‘Ordinary women at the edge of extraordinary change’
Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it’s a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
– Al Franken
I’m fascinated by what makes good people make horrible decisions. I mean, we’re all doing the best we can, given what we know at the time, right? I explore this theme in a lot of my books, but never more than in my December release, The Last True Cowboy.
Carly Beauchamp has loved cowboy Austin Davis since first grade. Ask anyone in their dusty, backwater New Mexico town of Unforgiven, and they’ll say, “Carly and Austin” the way some say, “big trucks and country boys.” But after years of waiting for a wedding ring, Carly’s done with being a rodeo widow. She dumps Austin (again), but after a month she’s a pressure cooker, ready to blow. She heads to Albuquerque, where she’s not half of the C&A franchise. No heartbroken, “poor Carly.” Just an anonymous chick in a generic country bar. There she meets a man with ice blue eyes in biker leathers. They have nothing in common—except heartbreak. They pour out their pain while pouring the booze.
Horror hits when Carly wakes alone, but vaguely remembers she didn’t go to sleep that way. She calls around, to find that her mystery man never existed. He lied. About his name, his job . . . everything. She takes a morning after pill and goes home, determined to put this huge mistake in the rear view mirror. And she manages—more or less—until the doctor confirms her pregnancy.
Austin never meant to put his career on the circuit before Carly. She’s always been his future, his one and only. But now that she’s moved on, he’s beginning to see where he went wrong, and he’ll do anything to win her back. The only thing is, Carly’s suddenly acting differently, and she’s definitely hiding a secret—one that will test the depth of their love and open up a whole new world of possibilities.
So what do you think, P&P readers? Have you ever made a mistake that seemed like a good idea at the time?
Laura is away print copies of Nothing Sweeter and Sweet on You to one lucky winner picked at random from those who leave a comment.
Heart and soul. Cowboys and rodeos. Laura Drake has the amazing ability to give you all of it and leave you wanting more at the end.” Carolyn Brown, NY Times bestselling author
“Brilliant writing, just brilliant”–NYT bestselling author, Lori Wilde
Wow, The Last True Cowboy sounds really good. I’ll be on the lookout for it on Dec. 4. To answer your question about the theme of mistakes, I’ve lived a life full of them! But one can go on and keep learning, right? Or… try not to make any mistakes (ha ha–good luck) and not live at all. Thank you for a chance at the giveaway.
Yeah, you and me both. I’ve made some life-changing whoppers, on par with Carly’s (don’t ever marry a man you’ve known 10 days; trust me on this). Maybe that’s why I’m so fascinated with the subject! Thanks for reading, Eliza.
Laura, I’m looking forward to reading The Last True Cowboy. Sounds like great reading. And as far as mistakes go I’ve made many mistakes through the years. Sometimes it’s like I don’t learn. 🙂 I guess you can say I’ve learned many life lessons.
Thanks, Carol. My process is doing it wrong until I stumble on the right way. My only saving grace is, I only make a mistake once.
But there are SO many more out there to make! 😉
Nearly all of my mistakes seemed good at the time. But, boy oh boy, they were far from good after the fact.
I know, Janine, isn’t it amazing? And it doesn’t inoculate you against the next one, either! Not fair.
It sounds great. I have made mistakes in the past but fortunately they were fixable. Sometimes they are not.
Having made catastrophic ones, Debra, I can tell you, if you live, they’re fixable. I embrace the old saying, you’re only a decision away from a whole new life.
I have made my share of mistakes over the years and they all seem like a good idea at the time but we don’t get do overs on them. I guess we do learn for our mistakes though. This book sound like an awesome read and I would love to read it. Thanks for the chance.
Thanks for reading, fellow quilter!
Your new book sounds like a good read. I’ll be watching for it. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but have learned a lot from them.
Me too, Estella! Just wish I’d learned a gentler way. Those mistakes put miles on you!
Laura, howdy and a great big welcome to you from everyone in the corral. We’re so glad you’re here.
Thanks so much for having me, Julie! Love P&P.
Don’t all our mistakes seem to be good ideas at the time? Oh yes, life is sprinkled with them. The hardest part is picking yourself back up and learning from it and moving on. I have a habit of repressing those mistakes and that isn’t conducive to learning from them!
So with you, Susan. I wish I had the ‘denial years’ back!
Mistakes are part of life. We live and learn.
Truth, Anne. I’ve learned over the years to look for the holes in the road, and step around them.
Most of the time.
It is impossible to go through life without making mistakes but someone who repeats this behavior constantly needs help. It is necessary to think and deliberate about out decisions.
As my ex-MIL used to say, “too soon old, too late smart”!
Were to I start.. I have made some good bad decisions and bad good decisions, but I’m still standing.
I get the good bad decisions, but bad good decisions? I’ll have to think on that one…
Yeah, a few dating mistakes in college…gotta kiss a few frogs, right?
I don’t know about you, but I kissed way more than I should have, denise!
It’s part of being human
#Truth
I have made a choice here or there that turned out not to have been a good idea…
With you, Colleen!
I have been blessed that my mistakes weren’t ones that caused serious damage or tremendous hurts. They were the mistakes that helped me learn but did not Harmon others. Thanks for your giveaway!
You’re a smarter woman than I, Connie. Thanks for reading!
Yes, mistakes have been made. The joy out of recycling my first husband gave me a beautiful daughter. The last husband (and I mean last) gave me a handsome son. The marriages did not work, but there were rewards.
Oh Jerry, I so agree. No children from my failed marriage, but I am the strong woman I am today because of it. The hardest lessons are the best teachers!
Yes, I’ve made mistakes. I’m grateful to the Lord for turning them around for His glory and my good.
Mistakes are a part of this life, Caryl, like it or not. Thanks for reading!
Yup too many to count.
Me too, Kim! Thanks for stopping by!
The mistakes I have made that I have regretted the most have to do with our children. Nothing major, but if I had given more thought to my reaction or action at the time, I likely would never have done it.
This sounds like it will be a good read. It is too easy to do something you will later regret. Walk away from someone you love like Austin did and you may not get the chance to get her back. Luckily, most of the time the results aren’t quit as serious as the one Carly is dealing with. Best of luck for a successful release of THE LAST TRUE COWBOY in December.
Thank you, Patricia! It’s funny; the only mistakes that still hurt aren’t the ones where I hurt – they’re the ones when I hurt someone else. Never on purpose, but those are the ones I can’t get over.
I have made many mistakes over the years. Thank goodness we can learn from our mistakes and move on.
Melanie, I’ve found the bigger the mistake, the harder it is to move on from. The Frozen song is running in my head right now…
Let it go . . .Let it go . . .
Sorry for the earworm.
Lots of conflict going on there, Laura.
Thanks, Caroline. Always lots in all my books! Thanks for reading.