THE SURPRISE BRIDES COVER REVEAL

 By Caroline Clemmons

You know that great feeling when you have just gotten a great new hairdo and are wearing new clothes? That’s how I feel today. No, I don’t have the new hairstyle I badly need nor new clothes. I have a new cover and have added new material to THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE.

Every so often, it’s good to reread one of my books and add to and/or delete from it. In this case I deleted a long, long list of my titles at the back of the book. I added sentences and paragraphs in lots of places plus an entire scene, so the book is expanded from the first printing. I hope I didn’t introduce any typos, but it’s impossible to catch them all. I’ve been reading books by several top level authors who are traditionally published by New York houses, and find many typos in them.

Several years ago at a conference, Sylvia McDaniel, Callie Hutton, Cynthia Woolf, and I decided to each write a book about one of the Fraser brothers who ranched outside of Angel Springs, Colorado. I drew the eldest, Jamie, a widower who was certain he would never remarry. After all, he already had two children he adored. Jamie even knew about his mother’s plan to send for mail order brides for the other three Fraser men.  

Mama double-crossed him and four brides arrived just as a massive snowstorm rolled onto the Circle F Ranch. There was no question of the four women leaving the ranch. Although three of the Fraser brothers live on the ranch full-time, Reverend Gideon Fraser spends most of his time in town. He’s available to help with ranch work when needed. Their father has passed on, but their mother lives at the ranch. 

Up until now, the four THE SURPRISE BRIDES books have only been available at Amazon. Now, however, they will be available at most retailers who sell e-books. Callie Hutton also sells her books from her website at a slight discount. The new covers, which I love, were designed by Anna Greene at Bella Designs. Anna also happens to be Callie Hutton’s daughter.

Here are THE SURPRISE BRIDES books and their descriptions:

JAMIE by Caroline Clemmons

Olivia Stewart risks everything to accomplish her dreams. She's tired of being pitied because she's been jilted, tired of teaching other people's children without any of her own. When she signs with a matrimonial agency, a letter from Jamie Fraser sounds perfect. A widower with two young children will give her a head start on the family she's determined to have. But Colorado holds surprises for Olivia that endanger her goals and even her life.

Rancher Jamie Fraser is shocked to learn his mother has written for a mail order bride for him. He has two children and no plan to marry again. Ever! His late wife taught him women can't be trusted. Even his beloved mother isn't above tricking her sons to achieve her heartfelt ambitions. Now he's stuck with a wife he didn't want--a stubborn woman bent on changing his home and his life.

Can two strong people at odds achieve happiness? Angel Springs, Colorado is a small town that inspires big dreams. Olivia and Jamie might just find their dreams meld to form a powerful and enduring love.

 

CALEB by Callie Hutton

Yes, Mama did it. She send for brides for all four of her sons. Too bad she didn't tell them before the ladies arrived.

Caleb Fraser is the town bad boy and enjoys the single life to the fullest. He has no intention of marrying. No time soon, anyway. He keeps telling his mama he will choose a wife shortly, just to keep her off his back. However, Mama Fraser takes the situation in hand and sends for mail order brides for all four of her sons.

Lily Parker is running from humiliation and is on her way to marry a stranger. She's traveling with three other women, all of them contracted to wed the Fraser brothers. What they don't know is the men have no idea they're about to be hog-tied. Both Lily and Caleb are in for a surprise. But will Lily's surprise be too much for Caleb to handle?

https://www.amazon.com/Caleb-Surprise-Brides-Callie-Hutton-ebook/dp/B015NM0LDA/

https://www.calliehutton.com

  

GIDEON by Cynthia Woolf

As the local preacher, Gideon Fraser often talks about the many virtues of a good marriage, but that doesn't mean he has the slightest inclination of claiming a bride of his own. No, he's been burned before, by greedy women who only want the prestige and money the Fraser family name can provide. When his mother's devious matchmaking results in his unexpected wedding, Gideon looks at the beautiful face of the woman who has sworn to be his and wants nothing to do with her. But Gideon is in danger of losing his heart until he discovers the truth. His new wife lied to him...about everything.

Ruby Haller needed a husband and fast. A treacherous man promised her the world, took her virginity, and left her without a father for her unborn child. When her father, the town minister, found out she was expecting a child, he offered her hand in marriage to the meanest man in town. Becoming a mail order bride appeared to be a safer choice. But instead of a ranche m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,r, she ends up the wife of a stubborn, bull-headed preacher and he's none too pleased when he discovers her duplicity. Worse? The local town beauty, who had been courting him for years, is determined to make her life a living hell.

But Angel Springs, Colorado is a small town that can inspire big dreams. It's nearly Christmas and as the two hearts heal, a holiday miracle just might be in reach.

‎ 

https://amazon.com/B015JLMQBU

https://www.cynthiawoolf.com

 

ETHAN by Sylvia McDaniel

A reluctant groom and a runaway bride…

Beth Worthington finds herself racing from a wealthy older groom into the arms of a stranger when she defies an attempt by her father to marry her off. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands and agrees to become a mail-order bride with no intention of staying married to her unknown suitor. 

Ethan Fraser is shocked when he discovers his mother ordered him a bride. To save the innocent girl’s reputation, he goes through with the wedding. What he doesn’t expect is for his innocent bride to have plans of her own – that don’t happen to include him. 

When an unexpected snowstorm traps the two together they have to learn to compromise in order to survive.

Can a rich debutante and a Colorado cowboy learn to live together before the snow melts or will their different lifestyles tear them apart before they have a chance to find out?

https://www.sylviamcdaniel.com

 

I apologize for not having the buy links to the four books. I'll add them to this post as soon as I have them. If you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll have some of the buy links in the newsletter when I mail it out this coming week.

Stay safe and keep reading!

COLORADO IN SUMMER AND WINTER

First, Mary Preston won the giveaway posted on Friday's blog. Congratulations, Mary. 

Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of this post.

One of my favorite trips is one through the Southwest several years ago. Hero had a new car, a Mitsubishi sedan, on which we put a gazillion miles traveling here and there. Maybe that’s an exaggeration but we went a LOT of places in that car before it eventually spluttered its last gasp.

Anyway, on this trip, we went over Wolfe Pass, Colorado in a rainstorm. Hero had his hands full driving but I was able to enjoy the incredible beauty of the landscape. The entire state is gorgeous—something even a dyed-in-the-wool Texan like me can admit.

Silverton, Colorado

We also visited Silverton, Colorado on July 4^th and were surprised the temperature was 32 degrees F with patches of snow still on the ground. Fortunately, we had brought very light jackets, but we were cold. Bright sunshine saved us and we enjoyed touring the town.

I had no idea then that I would write a book set in Colorado. At the time, all of my books were set in Texas except for one fluke novella set in Georgia. That changed when gracious and excellent author Cynthia Woolf invited me to participate in a project she had conjured called THE SURPRISE BRIDES. I loved the idea and so did Callie Hutton and Sylvia McDaniel.

Instead of seven brothers as in the old movie musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, we would write four brides for four brothers. We wanted nothing to do with kidnapping, so the mother of these four brothers writes away for mail-order brides. Scheming Mama Fraser poses as each of her sons when she writes these letters and arranges for all four brides to arrive on the same train.

We decided a snowstorm rather than an avalanche should isolate them on Fraser's Circle F Ranch five miles from Angel Springs. A different avalanche plays a part in my story. Certainly we didn’t want to wait all winter to have the brides married. So, one of the brothers is a minister and can marry them—including himself and his bride.

This was the most difficult project with which I have ever been involved. For weeks emails flew back and forth among us to insure each of us included key elements without compromising the others’ books or offering four versions of the same story. The result is, I believe, four great western historical romances that will engage fans of that genre.

The books are JAMIE, CALEB, GIDEON, and ETHAN. The series is THE SURPRISE BRIDES. They are stand alone books and you don’t need to read any one of them to follow the others.  Due to the progression of events in the books’ content, if you plan to read all four I would suggest reading JAMIE first then ETHAN followed by GIDEON and ending with CALEB.

If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll give THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE a chance to entertain you and that you’ll also purchase the other three brothers’ stories. The books are priced low at only $2.99 each.  Here are the buy links at Amazon, but the books are available at Apple, Nook, and Kobo.

THE SURPRISE BRIDES buy links:

Caroline Clemmons, JAMIE http://amzn.com/B015272I3W

Cynthia Woolf, GIDEON  http://amzn.com/B015JLMQBU

Callie Hutton, CALEB  http://amzn.to/1KvP4id.

Sylvia McDaniel, ETHAN http://amzn.com/B015PG1FOI

**I’m giving away a free e-copy of THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE to one person who leaves a comment today. If you already have a copy of that book, you can choose another from my books on Amazon.

NEW RELEASES -- JOSEPHINE AND JAMIE

As promised on Friday, here is more information on BRIDE BRIGADE: JOSEPHINE, which is now available at Amazon and—if not already—will soon be available as an e-book on iBooks, Nook, and Kobo.

Here’s the blurb for JOSEPHINE:

Josephine Nailor is desperate to escape a terrible situation. When the opportunity arises via a newspaper ad, she and her best friend slip away from their oppressive fathers and head for Richmond.  Neither can relax until they’re far away from their tiny hometown. With wealthy young widow Lydia Harrison’s help, Josephine and six other young women have a new life waiting in Tarnation, Texas.

Michael Buchanan is fairly content running his mercantile and being mayor of Tarnation. The town is dusty and tiny, but it’s growing. He believes it holds all he needs to be happy—except a wife. There are no available women in town, but he hopes Lydia Harrison’s Bride Brigade will offer a woman he can wed. He is immediately attracted to Josephine.

But Josephine has every reason to mistrust men in general and politicians in particular. Will her misgivings ruin her chance at happiness?

And here’s an excerpt of JOSEPHINE:

Josephine brushed and pulled back her hair. “At least we’re clean and neat even if we don’t have fancy clothes.”

Her friend chewed on her lip then met her gaze in the mirror. “I don’t really want to meet anyone right away.”

She smiled. “Afraid you might end up with someone like your pa or mine?”

Ophelia shook her head and pulled on her shawl to cover the stains on her dress. “Oh, no, Lydia won’t invite anyone who isn’t nice. She promised. I feel as shy as usual and need a little more time to adjust.”

Josephine tied a ribbon around her neck with her mother’s locket in the center. “Well, I don’t intend to marry. I want to find a job and be independent.”

Ophelia stared at her. “You mean you never want to wed?”

“Can you blame me?”

Her friend’s face filled with concern. “Jo, you can’t mean it. You’d never have a home and children. Think of your future. Who will keep you company in the evenings?”

“I’ll get a cat.”

The buy link for JOSEPHINE,  Bride Brigade book one, is http://amzn.com/B015M4FJUY

Please don’t forget THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE is also a new release. The buy link for JAMIE is http://amzn.com/B015272I3W. These books are $2.99 each in e-book, but are also available in print. The companion books about JAMIE’s brothers are GIDEON by Cynthia Woolf, CALEB by Callie Hutton, and ETHAN by Sylvia McDaniel.  GIDEON is available from Amazon at  http://amzn.com/B015JLMQBU. CALEB and ETHAN will be available as e-books by Wednesday. 

Happy reading!

A WRITER'S LIFE IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT

Writing a book is not an instant process.  Authors work at different speeds. Kirsten Osbourne is able to write at least one book a month. Other authors take a year to complete a book. One friend has been working on the same book for at least three years. I am trying to write faster, but I’m still unable to write faster than a book every couple of months.

I have good intentions but life always intrudes. Funny how that happens, isn’t it? Currently, I’m writing (almost finished) a book that is companion to three others. Each author is releasing her book on the same day and the covers coordinate. The books are about four brothers: Jamie, Caleb, Gideon, and Ethan who live in Colorado.

The idea for this belongs to Cynthia Woolf. We based this very, very loosely on the old movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” but we wanted NO kidnapping. Everything had to be on the up and up--that is except for the fact the grooms' mom lied when writing to the matrimonial agency and the brides. Cynthia thought seven grooms were too many and settled on four brothers. Callie, Sylvia, and I were happy to be included.

If the brothers and brides-to-be are snowbound, how can they marry? We thought one of the brothers should be a preacher who also helped on the ranch when needed during the week. To keep the men separate from the women, one of the brothers has a cabin a few hundred yards over a hill.

My hero’s name is Jamie and he’s the eldest brother. Because their mother, Fiona Fraser, despairs of them ever marrying, she pretends to be them and sends for mail order brides—hence the subtitle THE SURPRISE BRIDES. The four women arrive in the midst of a blizzard and are snowbound. The other authors are Cynthia Woolf, Callie Hutton, and Sylvia McDaniel.

We Skyped (is that a verb?) and emailed until we had our books planned. We thought we’d worked out all the possible twists and events. Again, the best-laid plans went awry. We are in almost constant contact with questions about whether or not our books interfere with the other three.  Usually, they do and that means juggling scenes and rewriting.

Another problem we’ve met is keeping each book from being a repeat of the other three. We don’t want our four books to simply retell the same events from a different point of view. That would cheat readers. So, we have worked hard to insure each book is a separate story with different conflicts while still being true to the other three. Only the prologue is a repeat because the information contained sets up the stories.

My story is about the eldest brother, JAMIE. The next brother is rowdy CALEB and is written by Callie Hutton. Or you can mix them up any way you wish. GIDEON is written by Cynthia Woolf, and she assured us writing about a preacher without making the book preachy was hard. Sylvia McDaniel wrote ETHAN, the youngest brother. You can read them in any order, but I suggest JAMIE, ETHAN, GIDEON, and then CALEB because I know events in the books.

This is the hardest book I’ve ever written! I’m surprised my forehead isn’t bruised from beating my head against my desk. LOL Every time I started a scene, I had to ask if it would conflict with anything one of the other three authors had written. Should I include anything happening in one of the other books? How much should I include about Jamie’s children?

Will our idea work? Only you readers can decide. We’re pretty happy with the end result, though. 

Fingers crossed you’ll like all four books. They go up for preorder on September 1^st and will be published simultaneously on October 1^st in print and e-book.