Hint:  Most info can be found on their recent blogs or on their website. Happy Hunting!  

Ready?  Here goes …

1. Which Filly writes in many different historical time periods, including China’s Boxer Rebellion, Scottish tales and Colonial America. She has also written short and long contemporary books as well as romantic suspense novels.

a.  Pat Potter

b.  Mary Conneally

c.  Charlene Sands

 2. Which Filly worked for years as a pediatric intensive care nurse and is interested in comedy script writing, but is best known for her westerns?

A.  Kate Bridges

B.   Mary Connealy

C.  Pam Crooks

3. Which Filly got her inspiration to write romance from such books as LaVryle Spencer’s Hummingbird and Lisa Gregory’s Rainbow Season, is an expert blogger and also lists questions authors hate to hear, with some pretty funny answers?

A.  Cheryl St. John

B.   Mary Connealy

C.  Elizabeth Lane

4, Which Filly tours extensively during the year to promote her books and gives tips on writing and how to add more romance in your life on her website? 

a.  Linda Broday

b.  Karen Kay

c.  Cheryl St. John

5. Which Filly has traveled to such exotic places as Nepal and Panana and is quite a great belly dancer. She has written under the pen name of Lisa Lancaster?

a.  Elizabeth Lane

b.  Pat Potter

c.  Mary Connealy

6.  Which Filly is a die-hard country western music fan and teaches childbirth and baby care to pregnant mommies-to-be?

A.  Elizabeth Lane

B.  Stacey Kayne

C.  Charlene Sands

 7. Which award-winning Filly grew up watching westerns and always wanted the hero to ride off into the sunset, not alone, but with the woman that he loved?  She also shares writing tips with unusual names, such as Half-Baked Cake.

a.  Kate Bridges

b.  Linda Broday

c.  Pam Crooks

8, Which Filly lives on a ranch near the Sierra Nevada Mountains, began writing her dynamic westerns after taking an American History class and has been a Golden Heart Finalist?

a.  Karen Kay

b.  Charlene Sands

c.  Stacey Kayne

9.  Which Filly wrote her first book when she was twelve years old, has an infectious sense of humor, and has recently signed an eighteen book contract with Barbour?  (That’s 18 books!)

a.  Stacey  Kayne

b.  Pam Crooks

c.  Mary Connealy

10.  Which Filly had the great insight to develop the Petticoats and Pistols Blog, lives in the ranch country of Nebraska and has penned 11 wonderful westerns thus far?

a.  Cheryl St. John

b.  Pam Crooks

c.  Linda Broday

Post your answers in the comment section and see how well you did! 

Find your answers tomorrow!

HAVE FUN!!

And now for another Anniversary special — our own filly’s favorite kissing scene, taken from one of their books:  Can you guess which author wrote this?    Now this will be part of a contest.  However, since the writers of each scene will be listed each day, the way the contest will run is that each participant’s name will be put into a hat (or similar object) and the name drawn at random.  Okay?  So here we go!

She had almost reached the door when he caught her. His hand seized her shoulder with the strength of an iron vise and he whipped her back toward him. “Don’t tell me what I don’t know!” he muttered, jerking her hard against his chest.

His kiss arched her backward over his arm. Alex struggled against his strong hands and brutally seeking lips. Then suddenly, incredibly, she felt herself responding. A ripple of fevered excitement coursed through her as she softened against him and felt the hard contours of his aroused body through the thin silk. Her lips went molten beneath his. Her fingers dug into his flesh, clinging, demanding. Madness. It was running away with her and she couldn’t stop it—didn’t want to stop it.

No! Something in her was still fighting him, still struggling for control. This was insanity. He had no right!

He released her, and she spun away from him. They stood a pace apart, both of them breathing heavily. As Alex stared at him, she felt panic welling up in her body. She’d wanted a life in which there was no question of her being in control. Now, suddenly, she felt threatened. Rafe Garrick was all the things she despised in a man, all the things she had spent her life protecting herself from. And he had just violated her safe, well-ordered world.

Rage and fear exploded in her. Her hand came up and she struck him with all her strength across the face.

Dramatic!  Spellbinding!  Is the author of this:

a)  Charlene Sands

b) Elizabeth Lane

c) Pam Crooks

 And here’s another:

Lord, save me. She can even charm snakes.

Having unraveled her braids, her long hair rippled across her back and into the tall grass. The light afternoon breeze tugged at the wispy red ends. Her dress blended well with the blades of lush green, bonding her to the earth. She looked to be just as he’d named her, a little forest sprite, finding mischief and delight in the nature surrounding her.           
Jed shook off his trance-like state, released Sage and continued toward her. “Did they teach you to speak reptile at that fancy school back east?” he asked as he sat beside her.

“Jed!” Startled by the sound of his voice, Rachell nearly dropped the snake on her lap. “How do you creep about like that?”

“I’d be happy to show you, if you’d be willing to give me a lesson in reptile talk?”

She released the snake then glanced up at him with those pure green eyes. “What do you mean?”

Jed’s gaze settled on her succulent lips. He craved to press his lips to her sweet mouth, the way a drowning man craves air. Before he found the sense to stop himself, his lips were moving over hers in a light caress. She didn’t back away as he would have expected, nor did she show any sign of resistance when he lifted her hands from her lap and wrapped them around his neck.

His body surged with heat as she trembled in his arms while he traced the rim of her mouth with his tongue.

“I’m waiting for that flecking tongue,” he whispered.

Rachell’s eyes popped wide at the sound of Jed’s husky voice. Gracious! How had her fingers become entwined in his hair?

She’d been too caught up in the shivering bursts of heat rippling though her body and the caress of his lips to notice anything else. Her eyes drifted shut as his incredibly gentle hands continued to stroke her back. His mouth nibbled tenderly at her lips. She pushed her fingers deeper into his smooth, black hair, and was sure he liked it when he groaned, pulling her closer.

“Imp?”

She shivered as his tongue skimmed across the seam of her lips. Did he truly want her to stick out her tongue? Parting her lips, she discovered that was exactly what he wanted. His tongue didn’t wait, however, but came seeking, into her mouth.

Rachell was jolted by surprise and an unexpected rush of pleasure as Jed molded his mouth to hers. His scent, taste and texture surrounded her, consuming her. She gave herself to his kiss, swept up in the sweet intimacy and sheer wonder of the wild sensations coursing through her.

Belatedly, she felt the cool grass against her back, her sole focus on the rhythmic probing of Jed’s velvety tongue, encouraging her to take part in the delicious dance taking place inside their joined mouths. His restless hands carried fire across her body, caressing her shoulders, her sides, her hips.

a) Stacey Kayne

b) Pat Potter

c) Cheryl St. John

Tune in tomorrow for the answer, as well as more hot, hot kissing scenes.

Wow. It’s been one year since the Fillies settled in at Wildflower Junction and opened our doors to all of you out there. We’ve been looking forward to celebrating our milestone birthday for weeks now, so it’s only natural that a bit of deep-from-the-heart ruminating goes right along with it.

Mainly, why we love being a Filly.

Petticoats and Pistols has truly been a part of me from its inception almost a year and a half ago. It’s a constant commitment, but only from hard work can anyone expect any rewards. Sure, our hits are climbing, our books are selling, we’ve done a good job spreading the word about western romances–not just our own, but scores of other authors, too–and we’ve made so many wonderful friends with you, our dear readers. Yet the Fillies are the biggest reward for me. We’ve become a family. We laugh together, stress together, work together–and Petticoats & Pistols wouldn’t be the success it is today without each and every one of them. The Fillies are the best! Yee-haw!

—-Pam

This is the greatest, most supportive group of women I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. Not only are the Fillies great to work with, but I enjoy their marvelous, informative and fun blogs each and every day too. I love seeing new faces on the blog and enjoy our regular, die-hard fans who come back every day to add their comments at Wildflower Junction. I think we’ve created a special bond with all of you! Heartfelt thanks goes to Pam Crooks for all she does, along with so many of the hard-working, talented authors I get to be associated with on a daily basis!

Now, if I only knew what my next blog would be about …

—-Charlene Sands

The more I learn about Western Romance, the more I love it. And the more of these blog posts I read, the more I know about all the details that make a good western romance great.
I consider my year on Petticoats & Pistols to be an education, a social life and a delight.
These Fillies know so many things that have made my writing better. And writing these blog posts has been pure fun for me. Except I do tend to go on rants in my posts. Can’t seem to control that.

—-Mary

To me, Petticoats and Pistols is like a “Sisterhood of the Traveling Blogs.” I love being a Filly and it’s helped build name recognition. With it being quite a while since my last single title was out, blogging here keeps my name fresh and in the minds of readers. And I don’t think I’ve ever met a more caring warm group of ladies to be associated with.

—-Linda

Through my participation at Petticoats and Pistols over the past year, I have met and worked with some incredible people. The Fillies are extraordinary ladies who have contributed much time, effort and heart to make this site work. We have evolved since our beginning. Looking back to our months with Lorraine Heath and Geralyn Dawson, I want to say what an honor it was to have them with us for our launch.

Then there are the wonderful readers who are the reason we are here and who inspire us to keep things fresh and exciting. Not only am I able to interact with the readers and writers who so faithfully blog with us, but I have also been privileged to work with our guest authors in setting up their weekend appearances. Our guests are the most special people one could hope to meet. Some I’d never met before, others were long-time friends, but I remember each of them as adding something unique to our community.

When thinking about what being a Filly has meant to me, I’m thankful for the opportunity to interact with exceptional people. I’m looking forward to the next year!

—-Cheryl

Being a Filly is just plain fun.   I love being a part of something that is so upbeat.  It has a lot to do with the charm and personalities of the other authors, which shines through in their blogs.  Behind the scenes, the women are just as funny and supportive.  So are the readers!  We couldn’t do any of this without you–people who take a break in their daily schedule to come and read what’s new, share a laugh, and learn something about the Wild West and our own family histories.  When the business side of publishing intrudes, Petticoats and Pistols is a place where we can concentrate on the joy of writing.

—-Kate

The call of Western Romance is deep in my blood. Not only do I love the genre, I have always loved the authors who write about it. When approached to be a part of this blog, it was like a dream come true. Not only did I get to blog with women whom I deeply respect, but I was presented with an opportunity to get to know each of these wonderful writers even better.

Yes, I’m an author, but I’m also a reader and a fan and so this has been like a little bit of heaven for me. Because I write Native American Historical Romance, my heroes are Indians and very rarely cowboys. But to me, the cowboy represents what the Native American became as the incoming civilization took root around him. To this day, Native America is steeply rooted in the cowboy legend, kept alive with pow-wows and rodeos and ranching.

I love being a part of this. My deepest thanks and respect goes out to each and every Filly.

—-Karen

My favorite thing about being a Filly is the connection with nine wonderful authors who are always teaching me new things, making me smile and occasionally bringing a tear or two.  What strong, amazing women!  And I love connecting with readers as well.  My favorite moments come when I bring up something so obscure that I think no one will remember it, let alone relate to it.  Then I get these responses from people who’ve been touched by the same thing.  That’s a real connection. 

Thanks, everyone, for making this past year one of my best ever!

—-Elizabeth

I am truly honored to be a part of Petticoats & Pistols. When Pam first mentioned her idea to create a group blog of western authors my heart leapt with excitement at the mere thought of an all western blog forum. As a long-time reader and lover of western romances, this was something I had longed to see–a cyber home for those who LOVE WESTERNS. Being a starry-eyed new author, to be included with such an amazing group of authors whose work I admire has been a huge thrill — as well as completely terrifying *g*. The culmination of all that fear and excitement has become a true joy in my life.

P&P is entwined with the start of my author journey and my fellow fillies have been an inspiring source of support and friendship. What I love most about being a filly ~ the wonderful interaction and energy our readers bring to the blog and the sharing of historical information that never fails to amaze me. I love having a place to go that’s fun, positive, informative and (of course) full of hunky cowboy inspiration.

Thanks to all for an incredible year, and wishing us many, many more

—-Stacey

I’ve loved being a part of the Fillies this past year. The excitement, enthusiasm, knowledge and support of my fellow Fillies and our community of writers and readers have been a joy. I’ve learned so much and have so enjoyed sharing my interest and love of the West.

Wishing all of you a second great year!

—-Patricia

There you have it, dear friends!  Our heartfelt feelings not only about each other, but also about YOU!

Now, let us know–have you enjoyed our first year as much as we have? 

Can we make our second year even better? 

What would you like to see on Petticoats & Pistols?  Anything different?

Wow, what a weekend we had with our two terrific guests!  Vickie and Vicki, thanks so much for doing such a spectacular job.  Your blogs were a hit!  Now it’s time for the announcement everyone loves - the winners of the drawing for autographed books.

So all of the names of those who commented went into the cowboy hat. And the winners are….

One book of choice from Vickie McDonough’s website at www.vickiemcdonough.com goes to….

MARIA LOKKEN -  Congrats, Maria, please select a book from Vickie’s site and email her at fictionfan1@cox.net with your address.

And a copy of THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS goes to….

GENNY - Yee haw, Genny!  Send your address to Vicki Bylin at VBylin@aol.com

Now ya’ll stay tuned for a whole week of fun and prizes as we celebrate our One Year Anniversary filly-style!

Yep, the Fillies are going all out in celebrating our very first birthday with y’all right here in Wildflower Junction. The fun starts tomorrow and lasts all week long. We’ll be having two blogs a day, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, and we want as many as possible to join in the celebratin’!  We’re hoping everyone will jump right in with comments all week long.  The Fillies will be keeping track . . . because what’s a party without presents?

That’s right.  LOTS of presents!  And we’ll be giving them away to YOU!

Here’s a list.  Oh my goodness, they’re fine and dandy!

TWO - $20 Amazon gift certificates

Western charm bracelet

“Duel in the Sun” western DVD

“Big Jake” western DVD

“The Invasion of Johnson County” western DVD

“Live Like You Were Dying” Tim McGraw CD

“Yuma” with Clint Walker, western DVD

“Little Moon & Jud McGraw” with James Caan and Sammy Davis, Jr, western DVD.

Rustic Hanging Tin Star and a Stacey Kayne autographed book

Autographed book by Karen Kay

“3:10 to Yuma”, with Russell Crowe, western DVD

“Broken Trail” with Robert Duvall and Thomas Hayden Church, western DVD

“Last Stand at Saber River,” western DVD

Forteen prizes for forteen winners!   Yee-haw!

Every last one who comes to our party will be eligible, but we won’t know you’re there unless you give us a holler.  So whet your whistle and CHAT with us all week long! Get a move on now.

Researching is not my favorite thing to do. I’d rather be brainstorming with my writing buddies while eating homemade snacks. But research is necessary. I will confess I enjoy going on research trips—just getting away from home makes it worthwhile.

When I sold a three-book deal for a trio of stories set in historical North Dakota, I rejoiced and then said, “What have I done?” I knew nothing about N.D. and had never been there. So I started researching, looking for a place to set a ranch. I found out that most historical ranches were in the Southwest part of the state around The Badlands, where there are abundant grasslands intermixed with steep buttes, beautiful rock formations, and wide valleys.

While narrowing down exactly where to set my ranch, I stumbled on the story of a French marquis, Antoine Amedee Marie Vincent Amat Manca de Vallombrosa—oi, what a mouthful—(better known as the Marquis de Mores) who came to the Dakota Territories in 1883 with the dream of shipping dressed beef back east in refrigerated rail cars to provide urban dwellers better meat. My first thought was…they had refrigerated trains back then? Yep, they did.

The Marquis de Mores invested heavily in his dream. With the help of his father-in-law, Baron Von Hoffman, the Marquis incorporated the Northern Pacific Refrigerator Car Company in April 1883. He built a meat-processing plant just west of the Little Missouri River. The plant could process 150 beef carcasses per day.

The tiny town located where the plant was built was named after the river, but had the nickname of Little Misery. The Marquis didn’t like that so he built his home—a twenty-six room chateau—on the east side of the river and started a new town which he named after his wife, Medora.

The Marquis and his industrious wife were involved in many enterprises including cattle and sheep ranching and the Medora-Deadwood Stagecoach line. They even built a Catholic church in Medora. Things went along well until two horrible winters that killed 80% of all the cattle in the area, as well as growing pressures from Chicago meet producers. When the Marquis’s meatpacking business collapsed in 1886, his commercial empire did as well. His dreams, however, created a romantic legacy that lives on in western North Dakota.

My husband and I visited Medora, which is set in the heart of the Badlands. The tiny town has gone through a restoration revival in hopes of tapping the tourism industry. You can visit the marquis’s home, which is still there and filled with many of his personal belongings and furniture. The meat-processing plant burned down in 1907, but the tall, native-brick chimney still stands in silent tribute to this early attempt to capitalize on the meat-packing business.

I fell in love with the Marquis’ story and with Medora, and I hope to go back someday for another visit. Needless to say, I set my three stories in and around Medora. The first book comes out this fall and is called Wild at Heart. It’s the story of a female dime novelist who is challenged by one of her readers to get her facts straight about the West. Rancher, Adam McFarland invites the novelist to his ranch, expecting a man. But his world is turned upside down by a spunky city gal who wields hatpins for weapons.

So…what jewels have you stumbled upon in your research? 

I would like to offer a drawing for a free book from my website. Winner’s choice, as long as it’s a book I still have copies of.  See them all at: www.vickiemcdonough.com

 ORDER A BOOK FROM AMAZON

Last time I visited P&P, I blogged about my favorite cowboys. You can’t have a cowboy without a horse, so that got me thinking . . . In all the books I’ve read, the movies and TV shows I’ve seen, and the real life horses that have crossed my path, which are my favorites?

No. 1 — The Black Stallion 

My dad took my brother and me to visit Nana every Sunday morning. We’d stop for donuts–chocolate ones with sprinkles–then we’d go to her house in North Hollywood. Without fail, she’d have one of Walter Farley’s books waiting for me.  I read The Black Stallion at least a dozen times.  Remember the shipwreck? The big race at the end? Fictional or not, the Black was a magnificent animal.

Number Four in the series was The Island Stallion.  I look at that name now and smile. When I’m naming characters (horses count!), I grab something out of the air. I can just see Walter Farley sitting at an old typewriter and thinking, “The horse is red.  I know . . . I’ll name him Flame.”

No. 2 — Seabiscuit 

My infatuation started with a children’s chapter book, but even more personal was a story from my other grandmother. Apparently she and my grandfather weren’t always the mild mannered grandparents I knew.  During the Depression, they placed a few bets at Hollywood Park.  They were also Seabiscuit fans. They never won big at the races, but this spirited horse gave them a reason to cheer in hard times.

No. 3 — Man O’War. 

Who doesn’t love Big Red?  He was a champion through and through.

No. 4 — Little Joe’s Pinto 

Okay, I admit it.  I had a crush on Little Joe.  He had the coolest horse, at least that’s what I thought on those Sunday nights I stayed up for Bonanza.

No. 5 — Jake 

Jake wasn’t famous or fast.  He didn’t have the fancy markings of a tri-color paint or the style of a black Arabian.  He was an ordinary trail horse, a member of the summer rental string when we lived in Pine Mountain, California.  Jake is special because my oldest son, Joe, learned to ride on him. Joe took first place in that season’s competition. He was a good rider, but the ribbon really belonged to Jake. That old horse was rock solid, but he had enough spirit to give a ten-year-old boy a thrill.

So that’s my list.  Anyone else?  Which horses, real or fictional, are your favorites? Which ones captured your imagination?

Get your name in the drawing by leaving a comment: Vicki is giving away an autographed copy of THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS!  

 ORDER A COPY FROM AMAZON! 

Colleen! 

Please be sure to contact me at charlenesands@hotmail.com  with your snail mail address. The Pony Express will deliver your fabo prizes very soon!!    Congratulations!  You’ve won an autographed book by Karen Kay and Pat Potter AND the Tom Selleck DVD Crossfire Trail!

Thanks to all who stopped by today!  Don’t forget we have two great guest bloggers for tomorrow!

Miss Vickie McDonough and Miss Victoria Bylin are going to come calling tomorrow!

The dear ladies are resting up at the hotel and getting ready for a big day when the sun rises. We do hope Miss Vickie and Miss Victoria find their accomodations suitable. The Fillies do try.

Miss Vickie is going to tell us what she found out when she researched the Badlands of North Dakota. Very interesting information. In fact, ah find it fascinating to know that a real genuine French marquis put down roots in North Dakota and made quite a mark on the state.

Miss Victoria shared her favorite cowboys when she was here last time. Now, she has a list of her favorite horses, both real and made-up. What’s a cowboy without his horse? They go together like milk and honey.

Let’s give them both a hearty Wildflower Junction welcome. Did I tell you they’ve come toting prizes?

And don’t forget our big birthday celebration starting Monday. We’ll have more fun than a cowboy at a greased pig contest! Never know what’ll happen next. And the Fillies have a bundle of prizes to give.

Charlene Sands                                            

It’s true, you may not want to read this if you’re a lover of Hollywood’s version of the old West!  But I live twenty minutes from the screen capital of the world.  Hardly a day goes by that I don’t meet someone, or speak to someone, or SEE someone related to the industry.  My very own daughter will soon have in-laws high in the ranks of television and movie producing, but I digress.  

 Some people ask, why don’t we see more westerns on the screen?

The answer might be as simple as the bottom line.  Time period movies are very costly.  Setting up towns, designing the costumes, acquiring the props of everyday items used in the west is expensive.  Notice they don’t make “B” movie westerns, better known back in the day as Audie Murphy or Ronald Reagan films because in order to make a western, big stars, like Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Renee Zelwigger, Ed Harris or Kevin Costner have to be associated with the project to bring in the big producing dollars. 

I am looking forward to the new western movie called Appaloosa which does look terrific. If we’re lucky, we get one really great western per year! 

So, what is fact and what is myth in the Old West? 

 The towns we recognize on the silver screen may not have looked like that in real life.  A town usually was plotted out to have many more streets than just one down the center of town.  In movies, rarely do we see residential homes in town, yet the majority of people living in the area, aside from ranchers and farmers, did live within the town’s limits in houses.  Most homes were located at the end of the streets to avoid summer dust and spring mud as people drove by. Decent folk, often wanted to stay away from the center of town, where saloons brought in gamblers and drunks.  Also, good people segregated their families from the part of town known as the “dead line” where brothels and immoral practices were doing business.

Towns in the west were dirty, smelly and cramped (except Wildflower Junction) with most buildings right next to each other so if one would catch fire, often the entire street burned down.  

Railroad towns were formed in the shape of a T where the top portion being the street paralleling the railroad and the straight part being the main street in town.   

 Not So Wild West

Lawlessness in the West, has been blown way out of proportion.  Yes, there was crime, but not to the extreme that we see onscreen with shoot-outs and duels and bank robberies happening in every other scene. Dime novels helped to spur this myth  with gunfights in the streets and stagecoach robberies and stories that were clearly made up fantasies of some very imaginative writers. The true story is much more boring, of hard work, and fending for oneself and trying to make ends meet. Many did carry guns, but that was less for protection from gunmen and more to hunt for food and to protect themselves from wild animals.  In fact, many towns had ordinances that made it illegal to carry guns in town. People entering the town often stopped by the sheriff office to surrender their weapons during their stay.  Yes, the frontier, mountain and plains towns had some violence, but many would more likely die from starvation, thirst, falling off a mountain or horse, freezing, snakebite or being attacked by wild animals.

Not nearly as romantic, is it? 

Myth-Busters Revealed

Here are  some widely used scenes in movies and maybe even in books that are have truly failed when actually tried, according to the TV show Myth-Busters.

Horse Jailbreak:

Procedure/Experimental Design: Build a wild west jail and attach a strong rope to the bars. Attach the other end of the rope to a horse. Make the horse gallop as fast as he can with the most power possible to try to pull the bars off the wall.

Results: The horses couldn’t pull the bars out.Conclusion: Required force not capable of being supplied by horses.

Procedure/Experimental Design: —- To build a jail wall to the specs of a true old west jail cell 

 Conclusion: —- A stick of dynamite will potentially kill the person you are attempting to free and barely loosens the bars enough to remove them

Busted or Not Busted: —-Busted

So, I guess what we lovers of westerns have to do, is suspend our disbelief for a few hours and simply enjoy the aura of the Wild West. 

Just pretend you didn’t read this.

And tell us what other westerns clichés you notice that couldn’t possibly hold true?  What favorite western, either book or movie depicted the grittiness and truth that was the Old West?

Since our 2^nd Prize Sizzling Stampede Contest winner didn’t claim their prize, post a comment and we’ll draw a name randomly today for that wonderful prize of two autographed books and a Tom Selleck DVD!

Click on cover to purchase from Amazon