Opportunity…a situation or condition favorable for attaining a goal.
Back in early March, an opportunity presented itself and I was quick to jump in. I saw FB posts talking about a new multi-author series called the Love Train that Charlene Raddon and Pam Crooks were heading up. They already had nine authors and I didn’t know if they had room for one more or not. But I asked and they graciously asked me to join them. So I did.
I’d always wanted to take part in one of these and Charlene had been after me for years but the timing was never right. Then I found myself without a contract and I’m not a good thumb-twiddler.
Opportunity.
I’m so glad I took the leap. FANCY was born. Fancy Dalton struggled all her life for just the basics. She lives with her mother and both work hard yet never seem to get ahead. Fancy worked waiting tables in a café, dodging young men who thought her name suggested she could be bought. They find out differently.
When I began to think about this story, I kept seeing a seven-year-old sitting on a coffin in a train baggage car. The girl, Piper O’Connor, needed help and she turned out to be a major character in this story.
But back to Fancy…she was attacked one night and nine months later had a child. The midwife told her the baby didn’t survive and for two years Fancy grieved for her son. Then, during a stormy night, a shadowy figure drops a bombshell—her baby is alive!
A stolen child…A desperate mother
Armed with a Denver address, Fancy boards the train. She’s willing to risk everything—even her life—to find her child. She doesn’t know how she’ll get her son from the people who stole him, but she won’t give up.
Luckily, a cowboy boards at the same time and sits next to her. Jack Coltrain is on a mission of his own but her plight draws him. He makes a deal with her—his help for hers.
I don’t know why orphaned children always end up in my stories. I don’t plan it. It just happens. Before, I could turn around, Fancy and Jack had taken Piper under their wing like true mother hens. 🙂
What emerged was a heart-warming story of love and sacrifice and the true meaning of family. This is a sweet romance and is up for preorder now. It releases August 15th and wraps up the Love Train series. This short read will be available in both ebook and print.
Click HERE to preorder. The ebook will be $2.99. I’ll have some giveaways next month.
FOR ALL THE FABULOUS LOVE TRAIN BOOKS THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS CLICK HERE
Has opportunity ever knocked and you found it paid off in a surprising way?
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Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
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Opportunity has knocked and made a world of difference in my life.
You just have to know which opportunities to take a risk on to find the rewards.
Denise, it’s great to see you. For sure, you have to know which opportunities are worth taking a risk on. I think it comes down to trusting your gut instinct. Have a blessed day.
Good morning- I’m so excited for the release of Fancy, it was a very beautiful book. I love your orphans you nicked in your books. Piper was a huge part of this storyline and truly wrapped herself around my heart. Fancy never gave up and that certainly made her a strong character who defied all odds to get her son back. Jack was the perfect gentleman who both Fancy and Piper needed, but he needed them too, he just didn’t know it until he got to know them.
Tonya, my sister friend, I’m so very happy you liked this book and thank you for the early review! Piper for sure played a huge role in the story. She was so afraid to trust, afraid that Fancy and Jack would decide they didn’t want her. Some of the things she said broke my heart. Thank you for taking these three into your heart and letting them live there. I love you dearly, sister friend. Thank you for your unfailing love and support. Wish I could see you. I need to give you a big hug.
I have had that happen and it did work out. Fancy looks great.
Hi Debra, I’m so happy that your opportunity worked out just great. It involves a lot of trust and faith. Blessings and love, dear friend.
Hello Linda! I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of Fancy and it’s a wonderful story! Anyone who reads it will enjoy it! Opportunity has knocked for me many times and if I took advantage of it, I was blessed! It’s stepping into the unknown that’s hard!
Valri, it’s great to see you. We need to have lunch again! I agree that stepping into the unknown is so difficult. That’s why I could never parachute out of an airplane. I need something beneath my feet besides air. That’s where trust and faith enter. We have to believe that we’re not going to crash and burn. Thank you for the kind words about FANCY. Your early review deeply touched my heart. I’m like a mother bursting with pride when someone says my kids are cute. Ha! Blessings and love, dear friend. Maybe we’ll wait to do lunch after this horrible heat wave has passed.
I guess opportunity has knocked for me a few times and I have took advantage of it. Its not something that happens often.
Good morning, Quilt Lady. It’s so nice to see you. I hope you’re having a good day. You’re so right. These opportunities don’t come very often and we have to keep our eyes open for them. Blessings and love.
Linda – That vision of a child sitting atop a coffin is so powerful and tugs at the heart strings. It’s no wonder little Piper became such a vital piece to your story. You always come up with such emotionally packed ideas! This sounds like a great read!
Karen, that vision I had of the forlorn child sitting on the coffin, guarding her mother, gave me chills. I knew this book would be something special. It wasn’t anything thrown together. I put my heart into it. If you try it, I hope it satisfies. You set a high bar, lady! In Honor’s Defense revealed the depth of your talent in writing emotion. I’m blessed to know you.
I just pre-ordered it!
The book sounds good!! One of the best opportunities for me was being Mom’s caregiver for the last 9 years of her life. That opened the door to my becoming an insurance agent (since I could work from home!), and to my proofreading business, which I can do from anywhere!
Trudy, what a special opportunity that was! Amazing how God leads us to make the decisions… and changes…we need to. Watch for my giveaways next month. Have a blessed day.
Several co-workers encouraged me to mentor elementary school children, which I did for several years. That led to my teaching career.
Julie, that opportunity opened new doors for you that led to your heart’s fulfillment. I love it! Thanks for coming. Have a blessed and wonderful day.
Fancy sounds like such a good story! I love it when a book has an orphan storyline and I hope to use it one day in a book of my own.
I’m currently self publishing my debut novel and if I hadn’t started when I had, I would never have had the opportunity to work with the many wonderful people helping me in my journey. I have the best beta readers and if I hadn’t written my novel when I had, they probably wouldn’t be part of my lovely team. I feel so blessed that I have so many people supporting me while I publish this story, especially since it’s so special to me.
Oh Millie, how wonderful the way writing opened a whole new life for you. It did for me too. I thought only smart, college educated people could write books so it took me a long time to trust that I could have it. Writing has led to so many golden opportunities and rewards. I’m glad God didn’t give up on me! Congratulations on your book! Give me the title and I’ll look for it. Thank you so much for coming by.
My book isn’t out yet but I hope to release it sometime around the December of this year or January 2023! It’s called Before It’s Too Late and it’s set during 1865 in a town called Half Circle Creek in Northern Nevada. I love westerns so I had to have my debut novel be one of them! The plot is simple yet complicated since it involves the town deputy, a midwife’s youngest daughter, and a rapist/murderer outlaw.
I always thought only older, really smart people could write books but I’m glad I found out that wasn’t true! I’ve connected with so many authors who are young like me (I’m 19 almost 20) and they’ve written amazing books just like those older, smarter people.
Sounds like a great story, Linda. Congratulations on your release!
Miss Cathy, it’s really nice to see you. I think of you often as you navigate all the things that come with loss. Thank you for the well wishes on my book. I appreciate having someone to share my success with. Much love, Filly Sister.
Sounds great! Looking forward to reading it, and thank goodness you took the initiative and asked. We get another story to read by Linda, yay!
Natalie! It’s so good to see you. Thanks for coming. I hope you’re doing well. I’m coming to Amarillo in a matter of days and would love to have lunch. I’ll text you. We need to catch up. You’ve had so many amazing opportunities come your way as well, dear friend. One I think was meeting Denise. Another was joining Western Writers and Women Writing the West. Blessings and love, my friend.
This seems to be a very great story. You are a terrific writer cant wait to read this book.
Hi Emma, thank you for coming. I always enjoy seeing you. I can’t wait for you to read this. I know you’ll love Fancy as much as I did. She was a great character. Blessings and Love, dear friend.
You have been an absolute delight to work with on the Love Train series, Linda. Your hard work and enthusiasm is what a multi-author project is all about.
FANCY’s release will be the icing on the cake – and a wonderful finish to our series! Looking forward to having my copy land on my Kindle!
Pam, I’m glad you didn’t kick me off. Ha! I’m a stickler for giving 100% of anything I do. I don’t see doing things halfway. I just hope readers won’t get tired of this series before they get to me. My secret fear.
Linda, your story sounds wonderful! And what a great project to be a part of! Congratulations, my filly sis!
Thank you so much, Cheryl. I truly have enjoyed writing my story. I hope readers like it.
Fancy is such a special story. Thank you for an early copy and it was my joy to offer a review. I hope you continue to write stories that fill our hearts with gratitude. You are awesome!
Miss Kathy, thank you for such a wonderful review. Your words are beautiful. I hope I can continue to satisfy my heart and yours for a long time.
welcome today. your books sounds wonderful. I am sure I have opportunities come my way and things turned out better than I thought, but for the life of me right now, I cant remember one. Arrgghh sleep deprived is a real issue. LOL
I have been so lucky with the opportunities that have come my way and I have never hesitated to take them when I can.
The one I am happiest about is running into a classmate from high school I hadn’t seen in 7 years. I was traveling from overseas and had stopped at my cousin’s in CA on my way to NY. He happened to be stationed at the same base as her husband. We visited for a couple of hours, I left, and after visiting my family went back to the Philippines. He visited me at my assignment 5 months later and proposed marriage. I didn’t give him an answer until I returned home 4 months later. We never really dated but something did click. It was an “opportunity” I took and 50 years later am so happy I did.
Forgot to ask if this series will be offered as a set. I do prefer print, but might take the opportunity to order them all at once as a set on kindle.
Patricia, I have not heard of any plans yet to release these as a set but maybe we will. Oh and mine will be available in print as well. I wanted to do that for people who collect my books.
What an awesome opportunity, Pat. It sure worked out for you.
Hi Linda, your book sounds very intriguing and I love your book cover it is Gorgeous! Yes, I have been Blessed opportunity has knocked on my way and they all have been great and I am very Blessed to have taken them. Have a great week and stay safe.
Alicia, I’m glad you took a risk on an opportunity and it worked out even better than you thought. I hope you like Fancy when it comes out. It’s only $2.99.
It sounds like a fabulous story. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Thank you, Miss Debbie. I think you’d like it. Maybe you’ll win a copy. 🙂
It sounds like such a great story, Linda. I can’t wait to read it! <3