What is the title of your latest release?
RICHES BEYOND MEASURE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A widow eager to let go of grief joins a treasure hunt with a wannabe cowboy. When they encounter danger along with lost gold, he’s tougher than she thought and her grief is turning into a longing for a new future.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The heroine of this book, Annie Lane, grew up at this ranch, and her husband’s death in a hail of bullets kicks off the beginning of an earlier book, Inventions of the Heart.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I loved Annie, she’s hard-working and kind and loving…but just lately she’s decided everyone else is having all the fun. She wants in on the treasure hunt!
What are three words that describe your hero?
Musical, kind, city boy.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned about sailing ships that explored the California coast three hundred years before America was a country. I learned about Conquistadors and earthquakes…and I used all of that information in my book.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I write. I go over and over the work making it come to life, making action that moves. When I’m done, I go through it all again.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Wow, it’s the end of summer as I write this, so I’d better admit to a true love of ice cream. Especially when it’s hot.
Describe your writing space/office!
I write on a laptop while sitting in a recliner in my living room.
Who is an author you admire?
This is a mean question. I have so many I admire. True influences…I’m going to say Walter Farley, Mary Higgins Clark, Clive Cussler.
Is there a book that changed your life?
My first reaction is Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion Trilogy. Reading that, the way she created that ancient Roman world, just taught me the power of words in a way I’d never really realized before.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Every year at the conference the acquiring editor for Heartsong Presents gives a contract to an unpublished author. I was so hopeful! I knew there was a chance it could be me. The Heartsong editor, Tracie Peterson, said someone else’s name, so okay, I’ve been rejected before. I kind of expect it. And then she said, “And this year we’re giving two contracts to first-time authors. We’re offering a contract to Mary Connealy.” I get chills saying that! It was a wonderful, thrilling, shocking moment. I had to go up and get the contract, in front of 350 other writers, all clapping. A great, great moment in my life.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read widely in most genres. I especially love regency romance, romantic suspense, and cop dramas.
What’s your favorite movie?
While You Were Sleeping. A young Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman falling in love over the comatose body of Bill’s brother…who everyone thinks Sandra is engaged to. It is perfection.
What is your favorite season?
I’m going with summer. We are boaters and we spend a lot of time on the Missouri River near us. The boat lures the children and grandchildren up to visit.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My standard request for a birthday gift is ‘The Gift of Time’. I take my daughters out to lunch, just them and me. One lives farther away and rarely makes it but it is wonderful.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m currently reading A Scheming in Parliament by Erica Vetsch. A Regency Romance about lords and ladies who are also spies for the crown. Just excellent.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Well, I didn’t get into this shape by being picky. I’m stumped. I love a Chinese restaurant near me. There’s also a Mexican restaurant, a good pizza place and my husband is a grill master so…no answer.
What do you do when you have free time?
Read…yeah, I know, like it’d kill me to take a walk once in a while.
What can readers expect from you next?
A new series begins in February 2026. It’s the Rocky Mountain Marshals Series, book one is AMBUSH OF THE HEART.
RICHES BEYOND MEASURE by Mary Connealy
When they leave the ranch in search of stolen treasure, will the spark between them survive the perils ahead?
When an earthquake strikes Two Harts Ranch, it shakes the life of Annie Lane along with that of Cord Westbrook, who has been working as a cowboy on Annie’s family ranch in anticipation of purchasing his own. The only thing delaying his plan is the deep attraction he feels toward Annie, a widow with a child and an established life as a teacher at the Hart School for Orphans. Unfortunately for Cord, she seems determined to avoid romance.
The aftermath of the earthquake reveals that prized artifacts from the long-sought MacKenzie’s Treasure have been stolen from the ranch. But the return of the MacKenzie family from out east has everyone focused on what other precious finds might be waiting at the end of the legendary two-part map. As Cord, Annie, and the MacKenzies set out in search of riches, they face dangers more treacherous than earthquakes. With gold in their sights and love within reach, Cord and Annie realize that some treasures may fade, but life’s true riches are far more valuable than earthly goods.
Embark on a rousing California wilderness adventure filled with danger, deception, and second chances in this riveting conclusion to Mary Connealy’s Golden State Treasure series–ideal for fans of frontier romances, cowboys, and treasure hunts.
Romance Historical | Christian [Bethany House Publishers, On Sale: October 7, 2025, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780764244414 / eISBN: 9781493451173]
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About Mary Connealy
Mary Connealy is an award-winning, bestselling author known for her fun and lively historical romances. An author, teacher, and journalist, Mary lives on an eastern Nebraska ranch with her cowboy husband and has four daughters and two grandchildren.
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