In it we meet Willa Kramer. The middle child of three. Farmer's daughter. Quiet. Direct. Tough. And already bearing burdens no twelve-year-old should.
We learn about the past that will impact her future, and we meet the young man with shoulders broad enough to be her champion, and a heart wise enough to understand her grief.
Willa is tougher than all of my heroines put together. (She's also short in stature. It's awesome! She's petite and mighty.)
Not only must she fight violence and evil, she must war with her own feelings of worthlessness. Those incessant, horrible voices we all hear from time to time telling us we aren't good enough.
Willa learns how to be vulnerable, how to love herself, and most importantly, she learns to forgive herself. The love of Lonnie Davis is her touchstone, the rock upon which she stands, and he refuses to leave her side no matter how hard she tries to push him away.
I loved writing this book, delving into Willa's heart and watching her save her life and the lives of everyone she loves. And as I wrote her, that line from Shakespeare came to me....
"Though she be but little, she is fierce."
I learned a lot from Willa. She taught me an important life lesson, one that I have to repeatedly practice, but that I know is true. Forgiveness of self is just as important as forgiveness of others. For those of us who take our mistakes to heart and hold them a little too close, that is a hard thing to remember. But we must.
During the month of November we're talking about life lessons, and one wonderful thing about romances is, no matter which time period or place they're set in, they are about real problems. Real life. And about the only thing that really matters in this world...love.
Happy Thanksgiving, Kara. Sounds like your character, Willa ended up with a happy one.
ReplyDeleteI love western historicals!! Willa sounds great! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletethank you for the opportunity
ReplyDeleteLoved learning about the heroine and your new book.
ReplyDelete