Book #2 of the Petticoats and Cowboys series-THIS MONTH–and a giveaway

by

Last month,

Petticoat Ranch

and now

Calico Canyon

These are re-releases of out of print books that I love.

I have a chance to get them back in print with Wild Heart Books Publishing and I’m excited about it.

A few things I remember about Calico Canyon

  1. My mother-in-law was one of my favorite people on the planet. For most of her life…the part I was in…I considered her one of my best friends. She passed away fourteen years ago and I still think of her often and wish I could tell her some story that would make her laugh. I dedicated Calico Canyon to her. The mother of seven sons, of which My Cowboy Husband was number 6. She read the book and said, “My children didn’t behave the way these five boys did.” Completely true because NO CHILDREN ever behaved the way these five boys do.
  2. I got word of a contract offer for Calico Canyon the same week my daughter got married. Third daughter, but first to marry. The contract made the wedding FAR LESS PAINFUL to pay for and I really appreciated it.
  3. Calico Canyon got nominated for a Christy Award. Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I’m a firm…THE NOMINATION IS THE AWARD…person. Sure you can always upgrade what you say, WINNER instead of FINALIST. But no one’s taking that finalist award away and I always cherished this. I did NOT win but they announce the winner by reading the first sentence of the book. And the first sentence of Calico Canyon is, “The five horsemen of the Apocalypse rode in. Late as usual.” I always loved that as an opening for a book and I wanted so badly for them to read that out. Nope.
  4. And the wedding scene in Calico Canyon ranks up with, In My Opinion, the funniest thing I’ve ever written.

Calico Canyon, coming April 28. Can anyone remember a favorite first line from a book? I’ve got a few from other books that I love.

Grace McKennon’s Wonderbra saved her life. From Julie Garwood…Grace Under Fire

There’s just no good way to pick up a human head. From Alex Kava…A Necessary Evil

And the classic, Jane Austin…It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

And of course…

“The five horsemen of the Apocalypse rode in. Late as usual.

What about our Petticoat and Pistol readers? Have you got a favorite? Comment on your favorite first lines to get your name in a drawing for an ebook copy of Calico Canyon.

Calico Canyon

A runaway teacher, a bewildered widower, and five rambunctious boys who need a mother whether they want one or not. Perfect for fans of Tracie Peterson and Karen Witemeyer.

Grace Calhoun never imagined teaching school in Texas would lead to marriage—especially not to the infuriating Daniel Reeves.

When Grace flees her adoptive father’s cruelty by hiding in a stranger’s wagon, the town parson insists on an immediate wedding, leaving Grace trapped in marriage to a stubborn widower with five unruly sons—the very boys who made her teaching job impossible.

Daniel Reeves has no intention of risking his heart—or another wife—to childbirth.

Still grieving the loss of his first wife, Daniel wants nothing to do with the prim schoolmarm forced into his family. He’ll build her a house and provide for her needs, but he’ll keep his distance. His sons need a mother, but he refuses to fall in love again.

Snowed in together for a long Texas winter, walls begin to crumble.

As Grace discovers the courage she thought she’d lost, she transforms from a frightened woman on the run to a fierce protector of her new family. The boys who once tormented her become the children of her heart. And the husband who swore to keep his distance? He’s finding it harder each day to resist his spirited wife.

But when Grace’s dangerous past catches up to her, she must choose between running again or standing firm in the faith that brought her to Calico Canyon—even if it costs her everything.

A tender tale of found family, healing love, and the faithfulness of God in the midst of life’s unexpected turns.

 

30 thoughts on “Book #2 of the Petticoats and Cowboys series-THIS MONTH–and a giveaway”

  1. I always go with Jane Austen.

    But Dickens is good, too. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

  2. “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. From Louisa May Alcott…Little Women

  3. As the mother of seven sons myself you just never know what to expect. It’s such a blessing to have them in my life. ?

  4. I have 2 sons and they always made life interesting. I can’t think of any first lines right now .

  7. One of my favorite first sentences if from Beloved by Robin Lee Hatcher. To say the least, it was inconsiderate for Diana’s almost dead husband to show up at her engagement party.

  9. “They didn’t say anything about this in the books, I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back.”
    From All Creatures Great & Small by James Herriot. He’s in the middle of a difficult calving at 2 am!

  10. It has been so long since I read them, I can’t think of a good line. I remember though that I loved the books.

  11. I am the youngest of seven, not seven sons, but seven children. Mother had three sons, then us four daughters. Always something fun going on at our house. Can’t think of any catchy first lines but your books sound amazing. Can’t wait to read them.

  13. Christmas hung in the air like the promise of something wonderful.”Forever In Alaska” by Belle Calhoune. Your book sounds like a great read. Not entering this ebook giveaway as I am not tech savvy, but Thank you

  14. Good Thursday Afternoon Mary,

    “Karly turned the wipers to the highest setting, but they didn’t help much.” From A TEXAS CHRISTMAS WISH by Jolene Navarro. The second sentence helps explain, “She knew the ranchers in Clear Water, Texas, were celebrating after the long drought, but she just wanted to get to her new home without drowning.”

    Thank you,

    Julie Bullock

  16. Welcome Mary. Oh but this sounds like a wonderful book. Please county me in.
    “Deborah Harkness came awake with a snap, her hand already steady on the six-gun under her pillow.” (The Accidental Guardian)

  17. In the town they tell the story of the great pearl – how it was found and how it was lost again.

  19. Hi Mary,
    I’ll be honest upfront: with 65 books and a Carol Award on your shelf, you don’t need me to explain Christian romance to you.
    What I want to talk about is something specific to this particular reissue and the window it opens.
    The 2026 Kindle reissue of Calico Canyon as Petticoats and Cowboys Book 2 is a deliberate commercial decision. Someone has decided this story deserves a new generation of readers. I think that decision is correct and I think the channel that will move it most powerfully is the one that moves all great Christian romance: not algorithms, not BookTok, but the church book club coordinator who trusts her community’s reading life and is always looking for the next book she can put in front of her group with full confidence.
    That coordinator and the thousands like her across denominational networks, women’s ministry reading circles, and Christian library systems does not discover new titles through Amazon recommendations. She discovers them through trusted peer networks, faith-based reading guides, and the inspirational fiction communities on Facebook and Goodreads that function entirely on personal recommendation.
    Calico Canyon is precisely the book she is looking for. Grace’s story courage reclaimed through faith, family found in the most unexpected of places, love built on something sturdier than feeling is exactly what those communities are assembled around.
    I work with a premium author services team and I have a specific community placement strategy for the Petticoats and Cowboys reissue series one built around activating that church and faith-community reader network deliberately rather than waiting for organic discovery to do the work alone.
    Would 15 minutes be worth your time?
    Warm regards,
    Abigail Gagnon
    Premium Author Services

  21. I love your five horsemen of the Apocalypse line! I can’t think of any other amazing first lines right off. You always seem to come up with some creative ones and awesome stories. I love all your independent, capable women characters!

  23. Love that line too and I just love your books. they’re so many good ones out, there Jane Austin and many others. I love Christmas so much, Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

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Petticoats & Pistols