Cathy McDavid

Cathy McDavid has been penning Westerns for Harlequin since 2005. With over 55 titles in print and 1.6 million-plus books sold, Cathy is also a member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll. This “almost” Arizona native and mother of grown twins is married to her own real-life sweetheart. After leaving the corporate world seven years ago, she now spends her days penning stories about good looking cowboys riding the range, busting broncs, and sweeping gals off their feet — oops, no. Make that winning the hearts of feisty, independent women who give the cowboys a run for their money. It a tough job, but she’s willing to make the sacrifice.

Two Astounding Women and their Sidesaddle Jumping Records

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When I first started riding as a youngster in Arizona, like so many, I began with a good old Western saddle. But that didn’t last long. I had a fascination with the English style of hunter/jumper. My mom was surprised hut decided to indulge this temporary fad of mine — which wound up lasting a decade before I switched back to Western because, well, my boyfriend at the time was a cowboy. No judging, okay 🙂

While people probably think of jumping horses as eloquent and graceful, like dressage, and not as rough and tumble and difficult as Western, jumping tall fences and walls is, in fact, quite hard and requires a lot of skill from both the rider and the horse. So, when I recently stumbled upon this story about Esther Stace, an Australian woman who set the sidesaddle jumping record of 6’6” in 1915, I was naturally intrigued. Especially when I learned her record stood for an impressive 98 years until October 24, 2013.

Susan Oakes, the woman who eventually broke the record, is an Irish equestrian who trained extensively for her event. Susan not only broke the record, she beat it by two inches, clearing a wall 6’8” high. Wow! I mean, how does an animal weighing 1200 pounds get that much air?

It wasn’t until months later that The Guinness World Records contacted her to say they wanted to verify and recognize her record. Fortunately, Susan had her jump videoed and photographed and several officials presents. She is now and still the proud holder of the record these past five years. Let’s see how long she can go.

Myself, I can’t imagine jumping a 6’8” wall, much less in a sidesaddle. My hat off to these incredible women — and their horses. What an amazing accomplishment.

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Cathy McDavid

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Good Morning Everyone.

I’m going to let you all in on a well kept secret. I’m not much of a cook. I manage in that you won’t starve. And my homemade soups are actually pretty good. But I just don’t have the touch. Not like my mother did. She was a wonderful cook, which is why I’m amazed and a little shocked I wasn’t born with the good cook gene.

So, both in honor of my mom, and because she left me her collection of recipes, I’m going to share one her hers and a particular favorite of mine: apricot cream pie. This recipe does take a little effort to prepare, but I guarantee you, the results are worth it. So delicious. A real treat for a Sunday dinner or any special occasion.

Ingredients:

2 4-oz packages of Jell-O Vanilla pudding mix

1 pkg (6-oz) dried apricots (more if desired)

1 qt. milk

1/2 pint whipping cream (can used store bought )

1 baked pie crust (store bought or make your own)

 

Directions:

Cook apricots in water until tender – time can vary depending on the apricots and how many

Chop cooled apricots into tiny pieces

Make pudding according to directions on box

Cool slightly, then stir in apricots

Fill pie shell (there may be some filling left over) and chill till firm

Whip the whipping cream with two teaspoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (if desired)

Top pie and continue chilling until set

coconut cream pie

Celebrating Cathy McDavid’s Latest Release

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Morning Everyone,

I don’t usually do much personal horn tootin’ here at P&P, unless it’s Yee-Haw Day or a seasonal event. But this week my book, HER SURPRISE COWBOY GROOM, released, and I just have to celebrate. I started this book over two years ago but then set it aside when I lost my mom and took a short break from writing. When I was ready to return to work, I had to start on another book per my contract schedule and then wrote yet another book when an opportunity came around that was too good to pass up. Finally, I returned to HER SURPRISE COWBOY GROOM and, at last, the book has hit the shelves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase HER SURPRISE COWBOY GOOM

To celebrate the release, I’m participating in a blog tour. If you’re interested in following along, the landing page is here. You’ll see the different blogs listed by dates if you scroll down. Oh, and there’s a giveaway with two winners receiving a books and author bling package.

Her Surprise Cowboy Groom Blog Tour

The reviews are just starting to come out and so far, so good. I’ve even received a couple five star reviews at two different review sites. Whew! It’s always a nail-biter.

One of the best parts of participating in a blog tour is I get interviewed or am asked to answer some get-to-know-you questions. Those are always fun. You know what might be even more fun? If I posted a few of those questions here.

What made you go all in and start writing?

Like a lot of writers, I was bitten by the bug early. For me, in high school. I wrote several children’s stories, one illustrated book, poetry, and lots and lots of essays. It wasn’t until college that I attempted my first book, which was in fact a novella. One should note, the story was a romance, both sweet and full of angst. I really wanted to be a writer. Then, after college, earning a living took priority, and I set my dream of becoming a writer aside.

When my kids were in preschool, the bug returned and bit me hard. As I loved reading romantic suspense (and still do), I wrote a 110,000 word tome. Took me about a year. The book wasn’t very good, but it did light a fire in me that is still burning bright today after almost 60 published books.

What first piqued your interest with contemporary cowboys and what was your original vision?

As I often tell people, I owned horses and lived the cowboy lifestyle for most of my life. Like they say, write what you know. I Actually started out penning small-town stories, another of my favorite. It wasn’t until my tenth published book or so that I had a cowboy hero, a former rodeo competitor at a crossroads in life. Shortly after the book came out, my editor approached me about writing contemporary westerns for the line. That was it. I became hooked (And in case you’re interested, that book was Cowboy Dad, my first official contemporary western)

What is the funniest thing to happen to you that ended up in a book?

This is a hard question. I tend to write serious books. I don’t have a place to use all the funny things that happen to me. If I had to pick one, it would be when my twins were little, I needed a quick place to sit and used their little training toilet. At that moment, our houseguests walked in and found me. They were much more embarrassed than me. Raising twins thickens your skin. A few years later, I had my hero walk in on my heroine while she was using a training toilet as a seat.

Okay, well I imagine that last one was more about me than you wanted to know 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me share the release of this special book, HER SUPRISE COWBOY GROOM. And if you’re curious how much research I had to do to write a fashion designer heroine, the answer is plenty. Among other things, I binge watched reality fashion design shows 🙂

Riders of the Purple Sage – 5 Movie Versions

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We went out to dinner with friends a couple weekends ago and had a lovely time. One topic of discussion that came up was the famous western author Zane Grey and how many times his book, Riders of the Purple Sage was made into a movie. I insisted it was five, while one of our companions was certain it was four. Well, I was correct. But the real takeaway from this story is that a classic western book has been into a movie five times. That’s pretty impressive.

The first was in 1918 and starred William Farnum and Mary Mersch. Yes, it was a silent movie.

 

The second was in 1925 and starred Tom Mix (a very popular cowboy actor who appeared in 291 films) and Mabel Ballin. This was also a silent movie.

The third, the first movie with sound, was in 1931 and starred George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill.

The fourth was in 1941 and starred George Montgomery (married to Dinah Shore and once engaged to Hedy Lamar) and Mary Howard (a founding member of Recording for the Blind.

The fifth and last was in 1996 and starred Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. This was a TV movie and not a theatrical release.

Other interesting tidbits about this book. In 1952, Dell released a comic book version. It was also adapted into an opera by compose Craig Bohmler — our dinner companion knew and offered up this fact. Three separate western bands have gone by the name Riders of the Purple Sage. Lastly, the author breaks a huge rule by telling the story from an anonymous third-person, omniscient point-of-view.

I’ve watched the 1931, 1941 and 1996 movies, though years ago. I’m thinking now I need to search online and find out if there’s a way I can watch the first two. Would be interesting comparing them to the others.

Naming My Donkey Contest Winners

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Oh, my! There were so many fantastic names suggested, I had an incredibly hard time choosing. In fact, it was so hard, I had to pick two runners up who will receive a free book.  Thank you so much to everyone who participated. I had a blast with the contest. I hope you did, too.

Winners, please email me at:  cathymcdavid@yahoo.com and send me your mailing address. I’ll get out the grand prize winner package and the two runner up books early next week.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

First place winner of the prize package – Elaine Kiefer with “Minnie Pearl”. I love this name because the donkey is a miniature breed, and her hug bray is like the real life Minnie Pearl’s big loud “Howdy” she always said when she greeted the audience. It’s a perfect name 🙂

First runner up is Melanie Backus with “Earlene”. That is just too adorable.

Second runner up is Laurie Gommerman with Braysalot. Such a funny name.

 

Needing a Little Help Today Contest

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Argh! I’m in a major deadline for the next couple of weeks and surfaced long enough today to realize — oops, I have a blog to write for Petticoats & Pistols. Well, needless to say, my mind is in a major fog. My current book is giving me the fits. I like the story, I do, but I’m having to plow through the pages. My best friend tells me this will probably turn out to be my favorite book. Hmm. What does she know?

So, back to my blog. I figured I might have some fun with it and, hopefully, fun for all of us. Why not a contest related to my current fit-giving book? Yeah, great idea, right?

I have a miniature donkey in the story that my hero Ridge has agreed to temporarily foster and will likely wind up keeping. He’s that way. Tough on the outside and a marshmallow on the inside. I imagine the donkey to look something like this sweet girl:

She has a particular trait – a really loud and distinctive bray, one that sounds much too big for her small size. Her bray also echoes and reverberates off the barn walls like a tornado siren. It’s rather comical, when Ridge and my heroine Elena aren’t covering their poor ears.

Here’s my problem. I need a cute name for the donkey. One that reflects her particular vocal abilities and, perhaps, her small size. To figure out a name, I thought I might have a little contest here at P&P. Submit your ideas in the comments – as many as you want, no limit – and I’ll choose a winner at the end of the day. The name will then go into my book, and the winner will get a prize package that includes one of my cowboy coffee mugs, Starbucks gift card, a book or two, and some author swag (I need to add, U.S. shipping only – sorry). The package will be similar to the picture below but not exactly the same. Fun, huh? And, really, you’d be doing me a big favor. I can use all the help I can get with this book ?

 

 

 

Rocking Chair Trivia Quiz!

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I’ve been having a lot of fun researching my new series, The Rocking Chair Ranch. For no reason in particular, this got me to thinking about the history of rocking chairs. I mean, did they start with mothers wanting a way to soothe their fussy babies to sleep or elderly people who sought to relieve their weary bones? Whichever, rocking chairs have long provided natural relief for life’s little discomforts.

So, just for fun, I put together a short trivia quiz about rocking chairs. Let’s see how many of them you get right. Answers are at the bottom.

  1. When was the first rocking chair invented and where?
  2. Which came first, rocking chairs, rocking horses, or cradles?
  3. Which president had an affinity for rocking chairs (due to a back problem) and owned 14.
  4. Rocking chairs were originally designed as outdoor furniture – true or false?
  5. According to Irish legend, what does an empty rocking chair mean?
  6. Where is the world’s largest rocking chair?
  7. What does the saying ‘off your rocker’ mean?

  1. In 1725, some ingenious person decided to fasten skates to the bottom of an English Yorkshire Windsor chair. It might have looked a little like this chair. Maybe. That person was from North American, so the rocking chair is truly an American invention.

                             

  1. Rocking horses (early 1600s) and cradles (late 1400s) were around long before the rocking chair.

  1. John F. Kennedy. His doctor recommended rocking chairs for is back woes.

  1. True – rocking chairs were invented for the outdoors first.

  1. It’s an invitation for evil spirits — which explains why my mom always put decorative pillows on the seat of our rocking chair.

  1. Casey, Illinois. The chair weighs 46,000 pounds and is made of recycled wood and pipe. That is one big chair.

  1. A little crazy, possible because old people who can suffer from senility often rock in their chairs.

I hope you had a good time today. I learned a lot more about rocking chairs that I put in this post. Hopefully, I’ll find a place for some of it in one of my stories. Thanks for joining me and, in closing, here’s a rocking chair quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

“There are rainy days in autumn and stormy days in winter when the rocking chair in front of the fire simply demands an accompanying book.”

CHRISTMAS CAROLS – Do You Hear What I Hear?

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I grew up in a singing family. Not that we a group or anything — though being the next Trapp Family Singers was a secret dream of mine when I was a little kid — but we did fill the house with music. Like my mom, I sang in church choirs. I was also a member of various school choirs, had roles in school musicals, and sang backup in a few bands through college (in case you’re wondering, my daughter followed in my and my mom’s footsteps). As you can imagine, I sang a lot of Christmas songs during those years in choir and chorus. I still do sing them. In fact, Let It Snow is playing in the background as I’m writing this post 🙂

One of my favorite classic Christmas carols is “Do You Hear What I Hear?” My mother, a huge Bing Crosby fan, liked his version the best, and that’s the one I heard played non-stop during the holidays as a kid. I admit, Mom and I differed on our feelings about Bing. How, decades later, I wound up marrying a man who is a huge Bing Cosby fan, I’ll never know. I prefer the Carrie Underwood or Whitney Houston versions of “Do You Hear What I Hear?”. Whoever sings the song, however, you have to admit, it’s a very moving piece.

Despite singing this song hundreds of times, I admit to knowing nothing about its history until I researched for this post. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written in 1962 by Noel Regney (lyrics) and Gloria Shayne (music) who were married at the time. To my surprise, I learned the meaning behind the song wasn’t to celebrate Christmas but, rather, it was a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Apparently, Regney was asked to write a Christmas song, but he had reservations because of the commercialism associated with Christmas. He overcame his reservations to write some of the most beautiful lyrics there are and a holiday classic.

That, too, makes this song interesting and different from so many others. Noel and his wife Gloria collaborated on many songs together, but usually he wrote the music and she wrote the lyrics. The opposite of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” It’s said that Noel drew his inspiration from watching babies being pushed in strollers on the sidewalks of New York City (Pray for peace people everywhere). Years later, his wife Shayne discussed the emotions surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis in an interview and said, “Our little song broke us up. You must realize there was a threat of war at the time.”

From now on, whenever I hear this song, I’ll remember the reason behind it, and that “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is much more than a nice little Christmas ditty. There is a timeless message in the words that is as meaningful today as it was sixty years ago.

And just in case you agree with my mom about Bing Cosby, here’s a link to a YouTube video of him singing “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Bing Cosby singing “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

A Thanksgiving Cornucopia of Holiday Wishes

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Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone Here at Petticoats and Pistols!

While I have many fond memories of this holiday, one stands out in particular from when I was in first grade. For a class project, we made a cornucopia. Each of us brought in an item to be placed in the cornucopia. My contribution was a small, dried gourd. Growing up in Connecticut, our cornucopia was very traditional and looked a little like the one below.

The teacher also gave us a little lesson on the history or cornucopias, or, as it’s sometimes called, a horn of plenty. The name is Latin in its roots and the earliest references to cornucopias are found in Greek and Roman mythology. It’s become associated with the harvest (an often late summer and fall occurrence in the Northern hemisphere) and prosperity.

Original cornucopias were likely made of woven baskets or pottery. These days, people have become very creative, both with the material used to construct the cornucopias and what goes in them. Here’s some really clever ideas.

Lots of healthy fruits

 

Not so healthy candy, but yummy!

 

Pretty flowers

 

Pastry filled with Waldorf salad – my favorite

 

And if you have nothing on hand, use a paper bag 🙂

I hope whatever your plans are for the day and the long weekend, they’re filled with fun and joy and lots of good food. Whether you’re celebrating with family and friends over a big dinner on Thursday, watching football, Black Friday shopping, traveling, or simply enjoying a little R&R at home, we here at P&P wish you and yours all the best.

 

“Hay-loween” Fun

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Today is free day here at Petticoats and Pistols, and it’s my turn. Yay! It’s also Halloween. Now, it’s been a long time since my kids were young enough to dress up in costumes and walk around the neighborhood, and I don’t yet have any grandchildren or other youngins’ to dote on and enjoy. We neighbor gals get together, set up a table in front of someone’s house, have hot chocolate or apple cider and pass out candy while chit-chatting. It’s great fun and a way for me to really enjoy the holiday more than just dispensing candy at the door.

Back in the day, both when I was a kid and when I had kids, we not only dressed up in costumes, we dressed up our horses – and had a grand time. Well, you here at Petticoat & Pistols know that I love pictures. So, after searching the internet for a while, I came up with these adorable kids and their horses or ponies in costumes. I absolutely love people’s imagination and talent.

 

                                       

Batman and Robin                                         Pirate and their parrot

 

                   

Super Mario                                                                 McDonalds

 

                           

A knight and their horse                                                               Alice and the Mad Hatter

                           

A farmer riding his John Deer tractor                                        Buzz Lightyear

 

Darth Vader and Storm Trooper

 

This is one of my favorites. A barista and Starbucks coffee.

 

 

And, okay, while this technically isn’t a horse costume, it is pretty cute. You have to admit it 🙂

 

So, what are your plans for tonight? Whatever they may be, stay safe and have fun!

Petticoats & Pistols