Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Cynthia Roemer & Under Moonlit Skies

Please join me welcoming Cynthia Roemer to the blog today to chat about her new book Under Moonlit Skies!

UNDER MOONLIT SKIES
SERIES: Prairie Sky #3
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Mantle Rock Publishing
RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2019
PAGES: 322

Her life was planned out ~ until he rode in ~

Illinois prairie ~ 1859

After four long years away, Esther Stanton returns to the prairie to care for her sister Charlotte’s family following the birth of her second child. The month-long stay seems much too short as Esther becomes acquainted with her brother-in-law’s new ranch hand, Stewart Brant. When obligations compel her to return to Cincinnati and to the man her overbearing mother intends her to wed, she loses hope of ever knowing true happiness.

Still reeling from a hurtful relationship, Stew is reluctant to open his heart to Esther. But when he faces a life-threatening injury with Esther tending him, their bond deepens. Heartbroken when she leaves, he sets out after her and inadvertently stumbles across an illegal slave-trade operation, the knowledge of which puts him, as well as Esther and her family, in jeopardy.

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Character Sketch for Under Moonlit Skies

by Cynthia Roemer

First of all, I love creating novel characters. I’ve enjoyed all of the characters in my Prairie Sky Series, but I have to say my hero in Under Moonlit Skies, Stewart Brant (affectionately known to his friends as Stew) is one of my favorites. Named after one of my favorite actors (Jimmy Stewart), Stew is tall and lank with wavy, brown hair and a heart as big as the prairie! Here’s what I imagine him to look like.

Stew hails from the fictional town of Taylor Springs, Missouri and is the eldest of nine children. With his slight southern drawl and easy-going personality, he’s easy to like and nearly impossible to forget. Though his features aren’t striking, upon meeting him, my heroine, Esther, describes his smile as one that could “melt a December snow”.

Stew isn’t perfect, however. He struggles with low self-esteem that stems from past hurts and an opinion of himself that is less than flattering. Having left home when he was seventeen, he joined up with a cattle drive that ran from Sedalia, Missouri to the Chicago stockyards. He began as a wrangler looking after the extra horses and worked his way up to swing rider under the watchful eye of trail master, Pete Callaway.

Readers first meet Stew in Book 2 of my Prairie Sky Series, Under Prairie Skies, when he befriends the hero of that novel, Chad Avery, while on a cattle drive. The two become fast friends, which leads to his visit to Chad’s ranch at the onset of this third novel, Under Moonlit Skies.

It’s there he meets Esther Stanton, who has returned to the prairie from Cincinnati for an extended stay to help her sister, Charlotte, after the birth of her second child. Stew and Esther take an immediate liking for one another, which propels them both on an unexpected journey that I’ll refrain from telling too much about. 🙂

Here’s how I envision heroine Esther Stanton who has the distinction of being in all three books in the series. She is as sweet as she is pretty with blonde hair and hazel eyes. But she has one hurdle she can’t seem to overcome—that of being a people pleaser. Rather than stand up for what she desires, she yields to the promptings of her domineering mother and soon finds herself sated with regrets. With the Lord’s help, throughout the course of the novel, she learns what it is to honor God by following His lead instead of bowing to the wishes of others.

Both Stew and Esther are in for quite a ride as they wade through their misconceptions about themselves to grow into the young man and woman the Lord intends for them to be. Set in 1859, just prior to the onset of the Civil War, Under Moonlit Skies begins on the prairie and ventures to unexpected places, full of intrigue and danger. While it can be read as a standalone novel, I encourage readers to read the entire series to gain a richer understanding of the storyline and characters.

Thank you, Cynthia! I can’t wait to meet these two! One of these days, I just know I’ll have time to catch up on my reading (nobody laugh! leave me in my delusion) and will get to read the second and third books. Loved the first one!

Cynthia Roemer is an award-winning inspirational author with a heart for scattering seeds of hope into the lives of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Cynthia enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the 1800s prairie. Her Prairie Sky Series consists of Amazon Best-Seller Under This Same Sky, Under Prairie Skies, and Under Moonlit Skies, releasing September 10, 2019. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes from her family farm in central Illinois where she resides with her husband of twenty-five years and two college-aged sons. Visit Cynthia online at: www.cynthiaroemer.com

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Cynthia Roemer is offering a print copy of Under Moonlit Skies to one of my readers! (US only) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What interests you most about Cynthia Roemer’s characters and/or Under Moonlit Skies?