No time to write...

I’m feeling a little guilty, almost a month ago I left my hero and heroine for A Sister’s Promise trapped in a cave in Colorado in a snow storm, and I haven’t found the time to pull up the manuscript. Hope to get them out this week. (Fingers are crossed.) Our middle son, his wife, and their two wonderful daughters, moved in with us last Friday. They’d sold their house and bought a new one and needed a place to hang out for a week. We had a wonderful time having them here! I had forgotten how much fun a two year old can have in a bathtub, and how much water gets splashed on the floor! LOL. Tonight is their first night in their new house, and I miss the giggles, good night kisses, and bed time stories! Luckily their new house is only five miles away instead of fifty-five miles like their old one was!

While I was busy with the grandbabies, Doctor McBride was released. Review Your Book gave it five stars. Reviewer Lynn says, “This is a very cute read…” This review site also reviewed An April to Remember. Reviewer Darla, gave it four stars and says, “Fans of romantica will enjoy An April to Remember. And Christa at e-Harlequin wrote a review for An April to Remember. She gave it five hearts, saying, “This was a tearjerker of a story…” One other review came in this week, this one from Romance Junkies for A Wife for Big John. Reviewer Chrissy gave it five blue ribbons and says, “Dani and John bring this story to life…”

So even though no writing got done, overall, it’s been a wonderful week.
Next week, Sheriff McBride is released as part of the Lawmen and Outlaws Anthology at The Wild Rose Press.

Reviews, Posts, and Releases

It’s been a while since I posted because we made a quick trip to Kansas. No matter how many times I say/write a ‘quick’, a trip that includes 2000 miles cannot be quick. Since the trip came up unexpectedly, I had to miss the Mustang run I was scheduled to attend. My husband’s grandfather is in the nursing home down there and we had to handle some issues that arose in person. Overall though, it was a good trip and we did have the opportunities to see friends and family.

I didn’t have internet access for most of the time, so was unable to tell everyone I was a guest blogger on Skye’s Ramblings… So if you have a chance, please bop on over to check out my post about An April to Remember.

Also, I received a two more reviews for Rancher McBride. Romance Junkies Reviewer Chrissy says “…readers will be enchanted…” And You Gotta Read Reviews says “You could not go wrong with this story.” I will also be the guest blogger for You Gotta Read Guests on May 24th, so stop by and say hi!

Doctor McBride was released this week! And the third McBride brother’s story, Sheriff McBride, will be released on June 6th as part of the Lawmen and Outlaws Anthology. Loretta Rogers, another author in the anthology created a wonderful book trailer, which I have posted on YouTube, so check it out when you have a chance!

I’m still catching up on emails, so I hope I haven’t missed anything.  I also hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Cheers!

Rancher McBride

Rancher McBride, the first of the McBride stories, will be released this week from The Wild Rose Press! This is a short, quick story that will only be available in e-book.

And Doctor McBride, the second story will be released next week.

Novel Editions gave wonderful reviews for each of these stories. Reviewer Merry Stahel says Rancher McBride is hilarious, and that Doctor McBride is laugh-out-loud-funny.

Since my last post....

1. I delivered copies of An April to Remember for the City of Brooklyn Center Community Activities Book Club. I will be their “Meet the Author” guest on August 4th.

2. The Paynesville Ladies Night Out event was fabulous! My friend Robin was a PR guru! Her efforts paid off, I sold lots of books. And the event was so delightful I’m planning A Ladies Night Out as a fundraiser for work on June 16th in Big Lake.

3. I signed another contract with The Wild Rose Press! A Soldier for Christmas will be part of the American Rose Christmas Anthology.

4. I was informed Kendra’s Choice will be released October 7, 2009.

5. I wrote two more chapters on my latest WIP, A Sister’s Promise. This is a fun project as I’m collaborating on it with Paty Jager, a very gifted historical author.

6. I posted a new blog on The Wild Rose Press Cactus Blog about loggers and A Wife for Big John.

7. I got Boot Hill Bride back from my beta reader, and after making a few final edits will send it off to my editor.

8. I got a wonderful note from a reader who said they loved An April to Remember.

9. I took a tour of our local ‘state of the art’ jail. It was amazing and I’m seriously thinking about writing a contemporary story set there.

10. RANCHER MCBRIDE WILL BE RELEASED MAY 14! This is the first short story of a series of the three McBride brothers. Doctor McBride will be released May 21st, and the third story, Sheriff McBride is part of the Lawmen and Outlaws Anthology that will be released in June.

Oh, and one last thing…Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Happy BirthdayTWRP!

The Wild Rose Press is having a Birthday Party!
Stop over at their Behind the Garden Gate Blog for chances to win prizes all day!

Top Read!

Just a quick mid-week update…

I received my first review on An April to Remember. WRDF Reviews gave it a TOP READ/EXCELLENCE rating! Reviewer Monika says she loved it immensely, and proclaimed it as a must read.


I will be attending a car show (along with my car of course) in Monticello on Thursday, and then on Friday, Robin and I are off to Paynesville for Ladies Night Out!

Nap time anyone?

I'm ready for a nap...I completed the edits to Kendra's Choice this week, wrote the synopsis for Boot Hill Bride-The Quinter Brides Book Three, and wrote three chapters on my next WIP. Next Friday, I have to deliver copies of An April to Remember to a book club in the cites, and then that evening I'll be at Ben Around Books in Paynesville, MN for a book signing from 8PM-Midnight. All of the town's merchants are open late for Ladies Night Out. I'm really looking forward to it, and my good friend Robin has agreed to be my roady for the trip!

Three Things...

1. The trip up north was fun, even though they still had 40 inches of ice on Lake of the Woods. :)

2. I got my Mustang out of winter stoage last night! Lord, I love driving that car!

3. Paty Jager interviewed me for her blog. Please stop over for a visit and leave a comment!

Easter Eggs

We are heading up north to the still frozen tundra for Easter…Why? I have no idea! But since the grandkids will all be out of town for the holiday (one set already left for Florida today, the other set is leaving tomorrow for Chicago) my husband decided we should go check on the property. (The snow blower is already loaded for the trip since the truck plow can't make it in that deep in the woods.)

Oh, and to make my day even brighter…the tax man called today, our taxes are done and we owe. So, knowing I needed a pick me up today, I called the storage place and told them I’d be over next week to get my Mustang. :)

I received a really cool video in an email today. Here is the link. http://soonereyo.blip.tv/#1762059 It is really worth a click and a few minutes of watching.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that you find many, many eggs!

New Release

It’s here! It’s here! An April to Remember will be released tomorrow in e-book from The Wild Rose Press and print from Amazon!

I started the research for this story in 2006 so it feels like it’s been a long time coming. After hearing of the demise of the Sultana, a riverboat which exploded outside Memphis in April of 1965, I knew I had to create a love story to take place on the ship.

April Simonson had traveled to New Orleans to fetch her brother back to Minnesota. After finding him, April, her brother Willie, and Willie’s three-year-old daughter Suzie board the Sultana for the trip home. Jerek Brinkley is so intrigued by the feisty blonde who pulls her brother out of a gambling hall he buys passage on the boat hauling them north. The Sultana, a ship built to carry about 400 passengers, soon becomes overloaded with more than 2,000 newly released POW’s from two of the worst Confederate prison camps.

Here is an excerpt:

With unexplainable speed, she shot through the water. Gulps of air scorched aching lungs as her face broke the surface. Amongst the debris of wood, cargo and bodies, the colossal side of the Sultana careened. White-capped waves boiled, threatening to drive her into the massive hull or back into the frightening abyss below. Mucky water hit the back of her throat before a scream could join hundreds of others echoing through the night.

April threw her head back, choking and gasping for air as her arms flayed against the assaulting water and both feet kicked at the force lugging her downward. Something wrapped around one hand and another strong heave wrenched her shoulder. She twisted away from the splashes trying to fill her mouth and nose. The steely grip tightened as it towed her away from the ship.

“Jerek!” Her free hand latched onto his arm.

“I’ve got you!” he yelled above the roar of chaos. His other arm swiftly glided in and out of the water before it wrapped around a bobbing object. With a hard tug, he pulled her next to it. “Grab on with both hands!”

The current was too swift. Her skirt, yards of wet material, acted like a sail and tugged her away from him. The sleeve of his shirt threatened to slip from her fingers.

Jerek seized an elbow and thrust her forward. She wheezed for air as her chest slammed against the floating log. His hands forced her arms around the cold, wet wood. “April! Don’t let go! Don’t you dare let go!”

Up and Down Week

This has been an up and down week.
First the ups…
I received the cover for my latest book, Kendra’s Choice. It’s a short story, so will only be released in e-book, and I love the cover the artist created.
Today I spoke to at a workshop for Foster Grandparents. Years ago while I was teaching, I had a couple of foster grandparents in my classrooms, and the children loved them. As did the teachers! They are so much help and really provide students that ‘one on one’ time they need. There must have forty or more at the meeting, and I sold several books. Overall it was a great meeting and the grandparents were a fun crowd.

Now for the down…
My dog, Chance, passed away yesterday. He was thirteen, and had gone down hill very quickly the past two weeks. He died peacefully, just went to sleep. I’m very thankful for that, but will miss him an awful lot.

Fun Events and Company

We woke up to a dusting of snow yesterday, but by afternoon a full-fledged spring rain fell and melted several mounds of the snow filling our yard. It didn’t completely dissolve all of the winter white, but it did assure us spring is on its way! The rain seemed to brighten everyone’s spirits. I’ve had company from Nebraska this week, and ‘us women’ visited several antique stores yesterday. The stores weren’t bustling, but everyone was so cheerful. Even though we had to run across the parking lots to keep from getting drench, we had a wonderful time, and found some unique treasures.

I’ve been invited to participate in a Mustang Run on May 16th, and have decided to display my car as the “Romance Car”. Yesterday, I found a wonderful little bookshelf for the trunk to display my books, a fun picture frame to display information about the car, and the material to make pillows for the backseat. I will use several pieces of my Elvis memorabilia in the display as well. (Picture a life-size cardboard cutout of Elvis standing beside my car.) My two teenage grandsons are going to the event with me, and I’m really looking forward to it (we all have matching Mustang t-shirts). I’m also getting very anxious to get the car out of storage. Last week I swore I could hear her nickering for me to let her out. But my husband said not yet because she’d sink up to her hubcaps in the spring mud. My grandson and I have been planning the display, and are still looking for ideas, so if any of you have thoughts for the car display, send them my way.

Our company left today, and tonight we are attending the Wild Turkey Federation Banquet, which is always fun. This week I’m attending a self defense class, mainly for research, and a Taste of Spring event put on by local caterers, it's great time and the food is outstanding!

On the writing side…I’ve signed a contract for Kendra's Choice, a short western historical, and am looking forward to receiving print copies of An April to Remember. I’ve sold several advance copies, and people are waiting for them to arrive.

Countdown to Release Date

An April to Remember will be released on April 3rd!

The tale of the Sultana Riverboat struck me deeply when I first heard about it. I was amazed a story so tragic was buried in history almost from the moment it happened. During months of research, I was surprised by the supply of information I found as well as the amount of controversy that still hovers over the incident.

The hero, Jerek, and the heroine, April, are complete figures of my imaginations, two characters I created to survive the accident, but I worked hard to keep much of what happens to them as close to actual events as possible. Throwing April into the raging, swollen, Mississippi River in the middle of the night was hard since I’m deathly afraid of water. The night I was writing that scene for the first time, it was quite late and my husband asked if I was coming to bed. I told him I couldn’t—not until I got April out of the water. It was about four in the morning before I went to bed. LOL.

Here's the book trailer.

This and That

The newest addition to our family is home and everyone is doing well. We feel very blessed everything went smoothly. I thought of my daughter-in-law often while writing Badland Bride. The heroine of the story travels back in time and is pregnant. It is her fear of delivering without modern medicine that keeps her focused on getting back to the future.

Speaking of Badland Bride, the final galley has been sent to production and the release date set for November 2009! A wonderful author, Mallary Mitchell, read the story and offered this pre-review: “Badland Bride is an amazingly well-woven story. Lauri Robinson has created not only a wonderful couple, but also a believable family. Skeeter is a charismatic, charming hero, and Lila is a great match for him. These characters are colorful, vibrant, and full of life. They surround you with their wit and realism.”

Other notes: Joyfully Reviewed just posted this review for A Wife for Big John, and don’t forget the Sony E-Reader contest at the Wild Rose Press ends March 17th.

New Arrival!

On Tuesday afternoon, weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz, our granddaughter Hayley Elizabeth arrived. She is just as beautiful as her older sister, Isabelle. Yes, we are tickled pink!

A Quick reminder….There are only a few weeks left for a chance to win the free e-book reader at The Wild Rose Press.

Emails from Readers

I’ve received some wonderful emails from readers about Shotgun Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 1, and for me, these are the ultimate. I love getting reviews from review sites, and of course family and friends often let me know when they’ve read one of my stories, but hearing from a complete stranger is the ultimate. It’s the true reward of writing and I so appreciate people taking the time write me. Here’s one of the many I’ve received lately:

"Fictionwise was having a big sale a couple of weeks ago and I decided to try a few new authors (new to me anyway) along with the books I was looking to purchase. One of the books I bought was Shotgun Bride. I just finished it and I was sobbing through parts of it. I don't remember the last time I was so moved by something I read. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed the story. I loved the dog, I loved the brothers, I liked how her brother redeemed himself at the end. I loved how her trying so hard to be the knowledgeable wife provided her with the resources to save him at the end. It was beautiful and I loved it and will be recommending it to my many reader friends - and also hunting down more of your books to read. "

That is enough for me to ignore the kitchen floor which needs to be scrubbed, not fret over the closet door that barely shuts, and pull up the next WIP! I’ve lost count on the number of people asking about a release date for Badland Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 2. I’m hoping readers like Skeeter’s story as much as they liked Kid’s, and am committed to getting the galley back to my editor this weekend! I’m working on Boot Hill Bride, the third story. It is about the brother Howard, or Hog, and takes place in Dodge City, where his mother’s shotgun forces him to wed Randilynn, a politician’s daughter.

So, to all you readers out there…Thank you! Hearing from you is more exciting than winning a gold medal!

Author Night at the Library

I enjoy events put on by local libraries, and last night I took my mother to one featuring William Kent Krueger. She loves his Cork O'Connor character. Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist, Cork O'Connor, is the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage--part Irish and part Ojibwe. The eighth book in the Cork O'Connor series, Red Knife, was released in September 2008.

It was fun and interesting, listening to Mr. Krueger's writing journey. He's a very animated speaker and had the audience chuckling most of the evening. He said he's contracted to write two more Cork books, but is also writing stand alone stories. After sixteen years of 'living' with Cork, he's ready for a change. That struck a cord, made me think how difficult it must be to write several stories about one person. Every book is like a child, we give it birth, nourish it as it grows, but after sixteen years, I'd think the same character would become like that child who never leaves home. Seriously, Mr. Krueger's books are great, and I'd recommend reading one if you haven't done so.

Other news... I received two reviews this week, one for A Wife for Big John by Night Owl Romance Book Reviews, and the other for Shotgun Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 1 by Joyfully Reviewed. This weekend (beside a Valentine’s Day date with my DH, which is always fun) I hope to finish the final round of edits on Badland Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 2. After this round the book should be ready to go to galley.

I hope you all have a very romantic Valentine’s Day!

Now Available in Print

Shotgun Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 1

is now available in print from Amazon.

Like most girls, Jessie Johnson will never forget the first time she met her mother-in-law. After all who can forget a shotgun pointed at them? Bartered for a dead horse at gun point, she either agrees to marry one of the Quinter boys or her brother will hang for horse theft. Jessie knows nothing about being a wife- other than the wedding will likely put her new husband in grave danger. After being knocked unconscious by his brothers, Kid Quinter finds himself surrounded by his uncouth family, the sheriff, a preacher, and an adorable young woman. Tied to a chair, he's given no choice but to marry Jessie Johnson. And that’s just the beginning of his troubles- it appears his pretty little wife has quite a past, including a notorious gunslinger looking for retribution.

Reviews on this book:
The Romance Studio
Love Western Romances
Coffee Time Romance
The Long and Short of It Reviews
WRDF Reviews


And don’t forget about the E-book reader giveaway at The Wild Rose Press!

The Dreaded Synopsis

After writing an 80,000 word story, you’d think a 800 word synopsis of the story would be a breeze…NOT. I would rather write five full length stories than one synopsis. I’ve taken workshops, read article after article on how to write the perfect synopsis, and have written several which have led to contracts, but I still cringe at the thought of writing one.

My Texas Ranger story, The Wedding Plan, is complete. My critique partners gave their insights, my beta reader reviewed it, and I’ve gone over it several times. Now, I have to write the synopsis so I can query it.

This story is about Texas Ranger Brenner Adams who is hell-bent on catching the cattle rustler that’s responsible for the deaths of his family, and decides he needs an Achilles’ heel for the rustler to go after--a bride. The heroine of the story, Crystal Mills agrees to wed a stranger because she’s willing to do anything to keep the children of Sister Mary’s Orphanage off the dreaded orphan trains. Since neither Crystal nor Brenner share their ‘wedding plan’ with the other, the plan goes array from page one.

Set in the sandhills of Nebraska in 1881, it was a fun story to write, and my goal for next week is to write the dreaded synopsis.

This week I was notified I could order advance print copies of Shotgun Bride, which was wonderful because I had several people order copies, and they've been calling to see if they were in yet.

Hope you all have a great week!

Win a Sony E-Book Reader

Between January 15 and March 17, 2009 – just purchase one of my e-books from The Wild Rose Press (or a book from one of the other participating authors) and you can enter to win a free SONY eReader!

It’s that easy! And just think of how light you’ll be able to pack this summer when traveling! (If you’re like me you usually have one bag dedicated to reading while on vacation. I can’t go anywhere without a book.)

Once you purchase a book or short story from any of the participating authors email your order number to sonyreader@thewildrosepress.com. That's it. They’ll verify your order and enter you into the drawing. If you purchase more than one title, you can enter more than one time. (Aw, nice, you can double or triple your chances!) The winner will be announced in March.

For the full list of participating authors, click here.

Also…The Romance Studio gave Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Books One, five hearts. Brenda Talley, said, “…a spellbinding storyline that I couldn’t read fast enough. Then I was sad when it ended.” This is the fifth wonderful review I’ve received on this book. It’s still hanging out in the top twenty-five at Fictionwise and 75 readers from their site have rated it. Thanks to all of you wonderful e-book readers!

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

2009 Releases

I have five stories that will be released in 2009.

First, in April 2009 will be An April to Remember. April Simonson survives the explosion of the Civil War riverboat the Sultana in 1865, but refuses to leave Memphis until she learns if her brother and niece are still alive. Jerek Brinkley vows to help her, but will his other commitment, to see justice is done to the boat burner, tear them apart?

(Print and e-book)

Next, in May 2009, will be Rancher McBride. Set in northern Kansas in 1879, Josie Hollister drives her last herd of Texas longhorns from the panhandle, determined to remain in Kansas and marry Calvin McBride. But Cal is just as determined he doesn’t want the woman Josie has become—she’s just like Abigail Christenson. Will Cal come to his senses or will Josie head back to Texas, leaving Cal to wed Abigail?

(E-book only)

Also in May will be Doctor McBride, again set northern Kansas in 1879. Emma Binns knows what she wants, Doctor Jake McBride and is willing to do anything to catch him. Jake is tired of running from Emma, but years ago he promised her father he’d leave her alone, and a McBride’s word is worth its weight in gold. Can her father’s mind be changed, or will Jake be trapped by Abigail Christenson before he has a chance to try?
(E-book only)

Then in June there will be Sheriff McBride, the youngest McBride brother, Adam. His story is part of the Lawmen and Outlaw Anthology and is set in northern Kansas in 1879. Hannah Stewart (Carlton) is wanted by the law, and keeping her secret is impossible when she encounters Sheriff McBride. Adam is convinced he can clear Hannah’s name, but will Abigail Christenson, the woman his brothers sicked on him, be the death of him first? Or then again, maybe the man Hannah refused to marry back in Ohio will shoot him before the wedding.

(Print and e-book)

And later in 2009, Badland Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 2, will be released. It‘s set in western Kansas in 1882. Lila Scott is trying to escape her abuser when she encounters Skeeter (Steven) Quinter and gladly accepts his help. Problem is as soon as he takes her to his family’s home, his mother realizes Lila is pregnant and forces Skeeter to marry her. Can another shotgun wedding turn out to be a blessing in disguise for this second Quinter brother?
(Print and e-book)

Oh, and Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 1, will become available in print in February 2009. (Shotgun Bride spent four weeks on the top ten bestselling list at Fictionwise. Today it is still in the top 25 at number 12!)

Am I excited? You betcha!

Holiday Reflections

Aw, the 2008 holiday season is over, (wipes brow). Yes, they were wonderful, but I must admit, I’m glad they’re over. My granddaughter’s birthday is December 23rd. With all of the celebrations and extended family, by Christmas Day, even she was saying, “No, open, Da Da.” She was tired and ready to stay home and play with the presents she’d received in the previous days.

I received some wonderful gifts. Lots of great Mustang stuff and of course some additional Elvis things, but also the most unusual gift I’ve ever received. My husband bought me a gift certificate for a conceal and carry class. It was not something I’d asked for (though I hadn’t asked for anything so maybe he was at his wit’s end), and I really hesitated at taking the class, but afterwards I was glad I did it. Yes, I passed, and so if I ever feel the need, I can legally ‘pack heat’. The class, which was the Saturday after Christmas and took all day, was so very interesting.

The instructors were wonderful, and I’d consider it a self defense class, beside a gun safety training class. It also provided me with a broader understanding of respect for those who must carry a handgun for their jobs…And a deeper perceptive on the pioneers who lived by the gun on their hip.

So what was your most unusual gift? (This year or any other year.)

Oh, and I have to say THANK YOU to anyone who purchased my books, especially Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 1. It has hung out on the Fictionwise bestselling list for over three weeks.

Happy New Year 2009!

Often the New Year brings resolutions, goals, and pledges we hope to fulfill throughout the coming 12 months. I must admit, I’m not really big on New Year's resolutions. Over the years, I've made resolutions, probably the same ones most of you have made, lose weight, save more money, get more organized, etc. etc. But often they go to the wayside as daily life settles in and overall, life happens.

The thing I like to do on New Year’s Day is look at last year’s calendar. It’s a quick snap shot of all the wonderful dates, appointments, and special events that happened throughout the year. And is verification of the goals I did have, and how I completed them. No, they may not have been New Years resolutions, but at sometime throughout the year I had pledged to be at these events, or I wouldn’t have written them on the calendar. I find this small activity a wonderful affirmation of how full of life the year truly had been. And it gets me excited to think of all the wonderful opportunities the New Year brings.

I wish you all a very happy New Year, full of happiness, good health, love, and great success!

Cheers.

Merry Christmas 2008

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday! The festivities are soon to begin here at our house, and Papa and I are anxiously waiting for Isabelle to arrive.

Google alerts have been filling my in box. Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 1, is on the Fictionwise Bestselling list and every link to it has Google sending me a notice. It’s been very exciting! I sincerely hope readers are enjoying the story.

I finished my treat making last night, and here is a very easy, wonderful recipe that my family loves:

Mock Butterfingers
Cheez-It Crackers
Peanut butter
Chocolate Almond Bark

Place a dollop of peanut butter between two Cheez-It Crackers and dip in melted chocolate almond bark. Let dry.

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Happy Holidays!

The cards are done, decorating is done, most of the shopping is done, still have some baking to do because I want it fresh for the 24th, but overall I’m ready for the Holiday’s to descend the house. We will be celebrating Isabelle’s 2nd birthday on Sunday at her house, then have Christmas Eve here, and Christmas day at our other son’s house. Yes, it will be a busy week! But wonderful and various other family members will be at the different events.

On the writing side of things…I received another review for Shotgun Bride. Love Western Romances gave it four spurs. Reviewer Carol says, “An uplifting novel, full of hope…I can’t wait to read the sequels.” And speaking of sequels, I signed the contract for book 2, Badland Bride! Over the holidays I’m hoping to get the manuscript information sheet completed so I can send it back to my editor when she returns from Christmas break.

I also received the release dates for Rancher McBride (May 13, 2009) and Doctor McBride (May 20, 2009). My beta reader finished my Texas Ranger story, The Wedding Plan, and really liked it, but I want to do a bit more work on it before submitting it, and the 3rd Quinter book, Boot Hill Bride, is about half finished. I am hoping to get some writing done on it between Christmas and New Years.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season full of blessings!

FREE CHRISTMAS READ

If you wondered about reading an e-book, here’s your chance to try.

My free read, Yes, Genevieve, There is a Santa Claus, is available at The Wild Rose Press. Here’s the blurb:

It’s Christmas Eve, and widow Genevieve Turner is at her wits end, no longer believes in Christmas miracles. But neighbor Simon Larsen does, and drives a toy-filled wagon through a blizzard to prove it.

It’s only 12 pages long and is rated Sweet.

Cheers!

Authors Tea

Last night I had the honor of being the guest speaker for an Author’s Tea in Osseo. My daughter-in-law and mother attended the event with me to help with book sales. We had an absolutely wonderful time! There were about 70 people in attendance. I not only sold several copies of all of my books, but was amazed at the number of people who already owned books and brought them in for me to sign.

I’ve also received two more reviews for Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book One. Coffee Time Romance gave it four cups, and reviewer, Cherokee says, “This firecracker of a story should not to be missed.” And The Long and Short of it Reviews gave it four and half books. Reviewer Lilac says, “Shotgun Bride is an absorbing tale...”

The Long and Short of It Reviews also sent me an email that said, “Your story "­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Shotgun Bride" was reviewed by us this week and is up for Best Book honor this weekend (voting runs from Saturday, 12/6, through Sunday, 12/7).” So if you have a chance this weekend, please stop over at LASR and vote!

A little bit of everything....

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly did. The kids and their families were all here, and we ate two turkeys! LOL. One at noon, the other at six. In between meals the kids went out and cut down Christmas trees, so I’m hoping to get ours up this week…Along with several other things, such as cards, shopping, wrapping, you know, the whole Christmas gamut, which includes a couple of those wonderful Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies! Yes, December has arrived. Yeah!

My free read, Yes, Genevieve, There is a Santa Claus, should appear sometime this month at The Wild Rose Press.

On Thursday I have the Author Tea for Osseo Community Education. I’m looking forward to the event.

When I turned on my computer this morning, I had a nice surprise… My first review for Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 1! WRDF reviewer Joanne Hall says, “Lauri Robinson has rustled up a highly enjoyable read…” If you have a moment, check out the full review. This is the first time I’ve been reviewed by this site, and had never heard of them before.

Last week I received the covers for my two short stories, Rancher McBride and Doctor McBride. The third story, Sheriff McBride is part of the Outlaw and Lawmen anthology. These will be released in May/June of 2009.

I also received a phone call from a book club interested in reading An April to Remember as soon as it’s released in April 2009. They have requested twenty copies, and scheduled me to speak to their group in August. It’s sure to be a lot of fun.

One final note...On Thursday I’ll post a blog on The Cactus Rose of The Wild Rose Press Blog, so stop by to hear more about frontier weddings.

Thanks for stopping, and have a great week!

Do, delegate, dump...

I have the house alone this weekend, and should be busy getting every thing in order for Thanksgiving, but once again, the computer calls and here I sit working on the next Quinter Brother book instead of scrubbing floors and cleaning closets. I’m having supper with a friend tonight, and have my writing group meeting tomorrow, which means Sunday I’ll have to scrub and clean. Then again, I do not believe anyone has died from a messy closet, and I know I’ll have to mop again before company arrives (living with three dogs in Minnesota guarantees the floors will need to be scrubbed again before Thursday), so perhaps I’ll get a little writing done on Sunday as well.

A short time ago I was told to make my life easier I should adopt the three D policy. Do it. Delegate it. Or Dump it. Since I’m historically a Do It type person (just to get it over with) this policy sounded a bit harsh. But, I’ve never liked To Do lists, so the more I think about it, the more doable this policy becomes. Would life be simpler if every morning I looked at what needed to be done and assigned it to one of the D’s? The jury is still out, I’ll have to think about it a bit more, but for today, I think I’ll delegate the floor scrubbing to happen on Sunday night.

On the writing side of things…I signed two contracts this week. Rancher McBride and Doctor McBride are two short stories that will be released in May or so. The third McBride story, Sheriff McBride will be released in June as one of four stories in the Lawmen and Outlaws Anthology by authors from The Wild Rose Press. I finished my Texas Ranger story, The Marriage Plan, and sent it to my ‘beta’ reader for an overall critique before preparing to submit it anywhere. I’m also writing the speech I will be giving at the Author’s Tea on December 4th in Osseo, MN, and of course the Quinter Boys are still vying for their stories to get completed. Oh, and the Quickie Magazine purchased my short story Jailed for publication in their upcoming magazine, and asked for more…All of this tells me my To Do list for writing is longer and taking precedence over floor scrubbing.

How about you, are you a To Do person, or more of a three D’s person?

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and here is a little turkey quiz to see how well you know your bird!

New Release--Shotgun Bride

Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book One was released this morning from The Wild Rose Press. The print version will become available in February 2009.

Kid, the oldest Quinter brother didn’t want a wife, didn’t have time for a wife, but all that changed the night his brothers knocked him unconscious and hauled him to his mother’s house. Tied to a chair, he had little choice but to marry the girl held at gun point in Ma Quinter’s kitchen. And that’s just the beginning. His new wife can’t even cook, and almost burns down his house attempting to learn how.

I’m currently working on the third book, Boot Hill Bride, (working title, subject to change upon contracting). This story also begins with a ‘shotgun’ wedding, and is set in the number one Old West town, Dodge City, Kansas.

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

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.

An April to Remember

I received the release date for An April to Remember. Both the e-book and print version will become available on April 3, 2009.

This book came about in October of 2006 when we went to Memphis to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Graceland was wonderful, Sun Studios, unforgettable, but if anyone travels to Memphis, I would highly recommend taking a river boat ride. During our trip on the Island Queen, the tour guide, “Rooster,” shared the remarkable story of the Sultana, a river boat which exploded near Memphis in 1865. More passengers perished in this accident than any other maritime disaster including the Titanic. However, due to the time of its demise, (the same month Lee surrendered and President Lincoln was assassinated) the story of this remarkable ship was swept into history along with many other Civil War tragedies.

Upon our return home, I couldn’t get the ship out of my mind, and began to research the Sultana. I was amazed and somewhat overwhelmed by all the information. While trying to hold as much history as possible, I began to create a romance story around the ship’s fatal voyage. It was my son Dallas, who gave me the title. He’s a history buff, and while discussing the story he suggested I change the name of my heroine to April and title the story An April to Remember.

The actual demise of the ship remains in controversy even today—some claim it was a coal torpedo, and some claim it was a faulty boiler. (You’ll have to read the story to see what happens in my version.)

I’ll be blogging at The Wild Rose Press Cactus blog this Thursday, so please stop by and leave a comment to be entered in a contest for an e-book of Shotgun Bride that I will give away on November 14th.

Happy Halloween!

We don’t get many trick or treaters, so therefore plan on driving up to our son’s house to be with our granddaughter. She will be a ‘princess’ for Halloween. Here is a picture of our other grandchild, Bear. The cape and bat ears don’t show up in the picture, but he has them on as well.

The author event at the Library was wonderful. Mr. Koblas is a wealth of information in the outlaw genre, and his lecture about Jesse James was remarkable. Two short interesting things he shared about gang members: Cole and Jim Younger were both arrested after the failed raid on the Northfield, MN bank, and were incarcerated at the Stillwater, MN prison. When a fire broke out in the prison, a warden gave Cole a gun, told him to get his men, and rescue the women prisoners from the raging fire. The Younger ‘Boys’ saved the women and then turned in their guns and continued to serve their time. The warden played a large role in the Cole and Jim receiving parole. However, during this time when a man was on parole, he had no rights, and Jim Younger had fallen in love. After requesting permission to marry the young women, and denied the right (being on parole was the same as being dead, and a dead man couldn’t marry), Jim shot himself. (Living together in those days was not an option.)

The Northern Lights Writers retreat weekend was fabulous. The planning committee did a terrific job and provided three wonderful days dedicated to the ins, outs, and all about romance writing. And of course we had enough food and chocolate to feed a small country!

John Koblas

I’m a member of my local library board, and each fall we provide an author’s dinner. This year our featured author is John Koblas. Mr. Koblas has written over 500 short stories, articles, and poems published worldwide, a nationally syndicated column, and feature stories for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. He is also one of the most prolific writers in the outlaw genre. The event is this Thursday night, where John will appear in authentic “Jessie James” 1890’s clothing.

AND on Friday, I leave for my writers retreat. Twelve members of the Northern Lights Writers will spend the weekend at a Bed and Breakfast on the North Shore, talking about nothing except ROMANCE WRITING!

It’s an exciting week for me. How about you?

Vote 08

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, try to convince you which party is right or wrong, which candidate will make better decisions, or begin to justify the billions of dollars spent on elections across the United States. But I am going to ask you to please, please get out and vote.

The presidential election in November 1920 was the first time women in all states were allowed to exercise their right to vote. Only one woman from the 1848 convention, where the right was first proposed, was still alive. Charlotte Woodward was eighty-one years old when she proudly cast her vote—72 years after the battle began.

The right wasn’t gained easily—women were incarcerated, beaten, tortured, and murdered. It was a long and bloody battle, one that is often overlooked or forgotten when Election Day rolls around.

I touch on this issue in Mail Order Husband, where readers are introduced to Victoria Claflin-Woodhull, the first woman to run for the Presidency. The Equal Rights Party nominated her in 1872. The book also mentions how Woodhull spent Election Day in jail.

The women who initiated and fought for decades for this right weren’t fighting for themselves. They fought for women kind, so future generations would have more say, more opportunities to live a life of equality.

So in 2008—88 years after the right was granted, I’m asking all women to please respect the women who changed our lives. Honor their trials, tribulations and deaths by voting.

A final voting tidbit—Mickey Mouse, via write in lines on ballots, has won elections across the United States. The cartoon character has won everything from school board elections to state Governor. The only election he hasn’t won is the Presidency of the United States. The fact that an 80-year-old mouse (no matter how loveable he is) wins any election should be an embarrassment to all political parties, and not what I believe our foremothers fought for.

Vote in 08! Put your mark on the ballet and proudly wear your little red stickers!

Hobbies

A hobby is something a person does for enjoyment and can range from collecting bugs to racing race cars and anything in between. What may be a hobby to one person may be a job or career for another. Hobbies can change, and people can have many hobbies without being solely dedicated to just one. I myself have many hobbies, (besides writing romance). I like to sew, knit, crochet, garden, read (romance novels), NASCAR, antiques, wood crafts, and volunteering in the community besides several other things. Here’s a picture of my antique stove in my dining room.

Hobbies have been as long as man. Many of the discoveries in our world actually came from someone with a dedicated hobby. Space findings, medicines, sports, games, plants, recipes, appliances, vehicles, occupations, the list goes on and on.

When I was growing up a friend of my father built replica train depots. He’d traveled across the United States and spend days measuring a station, then go home and build it to scale for display in his basement. He said he’d been doing it since he was a small boy.

Hobbies have been on my mind this week because I read fewer and fewer children truly have hobbies anymore. The article said video games have taken over where model cars kits, kite flying, card collecting, and various other hobby type entertainments used to flourish. The average age of a person taking up their first ‘hobby’ is in their thirties. The article made me sad. Where are the new innovations going to come from? What happen to the young scientist in the basement? Or the future fashion model sewing clothes for Barbie?

As a child, one of my favorite hobbies was writing. Every once in awhile my mother will show me another story, book, or poem I’d written years ago, and ironically, she’d saved. What about you? What was your favorite hobby growing up? And are you still involved in it?

Fall is in the air.

Well, I had to dig out a fall jacket today. (Big sigh.) And worse than that is the fact I have to find winter storage for ‘Sissy’ to be locked up in all winter. I don’t want to drive her on the salty, sandy, icy, Minnesota winter roads, but I REALLY don’t want to not drive her! Aw, such is life.

It is also campaign time at United Way, and fall also means hunting season, so besides being extremely busy at work, life on the home front will be chaotic as well. I also have to devote time to getting the yard, garden, house and sauna ready for the long winter months. This is a picture of a bottle in the woods near the hunting shack. It's been there for years and I can't believe a critter of some kind hasn't broken it.

On the bright side, I do tend to get more writing done in the winter (once the guys finally head out to hunt one type of animal or another), and I’m really looking forward to that. I have a Texas Ranger in my head who’s impatiently waiting for his story to be told. (He buys a wife from an orphanage and then kidnaps her off a train.) I’ve been doing bits of research on Texas Rangers and the sand hills of Nebraska in preparation of writing his story, which is very interesting, but not enough to quiet him down. A day or two to devote to the outline of his tale will be heaven!

On Thursday I will post on The Wild Rose Press Cactus Rose Blog about marrying Little Joe Cartwright, so please stop by!

Mustang Fans

In honor of Mustang lovers across the Universe, I must post the following poem written by a wonderful young man, Chad McCaskill:

A Tribute to My Untamed Love
She wore a shiny black coat,
I saw her through the crowd.
She hummed as I passed her way
A sweet tune. She wasn't loud.
She was very popular with the guys.
She'd take them for a drive.
Untamed like a mustang on the plains
She made me more alive.
Only one key was for the heart
Of dear Shelby so I'll wait,
Until the day that she is mine
and I can rev up her V8.

AH…I do believe I have found the man of my dreams. Too bad I married the love of my life almost thirty years ago. Oh, well, I’m quite sure Chad has all the young fillies he can handle.

Cheers!

LAURI R

The personalized license plates for my car arrived this week. LAURI was taken so I had to go with LAURI R. I still can’t believe I did it. I have never been a fan of personalized plates, but always told my sons when I finally bought my Mustang I was going to put my name on it so they wouldn’t want to borrow her. And as a parent, I had to stick to my words even though they are all grown and probably will never even WANT to borrow ‘mom’s car’ anymore. I went one step further and got plate covers from The Wild Rose Press, so above my name it says Romance Novelist and their website across the bottom. Problem is now I can’t even convince my husband to drive it to the gas station. LOL.

My story, Sheriff McBride was picked to be one of the four in the new Cactus Rose anthology, Outlaws and Lawmen from The Wild Rose Press. I am so excited about this opportunity to work with three other Cactus Rose authors, Karyna DaRosa, Loretta Rogers, and Linda Carroll-Bradd.

Karyna and Loretta will write about the outlaws and Linda and I about the lawmen. Our Senior Editor says the stories will appeal to all western readers—they range from somewhat spicy to sweet and are all unique.

New Blog

The Cactus Rose line at The Wild Rose Press had created a new blog for their authors, www.twrpcactusrose.blogspot.com. The Cactus Roses are historical westerns (American stories set in the 1800’s west of the Mississippi). Check it out when you have a chance. I’m sure you’ll enjoy hearing about the stories and authors in this line.

I finished a short story to submit to the new anthology The Wild Rose Press will be releasing next June titled Lawmen and Outlaws. My story is Sheriff McBride. The story is about a small town lawman who is convinced the woman who recently arrived in Blue Spring, KS is running from something, but he’s quite shocked when he learns she’s an outlaw. My fingers are crossed they will choose it to be one of the four stories for the anthology.

I also finished the final galley for An April to Remember and hope to hear the release date fairly soon.

Now that all of our company has left, the weddings and family reunions are over, and summer is coming to a close, I’m hoping to once again make a bit more time for writing. The hero and heroine, Howard (Hog) and Randilynn, from Boot Hill Bride have been screaming in my head to get their story written!

My Mustang is doing very well. I honestly didn’t think I could love a car so much! She is lots of fun to drive, and I enjoy her more every day. LOL

Finally posting...

Again, I must apologize for the delay in posts. We made it back from Kansas but then I had a very busy work at week, which has been followed by company from out of town. One of my brothers from Nebraska is here, and it’s been wonderful visiting with him, but we’ve tended to stay up until Mid-night each night just talking and reminiscing. I must admit…I’m looking forward to a long and relaxing weekend.

I received a notice last week that Shotgun Bride will be available sooner than thought in print. It will be released in e-book in November and then print in February. I’m working on the third book in the series, Boot Hill Bride. If the titles of this series don’t change during the editing process, they will be: Shotgun Bride, Badland Bride, Boot Hill Bride, Garden Bride and Wildcat Bride. While in Kansas I was able to spend sometime with my husband’s uncle talking about the early oil days in the region, and am now anxious to do more research for Wildcat Bride. I’m also working on four short stories and the final galley for An April to Remember.

My car made the trip to and from Kansas wonderfully. I love driving her--however this week she has been back at the Ford dealer getting the decals put on as well as a few other ‘extra’s’ I had ordered. My loaner car is an orange and black Dodge Caliber, if I painted triangles on her door’s she’d look like a jack-o-lantern!

I hope you all a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Dreams do come true

Last week I either had a mid-life crisis or I finally concluded I’m the only one who can make my dreams come true…So, pretty much out of the blue, I drove over to Denny Heckers, the local Ford dealership, and bought my dream car…A Mustang convertible! She is a beauty, and has been my dream car since I was twelve. I know it’s a very impractical car for Minnesota winter driving, so I kept my faithful Grand Am for when the pony has to be in the barn. I’m not done tricking her out yet, I’ve ordered the racing pony decals to run down the side of her and personalized license plates! This is so out of the ordinary for me, I’m still wondering if it’s all a dream! Probably will until those montly payments catch up with me! LOL

On the writing side…A Wife for Big John is now available in print (Yeah!). Shotgun Bride, Book One of the Quinter Brides, will be released in e-book on November 14th, and An April to Remember is in the final editing stages.

We are traveling back down to Kansas this Friday and won’t be home until the 18th. I will have very limited internet access while gone, so won’t be able to post until after we get home.

I hope you all take the first steps to making your dreams come true. Remember, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.

Sorry for the delay in posts.

It seems time has gotten away from me the past few weeks. I just didn’t have time to do much on line. The weekend after the fourth we had to make a quick trip to Kansas to pick up my grandfather-in-law and bring him home to stay with us for a month. The next two weeks were packed full of wedding fun and out of town company. Our oldest son’s wedding was on Saturday, July 26th. We love our new daughter-in-law to pieces and the days of celebration, (bachelor party, wedding shower, grooms dinner, wedding, and gift opening morning) were all great fun. I’ll post a picture or two when we get them. In the meantime, here is a picture of our granddaughter enjoying a little summer sun.

On the writing side… I’ve received a new review for An Unbelievable Journey. Robyn from Once Upon a Romance said, “This story is captivating from start to finish.”

I was also informed of the release dates for Shotgun Bride. The e-book will be released on November 14, 2008 and the print version will be May 15, 2009. And A Wife for Big John is on schedule for the print version to be available August 8, 2008.

This week is also the 28th Annual National Conference for Romance Writers of America. I wasn’t able to attend, however know several people who are. Paty Jager has promised to try and blog about all the fun she is having. And my fingers are crossed that Denise Meinstad will be a Golden Heart winner!

Belated 4th of July Wishes!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We had a very busy week.

First we went to southwestern Minnesota to meet up with a couple of my brothers and their families, where we had a few wonderful days catching up on family news. Then we came home and packed to go to up north to the land for four days. My mother and her dog joined us on both trips. The land up north borders Canada and is really ‘in the woods’. Her dog decided it would be a wonderful place to run away! We spent two days tracking him down, fearful the wolves or bears got him, only to discover some wonderful people found him on the highway. While we were blazing new trails through the woods, he was in town, went to the parade, went to the fireworks, and generally had a grand old time! Needless to say we are very grateful he was found and back at home with Grandma.

To my surprise I came home to two new reviews. One each for An Unbelievable Journey and A Wife for Big John.

Snapdragon from The Long and Short of It Reviews says, “When her search for happiness is put on hold while Sierra Masters instead ends up seeking one incredibly ugly, bald cat, I realized that "An Unbelievable Journey" was going to be full of the unexpected, and Lauri Robinson's latest romance did not disappoint.”

And Silver Raven from Fallen Angels Reviews gave A Wife for Big John 4 Angels and said, “I am thoroughly impressed with this author’s work, and being a first time reader of her stories I will be sure to look for more.”

Other writing news…I am still working on the final rounds of An April to Remember, and have a good start on the third Quinter Bride Book, Boot Hill Bride.

OMG!

Today I have to tell you about some wonderful, talented authors I'm honored to know.

Denise Meinstad, an author in my local Romance Writers of America Chapter, is a Golden Heart Finalist with her inspirational novel “This Time Forever”. Her story is highlighted in the local paper. Our entire chapter, The Northern Lights Writers, is very proud of her!

Paty Jager, another author with the Wild Rose Press, has created a book trailer for her Halsey Brother Books. It is amazing, and I don’t have a clue how she finds the time to do everything she does!

Another author friend, Leanne Tyler, created and hosts this new website for Wild Rose Press American Writers.

As for me...I'm doing another read though of An April to Remember before sending it back to my editor and then will start packing. We are going out of town for the Fouth of July...How about you? Any plans for the holiday?