MK McClintock: Gallagher's Hope

Gallagher's Hope
Gallagher Series, #2
by MK McClintock

McClintock is an entrepreneur, baker, photographer, tour host, reviewer and multi-genre author.

Over the years McClintock has traveled the country and abroad, experiencing the beauty of other lands and cultures. She dreams of a time when life was simpler, the land rougher, and the journey more rewarding. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, McClintock will always call Montana home.

McClintock is a member of Romance Writers of America, Montana Romance Writers, and Women Writing the West.

About Gallagher's Hope

She sought a new beginning.

He sought what he didn't know was missing.

Together they would discover hope in unlikely places.

Isabelle Rousseau must escape New Orleans and the memory of her family's tragic loss. With her younger brother in tow, she accepts a position as the new schoolteacher in Briarwood, Montana. Desperate to keep what's left of her family together, Isabelle joins her life with a stranger only to discover that trust and hope go hand in hand.

Gabriel Gallagher lived each day as it came believing he had everything he could possibly want . . . until a determined woman and her brother arrive with a little luggage and a lot of secrets. It will take a drastic choice to protect her and give them both hope for the future.

RTW: What aspect of life in the Old West intrigues you the most? Did you work that into Gallagher’s Choice?

MKM: I like the simple idea of life in the old west. It was rougher and harder, but simpler and I believe, more rewarding because each and every accomplishment took so much effort. There is a bit of that in Gallagher’s Choice from the standpoint that life is much more difficult and the challenges harder to overcome, but the accomplishment and reward is so much more fulfilling. They don’t have computers, cars, and cell phones to ease their way—they’re tough, strong and they survive. I like that.

RTW: Is your life anything like the old west or do you only live it through your books?

MK McClintock, author

MKM: I live in Montana, so I probably have a better feel for it than many, but so much of it has changed and most of that ‘old west’ has been lost. I live not far from a dude ranch and once in a while you’ll see people in town wearing cowboy hats and riding horses down the road. I remember being on our small ranch in Colorado as a little girl, my sister and I would go out into the pasture and walk around on all fours with the horses or we’d play cowboys and Indians or bank robbers. It was a lot of fun—I’ve been hooked on the west ever since. These days I live it mostly through my writing and what I read.

RTW: Why must Gabriel take this story journey? What does he have to prove? Why is he the perfect match for Isabelle?

MKM: I’ll try not to throw out any spoilers...Gabriel actually appeared in the first book, Gallagher’s Pride, and so it’s not just him on this journey alone—it’s the family coming together for a common purpose. He does have his own story and in it, he must prove he’s not only strong enough to help the family find resolve, but also to quite literally save someone else’s family from their own worst fate. I matched him and Isabelle together because they have differing personalities and I enjoy opposites. She’s not someone he would have ever met had she not been facing her own set of circumstances and I appreciate when two people come together out of need or because of situations, not just because they’re attracted to one another.

RTW: How much actual history is in your book or is it purely all imagination?

MKM: Gallagher’s Choice has a bit more actual history than the first book did. Isabelle comes from New Orleans and not having been there I had to do some digging on what that city would have been like post-Civil War. There’s also a bit more of Montana history tied in, but only enough to lend the story credence. The rest is just me taking privilege with the west as I imagined it would have been (or hope it would have been).

RTW: Is every book in the series a stand-alone or do you need the next to understand the story?

MKM: You certainly can read as stand-alone, but I did write the books as a continual story so you don’t get to know the final outcome until the last book in the series is complete. There’s a main antagonist throughout the entire series, though he doesn’t play a prominent role in each book. Of course each story will have their own minor antagonists to complicate their lives and help to bring the individual stories to a head. I’ve left the first two books with cliffhangers at the end, but that is because the story is immediately picked up in the next book. The third book in the series will bring a resolution to all story lines, though it won’t be the last book of the series. Because of the cliffhangers, I’ll likely offer all three books in one volume at some point.

RTW: Can you give us a little preview without spoiling the end?

MKM: Sure, this small bit is in the prologue.

Rousseau Mansion, New Orleans—October 1883

Nothing existed of the life she had known.

Her slender arm wrapped around the little boy’s shoulder and pulled him closer to his side. She could feel his slight trembling and wished more than anything that she could take away his sadness. They were alone in the world. They had each other, and she prayed that would be enough for them both.

They stood and listened as the priest gave the final blessing, and two men lowered the caskets into the ground. The few other mourners who had been kind enough to attend the funeral asked her to leave with them, but she needed the closure. She needed her eyes to see what her heart refused to accept. ”An unfortunate affair,” everyone called the incident for it wasn’t every day that a man murdered his wife and then shot himself. Isabelle wished not to think on the possible reasons why, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She never imagined her family to be anything but happy. Their father’s death, however, revealed the truth. No one spoke of it with them of course, but the lawyer had made the situation quite clear.

They were penniless.

RTW: What a hook! Where can we buy this book?

MKM: Gallagher's Hope is available at Amazon in Kindle and Print

RTW: Do you only write westerns?

MKM: Actually no, though more than anything else at this point and it will be focus until the series is complete. I have another series set in Victorian England that I’ll complete after the Gallaghers, more historical western romances and then a trilogy set in 18th c. Scotland, so I’ll be busy!

RTW: What’s next? Will you have a sequel to Gallagher’s Hope?

MKM: Yes, there’s more to come for the Gallagher’s. The third book, Gallagher’s Choice. I have two more books planned for the series after that, but with completely stand-alone story lines. Beyond that, I’ll just have to way to see what the Gallaghers have in store for us.

RTW: Anything else you’d like to add?

MKM: Guests to this blog may comment for a chance to win a copy of Gallagher’s Hope! Three eBooks and three winners!

It’s been fun and a big hello to all our readers! Thank you RTW!

Our thanks to MK McClintock! 

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Drawing will be September 15 at 9pm Pacific Time.  

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