I have decided that most of us writers have one thing in common – the desire to “be” like the characters we write … or perhaps we are only writing about ourselves. When you consider that we write in genres that we love, then we must be wishing we could actually live in another realm, or perhaps in old England, or in the WWII era, or maybe experience being a pioneer, or a gunslinger, or an Indian, or a doctor or nurse, a lawyer, an FBI agent, in the Secret Service, a King or Queen, a Duke or Duchess, an astronaut, a werewolf, a reporter, an actress, a vampire, a policeman, a fireman, maybe even someone who is single and wildly sexual, a model, a rock star, a football player. The list is endless.
Religion In Secular Fiction vs. The Inspirational Romance
Several years ago, after writing at least 50 secular historical romances, I decided I wanted to try writing (historical) inspirational romance. I have always had a desire to write faith-based books and I hinted at faith and Christianity in many of my books up to that point but never wrote straight inspiration. I sold FOLLOW YOUR HEART, WALK BY FAITH and WHERE HEAVEN BEGINS to Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, and they all sold well. WHERE HEAVEN BEGINS even won second place for the prestigious WILLA Award from Women Writing the West … but I was wrong to think I could stick with a genre that didn’t (in my opinion) involve “real life.” In a lawless land where people have to struggle to survive, sometimes what’s right and wrong gets all mixed up in the name of life and death. And in the Old West, which is almost all I write about, there was not much law, and there were few churches, and in many places none at all.
The Lost Summer
(or) How Writing And Our Characters Can Take Over Our Lives …
It’s been a while since I blogged about anything other than contests I ran for the publication of my 60th book, DO NOT FORSAKE ME; and for the reissue of all seven of my SAVAGE DESTINY books by Amazon. I just finished the third book about gunfighter Jake Harkner, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE, and the manuscript is over 600 pages!
It’s been a while since I blogged about anything other than contests I ran for the publication of my 60th book, DO NOT FORSAKE ME; and for the reissue of all seven of my SAVAGE DESTINY books by Amazon. I just finished the third book about gunfighter Jake Harkner, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE, and the manuscript is over 600 pages!
What’s In A Hero?
I have recently needed to re-read several of my older titles for conversion to e-books. After 60 titles and 32 years of writing, I can’t always remember exactly what happened in every book I wrote or who the hero and heroine were. So far I have been pleasantly surprised at how good the stories are and how “hot” the heroes and the love scenes are. Somehow I had the idea that “way back then” I was hesitant to get too racy with my love scenes, but gosh, they ain’t bad!
Savage Destiny Series - New Covers and Now Available in Kindle and Print! {with #Giveaway}
After over thirty years of being in print, my SAVAGE DESTINY books are still selling. I consider this such a blessing, because I poured so much research and hard work into those books, and the hero and heroine will live forever in my heart – and from the feedback I get from my readers, they live in a special place in their hearts too. The seven books in this classic series cover about 45 years in the lives of Zeke and Abigail Monroe, beginning when they meet on a wagon train west when Abbie is only 16 and Zeke, half Cheyenne, is 25. From this union comes seven children and a herd of grandchildren, stories about many of them wound into the main story about the hero and heroine - all the tragedies and triumphs any family faces over the years. In this case the challenges are especially difficult because of Zeke’s Indian blood. He has three full-blood Cheyenne brothers in Colorado and three full-blood white brothers (in Tennessee), and Zeke lives torn between two worlds, as do his children, some of whom deny their Indian blood.
Blog Tour: The Outlaw Hearts Series - This is the Last Week!
The Giveaway
Grand Prize - One (1) Set of Autographed 11.7 x 16.5 Framed Prints & $50 Amazon Gift Card
Two (2) Sets of Autographed 8.5 x 11 Framed Prints & Two (2) $25 Amazon Gift Card
3 Signed Copies (US Only) - Outlaw Hearts & Do Not Forsake Me
3 e-Book (International) - Outlaw Hearts & Do Not Forsake Me
Do Not Forsake Me - Teaser #12
Available July 7, 2015
Pre-Order!
Jake has been in a fight and has a bad cut on his face. He and Lloyd are hunting outlaws and have stopped at a saloon for information. Jake is talking to men at a card table. I love this because it shows Jake’s subtle sense of humor, which comes through in several places in this book.
“Just a game of cards,” Jake answered. “I’ve been on the trail a while and need some down time. I’m tired of all the bullshit of this job. Had to come through Hell’s Nest on my way to my next stop, so figured we’d get in a little card game.”
“Is that your name for this place?” another asked.
“Can you think of a better one?”
“Guess not. It’s just as good as any.” He looked Jake over. “What happened to your face?”
Jake lit a cigarette. “A little run-in with a shovel.”
“Did you fight back?”
“Beat it near to death,” Jake joked.
“More like whoever owned the shovel, I expect.”
“Something like that.”
All the while Jake is very alert to every single man in the room and who might have the information he needs. Something happens next that shakes up everybody in the saloon and reminds all of them that, joking or not, nobody crosses Jake Harkner!
Do Not Forsake Me - Teaser #11
Available July 7, 2015
Pre-Order!
Jake, ruthless as he can be, is completely, totally in love with his wife and completely melts when it comes to her. Something has happened to force them apart, and while apart a family crisis has turned Jake into the old, ruthless outlaw who is out for revenge … but he stops at his house before going after men who have kidnapped his daughter. He needs Randy more than ever, because she is the only person who keeps him sane. He’s always lived on the thin edge between light and darkness. Worse, his wife could be dying from cancer.
He walked over to the bed and picked up a pillow, breathing deeply of the rose scent. He remembered how passionately they’d made love before he left. …
He squeezed the pillow tight, burying his face in it “Randy … Randy,” he groaned. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rocked with the pillow in his arms.
Sometimes all I need is your arms around me. He could hear her saying it, feel her in his arms right now, smell her on the pillow.
“Jake?”
He looked up to see Preacher Zilke standing in the doorway.
“You sent for me?”
Jake rose, laying the pillow on the bed. “Sometimes all you need is to breathe in someone’s scent to feel close to them.” … He turned away. “And right now I’m not sure there is a God after all. Why would He let this happen?”
Do Not Forsake Me - Teaser #10
Available July 7, 2015
Pre-Order!
This is a little clip to show you that Jake’s son, Lloyd, is just a chip off the old block. Reporter Jeff Truebridge is with Jake and Lloyd as they hunt down a gang of outlaws, stopping at the home of a woman who was mother to one of them and wife to another. A very angry and formidable Lloyd, who is tall and dark and built just like his father, has ridden to the out-buildings, kicking open doors and looking for culprits.
Lloyd rode around from the other side of the house and up to Jake then. “I didn’t’ find anything, but I saw two men back there in the woods.”
“I saw them, too,” Jake said quietly.
Jessie gritted her teeth. “How in hell can you sit there on that horse, Jake Harkner, and tell me so casually about my son and my man bein’ dead – and you bein’ the one who killed them!”
Jake lit a cigarette and waved out the match before dropping it. “I can sit here and tell you casually because Lloyd and I saw what they did to an innocent girl. So – no – it didn’t bother me at all to shoot them both down and it doesn’t’ bother me to talk about it.”
Jessie finally set the gun aside. “They was still my husband and my son. Ain’t you got no feelin’s about that? You’ve got a son.”
“And my son knows that if he ever did something like what we found, I’d damn well shoot him myself for it! Are you saying it’s okay what they did? They raped a young girl and shot an innocent man in a bank robbery.”
Jessie looked away, blinking back tears. “Get the hell off my property, Harkner.”
“Well, right now you’re still basically a squatter in this part of Oklahoma, Jessie, and I’m a U.S. Marshal, so I have every right to be here. And before you claim I have no feelings I could easily have shot Brad all those weeks ago, but I didn’t. I thought about you losing Bo, so I took Brad down a different way so you’d have one son left.”
“Well, ain’t that just real decent of you!” The words were shouted from near the doorway, and a moment later Brad appeared, looking much thinner than the day Jeff watched Jake throw the kid off the board-walk in Guthrie. He walked outside, bent over like an old man. “I still can’t stand up straight, Harkner!”
“At least you’re alive,” Lloyd told him. “Consider yourself lucky, seeing as how it was Jake Harkner who took you down.”
“Yeah, well, your old man took me by surprise, else I’d have beat the shit out of him.”
“Well, when you’re all healed up, you come on into town and I’ll take you on myself,” Lloyd answered.
“There’s other ways of getting revenge,” Brad told him with a sneer.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
Brad grinned. “Just ways, that’s all. Family is family, Lloyd.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ole’ Jake here has a family of his own, that’s all. He ought to find out what it’s like to lose a loved one.”
As though sensing its rider’s fury, Lloyd’s horse whinnied and jerked backwards.
“You filthy sonofabitch!” Lloyd spat back. He reined his horse to a stand-still and started to dismount.
“Stay on your horse, Lloyd!” Jake warned, eyeing Jessie.
“He threatened the family!” Lloyd growled.
“Killing him won’t help!”
“Maybe not, but it would feel real good!” Lloyd glowered at Brad. “I’m real close to coming over there and breaking every rib in your body, you bastard! How does it feel having the shit kicked out of you by a fifty-six-year-old man? Kind of humiliating, isn’t it? Next time it will be somebody your own age, and you’ll spend a long time getting on your feet again, if ever!”
“You might not live long enough to try!”
Just then a movement came from Jake’s right. In an instant his gun was out and fired. Jeff’s horse skittered sideways, and a man at the far end of the porch fell with a hole in his chest.
The moment Jake fired the gun, Lloyd was off his horse, his gun drawn. He charged past Brad and into the house. … Jeff could hear him charging around inside the house, searching for anyone else who might be there.
(Jake questions Jessie and Brad, then gets into a confrontation with Brad as Lloyd exits the house)
Jessie started to reach for her rifle.
“Don’t do it, ma’am,” Lloyd told her, coming around the side of the house, his six-gun trained in her direction. “That’s my father, and woman or not, I’ll pull this trigger.”
Blog Tour: Mystic Indian Series {+ $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway}
AWhy I Wrote This SeriesA
Many years ago I read an article in a flyer I receive from the Wind River Indian Reservation that was about a stone medicine wheel on the top of Medicine Mountain in the Big Horn Mountains of northern Wyoming. The article fascinated me because no one is certain which Native Americans built this medicine wheel, or even when. At the top of a nearby mountain peak is a stone arrow pointing to the medicine wheel, which I found even more fascinating, because at the time someone created these places out of stones, there were no airplanes. There would be no way to see the arrow pointing to the medicine wheel except from above. Native Americans consider the medicine wheel sacred, believing only spirits from above would see it. There is a central cairn, with spokes coming out to join in a circle of stones so that the entire site looks just like a wagon wheel. 
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