Walking a Mile in Another Man's Cowboy Books ~ Guest Post by Erica Vetsch

This week is all about celebrating new releases, and today we're celebrating a fun one!! My author friend, Erica Vetsch, is here today to talk about The Cactus Creek Challenge. I'm especially excited because Erica is a fellow Minnesotan, as well as one of the contributors of my group blog, Coffee Cups & Camisoles, and she's also an author in both of the novella collections I'm in this summer! Not only do we share all of this in common, we're also fellow history & museum lovers. Erica is a great blessing to me and so many who know her (she's also hilarious!). I hope you enjoy her guest post. :)

Erica and me on release day for The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection!

Being photobombed at the MN ACFW Writer's Retreat in May

Thank you so much, Gabrielle, for the invitation to visit your blog. I love that we’re fellow Minnesotans, history addicts, and friends.

Gabrielle asked me to choose one of the themes from my new release The Cactus Creek Challenge to talk about with you all here today, and the first theme that shot to my mind was that of experiencing life through someone else’s eyes, walking a mile in another man’s cowboy boots, so to speak. In The Cactus Creek Challenge, the schoolmarm Cassie and the sheriff Ben swap places for a month for charity, which leads to some interesting predicaments for each of them.

Both Cassie and Ben bring a wagonload of preconceived notions to their new job. Each has to let go of their hold of their previous job. And each has to give and receive grace when, in the end, they need each other to do the best job possible.

Ben’s preconceived notions are that teaching school isn’t that hard—after all, you just sit behind a desk and listen to recitations—and that no woman could keep the peace in his town, especially not one so young as Cassie.

For Cassie, she is sure she can do anything without help, especially something as simple as walking around town wearing a badge and chatting with people all day. There hasn’t been a speck of trouble in Cactus Creek in forever, and things aren’t likely to change.

Each of them has to face several challenges in the course of settling into their new jobs, and both are reluctant to accept the help, advice, or criticism of the other. Their stubbornness trips them up, and folks take advantage of their greenness.  They are each sure the other is messing up their job because they’re doing things differently. Ben decides to change the curriculum at the school to something more to his liking, and Cassie decides to prettify the jail. Ben lets the kids run free, and Cassie bites off more than she can chew in protecting a gold shipment.

In the end, each has to learn that they are better together than apart, that each brings strengths to the table that the other can utilize.

This makes me think of the body of Christ, His Church. Each of us is gifted and equipped for the edifying of the body. Each of us brings something different to the equation. And we are better together than apart. When we share the load, we lighten the load. When we give each other the grace to serve Christ according to our gifts, we are stronger. When we exercise our gifts to serve each other, even if it’s in a job we’ve never done before, we grow in our fellowship and our faith.  That’s what being part of the body of Christ is: service and grace.

YOUR TURN: Have you had the chance to walk a mile in another man’s cowboy boots?

ABOUT THE BOOK:

 Anything he can do, I can do better. At least that was what Cassie Bucknell thought before she pinned on Ben Wilder’s badge and took to patrolling the streets of Cactus Creek, Texas. Cassie has been in love with Ben since primer school, but Ben treats her like a little sister. When they are picked to swap jobs for a month as part of the annual Cactus Creek Challenge in their Texas hometown, the schoolhouse is thrown into an uproar, the jail becomes a temporary bank vault, and Cassie and Ben square off in a battle of wills that becomes a battle for their hearts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing in Minnesota. She loves history and romance, and is blessed to be able to combine the two by writing historical romances. Whenever she’s not immersed in fictional worlds, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business, mother of two, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate, and avid museum patron.

• Erica's Goodreads
• Erica's Books on Amazon
• Erica's Facebook Page
• Erica's Newsletter
• Erica's Pinterest Boards
• Erica's Twitter
• Erica's Website

Erica has agreed to give away a copy to one lucky winner! Enter the Reafflecopter below for your chance to win.
 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner of The Convenient Bride Collection from last week's drawing is Tammy Cordery! Congrats, Tammy.