NEW RELEASE -- AN AGENT FOR LYDIA

Announcing a birth!

AN AGENT FOR LYDIA, Pinkerton Matchmaker Series #56

She was born early Friday, January 10, 2020, at Amazon after the author’s hours of research, weeks of sweating, writing the best story she could, consuming copious amounts of Cherry Dr Pepper and chocolate, and experiencing sheer terror that readers might not like this one.

The lovely lady can be seen at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083MVRDM7  She is also peeking out of Kindle Unlimited. Soon she will have a twin in print.

Cover design by Virginia McKevitt

When Lydia Wood is left at the altar, she believes something beyond her groom’s control has happened. Two years with no word have hardened her heart. She has to get away from her parents’ constant urging her to choose an acceptable husband and wed. Becoming a Pinkerton agent suits her plans.

Pinkerton Agent Jake Hunter has recovered from injuries that put him in a coma and a long convalescence. He realizes Lydia would have been injured had she been with him. He vows to distance himself from the one person who means the world to him to protect her. 

When they are paired for an investigation of bank robbers they must use fake identities and follow the trail to a dangerous hang out of men on the run. Can the two successfully pull off their charade and capture the robbers or will this trip confirm Jake’s worst fears?

Lydia gazed out the train window at Wyoming’s desert landscape, recalling how terrified she’d been last night in the saloon. The man who’d wanted to take her upstairs was huge and smelled as if he hadn’t bathed in months. He carried a bottle of whiskey in one hand, some of which he had spilled on his shirt.

Thank goodness she’d had her gun and her knife. Would her little gun have stopped such a large man? With any luck she’d never have to learn the answer.

Forcing herself not to snuggle up to Jake for comfort had been almost impossible. His presence reassured her. He’d had several years experience at Pinkerton’s and knew how to deflect and defeat combatants.

An older couple rode in the seat facing them. Lydia avoided eye contact with the prune-faced woman across from her. The woman had snubbed her and Jake as if they carried leprosy. She had to admit she and Jake looked far from respectable.

Prune-face ceased staring long enough to tug on her husband’s sleeve and whisper, “Horace, doesn’t he look like the man on that wanted poster we saw in Cheyenne?”

Horace frowned at her. “Hush, Mattie.”

Did those two think she and Jake couldn’t hear them?

Lydia gestured to the window. “I’ve never seen so much sand and scrubby bushes. Barren as it is, it emanates a serene beauty.”

Could have been the view from the train.

 “Wait until you see where we’re headed. I’ve heard it’s picturesque as well.” Jake flashed his bone-melting grin.

No, thank you, she couldn’t weaken now. She’d had the vaccination for that grin’s affect. Too bad the inoculation hadn’t proven very effective.

The man traveling with the prune-faced woman looked at Jake and leaned forward. “Where you folks headed?”

Jake squeezed her hand. “We’re headed for Evanston. You?”

Lydia wondered why he’d lied.

The man relaxed against the seat. “We’ll be getting off at the next stop after the river. Been south to see our grandchildren.”

Lydia tugged on Jake’s sleeve.  “How much longer until we reach Laramie?”

“You might as well try to doze, Lily, my pet. We’ve a long ride ahead of us. I’ll wake you when we get to Laramie and we can stretch our legs.”

He’d complained about her garish dress but he was dressed in a flashy way that left no doubt he was a gambler. The dark gray suit had a red silk damask waistcoat. His watch chain was thick with a showy fob. She wondered if the watch was his or belonged to Pinkerton’s.

The other couple left at a water stop. She and Jack had the facing seats to themselves.

She tried to doze but couldn’t. With a smile, she recalled Pinkerton’s “We Never Sleep” motto. At least she had that part right.

The scenery was monotonous and the rails too bouncy to read. All her life she’d scorned people who said they were bored. She’d thought any intelligent person should be capable of amusing himself. That theory was ruined because she considered herself smart and she was extremely tired of this trip.

In addition, having Jake at her side created questions and resurrected longings. Working this closely proved to be an exercise in self-control. If they’d married on schedule, they’d probably have a child by now.

She’d often dreamed of the small home they were to have in Denver. Their plans were for nothing extravagant, just a place where they could raise a family. He’d be home between assignments and they’d have a good life. With a mental slap, she pulled herself from daydreams. Concentrating on their assignment should be foremost in her mind.

Jake moved to the seat across from her. Angling himself in the corner, he stretched out his legs toward the aisle. “What on earth possessed you to apply to Pinkerton’s?”

She stared out the window and hoped she appeared bored with his question. “Perhaps I wanted to see what was so all-fired fascinating about the job.”

“Why would you leave a safe, secure home in the city to face the unknown? This is a dangerous job, not a game.”

She directed a glare at him. “For your information, Gentleman Jack Jackson, I’m not playing a game. I don’t know why you would think otherwise. You aren’t the only person capable of choosing a career in law enforcement. I am an official agent for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Denver office.”

More books from this exciting multiple-author series can be seen on Amazon’s Pinkerton Matchmaker Series page: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pinkerton+matchmaker+series&crid=30OT399ANSQC2&sprefix=Pinkerton+%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_10 Christine Sterling Bortner conceived the series and Virginia McKevitt has done the covers for each book.

I'll be choosing one person who comments to receive a $15 Amazon gift card. Winner will be announced on Monday, January 13, on Caroline's Cuties Facebook page. Please leave your email if you are commenting to enter the giveaway!

Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a tiny office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their dog and three rescued indoor cats as well as providing nourishment outdoors for squirrels, birds, and other critters.

The over fifty titles she has created in her pink cave have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. She writes sweet to sensual romances about the West, both historical and contemporary as well as time travel and mystery. Her series include the Kincaids, McClintocks, Stone Mountain Texas, Bride Brigade, Texas Time Travel, Texas Caprock Tales, Loving A Rancher, and Pearson Grove as well as numerous single titles and contributions to multi-author sets. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, reading her friends’ books, lunching with friends, browsing antique malls, checking Facebook, and taking the occasional nap.

I hope you enjoyed my writing. You’ll find a list of all my books on my Amazon Author Page and follow me there: https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/

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EIGHT SECONDS OF GLORY BY ANDREA DOWNING

Having Andrea Downing here as my guest is a treat for me. I’ve admired her writing for some time, but only “met” her through our online association with the anthology, COME LOVE A COWBOY, available from Amazon at http://amzn.com/B01D5876UK.  Andrea’s contribution to that anthology is BAD BOY, BIG HEART.

Here's her post:

EIGHT SECONDS OF GLORY

By Andrea Downing

Rodeo revolves around several events that are timed at eight seconds.  Why eight seconds?

Brought by Spaniard colonists to what is now the southwest and California, rodeo originally referred to what we presently call ‘round-up’—the gathering and sorting of cattle. But at those gatherings, cowboys did compete—show off might be a better expression.  The term ‘rodeo’ itself did not have its current meaning until as late as 1929. Prior to that, cowboy sports were not standardized, and gatherings of cowboys to compete had names like ‘Frontier Days’ or ‘Stampede’ or even plain ol’ ‘Cowboy Contests.’   Those contests included trick roping, trick riding, and racing, but one of the feats displayed at the round-ups was breaking a bronco—a wild horse. 

A bronco will buck hard for about eight seconds; after that, its adrenaline decreases, and it becomes winded. A rider showing his skill would have ridden that animal to the ‘breaking point,’ hence broke the horse. To ensure that the bronco continues to buck at reasonable speed and height at the next arena, the first organization to set standards—the Cowboy Turtle Association (because they were slow to organize and stuck their necks out to do so)—set bronc riding in competition at eight seconds. This keeps the stock from being stressed and enables them to be spirited and in condition to compete. Obviously, stock growers don’t want their competition animals to become tame.

Today, in the rodeo event of bareback bronc riding, both the rider and the horse are judged.  The rider stays on by holding his rigging with one hand only—this looks like a suitcase handle on a broad leather cinch. There is also a flank strap, which encourages the horse to kick out straight and wide. This strap is not painful to the animal and, indeed, is covered in sheepskin or neoprene to protect his body. The rider’s free hand may not touch either the horse or himself. As the bronc and cowboy fly out of the chute, the cowboy’s spurs must be touching the horse’s shoulders until the horse’s feet touch the ground after the first move. This is called ‘marking out,’ and if the cowboy fails to do this, he is disqualified.  The rider earns his points by upper body control and moving his feet, toes turned out, in a rhythmic motion of spurring the horse and straightening again in readiness for the next buck. He pulls his knees up, rolling his spurs up the horse’s shoulders, and then returns them for that next jump.

Bareback bronc riding takes an immense toll on a cowboy’s body, and the men suffer many injuries and long-term damage. The swift action and turns of the animal stretch muscles, pull and pound joints, and strain and yank ligaments. It may be one helluva way to make a living, but it sure is exciting entertainment. And a bareback bronc rider makes for an excellent romantic hero…

BAD BOY, BIG HEART Blurb:

When New Yorker K.C. Daniels heads to Wyoming for a summer job, she wants nothing more than to fit in with the staff of the Lazy S Ranch. Yearning to be independent of her mom and dad, and have a taste of the west before she starts her Master's degree, getting involved with a cowboy is the last thing on her mind—especially when she’s greeted with warnings about ‘Bad Boy’ Chay Ridgway.

High school dropout Chay Ridgway sees summer as his time to be a rodeo star and win a girl in his life, while facing the responsibilities he has for his father. Although working to bring in cash to help his dad, he's never had a problem finding a woman who's happy to be that summer love—until K.C. Daniels appears on the scene.

As two different worlds collide in a season that will end all too soon, is this going to be another summer romance or a love that will last for years?

BAD BOY, BIG HEART Excerpt:

K.C. was licking her lips over a piece of cheesecake when Breezy ambled over.

“I heard,” she said in an undertone. “I’m so sorry, K.C. I really didn’t know or I certainly would have told you. All I knew was Jamie could be very unpleasant but nothing like that. You know, spoiled brat unpleasant.”

K.C. gulped down another mouthful. “Well, he certainly was ‘unpleasant’ and a ‘spoiled brat.’”

“Are you all right? You know if you ever want to talk about it or need a shoulder, mine is at the ready. And you know where to find me, though I suspect you have another shoulder in mind.” She tipped her head toward Chay, who had just come in and was chatting with one of the guests.

K.C. glanced across as he squatted down to speak with a little girl, tilting his hat back off his face and giving the child a wink as he rose again. Her stomach did a back flip.

“So how do you like the cheesecake?” Breezy was saying. “It’s my own recipe—chocolate mocha cheesecake. You seem to be doing pretty well with it but, of course, you may only be eating it to be polite.” She sauntered off in a stream of giggles.

And then a second fork was coming from above into that cheesecake.

“Do you always just take what you want?”

“Oh, shit, I’m supposed to ask! Sorry.” Chay slid into the chair opposite her at the long refectory table. He looked her in the eye. “May I please have a bite of your cheesecake?”

“Why don’t you get your own? In fact, shouldn’t you be starting with lunch and then dessert?”

“Had a sack lunch and got in earlier than expected.” His fork dangled threateningly over the waiting slice before he swung the fork like a pendulum.

“Oh, go on then. I guess you deserve it.”

Chay shoved a forkful into his mouth, having obvious difficulty chewing as he was smiling so much. Finally he got it down, stretched to grab a napkin from another clean place setting, and gave a wide grin to K.C. “Am I your hero, then? Riding in to save the day? How are you?”

“I’m fine. Thanks. Fine, but reluctant to keep telling everyone I’m fine.”

“Okay then, message received.”

K.C. studied him for a moment, melting at his pale green eyes. She suddenly reached across and gently poked the small dimple in his chin. Oh dear, what was she going to do about this man?

“You’re supposed to ask, aren’t you? You can’t just go around poking people in the chin, can you?”

“Golly. What have I started?”

“I don’t know. What have you started?” The smile was replaced by a very direct look.

“I…I’ve been told things about you. I don’t want to be a summer romance. And I do have to leave at the end of the summer, and the summer is fast fading.”

“It’s only June, K.C.” He hesitated before, “What sort of things were you told?”

K.C. looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. “That you like to…to date the girls who work in the office because we leave at the end of the summer, and it makes for a clean break.”

“True.”

K.C. blinked at his honesty.

“But it doesn’t mean it will always be the case.” Chay fidgeted on his chair. “What time do you get off? Let’s go for a ride. You do ride, don’t you?”

“I ride…English.”

“Oh, yeah. Bob said something about that. That can be fixed. So what time?”

“Five-thirty weekdays, Saturday noon as long as the check-outs are complete. Sunday is hit or miss; I work virtually all day until all the check-ins are done.”

“Hmmm. I’m taking out a pack trip tomorrow, back Friday. Meet me down at the barns as soon as you’re off Saturday.” Chay swung out of the chair and stood, then leaned in and stabbed one more bite of cheesecake. “Saving you calories,” he said. “You’d be amazed at what goes into this.” And with that, he stuffed the piece in his mouth and was off.

K.C. sat there, turning over Chay’s words in her mind: ‘It doesn’t mean it will always be the case.’ Yet the fact was, her Master’s degree meant two years…oh, what was she thinking? That was way ahead and, while she knew she was deeply attracted to Chay, it didn’t necessarily mean…. She stared at the remaining cheesecake on her plate, then pushed it away.

What was ‘the case’?

Andrea Downing, Author

Andrea Downing has spent most of her life in the UK where she developed a penchant for tea-drinking, a tolerance for rainy days, and a deep knowledge of the London Underground system. In 2008 she returned to live in the city of her birth, NYC, but frequently exchanges the canyons of city streets for the wide-open spaces of the West. Her love of horses, ranches, rodeo, and just about anything else western is reflected in her writing.

Andrea's previous awards include Favorite Hero at the Maple Leaf Awards along with Honorable Mention as Favorite Heroine, Favorite Short Story, and Favorite Novel; Golden Quill Award for Best Novella; placed Third in Historical Short at the International Digital awards; finalist twice for InD'Tale RONE Awards.

Links to Social Media:  WEBSITE AND BLOG:  http://andreadowning.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/writerAndreaDowning

Twitter:  @andidowning  https://twitter.com/AndiDowning

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6446229.Andrea_Downing

Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=124888740&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic  

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Downing/e/B008MQ0NXS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

MK McCLINTOCK SHARES CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AND STORIES

Christmas Traditions

By MK McClintock, Guest Author

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." - Peg Bracken

I spent a lot of time reading through Christmas practices during the mid-late nineteenth-century. How did the soldiers and their families in the forts spend the holidays? What did miners and travelers eat while on the road or at a hotel on the open plains or a cabin in the mountains? When it came time to decorate the tree, did they use nuts, strings of popcorn or beads, oranges, lemons, and candies, or did they go for a grander ornamentation like the fancier trees seen in ladies’ magazines? Did they import their ornaments from Germany or decorate with home-made trinkets? The traditions and customs varied from home to home and region to region, but when it came down the traditions of my characters in the old west, I knew I wanted to keep the holiday simple and focused around family.

In Christmas Mountain, each year the mother made a small angel for her daughter to place on the tree. In Teton Christmas, the town had a tradition of decorating every building with festive garlands and ribbons, but they were open to including a new custom by holding a dance at the hotel. In Lily’s Christmas Wish, it’s the first season when a new family has a chance to create their own traditions.

My own family’s holiday traditions have changed over the years, but a few things remain the same. We decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the tree remains up until the New Year. On Christmas morning, we always sit by the fire with hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon rolls. Since I’m not one who enjoys the commercialism of Christmas, there’s not a lot of focus these days on gifts, but rather on spending the day as a family. Most years I’m in the kitchen by five o’clock in the morning, baking, prepping, and cooking. I take a break for the cinnamon roll breakfast and then head back to the kitchen, taking time here and there for a board game or to watch part of a movie. Creating that extravagant evening meal is one of my own personal favorite traditions.

No matter your own traditions for this season, or whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or perhaps it’s just another day, I wish you all a beautiful season filled with hope.

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold

 Home for Christmas

Short Story Collection

By MK McClintock

A collection of three historical western short stories to inspire love and warm the heart.

Praise for A Home for Christmas
"The cold nips at your face and delicious Christmas cake leaves you wanting more."

- M. Ann Roher, Author of "Mattie"

“If you like the 1800's, like I do, you will love these stories!”

-Diane Holm, The Reader’s Cove, Amazon Vine Reviewer

“I really enjoyed these charming historical fictions CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN, TETON CHRISTMAS and LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH! . . . Ms. McClintock is a very descriptive writer, I could feel the surroundings!”

-Nicole Laverdure

CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN
In search of family she barely knows and adventure she's always wanted, Katherine Donahue is saved from freezing on a winter night in the mountains of Montana by August Hollister. Neither of them expected that what one woman had in mind was a new beginning for them both.

TETON CHRISTMAS
Heartache and a thirst for adventure lead McKensie Stewart and her sister to Wyoming after the death of their parents. With the help of a widowed aunt and a charming horse breeder, McKensie discovers that hope is a cherished promise, and there is no greater gift than love.

LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH
Lily Malone has never had a real family or a real Christmas. This holiday season, she might get both. From an orphanage in New York City to the rugged mountains of Colorado, Lily sends out only one wish. But when the time comes, can she give it up so someone else's wish can come true?

Settings: Montana, Colorado, Wyoming
Christmas Short Stories/Western

Book Links

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Autographed

Excerpts from A Home for Christmas

Copper Point, Montana Territory—December 1879

"Alone now, surrounded by a peace she rarely experienced, Katherine pet Crockett in front of the hearth. The fire flickered, causing the flames’ shadows to dance over the log walls. The scent of yeast drifted from the rising loaves of bread waiting on the kitchen counter. Quiet surrounded Katherine and Crockett as they enjoyed a few moments alone before the others woke."

-from CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN

_____________________________________________

Wickliffe, Wyoming Territory—December 22, 1892

"The sun shone from the brilliant blue sky, kissing her skin and brightening the freckles scattered across her nose. McKensie Stewart closed her eyes, breathed in the frosty air, and spread her arms wide. She stood on the side of the snow-covered road where the stage coach had dropped them off and relished in the wonderment. They had finally arrived in Wyoming." 

-from TETON CHRISTMAS 

Look for the Wycliffe Hotel's Famous Coffee Cake recipe at the end of the book.

_______________________________________________

Cotter’s Gulch, Colorado—December 1868

Dear God. Please help me find a family. Love, Lily.
The forged wheels whirred and ground against the iron rails as the small window of the train car opened up to the vast landscape of the American West. Miss Abbott told her the same stories over and over again, promising that a new life waited. She wasn’t sorry to see the dingy city disappear four days ago, and she hoped to never see it again. Those memories she wanted to leave far behind."

-from LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH 

MK McClintock, Author

MK McClintock spins tales of romance and adventure inspired by the heather-covered hills of Scotland and the majestic mountains of home. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, she lives and writes in Montana.

-2014 RONE Award-Nominee for Alaina Claiborne

-Crowned Heart for Excellence from InD'Tale Magazine for Blackwood Crossing and The Montana Gallagher Collection

Learn more about MK by visiting her website at http://www.mkmcclintock.com or blog at http://www.booksandbenches.com.

Genres: historical romantic westerns, historical romantic mysteries, western short stories

Contact & Connect

www.mkmcclintock.com

www.booksandbenches.com (blog)

Facebook.com/mkmcclintockbooks

Twitter.com/mkmcclintock

Pinterest.com/mkmcclintock

            

Thanks for stopping by!

ALETHEA WILLIAMS AND WILLOW VALE

Welcome to fellow author Alethea Williams today. Alethea Williams grew up in boom-and-bust southwest Wyoming, with her nose perpetually in a book while living in a world of robust railroad workers and trona miners. She attended every writing class available, from poetry to creative nonfiction, absorbing her teachers’ knowledge of mastering the writing craft and their experience of publishing. Williams has contributed a monthly newspaper column, won writing awards, and published short stories. Willow Vale is her first novel. A past president of Wyoming Writers, she presently lives in the Northwest with her husband and her longtime friend, Amazon parrot Bob.

Alethea Williams and her dog

Caroline: Alethea, please tell us more about yourself.

Alethea:  I grew up in a small town in southern Wyoming.  There were two industries in town: the prison and the railroad.  My dad worked for the railroad.  I have two younger sisters, but spent a lot of time at my cousin’s; she was an only child and I suspect the purpose of my frequent sojourns at her house was to keep her from getting too spoiled!  I was, and still am, a bookworm.  I might be the single person alive who had a teaching nun tell her mother to make her stop reading so much after I had to get glasses in the second grade.  I stopped at the library on my way home from school almost every day to check out more books.  If anyone wanted to give me a gift, the most appreciated was a book.  In the 9th grade, I had Forever Amber confiscated in class after I thought the paperback was so well hidden inside my English book.  My eyes got progressively worse until about the age of fifteen and my prescription has been about the same since despite continuing to be a voracious reader, so I strongly suspect reading was never the problem.

Caroline: My mom used to believe reading was why I needed glasses. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Alethea: For romance, nobody has ever beaten LaVyrle Spencer in my estimation.  There was a place in each of her books where the reader went “Ohhhh” while reaching for the tissues.  I try for that same emotional hook in my writing.  For detective and murder mystery, absolute escape literature for me because I don’t write it, I really like James Lee Burke and Greg Iles, just because they’re such good writers and not necessarily because they write about Louisiana.  For historical, I like Jane Kirkpatrick.  She writes about strong women protagonists in the 19th century, and I try to incorporate into my own writing the lessons she teaches about writing engaging fiction without graphic encounters.

Caroline: What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Alethea: I’m a book addict.  There is no better way to relax and recharge than reading.  I work in the yard a bit, much less than I used to, and my hobby is – guess? – reading!

Caroline: Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, too. Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Alethea: I ran across this quote from President Calvin Coolidge many years ago and it helps me when I get stuck, in writing or in life, and has proven to be absolute truth over the years:  “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Caroline: I keep that quotation in my favorite quotes, too. How long have you been writing?

Alethea: Twenty years.  I wanted so much to be published when I was younger, and the rejections just kept rolling in.  Perhaps a book just has its own time to be published, or perhaps an author has.  Maybe important things just shouldn’t be rushed, I don’t know -- twenty years writing and I still don’t know for sure if it would have been better earlier.

Caroline: Where do you prefer to write?

Alethea: I have great power of concentration.  I can write anywhere, with or without radio or TV on, as long as it’s not NASCAR or ads.  Those things, with all the shrieking, are meant to distract.  The keyboard on a PC is handy to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, but I can write just as well on the flat keyboard of a laptop.  I used to write longhand and then transfer to computer, but for anyone except poets that can lead to severe writers’ cramp.

Caroline:  I know some authors write in longhand still, then transfer to the computer. Seems like wasted time to me. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Alethea: Panzer, definitely.  Back in the old days, I really dreaded it when an editor required a 30-page outline with a manuscript submission.  I don’t write from an outline, the characters just show up in my head and won’t stop talking until I write their story.  Sometimes they leave pieces out, though, go in another room or something where I can’t hear them.  Then I have to wait and let the story simmer for a while before I can get back to the familiar white-hot heat of writing.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Alethea: I think everyone who writes uses real events or people as the basis for plot and characters, despite the disclaimer in the fronts of novels that they’re purely fictional and any resemblance to a real person is coincidental.  WILLOW VALE is loosely based on my immigrant grandmother’s experience of coming to America after WWI, but the story veers quickly from anything resembling Nona’s history into pure fiction.

Caroline: Most of my characters are purely imaginary and not based on real people. The exception is the aunts in my current series. Do you set daily writing goals?

Alethea: I don’t set writing goals because I feel bad if I don’t meet them.  I don’t write every day, in fact years have gone by sometimes between novel attempts.

Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Alethea: The message in my books is the same as President Coolidge’s: Persevere!  Nobody’s going to prop up your writing career for you or live your life for you.  You’re as unique as your life’s tears and joys; how you handle it is up to you.

Caroline: True words. What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Alethea: I would like to see the rest of my novels in print.  The question these days is whether to seek a traditional publisher or go it alone.  I still haven’t decided.  Either way, much more is expected from an author these days in terms of getting a book out and then Internet networking and marketing.  The last year has been a real education for me.  If WILLOW VALE had never seen publication, I probably wouldn’t be on Facebook or Twitter or Goodreads or Shelfari.  I have four email accounts, five with the new one from Facebook.  It’s overwhelming sometimes.

Caroline: Social media is a must. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Alethea: Learn the craft.  It’s hard enough to distinguish yourself by writing a novel these days so write the best that you can.

Caroline: Tell us something you learned researching your book that surprised/interested you.

Alethea: I never understood when I was a kid how my grandmother’s parents could own land and still be so poor. Val di Non, high in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, was once a silkworm capital.  Then the silkworms all died.  That high in the mountains, there was only a small amount of land to farm and feed cattle, so most people there were poor.  After the war when the valley changed from Austrian hands to Italian, all the customers for the valley’s produce as well as the supply routes were cut off as well as cheap food flooding into Europe to compete.  It was a tough situation.  In many cases, young peoples’ answer was to emigrate to America.

Caroline: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

Alethea: From opposite sides of an ocean, two people wounded by the Great War are fated to meet and try to rebuild their lives.  Francesca Sittoni was brought against her will to America by the husband she never loved.  Now she finds herself alone — widowed, pregnant, and with a small daughter to support.  Terrified of being deported back to the impoverished country of her birth, Francesca answers an ad placed by Wyoming rancher and former doughboy Kent Reed.
As their contracted year together passes, Francesca begins to ask if she is cook and housekeeper to Kent…or a secretly sought mail-order bride as the neighbors insist?  Only Kent Reed, burned by mustard gas and his spoiled former wife’s desertion, knows his heart’s true desire when it comes to the beautiful Tyrolean immigrant woman now living in the uncomfortably close quarters of his small ranch house.

Caroline: How about an excerpt?

Alethea:
“Aw, boy. We already done talked about it —you want eggs, right? Francesca, you want eggs?”
She looked uncertainly to Kent again, who shrugged without giving her a clue what had preceded this conversation. He looked disgusted. With her? Was she embarrassing him? Her English, perhaps. She knew it wasn’t flawless, but she’d thought she could make herself understood. Harv seemed to understand her. Maybe Kent suspected, maybe both men knew, that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“Sure, I like the eggs,” she said uncertainly. Her brows lowered as she concentrated on folding and re-folding a crimp in the tablecloth.
“Agnes—that’s my wife—has more eggs than she knows what to do with. You come on over, and she’ll give you some of those eggs. Old Kent here is cravin’ eggs.”
“Harv,” Kent said. He nearly dumped his coffee, catching it as it started to spill. “That’s enough.”
“I want eggs,” Elena contributed brightly, unmindful that in her mother’s hurry she hadn’t changed clothes or had her hair combed. Francesca tenderly brushed a strand from her daughter’s face. She said quietly, “Tsst, Elena. The men talk, not you.”
Harv sucked his teeth as he studied the woman and the little girl. At last he said, looking toward Kent, “As I see it, it’s the best way, boy. There will be no rest until that woman sets eyes on this here housekeeper of yours for herself. Saddle up a horse for Francesca, and she can come with me right now to meet Agnes.”
Saddle up? Francesca looked in a panic to Kent. His thick russet brows lowered, he glared across the table at Harv Broadbent. He wouldn’t even look at her. Why was he so set against her meeting Harv’s wife? Because she would embarrass him? That was it, she knew it. Kent Reed was ashamed of her.
Flustered, she said, “I don’t know the horses.”
“What’s that mean? You can’t ride?” Harv studied her closely.
She shook her head. Her eyelids felt stretched wide in a stiff, terrified face. Surely they wouldn’t make her get on a horse and ride off right now to accompany this old man to meet his wife, when she’d never been on a horse in her life.
Broadbent shook his head sadly. “Kent’s been neglecting your education, Francesca.”

Caroline: That sounds intriguing. Where can readers find your books?

Alethea: WILLOW VALE is available in paper at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Vale-Alethea-Williams/dp/0982557418/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341954104&sr=1-1&keywords=willow+vale

In paper at Barnes and Noble: http://ww w.barnesandnoble.com/w/willow-vale-alethea-williams/1108091581?ean=9780982557419 

From the publisher:  http://jargon-media.com

On Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Vale-ebook/dp/B0075R4IH2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1341954104&sr=1-1
 
On Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/willow-vale-alethea-williams/1108091581?ean=2940014614160&format=nook-book

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?
Alethea: I blog on writing, writers, and historical Wyoming at http://actuallyalethea.blogspot.com/
Visit my Facebook pages at: https://www.facebook.com/actuallyalethea
and  https://www.facebook.com/AletheaWilliams.author  Twitter: @actuallyalethea

Thank for sharing with us today, Alethea.

Readers, thanks for stopping by!

Book Review WRONG TURN, RIGHT COWBOY by Denise B. McDonald

WRONG TURN, RIGHT COWBOY, by Denise Belinda McDonald, is an August 17, 2010 release from Samhain Press. In this book, Denise continues her popular series set in fitional and idyllic Paintbush, Wyoming.

Massage therapist Gillian Harwood and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Heidi, are on the run toward Montana. They’ve moved so many times in the past, they’ve both lost count of towns and states. Never staying long enough to make friends or trust anyone, they’ve moved on to evade the madman who killed Gillian’s sister twelve years ago. He's after Heidi because she witnessed the murder.

One wrong turn, and Gillian is lost on the Skipping Rocks Ranch near Paintbrush when she intends to be in Montana where a job awaits her. Swirling dust—okay, maybe it’s because she’s driving way  too fast on a dirt road—causes her to almost run down cowboy Quint Walters and his horse after Gillian plows through a fence. This incident launches this Paintbrush story.

Quint Walters has given up on love and on pleasing his father. He moved to Paintbrush to be near his aunts. His baseball career went down the tubes when he injured his knee for the third time, but he prefers ranch work anyway. If only he could get the new woman in town with the haunted, wary look in her eyes out of his mind. And if only his body didn't respond to her every move.

Although she believes she has no family except Heidi, Gillian learns good friends can replace family. And that her wrong turn was really the best she could have made because it led her to the right cowboy for her--and home.
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WRONG TURN, RIGHT COWBOY is a terrific book for anyone who loves contemporary tales of the west, cowboys, or suspense-filled novels. Denise hooked me from the beginning and kept me chained to the computer to find out what happened next. Even though this is a fast paced novel, it includes Denise's fun sense of humor. Familiar characters from the first Paintbrush novel appear, but this definitely is a stand-alone romance novel.

I give it a 5 out of 5 rating.
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Denise Belinda McDonald started her writing career at the tender age of eight. Her stories have changed over the years, but not her love for telling tales. An overactive imagination and a propensity to embellish have kept her books rich with lovable characters and interesting twists. A member of RWA, she belongs to several chapters. Denise lives in Texas with her husband, four boys and two dogs where she juggles her time between writing, carpool, Cub Scouts, sports galore, and a multitude of crafts. If you would like to learn more about Denise and her other books, please visit her web site: www.denisebelindamcdonald.com or you can e-mail her at denise@denisebelindamcdonald.com
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PLEASE join me tomorrow at http://www.savvyauthors.com/ for a Symposium on Building A Hero.