Howdy!
And welcome to another beautiful Tuesday. I say beautiful because where I am, we have powder blue sky and some fluffy clouds — a gorgeous day. Oh, by the way, the give-away book today is the mass market version (print copy) of WAR CLOUD’S PASSION.
Okay, okay. You might be wondering what a serious book (and this book encompasses a rather serious topic) — and Goldie Locks & the Three Bears might have in common? Well, I’ll attempt to answer that in this blog.
Don’t know if I’ve ever told this story in detail — it’s kinda the “story behind the story,” but…only kinda.
Off to the right here is the Kindle version of War Cloud’s Passion. It is the newest book up on KindleUnlimited if you are a member of KU.
It’s not often that I read my own books. I don’t like to, mostly because I’m so critical of my own work. But because my husband and I had just uploaded this book to KindleUnlimited, I read a page or two and found…a typo. Probably it was a typo from the conversion of the mass market version of the book to Kindle. But because of that typo, I decided to read the book through again — just in case.
War Cloud’s Passion is a story about War Cloud, an “outlaw” Cheyenne War Chief, who after attacking a train in order to free his younger brother, finds himself saddled with several orphans and Anna, the heroine of the story.
In writing this book, my brother-in-law had an idea. Now, my brother-in-law, Bob, was quite a character, and he loved to laugh. So one night as I sat around the living room talking about the story line of the newest book I was writing, he had a suggestion: Why not insert a line or two about Goldie Locks and the Three Bears? He thought the idea would be hilarious — given the more serious topic of the book. I mean after all, the heroine’s hair color was a kind of golden blond.
Well, I thought about it and thought about it, and because he’d made me laugh and see the humor in it, I found a place in the book where I could make mention of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.
My editor didn’t quite like the mention of three bears, but I convinced her to keep the line in, anyway (not telling her why). For a while I ran contests to see if anyone could find the reference, and a few people did. But then, life went on and I sort of forgot about it.
But as I was reading this book the other night, there it was — subtle, but there it was.
It made my husband and I smile, because Bob was a very dear part of our 
family. It was an uplifting moment. Here’s a link to some pictures of Bob and my husband, Paul and me. http://novels-by-karenkay.com/toursphotos/2008-tour-pictures-dedicated-to-robert-bailey/2008-tour-pictures-dedicated-to-robert-bailey-part-iii/
And so I’m giving away a free copy of the mass market edition of WAR CLOUD’S PASSION. A word to the winner: the sentence (and it’s only one sentence, I believe) is toward the end of the book — not the very end, but about 3/4’s-7/8’s of the way through. Look for it there. I’ll leave you with some more pictures of Bob, my mother-in-law, Paul and me.
KAREN KAY aka GEN BAILEY is the multi-published author of American Indian Historical Romances. She has written for such prestigious publishers as AVON/HarperCollins, Berkley/Penguin/Putnam and Samhain Publishing. KAREN KAY’S great grandmother was Choctaw Indian and Kay is honored to be able to write about the American Indian Culture.
Please refer to https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules for all contest rules.
Oh what a neat reference to have in there for your knowledge! I will have to read it and see if I can find it. Thanks for sharing the heartfelt story behind it.
Thanks so much, Susan. Yes, my BIL loved to laugh.
What a beautiful tribute to your B-I-L.
Hi Laurie!
Thank you so much.
The story sounds great; thanks for the chance 🙂
You are so very welcome. Thanks for the comment.
I am definitely going to have to find the reference in the book.
Ah, Janine, how you honor me. : ) Thanks for the comment.
Sounds like a great story.
Thanks so much, Estella. Did you know that your name is the heroine’s name in LAKOTA PRINCESS (minus one “l”)?
I love that idea and glad they let you keep it in – sometimes it’s the little things that are the most important.
What a great observation. I do think so, too. Thanks so much for the comment.
Sounds like a winner!
Ah, Melanie, thank you so much!
It’s so special when you have something with a hidden, personal meaning that makes you smile and brings wonderful memories of a loved one! You will always have that connection.
Hi Karen!
Wonderful observation. Yes, it brought back treasured memories. : ) Am so glad that I managed to find a place to insert that into the story.
This feels a little like the Easter eggs they put in movies that are fun to try to find. Glad it was able to bring back good memories for you.
Hi Trish!
Is that what they’re called? I didn’t know. Yes, it did bring back good memories. Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
It is great to have a special “secret tribute” to a dear person in your life. Even if you don’t reread that book, you know the reference is there and it brings back memories for you. Remembering those we love is always a case of mixed emotions. We remember the good things and it brings smiles, but at the same time it reminds us how much we miss them.
Oh, my gosh, Patricia, that is so very, very true. Thanks for that reminder.