Catching up with Kat Flannery and Fern
Kat Flannery and I wrote twin novellas in Hazardous Unions: Two Tales of a Civil War Christmas. Now Kat is writing a series of novellas, starting with newly released Fern.
Kat, you've written novels and novellas. What are the main challenges of each. Do you have a preference between them?
With a novella you have to start the action right away. Your story is taking place within a short timeline and writing that can be a challenge as in description, dialogue and pacing. You still need the plot and characters to be believable. Writing something this short puts your skills as a writer to the test.
I enjoy the novella; there is less thinking in the way of planning like there is with a novel. They’re a fresh fun way of getting the story out of your head.
A novel is more in depth. The biggest challenge for me is the pacing. With a novel you are giving the reader little bits of the backstory, plot, and characters throughout the whole book until the climax followed by the resolution. If you give too much away in the beginning the reader will not be compelled to finish the book.
If I had to choose which I liked better I’d have to say the novel, only because I love piecing a story together. Creating twists and turns for my reader is also fun. The characters are also so much more in depth.
What inspired you to make Fern a gardener and healer? Did she require much research?
Fern’s story came to me right away when I decided to write about three sisters. She was strong, and resilient, but soft and timid as well. Her gift to use the herbs, plants and vegetables she grew in her garden to heal the sick, injured, or aid a laboring woman would be the reason she was a suspect in a murder.
In my last two full-length novels I did a lot of research into the medicinal effects of the plants and flowers that grow within the land. I used a lot of that research, in creating Fern. However, I did need to delve a little deeper into the types of plants that were indigenous to Wyoming during the 1800s. I didn’t mind…it is the part of my job I love.
This is book one in the Montgomery Sisters series. Do we get to meet the other sisters in this book? Are there any hints you can give about what comes next?
When I was considering writing a novella I knew I wanted it to be a series of some sort. Not a trilogy, but standalone books where you could read them out of order and you wouldn’t miss anything. I came up with the idea to write about three sisters living in the west during the 1800’s.
In FERN you will meet her younger sisters, Poppy and Ivy, two very different individuals. Ha! Poppy is a firecracker, and Ivy, well you’ll have to wait and see. Poppy’s story will be next and I am working on it now followed by Ivy. I can tell you, Poppy is a gunslinger hunting down criminals. She is crass, tough as nails, and has the red hair to go along with her temper. But will Pinkerton detective, Noah Shaw be able to tame her?
FERN
The Montgomery Sisters Book 1
The Montgomery Sisters Book 1
Can
one woman heal the heart of a lawman?
A gardener who uses plants to heal, Fern Montgomery is
an outcast who refuses to be pushed out of town. When her friend is murdered
and all fingers point to Fern as the only suspect, she must find a way to prove
her innocence while fighting off unwanted feelings for the sheriff.
Sheriff Gabe Bennett has his mind set on arresting
Sarah Fuller’s killer. But his key suspect isn’t what he expected. He soon
realizes there is more to the quiet gardener than he’d first anticipated. As
passion blooms, Gabe is forced to face his feelings—and the woman who has
stolen his heart.
Excerpt:
CHAPTER ONE
Wyoming Territory,
1880
Fern Montgomery was desperate. She slapped the reins onto Nelly’s
brown back.
“Faster! Faster!”
The old mare couldn’t go any quicker. The horse was all she
had. A lack of money and other necessities were a priority. A Thoroughbred
hadn’t been in the budget, but at this very moment a stallion was what she
wished for.
She snapped the reins again. “Damn it, Nelly. Get going.”
She didn’t like to swear. Her younger sister did plenty of
it for both of them, but today she’d make an exception. She glanced behind her
at the woman lying beaten in the back of the wagon. Sarah Fuller had come to
her on more than one occasion. Fern had used the remedies taught to her by her
father to mend the cuts and bruises Sarah’s husband, Robby, had given her.
Today was different. Sarah had arrived slumped over her
horse and unconscious, her face so badly bruised and swollen she was almost
unrecognizable. But when Fern tried to wake her there was no response. Without
a second thought she’d left her sisters and headed into town.
She needed to get Sarah to Doc Miller’s. There was
something wrong beyond Fern’s abilities, and she wasn’t qualified to assess her
to determine what it was. She knew her plants and the vegetables within her
garden well. She also knew how to use them medicinally. Her father, a doctor,
had believed in using the landscape and what it grew in aiding the sick. Not
everything could be cured with opium or morphine, he’d say. When he passed away
two years ago, Fern had continued to help those who came to her. It was her
passion and how she supported her younger sisters. She loved toiling in the
soil, caring for her plants, and she enjoyed helping those in need.
She pulled on the reins to slow Nelly down as the wagon
rounded a corner on the dirt road. The sun was climbing higher in the sky, and
she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she passed the creek. Had there been
time she would’ve stopped to soak her handkerchief and lay it at the base of
her neck to cool her off. Instead her heart thumped rapidly in her chest
causing her face to flush. Tiny black dots danced before her eyes. She blinked
to clear her vision. She fanned her face and slapped the reins with the other
hand. Please God, let Sarah be okay.
She blew out a long sigh when she saw the church on the
outskirts of town.
“Almost there, Sarah,” she whispered more for herself than
her unconscious friend.
Main Street was busy with women and children shuffling
along the boardwalk. Men lined up outside the livery waiting for supplies while
several elderly men puffed on their pipes a few feet away.
She passed Mayor Smith standing in front of his office. She
shivered. He repulsed her. Refusing to meet his glare, she stared straight
ahead. The rotund man wanted Fern for his wife. After many polite declines he
turned bitter, siding with Pete Miller in his charge to stop her from selling
the natural medicine. There was no way she’d agree to such an absurd demand,
and her choice resulted in a one-sided feud with the two men doing everything
in their power to stop her.
She pulled on the reins and halted the wagon in front of
the doctor’s office. She hiked up her skirt and jumped from the seat. There was
no time for etiquette. She was sure the uppity women of Manchester were tipping
their noses at her now. Well she didn’t care. If any one of them came near her,
she’d blast them.
Fern pulled on the door and nearly took her arm off. It was
locked.
“Doc’s gone to lunch,” a deep voice said from behind her.
“Can I help you with something?”
“Not unless you’re a doctor,” she replied, ignoring him to
climb into the back of the wagon and assess her friend.
“What happened to her?”
“She showed up at my place beaten and unconscious.”
He jumped into the back of the wagon. She had no choice but
to acknowledge him then. Wide shoulders fitted within a denim shirt displayed
thick arms and a wide chest. Her gaze moved upward to a square jaw, high
cheekbones and dark brown eyes. A jagged scar cut up the left side of his face
to pull the corner of his eye down just a bit. It looked to be from a knife,
but she couldn’t say for sure.
He coughed.
Her cheeks grew warm, and she focused on her friend.
Brows furrowed, he inspected Sarah’s arms, legs and back.
“Why did she come to your place?”
“She visited often.”
He brushed the hair from Sarah’s face and inhaled sharply.
“What the hell?”
“She’s been beaten. I told you that.”
“Did you do this?”
“Of course not.”
His eyes locked with hers.
“Do I look like I could do something like this? She was my
friend.”
He shrugged.
She bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from
going off on the oaf.
“How long has she been in your care?”
“Half an hour. The length of time it took me to get here.”
He placed two fingers to her neck.
“Why?”
“Because she’s dead.”
Available
at:
Kat Flannery’s love
of history shows in her novels. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense,
paranormal, and romance.
She has her
Certificate in Freelance and Business Writing. A member of many writing groups,
Kat enjoys promoting other authors on her blog. She’s been published in
numerous periodicals throughout her career.
Her debut novel CHASING CLOVERS has been an
Amazon bestseller many times. LAKOTA HONOR and BLOOD CURSE (Branded
Trilogy) are Kat’s two award-winning novels and HAZARDOUS UNIONS is Kat’s
first novella. Kat is currently hard at work on her next book.
You can
find Kat here:
Thanks for having me, Ali! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting my interview you, Kat!
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