You might be a writer if……

You might be a writer if….You pick up a mastodon tooth and write a whole story in your head in 10 seconds.

You might be a writer if….you walk down a street in a historical village and imagine being pursued by killers and time traveling into the past.

You might be a writer if….a woman in a museum starts talking about laundry in the 1870s and you’re riveted.

You might be a writer if….you saw the end of the Sixth Sense coming.

You might be a writer if….your children’s baby books are covered with writing and have almost no pictures.

In Too Deep releases TODAY

You might be a writer if….you take a tour of Carlsbad Cavern and are mentally transported back in time to the first guy who ever saw the place. And thirty four years later, you still remember that moment of being transported so vividly you write a series of romance novels about it.

My one and only trip to Carlsbad Cavern was about 34 years ago. I didn’t write my first book for sixteen years. But when I did, I had a LOT of ideas, this was one of them. What would it have been like to be the first person to go into that cavern?

When we walked through Carlsbad there was a nice sturdy fence, roping off all the dangerous pits. There were lights everywhere and we could see the beauty and easily avoid the danger. But what if you’d gone in there with no idea what it was?

What if you’d seen bats fly up out of a hole in the ground and went to look for where they’d come from and found a deep, black hole? What if you were curious, as was Jim White, the first man on record as being in Carlsbad Cavern, and you got a long rope and lowered yourself down? There are bottomless pits…okay, they probably have a bottom eventually, but I suspect the bottom is way, way, way too far down to be anything but deadly.

It’s pitch black. There are beautiful things—stunningly beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Water dripping, building those rock formations. You’d be drawn by the glimpses of beauty. Your only light is a lantern or a handmade torch or a candle. You’d be fascinated and, if you weren’t really careful, you’d be dead in no time.

When I walked through Carlsbad Cavern, long before I’d ever thought of writing a book, I was writing a book. And it stayed with me until finally it was time. I fictionalized the cavern because the true history of Carlsbad is so well known I couldn’t be faithful to it.

In Bookstores Now

Three little boys find a cavern on their remote Colorado ranch. Three boys close in age, all adventurous. All tough little guys without parents watching them very close. The brothers stick together. They imagined themselves as a team, three brothers against the world. And then disaster strikes. One of them is terribly hurt. Their parents can’t stand the strain of their boy’s devastating burns and his screaming nightmares that will not end.

Their family is torn apart.

Ethan blames himself and he can’t bear the pain of what he caused. He left home the minute he was old enough. Now he’s back after years of lonely wandering. And though he’s sworn to never go near that cavern again, he’s found that his life may depend on finding the courage to face that dark pit.

In Out of Control—Book One of The Kincaid Brides Series—I told Rafe’s story.

Coming in August

Now it’s time for Book Two, In Too Deep. Ethan Kincaid and Audra Gilliland. A marriage of convenience between two easy going people. They should have rubbed along happily together for years. Except unexpected passion surprises them both. And unexpected danger draws them both into that deadly, beautiful cave.

Coming in August is Seth’s story. Over the Edge, available for preorder now. The crazy man who turns out to have some crazy things in his past that are catching up to him.

To get your name in a drawing for a signed copy of In Too Deep, tell me the best vacation–or adventure–you’ve ever taken.

Or buy In Too Deep on Amazon

Find out more at :

http://www.maryconnealy.com

Many thanks to Karen Witemeyer for inviting me to be a guest blogger today to spread the word about my newest novel for Revell, Where Wildflowers Bloom.

Wildflowers is the first in the Sisters at Heart series and is set in Missouri shortly after the end of the War Between the States. When I worked up the proposal for this series, I had my characters and their occupations set in my mind. I planned that one of the characters, Rosemary Saxon, would be a nurse during the war, and then would follow the same occupation afterward. 

Well, surprise, surprise. When I began to research nurses in the Civil War, I learned that very few of them were women, and the ones who were female were generally older and/or widows. For a young unmarried woman to touch men’s bodies, even to tend to wounds, was considered vulgar. Throughout the war, male nurses outnumbered female nurses 4 to 1. The general public believed women would only be a nuisance and get in the way of the doctors.

Where female nurses were allowed, they were required to be plain-looking women. Their dresses were to be brown or black, no bows, no curls, no jewelry, and no hoop-skirts. The last prohibition made sense, since the hospital aisles were narrow. 

So, where did this leave Rosemary, who was to be a continuing character in the series? Using my artistic license, she’s attractive, not plain, but I did make her “old.” She’s twenty-seven. J In addition to her God-given gift of mercy, she’s also determined to the point of being headstrong. She needs to be to stand up to the prejudice she encounters.

In Where Wildflowers Bloom, Rosemary is the best friend of the story’s protagonist, Faith Lindberg. Oh, and did I mention Rosemary has a brother, Curt? How many of us remember having girlfriends with handsome brothers? I’ll just say that through Rosemary, Faith and Curt end up spending quite a bit of time together.

So, like Rosemary, have any of you taken a job in what is considered a man’s field? Did you encounter prejudice? On a more romantic note, did any of you ever fall in love with the brother of your best friend? How did it work out?

 I hope you’ll look for Where Wildflowers Bloom at your local bookstore, or through an online retailer. Please visit my website at www.annshorey.com for more information about Where Wildflowers Bloom, as well as my other books.

Where Wildflowers Bloom

How far will she go to follow her dreams?

 The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg—as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family’s mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

Ann has graciously agreed to give away a copy of Where Wildflowers Bloom today, so be sure to leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing!

In Too Deep

Keep your eyes wide open for a chance to win a copy of In Too Deep, my February release.

In Too Deep is book #2 in the Kincaid Brides series.
This is Ethan and Audra’s story. Ethan, the middle child, the shallow charmer who blames himself for a terrible accident in a cavern on the Kincaid property, that hurt his little brother and broke their family apart.

Here’s a little bit about In Too Deep
In 1866 Colorado, Ethan Kincaid agrees to a marriage of convenience with the same casual disregard he gives every decision. Audra Gilliland, young mother of two, accepts his proposal because she wants to stop being a burden to her newly married stepdaughter.

And suddenly both of them are in far deeper than they’d planned.

Ethan doesn’t expect Audra to affect him so profoundly, and when she begins to, he’s terrified of the pain he’s felt before when someone he loved was seriously injured on his watch. He’s determined that his new wife will do as he says so he can keep her safe from the dangers that lurk on their ranch.

Audra has been cared for all her life by one man or another–and they’ve done a poor job of it. Now she’s planning to stand up for herself. And her new husband had better agree or get out of her way!

What will it take to transform two wayward hearts fearful of getting in too deep into two trusting hearts ready to risk falling deeply in love?

And here is a part of the first chapter of In Too Deep:

“Ethan! Where’s Maggie?” 

Ethan’s head snapped up at Audra’s sharp tone. “What?”

            Audra, rounding a boulder, just coming into view,  dropped an armload of kindling. With the baby, Lily clutched to her chest, she charged forward calling, “Maggie!”

            “I thought she stayed with you?” Ethan rose from where he crouched by the morning fire and turned in a circle, searching for the toddler.

            No sign of her.

“I thought you took her.” Audra’s voice rose in agitation. She’d been gathering sticks while holding her baby. The confounded woman refused to just sit and rest and watch the children while Ethan got a meal.

“Maggie? Honey where are you?” She raised her voice, did her best to sound playful, when under it Ethan heard panic. Audra turned, looking frantically, her eyes wide with fear.

            “Maggie.” He tried to copy Audra’s easy-going tone. Scaring the toddler wouldn’t get her to come in.

“You’re sure Rafe and Julia didn’t let her ride along with them to Rawhide?” He charged toward a clump of aspens and shoved his way into see if she’d crawled behind them.

            “No. I was holding her when they rode off. Maggie was running after them. I told you I was going for firewood.”

            “You said you were taking the babies.”

            “I said the baby. Not babies. Maggie was sitting under those aspens, playing with your hat when I—” Audra’s voice sharpened. “Ethan, where’s Seth?”

Audra strode around to the back of the boulder she’d just circled. “Maggie? Maggie, come to mama.”

            Mentioning Seth made Ethan’s gaze swing to the cave opening. Ethan’s hat lay on the ground by the entrance. A knife of fear slashed Ethan’s chest as he looked at that black opening that led downward forever.

            “My hat! Over there!” Ethan started running. “Maybe she went in the cave. Maybe Seth went after her. Seth!”

            “Maggie, honey, come to mama.” Audra’s falsely chirpy voice faded as Ethan left her at the camp. He dashed into the cold tunnel and stumbled to a stop. The dark was like a choking hand. His throat closed. He forced himself to drag in a breath.

            “Seth! Where are you?” He forced each word out, forced his feet to move forward. Each step a battle of wills. His eyes went to a torch stuck in a crack. He pulled out a tin of matches.

            “Maggie! Maggie, come back.” Audra caught up and passed him.

            “Wait outside for me.” He was talking to her back. Fumbling with the tinderbox, he struck a match and it snapped in half. With shaking hands he tried again and got the torch lit.

            Audra rushed deeper in, Lily cradled in her arm. The baby was just days old. Where was Rafe when Ethan needed him?

            “Don’t bring the baby in here. It’s cold.” And dangerous, but he didn’t say that out loud. Audra vanished around a curve. Ethan’s torch cast flickering shadows that grabbed at him.

            “Maggie!” Audra’s voice echoed from ahead. Ethan hurried to catch up.

            “Audra wait!” Ethan got to the split in the tunnel. One went down a long, long way, he saw Audra moving down it. No lantern. Was the woman crazy?

            The other led to a larger cave. A hole in the ceiling let sunlight in. “Let’s check ahead first.” Ethan’s breathing sped up. He imagined Maggie going down that slope. She’d fall. She might slide a long way. If she wasn’t too badly hurt, she’d get up and be so lost. So lost in the dark.

            “Seth had to bring her.” Something flashed across Audra’s expression. Pure mama grizzly bear.

            “Go look around outside.” He wanted her out of here for her own good, but also so she didn’t see him if he shamed himself with his fear. “I’ll hunt in here. Lily shouldn’t be in this cold place.”

            Audra gave him a look of pure contempt. “I’m not going to stop looking for Maggie.”

            She wrapped the blankets tighter around Lily. “Let’s look ahead, before we go down.”

            Heaving a sigh of relief at not being left, even as he wished she’d get out, Ethan forced himself to lead the way to the place they’d found Seth’s bedroll. “If she’s alone she can’t have gone far. If she’s with Seth, she’s all right.”

            I hope—considering Seth is half-loco.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN!

The three Kincaid brothers are very different from each other.

In book #1 Out of Control, the oldest brother Rafe is a tyrant.

In book #2 In Too Deep, the second brother Ethan is a shallow charmer.

In book #3 Over the Edge, the third brother Seth is crazy.

To get your name in a drawing for a signed copy of In Too Deep, pick one.

If you had to choose, would you rather be married to:

A tyrant who will protect you with his last breath…of course he’ll be issuing orders with that last breath,

A shallow man who won’t admit to feeling anything, most especially he won’t admit to falling in love.

A lunatic…but he’s coming around slowly…and he’s so vulnerable…and cute.

Which would it be and why?

Http://www.maryconnealy.com/

To buy In Too Deep click HERE

Trailer for In Too Deep: http://youtu.be/SskpS2SoiB4

Listed below are the upcoming releases from our talented writers here at Wildflower Junction.  To purchase any of these fine books, just click on the book covers.  And to learn more about the authors, click on thier names.

BE MY TEXAS Valentine
Multi-author Anthology

In Texas, Valentine’s Day is for restless hearts, brave second chances and passions rekindled, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda, Jodi Thomas and DeWanna Pace tempt you with four delicious treats … And, the way to a cowboy’s heart.

From author Linda Broday
Cupid’s Arrow 

 A determined heiress gambles high to reclaim the rancher she’s never stopped wanting …. 

From author Phyliss Miranda
Loving Miss Laurel

When a spirited lady and a go-getter mayor compete for their town’s future, it’s two dreams for a lifetime.

LAKOTA SURRENDER
By Karen Kay  

Lakota Series, Book 1

 As she heads west to join her cavalry officer father at hisKansasoutpost, Kristina Bogard eagerly anticipates new adventures—and her first glimpse of wild Indians. She has long dreamed of flashing black eyes, skin-covered lodges and buckskin and leather.

 What she finds inFortLeavenworth, though, is a far cry from her Indian nanny’s thrilling stories. What few natives are left are crushed, brokenhearted shadows of their proud past. Except for one, a handsome warrior who stirs up a whole new set of dreams.

 Tahiska can’t take his eyes off the green-eyed beauty whose graceful hands are fluent in his native sign language. Except he can’t afford to let anything distract him from avenging his father, who was killed by two white soldiers.

 Though anger fills his mind, Kristina steals into his heart, igniting a wildfire passion that must remain their desperate secret. For soon comes the day of reckoning, when justice will be served…or a travesty will shatter their love.

 Warning: Sensuous romance that could prompt you to send up smoke signals for the one you love.

 Listed below are the upcoming releases from our talented writers here at Wildflower Junction.  To purchase any of these fine books, just click on the book covers.  And to learn more about the authors, click on thier names.

THE COWBOY’S PRIDE
By Charlene Sands

Unfinished Business

He’d been ready to move on, to marry a woman who’d provide him with heirs. But a year of separation hasn’t slaked rancher Clayton Worth’s raging desire for his soon-to-be-ex-wife.  And Trish is as unpredictable as ever.  Her mysterious reluctance to have kids was what drove them apart. Now Trish is back in Red Ridge, mother to a baby girl. The irony is maddening.

Trish urgently needs to finalize their divorce before Clayton’s irresistible charm can melt her resolve. Because his touch awakens a consuming hunger than hasn’t died. They’d thought it was all over between them…but their hearts have other ideas.

BREATHE
By Donna Alward

The first time they broke each other’s hearts. Now they have a second chance…

Doing what was expected didn’t get Anna Morelli anything but a bad marriage. Now that her life has fallen apart there’s only one place she can think of to regroup and figure out what comes next. Two Willows, the winery owned by the only man she could ever rely on. Her oldest friend. And her worst mistake.

Growing up as the poor boy didn’t stop Jace Willow from falling for Anna one hot, sultry summer. Back then, his best efforts to prove himself worthy of the Morelli standard fell just short. While it killed him to see her marry someone else, he made beating the Morellis at their own game his life’s work. And he’s excelled at it.

When Anna shows up on his doorstep, their painful history pales in the face of her need for a roof over her children’s heads—and some peace. The heat of their renewed passion is healing, but it burns away layers of hard-won emotional distance, reopening old wounds. Threatening their one last chance to rebuild their love on the shattered pieces of their broken hearts…

Warning: Full-bodied, rich bouquet with sexy overtones. Decant, breathe, and enjoy.

A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Multi-author Anthology –available as an ebook ONLY

An Inspirational Christmas Collection

From author Mary Connealy
The Sweetest Gift

A spinster with a master’s degree who is a world traveler, librarian by day and concert pianist by night, marries aNebraskarancher with an eighth grade education. Their worlds are so far apart that each is afraid to admit their marriage of convenience is turning into a love match.

When Christmas draws nearAdelaidemust decide if she can give up her hopes of owning a beautiful piano so her husband can have the stallion he needs for his ranch. And Graham may need to sell his perfect brood mare, the ideal mate to his stallion, to fully express his love for his wife by buying her the Christmas gift of her dreams.

Listed below are the upcoming releases from our talented writers here at Wildflower Junction.  To purchase any of these fine books, just click on the book covers.  And to learn more about the authors, click on thier names.

RIGHT TO BRAGG (4^th in the Heart’s Crossing series)
By Tanya Hanson

Disowned by her family, believing it’s all her fault, Tiffany Vickers faces a lonely Christmas and takes great comfort in the baby boy in her care. Her faith is in tatters, and she guards her heart against the baby’s uncle, handsome cowboy, Bragg Martin. It’s the season for forgiveness, and while Bragg longs to open his heart and family to the lovely nanny, he doesn’t understand her interest in his arch enemy. Saving a man’s life and saving Tiffany’s faith bring the couple together…and home to Hearts Crossing Ranch.   

THE COWBOY’S PRIDE
By Charlene Sands

Unfinished Business

He’d been ready to move on, to marry a woman who’d provide him with heirs. But a year of separation hasn’t slaked rancher Clayton Worth’s raging desire for his soon-to-be-ex-wife.  And Trish is as unpredictable as ever.  Her mysterious reluctance to have kids was what drove them apart. Now Trish is back in Red Ridge, mother to a baby girl. The irony is maddening.

Trish urgently needs to finalize their divorce before Clayton’s irresistible charm can melt her resolve. Because his touch awakens a consuming hunger than hasn’t died. They’d thought it was all over between them…but their hearts have other ideas.

As the month comes to an end, I find myself getting more and more excited about my 34^th book coming out and dancing faster with each day of my writing life.   We expect THE COMFORTS OF HOME to come out of the gate at a full run on November 1.  Also coming back into print this month is THE TENDER TEXAN in trade paperback (my first national bestseller) and my anthology, A TEXAS CHRISTMAS. It came out the first of this month and is on the New York Times list this week.  Adding to all that mix, I’m writing on the next historical every night until after midnight and it’s coming along great.

So, dear friends, come along with me into fiction because it promises to be a wild ride.

Also, next week is Halloween, a fun time at my house.  Last year we had over 1,ooo trick-or- treaters.  I buy a dozen big bags of candy, invite my friends who have few kids to come by and bring their candy and join us.  We pass out candy for three hours straight. So…when I thought about this blog, I thought about what frightens me. Growing up in Texas, I have to say RATTLESNAKES.  In truth, I’ve seen very few in my life that were not in cages, but whenever I walk in the country, I’m very much aware that I’m walking on their land.

My first memory of a rattlesnake was one found under my Grandmother Kirkland’s house when I was about four.  My grandmother chopped his head off with a hoe.  I don’t remember the exact words, but she said something like, ‘to get along with snakes, you got to be smarter than the snake.’  That may explain why I live in town.  I’ve never wanted to test my intelligence with my life the wager.

So, some facts about snakes:

The diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in North America.  Sometimes easily eight feet long and can weigh as much as 10 pounds.  I thought I saw a twelve foot one on a country road one day, but it was one snake eating another snake.  Yuck!

Their bites are very painful and can be fatal.  Thanks to antivenin, they are rarely deadly.

Some things to do:

Avoid rattlesnakes!  Seems pretty simple but you wouldn’t believe the people I know who ride out on horseback to check out the rattler nest.

If you see a snake—make noise.  He’ll probably wander off.

If you do get bitten:

Relax, be calm.  Yeah, sure.  Good luck with that.

Keep bitten area at or below heart level.

Go to hospital or see doctor within five hours.

Watch where you walk as well as where you ride.  Trust me, falling off a horse is also painful.

Some things NOT TO DO IF YOU GET BITTEN:

Don’t use ice to cool bite.

Don’t cut the wound open and suck out the venom—that’s something left for heroes in books not in real life.

Don’t use a tourniquet unless you know what you are doing.  Right, if you knew what you were doing you wouldn’t be hanging out with snakes.

And last, if all else fails, hit the rattlesnake on the head with a hoe.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m all for live and let live, but if he’s in my backyard where my grandchildren play, I’m thinking just like my grandmother did, ‘that snake’s got a death wish.’

So, come in and tell me how you feel about snakes.

And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Jodi

www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

www.jodithomas.com

I will give away an autographed copy of “Comforts of Home” to one lucky commenter!

Thank you for the opportunity to share my new western historical romance, TEXAS TWILIGHT, with your readers.  It’s book two in The McCutcheon Family series, and was a joy to write.  I think it’s because I got so attached to the family in MONTANA DAWN, I was eager to learn more about them, create a little havoc in their lives, and feel the joy of them falling in love.

John Jake McCutcheon, the fourth brother, was only mentioned twice in book one.  Now, he’s out of medical school and starting a new practice in Rio Wells, Texas, the town where his extended family reside.  All goes well until Dustin, the oldest Texas cousin, takes a shine to Lily Anthony, the pretty young woman who has traveled in the same Wells Fargo coach with John to Rio Wells.  Sparks fly as the two McCutcheon men, so different yet also alike, square off.

For all you cowboy lovers, here is a short excerpt;

* * *

Chapter one

Texas Badlands, 1886

The stagecoach lurched. John Jake McCutcheon opened his eyes and saw the young woman next to him grasp the leather loop that hung from the coach’s ceiling to keep from being tossed around. She tipped precariously to the right, then left, bumping forcefully into his shoulder. With an apologetic glance she moved away, then dabbed at her brow with a folded handkerchief. She looked at her elderly aunt.

“Tante Harriet? Are you all right?” she asked in a soft German accent. She opened the fan she held and swished it back and forth in front of the tiny woman. “Your face is extremely red.”

“Of course, Lily,” Harriet Schmidt said in a raspy voice laced with exhaustion. The old woman’s hair was swept up atop her head and fastened in a bun, but after the miles and miles traveled on the dusty, sun-baked road, it looked more like a weather blown tumbleweed after a storm. She patted her niece on the knee. “Thank heavens we’re almost there. Just one more day and we’ll be out of this oven.”

John glanced away, not wanting to seem impolite. He’d met both Harriet Schmidt and her niece, Lily Anthony, when they’d boarded the stage together in Concepción. He’d seen them on the train from Boston, too, but they’d kept to themselves, never speaking with anyone else.

John gazed out the window, thinking. He was finally finished with his medical training and heading to West Texas. Anticipation coursed though him.

Rio Wells was a long way from his family ranch in Montana, but he’d get used to it. His plan to return to Y Knot after graduation hadn’t panned out. His hometown already supported two full-time physicians. If he really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives as a doctor and surgeon, he had to strike out in a place where the townsfolk were in need. At least he wouldn’t be a complete stranger in Rio Wells. Uncle Winston and his family were there. And his fiancée, Emmeline Jordan, would be joining him this fall.

John closed his eyes, recalling Emmeline’s elegant profile and dark, alluring eyes. In his mind’s eye, her mouth drew down into a seductive little pout, a manipulation he knew all too well, but one that, all the same, fueled his blood. She was like a beautiful, exotic bird, needing care and affection.

“Oh, just to take this corset off,” Harriett said to no one in particular, then chortled softly at her niece’s shocked expression at her bluntness. “It pinches horribly. I think I’ll throw it away for good.” She paused, thinking. “No…”  Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Actually, I’ll burn it.”

Cyrus and Jeremiah Post and Abigail Smith, the other passengers cramped uncomfortably on the opposite seat, just smiled, now used to the old woman’s antics. Miss Smith, a teacher, had been hired by the same town council that had hired John, and he felt a small kinship with her.

“You know, Doctor McCutcheon,” Harriett Schmidt went on, trying to catch his eye, “my Lily doesn’t need a corset. Her waist is eighteen inches without one.”

“Tante Harriett. Please.”

John chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. He’d tried not to notice something like that, but it had been difficult, if not impossible. The girl had practically been snuggled to his side for several days.

Without warning, the driver called out sharply to the horses and the coach picked up speed. The two guards riding on top of the stage scuffled around and one shouted something unintelligible. John glanced out the window.

A shot rang out. One second later, one of the guards fell from the top of the stage, past the window, landing with a thunk as the stage rolled on. Lily gasped and threw her arms protectively around her aunt. Abigail screamed and then fainted, flopping over onto Cyrus’s shoulder.

The driver bellowed to the horses again and the stagecoach heaved forward as the six-horse team was propelled instantly into an all-out gallop. Three more shots were fired, and the sound of horses’ hooves thundered from behind.

John looked back through the dust to see a number of riders racing toward the stagecoach, eating up the distance between the two. What the hell was he supposed to do now?  He was a doctor. He’d taken the Hippocratic Oath to heal not three weeks before. His job was taking bullets out, not putting them in. But then, he’d also been raised on a rugged Montana ranch, where the unwavering reality was hard. Sometimes staying alive meant killing someone else. Besides, everyone’s lives were on the line, not just his. It would be especially bad for the women aboard. These hills were a common hiding place for Comancheros. They used women in the worst ways and then sold them into prostitution in Mexico. As pretty as she was, Lily Anthony would fetch top price. Hell, they’d sell the skinny teacher and the old woman, too.

Smoke and dust filled the coach. Pop. Pop. Pop. Lily covered her ears. Her elderly aunt coughed as she struggled to hang on. Abigail, now fully awake again, filled the small space with one shrill scream after the other, never even pausing to take a breath. John reached for his satchel under the seat, withdrew a Colt 45, and strapped on his holster. Carrying his guns was a habit he hadn’t been able to break even after his years at school. With hands nimble from experience, he loaded and fired several shots out the window. Two riders fell.

“You have another gun?”

John was surprised to see old Harriet Schmidt eyeing him expectantly. One hand was outstretched while the other grasped the windowsill as the coach careened down the road, jerking violently this way and that. “I’m not letting those filthy dogs take my Lily!”

“Can you shoot?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I couldn’t. My derringer’s not worth diddly.”

John squeezed off three more shots, then pulled another gun from his bag, handing it to Harriet. He pushed the bag toward Lily. “Bullets.”

Cyrus Post fired out the other side of the coach just as a bullet hit Cyrus’s brother in the chest, slamming Jeremiah violently against the back of the seat. Jeremiah gasped several times as he tried to hold back a rush of crimson that spurted through his splayed fingers, soaking his clothes. With just a glance, John could see he wasn’t long for this world. Abigail’s eyes grew round as she took in the blood. With a gasp, she fainted again, blessedly putting an end to her screams.

“Son of a bitch! “ Cyrus cried out. “There’s too many. Prepare to meet your maker.”

“Hush your mouth, you old coot,” Harriet shouted as she hefted the heavy gun and shot out the window. “I have more faith in God than that.”

The coach rounded a corner dangerously fast and then slowed up a bit as it began an uphill climb. One side of the road dropped off, falling some forty feet to a bed of jagged rocks.

Seizing the moment, John holstered his gun and opened the narrow door. He climbed the side of the rocking coach using the window as a step, and grasping the luggage rack, pulled himself up. He flopped onto his stomach, facing the oncoming killers and picked up the fallen guard’s Winchester. He took aim.

* * *

Since the holidays are just around the corner I’d like to share the recipe for my sister’s Beer Bread, which she makes every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It’s not exactly a recipe from the 1800s, but it surely could’ve been—it’s that easy.  Give it a try.  You’ll be hooked, too;

3 cups Self Rising flour

3 Tlbs sugar

a 12 –oz can or bottle of beer (at room temperature)

1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins

(OR ½ cup raisins and ½ cup cranberries—I use cherry flavored!)

a good shake of cinnamon.

Mix all ingredients together and put into a sprayed and floured bread pan.

Split the top with a knife.

Cover and set in a warm spot for 30 minutes so the dough can rise.

Cook in a 375-degree oven for 1hour and 15 minutes.

Watch at the end so it doesn’t become too brown.

Remove and while still hot, brush top with butter. ENJOY!!

I’m giving away an E-Book copy of TEXAS TWILIGHT, and also a paper copy of MONTANA DAWN to two different commenters.  Share with us if you’ve ever been in competition with a friend or family member for the same sweetheart?  Don’t be shy….

Available in E-Book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

LINK TO AMAZON

LINK TO B&N

Listed below are the upcoming releases from our talented writers here at Wildflower Junction.  To purchase any of these fine books, just click on the book covers.  And to learn more about the authors, click on thier names.

HOW A COWBOY STOLE HER HEART
By Donna Alward

Clay Gregory’s known Megan Briggs her whole life, and he’s been plenty worried about her while she’s been getting medical treatment. Now she’s back home and hiding away on the family ranch.

Knowing the stubborn cowgirl won’t accept his help willingly, he invites her to a family wedding to help him avoid his aunt’s matchmaking!

He plans to remind Meg she’s still the girl who can beat him in a horse race! But as she steps out in her curve-hugging red dress, her skills on a horse are suddenly the furthest thing from his mind….

OFF THE CLOCK
By Donna Alward

The last thing she needs is a hero…

First Responders, Book 1

Paramedic Gabe Brennan’s job is saving lives. When he witnesses an accident and rushes in to help, the victim brings back memories of the night that marked him forever. The night he almost couldn’t save his best friend,Brandon.Brandon’s sister is in the car. She’s pregnant. And his longing for her is just as sharp as ever.

Carly’s never been so glad to see a friendly face. Gabe’s gallant rescue—and the gentle kiss he bestows upon her at the hospital—resurrect feelings she buried long ago. Having just closed the book on a crumbling marriage, she’s not too keen on opening herself up to hurt again. Not even for the one man who’s always seemed to be there when she needed him most.

Gabe knows he shouldn’t be falling for Carly, especially since she insists she’s off the market. But the chemistry still simmering between them after all these years is no accident. Now all he has to do is convince her she belongs in the empty space he’s always held open for her. The one next to his heart…

Caution: Contents—and paramedic hero—may be too hot to handle!

A TEXAS CHRISTMAS
Multi-author Anthology

In the Texas Panhandle, the winters are long, the storms fierce–and the Yuletide nights are sizzling. New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas along with Linda Broday, Phyliss Miranda and DeWanna Pace, bring you one tempting holiday delight…..On the eve before Christmas a blizzard arrives, transforming a smallTexastown into a night to remember. Four ladies desperately in need of saving, four hard-ridin’ cowboys who aim to please….

From author Linda Broday
The Christmas Bell 

A brave heriress can’t believe a rugged angel is riding out of the night to save her and her fellow train passengers–until she gets him under the mistletoe.. 

From author Phyliss Miranda
Away In A Manger

A quiet loner wants to help a stranded widow have a holiday to remember

MARRYING THE MAJOR
By Victoria Bylin

He hired a governess, but what retired officer Tristan Willoughby Smith needs is a wife. Not on his behalf, but to protect little Dora and Freddie.  When Caroline Bradley arrives at his Wyomingranch, she seems perfectly suited–capable, efficient, intelligent . . . if a trifle too appealing.

Caroline knows what a real union of heart should be, and the major’s polite, non-nonsense offer hardly qualifies. Still, she accepts for the children’s sake, little knowing the complications the marriage will bring to test her confidence and her faith. Yet in this unusual match, Caroline starts to see a glimmer of something strong and true–the makings of the family she never thought she’d find…

TEN PLAGUES
By Mary Nealy (Mary Connealy pseudonym)

A demon possessed serial killer acts out the Ten Plagues of Egypt on the city of Chicago.

An inner city mission pastor draws the attention of a madman and becomes the focus of his rage.

A lady cop with the spiritual gift of discerning spirits gets the case and is confronted with an evil unlike any she’s ever known.

The pastor and the cop race to stop a murderer, knowing that the plague of the first born and the plague of darkness are being saved just for them.

ONCE UPON A THANKSGIVING
Multi-author Anthology

Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings and reflecting on life’s blessings.  But for those who feel alone or outcast it can be a lonely time indeed.  These two novellas provide powerful positive messages about belonging, being thankful and the healing power of love.

From Author Winnie Griggs
Home For Thanksgiving

All that stands between Ruby Anne Tuggle and a fresh start is an escort to Tyler, Texas.  Rancher Griff Lassiter is too kind to refuse, but too wary of being hurt again to offer anything but protection on the journey. 

Then unexpected trouble forces an desperate detour and a chance to find the place they both belong…

 
Donna Alward would also like to let readers know that she has some free reads available.

If readers want to try a sweeter read, HIRED BY THE COWBOY is available for free at www.tryharlequin.com.

And if readers want to sample something slightly sexier, SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER is a free kindle download from Oct 1-14.  You can find it at  THIS LINK 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by today and left a comment on my post.    It’s always more fun to celebrate a new release when there are friends to celebrate with! 

NOW, on to the drawing.   The randomly selected winner  is….

       Patricia B.

 Congratulations! 

If you’ll email me through the contact page on my webste with your mailing information I’ll get it out to you lickety-split.