Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Western Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western Romance. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Man Candy Monday 2012~
And Happy New Year!!!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Man Candy Monday!!
What's your favorite Keith song ?
Enjoy!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Man Candy Monday!
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Man Candy Monday!
I'm using country music singer, Luke Bryan, as inspiration for my current hero, Sinclair Bradford. If you haven't heard Luke's latest song, you should! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5M_rT89kxY
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Man Candy Monday!
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
New Release Wed. = Meet Sandra Dailey + Give*away!
Please help me welcome the talented SANDRA DAILEY to the blog! She brought a great new contemporary for you! Sandra will pick 1 lucky winner of a PDF (e-copy) of THE CHIEF'S PROPOSAL!
Thanks for being here today, Sandra :)
Where is your favorite place to write?
I have an enclosed porch on the front of my house with a lot of windows. I’ve made a little office at the end. I can look out on the beautiful North Florida scenery while I work.
What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?
Emotion is the hardest part for me. I grew up with military parents. We learned to soldier on without showing much reaction. I know, weird for a romance writer, right?
Do you have critique partners?
No. In my area, the closest book store is thirty miles away, the local library is closed most of the time, and the nearest RWA is over sixty miles away. No writing groups, no book clubs, and no interest. My mom helps with the mechanics, my husband with the technical stuff, and my sister with the plotting problems. It’s a family affair.
What music are you listening to lately?
I love all kinds of music. For inspiration, I like country or jazz best. For fun, I like reggae or classic rock.
Favorite romance Movie?
If I have to name only one, I’d say ‘The Wedding Date’.
What is your favorite time of year?
Summer time! I love the heat. The less clothes the better. I recently noticed that all my stories take place in the summer time. A habit I need to break.
Tropical or European vacation?
Need you ask? The Caribbean or South Pacific Islands would be great.
The
blurb:
Ginny
Dearing has finally realized her goal of teaching, but finding a position is
proving impossible. After exhausting all possibilities, an Internet ad is her
only hope. In a small town hundreds of miles away there is a job with one huge
string attached...a husband.
Burned by love once, Brett Silverfeather finds his bachelor
life more than satisfying. He’s facing re-election for sheriff, but this time
the voters are looking for a family man. Brett finds himself pursuing a
marriage he doesn’t want.
Ginny and Brett are opposite in every way, but opposites do
attract. Can Brett protect his heart as well as he does his town? Can Ginny
hide a secret past that could possibly destroy her future?
An
excerpt:
When
she opened the door, she caught her breath in a gasp. Brett stood in the center
of the room. The only things he was wearing were his arm sling and a pair of
black boxer briefs. The tight, stretchy garment dipped low in the front due to
the nice way he filled them out. She honestly tried to look him in the eye, but
on her way up, her attention was caught by the expanse of dark smooth skin over
washboard abs and a wide strong chest. The man was Playgirl centerfold ready.
Brett
cleared his throat. “A little help here, please? I can’t get my britches on
one-handed.”
Ginny
was confused until she saw the uniform pants in his right hand. He needed help
dressing and she couldn’t think of who to call. Suddenly it hit her. She was
his wife. He expected her to help. Would this fall into the category of for
better, or for worse? And what was he doing with his uniform anyway? He’d left
the hospital less than twelve hours ago.
“Why
are you out of bed?”
“I
got lonely,” Brett smirked. “Are you volunteering to keep me company in there?
I’d be glad to crawl back in, in exchange for some serious body heat. Who knows,”
he winked, “it could be mutually satisfying.”
A
wave of heat overtook her entire body as her imagination kicked into overdrive.
What was wrong with her? She’d never had erotic fantasies until she got to
Three Trees. Perhaps it was caused by something in the water. She should have
it bottled and sell it to make a fortune.
“You
know I have to go to the school today,” she croaked. Embarrassed, she cleared
her throat. “It’s my last chance to check out my classroom before the kids
arrive tomorrow.”
Brett
took a step closer. “Hmmm, I didn’t hear a no in there anywhere.”
“You
were just shot three days ago.” Ginny looked as panicked as the only girl bunny
in a full hutch. “I thought you’d still be heavily medicated and resting for a
while.”
“I’m
not taking those pain pills,” Brett stated matter-of-factly, “I need to be
alert. The county doesn’t pay me to lie on my back. Instead, I plan to sit on
my butt at my desk.”
“Well
then, you can just go to work naked.”
Brett
glowered at her. “I don’t have to. Lisa is picking me up this morning. If you
won’t help me get dressed, she will.”
“Like
hell.” Ginny jerked the pants out of his hand.
Brett
grinned. “Careful, Dove. That almost sounded like jealousy.”
“Shut
up.”
She
knelt in front of him and held his pants open as he gripped her shoulder with
one hand and stepped into them. Her head was turned to the side and her eyes
were squeezed shut. She was leaned back at a dangerous angle.
“You
have seen men before, haven’t you?”
“Of
course,” Ginny said.
“Then
you know there isn’t anything down there that bites.”
BUY LINKS:
The Chief's Proposal available from The Wild Rose Press
Amazon for Kindle
Contact me at:
www.sandradailey.com
www.facebook.com/sandradailey.author
Friday, July 27, 2012
Friday Fun: Meet Author Lynda Bailey + Give*Away!!!
Please help me welcome my dear friend LYNDA BAILEY!! She's not only a fellow historical author but a fellow 2010 Golden Heart® finalist !
For those of you who love Western Historical her new novel WILDFLOWER is a must buy!
Learn all about Linda at her website but come on back and leave a comment for your chance to win a an e-copy of your choice from Lynda's titles :)
JJ~ How ya doing, Lynda?
LB~
Great, Jenn! Thanks so much for having me here today. It’s always fun to hang
out with you.
JJ~
First things first, love the cover of your new book, Wildflower. Who did it for you? Jenn winks.
LB~
Oh, gee. Lynda
winks back. Let me think.
That would be the fabulously talented Kim Killion of Hot Damn Designs. Ever
heard of her?
JJ~
Laughs. I think I may have heard the name once
or twice. Tell us a little bit about your story.
LB~
Wildflower is a total “ugly duckling”
story. Set in post Civil War in Indian Territory (which is modern day Oklahoma)
Matilda, aka Matt, Townsend has grown up working as a cowhand on her father’s
ranch. Her mother died when she was a little girl so she’s had no feminine
influences in her life. Matt doesn’t even own a dress. Of course, she longs to
be more than just another ranch hand. The question is, will she achieve that
dream?
JJ~
Sounds interesting. I gotta ask, though, why Indian Territory?
LB~
It was kinda a protest decision as well as a practical one. Tons of historical
westerns are set in Texas or Wyoming or California, but very few are set (at
least the ones I’ve read) on the Midwest prairie. Having grown up on the
prairie, so to speak, it was easier for me to write about that rather than
someplace I’d never lived.
JJ~
So when did you first write Wildflower?
LB~
Ohhh, good question there. Wildflower
was the third book I ever finished, like maybe twelve years ago. Of course,
then it wasn’t titled Wildflower. It
was first titled Washita Woman (for
the actual Fort Washita in Indian Territory). Then I think I called it Washita Wildflower, then Winter Wildflower. Finally I settled on
just plain Wildflower.
JJ~
Why the emphasis on wildflowers?
LB~
Matt always smells like flowers, even in the winter.
JJ~
Huh. What gives on the huge gap between writing your book and publishing it?
LB~
Well, back in the day, I was still learning the ins and outs of storytelling.
As I became a (hopefully) better writer, WF
went through rewrite after rewrite. When I finally thought she was ready for
primetime, no one was too interested in historical romances. So she got tucked away
with the dust bunnies under my bed while I pursued other projects. Once I
learned western romances were making a bit of a comeback – and were turning
erotic, I dusted WF off, spiffed and
sexed her up a bit, then entered her in the 2010 Golden Heart®. I’m both
honored and humbled that I was a finalist that year. Guess you could say Wildflower is an example of never giving
up.
JJ~
True that. Where can interested folks find Wildflower
to buy?
LB~
Wildflower is available exclusively
through the KDP Select program. Here’s the link. http://amzn.com/B008KFBYXE
JJ~
Anything else you want to add?
LB~
One lucky person will get his/her choice of any one of my titles. Just leave a
comment, along with your email addy. Sorry, at this time I can only send a PDF
copy. Thanks Jenn for hosting me today!
BLURB:
Indian
Territory 1882
She made a deathbed promise.
Matilda
Townsend has always dreamed of escaping Indian Territory and finding the
acceptance she never had with her own father. As he lies dying from a fever, he
asks her to marry so she’ll be safe. She’s then torn between winning her
father’s approval and being free.
He gained an unwilling wife.
Logan Cartwright
has loved Matt since he first started working for her father. Now the old man
is dying and wants him to marry her. Logan knows how much Matt wants to leave. Can
he set aside his dream for hers?
A contest of wills sparks passion.
While Matilda
clings to her refusal to share her husband’s bed, Logan coaxes her into
exploring the other many and varied ways a man and wife can please each other.
Even as their passion blazes hotter than a prairie fire, they must confront a
danger that threatens to destroy the ranch and divide them forever.
EXCERPT:
Like
a June bug on a hot skillet, Matilda Grace Townsend couldn’t stay still.
Every
time she sat, nervous energy forced her to stand. She paced the short distance
to the window and drew aside the faded calico curtain only to spin on her heel
and retrace her steps before her gaze could fix on anything outside. Her boot
heels clacked a steady beat on the wooden floorboards as her denim pants
swished in time to the macabre tune. The fire crackled at her back, but she
didn’t feel the warmth.
Only
cold dread.
She
darted her gaze to her father’s closed bedroom door. Again. Influenza or no, Pa
should’ve cussed a blue streak at Doc Bingham then tossed the good doctor out
on his ear for being so meddlesome.
Yet
it was quiet. Too quiet. Like that awful stillness right before her mother
died. She might have only been four at the time, but she remembered.
Anxiety
churned in her stomach. She clenched her hands into tight fists, her stubby
nails stinging her palms. Lordy, she wanted to hit something. Someone.
She
glared at that door. She’d give them to the count of five and then she was
going in, her father’s temper be damned. Might do him good to get riled up.
The
sound of a door opening whipped her around. Logan Cartwright barreled into the
house on a strong gust of wind. He shouldered the door shut against the wicked
March weather.
The
sight of the tall, blond-haired Kentuckian quieted her ragged nerves and thawed
some of the iciness in her chest. “What are you doing here? I thought you were
riding out to the herd.”
He
pulled the well-worn Stetson from his head and ran his fingers through his hair.
“I was.” He nudged his chin toward her father’s bedroom. “But Chuck said your
pa wanted to see me.”
Her
eyebrows knitted. “Why would Pa send for you?”
“I
don’t know. Figured it was important, though. He wouldn’t have sent Chuck
otherwise.” He hung his lambskin-lined coat on a peg beside the door. “What’d
Bingham say?”
“Doc’s
still in there.”
Logan’s
intense gray eyes, the color of an Appaloosa horse, met hers. “Still?”
“Yes.”
Frustration again starched her spine. “And I’m sick of waiting.” She stepped
toward the bedroom door. “I’m going in there.”
Logan
laid his hand on her arm. She jerked away and faced him, fists up.
“Whoa,
easy there, Matt.” He raised his hands and stepped back. “Causing a stir won’t
help anything. Let Doc do his job.” He moved to the fireplace and the coffee
pot hanging on the hook. He poured a cup. “You want some tea?”
“Chuck
has yet to get to town,” she bit out, whatever calm she’d felt vanishing like
snow on a summer day. “And I drank the last of the tea two days ago.”
He
poured a second cup. “Then have coffee. Last time I checked, we still had
plenty of sugar.”
He
set both cups on the table before sitting in a straight-backed chair. Matt
again balled her hand into a fist. His head made a tempting target.
He
took a sip. “Either hit me or have a sit. Your choice.”
She
didn’t want to sit so to keep from swinging at Logan’s thick skull, she resumed
her pacing. She felt his gray gaze on her every step.
“He’s
gonna be all right, Matt.”
She
rounded on him. “What makes you so dang sure of that?”
“I
just am.” He kicked the other chair out from the table with his foot. “Sit
down. You’re wearing a rut in the floor.”
“Am
not,” she retorted, not caring that she sounded more like a child than a grown
woman of nineteen years. Still, she plunked her backside into the chair and
reached for the second cup. After spooning in a generous portion of sugar, she
took a sip and grimaced. No amount of sugar could make coffee taste better than
bull piss.
“Have
you seen him this morning?” Logan again inclined his head toward the bedroom
door.
She
shook her head then tucked her too short hair behind her ear. “I was mucking
stalls when Chuck found me. Said Pa wanted to see me, too.”
Logan’s
full lips twitched. “Figure Chuck likes his new job as a carrier pigeon?”
Matt
fought to smile back. “He’d rather cook a pigeon than be one.”
After
the shared quiet chuckle, silence blanketed the room. It bore down on Matt,
making it hard to breathe. She straightened her shoulders with a toss of her
head and blinked at the burn in her eyes. “I talked to Roscoe about me getting
back on guard duty at the herd.”
Logan
stiffened. “What the hell for?”
She
hitched a shoulder. “I need to stop lollygagging.”
“You
haven’t been lollygagging. You’ve been needed here.”
“To
do what?” Anger and a good dose of fear spiked her words. “It’s not like Pa
lets me take care of him. He’d rather go hungry than have me spoon broth down
his throat.”
“You’re
his daughter. Your place is here.”
She
crossed her arms and jutted her chin. “Roscoe’s the foreman and he agrees I
should get back on guard duty.”
A
muscle popped in Logan’s cheek. “Like hell. I’ll take your shifts.”
“You’ve
taken every one of my shifts for the past three weeks. And with half the men
still recovering, you’ll end up with this dang influenza yourself.”
“Doubtful.
Doc says if I haven’t gotten it by now, I won’t. Besides, it’s temporary. Once
Gene and everybody else are back on their feet, things will get back to
normal.” He calmly sipped his coffee.
Scowling,
she opened her mouth to inform Mr. Logan Cartwright that she didn’t need him or
anyone treating her like a ninny little girl. But the creak of her father’s
bedroom door cut off the words. Doc Bingham stepped out of the room. She jumped
to her feet, as did Logan, their chairs scraping the floor.
“How
is he?” they asked in unison.
The
doctor took his sweet time closing the door before eyeing first Logan then her.
“Reckon that’s for him to say.”
A
chill settled at the base of her spine. “What does that mean?”
Bingham
scrubbed his hands down his face with a sigh. “It means your father wants to
see you.”
She
started for the bedroom.
“But
first, he wants to see you.” Bingham pointed to Logan.
Stunned,
Matt halted in her boots. She swerved her gaze to Logan who stared back, his
eyebrows arched high. After a pause, he pushed his chair under the table then
walked to her father’s room. With a last look, he disappeared through the door.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
New Release Wednesday + Give*Away!
Lynn has had much success this year with not only her newly released novel but her short stories! (Yay! Congrats, Lynn. )
You can find out more about Lynn at her website
But come on back and leave a comment for your chance to win an e-copy of THE BULL RIDER'S BROTHER!
Thanks for being here today, Lynn.
*****
Writing the Modern Western
Okay, so I was surprised when one of my reviewers called my
debut release a ‘modern western.’ I think anytime you have cowboys and rodeo
together, western must be the definition. I guess I just see the book as a
normal life.
Growing up in Idaho, my life surrounded farm life, riding
horses, and cowboys. Kids at school wore boots more often than tennis
shoes. And jeans were wranglers, bought
at the farm store. Attending rodeos were entertainment. And when the rodeo parade came to town, life
was good.
The memories I’m pulling from all surround life in the
country. Even though I’d consider myself a city girl, at least now.
But is The Bull Rider’s Brother a modern western? I guess. Even though the setting isn’t a
Texas ranch, the story surrounds life in a small mountain town. A town with a church or two, a small general
store, and small bars dotting the highway that flows through the town right
next to the river. My kind of place.
If that makes it a western, I’m happy with the definition.
So, readers – how do you define a western?
Growing up in the middle of cowboy country, Lynn Cahoon was
destined to fall in love with a tall, cool glass of water. Now, she enjoys writing about small town
America, the cowboys who ride the range, and the women who love them. Contact
her at her website – www.lynncahoon.wordpress.com
Blurb for The Bull Rider’s Brother
Rodeo weekend is the start of the summer for the entire town
of Shawnee, Idaho. On a girl's night out, Lizzie Hudson finds herself comparing
her life as a single mom with her best friend's successful career when James
Sullivan, the cowboy who got away, walks his Justin Ropers back into her
life. Seeing him shakes Lizzie's world
but James is in for an even more eventful weekend, learning he has a son. James has enough on his plate trying to
manage his brother's bull riding career.
Can he learn to redefine family and become part of Lizzie's life before
she gives up on him and marries another?
The Bull Rider’s Brother is a series contemporary romance
about Lizzie Hudson, a single mom who wants to keep her life just the way it
is, thank you. The problems you know are
less scary than the problems you don’t.
When James Sullivan comes back for the town’s rodeo weekend
and finds out that his high school sweetheart had his child, six years ago,
Lizzie’s world is thrown into turmoil and she must decide if safety and
certainty are worth giving up on a chance for love. A love that an emotionally damaged James may
never be able to return, breaking her and her son’s heart in the process.
Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Bull-Riders-Brother-ebook/dp/B008195C2I (also available at Barnes and Noble and
i-tunes.)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Friday Fun: Meet Author Abbey MacInnis + Give*Away!
You can find out more about ABBEY and her writing at her Website
But come on back, because she's giving away a copy of HIS FIFTH AVENUE THIEF to one lucky winner;)
Thanks for being here today, ABBEY!
***
Thanks to
Jennifer for having me here! I’m happy to meet all of you!
In my part of
the world, Spring has finally sprung. I love going outdoors to walk my dog or
just sit on my patio with a glass of ice tea or coffee, a good book, or my
laptop. Annuals are flourishing and birds singing. I love hearing children
running around laughing and playing. My new home is cozy and private, the
chimes on my gate ring musically in the warm breeze. I get the urge to open
windows and clear away the dust and let in fresh air and sunlight. I even love
it when it rains. There’s just something about how the air smells after it
storms. So clean, so cool.
There’s just
something about this season that clears away the cobwebs of Winter. It’s easier
to ease into Summer after having such a great Spring. I’m more creative, more
energized during this time of year. I eat better too. There’s more fresh fruit
that’s becoming available. And since I’m leaving on a four-day cruise to the
Bahamas in a few weeks, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to
indulging in. Might just get my serving of fruit in a nice little drink or two,
but heh, why not. It’s my first cruise ever! I can’t wait. I’m loading up my
Kindle, so I’ll be prepared for days on the deck working on my tan, or doing my
best to not get burnt to a crisp. LOL
My Springs are
crammed full of fun events that I look forward to each year because I see good
friends and family I only meet up with once a year. there are church festivals to
attend, holiday weekends with family out at our lake cottage relaxing and
enjoying the water. Barbeques with family, laughter, a little beer and, always,
fun. And nights before a fire pit roasting marshmellows, making s’mores and
sharing family stories is such an awesome way to create new ones and memories
with those you love.
So what about
you? With the new season, what are you looking forward to? What festival or
event do you enjoy attending during this time of year? I’ll give away a copy of
my Historical novella, His Fifth Avenue Thief to one commenter. Don’t forget to
leave your email so I can contact you. I’ll draw a winner on Saturday.
Bio:
Abbey MacInnis is a published author of Contemporary Western
romance. Along with Contemporary, she writes Historical, Paranormal and erotic
romance. Whether a Medieval knight, regency rake, or cowboy or cop, her heroes
are always strong men who’ll love their women unconditionally.
On most days, Abbey can be found at her computer, penning
her latest tale. A tale where love, respect, and passion combine to create a
satisfying and happy ending. She invites you to step in to the pages of her
romances, to leave your worries behind and get swept up in her world.
His Fifth Avenue Thief blurb:
Two years prior, Irishman Aaron O’Connel
took his life from rags to riches. Chance and wits have kept him alive in
1850’S New York City. But no amount of money or success can bring his love
Cathlene back from the dead. When a thief sneaks her way into his mansion, the
last woman he expects to find absconding with his belongings is his long lost
wife.
Abandoned on New York’s shores, a widowed,
penniless, and ruined Cathlene O'Connel was left to fend for herself in an
unfamiliar world. Fear and circumstance drove her to a life of thieving in
order to survive, but her heart risks the biggest danger of all when Aaron
hands her a scandalous proposition: A son in exchange for her freedom.
Now that he has her back, Aaron doesn't
intend to let Cathlene slip between his fingers. He'll do whatever it takes to
regain her trust and love. But when an enemy from Cathlene's past resurfaces,
Aaron not only faces battling for Cathlene's heart, but also her life.
Buy it at:
AMAZON:
ARe :
SMASHWORDS:
B & N :
Visit me on:
Follow me on:
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Friday Fun - Meet author Lisa Mondello!
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Please help me welcome the talented LISA MONDELLO to the blog today:)
You can find our more about Lisa at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com/
But come on back, grab a cup of coffee and visit with us!
Thanks for being here today, Lisa:)
Hello everyone! I
want to thank Jennifer for having me on her blog today! And as a thank you for visiting I will be
giving away an e-copy of HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING to one commenter. So don’t be shy. Leave a comment for a chance to win!
Today I want to take a moment to talk about research. It doesn’t matter what genre or sub-genre an
author writes, research will be involved.
How you get the details for a book is as individual as each author!
I know of an author who took up fencing in order to get into
the head of one of her characters for one of her historical books. Another author needed to learn about barrel
racing and thought the best way to do it would be to actually take lessons in
barrel racing to get the full feel of how to do it. As for myself, I have the benefit of being
married to a police officer. So any
story I write that features a cop I start with my husband. But I have heard of authors going through the
police academy to learn about the ins and outs of the law and what police
officers do.
We live in an age where information is right at our
fingertips. You don’t even have to be
writing a novel to learn something new on the Internet. Youtube is my best friend these days. If I want to learn something new, Youtube is
the first place I go. For my book HIS
HEART FOR THE TRUSTING, I needed to know about Native American customs at
Powwows. The Jiggled Dance was a
specific type of dance that was important to my story. Although I’d written HIS HEART FOR THE
TRUSTING over 10 years ago when Youtube was not available, Youtube gave me a
way to check my research when I went to release the eBook. It brought what I’d researched and written to
life!
HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING is book 2 in my Texas Hearts
series. Her Heart for the Asking is book
1 and is available for just 99 cents for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.
Check out the excerpt for HIS HEART FOR THE TRUSTING below
and leave a comment for a chance to win!
My best,
Blurb for His Heart
for the Trusting
Ever since Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he
dreamed of owning his own ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T
Ranch, he’s one step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form
of a baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him as the
father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at the same time.
When Sara Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in
Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her particular knack for handling his precocious
son, he hires her on the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s
dark eyes and warm heart make this bachelor think of making their arrangement
permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has other plans that don’t include
him or his dreams.
Sara Lightfoot never thought she’d return to
her home on the reservation. Now she plans to reclaim the life she left by
going back to the reservation as a Native American storyteller, teaching the
Apache children stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s
sexy smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After all
she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once again to love?
EXCERPT:
Still
dancing in circles, Midnight eyed Mitch, seemingly aware of his every
move. Mitch turned his back to the mare
and played with the bridle, as if ignoring the horse. Finally, Midnight stopped running and with
cautious steps, she moved forward, stopping every so often and taking a side
step, bobbing her head or giving a neigh, as if calling Mitch to pay attention. Eventually, she stepped up alongside him and
gave him a quick nudge with her nose.
Then another until she was settled alongside Mitch.
Ever so
softly, Mitch stroked her head and neck and front legs with long, easy
strokes. He smiled his pleasure and
crooned softly.
Without even
realizing how he'd done it, the bit was in Midnight's mouth and the bridle was
around the mare’s head. Mitch let the
reins fall and allowed Midnight to get use to the bit.
Such trust.
“That's
amazing,” Sara said quietly.
“Not
really,” Mitch said, glancing up at her as he kept his attention on the
mare.
She turned
to him. Mitch was looking at her, his
eyes filled with the same questions she’d seen in the kitchen.
Then he
said, “She still could bolt at any time.”
Sara gripped
the splintered rail. “But she
hasn't. She came to you when she could
have easily just kept running in circles.”
“Trust isn't
an easy thing for her. She still doesn't
know what to think.”
“She let you
put the bridle on her. You didn't have
to chase her. She came to you.”
“I have to
win her trust. And when I have it, I
can't abuse it or she'll never give it up again.”
Mitch
carefully took the bridle off Midnight and took a few steps away. Midnight followed like a stray dog.
“Does she
trust you now? Enough to ride her?”
Mitch shook
his head. “We still need a little time
together before she'll allow me put a saddle on her. Right now, she's letting me know her
boundaries.”
“She let you
put a bridle on her as if she didn't even know you were doing it.”
His face was
bright with a smile. “Oh, she knew. But she's still making up her mind. She wants to trust me. I can tell.
And maybe one day she will.”
“Mitch?”
He looked up
at her again from across the corral. He
was incredibly handsome. His dark hair
was the color of mica in the fading light, and his eyes had turned from blue to
a smoky gray. He stood tall, his weight
shifted to one hip as he held the reins of the bridle.
Such
strength.
Sara
remembered all too well how it had felt earlier to be in Mitch's arms. Her heart still raced with the memory.
“What if
she's never ready to trust you?”
Mitch's
expression grew serious, pulling her into his gaze. He took a few steps closer, his boots kicking
up dust from the ground as he walked. He
stopped a good ten feet from where she was standing and said, “I can wait as
long as it takes, Sara.”
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday Fun - Meet author Angela Drake!
Help me welcome my friend and fellow ORA member, Angela Drake. Angela and I don't get to see each other enough, but keep up online:)
You can find out more about Angela at her blog site http://angeladrake.blogspot.com/?zx=a5ec8d98ee39c2e9
But come on back and visit with us over a cup of French Vanilla coffee :)
Thanks for being here today, Angela.
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks for having me today. I’ll be around all day if anyone
would like to leave a comment or question.
Where is your
favorite place to write?
My favorite place to write is a café or bookstore coffee
shop. It’s hard to do it locally because everyone knows you. But when you can
sneak off to obscurity, it’s nice. The words seem to flow better when I’m not
distracted by the household chores I feel like I should be doing instead. I’d rather channel my guilt over a second cup
of fluffy coffee than the dishes I didn’t wash.
What music are you
listening to lately?
I am such an eclectic music listener. I write to music that
helps feed the muse for my current WIP so right now it’s all about Texas music.
Tell us about your
real life romance.
My real life romance is with my husband of 28 years, Bob. I
always thought ‘I saw fireworks when he kissed me’ was hokey… then I kissed Bob
and I seriously saw rockets. We are best friends and although we have
individual interests, we can be just as happy doing things together. And when
you have your husband around for three weeks at a time and you have a deadline,
that ‘best friends’ part comes in hand. Only a best friend understands how
important something is to you.
Tell us a little
about your WIP.
My current WIP is something I’m targeting The Wild Rose
Press Honkytonk Hearts series with. I’ve never ‘written for the market’ before
so this is interesting. But at least part of it has to take place in a
honkytonk in TX. I freelance for the Texas music industry and love my cowboys
(who doesn’t!) so I’m really having fun with this.
What is your favorite
writing conference to attend?
My absolute favorite, won’t miss writing conference is Ozark
Creative Writers. It’s a intimate, multi-genre conference always held the 2nd
full weekend of October. Some of the big name editors and agents have come in
to take pitches and we have an awesome caliber of speakers every year. It’s
affordable, informative and set in one of the most beautiful areas you’ll find
anywhere. The Best Western Inn of the Ozarks staff have been hosting us for
over forty years and are just wonderful to their guests. You feel special from
the minute you check in.
BIO:
Angela Drake began actively pursuing a
writing career twenty years ago. Since then she has won many awards for short
pieces, partials and poetry. She’s published in art magazines, has a weekly
newspaper column and is a freelance journalist.
Kelly is a
member of Ozarks Romance Authors, Sleuths Ink and Mid-South Writers Group.
For
eight years, she hosted a weekly workshop on AOL. She continues to moderate a
yahoo group extension of that workshop, The Writers Zone, and is owner of the
World Romance Writers and World Romance Readers loops.
When not
writing, she speaks at conferences and enjoys time with her granddaughters,
gardening, journaling, and a myriad of artistic pursuits. Her husband and best
friend of twenty-eight years, Bob, supports her many avenues of creativity.
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