Bonus Material from the Nebraska Series Read online

  Posts From Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog: Book 1

  Bonus Material

  from the Nebraska Series

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Bonus Material from the Nebraska Series - Smashwords Edition

  Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at Smashwords

  Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime at www.dreamstime.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Cover made by Stephannie Beman.

  Interior photos credited according to sites Dreamstime at www.dreamstime.com and Shutterstock at www.shutterstock.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Table of Contents

  The Best Hero in the Nebraska Series Competition

  Shotgun Groom: Character Interviews

  Isaac’s Decision: Character Interviews

  Her Heart’s Desire: Character Interviews

  A Call to Boycott Ruth Ann Nordin’s Books

  Dave Larson’s Missing (Who’s Responsible?)

  Ruth Ann Nordin Sues Dave and Mary Larson!

  Update on Other Books Written Featuring the Larson Family

  All Books Written by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Find Out More About Ruth Ann Nordin

  Join Ruth Ann Nordin’s Email List

  The Best Hero in the Nebraska Series Competition

  This series of posts was a lot of fun to write. I had people vote for the winners in each post and then totaled up the results to find out who won. Here are the characters who competed for the slot of “Best Hero in the Nebraska Series”:

  Her Heart’s Desire – Rick Johnson

  A Bride for Tom – Tom Larson

  Eye of the Beholder and To Have and To Hold – Dave Larson

  The Wrong Husband – Owen Russell

  Shotgun Groom – Joel Larson

  His Redeeming Bride – Neil Craftsman

  Without further ado, here are the posts. Enjoy!

  ***

  The Best Hero in the Nebraska Series: Who is the Sexiest?

  (Posted on December 26, 2011)

  Ruth Ann Nordin: I see we have Dave Larson up first. Dave, what makes you the sexiest hero in the Nebraska Series?

  Dave: I’m sexy because I work out in the fields a lot. I believe exercise and eating right are good for the body. Plus, I get two books instead of one. That’s because I’m the most desirable male lead in any of the books you’ve ever done. I don’t hear women clamoring for a sequel for Tom, Joel, Rick, Neil, or Owen. Nope. Only me. And that’s because I’m the sexiest hero you got.

  Joel: *rolls eyes* You’re not the sexiest hero, Dave. You’re the most conceited. I have never seen anyone more in love with himself. Next Christmas, I’ll remember to buy you a pocket mirror so you can see the one you love most wherever you go: you.

  Dave: Hey, that’s not fair. I love Mary more than anyone else.

  Joel: Yeah, I feel sorry for her sometimes. It’s amazing that bed fits both of you and your big ego.

  Ruth: So Joel Larson, you’re all dressed up. No body to show off?

  Joel: Ruth, looks fade over time, and even with great exercise and diet, there’s no substitute for what truly makes a man sexy: intelligence. Women love a thinker, someone who isn’t afraid to challenge the world with his wisdom instead of his physical strength. This is why I became a doctor instead of confining myself to farming. I want to learn and never stop.

  Dave: I guess that works if you don’t have a great body.

  Joel: Your body isn’t that great, Dave.

  Dave: For the 19th century, it is. We don’t have gyms in our time.

  Tom: No, no, no. You both got it wrong. Physical beauty and intelligence aren’t the best things about a man.

  Ruth: What do you think makes a man sexy?

  Tom: Giving the woman chocolate. And not just for Valentine’s Day or her birthday. He must have a steady supply of chocolate on hand at all times, and if she worries she’s getting fat, you say, “Oh honey, you look better today than you did when we got married. You’re sweet so you deserve chocolate. Reward yourself for the loveliness that is you.”

  Joel: *gags* The loveliness that is you? Wow. Now I know why Jessica stays with you. You fill her up with chocolate all the time.

  Tom: I’ll have you know that chocolate has a rather romantic influence on her.

  Joel: Right, because it’s a natural aphrodisiac. But you don’t have to fatten her up. There are four other aphrodisiacs right in your kitchen. There’s cornstarch, buttermilk, tomatoes, and avocados. I know all of this because I’m an intellectual. I can keep April pretty happy without shoving something fattening in her face all the time.

  Tom: Oh please! Like any of those other four things are as good as chocolate. *rolls eyes*

  Ruth: Okay, so next up is Owen Russell. What do you think makes a man sexy?

  Owen: The others got it wrong. The sexiest thing a man can do for the woman in his life is to shower her with gifts. And lots of them. Don’t be afraid to pick up flowers and candy and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Be romantic. She’s special, so you need to let her know it.

  Joel: So that’s what Owen looks like! I always wondered.

  Tom: I wonder what Richard looks like.

  Owen: Richard?

  Joel: We have an older brother named Richard. He is mentioned a couple of times in the books, but he probably won’t ever get his own book.

  Dave: Because he wasn’t a farmer in Nebraska. He married his wife when we were all in New York, and Ruth has this policy where if it’s not out west, she’s not interested anymore. I mean, she was interested in the East Coast when she wrote the Virginia books, but then she went through her Harlequin Historical western romance phase and was hooked. Well, actually she wrote Eye of the Beholder–my book that started the whole Nebraska Series–and was hooked on historical westerns. You can all thank me for being so sexy that she had to keep writing them. If it weren’t for me, you would never have had your own books.

  Joel: Tom and Owen, refer to what I said about his ego a few paragraphs up.

  Ruth: Moving on to Rick Johnson. What do you think makes a man sexy?

  Rick: You want to know why I waited until last to have my own book in the first generation of Larson siblings? Because I refused to show up when Ruth was ready to write Her Heart’s Desire. I was determined to do my own book on my own time. You know why? Because the sexiest thing on Earth is a bad boy. I’m so bad, I’m good.

  Tom: Actually, you don’t look like a bad boy. You look like a psychotic killer. You’re not carrying a knife or something behind your back are you?

  Rick: What? No. What gave you that idea? I’m a bad boy. The black leather jacket, the serious look, the facial hair, the sultry look, the dark background.

  Tom: To be honest, you look a little scary. Are you sure you didn’t become a judge to get away with your murdering spree? I mean, who’s going to convict a judg
e, right?

  Joel: Oh, get real, Tom. He’s not scary. He’s just trying to play “danger and excitement” to women gullible enough to fall for it. The truth is, he’s a big softie. He’s as dangerous as a dust bunny. You want something scary? Be locked in a room with Sally for an hour. *shivers* It happened to me once, and I didn’t know if I was going to make it. If I had to listen to her ramble on for one more minute, I would have gone crazy.

  Ruth: That being said, let’s move on to Neil Craftsman. Neil, what makes a man sexy?

  Neil: You’re missing out, Joel. The best way a man can be sexy is by listening to women, especially the love of his life. I make it a point to listen to Sarah whenever she wants to talk. A woman loves it when a man takes the time to discuss her feelings and then shares his. Don’t be afraid to be sensitive.

  Tom: Sensitive?

  Joel: Don’t worry. You got that covered with the pink buggy and all those girls you got. You even tear up whenever they say they love you.

  Tom: I don’t tear up. I have something in my eye.

  Joel: If that’s true, you need some eye drops because you tear up a lot. You might need antibiotics or something. I could check you out if you want.

  Tom: Back off, Joel. There’s nothing wrong with me.

  Neil: Don’t be ashamed of caring about your wife and children, Tom. Believe me, when it all comes down to it, nothing is more important than family.

  Ruth: Well, on that note, it’s time to vote on the sexiest Nebraska Series hero.

  Poll Results:

  Dave Larson 70.65% (65 votes)

  Joel Larson 8.7% (8 votes)

  Tom Larson 0% (0 votes)

  Owen Russell 2.17% (2 votes)

  Rick Johnson 5.43% (5 votes)

  Neil Craftsman 13.04% (12 votes)

  Photo credits:

  Dave building up his body: File ID: 4308660 © Yuri_arcurs | Dreamstime.com, picture purchased on 12/20/2011, picture no longer available

  Joel the intellectual: ID 14776382 © Jason Stitt | Dreamstime.com

  Tom handing out chocolate: ID 7045372 © Imagery Majestic | Dreamstime.com

  Owen giving out gifts: ID 20441689 © Pares1 | Dreamstime.com

  Rick the bad boy: ID 7497954 © Curaphotography | Dreamstime.com

  Neil the sensitive type: ID 2601184 © Geotrac | Dreamstime.com

  ***

  Best Poetic Hero from the Nebraska Series

  (Posted on December 29, 2011)

  Ruth: The results for the sexiest hero are in, and in a pretty strong lead is Dave Larson.

  Joel: You’ve got to be kidding me.

  Ruth: Nope. He got the most votes.

  Joel: It has to be the books. There’s no way he could win had it not been for Eye of the Beholder.

  Dave: Sour grapes, Joel. Sour grapes.

  Joel: What do you know?

  Dave: Well, I know that being a nerd is highly overrated.

  Joel: *gasps* I am not a nerd!

  Tom: I didn’t get any votes. Not a single person voted for me.

  Joel: That’s because no woman wants a big bar of chocolate shoved in her face.

  Rick: Who came in second?

  Ruth: Neil.

  Dave: Neil?

  Ruth: Come on, Dave. You worked things out with him in Isaac’s Decision. Don’t be so surprised.

  Joel: That settles it. Dave is only nice in the books. Otherwise, he’s a blowhard.

  Ruth: That was only one competition. There will be more. Tonight we’re going to find out who is the best poet. Who’s up first? Tom?

  Tom: Okay. I’ll go.

  “Rose are red.

  Violets are blue.

  You’re super cute

  And fun to be with, too.”

  Joel: Wow. I see another 0 votes coming your way.

  Tom: What’s wrong with it? I wrote this for Jessica when I proposed to her.

  Joel: You’re not making your case any better, Tom.

  Tom: But she giggled, said it was adorable, and agreed to marry me.

  Joel: You’re still not helping your case.

  Tom: Oh fine. If you’re so great, you do one.

  Joel: I will. *clears throat*

  “Lady rose

  of my desire

  ever yours”

  Tom: And you said mine wasn’t any good? At least mine made sense.

  Joel: Mine is an English Haiku.

  Tom: Bless you.

  Joel: What?

  Tom: You sneezed. I just said ‘bless you,’ to be nice.

  Joel: Oh good grief. It’s “haiku,” not “achoo.” And it’s an English one, not a Japanese one, so there are fewer syllables required per line.

  Tom: But it doesn’t even rhyme.

  Joel: Not all poems have to rhyme, Tom.

  Rick: Move aside, guys. Here’s how it’s supposed to be done:

  “If I were to judge beauty

  How far would I have to go

  To the heights of heaven

  With its stars all aglow

  Or would I seek out the fields

  Where the spring flowers bloom

  Maybe the sunset with its glory

  Right as twilight looms

  How about the majesty of the

  Mountains towering high

  Or the swell of the surf

  As it brings in the tide

  From east to west, I’ve been

  And high and low have I sought

  But I searched in vain

  And found it’d all been for naught

  Then you came into my life

  Now I understand beauty

  Not just in your touch and kiss

  But also in the way you love me”

  Joel: Oh sure. That’s fine if you’re going by length.

  Tom: At least it rhymed.

  Owen: I just finished mine. It’s called “Jenny.”

  “Just for being you

  Each and every day

  No other is as lovely

  Nor as desirable as you

  You are in my heart forever”

  Tom: What is it with these poems that don’t rhyme?

  Owen: It’s a name poem, Tom. Those don’t have to rhyme.

  Tom: At least Rick’s poem rhymed. I hope he beats both of you.

  Dave: I got one that rhymes.

  Joel: *rolls eyes* I suppose this will be another winner.

  Dave: Hey, I worked hard on this. It’s not easy for me to write.

  Joel: You can say that again. I still remember your silly endings for Isaac’s Decision.

  Tom: Oh come on. He wasn’t that bad.

  Joel: And then he gave himself all those 5-star reviews. Tacky, Dave. So tacky.

  Dave: I will not let you get under my skin, Joel. I wrote this for Mary.

  “My life was incomplete

  Until the day I met you

  The empty hours, lonely nights

  I didn’t know how I made it through

  But that’s all over now

  Since you came into my life

  To make my house a home

  And to be my cherished wife

  With each and every passing year

  I love you more than the one before

  And with the years we still have