Emotional Camouflage -- Heroine Interview with Shannon McNear

Actress Mila Kunis is OWG's inspiration for Lizzy Cunningham

 "The Counterfeit Tory"  

by Shannon McNear 

In – The Backcountry Brides Collection (Barbour, May 2018)

 HEROINE Lizzy Cunningham             

Strong heroines have become as cliché as anything else in recent years, and I tend to like atypical characters. So when this tough girl first introduced herself to me as “too sharp-tongued for any man to put up with,” I knew she had to possess some hidden vulnerability.

            And wow, did she ever.

            Lizzy Cunningham is the daughter of a loyalist innkeeper, and the fictional cousin of the infamous William Cunningham. Quite a dangerous thing in the middle of increasingly “rebel” (aka patriot) territory. In the years since her mother’s death, her father and brothers grew neglectful and abusive by turns, and that sharp tongue has been both her defense and camouflage. She isn’t necessarily sharp edged by choice—she’s really just trying to avoid trouble while helping keep the family business afloat. But why should she expect any man to come to her defense when those closest to her see her as a step above slave labor (or perhaps don’t value her even that much), or treat her as a plaything for their own entertainment? And it isn’t like she’s anything to look at, either. (Jed wishes me to tell you that she is indeed beautiful … that her hair is an abundant, glossy brown, like wood well polished, and that her eyes hold all the hues of a Carolina autumn day—blue, green, and brown with flecks of amber.)

            Imagine such a girl’s shock, and fear, when a decent-acting (and -looking) man sails into her life and not only notices her situation, but expresses a wish to alleviate the issue. Why would she not immediately be suspicious? And what a terrible risk it is to hope that the goodwill he speaks is indeed genuine!

            Why does Lizzy keep finding herself choosing to not expose his suspicious behavior to her father and brothers? Worse, why does she find it so easy to not only trust him, despite her family’s political leanings, but give him her own heart?

            

BUY LINKS:

The Backcountry Brides:  B&N, Amazon, CBD 

And the prequel, The Highwayman, is now available as a standalone:  (click here to purchase)

Author Shannon McNear

BIO:

After more than two decades in the South, Shannon McNear now makes her home on the windy northern plains with her husband, four of their eight children, two German Shepherds, four cats, several chickens, and a noisy flock of guinea fowl. She serves in worship and youth ministry, and has been writing novel-length fiction since age 15. Her first novella, Defending Truth, from A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® nominee. When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the Dakota prairies.

You can connect with Shannon on her website as well as on:

Facebook

Pinterest

Goodreads

Twitter

Colonial Quills

GIVEAWAY: We're giving away a paperback copy of The Backcountry Brides Collection on the blog this week. Get an entry by leaving a comment here on this post and on our review post later in the week!