked with her naivety and kept her on the Oregon Trail, moving ever toward her future. When a person knows God has a plan, and believes they are on that very path, there’s no reason to be afraid or worry. She knew God would never leave her or forsake her.

She knew how completely trustworthy He is.

I fell in love with this precious character, and I hope you will, too. I hope you will enjoy going along with AVA on the harrowing journey!
How involved have you gotten with a book character in the past? Share the character’s name and the book’s title if you will in your comments below! 

BLESSINGS!

Visit other blogs on the tour

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 15

Connie’s History Classroom, June 16

For the Love of Literature, June 17 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, June 18

For Him and My Family, June 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 21 (Author Interview)

Books You Can Feel Good About, June 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 22

Splashes of Joy , June 23

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 24 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, June 25

Pause for Tales, June 26

Splashes of Joy, June 27 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 27

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away the prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2658c/ava-celebration-tour-giveaway