Just 18 More Days!

That’s right! The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye will be released on June 18^th! (Mass paperback, the ebook will be released on July 1^st.) 

I was given three stipulations with this book. Hero had to be a ‘cowboy’, heroine had to be pregnant, and I had six weeks to write the story.  I said, “Okay.” And hit the computer. Molly and Carter instantly appeared in my head and they laid out their story for me to type. Some stories are like that—just flow. Others, not so much. BUT all is good and I’ll never complain even when some characters take detours from what I think their story should be. 

Last weekend Hubby and I went up north to decorate the graves. I also painted decks and the walkway leading to the ‘facilities’.  We pulled stumps, too, giving us more area to mow, and this is what happened to the hitch after Hubby hooked the chain to the pickup and told me to “Go hard.” Luckily we didn’t have to pull the boat home since he was already planning on leaving it up there for his return this weekend. 

This weekend, besides attending the carnival at my granddaughter’s school, I will be writing to meet my July deadline. This one is a mail order bride/Christmas story that will be released this winter. Poor Chayston, he really doesn’t know what hits him when he has to rescue Violet from the stage stuck in the snow. 

The sun is shining, so I think I’ll move outside to the deck to write…or maybe I’ll go get a pedicure before I hit the keyboard…

 

Keep smiling. Life is what you make it!

New House

Yep, I bought a new house. Here it is. I’d went to the garden shop just for mulch for the flowerbeds but my four-year-old granddaughter was with me and fell in love with ‘the house with the yellow door'. Thankfully her daddy, my son, was with too, because we needed his truck to haul home the new house, and we needed his help since the house came in two very large boxes and required some assembling. All three girls arrived in time for the official unveiling and then we had a sleep over. 

The following day I wrote until 4:00 in the morning to meet my deadline. But it was worth it! 

I did get the mulch, too, and the flowerbeds were completely ready for the lovely rain we got this weekend. (Prayers and thoughts to all those in Oklahoma!)

With my Alaska gold rush story completed and sent off to my editor, I have started a new story. I never tire of mail order bride ones, so that’s what this one is. With a slight twist. It is also a Christmas tale and will be released late this year in the HQN Undone line. I received a contract for three more Undone’s. Every contract is just as exciting as the first one, so I was doing another little happy dance upon receiving it. 

I also want to mention that the Brenda Novak’s Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research is happening right now! As a member of Sweethearts of the West and Hearts through History, I’ve donated a few things to the auction. Stop on over and check them out at  http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/AuctionHelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&m=3&sort=1&ST=1&days=10&category_id=14289&skipkw=1&status=&_start=1

Take a moment and enjoy the wonders of spring. It is all around us!

Thank you!

Thanks to all who stopped by the blog hop and to those who left comments!

Congrats to Janice Hougland! You won the autographed copy of The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye. I will email you for your address.

Congrats also to Marie Lisk. She won the $100 gift card!

Welcome to the Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop!

I hope you are enjoying the various blog posts from this hop as much as I am! There are nearly fifty authors participating and talking about why they love cowboys! Cowboy Charm Blog Hops also has a companion Facebook Group if you'd like to join and receive updates on blog hops and prize announcements! 

That's not all! For every post you comment on with our email address, you'll be entered for some amazing prizes! 

***YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***

GRAND PRIZE: A $100 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble (your choice). The winner will be chosen at random from comments containing email addresses, and will be announced on May 7th. This is open to both US and international readers. 

I’d like to start my post with a question: Who was your first boyfriend?

I don’t mean the boy in the third row, or Junior from three houses down. I mean the one that came through the TV. The one you’d fight your siblings—possibly tooth and nail—in order to watch. 

Mine was Little Joe Cartwright. There was something about him riding his black and white paint, Cochise, to the tune of guitar strings that sent my heart tumbling. Although he never knew I existed, I dreamed of growing up and marrying him. Obviously, that never happened, but as we all know, one never completely forgets their first love. A part of Little Joe—the man he portrayed—remains in my heart today.  He held the class of a refined gentleman, yet was rugged and tough. His graceful and casual swagger turned heads. As did his flashy, cocky smile. But I believe it was his pioneer spirit I admired the most. Still do. 

The Wild West days of the American Frontier—that vast and untamed region west of the Mississippi—were turbulent times.  Men and women had to be tough, adventurous, and bold.  Dreams were made. And broken.  For me, writing about those eras, creating characters striving to fulfill their dreams, is the next best thing to living back then, but unlike Little Joe—who never truly ‘got the girl’—my heroes get their happily-ever-after.

My next release will be The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye in June. Last fall my Harlequin editor asked if I’d write a story to be part of their July 2013 Cowboy Month.  The only stipulation was the hero had to be a cowboy and the heroine had to be pregnant. I of course said I’d love to write one, and had a blast getting to know Molly and Carter. (I will be giving away a paperback copy of this book to a commenter—so be sure to leave your email address.)

Blurb:

THE SHOPKEEPER'S SHAME 

Pregnant and unmarried, Molly Thorson knows her livelihood is under threat. The last thing she needs is a distracting cowboy swaggering into view. Especially one who knows she has a secret and still looks at her with desire in his eyes.  

THE COWBOY'S SECRET 

Carter Buchanan knows all about secrets. It's his job to know. And Molly sure has something to hide. But the fear in her eyes touches a place he thought long-ago dead-and now this cowboy can't help but consider exchanging his pistol for a band of gold.... 

And in August, I’ll have a miniseries Stetsons and Scandals, released. Both Dance with the Rancher and Rescued by the Ranger are short, sensual stories in Harlequin’s UNDONE line.

Besides cowboys and lawmen, my backlist includes stories about outlaws, miners, gamblers, loggers and several other professions. I believe each hero has a touch of Little Joe in them. His sense of adventure, persistence, and passion. I never tire of those wonderful old west heroes! 

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to leave a comment about who your first boyfriend was (and why) and then click here to continue on the Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop!