I write for Steeple Hill and I love being able to write sweet, inspirational love stories that reaffirm my faith and my belief in the power of love. So when Steeple Hill asked me to be part of a continuity series about Texans who are returning from war, I was both thrilled and scared.

 

First, even though I had relatives who’d served in all branches of the military, I really didn’t know that much about military life. And second, I wanted to be sure I captured the essence of the Texas hero in my story as well as the reality of military life. But I had five wonderful fellow writers who helped me as we worked through the kinks with lots of e-mails and angst until we got down to writing this heartwarming and touching series that celebrates the military hero in a whole new way. So I’m so happy to see my book from the Steeple Hill Love Inspired series “Homecoming Heroes” about to hit the stands in August. My title is “Lone Star Secret” and the hero has a big secret that the Russian heroine just happens to know. But he doesn’t know she knows. So … it will take a lot for them to work through their problems.

 

As far as my own writing life, I knew in the fourth grade that I wanted to write. I wrote all through school and even after I’d married my high school sweetheart and we had our first child. When I discovered romance novels, I found the kind of stories I wanted to read and write. Years later, after I’d sold five books, I finally realized my dream of writing inspirationals. My advice for anyone who wants to write books for fun and a little profit is to first read a lot of the kind of books you want to write, then attend writer’s conferences and workshops and always practice your craft until you get a feel for your own voice. It’s not easy and it doesn’t come without some sacrifice and discipline, but if you truly want to write then you can make it happen in some shape or form.

 

Now, back to my Texas hero, David Ryland. He’s a strong helicopter pilot who has seen the worst of combat when he flies in to pick up injured soldiers. When he is asked by the humanitarian organization Children of the Day to help get a young boy who is half-American back to Texas for heart surgery, David is honored to help with this, his final mission. But he isn’t ready for the emotions and bitterness going back to his hometown of Prairie Springs brings out in him, especially since he grew up on the wrong side of the tracks without a father.  And he certainly isn’t ready for the determined founder of Children of the Day, Anna Terenkov.

 

Anna knows David’s pain because she lost her father in a war. For me personally, doing research on this series brought out my patriotism and made it even stronger. I studied how injured soldiers are transported back home and I also learned a lot about what goes on in a surgical field hospital. One of the challenges for all of us was how to get a little Middle Eastern orphan who had an American father back to Texas. It was both fun and frustrating to figure this out but we did it and I’m happy with the results.

 

While I’ve set several other books in Texas (five others that I can think of!), this one means a lot to me and I’m proud of my story. It was a very emotional journey for me and for David and Anna. I hope you’ll take a look at all of the “Homecoming Heroes” books to celebrate your own love for America (and Texas!)

Lenora is holding a drawing for a goody bag of surprises! Simply leave a comment to get your name in the drawing. Good luck!

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How many of you have stayed in a luxurious 4 or 5 star hotel?  Though pricey, these hotels offer the utmost in comfort and amenities to their guests.  As I flip through Vacation Home Magazine, edited and partly written by my daughter Nikki (proud mama am I) I’m often amazed at the height of extravagance that the “other half” have at their fingertips.

 

Private suites, in-room saunas, terraces with private pools, huge flat screen TV’s, top of the line furnishings, astounding views, food prepared by top-class chefs, are all the norm.  It’s expected. It’s expensive. It’s extravagant. 

 

Since my Suite Secrets series begins this month with Five-Star Cowboy, I’ve been researching contemporary hotels and I got to wondering what was considered a top notch hotel in America during the 1800’s. 

 

A LOOK BACK

 

The Crescent Hotel and Spa was known as the most distinctive and historic hotel in America in the late 1800’s.  Set on 27 acres on the crest of West Mountain in Arkansas, the 78-room resort was built by Eureka Springs Improvement Company and the Frisco Railroad costing $294,000.  As writers and readers and lovers of history know, that was an extraordinary amount of money in that day.

 

Chosen for its stunning location overlooking the valley, guests traveled far and wide hoping to cure their ailments and ease their pain from the “healing waters” of the Ozarks, at the spa.

 

When the hotel opened in 1886, Eureka Springs Times Echo, called it “America’s most luxurious resort hotel”.  The grand opening included a gala ball, a full orchestra and a banquet dinner for 400 guests. 

 

The hotel offered airy, spacious rooms, exquisite furnishings, a 500 capacity dining room as well as a swimming pool, tennis courts and croquet amid flower gardens and winding boardwalks.   Guests could also enjoy the healing waters of the spa, afternoon teas, stables, and elaborate parties in the evening.  

 

After the turn of the century, the hotel’s prosperity faded as people realized the healing waters of the area were disappointing at best. The waters didn’t have curing abilities as the hotel had vowed and guests stopped coming to the luxurious Crescent Hotel.

 

TIME LINE

 

1886

Crescent Hotel and Spa opened with grandeur. 

 

1908-1924

The hotel became the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women.

 

1930-1934

After sitting abandoned for six years, the building opened as a junior college.

 

1937

The hotel became the Baker Hospital known as a cancer hospital and health resort advertising miracle cures.  Baker was later arrested for fraud, practicing medicine without a license, selling his miracle cures for more than $500,000 yearly through a mail service in Eureka Springs.

 

1946

The hotel was purchased by a businessman, who had hoped to restore the place to its original elegance. The hotel changed hands for many years.

 

1967

A fire swept through the hotel and destroyed much of the fourth floor and west wing.

 

1997

The Roenigks began a 5 million dollar restoration, including a New Moon Spa with Vichy showers, a hydrotherapy tub and sauna, tanning beds and exercise equipment.  The furnishings were all updated, the rooms renovated the landscaping, plumbing and electricity all redone. 

 

2002

The Crescent Hotel, owned by the Roenigks, once again became one of the most visited hotels in the South, fully restored to its stately glory. 

 

AN ADDED AMENITY

 

Staff and guests alike tell stories of a number of ghosts who still inhabit the old hotel, from the original stonemason who fell to his death during the building of the hotel, to the butler who’d been spotted carrying a tray of butter down the hall, to a nurse pushing a patient in a gurney, from the old hospital days of the hotel’s history. 

Today many visitors stay at the hotel hoping to see one of these apparitions who some claim still walk the halls.   

 

So what’s the most extravagant hotel you’ve stayed at?  Did you have Flat Screen TV in your bathroom?  A pool just outside your door?  Any hauntings to reveal? 

 

Starting today, I’m running a fun hotel story

Blog Contest on my personal site.  If you get a chance check it out and tell me your story!

 

And don’t forget to enter our Sizzling Summer Stampede of Prizes Contest here at Petticoats!

 

 

 Happy Trails and Suite Dreams!

 

 

 

 Click if you’d like to purchase.

 

 

Ah, Research. It leads you down a twisting turning rabbit trail.

I wanted my heroine, in 1880 Montana Territory to be impoverished by her worthless husband, who spends all her money, dies and leaves her alone in the merciless west. But I wanted her to still have some unknown valuable thing.

I came up with an old, old family Bible. Her worthless husband somehow knew it was valuable and he mortgaged it. A nice, cruel moment of betrayal for poor Cassie.

Well, turns out that Bible, which the Banker forecloses on but kindly agreeds to work hard to find it’s true value, sends the book back east only to find out it’s a Gutenberg Bible worth………………………

 (insert cricket chirp here)

That’s right. I can’t find out worth WHAT????

I can find out all about it being printed! I know Mr. Gutenberg’s life story! I can find out what it’s worth NOW! I can find out how many copies exist NOW! I even found out where each and every one of those Gutenberg Bibles are and what condition they’re in NOW!

But I know antiquities always had value. I know it because…Louis L’Amour told me in To The Far Blue Mountains. Barnabas Sackett, found old stuff in England, Roman statuettes and coins and the like, and sold them and paid for his trip to America.

So I’m minding my own business, Googling everything I can think of about antique books, historical prices, Gutenberg, and man oh man it just got so interesting.

My conscience speaking “Mary, stop being such a baby. Stop reading and go write your book for heaven’s sake.”

So I’ll tell you a little bit about my research and why it caught my interest so deeply.

1454 – Gutenberg Bible…this Bible was the first use of the Gutenberg Press

            Someone told me once that, although electricity was added of course, the Gutenberg Press was essentially unchanged from 1454 until the invention of the computer. The little iron letters, lined up by hand and inked and rolled over paper. How cool is that?

            There were only 180 Gutenberg Bibles made but that press was so revolutionary it changed the whole world. Until Gutenberg ALL PRINTING had been done by hand. There was no other way. Can you imagine it? No wonder no one could read. Why bother? There weren’t any books.

1492 – Columbus discovers America

            This is important (well, no, it’s probably NOT important to my book, but it’s interesting) because it helps us to realize just how long America was discovered before a permanent settlement survived in North America. There were settlements in Hispanola and Cuba and San Salvador and other places. And of course the settlements we talk about are in North America by the first recorded Europeans (don’t get me started on the Vikings coming earlier, another long rabbit trail—bottom line? Vikings didn’t write stuff down—Columbus did) Think about this, too. The Europeans tried and tried and tried. They’d leave people behind at a settlement and come back in a year and nuthin’! ALL GONE.

It’s said (Again, maybe by Louis L’Amour…no, I’m sure I’ve heard it other places-I don’t get ALL my history from Louis!) that there WERE Europeans in the New World before Jamestown. Their settlements didn’t survive but some of the people did. They moved inland, some lived among the Indians, some lived on their own. But they were essentially lost forever.

1517 - Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the church door. The Gutenberg Press (Gutenberg again) enables this document to be reprinted and spread all over Europe. Protestant Reformation Begins.

Here’s where it starts to get pretty fascinating. Do you ever think about what a wild-eyed radical Martin Luther must have been? And he wasn’t alone. Yes, he wrote these Ninety-Five Theses but he had friends. These guys were truly, truly, deeply radical. They were taking on the whole world with their writings. It truly did start out as a reformation. They wanted to REFORM the church not break from it. But that was a hugely dangerous proposition. If you want to find out just how powerful the church was, check out this next one……………

1524 – William Tyndale burned at the stake for translating the Bible from Latin to German

Death penalty. For translating the Bible into a language that could be understood by more than a tiny handful of monks. They had some serious clout there!

1538 – First English Language Bible

The king had it done. Henry XIII. Far more well known for his wastrel lifestyle and multiple marriages. I suppose fundamentally Henry did it to be a trouble maker. Or maybe not. I could keep hunting for motives!!!

“The Pope won’t let me get a divorce, well guess what? I’m starting my own church.”

Okay, Mary is putting her own spin on history with that one!!!

I suspect Henry’s motives were far less pure and honestly less radical than Luther’s. He just wanted his own way. More of an arrested adolescent than a radical

1560 – First recorded use of the word Puritan

But it’d been going on since even before Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. This was a caldron boiling for a long, long time.

1565 – St. Augustine, Florida, first surviving European settlement in New World

I included this just because it made me aware of the old saying, “The winners write the history books.”

Do you ever really realize that Spain had the first permanent settlement in North America? We think Jamestown. Maybe Plymouth Rock. But they came later. But in school they teach English-centric history. And, oh yeah, there’s a really old town in Florida, too.

And at some point they might even mention there are some pyramids in Mexico and Peru. Oh, yeah, there were people here before even the Spanish. Even before Columbus.

1620 – Pilgrims-a part of the Puritan movement-land in Plymouth Rock. This is the second successful New World Colony. Jamestown was founded in 1607.  St. Augustine, Florida??? Fuggedabouddit

I’m going to stop now. But I’m telling you there is no fact in this article that you couldn’t look up and read for an hour. Man oh man that Columbus guy was a jerk. Also a flippin’ genius, driven, in his own way a complete radical and one heck of a sailor. He figured out Trade Winds. Which, I’ve heard the word before but I didn’t know much about it. I could write a blog about that.

The King James Bible, another whole really interesting trail to follow.

Jamestown…they tried eighteen times before the next ship came back and found people. Go read about The Lost Colony of Roanoke. The word ‘Ill-Fated’ is used waaaaaaaaaaay too much.

Columbus had four trips to the New World. He died thinking he’d landed in Asia. He got to Central America and South America. I didn’t know that. I thought he was stuck on the islands. And I thought it was three trips.

His body was moved six times after his death. Was it because he was wanted or unwanted???

Martin Luther – I’m writing a whole post on something called The Diet of Worms. The title here is just a teaser, mainly because I thought it was so weird sounding…hint-it’s got nothing to do with eating or worms. Very interesting.

You think Martin Luther was a radical? I’m going to tell you about Patrick Henry sometime. He made Thomas Jefferson look as calm as a 92 year old nursing home resident on triple strength Haldol (a drug nicknamed Chemical Labotomy–and I could write about THAT, too!)

Oops, wait. I said I was going to stop.

Does any of this surprise you?

So, what of all this didn’t you know? What do you want to add? What did I get wrong?

And, most importantly, does ANYONE know what a Gutenberg Bible would be worth in 1880? And could such a book, already ancient in 1880, be in private hands? My heroine’s great-grandmother was a Spanish princess so there might be some room for the woman to have owned something unusually precious.

Or is there some other old thing you can think of that would be valuable?

How about if Martin Luther had scribbled NOTES on the Gutenberg Bible???

What do you think Louis L’Amour would make of all this?

 

   

Click on the cover to purchase Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon or Alaska Brides.

Find out more at: http://www.maryconnealy.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

With my latest book, A Reason to Sin, I bring the Forrester brothers trilogy to an end, which was both exhilarating and incredibly sad.  After spending two years with the Forresters, it was difficult to let them go but also wonderfully gratifying to give them each a woman who could love them and bring them happiness.

When I began bringing to life the Forrester brothers, I really wanted to make one of the brothers be a gambler.  I’ve had different story ideas with a Bret Maverick type hero but for one reason or another, the plot wouldn’t come together.  But with “A Reason to Sin” the bare bones background of Slater Forrester was already set up–orphaned at a young age and placed in a children’s home with his younger brother.  This gave the foundation for our wounded hero Slater.   Since it was only a couple years after the War Between the States ended, maybe Slater had been involved in the War, and maybe because of the role he played, he was damaged even further.  What if he’d been a Yankee spy and was captured and thrown in the infamous Andersonville prison?  Now I was really excited to write Slater’s story.  How can a man who’d faced so much adversity and donned a bitter façade, find a happily ever after?

In steps Miss Glory, a saloon singer and dancer who never in her sheltered life imagined she would enter a saloon, much less sing and dance with the rowdy men who frequented such establishments.

However, it’s love for her infant son that brings her to such sinful ways in the Scarlet Garter.  Back in the 1800’s widows with children had few options.  If they remained single, how could they support their families?  The wide diversity of jobs open to women nowadays was not the case then.  With little education, maybe they might find a job as a laundress or a seamstress, but those were few and far between.  They could marry again…and often did quickly because there were few “good” women to be had in the western frontier.  However, often the new husband didn’t want a readymade family and the woman had to give her children to a relative to raise, or leave them in a children’s home.  It might seem like those mothers who did that were heartless creatures, but the fact was in most cases their only other choice was to work in a saloon or parlor house, which meant condemnation of their souls.   

Consider a woman like Rebecca Glory Bowen Colfax, who was raised wanting nothing, who then lost her parents, married the first slick talker who came around, then found out he’d gambled everything away and left her, alone, penniless, and expecting a child.  Without family, Rebecca had to give up her child and she becomes obsessed with finding her husband and getting her infant son back.  She will do anything to regain her son, including work in the Scarlet Garter.  The problem is, she never expected to meet a man like Slater Forrester, a gambler like her husband.  However, despite the similar professions, Rebecca senses there’s more to Slater than his gambling persona.  Much much more…

I’m equally attracted and repulsed by the conditions in which women had to live in the 19^th century.  While I admire strong, independent women, I realize that in that day and age, strong and independent were characterized by taking care of family and home.  However, when they lost those things, where did they turn?  What did they do?  It’s those women I prefer to write about.  Those women who because of one reason or another have found themselves in dire circumstances and must search deep within their souls to find the strength to do what they must in order to survive, and just as importantly, to find love and thrive in these new conditions.  I believe that tragic conditions often times act as a crucible, exposing the true person beneath the masks we each wear day after day.   And isn’t love all about truth and baring one’s heart and soul to another human being? 

Currently I’m working on another western romance proposal, although my next book out is a romantic suspense titled Where There’s Fire.  Although I truly enjoy writing the romantic suspense, I have to admit I’m never as comfortable in that world as I am with the American West. 

 

 

But then, where I live, how could it be any different.  As you can see with this last picture, taken from our front door, the West is a part of my life each and every day.

Maureen is giving away autographed copies of the trilogy–the three Forrester brothers books–to one lucky winner!  A Reason to Live, A Reason to Believe and A Reason to Sin will being to one reader who comments this weekend.  Gee, that was a great reason to drop by today, wasn’t it?

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First of all, let me give a Texas-size THANKS to all the wonderful authors of Petticoats and Pistols for having me as a guest blogger. I’m in very good company here.

Now, on to cowboys and more specifically cowboy stories. QUESTIONING THE HEIRESS is my latest Harlequin Intrigue and will be my 23rd published book. That includes two historicals, two romantic comedies and nineteen Intrigues. I have eight more books in the publishing queue that’ll be out this year and next. The one thing ALL those 31 books have in common? Texas cowboys and cowboy cops. Yup, cowboys are my passion. Take a look at this cover and you’ll see why. Sigh.

My love of cowboys started early because I lived on a working ranch/farm until I was eight. I wish I had grand stories of riding horses and helping with the cattle, but truth is, my brother and sister called me Prissy Pants. And hey, I worked very hard to earn and maintain that title.  LOL   I wasn’t much of a hands-on kid when it came to livestock (fear of stinky smells and poop) but I used to sit back and watch. Better yet, I remembered, and I think those early experiences add some authenticity to my stories. I hope so anyway.

Seven years ago right after I made my first sale to Harlequin, my cowboy passion went up a notch when I met several bona fide Texas Rangers in San Antonio. I asked so many questions and took so many notes that I’m pretty sure they considered slapping me with a restraining order. That day, my own Rangers were born. The result was the first Silver Star of Texas trilogy that I wrote with the easiest-going authors on earth, Rita Herron and Mallory Kane. Now, the second trilogy is out, and QUESTIONING THE HEIRESS is the second book in the trilogy. It’s the story of Sgt. Egan Caldwell, who has four dead bodies on his hands and live heiress who’s the killer’s next target. Egan’s married to the badge and has no room in his life for an heiress. (Or so he thinks.) And yes, he looks pretty darn good in that Stetson and wet shirt. Hubba hubba!

Backcover for Questioning the Heiress:

She’s a beautiful heiress with amnesia, and only one Texas Ranger could keep her safe…from everyone but himself.

It was just a day’s work for Texas Ranger Egan Caldwell. Except this time the victim of the crime was rich, beautiful heiress Caroline Stalllings. Egan and Caroline couldn’t be more different - she was upper crust, he was a lawman. Yet this woman stirred feelings in him that refused to be ignored. Problem was, Caroline’s memory had gone the way of Egan’s willpower and her amnesia had attracted a killer. Ensuring her safety was something he took very seriously.

But giving in to their distracting, combustible attraction was the only chance Egan had of uncovering the secrets hidden in Caroline’s mind…before someone else did.

To celebrate the release of “Questioning the Heiress,” I’d like to give away three copies of my March ‘08 Intrigue, THE HORSEMAN’S SON. All you have to do is post and tell me if and why cowboys are your passion. Or if you prefer - take a long hard look at the cover for “Questioning the Heiress” and see if you can spot what’s wrong. (Don’t let that wet shirt distract you.) The winners will be chosen from the posts so I’ll be reading them all.

‘Til later!!

You can contact Delores through her website at: www.dfossen.com  or email her at df@dfossen.com

   To order from Amazon, click on the cover.

 

Stories have lives of their own.  Some spring into being and race to completion.  Others follow their authors around for years, demanding to be told.  My January Harlequin Historical, ON THE WINGS OF LOVE, is the second kind of story.   I’d like to share it with you here.

      For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by flight—especially the men and women who first ventured into the sky.  About fifteen years ago I came up with an idea for a story with a hero and heroine, Rafe and Alexandra, who are drawn together by their passion for flying.  I loved it.  From the very beginning I knew it was the book of my heart.

      I jumped right into the research, reading a whole stack of books.  I even took a flying lesson in a Piper Cherokee.  The cute young  instructor did the takeoff and landing, but I got to handle the plane in the air, turns and all.  It was an exhilarating and terrifying experience—white knuckles all the way.   Even though I’d love to try it again, I don’t think I’d ever have the self confidence to solo.

      I wrote a proposal and sent it out.  It came back again and again and again for two reasons.  First, nobody wanted a story set in the early 20^th Century.  Second, nobody was neutral about Alex, my strong-willed heroine.  A few editors loved her, as I did.  But most didn’t “get” her.   I’d created a woman with the stubborn, reckless nature needed to venture into the sky.  In ordinary situations, these qualities could work against her—and  often did—which, for me, was what made Alex so compelling.  I didn’t want to change her.

      After I started writing for Harlequin I tried the story again.  The senior editor almost bought it but changed her mind at the last minute.  “I loved the chemistry between Rafe and Alex,” she said, “but the time period is too modern for our historical line.”

      Years passed, editorial policies changed.  I sent the story to my new editor.  “Interesting time period,” she said.  “But I can’t stand your heroine.”

      More time passed.  I had a different editor, and suddenly Harlequin Historicals was looking for new settings.  I sent my story in again.  Finally… it sold!

      Even then the saga wasn’t over.  I’d conceived the book as an epic, covering the early days of flight through World War I.  To fit the Harlequin format, I had to cut, and cut, and cut.  Every lost word was painful.  But I got to keep Alex with all her faults.  The final result was a thrilling love story that I’m still proud to call the book of my heart.  

Those of you who write, do you have a “book of your heart” either written or unwritten?  Have you ever had to fight for a goal that was close to your heart?  Do you have a dream you hope to accomplish?  I’d love to hear about it. 

To order one of these books, click on an image. 

 

  

 

 

I grew up in England on a diet of the Lone Ranger, Bronco and Gunsmoke plus a host of other Westerns.  Like every other British kid, I found the whole idea of the Wild West romantic, so different from anything in my own experience, from the weather, to the scenery to the sheer size of the country. And, oh those gorgeous men.

 

It might even be one of the reasons I later moved to Canada!

 

When I was invited to submit a story to Brides of the West, a mail order bride anthology, I was immediately transported back to those youthful memories, although I must say I did hesitate, since I usually write regencies, the antithesis of the free and easy western.

 

But as my hero took shape in my head, I couldn’t resist finding him the very worst kind of bride. It occurred to me that a delicate-looking city-bred English girl all the way from Victorian London probably would be about as bad as it could get for a Texan with a ranch to run and two unruly boys to bring up.

 

And that would allow my heroine, Tess, to express some of the wonder I experienced when I traveled across the United States for the very first time.

 

In Snakeskin and Satin, Tess learns that there is a whole new lingo, (er…I mean I learned) even thought Americans are supposed to speak English.  Cows are called steers, farms are called ranches, and ropes are lariats or lassoes and are used to great effect on the longhorn cattle. For some reason, these cattle are left to roam something called the range instead of keeping them in nice green fields with fences. The wide open spaces, the thorny mesquite and the heat of summer are completely foreign to Tess. There are some very dangerous creatures in Texas too, such as cougars and rattlesnakes, but are they worse than the choking smogs and overcrowded conditions of London’s slums? Ummm no.

 

Then there is this tall man with eyes the color of a wide-open sky, called a cowboy. There is nothing comparable where Tess comes from and he is so polite.  The lack of available women is another source of wonder for a heroine who has never been sought after.

 

Brides of the West from Highland Press has three very different stories about mail order brides, and my fellow authors, Billie Warren Chai and Kimberly Ivey had just as much fun writing them as I did. So we are planning a follow up anthology sometime in 2009.

 

I will be spending a lot of time at Petticoats and Pistols learning all I can about Westerns and their writers from this fun and informative blog. 

 

Tell me about your favorite western on tv and why, for the chance to win a copy of Brides of the West.

Michele

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First of all, a huge thank you to the writers on Petticoats and Pistols Blog for inviting me to share a bit of time with you and your readers in Wildflower Junction. I’ve known many of these fine writer friends for years through Romance Writers of America.

I’m now living in Hawaii, over 2,000 miles from the mainland and even farther from the Wild West.  Living here is a dream I’ve had since we bought our home in 1978. Now it’s a reality. Though I live in a tropical paradise, a part of my heart will always be Romancing the West.

My latest book, HOMECOMING, from Steeple Hill, is set in Texas in the 1870’s.  HOMECOMING is both a return and a departure for me. It’s a return to writing Westerns, my first love and where I started over twenty novels ago. It’s a departure because it’s my first Inspirational novel.

If you have never read an Inspirational romance, this might just be the one to try. Aside from adding the element of faith as part of the plotline, in HOMECOMING I’ve been true to the things that my previous books have been known for—memorable characters, page turning tension, emotion and historical detail. If you loved shows like DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN, BONANZA, and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE, then you’ll enjoy HOMECOMING.

In fact, the story was inspired by a movie, THE SEARCHERS, which starred John Wayne. It was made in the early sixties (or the late fifties) I’m not certain. (Mental pause.) It’s the story of a Texas Ranger who spends years searching for his niece, who was taken captive by the Comanche when she was a child. He finds her years later and takes her home.

I’ve always wondered…and then what happened? Did she stay? Did she assimilate back into the white culture? Did she try to run back to the Comanche?

HOMECOMING is the story of a young woman who was taken by the Comanche as a child. She is raised by them, cherished and adopted by them. When she is “rescued’ twelve years later by the U.S. Army, she is handed over to a mother and son, the Ellenbergs, who are to care for her until her identity is established and her relations are located.

In the mean time, the young woman who only knows herself as Eyes-of-the-Sky has been thrust into a confusing, terrifying situation.  Hattie Ellenberg is a woman who has suffered much at the hands of the Comanche herself, but her faith helps her forgive. Her son, Joe, (naturally, the devastatingly handsome hero) has no faith. He has no dream. He’s living his life one day at a time and working the family ranch. He’s virulently opposed to taking in a Comanche captive who thinks she’s “Comanch.”

I think the story that unfolds is one that will bring a tear to your eye. I’ve been told it’s truly a page turner. Please, do give it a try.

When it rains it pours, they say, and so it is with my publications this summer. In June, DESTINATION: MARRIAGE, an anthology of wedding stories from Harlequin, was released. Although it’s not set in the Wild West, my short story, “Trouble in Paradise” is set on Kauai (which is about as far west as you can get without leaving the states). If you’re looking for a quick, funny beach read, you might enjoy it. The other two stories are by Jo Leigh and Jackie Braun, both multi-published Harlequin authors.

Last but not least, I noticed in May, Elizabeth Lane sent in photos of herself belly dancing. What fun. I can truly relate to her passion. I dance hula and have been doing so for nearly twenty years. I dance with a great group of ladies of all ages (most fifty and over). We’re called the Hui Hula O’ Halelea. We love to perform for groups at luaus and parties, day care centers, long term care facilities, at pancake breakfast fundraisers and recently we danced at a bowling alley during a tournament buffet!

Dancing hula gives me a chance to get away from the computer and enjoy myself to the lovely sound of Hawaiian music.

I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be giving away one autographed copy of DESTINATION: MARRIAGE and two autographed copies of HOMECOMING, to three readers who leave comments today here at Petticoats and Pistols.

 

You can also read more about my previous titles at my website: www.jillmarielandis.com

Thanks for letting me “talk story”—as they say here in Hawaii—about my books, my hula, and what inspired me to write HOMECOMING.

Aloha hui hou, (aloha until we meet again)

Jill Marie Landis

ORDER JILL’S BOOKS FROM AMAZON

 

We’re all here because we love westerns, right? 

I remember traveling from New York to California when I was 7 years old listening to my father’s thrilling words of what to expect in the wild, California West.  My imagination ran free. I envisioned cowboys and Indians, forts and teepees, and horses galore. The city folk were going to live in the country, after all.