CRAZY LIFE OF A WRITER

Non-writer friends often ask me how I think up all the stuff in my books. I wish I knew. Bobby Terry tells people she gets her ideas from a small factory in Ohio. ☺ What really happens is our crazy brains conjure all these characters and situations. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

We’re not really insane, either. Well, most of us aren’t. I’m not naming names, but there are a few people on my Probably Certifiable List.

And there are those (lazy or stupid?) people who say, “I’ll feed you ideas, you write the book, and we’ll split the royalties.” Uh, no. So not happening. The idea is the easy part. In fact, I have more than I can list. Writing a cohesive book with a credible story line is the hard part.

I’m fortunate enough to have great critique partners who help me plot my books. I can plot by myself, of course, but an exchange of ideas spurs creativity. Even if I don’t like their suggestions, hearing them helps me formulate my own choices. And once I’m writing, they help steer me back on course.

Geri Foster at one of
our plotting retreats

Then comes the hard part. Some parts of writing become easier with each book. One part that does not is making basic plots fresh, giving a tried and true idea a new twist. People argue over how many basic plots there are. The number varies from nine to twenty-seven. Supposedly, any book is a variation of one of those basic plots. And the more books and author has written, the harder that new variation becomes. Yeah, bummer.

How to make my feisty, spunky heroine differ from those in my past books? How different is one handsome cowboy from another? You get the idea, right?

Handsome cowboy,
Spunky heroine

Hero and I used to joke about a favorite author who repeated her basic plots. We would say, “This one is plot A.” Or “This one is plot B.” The city and names varied, but little else. At the time, we had no notion of the difficulty of a fresh plot. And, hey, she sold a gazillion books and still is even though she’s passed away.

The main problem I encounter is that life keeps slapping me upside the head. Literally, if you count the fall I had the last week of July and a recent long bout of vertigo. You know there’re always the usual time-killers: dental appointments, doctor visits (or your prescriptions won’t be refilled), and all the errands and social stuff necessary to function--the other stuff that hinders everyone. Then there're the various social media we use to meet fans and promote our books.

Many people think that if you work from home, you can stop and do this or that because, after all, you don’t have a “real” job. Sigh. This is why Debbie Macomber has an office away from her home. If we stop writing, we lose our concentration, our “groove”, and have to reread the last portion we wrote to get back into the zone.  Fortunately, Hero understands this and accommodates my need to hibernate in my pink cave office. He even brings me an occasional cherry Dr Pepper.  

I try to vary settings and events so that my books appear fresh, even though they are always in my style and voice. With a few exceptions, they’re set primarily in Texas and they always end happily. They’re the same, but different. Each main character has a journey, both external and internal. The same, but different. I admit that after twenty-eight books, this isn't easy.

I’m sure you’ve heard that writers are either writing or thinking about writing. It’s true. We can’t help ourselves.  But, I have the best job in the world! Thank you if you've bought my books so I can keep on writing.

If you are feeling cordial, please like my Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1469477014&sr=8-2-ent

Join my newsletter subscribers:

http://carolineclemmons.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0a24664c906875718d975ad7b&id=7c2e488a51

Visit me on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CarolineClemmonsRomances

Connect on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CarolinClemmons 

Visit my website:

http://www.carolineclemmons.com

COWBOY IN CHARGE IS NEW FROM BARBARA WHITE DAILLE!

Caroline, thank you for inviting me to visit again!

Readers, I’m sharing a peek into my brand-new release, COWBOY IN CHARGE. To beat the summer heat, I’ve chosen a clip intended to help you think cool thoughts. ;)  

COWBOY IN CHARGE Excerpt

A banana split wouldn’t have been his first choice of dessert in January, but it never dropped off his personal menu. He wondered how much of Layne’s agreement was driven by the boy’s eagerness to have ice cream and how much of it came from her need to sit down.

They were the only ones in the place, which allowed her to argue with him about who would pay for their order.

“You bought my groceries,” she said in a low voice when Shay had moved away to assemble his banana split. “Getting dessert is the least I can do.”

“You never pay when I’m with you at the Big Dipper,” he said flatly.

Her face froze. She blinked once, then walked away to plop herself down at a nearby table.

They had left the carriage parked outside the shop. She set the baby carrier on the far edge of the table near the wall and took off the blanket. Scott settled down in a chair beside them with his ice cream cone.

The minute Jason joined them, Layne leaned forward and said quietly, “That wasn’t necessary.”

“Really? With the way Shay stood behind the counter giving me the evil eye?”

She shot a quick look toward the cash register, but he knew the other woman had disappeared through the doorway behind it into the back room.

“She didn’t give you the evil eye.”

“Close enough to it, and I wasn’t about to stand down.”

He dug into his banana split and held up a mouthful of vanilla ice cream. “You sure you don’t want any? I can always get another spoon.”

“No, thanks.”

“Too tame for you, huh? You always went for the fancy ones, the chocolate-marshmallow swirl or the pistachio-walnut-mint.”

“I’m surprised you remembered.” She didn’t meet his eyes.

“Are you kidding? Those were premium flavors. I had to pay extra for `em.”

That got her looking at him. “Don’t even try to make me feel guilty about that. Your banana splits and triple-dip sundaes cost three times as much as my cones.”

He laughed and spooned up a mound of chocolate ice cream covered with whipped cream. “We spent plenty of time here in our dating days, didn’t we?”

“It was everybody’s favorite hangout.”

“I’ll agree with that. And I won’t point out how you sidestepped the question.”

From the cover of COWBOY IN CHARGE:

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Single mom Layne Slater thought she'd seen the last of Jason McAndry when he chose the rodeo over her and their unborn son. Now Jason's back in Cowboy Creek and just as handsome as ever. But Layne can't give in to those feelings again. She has to protect her children…and her heart.

Jason wants to try to make up for the pain he caused when he left. The least he can do is help Layne while he's home. Before long, Jason realizes he's finally ready to be the husband, father and man his family deserves. But can Jason prove to Layne that this time, their love is forever?

Find the book:

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Charge-Hitching-Post-Hotel/dp/0373756283

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cowboy-in-charge-barbara-white-daille/1123353803

Books-A-Million

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Cowboy-Charge/Barbara-White-Daille/9780373756285

Harlequin

http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=65377

IndieBound

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373756285

Kobo

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/cowboy-in-charge

Barbara White Daille

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.

Cowboy in Charge is the latest book in The Hitching Post Hotel series. Other books in the series will follow. And at the end of 2016, she begins a new sweet romance series for Entangled Bliss.

You can find more info about Barbara and her books at the following locations:

Website  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Blog  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog

Newsletter  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter

Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille

Twitter  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Amazon author page  http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ

Harlequin author page  http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244  

Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille

HER SECRET COULD CAUSE HER DEATH!

MARGARITA AND THE HIRED GUN Blurb:

Pampered Margarita McIntosh is not used to being forced to do things she doesn’t want to do—but when her father, Jock, sends her away for her own safety, she has no choice. The long journey from Flagstaff to Durango tests her personal strength of will as never before, and the secret she carries in her saddlebag could be the death of her.

A rough Irish gunman, known to her only as “Rafferty”, is entrusted with getting her to her destination “safe and intact”—something he fully intends to do to claim the reward he’s been promised by Jock McIntosh. With a price on his head, the promised money is Rafferty’s ticket to a new life, and he’s not going to jeopardize that for anything—not even love.

But there are steamy nights and dangers all along the arduous trail for MARGARITA AND THE HIRED GUN, with deadly secrets between them that passion cannot erase. With her father’s enemies after her and the secret she conceals, will Rafferty’s protection be enough to save their lives? And will the heat of their passionate love be enough to seal their future together—if they do survive?

MARGARITA AND THE HIRED GUN Excerpt:

Margarita’s attention was drawn to the stairs again. A man in a fancy brocade waistcoat under a black jacket was making his way down the stairs. He had long silver hair and a mustache curled up at each end, defying gravity with the aid of mustache wax. Catching her eye, he tipped his hat to her.

“He’s older than I expected,” she whispered to Homer, who turned to look over his shoulder.

“That ain’t him,” he said, as the gentleman joined the card game in progress.

 After a beat another man appeared at the railing overlooking the saloon.

He was a tall man with black hair. Leaning on the railing, with his arms stretched out at full span he took in the room below with a predatory gaze. He was powerfully built with broad shoulders and long limbs. Like a bird of prey, he held his head still while his eyes shifted around the room. Margarita felt like he was deciding which one of them he would swoop down to pick off first.

 Although nobody moved, there was a change in the air. It felt like the very air grew hot and dry in his presence, charged with a heaviness that wasn’t there a minute ago.

 When he saw Homer the man’s eyes came to rest for a second. Then his eyes shifted and met with hers. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise, fixing her with such an intense stare; Margarita slunk back in her seat.

“Rafferty,” said Homer, nodding his head in the direction of the man, who was now moving toward the stairs, eyes still on her.

He walked slowly, swinging one long leg after another, a slight swagger in his shoulders.

Unable to bear up under his direct gaze any longer, Margarita looked down at her coffee. Her ears were burning and her throat was constricted in anticipation, but still he moved down the stairs and across the room at an unnervingly slow pace. When he arrived on the scene, the women at the table stopped talking and looked expectedly at him. He didn’t register their presence as he walked past them to their apparent disappointment.

The men playing poker watched him with wary eyes. One of them touched the gun in his holster, nervously.

The cowboys stopped talking and drew closer together.

Without a word or invitation the tall man pulled out the chair across from her. The gun sticking out of his waistband put a lump of fear in her stomach.

He jerked his head in her direction, looking at Homer. “Why is she here?” he asked in a deep voice, speaking in the same slow pace as he walked. He had an Irish accent, she noted.

Homer poured out a cup of the thick, dark liquid for him. “Rafferty. This is Margarita McIntosh, Jock’s daughter.”

“And she’s here for what reason?” he asked, again in a brusque tone.

Margarita looked up, her face burning with indignation. She was met with quite a sight.

The man across from her had a few days growth of black whiskers covering the lower part of his face. Jet-black hair stood in loose curls around his head in an uncombed mass. His hair was in need of a wash, strands clumping together with something she didn’t want to dwell on. It was hard to guess his age. Older than she, certainly, but she couldn’t discern much beyond that.

He was without a jacket or shirt, and his long john’s undershirt was pushed up at the elbows, showing long, muscular forearms. Worse, the top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, exposing the patch of black hair on his chest. The tight, sweat-stained garment showed every bulge and indent in his lean torso, including his nipples. He was as good as naked. Margarita tried to hide her shock at this unseemly display. She’d never seen so much of a man’s body before so close up.

His eyes bored into her. They were steely eyes the color of indigo set in bloodshot orbs. Her discomfort seemed to amuse him. He narrowed his eyes at her, a smirk forming on his lips as he observed her observing him. Other than his lips and eyes, he was as still as if he’d been carved in stone. Very economical in his movements, Margarita observed.

“Well, here’s the thing. She’s the job. Jock wants his daughter delivered to his sister in Durango. He wants you to make sure she gets there. Safe--and intact,” Homer said in a way, which embarrassed her.

The man called Rafferty grinned rakishly, displaying surprisingly even, white teeth.

 

Patti and husband, Bob

Patti Sherry-Crews lives with her husband, two children, a bad dog, and a good cat in Evanston, IL. She studied anthropology and archaeology at Grinnell College and the University of North Wales, UK.

Under the pen name Cherie Grinnell, she’s written four steamy romances that take place in Dublin and Wales.

Whether it is because she watched too many western TV shows with her grandmother or because her bag of cowboys and Indians was her favorite toy, Patti also writes historic western romances. MARGARITA AND THE HIRED GUN is with Prairie Rose Publishing and came out April 2016. Patti has two novellas out now in anthologies by the same publisher.

MAIL ORDER OUTLAW -- BRIDES OF TOMBSTONE FROM CYNTHIA WOOLF

How exciting to welcome one of my favorite authors, Cynthia Woolf. Authors are constantly trying to come up with something we haven't used before, and Cynthia has accomplished that extremely well. Her latest release is MAIL ORDER OUTLAW, the first of her Brides of Tombstone Series, and this book has many surprising characters and events. I've already purchased my copy and no doubt you'll want to do the same when you read this post. This book is so interesting that I simply won't be able to stop reading MAIL ORDER OUTLAW until the last line. Late bedtime tonight. ☺ 

Here's what Cynthia has to say:

Thanks for having me Caroline.

I want to talk a little bit about my new series, The Brides of Tombstone. I love doing mail order bride stories but for this one I wanted them to be a little different. I chose Tombstone because it was someplace that everyone has heard about, although next time I think I’ll make up my own city. I can make things exactly the way I want them then.

My husband and I did do a long weekend trip to Tombstone. Two days down, we live in Colorado. Two days back and one in Tombstone. All I can say is that the Tombstone that’s there now is very tame compared to what it was in 1882, the year my book is set. The City of Tombstone circa 2015, is little more than a tourist trap. The buildings are the same ones as were there in 1882, at the height of the silver boom, but they are filled with souvenirs and a few had tours. It was interesting enough, but not historically accurate which is what I’d hoped for.

The first book is called MAIL ORDER OUTLAW.  You can tell by the title that it's a little different than your average mail order bride story. Here's the blurb:

Ed Talbot isn't husband material. He's an outlaw, was forced into his father's gang at the age of thirteen, and is wanted Dead or Alive in more than one territory. But now his father is dead, he hates the life, the blood, and his brother's rages. When a stagecoach robbery goes awry, Ed ends up with a satchel full of charming letters from an enticing your miss. Unfortunately for Miss Lizzie Cobb, her betrothed is now dead, and Ed Talbot sees a way out. Impersonating a fine, upstanding young man shouldn't be too difficult. Despite the risks, falling in love with her proves to be all too easy.

Isolated on her mother's ranch just outside Tombstone, Miss Lizzie Cobb doesn't have the time or the means to find a respectable husband. As a half Apache woman in the Arizona Territory, being a mail order bride seems like the only solution to her problem until she realizes that San Francisco is too far away, and she'll have to leave her vulnerable mother and baby brother behind. Her solution? Call off the wedding.

When her groom shows up on her doorstep, she's shocked. He's handsome, strong, and has traveled hundreds of miles to claim her. His kisses inflame her body and his presence soothes her soul. Falling for the rugged man is beyond her control. But the past has a way of catching up to outlaws, and facing the truth is going to be hard...for both of them.

Does that sound enticing to you? I certainly hope so.

Here is a short excerpt from MAIL ORDER OUTLAW that I hope you'll enjoy.

Outside Tucson, Arizona Territory, May 12, 1882

Ed Talbot adjusted his bandana to cover the lower half of his face. The stagecoach his father had targeted for his latest robbery was about to crest the hill. When it did Ed and his half-brother, Harvey, would be waiting. His father, Josiah Talbot, would fall in behind the vehicle until it came to a halt.

Josiah rode with Harry and Joe, closing in behind.

Ed and his brother waited and the coach was slowing as it was supposed to. Suddenly the shotgun rider started firing his rifle at the men closing in behind.

Ed and Harvey rode toward the coach. Harvey fired his pistol and killed the shotgun rider, but not before they saw Josiah fall. The stage came to a halt and Ed kept his gun on the driver, while Harvey rode past the coach to where their father lay on the ground.

“Nooo.” A howl like Ed had never heard came out of Harvey. Ed knew then that their father was dead, but he didn’t grieve. The man Ed had hated for most of his life was dead. He rejoiced.

Harvey walked forward, reloading his gun as he came. As soon as he got had a full cylinder, he aimed at the driver and shot him dead.

Ed saw what was going to happen and jumped off his horse and ran toward his brother. He grabbed his brother’s arm. “Harvey. What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

“He killed Pa. He deserved to die. The driver and this man are a witnesses and have to die…” Harvey’s eyebrows came together and he narrowed his eyes. “Or you do and then he dies anyway. Now you got a problem with that?”

That was no choice and Ed was about to say so, when Harvey raised his pistol and fired. The man who’d done nothing but be a passenger on the wrong stage, was dead.

“Couldn’t let you say something you might regret, little brother.” Harvey holstered his gun. “Gather up all the stuff including the luggage and then search all three men,” he instructed Harry and Joe.

Ed noticed a valise in the coach that he assumed belonged to the man. He took it and tied it to his saddle bags.

“Let’s go,” said Harvey. “Take the coach horses, we’ll sell them in town and set the coach on fire.”

Joe gathered up sage brush, so prevalent in this part of the desert near Tucson and piled it inside the coach. Then he took a stick match out of his pocket, struck it against a rock and started the kindling on fire. Within minutes the stagecoach was burning and black smoke billowed into the sky. If they hung around, they’d be found by the sheriff’s posse.

“All right let’s get out of here.” Harvey turned and rode his horse the way they’d come, back to their hideout in the Mule Mountains.

Not having any choice, Ed followed his brother. Harvey would kill him in a heartbeat rather than let him go. Their father had been the same way. Fifteen years ago, when Ed’s mother died, Josiah had taken him into the gang. Ed was thirteen. He learned how to rob stages, trains and banks. He learned how to kill people but he never actually killed anyone. He’d managed to avoid that particular deed. His father and brother thought him a coward, but Ed had no taste for killing a living soul or the outlaw life in general.

Buy links:

http://amzn.com/B00XEKFLIE

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mail-order-outlaw-cynthia-woolf/1121894192?ean=2940151415125

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mail-order-outlaw/id993479746?ls=1&mt=11

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/mail-order-outlaw

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Woolf_Mail_Order_Outlaw?id=U74kCQAAQBAJ

Cynthia Woolf, Author

Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends. Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian who brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She write her first story at the age of ten...a romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at Colorado Romance Writers for saving her sanity and encouraging her to explore her creativity.

THE WOMEN WHO LOVE COWBOYS

Isn't that most women? Oh, maybe we don't want to marry one, but we enjoy reading about them. At least I enjoy reading about them . . . and writing about them. What kind of women to cowboys find attractive? A western woman must be spunky, possess determination, know how to take care of her man, and being beautiful doesn't hurt.

For instance, let's discuss the women who captured the hearts of the Stone brothers in the Men of Stone Mountain series.

Hope Montoya not only possessed beauty, but intelligence and compassion. When she realized someone among her friends and family wanted her dead, she had the wits to defeat the killer. Hope was born to a cold couple who showed her no affection. In fact, they taught her that any display of emotion indicated weakness. Yet Jorge Montoya, her father lashed out in anger whenever anyone displeased him. He never bothered with a compliment. Even though a wealthy man, Jorge hoarded his wealth without a care for those less fortunate. How Hope acquired compassion for those less fortunate is as much a mystery as who wanted to kill her. Jorge never let anyone forget that he descended from Spanish aristocracy. No one was good enough to marry his daughter, and he let Micah Stone know that a lowly cowboy rancher had not even the right to dance with Hope.

Alice Price had lived an isolated life and had a hard time trusting any man. From the time her father died and Mama married Pa when she was young, she left Pa's ranch only once. Pa said a woman as pretty as Mama and a girl as cute as Alice attracted too much attention. Notice was the thing he wanted least, but he was good to her and Mama. She didn't realize the life they led kept them prisoners on his ranch. She knew Pa was into thieving, though not how much, but she had no chance to leave his ranch. She nursed her Mama several years. When Mama died, Alice planned to leave, but then Pa turned up sick and she stayed to care for the man who'd treated her like his own daughter. Pa knew his two sons were worthless, so he helped Alice make plans for her escape once he had died. He didn't count on her not knowing her way around or being able to navigate through the Palo Pinto Mountains. With her stepbrothers close on her trail, luck was with her the evening she threw in with Zach Stone. But could she trust him? He said he was a rancher, but that's what Pa had told folks, too.

Rosalyn had been pressured by her ambitious father into marrying a man much older than her for whom she had no affection. He was a brutal man and she longed to escape him. She didn't know who killed her former husband, but she knew she hadn't been guilty. She figured she would hang anyway. From her cell window, she watched the scaffold being built. Before she could be unjustly executed, a tornado swirled through the town and set her free. She reclaimed her daughter, Lucy, and left for parts west. When she'd traveled to what she thought must be the ends of the earth, she set up as a seamstress. Drat, the first person she met was a sheriff, Joel Stone, and he appeared determined to woo her. A sheriff--the last person whose attention she wanted to attract. Already there might be wanted posters arriving across his desk with her description. What should she do?

These three women are the heroines of BRAZOS BRIDE, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, and BLUEBONNET BRIDE.  The books are available individually at most online sources or as a boxed set from Amazon.
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CarolineClemmons

Amazon for all my books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_17?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=caroline+clemmons&sprefix=Caroline+Clemmons 

Thanks for stopping by!

REPLACEMENT GUEST - ME!

The author scheduled to appear on my blog for today had computer problems she couldn’t resolve. Instead of her, you have...drum roll, please...ME!

Today I’m discussing a western historical set in 1885, THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, available in e-book and in print. The cover is one I especially like and I hope you share my opinion. The model on the cover demonstrates how I was supposed to look, but somehow Fate made a mistake and this woman got my gorgeous hair and beautiful features. Fate’s a bummer sometimes, isn’t it? Sigh.

How I wanted to look but
life is so unfair!

***I’m giving away an e-book download to one person who leaves a comment this weekend. Please be certain you leave your email with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE has received excellent reviews.

"Just when you thought a happily ever after was just around the corner, another corner appears...I want more!" Night Owl Reviews, Top Pick for The Texan's Irish Bride.

"Ms Caroline Clemmons has written a book that was so good it was hard to put down. She had my attention from the first page." The Romance Studio, 5 Hearts♥♥♥♥♥ for The Texan's Irish Bride.

Here’s how I came to write this book. I love Texas history and especially love this time period. I live in cowboy country here in North Central Texas, but still love visiting Central Texas. That’s where THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE is set, near Bandera and Medina. That area appeals to me and is the location of real ranches and some fairly famous dude ranches. Years ago, our family stayed at the Mayan Dude Ranch and loved it.  In fact, I can’t get the experience out of my head. So, I decided to write about it and these characters decided to share my head while I did. Yes, writers are a bit odd, but we tend to be harmless. After all, when we get angry, you’re safe because we only kill you in a book. ☺

Medina River
Photo by the author

Also mentioned prominently in the story is the Lost Maples State Natural Area. The steep walls of the beautiful valley create what seems to me an almost cathedral atmosphere. I love the numerous maple trees, which are only native to this one spot in all of Texas and are especially lovely this time of year. This valley used to be a trail for renegade Indians and rustlers to transport stolen cattle. Darling Daughter 2 and I once went through Lost Maples Natural Area on the way home from San Antonio. If you look on the map at San Antonio then follow it to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, you might notice that Lost Maples is sort of out of the way (as in very out of the way), but this is more of that odd author behavior I mentioned. We can’t resist a chance to visit a book setting.

Lost Maples Natural Historic Area
Photo by the author

Here’s a blurb from THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE:

Cenora Rose O’Neill knows her father somehow arranged the trap for Dallas, but she agrees to wed the   handsome stranger. She’d do anything to protect her family, and she wants to save herself from the bully Tom Williams. A fine settled man like Dallas will rid himself of her soon enough, but at least she and her family will be safely away from Tom Williams.  

Dallas McClintock
Photo purchased from iStock

Texas rancher Dallas McClintock has no plans to wed for several years. Right now, he’s trying to establish himself as a successful horse breeder. Severely wounded rescuing Cenora from kidnappers, Dallas is taken to her family’s gypsy-like Irish Traveler’s wagon to be tended.  He is trapped into marrying Cenora, but he is not a man who goes back on his word. His wife has a silly superstition for everything, but passion-filled nights with her make up for everything—almost. What is he supposed to do with her wild Irish family?

Here’s an excerpt from THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE from the couple's first night at Dallas's ranch:

Dallas tugged Cenora behind him as he raced up the stairs.

“You’re fair dragging me, man. Show a care o’ me leg bones, will you?”

“I have plans for those lovely, long leg bones,” he promised, but slowed his stride.

“Thank you,” she said, fanning her face with her fingers. Then she tugged on his hand. “Saints preserve us, right now all me thoughts of legs are of winding me own around you.”

“How can you expect me to walk slow when you talk like that?” He blew out the candle and scooped her up.

She nestled against him and her sigh fanned her sweet breath against his neck as he hurried to their room.

When they were inside he kicked the door shut behind them and set her on the bed. He closed the curtains and lit the bedside lamp. Soft light played across her perfect features.

“At last we have privacy without cracks the next morning about our creaking wagon.”

“And tonight when we sleep ‘twill be in a bed that fits yourself with room for me as well.”

“That’s the best part, Cenora, you’ll be beside me.”

He meant it and the thought hit him hard. He’d been plenty mad at their forced union. Still was, in fact, no matter how much he enjoyed their couplings. Considering himself a loner, he hated having a crowd around.
But he hadn’t realized how comforting sharing his life with a woman might be.

The right woman, that is. Dang, he hoped Cenora was the right one. Like it or not, and whether or not those vows were legally binding, he was honor bound stuck with her now. It looked as if he had her family as well.

“I didn’t know to bring me night clothes,” she said with a coquettish glance and slid off the bed to meet him.

After he kicked off his boots and socks, he caught her hands in his. “You won’t need a thing.”

If you haven't read this book, I hope you’re intrigued to purchase THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE.

Available from Smashwords in e-book download:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/212689?ref=CarolineClemmons

Available from Amazon in print or e-book download:
http://www.amazon.com/TEXANS-IRISH-BRIDE-McClintocks-ebook/dp/B008V1UG54/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351832912&sr=1-3&keywords=caroline+clemmons

**Don't forget to leave a comment including your email if you wish to be entered into the drawing for an ebook.

Thanks for stopping by!

MEET THE CHARACTERS - ALICE PRICE

Mary Alice Price, heroine of
HIGH STAKES BRIDE

What better post for Labor Day than that of a woman who has labored selflessly for many years? Pictured above (purchased from iStock and Maritja Savic/Serpentina) Mary Alice Price, heroine of HIGH STAKES BRIDE. Yes, I know she's not a real woman except in my head, but she's one of my favorite characters ever. She's sort of klutzy, doesn't realize how pretty and talented she is, but is loyal and steadfast and compassionate.

Alice is a beautiful young woman of her twenties who has been isolated on her stepfather's North Central Texas ranch for over twenty years. Only once during that time has she been off the ranch, and that was twelve years earlier when she and her stepfather took her mom to the doctor. They learned her poor mother had consumption, were told how to care for her, and went home. When her mother was in her last stages of life, Alice's stepfather learned he had stomach cancer.

Alice had spent years nursing her mother, keeping house and cooking for her mother, stepfather, and two stepbrothers. After her mother's passing, Alice remained at the ranch nursing her stepfather. Not that she minded caring for her family, but her stepbrothers grew harder to control as her stepfather weakened. He was able to conceal exactly how frail he'd become from his worthless sons, but Alice heard them promise her to a horrid man in exchange for a high stakes poker gambling debt, payable when their father died.

Her stepfather heard, too, and helped Alice plot her escape.But when a woman has spent her life on one small ranch in the wooded hills of the Palo Pinto Mountains, how can she navigate her way to freedom? In Alice's case, one disaster after another plagues her. That is, until she throws in with Zach Stone. He's a straight talker and a straight shooter. Fate finally dealt her four aces. Life is never that simple, though, is it?

HIGH STAKES BRIDE will be available for purchase in print and e-book in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know when it's available.

Thanks for stopping by!

REVIEW OF GALLAGHER'S PRIDE

MK McClintock lives in Montana, and her writing brings the state to life for readers. Set in 1882 Scotland and Montana Territory, GALLAGHER’S PRIDE is a book I enjoyed and recommend.

Brenna Cameron is on a quest for answers. She’s come from her home in Scotland to Montana for a confrontation with the grandfather she hadn’t realized existed until her father’s death. From letters she found, she knows Nathan Hunter disowned her mother, Rebecca, but not why. Rebecca was a lovely, gentle person very much in love with Brenna’s father. After her death, there was only Brenna and her father, a comfortably well-off man. But now he’s died and Brenna is alone. Why would Nathan Hunter have ceased any contact with his daughter, never contacted his granddaughter?

As she arrives in Briarwood, Montana Territory, Brenna immediately encounters a rough man, Bradford James. James works for Nathan Hunter, but makes it clear he intends to take liberties with her person. Fortunately, Gabriel and Ethan Gallagher intercede and take her to their ranch, which adjoins Nathan Hunter’s. The Gallagher’s have a running feud with Hunter and Ethan has vowed to get revenge for all the malicious mischief Hunter and his cowboys have executed at the Gallagher family’s expense.

I never give spoilers in my reviews, so you’ll have to read GALLAGHER’S PRIDE to discover the book’s outcome. I will say that the book is filled with adventure and big surprises. I thought the editing was a little rough in that jumping back and forth made it episodic at first, and there were a couple of plot points I would have done differently. All in all, though, it's a very enjoyable read that anyone who likes historical romance or westerns will love. And there are cowboys! Another plus is that this book is suitable for all ages.There is some violence, but actually, it’s less violent than many YA books. I’m looking forward to the entire family saga.

The buy link at Amazon is:
http://www.amazon.com/Gallaghers-Pride-Gallagher-Series-ebook/dp/B006ZOSVFG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343174802&sr=1-1&keywords=mk+mcclintock+gallagher+series

Author MK McClintock

For more information on MK McClintock and her other books, please see her gorgeous site at http://www.mkmcclintock.com/#!home/mainPage or her blog at http://mkmcclintock.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

STETSON®: THE BOSS OF THE PLAINS AND MORE

Continuing our RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS BLOG HOP today, please let me remind you to leave your email address with your comment. If you follow my blog, please let me know in your comment, as that counts as a second entry. I'm giving away one of my e-books, winners choice, and my giveaway is open worldwide. The organizers of the hop and location of the participants may be found at http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com At either location, you'll find the 173 blog urls of participants. Please, also remember to commit a random act of kindness today!

Now on to my scheduled guest, Gini Rifkin:

STETSON®: THE BOSS OF THE PLAINS
By Gini Rifkin

Gini Rifkin, Author

I was delighted when Caroline invited me to quest blog on her site and when I realized it had a Western flavor, I thought it prophetic. Although I have published two Medievals and one Victorian, my first western novella, Special Delivery, will be released in May. I’m thrilled to be heading into cowboy country.

Brushing up on history of the American West, I felt it was essential to study the Stetson phenomenon. I needed to know if geographically my hero would have access to purchasing one of these hats and if they were common or even in existence in the time period I chose for my story. I’m a stickler for detail regardless of the era, spend hours researching, and hope the end result is a story that feels real and offers a painless subliminal learning experience.


Here’s what I discovered about……..


THE HAT THAT WON THE WEST

A cowboy without his hat
is simply a man on a horse.

The concept of a broad-brimmed hat with a high crown worn by a rider on horseback can be seen as far back as the Mongolian horsemen of the 13th century. A tall crown provided insulation, the wide brim, shade. In hot, sunny climates, hats evolved to have extremely wide brims, such as the sombrero of Mexico.

Before John Batterson Stetson created the “The Boss of the Plains”, men who drove cattle and worked the range sported any number of hat styles. They generally wore whatever headgear was required at their previous profession so it wasn’t unusual to see them in a sailor hat, a beret, derbies, Civil War paraphernalia, and even top hats. None of these were very useful out on the prairie. And luckily this was soon to change and a legend was about to be born.



John Batterson Stetson started his life in East Orange, New Jersey in 1830. His father, Stephen Stetson, was a successful hatter and taught his children the hatting trade. But having developed tuberculosis as a young man, a doctor advised John B. to move west and in 1859 he struck out for St. Joseph, Missouri.

While there, he tried to join the Union Army in the early 1860’s but was rejected do to his poor health. Undefeated, he worked as a bricklayer, which went fairly well until the river flooded and washed his business away. At loose ends, he joined a group heading west to the gold fields of Colorado.



This didn’t “pan” out but during his stay in the mountains, he fashioned a head covering from beaver hides. After a mule driver paid him a $5 gold piece for the hat right off his head, Mr. Stetson, being no fool, decided to refine, manufacture and sell this type of product.



By 1865, he was back in Philadelphia working in the hat manufacturing trade. A year later the “Boss of the Plains” came into being, and after that, came the front creased Carlsbad, destined to become “the” cowboy style. The Stetson® hat has captured the essence of the west, has become an American icon, and is now an indelible part of western history.


The rugged individualism of the West was perfectly represented by a hat that could be shaped differently by each wearer—a punched-in crown, a bended brim, a braided leather band—all were different ways to make a Stetson® one’s own.

Stetson's hat factory

By 1886, Stetson owned the world’s biggest hat factory. Situated in Philadelphia, it employed nearly 4,000 workers. And by 1906, the factory was putting out about 2 million hats a year. John B. transformed hat making from a manual to a mechanized industry by introducing iron cutting and shaping machines, and by improving quality control. He was also among the first U.S. tycoons to offer benefits to reward workers for hard work. He dispensed free health care to employees and gave shares in his company to valued workers. As a philanthropist, he founded Stetson University in Deland, Florida, and built a Philadelphia hospital.

Inside the cowboy hat is a memorial bow to past hatters, who developed brain damage from treating felt with toxic mercury (which gave rise to the expression "Mad as a Hatter"). The bow on the inside hatband at the rear of the hat resembles a Skull and crossbones. Early hatters used mercury in the making of their felt. Their bodies absorbed mercury, and after several years of making hats, the hatters developed violent and uncontrollable muscle twitching. The ignorance of the times caused people to attribute these strange gyrations to madness, not mercury.


SINGING COWBOYS IN TEN GALLON HATS

In the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, a hat was an indispensable item in every man’s wardrobe. Stetson focused on expensive, high-quality hats that represented both a real investment for the working cowboy and statement of success for the city dweller.


Early on, Stetson® hats became associated with legends of the West, including “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers, and Annie Oakley. It is said that George Custer rode into the Battle of Little Big Horn wearing a Stetson®. Later on, Western movie cowboys were quick to adopt the Stetson®. Many were drawn to the largest most flamboyant styles available. Tom Mix, an early-20th century movie star, wore a ten gallon hat (my Mom rode in his car).

Tom Mix in a Stetson

Texans were known for their preference for the "Ten Gallon," model, possibly so named for its enormous crown which at least appeared to be able to hold ten gallons were it to be dipped into a stream and used as a pail. An early Stetson® advertising image, a painting of a cowboy dipping his hat into a stream to provide water for his horse symbolized the Cowboy hat as an essential part of a stockman’s gear.

Straw Stetson for hot summer wear

According to Win Blevins' Dictionary of the American West (p388), the term "ten-gallon" has nothing to do with the hat’s liquid capacity, but derives from the Spanish word galón (braid), ten indicating the number of braids used as a hat band.

The first American law-enforcement agency to adopt Stetson’s western hat as part of their uniform was the Texas Rangers. In the Second Boer War, the flat brimmed Stetson® became the standard issue of the second Canadian Contingent, becoming recognized throughout the British Empire as a symbol of Canada. Canadian police, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Red Serge dress uniform includes a Stetson® with a flat brim.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

　John B. created not only a hat but an image, a daydream inducing piece of clothing that has survived into the 21^st century. A cowboy today might carry a GPS gizmo on his belt rather than an 1851 Colt Navy, but the hat is still the same. Tonight I'll be dreaming of Stetsons® and the men who wear them!

Don't know if this is a
Stetson...don't care!

My late husband Gary and I spent many years re-enacting the Mountain Man Era, attending rendezvous and making our own clothes accouterments, and foofaraws. It was a brilliant learning experience for my writer’s treasure trove of sights, sounds, smells, and just plain old tales of adventures.

Gary and Gini in their
Mountain costumes

Then while living alone in the middle of 73 acres of Colorado prairie, a barrage of western sagas began forming in the back of my mind. It was an eye-opening atmosphere which lent itself to imagining what a woman’s life must have been like out there on the edge of nowhere, or what the daily struggles must have been for the Plains Indians. I had all the modern conveniences and yet there were days I was overwhelmed and daunted by the effort it took to withstand draught, hail, flash floods, mountains of snow, and blistering heat. At present, I have a little patch of land not far from the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains where I care for a Noah’s Ark of abandoned farm animals.

For me, the road to publication has been long and arduous, yet well worth the tears and effort. My best advice, if I dare presume to give any, would be to rise out of the ashes of your rejection letters and like the heroines in your books, don’t give up. And write not only what you know, but what you love, and that for which you have an innate and sometimes inexplicable attraction. Never let age determine your dreams. My first romance was released one month before my 60th birthday.

Please visit www.ginirifkin.com and http://ginirifkin.blogspot.com

SPECIAL DELIVERY
(Release date, May 2012)

Clover City, Colorado—1888

A mysterious letter and the drop-dead handsome town marshal, are the last things Mariah expects to find making rounds as a midwife.

Mariah McAllister plans to be married before her next birthday. Too bad Marshal Virgil Kincaid barely knows she’s alive. Not one to give up easily, she’s determined to show him she has an abiding passion for more than her work.

Virgil Kincaid loved a woman once—after she broke his heart, he spent three years in prison. Women can’t be trusted, no matter how good they look. He’s sworn off relationships in favor of Saturday night poker games. Life is simple—the way he wants it…until a stranger turns up dead in the road.

Forced to work side by side with Mariah, Virgil begins to wonder if she might be his second chance at love. As they trade kisses and oh so much more, he’s willing to take the gamble. But when a killer threatens their once peaceful town, all bets are off.

SPECIAL DELIVERY Excerpt:

Virgil Kincaid was a prime cut of man. Over six feet tall, he made Mariah’s five-foot seven height seem less gawky and awkward. And he was built for action, long and lean with broad shoulders—shoulders she hankered to hold onto—and with narrow hips—hips she could easily envision pressed up against her own.

And then there were his eyes. Gray as the sky in winter, full of secrets, revealing nothing. Virgil had been the town Marshal for nearly three years, yet no one knew where he’d come from or how long he intended to stay. What would it take to light a fire in those eyes and put settling down in his thoughts?

Her gaze drifted lower and latched onto the front of his Levi’s. A picture of what he might look like naked skittered across her mind and her cheeks grew hot at the imagining.

“You done lookin?” he asked.

Her gaze snapped up to meet his and the heat of humiliation replaced the lustful warmth.

"Yes,” she babbled, “there doesn’t seem to be anything of interest here.”

“Really?” he challenged, with a cocky grin and a raised brow.

He stepped closer and stood so near she could smell the man scent of him as she tried to ratchet her breathing down to a more normal rate.

“You’re a very unusual woman, Miss McAllister.”

“Is that good or bad?” she dared to ask.

“I’m not sure yet.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Gini for sharing her life and her story with us.

Thanks, readers, for stopping by!


Boss of the Plains