RELEASE DAY FOR LOVE UNDER FIRE! –by Cheryl Pierson

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I have been so excited for today to get here ever since I started writing my story LOVE UNDER FIRE, Book 3 in our PINK PISTOL SISTERHOOD sweet romances series!

My heroine, Krissy Donovan, is on the verge of spinsterhood because of her unconventional ways in the staid society of Raleigh, North Carolina. But the year is 1899, and women have a bit more freedom in their lives—all, it seems, but Krissy and her two younger sisters. A crack shot, and even a part time teacher at Miz Oakley’s shooting classes, she is “volunteered” by her father to travel to Indian Territory to put on a shooting exhibition at an orphanage in Miz Oakley’s place. It’s a long, tedious journey, but she learns some wonderful things along the way about herself and how to break free of some of the expectations her parents have foisted upon her. She longs for true love and marriage—just not the one her mother has been planning for her!

Johnny Houston, might just be that true love Krissy is yearning for. But how can that be? They hardly know one another, and he’s already made it very plain to her that she is his “last assignment” before he musters out of the cavalry. Escorting her to the very orphanage where he and his brother spent a few painful years when they were growing up is something he wants to complete and be done with. He certainly has no idea of falling in love and getting married, of all things.

But when that mysterious pink pistol shows up, all bets are off and plans change for everyone, proving that there might just be such a thing as love at first sight… Especially when there is an orphanage full of children who need a fresh start, just as Johnny and Krissy do. With so much at stake, and so many obstacles how can they make it all work out?

 

BLURB:

His last assignment gets complicated when a beautiful sharpshooter targets his heart.

Beautiful Krissy Donovan, a student of Annie Oakley, is asked to put on a sharpshooting benefit for an orphanage. The trouble is, it’s half a continent away. Her father has promised her services, and she finds herself virtually alone in perilous Indian Territory. Krissy’s father realizes he has made a terrible mistake, but a cavalry scout, familiar with the savage land, is the only one who can protect Krissy now.

Rough-and-tumble cavalry captain Johnny Houston resents being asked to take on this last assignment of playing nursemaid to an eastern debutante before he musters out of the army. Johnny understands his duty as a soldier, so turning the order down is out of the question. With a killer stalking them, Johnny has to keep his mind on Krissy’s safety, but an attraction to his stubborn charge could end up compromising his heart.

Memories of his own harsh childhood at the same orphanage haunt him. He has no choice but to make a stand for the children, or some of them won’t survive. Krissy dares to hope she can help in some way, even though it means giving up the lavish future that has been planned for her since birth.

How far will Johnny go with his dangerous rescue plan? Where does Krissy fit into his life? The strange arrival of a beautiful pink pistol with the legacy of its creation may help them survive the deadly odds against them in LOVE UNDER FIRE.

 

LOVE UNDER FIRE is available in e-book and paperback formats at Amazon, and is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited!

EXCERPT:

Johnny and Krissy are on their way to the orphanage for the exhibition, but just as Johnny expected, there is someone following them. There are secrets he has kept from Krissy, but now it’s time to tell her everything. Here’s what happens:

They walked together toward the riverbank in silence. There was a smooth, flat outcropping of rock hanging over the river that Johnny unerringly moved toward.

Krissy laughed in delight as they neared it. “It’s beautiful here! And perfect.” She gave him a teasing grin. “Something tells me you’ve been here a time or two, Johnny. You knew right where to come for the best seat in the house.”

He looked preoccupied, she thought, but he still kept his hand at her back to steady her as they climbed the upward slope of the ground to get to the rock, and helped her sit. He took the seat opposite her where he had a good view of the area they’d come from.

Krissy realized this wasn’t coincidental, and she reached to rub her hand over the pistol she wore in the belt of her dungarees.

He nodded. “You’re right to be worried, Kris. You keep watch behind me, and I’ll do the same for you, honey.”

A fiery moment of dread slithered through Krissy. “Someone is after us.” It was a statement, not a question. This trip had felt ‘off’ from the moment her father had mentioned it. She supposed that was why she’d not been as enthusiastic about coming as she normally might have been. She just hadn’t listened to her own intuition.

“Yes. I believe so. There’s a lot to say, and some of it is pretty incredible, but don’t discount any of it until you’ve heard me out.”

“Who would want to hurt us?”

“Not ‘us’, Krissy. It’s you they’re after.”

“Johnny—”

“Listen to me.” Impatiently, he shook his head. “I don’t know where they are, or who they are, or how many. They’re out there, though, shading us. Twice today, I’ve seen the flash of metal in the sunlight.” He gave her a cool look. “Far away, but it was there, both times. I expect they’ll make their move under cover of darkness.”

 

I love that Krissy is confident with using her guns, but until Johnny tells her the rest of this story, she has no idea what kind of danger she is in or how to deal with it. She has no clue as to what is about to happen–especially without Johnny’s protection! This scene and the follow-up talk Krissy and Johnny have makes me think of how many times I’ve been so naïve–and boy, when I found out the truth of what might have happened, I’ve had a good scare or two. Have you ever been in some kind of danger and not realized it until later?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and tell us about it! This will enter you in the drawing for the prizes today!

 

 

I would also love to tell you about some wonderful FREE magazines that go along with our books. There will be four of them, and the first three are available NOW! They cost nothing and are full of recipes and stories, as well as a few short interviews of some of the P&P ladies you might be interested in, along with all the latest news and excerpts from the PINK PISTOL SISTERHOOD stories. The links are below for the magazines, so jump on over and snap them up, and be on the lookout for edition #4 coming soon!

 

 

Also, don’t miss out on Volume 3 of the Pink Pistol Magazine that just released a few days ago.  You’ll find excerpts from Kari Trumbo, Winnie Griggs, and Linda Broday, as well as a short story from Karen Kay, along with recipes, games, and more!

If you missed these first three magazines, here are the links!

Pink Pistol Magazine 1 Link

Pink Pistol Magazine 2 Link

Get your FREE copy of the PINK PISTOL MAGAZINE 3 here!

 

 

To celebrate the release of  LOVE UNDER FIRE, I will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate–(perfect to use on the Pink Pistol stories!) AND will also be giving away one digital copy of LOVE UNDER FIRE! 

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in today’s drawing!

(MORE PRIZES TO BE WON AT THE FB PINK PISTOL SISTERHOOD RELEASE PARTY TODAY–SEE LINK BELOW!)

 

One more thing you may be interested in is our PINK PISTOL SISTERHOOD READER GROUP ON FACEBOOK! Please join us there for lots of brain teasers (from PAM!) and the latest news about this fun series. EVERYONE IS WELCOME! COME ON OVER TO OUR READER GROUP TODAY FOR MY RELEASE PARTY AND MORE PRIZES!

PINK PISTOL SISTERHOOD READER GROUP

 

Order your copy of LOVE UNDER FIRE today!

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A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cheryl.pierson.92
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules

67 thoughts on “RELEASE DAY FOR LOVE UNDER FIRE! –by Cheryl Pierson”

    • Hi Denise! Thanks so much–I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see today roll around and have Love Under Fire actually “out there” for others to enjoy!

      I’ve been in a situation or two like that myself–don’t you just thank your lucky stars when you look back on it and realize how lucky you were?

  2. I’ve probably been in dangerous circumstances, but I’ve never found out, so I’m not sure. I am pretty conservative & don’t like to take risks, but life happens, too.

    • Ami, I’m like you–I don’t like to take risks either. I never have. I’m sure I’ve been in some dangerous situations too that I didn’t realize–especially when I was younger!

  3. I have been in several instances that could have been disastrous. Scary now when I think back on them.

  4. In the naivety of young love, we decided to honeymoon in Mocambique, during the time of their guerilla war in the early seventies. We stopped for a peaceful picnic lunch next to the Save river bridge, a beautiful spot, which was blown up by the guerrillas two days later.
    I am loving this series and look forward to reading your book.

    • Jeannette, you really did dodge a bullet, literally! Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you weren’t there when they decided to blow up the bridge! You know, as I was writing this story, I just got so mad at her father for putting her in danger, and I kept thinking “How could you have done that?” But I knew he loved her and would not have ever done anything to harm her. But…he was really naieve to have thought things would be better for her by his actions. So glad Johnny was there! LOL

  5. I’m sure I’ve been in danger without knowing it, but I’ve yet to find out about it. LOL. And I’m curious, Cheryl. What made you choose Raleigh, NC, as a setting?

    • Hi Janice! My brother-in-law was stationed at Cherry Point when he was in the Marines for a while and we went to visit my sister and him one year for vacation. We were able to take a few days and sight-see, and we made a trip to Raleigh–I was 10. This was the first vacation I was truly old enough to remember and record. I took notes in a little travel diary. LOL Anyhow, it fit in great with this story since Annie Oakley had connections to North Carolina in her lifetime, having participated in a shooting competition in Pinehurst, NC, in her later years, and actually having lived in NC for a time, as well. Raleigh had a good-size population during the time period I was writing in this story, but wasn’t huge. It was between 12,000 and 13,000 in the late 1800’s. The stars aligned, since it was a thriving city in the east, and had social layers and a place for Krissy’s family to fit in with a well-to-do father and a socialite mother, it just seemed like the perfect place. I hope you will enjoy their story!

  7. I’ve had instincts knowing something was wrong. Not sure if I was the one in danger, but knew it wasn’t good. The shootings in Charleston, SC on a Wednesday night (several years ago)in a church was real. I started getting antsy on the second day there. Told my husband we had to leave on Tuesday. He talked me into staying one more day in the city. We left Wednesday morning. I felt safe once we were back home in Florida. The next morning my husband said a young man shot some folks in a small church. My husband said,”I’ll listen closely the next time you have bad vibes about a place.” I’ve had that feeling a few times in my life, but none like that.

    I can’t wait to read this book! You all have done a great job getting it together! And with it these magazines!

    • Oh my gosh, Tracy! That is something else! I am so glad you all were gone by the time that happened. I have had so many times when I’ve had a feeling about things and I always act on those feelings. I never ignore them.

      Thank you so much for the kind words about my book and our series and magazines! We are all so proud of this series and so grateful to all the hard work that went on behind the scenes to make it so wonderful! Glad you stopped by!

  8. Happy Release Day Cheryl, I have started your book and I’m loving it. I’ll send you my review when I finish it and post it around social media, Goodreads, bookbub, Etc.

  9. I have been in weather related potentially dangerous issues. Otherwise, there have been some unsettling things happen in my overall metropolitan area – that probably would be a similar comment for many. Appreciate all the good information in your posting!

    • Catherine, same here with the weather related danger. I live in Oklahoma…we had tornadoes last night and some were close to where I live and close to where my son and his wife live. There is comfort in having a tornado shelter in the garage…LOL Thank you for the kind words about the blog post! So glad you stopped by today.

  10. Happy release day Cheryl. I have been in a perilous situation, when I saw my life flash before my eyes and thank god that I am here to tell the story.

    • Hi Kathleen! Oh, my goodness-I’m glad you lived to tell the tale. That is horribly scary.

      A while back, several years ago, my niece had a dream about someone coming into her dad’s store and robbing him at gunpoint. Two days later, that actually happened. I definitely pay attention to my feelings, etc. and we always pay attention to her dreams, too, because that is not the first one that has come true.

      I’m glad you stopped by today, Kathleen! And glad that is only a terrible memory and that you survived.

    • Sometimes I do wonder how many things “almost” happened that didn’t, and what might have been about to happen that we never knew about. I’m sure I’ve had plenty of those, being the rebellious child that I was. LOL

  12. Hi Cheryl, when I was a junior in high school, (a long time ago, lol) I was spending the night with a couple of friends who wanted to hitchike to a nearby (30miles) town. I went along and we went got back to my friend’s house safe and sound. It was later that reality kicked in. I never did that again! I thank God for keeping us safe! Your book sounds like a fun read!

    • Karen, I saw a meme on FB one time that said something like, “Most of us are only here because of Grandma’s prayers.” LOL Made me laugh, but I told my son about it and said, “You are here because of MAMA’s prayers…” LOLLOL

      Seriously, you are very lucky. I know people think “Back in the day, everyone hitchhiked and it was different…” but it’s still scary to think about NOW, isn’t it?

      Thanks so much for stopping by and for your very kind words about the book, Karen!

  13. Years ago, I was at work in One Shell Square in New Orleans. Some of us noticed some fire trucks, but didn’t think too much about since there are so many buildings close together. Finally, the building management let us know the building was on fire. It wasn’t major, but still scary.

  14. The danger that lurked we were totally unaware of and innocent. No one constantly mentioned and spoke about being careful so we went our merry way. Going out together at night, taking buses, walking in the neighborhood. Things were safer then.

  15. I’m sure there were some situations when I was much, although I don’t remember them. The Lord protected me in my stupidlty. This story sounds very interesting.

  16. I know there were situations that I didn’t realize at the time just how dangerous they were! One for sure when I was driving home from college one day! All of the books in this series sound sooooo good!!!

    • Trudy, I know what you mean! And then when we realize it, it seems like we’re always so surprised! And then, so very thankful!

      Yes, I think you will enjoy every one of these books throughout the timeline of the “handing down” of the Pink Pistol! Glad you came by today!

  17. I didn’t realize the dangerous situation I was about to be in several years ago as I traveled home from work on a four-lane street. Upon entering an intersection a car dashed out from the left side of our 4 lane to reach the other side. I recall there was no place for me to go if he came any farther into our lanes of traffic, which were all full, but my next recollection was me in my car sitting on the left side of the wrong side of the road and in a daze because I could not recall how I got there! GOD was definitely there in that situation. I would give anything to see a re-run of that maneuver to see what actually happened. It was truly a miracle! Praise the LORD!

    • Judy, you must surely have had a guardian angel with you that day! I’m so glad you survived and were not injured! I know what you mean about wishing you could see a replay of what actually happened! So glad you stopped by today!

  18. Enjoyed reading the excerpts
    .I probably was in danger at one time but can’t recall a specific incident.

  19. I can’t wait to read your book! I am loving the series. When I was in my early twenties, I was driving on a two-lane highway in the mountains and saw a car coming toward me miss a curve and go flying off the side of the mountain. Being a nurse, I stopped to see if I could help. The two young men were drunk, which is probably how they survived, and when they regained consciousness, they weren’t very cooperative or nice. No passing cars would stop to help me try to help them but the police and an ambulance did finally arrive to take over and everything turned out okay. I wished I had just stayed safely in my car to wait for the first responders to get there.

    • Yes, Christy, hindsight is always 20/20, isn’t it? But your calling was to help and that was what you did, not realizing how dangerous helping someone can be! I’ve done that, too, and later wished I had not been so willing to help someone I did not even know–you just don’t know who they really are, and being young, you don’t think about that. I’m so glad it all turned out okay for you!

      Thank you for the very kind words about our series, and I know you will love the books to come! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

  20. Congratulations. This sounds like an edge of the seat story. Cant wait to read it. I have it on pre order already. Thanks for sharing your time with us today

    • Glad it did, Colleen. One I can think of in my own life happened when a bunch of us young kids (upper elementary, middle school age) rode our bikes wayyyyy out of town where we were not supposed to be, EVER, and came upon a camp of Hell’s Angels bikers out there. That could have been horrible. But we turned around and pedaled our little rear-ends off and I bet those bikers just sat and laughed and laughed. But it could have turned out otherwise!

  22. Happy Release Day! I am sure I have had some close calls that I am not even aware of thanks to the hard work of my guardian angel.

    • Thank you, Cherie! BTW, I have a niece also named Cherie! That’s an unusual and beautiful name. I imagine every one of us have had things happen that were very close calls that we were just not aware of, and thank goodness for those guardian angels who roll their eyes but protect us anyhow. LOL Thanks so much for stopping by!

  23. I have not been in a dangerous situation that I can think of….unless you count driving on California roadways, which I do most every day.

    • Oh, Jackie, I most definitely WOULD count driving on California highways/roads as dangerous. I’m not brave enough to ever try it. I live in Oklahoma and I won’t even drive on our interstates a lot of the time, especially if it’s a certain time of day. Thanks for stopping by!

  24. Congratulations and Happy Release Day! I’m so excited for you. Something I dreaded, but it turned out all right was moving from living in the country practically all of my life to living in town. Granted, it’s a small, rural town, but it’s still a town. I dreaded not having horses to ride and livestock to take care of. I dreaded having neighbors closer than a mile away. The move from country to town was 26 years ago. It turned out just fine, and actually for the best for many reasons.

    • Hi Kaye! Thank you so much for stopping by! I couldn’t have done this book without you, you know that. I’m so grateful for your patience and help! I’m glad your move turned out for the best and you were able to tolerate it, then like it. That is a big change, even though you were moving to a small town–like you say, it was not in the country like you were used to. Glad it worked out! Hugs, my friend. XO

  25. Hi Cheryl, Happy release day!
    I can’t think of anything. I’ll probably remember something later 😉
    I so excited for pink pistol sisterhood! Congrats on the new book!

    • Thank you, Tia! Hey you know what? It’s probably a good thing you CAN’T think of anything because that means maybe it never happened that you were in danger! At least, that’s what I’m hoping!

      I hope you enjoy every single one of our stories in the pink pistol sisterhood! So glad you stopped by today!

  26. One year a friend and I were out picking wineberries in the woods. We were picking in one spot, then moved on to another. About 5 minutes later, we heard a crash and saw a large tree fall right into our previous picking area. We just looked at each other and said, “Wow…Thank you, Lord, for Your protection!”

  27. We would go out at night, take the subway and bus. Never a thought about danger. Walk home alone. we did hitchhike in the city and were not worried.

  30. I survived an apartment fire thanks to our dog who woke me up. The fire started in the unit next door. The fire chief said that if the dog had not woke me up, I would have died in the fire. Happy book birthday. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

    • Oh, my gosh, Debbie! That was a very close call! So glad you had a dog with you–there is nothing like a dog to warn you of danger. We have two of them and they are our security system! LOL Thank you for stopping by!

  31. When I was traveling in Indonesia after finishing my time in the Peace Corps, I took a train down the length of one of the islands to Bali. The train dropped me off after midnight. There was little light at the station and no indication where the town was. The only way to get anywhere was in the motorcycle cabs. The drivers didn’t speak much english at all but did recognize the name of the hostel where I was staying. It was pitch dark all the way and I really had no idea where we were. When we got to the hostel we woke the owner so I could get in. The driver had told me the charge, but I didn’t have the correct change and he thought I was trying to cheat him. He became irate any was yelling at me. The poor downer finally got him calmed down and paid him. If things had gone differently from the station, no one would even have know where to look for me.
    Once while in the Peace Corps, I chaperoned a group from the high school to an athletic meet. Afterwards, I headed north up the valley to a town where another volunteer was stationed. It was a last minute decision and he didn’t know I was coming. It was a day’s bus ride to get there (think stagecoach not Greyhound) and he was gone. I had gone to the school where he taught to see him and talked with the principal. I decided to continue north, round the top of the island, and go down the west coast back down to my town. Women do not travel alone there and he was concerned. He gave me a letter to give to a woman in the village where the bus would be stopping for the night asking her to put me up for the night. She did and I spent the night on a mat on the floor of a bamboo hut. Before I left, he made a comment about being worried he might get into trouble if something happened to me and they found the note with his name on it on my body. Nice way to say have a nice trip.

    • Patricia, I imagine being in the Peace Corps and in other countries like you were gave you many opportunities to answer this question! So many customs are so different in other places and many times we aren’t even aware of it. I’m so glad you stayed safe through all the perils you lived through, and I’m sure many of them you didn’t even know about at the time! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing with us. I thought about joining the Peace Corps when I was young, too, but I was not brave enough!

      • I don’t know that brave would be the right word. I was inspired by Kennedy’s speech when he announced forming it. I had to finish high school and college before I could join, but it was just something I decided to do and aimed for it. As for incidents where things were a bit dicey, yes there were more than I admitted at the time. Some times a situation would change while you were in the middle of something and there was no backing out, just hoping for the best. The las six months or so, Marcos was starting to make his move to take over the Philippines and things got interesting. Troops and artillery were moving through town and some intimidating tactics were used towards me. When you are out in the boondocks you just sort of cross your fingers and hope things don’t get out of hand. It was still a wonderful experience with wonderful people.

      • I think you were very brave! And how insightful of President Kennedy to form that organization. You have some wonderful experiences and great memories from those years, for sure!

  32. I know I’ve had a few close calls where I must have given my guardian angel a workout. I thank the Lord He looks out for me as I’m not always paying attention like I should.

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