Tag, you're it!

This morning I was ‘tagged’ by Paty Jager. (Bless her little heart, she knows I have an MS I’m working on!)

Paty, by the way, set an exercise goal this year and is walking over two miles (across rough terrain) every day…Way to go Paty! If it would ever warm up in Minnesota, I might consider walking further than from the front door to the garage in the morning and back again at night.

Anyway, for this game of tag the rules are:

Link to the person who tagged you; write down six things that make you happy; post the rules; tag six others and let them know you’ve done it; tell the person who tagged you when your entry is up.

Six Things That Make Me Happy--

1) My family—the whole gamut, from grandkids to parents, and all those assorted ‘twice removed’ cousins and shirttail relations. There is always something happening or someone around that makes me smile!

2) Our animals. Over the years we’ve had some wonderful companions, and the trio of dogs living in our house right now are a hoot!

3) Writing, writing, and writing. If someone told me they’d give me a million bucks if I never wrote again, I’d have to decline. Pulling up my latest MS always makes me happy.

4) Hearing from readers, whether it’s a review house, a friend, or an email from a stranger. I love the idea of making someone else happy, and knowing one of my stories provided them with entertainment and delight is the ultimate.

5) My Mustang. I can’t believe an inanimate object could ever instill this much passion, but Sissy does. And considering the number of years I dreamed about her makes her seem like a fairytale everyday. (Yes, she is still in storage, and I’m anxiously awaiting spring…or summer depending on the length of the deep freeze we are experiencing in Minnesota right now.)

6) Crawling into bed every night and thanking the good Lord for the life He is encouraging me to live.

Now for six people to tag…Hmmm…since I love historical romance, especially western, I think I’ll go for six authors who write them. (Several of these writers post on the Cactus Rose Blog, be sure to check it out!)

Nancy Henderson
Tanya Hanson
Celia Yeary
Linda LaRoque
Deborah Schneider
Anna Small

Authors...

There is something about authors, that when you get together you just can’t seem to stop talking. I met John Koblas today for coffee, and four hours later, we finally left the restaurant!

John Koblas has written over 60 non-fiction books and has prolific knowledge on the outlaw gangs of America. One of his books, The Jesse James Northfield Raid: Confessions of the Ninth Man, has been filmed as documentary. Jesse James has long been known as one of the most daring, most wanted, and most controversial outlaws of The Wild West History. This book is full of little known, interesting facts, as well as theories still in question. Mr. Koblas said he wrote the screen play for the movie and that the ‘shoot out’ scene at the Northfield Bank lasted little more than seven minutes in real life, however, in the film, it goes on for over half an hour. That’s Hollywood, right?

It was fascinating to visit with such an eclectic writer, and to compare fiction/non-fiction writing, including the need for accuracy in the western historical romance genre. He was interested in the research I did for An April to Remember, and it was so cool to talk with someone who knew so much about the Sultana, most people have never heard of the riverboat disaster.

If you ever have a chance to hear his lecture on the James/Younger Gang I highly recommend it, and know you will be in awe with his research.


One final note: Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book One will be released this Friday, November 14th from The Wild Rose Press in e-book. The print version is scheduled to be released in February 2009.