Birthday Presents!

The Wild Rose Press is celebrating their 6^th anniversary on May 1st with a huge birthday bash full of presents for those attending! On Tuesday be sure to stop over at their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wild-Rose-Press/204624936255945 or their twitter page https://twitter.com/#!/wildrosepress or their website http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ to learn more. I’ve heard prizes include gift certificates and a Kindle Fire!

My next release with them will happen on May 23^rd. Sing to Me, Cowboy.

Heather Gibson's past catches up with her one dark Texas night. 

Locked in a custody battle with an ex-husband who's looking for any excuse to take her children, Heather doesn't need any more trouble. But when a broken-down car and a dead cell phone leave her stranded at the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk, she comes face-to-face with the one man who could jeopardize everything—including her heart. 

Country-singing sensation Lance Dugan is back in Amarillo for his grandfather's birthday and to take care of a bit of unfinished business—apologize to Heather for leaving ten years ago. Lance has fought hard and won big the last few years, but seeing Heather again makes him wonder if he's been fighting for the right things.

Finding each other again may seem like fate, but one horrible secret, buried deep, could divide them forever.

I’ve loved writing for The Wild Rose Press and look forward to many more years!

Cheers!

Release date and fun blogs

I was just informed Sheriff McBride will be released on August 29^th.  

Sheriff Adam McBride is interested in the new cook down at the boarding house, Mrs. Hannah Stewart. A gut feeling says she is running from the law, but can he arrest the woman who sets his heart on fire? 

Hannah Carlton, aka Hannah Stewart, knew the law would eventually catch up with her, that’s what happens to outlaws. But Adam McBride is not just the sheriff—he’s the love of her life.

Just a reminder, this story was originally part of the Lawmen and Outlaw’s Anthology. It’s also part of the McBride Series, which also includes Doctor McBride, Rancher McBride, (which are on sale for only 99 cents) and a free read from The Wild Rose Press titled Blue Spring’s Queen.

Tomorrow I’m blogging at both Sweethearts of the West and Cowboy Kisses. The Sweethearts of the West Blog is about gambling in the old west and at The Cowboy Kisses Blog I’m interviewing the editor and two authors from The Wild Rose Press about their stories in the Honky Tonk Hearts series. There are prizes to be won at the Cowboy Kisses blog so be sure and leave a comment over there!

We had a glorious weekend with our young guest. She loves, loves, loves, taking the little dog for a walk, and did so bright and early in the morning still in her pajamas. It was quite adorable.  I spent most of the rest of the weekend reading the author galley for Unclaimed Bride, which will be released in November, and working on the edits for my next Undone.   

That's all for now! 

Have fun this week, and say hi to a stranger. You might make their day.

Gorgeous Day

The weather was wonderful today. It’s amazing how people wear more smiles on days like today. That’s a good thing, don’t you think? I had lunch with a friend, and that, too, was wonderful. She’s a great woman and I love listening to her. She has the most wonderful English accent!

Our youngest granddaughter will be spending the night on Friday, and Papa and I are both looking forward to it. Life is so wonderful. 

On May 9^th I’ll be participating in Honky Tonk Hearts Launch Party at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWildRosePress/ Stop over and join the group so you can participate. There will be lots of prizes! You can find all the information about it here:  http://behindthegardengate.blogspot.ca/2012/04/launch-party.html

My story, Sing to Me, Cowboy, will be released on May 23^rd. 

Other writing includes edits that were sent to me on Monday, and more research on my inspirational story. Fun stuff!

Papa’s grilling steaks tonight, so I’m off now to make the sides to go with them. 

Rain or shine, smile, it does make a difference!

One Purple Thumb

That’s what I have. One thumb nail is purple. Isabelle and I went shopping last week and we stopped at Sally’s Beauty Supply for shampoo, where she found hair paint. Purple. Yes, I bought it. Why not? When they were over on Friday I painted both her and Hayley’s hair. In the process my hands got ‘painted’ and it all washed off except for the thumb nail. It wouldn’t be so bad except I’d just had a French manicure. The other nine nails still look wonderful. Oh, well, the girls loved their purple hair, and one thumb is a small price to pay for that much enjoyment. 

I volunteered at the library this morning for a ‘Princess Tea Party’. (Yes, with one purple thumb.) The granddaughters were all busy and couldn’t attend with me, but it was still a wonderful time, and all twenty-four princesses in attendance were so beautiful in their gowns and crowns. 

I received this wonderful cover for A Solider for Christmas. This story was originally in the An American Rose Christmas Anthology, but will be re-released by The Wild Rose Press as a standalone story later this year. 

I finished my online dating story (Nick and Sandy were a fun couple to write about) and sent it off to both my CP and beta reader. That’s always a good feeling, and I always look forward to the input I receive back from both of these wonderful women. Now I’m working on an historical inspirational story. It’s an exciting adventure for me. A fellow writer read the first three chapters and gave me invaluable insight about writing inspirational stories, and I’m having a great time with it.

That’s enough for today. The weather is gorgeous and the dog is begging for a walk. I must oblige. 

Be good, love, and have fun—even if it gives you one purple thumb.

Snippet of next release

We had a glorious Easter Sunday. The perfect day for the girls to search the yard for eggs, play on the new swing the Easter Bunny hung from the oak in the front yard while he was hiding eggs, and to rejoice in the blessings we receive daily. 

The weather man says the temperatures will dip below freezing the next couple of nights, which saddens me. The fruit trees are in bloom—they smell so wonderful!—and they are much too large for us to cover, so there isn’t really anything we can do to protect them from the frost. Payment I guess for such a mild winter and early spring. 

On the writing scene, I’m closing in on the end of my WIP and it’s going quickly. So much to happen yet, but so few words left to meet the word count. Might have to go back and do some chopping here and there. 

Next to be released is The Sheriff’s Last Gamble on May 1^st. Here’s a short snippet: 

Jake McCrery swung one leg over the saddle horn and landed on the ground as smoothly as an eagle swoops into its nest.

“Miss Blackwell.” He greeted her with a slight nod.

With her insides tingling, and without a doubt he’d follow, Stacy started walking along the road. “Tell me, how is dear Uncle Edward today?”        

“Fine,” Jake answered. “He’d like you to visit soon.”

“I’ll bet,” she said flatly. There was no sense getting riled over Edward Blackwell. She’d told him exactly what she thought of him three months ago, shortly after arriving. Her heart, not always in agreement with her mind, stung strongly enough to make her tighten her hold on her parasol.

“Speaking of bets,” Jake said, “how much did you win today?”

Stacy pretended to glance over her shoulder at the palomino at their heels; in reality she wanted Jake to see the smile on her face. “Now, Sheriff McCrery, this morning you specifically forbade me from gambling.”

“That hasn’t stopped you before.”

“Tsk, tsk.” She shook her head so the hair she’d spent an hour curling this morning fluttered around her shoulders. She’d learned years ago to style its mousy brown color to catch attention, therefore keeping people from watching her face too closely during an intense point in a game. Lately, though, thoughts of the handsome sheriff filled her head while curling the tresses—actually, while she did most everything. “We both know I never gamble while you’re in town.”

“How much was it?”

At times Jake seemed immune to her charms, and that had her wondering if she’d missed a lesson or two of Pappy’s teachings along the way—not that Pappy had taught her about men, but he’d taught her about life and the two went hand in hand.

Shrugging, mainly to keep a sigh from slipping out, she answered. “A few hundred.”

That’s it for today, time to see if my WIP needs to hit the chopping block or not. Have a wonderful week!