BAD MEN WITH A GOOD HEART

      Yes, the title of this blog is the basic theme of nearly all my books – men others see as “bad,” and some truly start out that way. Some of my heroes did do bad things and spent time in prison – some are even wanted men throughout my story – some are actually lawmen who deal a hard, hard hand – and ALL of them have a good side and always have an underlying reason for their actions and decisions. 

 

      I just finished watching A PERFECT WORLD, with Kevin Costner as an escaped convict and Clint Eastwood the head Texas Ranger looking for him. I always cry at the ending of this story, which brings out the good and the decency in BOTH men, and shows how a little boy can love a “bad man.” Kevin Costner’s character reminds me very much of Jake Harkner from my Outlaw Hearts books, simply because he was an abused little boy and as a man, he can’t stand to see other little boys abused. That brings out the “bad” in him, just like having any of his family members abused brings out the “bad” in Jake. Everyone should watch A PERFECT WORLD (1993). The little boy in it just tears your heart out. What a great little actor (T J Lowther, who went on to make other movies and is, of course, now grown).

 

      Bad men with a good heart is my favorite plot theme, my favorite hero to write. Not all my heroes are outlaws, but nearly all are heroic in their defense of their loved ones and in their hatred of the TRULY bad element in this world, those who are mean just to be mean.

      I enjoy writing the psychology of the bad man with a good heart. I have always felt spot-on with Jake, who ended up killing his own father at fifteen because the man was attacking a young girl Jake cared about and he didn’t know how else to stop him. That started Jake on a journey down the wrong path, even though deep inside he wanted to be that “good man” he knew most men were, and even though he wanted the family he never had himself. He came from a horribly abusive father who killed his mother and little brother before his eyes – things a boy never forgets and things that haunt him the rest of his life. Jake’s past affects every single decision he makes the rest of his life, and the only person who truly understands and forgives his dark side is his wife, Miranda, the woman who never gave up on him after first meeting him. “Randy” is Jake’s counselor, the love of his life, the only thing that keeps him sane and on the right side of that fine line between good and evil.

  

      I am about to write a fifth “Jake” story – BLAZE OF GLORY. And – you guessed it – something happens to bring out that ‘bad” side of Jake, and it involves his young (and favorite) grandson – his namesake – young Jake, who is hurt in a range war. Those of you who are familiar with Jake Harkner know very well what this will do to Jake. His guns will come out of semi-retirement, and they will be “blazing.” Jake is getting older, but his temperament and skills haven’t aged at all. Some very sorry people will find that out.

       

     I thought book #4, THE LAST OUTLAW, would be the last one in this series, but I felt that nudge that I had to write one more story. I did write A CHICKADEE CHRISTMAS, a short Christmas story about the Harkner family, published in an anthology titled CHRISTMAS IN A COWBOY’S ARMS (2018 – Sourcebooks). In that story, Jake promised to take Miranda on a trip to Chicago, where two of their best friends (from Book #2 DO NOT FORSAKE ME) live. Jake and Randy have never had any kind of vacation together away from Jake’s life constantly on the run, and then his job as a U. S. Marshal in Oklahoma – nor have they been away from the J&L ranch they own in Colorado. 

 

       BLAZE OF GLORY will begin with that trip to Chicago, and something will happen on their way there that shows Jake Harkner isn’t a changed man at all. Then the news comes about the range war building back home in Colorado and something has happened to young Jake. Jake heads home, and all hell breaks loose!

  

       I know those who love the Outlaw Heart series will absolutely love BLAZE OF GLORY. And after that I will continue to write the bad man with a good heart in other stories. In June comes the second book in my Men of the Outlaw Trail series – LAWMAN IN THE HIGH LONESOME – where, this time, a GOOD man, Matt Stover, who is a sheriff from Nebraska, turns to his darker side for revenge.

 

      The third book – coming in October – JOURNEY TO HIGH LONESOME – is about a wanted man who fell into the darker world purely by circumstance and because of the Civil War. Like my other “bad men,” Nick Calhoun has a good heart, but life keeps dealing him bad hands. His only hope is a woman he’s known since she was too young to marry – a woman who at first refuses to go with him to outlaw country, but who ends up having no choice but to go there herself.

      Next year will bring a couple more reissues, as well as a Valentine’s Day novella, and that fifth Outlaw Hearts book, BLAZE OF GLORY. I am writing, writing, writing during this Virus nightmare, and I thank God I have a job I can do at home. And it’s something people can enjoy while being stuck at home themselves. Some of you will probably getting bored with TV, so don’t forget, you can always do some READING!

GO WITH YOUR GUT INSTINCT

     Some people never learn, and I am one of them – at times. I say that because I tend to make the same mistakes again after thinking I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve learned so much over the years about the “do’s” and “don’t’s” of writing, what to watch for and what NOT to do again. 

    One of my biggest mistakes in my early writing was redundancy. I tried too hard to make sure the reader understood the back story surrounding hero and heroine, and tried too hard to make sure the reader knew what certain characters were thinking and feeling. Sometimes just a statement or a movement or a look is all it takes to add power to the moment, as opposed to going on and on about a character’s feelings. After a lot of editing by publishers, I finally learned how to bring out those emotions and the reasons for how my characters felt and the decisions they made without taking two pages to do so – or repeating such explanations all over again.

      Another problem I had was omnipotence. Most writers know what I’m talking about. Omnipotence is, in essence, the author behaving like God – looking down on the characters and describing them or a room or a situation. That’s a mistake my agent pointed out. For instance, the heroine can’t look in the mirror and brush her “lustrous, waist-length hair” while admiring her “big, blue eyes and full, pouty lips.” Who is saying that? The AUTHOR. And you can’t have a hero remove his shirt and follow that with, “his hard, muscled shoulders and arms glistened brown in the hot sun.” Who is saying that? The AUTHOR.

      Big NO! NO! The author is doing the describing – playing God as he or she watches these characters and “directs” the scene/description. Such descriptions should occur THROUGH THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES. Someone ELSE should notice these things. That heroine’s hair and eyes and lips should be noticed by the HERO (or by some other interested party). It’s that other character who should think about the heroine’s attributes – UNLESS the heroine is incredibly arrogant and conniving and is considering how she might use her looks to tempt or betray someone. The hero’s muscled body should also be described by someone else – “she watched Joe remove his shirt, admiring his muscled build and how his dark skin glistened in the sun.” This way the OTHER person is noticing these things, not the character himself (or herself). This makes the story more active than passive, and it moves things forward and brings the characters to life and more reality to the story. It’s CHARACTER driven, not AUTHOR driven.

      One of my biggest goals is always to keep myself OUT of the story. I don’t want readers to see Rosanne Bittner taking part in any way. My stories should happen entirely on their own, moved along by the characters in “real life” situations and making decisions most humans would make based on their personalities and background.

           I said I was a slow learner, but once I “got it,” the light bulb stayed on and I have learned how to trim and cut, and make a story more powerful with fewer words. I’ve learned to stay out of the picture and let everything happen, including descriptions, through the characters.

      The third important lesson I needed to learn is one I thought I’d conquered along with everything else. That lesson is - “go with your gut” if something about your story doesn’t feel right. I’ve followed that rule for years, but I failed to do so on my most recent book, which led to this blog. I kind of knew there was a problem with  the book I wrote for my third “Men of the Outlaw Trail” series. The book was originally titled RETURN OF A WANTED MAN, but I changed the title to JOURNEY TO HIGH LONESOME. 

      Title aside – when I finished the story, something about the back story of the hero and heroine didn’t “feel” right. Instead of taking the time to wonder why, I wrote and struggled and re-wrote and struggled to “make” the back story work. And just as that little voice deep inside told me when I sent off the book, that back story drew the attention of my editor, who said flatly – “this isn’t working. You need to change how these two meet, and why the hero rode out of the heroine’s life for five years.” My heroine appeared weak and even a bit selfish for her role in what happened.

      I KNEW that. I damn well knew it but thought I could get away with the way I had written it. Sometimes sending in a book, even though something about it bothers you, is pure laziness, but I dare anyone to call me a lazy writer. I am a very hard worker, but I had just finished another big book, and maybe I was just too tired to go back and do a re-write. Sometimes your first version makes sense at the time, until you re-read the book, at which time you realize there is something about it that worries you. You tell yourself that maybe the editor will think it’s just fine. You HOPE that will happen, but deep down inside, your gut tells you the part about your book that worries you will come back to bite you in the butt … and it almost always does.

     So this third lesson is  …    NEVER SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT THAT HAS SOMETHING ABOUT IT THAT WORRIES YOU – something even YOU don’t like! If it takes an extra couple of weeks or a month to “fix” he problem, then take the time to do it. An editor would much rather receive a smooth read that makes for a good story than to frown and re-read a certain part because something about it doesn’t fit the plot/scenario/character(s). You will come across as more professional, and the editor will be more likely to want to read more of your books – plus she will enjoy the story, and it won’t take anywhere near the heavy editing the first version would require – less work for you and the editor in the long run. 

      Yes, my book came back and needed a re-write – something that almost never happens to me. I am used to an editor’s praise and just some minor fixes. I was embarrassed, and I was angry with myself for sending in the original version. And, of course, now I am re-writing the back story – so I didn’t save myself one bit of work by hoping the first version would be accepted. Even if it was, I would have had some disappointed readers, and that is the LAST thing I want! I have always had wonderful reviews and 4 – 5-star comments on Amazon. I don’t want to break that pattern.

      I feel really good about the changes I am making, and I feel much better about the characters themselves. The changes will make the readers empathize much more easily with the hero and heroine and make them want to root for both of them. That is very important.

      All this leads to one more piece of advice – LISTEN TO YOUR EDITOR. He or she is right 99% of the time. Don’t think you’ve just written GONE WITH THE WIND. You have to come down from that high goal and face the reality that you are one of many, and to stand out, you need to write as entertaining and as perfect a story as you possibly can. More than anything, you have to win over the readers, and if YOU aren’t in love with your characters, the READERS won’t love them either.

      Now I feel confident about my story and sure that my readers will be pleased with the end result. It’s worth the effort of a re-write.

Happy writing!

CHANGES AND REFLECTIONS

      Been doing a lot of thinking lately about my writing – how far I have come and how things have changed over these 40 or so years I’ve been writing. I sat down to write a book in 1979, after reading THE PROUD BREED by Celeste deBlasis. I wanted to write a great love story as well as a saga that covered 2-3 generations like that book did, and off I went! Soon as I wrote that first sentence, combined with a dive into extensive research about Native Americans and the American West, the ideas poured into my brain and out through my fingers, starting with a 4-book series that turned into 7 books (SAVAGE DESTINY) and ending with (currently) 70 published novels, including two series and several trilogies. Two more books will be published in 2020, and I am working on novel #73. My goal was 100 books, but at the age of 75, I’ll just have to see how long God allows me the energy, health and the use of my brain to write more.

      A lot of things about publishing have changed over these many years. I started writing when “romance” was hot! Hot! Hot! The big, fat books with bodice-ripper covers packed bookshelves, and the label “romance” was slapped on just about every book published. At first the editing wasn’t all that great, royalties were huge, and the term “politically correct” was unheard of. Over the years romance continues to sell, but it’s not the only topic of conversation among readers anymore. Most of the bodice-ripper covers are gone – at first replaced with lace and flowers – then the slightly more demure couple – and now some pretty hot covers showing nearly-naked men rather than nearly-naked women. Gotta’ love those abs! And, of course, all avenues of “romance” are allowed now, not just stories between a man and a woman. Advance royalties have dropped considerably because of the cheaply-priced Kindle books, and writers have to be more careful in how they handle subjects that were perfectly acceptable 30 years ago but today, if improperly handled, are considered politically incorrect.

   Over all these years I’ve gone through numerous editors and publishers for a host of reasons, and I always wrote under contract for a standard publisher, rather than publishing my own books. When I first started writing, publishing your own book was a big no-no if you wanted to be taken seriously. There was no Amazon back then – just what was called subsidy publishing, where the author paid a “subsidy” publisher to print their book, often for outrageous prices. And all you got was a supply of the printed book and it was up to the author to take the books to stores to sell. I have never heard of one author who ever made it big through subsidy publishing.

     That’s all changed now, thanks to Amazon. And just like when romance first hit it big, a lot of books have been published that are poorly edited or not edited at all, and that puts us romance writers – all writers, in fact – right back into being judged as “she can’t be that good if she published the book herself,” or worse, “There is nothing but junk out there.” The “badly written” books make it difficult for really good writers to get into the market because now there aren’t just thousands of writers “out there.” There are millions of them flooding the “virtual” market. Getting noticed is really hard, and today writers have to learn a whole new way of marketing their books and spend a lot of time with social networking. Even authors published through regular publishing houses are forced to do a lot of their own marketing, but if you write just for Amazon, you have to do a WHOLE lot more!

      Even so, today self-publishing is no longer taboo. It’s just as respected as getting published through the regular medium of a publishing house. Many self-published authors have hit it big, and some have taken the “backward” approach – self-published first, and then becoming so popular that a standard publisher offers them a contract.

      After all these years, I have chosen the self-publishing route. And in doing so, I am realizing a “freedom to write what I want,” rather than having to write a certain book because that’s what I signed up to write. There were times when certain books I wrote were not what I really wanted to do – and there were times when I proposed books I truly wanted (in my heart) to write, but the publishers didn’t want them because they didn’t fit their plans at the time. I was often asked to write something else. Publishers tend to lay out their genre/author plans well in advance, sometimes one to two years forward. Another problem with writing for a standard publisher is that they also plan ahead regarding how many books a month they will publish, and how often they will publish certain authors. I found myself very frustrated because although I can produce 2-3 big books a year, my publisher would print only one every 10-12 months, sometimes longer. I write faster than that, and my readers want to read more Bittner books than only one a year. I ended up writing extra books through Amazon, so I finally decided that is the direction I would take from now on.     

     Now I am free to experiment with those books that have lived in my mind and heart for years but I couldn’t write for one reason or another. It’s really a wonderful feeling, and in the end, because of the out-dated accounting system most publishers still use, I make far more money writing just for Amazon than in writing for a standard publishing house. I won’t go into details because that’s a whole ‘nother subject. Suffice it to say, for the first time in my entire writing career, I am my own boss when it comes to what I write, and I like this feeling. Amazon will not only publish my new works, but they have been gradually reissuing a host of my older titles, with new covers, and all my books, old and new, are available both for Kindle and in print.

     What is most satisfying for me is, after all these years, those old, old books from nearly 40 years ago have realized new life and are still selling in great numbers – some of them in bigger numbers than how many of the same titles sold in the 80’s and 90’s. That, for me, is a real gift – kind of an “I told you so” moment. Realizing nice earnings from those old books I thought were slowly dying into just a memory is a wonderful feeling.

     So, I will continue writing in true “Bittner” form, with no one to tell me what I can and cannot write about or “how” I can write it. My main goal in all these years has always been writing real history, writing the TRUTH and FACTS, and teaching my readers about American history in an entertaining way through my fictional characters, while at the same time being respectful of that same history and of other cultures. Publishing has grown and changed dramatically, and I’ve had to grow and change with it, but my writing voice and my goals will never change. I have never followed popular genres. I have always only followed my heart, which is what I always advise new writers to do – and is why my web site is labeled “Heart of the West.”

NOBODY DOES IT LIKE A COWBOY

        I was recently asked about the tag line I often use – “Nobody Does It Like a Cowboy.” The person wanted to know what I meant by that. For me, that line has all kinds of meaning besides the one that “romance” conjures up. You know what I mean. And in my books, nobody “does it” like a cowboy. (I am smiling.)

       Actually, by “cowboy,” I mean the rugged, western hero-type. My heroes aren’t always “cowboys,” but they have that cowboy nature – often long hours in the saddle, sleeping out under the stars a lot, a wandering nature, men who take no sh--, good with fists and guns, experienced with the elements of weather, animals and danger, know how to deal with outlaws and hostiles, is good at tracking both men and animals, knows all there is to know about horses and cattle, and knows the western landscape. My men never get lost!

       But more than that, there is a cowboy spirit that is hard to explain. I love writing about the “bad man with a good heart,” or men with a bit of a wild nature, but who always respect a good woman and might even be a bit bashful around a “good woman.” They might drink, but my heroes are never mean alcoholics; they almost always smoke because nearly all men did in the 1800’s; they love to gamble and they love their horses and their women. 

 

       Let’s face it. Women love brave, rugged men – men who are sometimes a bit of a challenge and need s little “taming.” Of course, you can’t totally “tame” a cowboy, but that’s okay, because he’s usually there when his woman needs him. The cowboy nature means a man who knows little fear and who will defend his woman to the death if necessary. You don’t abuse a cowboy’s woman and get away with it. Not in MY books! Nor do you abuse anyone else in his family! And my cowboys might actually be outlaws, but I always give them cause, a back-story that creates empathy for how they turned out – and I always find a way to “redeem” them in the end. Usually, the heroine has a hand in that.

       Recently a national news story featured a man who truly lives the “cowboy” life on a ranch. He rode his horse to a Walmart and heard a woman yelling that someone had just stolen her bike. True to his cowboy nature, this young man rode the culprit down on his horse and lassoed him, pulling him off the bike and tying him to a tree. He then called 911 and the police came and arrested him!

        Yup! Nobody does it like a cowboy, and that’s why I love writing about them!

 Pre-Order from Amazon.com!

Excerpts from RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME

COMING 26 NOVEMBER 2019!

 

Excerpt #3:

     He just froze in place for a moment, staring at her.  "I ... didn't think ... you'd do it," he muttered.

     "You were wrong, Mister."  Kate stood there shaking as she watched the life go out of him.  Eyes wide, Buck finally slumped over in death.

 

      Kate dropped her gun and grasped her stomach, looking at the man called Buck in disbelief.  She'd just killed him.  In that moment, she felt no better than Buck or Luke or any other outlaw in this country.  In her mind, she'd become one of them.

~     *     ~     *     ~     *     ~ 

Excerpt #4:

       They rode nearly two more hours before Luke could go no farther. He nearly fell off his horse, rather than making a normal dismount. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he went to his knees, realizing how right Kate had been when she'd told him to see a doctor as soon as they got back yesterday.

        "What's wrong?" Blaze asked.

        "It's this wound in my side from the shootout at the cabin," he answered, grasping his side.

        "Why, hell, Luke, you should have seen a doctor before we left," Big Jim said.

        "That's what Kate told me, but … I thought I'd be okay," Luke answered.

        Blaze spread out some blankets. "You just lay down here, Luke. We'll make the fire and something to eat and we'll get you back to lander right away come sunup."

        "Thanks." Luke thought how odd things were here in outlaw country. Blaze was a smart-ass kid looking to get himself killed some day in a gunfight. And Big Jim was an uneducated, unwashed, rather simple-minded man who probably didn't care much about another man other than someone to talk to incessantly. Yet right now they both seemed to really care what happened to him. Still, they'd probably rob him blind if he died out here.

        He fell asleep. Or did he pass out? He only knew that when he woke up before dawn, he couldn't move - not even a finger. 

~     *     ~     *     ~     *     ~ 

From my advance readers:

"Rosanne Bittner is a master at creating lasting storylines, picturesque sceneries, and heroic couples who envelope her reader’s heart and soul, forever." -- Tonya Lucas 

"Rosanne Bittner has done it again and in breathtakingly beautiful Rosanne Bittner style. I could not put this book down until I finished it." -- Glenda Kinard

"Rosanne Bittner has written yet another epic novel about the wild untamed west. This book will grab your attention in the first few pages and keep you needing to know more." -- Stephanie Jenkins Ortiz-Cerrillo 

"This story quickly became one of my top favorite Rosanne Bittner tales, with the emotional impact, epic story-telling, and the charm of an captivating love story. . . .  I felt transported back in time and became lost in a different reality. I took my time reading this book just because I wanted to soak up every moment spent with Luke and Kate and . . . when it was over, after I took a few moments to soak it all in, I jumped back in to reread favorite parts. . . I can't wait to revisit them again and again!" -- Michelle Reed  

Pre-Order from Amazon.com!

  

A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE

      Lately I’ve been complaining about being bogged down with a plethora of “things to do” that involve promoting two new books. I’ve been trying to get started on the third book of my new “Men of the Outlaw Trail” series (THE LAWLESS LAND) but haven’t been able to type one word of it. 

 

           I just sent in the second book (RETURN OF A WANTED MAN ), while at the same time I’m working on ads and book signings and library appearances and answering questions from bloggers and planning give-away contests for the first book that’s coming in November (RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME). On top of that, I’ve also been promoting (and doing all the things above) for my Christmas story that was just published the end of September in an anthology called LONGING FOR A COWBOY CHRISTMAS – a collection of six Christmas stories, each by a Sourcebooks author. 

 

      Add to that – I received Amazon’s proofs for my reissues of TEXAS EMBRACE and TEXAS PASSIONS, coming mid-October and mid-November! Is it any wonder that sometimes I get confused about which book I’m talking about at the moment? I just apologized to my publisher for not being more prompt in sending info. they needed to do their own promotion of RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME – then I realized they got that info months ago! I was thinking of RETURN OF A WANTED MAN , but I already sent them that info, so I’m not behind at all!

 

      Oh, and I just recently completed designing new bookmarks and post cards and flyers and a big stand-up sign for RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME through Vista Print. And today I had to run to DQ and pick up an ice cream cake for my 17-year-old grandson. And for the last two weeks I’ve been trimming things in my garden and putting away patio furniture and the like in preparation for the coming Michigan winter.

 

      I check my calendar every day to make sure I don’t forget about a signing or something and not show up! It’s been crazy, but I stopped just now to remind myself that these are GOOD problems, and in a sense, none of this is a problem at all. It means I’m still writing and still have fans out there who want more books from me. And getting ready for winter means I’m still alive and kicking and made it through another summer season and can look forward to a beautiful (yes – beautiful) Michigan winter. My garden will lie silent and waiting for spring, I’ll get a break from working hard outside, and winter means more time to write and also means hubby and I will get to take a trip to Nevada again.

 

      Sometimes we just have to remember that a glass half empty is also a glass half full. If I didn’t have all this promotional work to do, it would mean I am no longer selling (or writing) new books. I can’t think of anything worse than not being wanted as a writer anymore, or worse than losing all my devoted and beloved readers. I have my days of feeling “worn out,” but it’s a good kind of weariness because it’s from producing something that entertains others and sometimes even helps them through a bad time. And the writing itself helps ME through bad times too, taking me away to another time and another place.

 

      Writing moves in cycles. Writers sit alone in our little hideaways and write, write, write, then edit, edit, edit, then send in the book and start another one. Then the publisher proofreads and sends back the first one we sent in and we have to study the edits and do more editing and send that back in and get back to the new book we are working on. Then that first book gets published and we spend a LOT of time designing ads and bookmarks and going to signings and doing all the things that come with promotion, and after all the hoopla, we go back to our little hideaways and get back to writing that second book. Or maybe by then we’ve already sent in that second one and have started yet another story! We have all these characters dancing around in our heads, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves – when we give a talk or have a signing – which book and which characters are involved in that one event.

 

      It’s draining, but it’s exciting and fulfilling. And it’s all a reminder that we are still selling books, thank God! And now that you are thoroughly confused, here are the books I’m talking about:

 

*March – LOGAN’S LADY was published by Sourcebooks

 

*July – Reissue of CHASE THE SUN WAS PUBLISHED by Amazon

 

*September – LONGING FOR A COWBOY CHRISTMAS was published by Sourcebook

 

*Mid-October – Reissue of TEXAS EMBRACE will be published by Amazon

 

*Mid-November – Reissue of TEXAS PASSIONS will be published by Amazon

 

*November 26 – My next big single title – RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME will be published by Sourcebooks (1^st story for my “Men of the Outlaw Trail” series)

 

*In 2020 the second “Men of the Outlaw Trail” book, RETURN OF A WANTED MAN , will be published. It’s already written and submitted.

 

*Also in 2020 – Reissues of ARIZONA BRIDE and ARIZONA ECSTASY will be published by Amazon. And in 2020 I’ll be writing that third Outlaw Trail book, THE LAWLESS LAND. Or I just might finish that one by the end of this year!

 

        Lots more to come! A GOOD PROBLEM for me!

 

PS -- Just  a reminder, from October 15 - 24, this super-fun  blog tour to promote LONGING FOR A CHRISTMAS COWBOY -- with bios, book reviews, excerpts, and some really great give-aways!

 

 

Stops on the tour will include:
Oct 15: Book Trailer at CarpeDiem Chronicles 
Oct 15: BONUS STOP at Hall WaysBlog 
Oct 16: Review by Book Fidelity
Oct 17: Author Spotlight at That's WhatShe's Reading 
Oct 18: Review at Chapter Break Book Blog 
Oct. 19: Author Spotlight at All The UpsAnd Downs 
Oct 20: Author Spotlight at StoreyBook Reviews 
Oct 21: Review at Reading by Moonlight 
Oct 22: Author Spotlight at The Page Unbound 
Oct 23: Review at Missus Gonzo 
Oct 24: Review at Forgotten Winds

     

For more information, including direct links to each day's blog entries, please visit Lone Star Literary Life's LONGING FOR A CHRISTMASCOWBOY Blog Tour page!

 

 

Excerpts from RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME!

Sometimes “lonely” means need and desire come before love.

        RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME, the first of my three Men of the Outlaw Trail books, is still over a month away, but I am getting some fantastic advance reviews!  I'll include some of them at the end of this post, but first -- a couple of excerpts!

* * * * *

Excerpt #1:

        "The fact remains, you're in outlaw country now, and you won't find much help among the kind of men who live out here. They call this part of the country the Outlaw Trail." He fanned the flames with his hat. "You've likely figured out that men come here to hide from the law. No lawman will show his face in this country." 

 

        Kate knew it to be true, but her heart fell a little more at hearing it. "Are YOU an outlaw, Mister Bowden?"

        Luke managed a light laugh. "Depends on what you consider an outlaw."

* * * * *

Excerpt #2:

        Kate awoke to the crackling sound of a fire, her head on something soft, two blankets covering her. She thought she smelled coffee, and the smell reminded her she was hungry. She opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. Except it wasn't a room. The walls were made of rock. The only light was that of the fire.

        A horse whinnied, and now she saw a man wearing a gray wool jacket sitting on the floor of the cave and leaning against the rock wall only about five feet away. He appeared to be sleeping. She lay still, thinking. She remembered falling .. someone telling her she was bleeding .. something about a cave .. lying facedown over a horse. Her head hurt. 

 

        She put a hand to her forehead and realized it was bandaged. The fall! A snowstorm! She gasped and sat straight up. The blankets fell away, and she looked down to realize she wore only her camisole and ruffled pantaloons. Where was her dress? And where was SHE?

        A man's voice spoke up. "So, you finally woke up."

* * * * *

"Touching, passionate romance between two wounded souls amid the beautiful landscapes of the West make this a page-turner sure to please fans of western historicals." -- Publisher's Weekly (Click here for full review!)

“This slow-burn romance is true to Bittner’s signature focus on the emotional connection between the hero and heroine.” -- Patricia Smith, Booklist (Click here for full review!)

And from my advance readers:

"Rosanne Bittner is a master at creating lasting storylines, picturesque sceneries, and heroic couples who envelope her reader’s heart and soul, forever." -- Tonya Lucas 

"Rosanne Bittner has done it again and in breathtakingly beautiful Rosanne Bittner style. I could not put this book down until I finished it." -- Glenda Kinard

"Rosanne Bittner has written yet another epic novel about the wild untamed west. This book will grab your attention in the first few pages and keep you needing to know more." -- Stephanie Jenkins Ortiz-Cerrillo 

Pre-Order from Amazon.com!