A New Face in Town by Susan Payne

     Frightened and alone, Victoria Watkins was fighting to make right what had suddenly become very, very wrong. Once thinking she had her whole future set out for her, she finds herself in a strange town seeking work without any credentials or confidence. After all, what could a poor girl raised in the tobacco fields of Tennessee offer a growing town like Sweetwater?

     And what was she to do when Mason, the local    sheriff, all but calls her a felon and danger to the town? How could she explain her stupidity or expect any help from total strangers who didn’t quite trust her either?

     And the other feelings the she had to push aside only caused her more distress. She had only been trying to find a family to belong to, a place to call home and a man to want her for herself. Would her desire for the man who held her in such contempt be her downfall?

Wild Women Authors welcomes Susan Payne to our virtual Covid-19 free den. With her is Victoria Watkins from A New Face in Town.

Where are you from? “It wasn’t exactly a town – more of a place in the middle of the Tennessee foothills. Not much more than a store but it was the only place to go in the evenings cuz it sold moonshine. Mostly made in the mountains so it was cheap. My pa was a little too fond of going there.”

Tell us a bit about A New Face in Town: “I had gotten myself into a conundrum. I came out west as a mail-order-bride but the man I met wasn’t interested in marriage, if you know what I mean. I hightailed it out of there as fast as I could and ended up in a real nice place, named Sweetwater. Just the name made me think good thoughts. A place I could start over, you know?”

What did you think the first time you saw Sheriff Mason? “I was so afraid. I thought he’d come to take me back to the man who paid for my ticket. That I was to be returned to that Bob Hill since I agreed to marry him in the first place.”

Was it love at first sight? “Oh, no. Far from it although just his touching me made my stomach feel all funny. Like I was going to be sick or something.”

What do you like most about Mason? “Now that I know him better? I love everything about him. I love the way he cares so much for the town and the people living there with us. I love that he wants the town to grow and prosper, even investing his own money to help it do that. I love that he loves me and shows it in everything he does.”

How would you describe him? “Caring. Caring and strong and all the things a man’s supposed to be. I didn’t believe such a man could be real but there are several men like that in Sweetwater. They all came together to save me from a horrible life. They protected me simply because I was there, living among them.

How would he describe you? “I believe he called me - trouble. Something like that, anyways. I didn’t mean to bring trouble but I did and it took a time to sort it all out but we did. It took most of the town but in the end, I was saved and the others could relax knowing Sweetwater was a safe place again.”

What made you choose child-care as a career? “Being the oldest of seven it came natural. Besides taking care of young’uns, I only know tobacco. I’m the fastest at bundling and hanging leaves to dry but there isn’t much need for that kind of work in Kansas, not in Sweetwater anyway. And Abby needed help with her daughter, Grace. It also gave me a place to live which I was in need of.”

What is your biggest fear? “That something more from my past will cause the town problems. Nothing that I can think of but I wasn’t worried the first time and look what happened. I’m just so happy I guess I’m afraid it’ll all disappear.

How do you relax? “I take walks with Grace, pick berries and stitch little yellow ducks onto bibs and dresses. I like to embroidery like Abby taught me.”

Who is your favorite fictional character? “Queen Elizabeth. I know she was real and all but she didn’t take anything from anyone. I wish I were more like her and I wouldn’t have gotten into trouble – been trouble for Mason. Anyway, she seems like a fictional character to me. Sort of unreal in her life.”

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? “When I first came to town and was so worried about everything, Abby told me, ‘Go on, Victoria, it will actually help to put words to it. It becomes less of a burden if you let someone else carry part of it for you.’ I think those were the wisest words because she was right. I felt better with someone else knowing.”

Thank you for taking time to speak with us, Victoria. Now we'd like to chat with Susan.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? “I watched Gene Autry movies and television shows like Roy Rogers with his wife, Dale Evans. Feel good stories with happy outcomes even if there were ‘bad people’ doing bad things. The hero did his job just as the heroine did. The female role was downplayed, somewhat, so that she appeared to be saved but she was feisty and able to handle a gun and horse as well as the men. I realized at an early age: strong men need strong women in their lives. Mothers, teachers, sisters, or wives. Men could not have built this nation without women. And those women had to be just as strong and tough.

What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? “I want women to know that they are never alone in the world. That there are others who will take up the banner and march beside them, give them a hand-up, love them for who they are and what they become. I have an abundance of females in my family and they have led by example – strong independent and loving women. Great examples and ones I use in my writings much of the time.”

Tell us a bit about your publisher: The Wild Rose Press was mentioned by a fellow writer as being good to work with so I contacted them on line and we are now going into the third book of my Sweetwater series. The story above is from my second published book with them.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? “This is an ever-changing thing. I sometimes find a book I read right away which means another will stay in the pile. I used to like to read them in order - now I grab one whenever I can.”

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? “As I said, the third book of the Sweetwater series should be out by May, 2020. I also have a mail-order-bride called Montana Lineman published by Literary Wanderlust out in fall of 2020.

To purchase the Sweetwater series, book 2, go to Amazon Books.

For Book 1 [Harrison Ranch/Macgregor's Mail Order Bride], go to: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509230289/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_KTqcEbAF0P1DV

To learn more about Susan Payne and the stories she creates, go to:

Website: http://www.authorsusanpayne.com

Email: authorspayne@gmail.com