Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Karen Witemeyer
Previously known as the RITA, the Vivian is one of the most prestigious awards for romance fiction. I’m incredibly honored to represent western and inspirational romance as a finalist in the category for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements.
YeeHaw!!!
Margaret Brownley
Some of you may know that I lost my dear husband five years ago after fifty years of marriage. As incredible as it seems, I’ve recently met a wonderful man and we’re getting married. I’m truly blessed. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to have found another good man who wants to spend his life with me. His name is Jim and the wedding is set for June 5th. Can’t wait!
On the book front, The Outlaw’s Daughter, has been selected as a finalist in the HOLT Medallion Contest in the Historical category.
Pam Crooks
After a long Nebraska winter of cloudy, cold days, brown grass, and leafless trees, spring has sprung! Yee-Haw! Even better, the days have FINALLY grown warm enough for us to open our cabin at the lake.
I hunted for a lake cabin for 15 years before finally finding ours. Believe it or not, it was a Craigslist deal, a little fixer-upper (which was super fun because we were retired and my husband is really good at fixing up things), and we were able to transform our little get-away into a place we are proud of. It has become a family treasure and memory-maker for our grandchildren.
Life is good. Double-Yee-Haw!
Fun decorations on the inside and vibrant red geraniums on the outside.
Nature abounds.
The view from our dock, and our Golden Retriever, Louie, enjoying the lake as much as we do!
Jeannie Watt
I just got word that my sweet Christmas story, A Home forthe Holidays, is a finalist in the Holt Medallion Contest. I’m so excited to have this story recognized because it was such fun to write. The winners are chosen in June, but being nominated is enough for me.
Shanna Hatfield
I am excited to share some books news and a few other fun things with you today!
The incredibly talented Josephine Blake of Covers and Cupcakes gave me sweet contemporary western Learning the Ropes a makeover. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this cover. It’s pretty, and wonderful, and so perfect for Ty and Lexi’s story. And the really fun thing is that this book is an unofficial prequel to my Summer Creek series, which is set in the nearby town of Summer Creek.
Speaking of Summer Creek, the fourth book in the series is now available for pre-orders for just $2.99!
Isn’t the cover of Distracting the Deputy dreamy? I just love the way it turned out. I purchased the cover image from Shana Bailey Photography. You’ll find her artwork on the other three books in the series, too!
This book was just awesome to write. I love both Knox and Zadie’s characters, and I hope you will, too! The book releases June 22!
My niece, Katie, is graduating next month. She came to see me Saturday and we spent the day taking her senior photos. This is one of my favorites. I’m so proud of this sweet, lovely girl!
Spring has sprung and I am in love with the glorious shades of the season. Maybe it’s because winter seemed like it lasted forever that I’m so deeply grateful for the colorful joy spring is bringing this year.
Hopefully book news soon (cross your fingers for me) but right now, I’m ecstatic to be taking my first trip in a year and a half! Next week I’ll be flying to Oregon to meet up with my two fishing buds – we have over 20 years of memories! Fly fishing all day, and at night, it’s like a high school sleepover!
Cheryl Pierson
What a wonderful day we had here today! Hubby and I both have gotten both our shots, and daughter, son, and daughter-in-law have gotten their first one (plus, they’ve all three already had COVID last year!) We got together for Easter and “belated” March birthdays in our household. My hubby turned 70 on March 31, and my daughter-in-law, Kayla, celebrated her birthday on the 15th of March. Here’s what happened through Max (white lab) and Sammy’s (brown love-dog) eyes!
It’s so hard to wait. We haven’t seen them in so long! We’ll just be right here on our bed looking for them–maybe it’ll make them come faster!They’re here! I will roll on the ground and kick my legs for joy!
Well, that didn’t last long enough! Everyone is leaving! Pooey!I can’t believe it’s over! I did get a new bone today, though.I’m tired. A fun day, but I’m worn out now. I’m getting very sleepy!
I’m already gone, brother. So tired my tongue’s hanging out!
A good time was had by all. Happy Easter, everyone!
Kit Morgan
A Cover Reveal!
This was too pretty not to share! Autumn’s release date will be April 30th. I’ll be getting the book up for pre-order this week. In the mean time, feast your eyes! Love those spring time colors!
Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he’s inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin’s supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life.
But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other’s throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm.
Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can’t help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin–and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody’s dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?
Julie Benson
Meet the newest Benson foster dogs–Axel and Brody!
Our sweet foster Axel.
Our sweet foster Brody getting some snuggle time with my hubby
Our sweet boy Dax, has recovered from Parvo, gained weight, and gone to a fabulous forever home where he is loved and has two children to play with.
Dax enjoying a previous snow day.
Our foster Dax.
Margaret Brownley
Wooing the Schoolmarm
If only they can learn to ignore each other, they might stop the sparks from igniting between them.
Miss Maddie Percy had come all the way from Washington D.C. to teach school in Colton Kansas. Instead, the feisty red-haired schoolmarm finds the town burned to the ground and her only shelter an isolated sod house belonging to widower Luke Tyler and his young son, Matthew. Never one to be deterred by setbacks, Maddie is soon making friends with the local Indians, setting up a tepee to live in, and finding her blood racing every time Luke comes near.
Luke Tyler has no room in his life for a woman—especially one as eccentric, spunky, and smart as Maddie Percy. His prairie farm life is too harsh, his memories too painful and his secrets too dark to give in to the feelings she has awakened in him. She might be stealing his son’s heart, but he is keeping his own out of reach. If only he could keep the sparks between them from igniting something as dangerous as love.
Karen Witemeyer
I have the best fans in the world! Thanks to you, I made it into the top five for Family Fiction’s 40 Essential Christian Romance Authors for the third year in a row. What an amazing honor! This list was determined strictly by fan vote, so that makes it that much more special to me.
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If you’d like to see where your favorite Christian authors landed in the poll, you can access the article here.
Fellow filly, Mary Connealy made the list as well. YeeHaw!!
Jeannie Watt
I’m happy to announce that I just signed a contract to write a third Harding Brothers book for Tule Publishing. Here are the first two in the series. I can’t wait to revisit these guys!
Shanna Hatfield
I’m happy to share that Lilac Bride is now available! You can find it on Amazon in both digital and paperback format, and it’s also available in Kindle Unlimited for those with KU subscriptions!
When wedding plans go awry, wily matchmakers come to the rescue . . .
Katherine Kelly has been dreaming of her wedding since she was old enough to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them into her bridal binder. When Kaden, the handsome cowboy who holds her heart, proposes on a snowy Christmas Eve, she couldn’t envision anything more perfect or romantic. The spring date is set, all the nuptial details have been meticulously arranged, and she only has six weeks to go before the big day. Then, in a blink, her carefully formed plans begin to rapidly unravel. A freak snowstorm, rampaging rodents, and a lost wedding gown are only the beginning of the troubles they face.
Cowboy entrepreneur Kaden Ford still can’t quite believe Katherine Kelly agreed to marry him. She’s beautiful, elegant, intelligent, and the woman who fills his heart with joy. He doesn’t care if they get married in a cathedral or a cabin in the woods. All he wants is to spend his life loving Kat. But when faced with one overwhelming challenge after another, will love be enough to hold them together?
Find out in this sweet, charming, small-town romance full of laughter, love, and scheming octogenarian matchmakers.
I’m also excited to share that I have a new nephew! Shane and his mama are both doing great and thriving. And Shane’s big brother, TJ, thinks he’s pretty neat, too. I recently got to pay them a visit, and took my dad along. The middle names of my little nephews are after my Dad, which is so sweet. TJ loves clocks, or ticktocks as he calls them. He had a great time playing with his great-grandpa’s watch while we were there.
Cheryl Pierson
Y’all, I’m “YEE-HAWING” today about these warmer temperatures we have in Oklahoma City after that devastating 2 weeks of below freezing Siberian winter air we experienced! Oh, my GOODNESS!
I WISH MOM WOULD LET US GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY IN THE SNOW!
But we were fortunate! We had power the entire time, though we were scheduled to be included in the rolling blackouts. That didn’t happen for our neighborhood, and I was so grateful that the power stayed on. We laid in a TON of firewood “just in case” though! Water was a different story–though we had water, there were about 2 days of it being brown, and even having visible dirt and grass in it. We were advised that “you might want to boil it before using it”–UM…YEAH.
FINALLY! WE GET OUR CHANCE! AND WE LOVE TO EAT SNOW!
But not everyone was sad about those extremely low temperatures and the SNOW we got with it! Sammy and Max enjoyed it for brief bits of time throughout the day. They are like kids, and needed to go out and play (among other things!) They kept us entertained and smiling. I hope you all made it through that “Siberian winter blast” without too much difficulty! Spring is on the way, and can’t get here soon enough for us.
PLAYING IS HARD WORK–ESPECIALLY CHASING ALL THOSE SNOWFLAKES! TIME FOR A REST!
Karen Kay
When I first started putting my older titles — which had been mass market paperbacks — into e-books, I did it without realizing the amount of errors that can happen to a book simply because of the conversion. And so one by one, I’ve been re-editing these early titles and updating the covers and putting them out as 25th Year Anniversary books.
Lakota Princess is the third (3rd) book we’ve now re-edited, updated the cover and re-released. It’s quite a project and I have six books yet to go (the rest of my books were thoroughly edited once I realized the problem).
This is the 3rd book in the Lakota series and it is currently on sale for $.99.
That makes the Lakota Series (a series of 3 books) my first series to be out as 25th Year Anniversary books. Yay!
Here’s the series book covers from Amazon’s series page. The books are: LAKOTA SURRENDER; PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN; LAKOTA PRINCESS.
Here’s blurb of this book:
A love that defies the ocean. A secret deeper than blood.
Lakota Princess, Book 3
Driven from her home in England by hostile political forces, Estrela was little more than a girl when she came to be raised by a far western Lakota tribe. On the wide, sweeping plains she grew tall and strong, and won the love of a handsome warrior.
But on the eve of their marriage, she is torn away from her native family, torn from the man she loves, and forced to return to a place that feels more like a foreign country than her home. There she merely exists, haunted by her love’s sweet kisses and heated embrace, yearning for his unforgettable touch.
Black Bear has braved the ocean to find the woman whose beauty has captured his soul. But no sooner has he arrived in England than he is called upon to save her life. Who in their right mind would want to murder such a gentle spirit?
As Black Bear comes between her and death time after time, Estrela wishes they could both just disappear back to the plains, and bury the secret she has long hidden –- even from him. A secret from which only their love, truer than blood, can save them.
This is the 25th year Anniversary Edition of this book.
Warning: Sensuous romance that contains separated lovers who will let nothing come between them…not oceans, her mysterious past, or a murderer bent on destroying their future.
Pam Crooks
Pre-Order Now!
Book #3 in my Blackstone Ranch series from Tule Publishing!
Shandi Flanagan has lived in Paxton Springs, Texas, her whole life. When the bar and grill she’s been working at since high school comes up for sale, she vows to find the money to buy it. But when her house goes up in flames, so do her entrepreneurial dreams. The only good thing to come of it? Being rescued by the hottest cowboy around, Jace Paxton.
Jace has his hands full finding a way to grow his family’s vacation resort and tracking down the rustlers who stole his new herd of calves. At least being able to save Shandi, the town’s favorite sweetheart, goes right. She needs a place to stay, and there’s plenty of room on the Blackstone Ranch.
But he needs the bar and grill as much as she does. And while he’s a formidable competitor…she’s not. How can he take away her dream and future? How could she love him if he did?
Kit Morgan
The latest Clear Creek Brides Book is here!
Ruby Bennett is on the shelf. Okay, so they don’t call it that in Clear Creek. The residents prefer the term, “slow starter”. But at twenty-three, if she got any slower, she’d be in her grave before ever finding a husbad, so why kid herself? Worse, her best friend Merritt is now engaged, which only makes Ruby’s spinsterhood loom larger.
Peaceful Mathias Comfort (Matt for short) had plans and they didn’t include a wife. He had a business to build up, a one room cabin, and a brother willing to throw caution to the wind and take a wife. But not Matt. He would do things proper. But when he begins to accompany Ruby Bennett and her mother to help a family in need, he begins to learn that the best laid plans often go awry.
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Jeannie Watt
New Release! I’m happy to announce that the third and last book (so far….) of my sweet Holly, Idaho series comes out on February 2. Amazon
Three weeks to win her heart…
Investment banker Felicity Evans returns home to Holly, Idaho, to answer her injured father’s SOS. He needs her to help him meet his construction deadline on a historic property by Valentine’s Day. Felicity swings a mean hammer, but her life is in Seattle and she’s leaving as soon as the project is finished. One problem with her quick escape plan? Danny Montgomery. Years after moving away, he still complicates her life despite her many efforts to forget him.
For as long as Danny Montgomery can remember, Felicity Evans—Felix to him—has tied his heart in knots. She’s spent years avoiding him after their childhood rivalry, but, short on help, has no choice but to hire him to help her finish renovations on a keystone project for her father. This time, Danny won’t let her ignore her true feelings.
He has until Valentine’s Day to make her his. Can he convince Felix to give them one more chance and prove they’re a perfect match?
Linda Broday
COVER REVEAL!
BOOK 1 of a brand new series (Lone Star Legends) coming out in April!
There’s a new generation of Legends itching to make their mark.
Nothing writing related – but I am yee-hawing, because I just got a fishingboat! I’m an avid fisherman who has spent the past six years where there is no above-ground water. We’ve moved to where I have two lakes and a river within 15 miles of me, and I’m so excited I can’t sleep at night!
Meet Bubba Not the guy, that’s my husband. The boat’s name is Bubba!
Karen Kay
Howdy!
At present, I have three of my books on sale for $.99 cents. The first one is “out-wide” at various platforms. The other two are at Amazon only. I’m going to leave the covers of them here so you can see what ones they are:
I’ve received my first ever review from Publishers Weekly! Yee-Haw!
This international magazine and website was founded in 1872 and has published continuously since then. It’s a weekly trade publication for publishers, authors, agents, librarians, booksellers, etc. They are tough, selective in what they read and review, and just to be chosen from a mountain of submissions is a very good thing!
The review, in part (because I don’t want to give my book away!)
“. . . this contemporary western should please Crooks’s existing fans and earn her new ones.”
Coming February 16th!
PREORDER Her Texas Cowboy, Book #2 in the Blackstone Ranch series:
I’d love to announce a new book but since I don’t have one coming out in the near future, I’m going to make a announcement about a chapter in another book … the book of life. Our oldest granddaughter is engaged to one of the nicest men I know. They met when she was in college and he was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He went on with his career in the military and was stationed all over the world, while she finished her education and became a Raspatory Therapist in Dallas. Their wedding will be in July 2020. I’m so proud of them.
We have gotten more snow and ice here in Oklahoma already this year that usually what we get all winter! But, I wanted to share Max and Sammy having a good time in the last snow storm we got earlier in December. At least THEY enjoyed it! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a VERY Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to 2021!
Who’s cold? Not us! Got the hot cocoa ready yet?Well, brother, it was good while it lasted. Maybe she’ll let us go out again later on…
Pam Crooks
Cover Reveal!
Book #3 and the last in my Blackstone Ranch series! And my, my, this cover is perfect!!
This is definitely the biggest YeeHaw of 2020 for us, and such a wonderful way to close out the year. Wyatt proposed on Christmas Eve, and trusted me enough to be the photographer for capturing the moment. We adore McKenna, and are so happy for the two of them.
Jeannie Watt
I have a new release, Once Upon a Winter Wedding. I’m so enjoying writing these sweet romances set in Holly, Idaho.
Can opposites attract and plan the perfect winter wedding?
Free-wheeling Stevie Evans is thrilled when her best friend announces she’s getting married and promises to help, never imagining she’d play wedding planner with her bestie’s uptight brother, Brant. She and Brant clashed several years ago and she’s avoided him ever since. But this time she can’t run or hide, and the buzz of attraction is stronger than ever.
Brant Gilroy’s meticulous life plan takes an unexpected turn when he hits a career bump on the same day as his sister’s wedding announcement. She wants to get married at the family tree farm, which he’s been restoring. Brant’s determined to make her day special despite his uncertain future, although he dreads working with her best friend—a woman who’s his complete opposite. So why can’t he get her out of his head?
As Brant and Stevie work together, Brant begins to wonder if they have more in common than they suspected. But how can he convince her that opposites can sometimes make the perfect team?
Also, pick up your copy today for Iron Wolf’s Bride, Book #2 in The Wild West Series, here: https://tinyurl.com/yysrzn8f
Kit Morgan
I have a new release, the second book in my Clear Creek Bride Series.
Two meddling matrons
A town full of spinsters
And one musicale …
The last thing Merritt O’Hare wants to do is perform in front of the whole town. For one, she can’t play the violin to save her life. And two, Benedict Comfort, the self-appointed leader of this musical fiasco irritates her to no end. But when Merritt finds a way to really get to him, she executes it with relish. Unfortunately, she might have bitten off more than she can chew on this one.
Benedict Comfort thinks Merritt O’Hare isn’t worth his time. Though he likes exchanging barbs with her, he can only take so much. And rehearsals with the woman and her friends are downright painful. None of them can play a whit! But he can. Imagine his surprise when he finds he likes teaching them. Toss in a ridiculous challenge Merritt presents him with and the game is on! But spending time with Merritt is doing more to him than bringing out his love of music. It’s opening his heart …
I am so proud of my hometown in the Texas Panhandle. Each New Years the newspaper names a Man and Woman of the Year. It is typically people who are philanthropists; thus, giving of themselves and their money.
This year our town awarded this honor to our hometown heroes … our first responders. I am honored to still live in the town I was born and raised in.
Thank you, Amarillo, Texas. I have some more great news to brag about, but will save it until tomorrow when I do my regular blog. Look forward to seeing you all.
Whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah, Feliz Navidad or something else, the Fillies wish you all the best through now and the coming year.
Thank you so much for your unfailing support and love for each of us atPetticoats and Pistols.
If it weren’t for you, there would be no need for books and we wouldn’t have a job.
The Fillies have wrapped their last gift and baked their last treat. While they wait for old St. Nick, they’re remembering a favorite Christmas.
We’d love for you to share one of yours.
Margaret Brownley
A favorite family tradition began by accident. When the children were small, I habitually bought Christmas presents throughout the year and hid them. The problem was, some presents were invariably forgotten until after Christmas. One gloomy January, while organizing my closet, I found a set of cars I’d intended Santa to leave under the tree. Not knowing how else to handle it, I entered the room where the boys were playing and announced, “Look what Santa left on the roof.”
Needless to say, the unexpected gift was a big hit. Every year after that, Santa left something on the housetop. The funny thing is, no one ever thought to ask what Mom was doing on the roof.
Christmas is all about family, and last year we tried something a little different. Instead of a big gift under the tree, we decided to give the kids a big experience. So the day after Christmas we piled in the car and drove 2.5 hours to Fort Worth. There we watched the latest Star Wars movie in IMAX, ate an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (browsing in the Barnes & Noble next door while we waited for our table to be ready), then finished the trip by doing an escape room. We had never done one before, but we loved working together to solve the puzzles and figure out the clues to the fantasy storyline. We even managed to solve it with a little grace from the operator who let us go a few minutes over our hour limit. Not knowing what would lie ahead the next year in 2020, I’m so thankful for this Christmas memory of travel and family fun!
Laura Drake
My best Christmas was a bit different – it was the year my dad quit drinking. After a horrible night of blood (he fell and cut his head – 18 stitches) and screaming (mom, at him), under the tree the next morning, he promised us he’d taken his last drink. We didn’t believe him – we’d heard it many times before. But good to his word, he didn’t, from then until he passed away, fifteen years later. Best. Gift. Ever.
Cheryl Pierson
One of the enduring memories that stands out for me of Christmas–every year–was how we had to orchestrate everything on Christmas morning so we could get it all on film! My dad loved to take pictures and developed a lot of his own pictures when he had time. BUT…he loved technology, too, and when those Super 8 movie cameras came out, he must have been first in line to get one. Every Christmas, he’d hook up the light bar and get the camera rolling. We’d all stumble out of bed, bleary-eyed, anxious to see what Santa had left for us (by that time, I was the only one left in our house that believed in Santa, since my sisters were older). Mom would invariably be calling, “WAIT! I have to put on some lipstick! Let me do something with my hair!” I would be chomping at the bit to start ripping and tearing my presents open, and of course, my older sisters were heaving sighs of frustration at the whole affair. Dad would yell, “COME ON, EL WANDA!” She’d yell back, “JUST A MINUTE! I’M COMING!” It’s so funny now–I can see what a comedy that would have been to an outsider–and it was so predictable. Every. Single. Year.
Linda Broday
My favorite Christmas was when I was about eight years old. My dad had been in an explosion at work around September and received 3rd degree burns on his face and hands. My mom spent many days and nights sitting with him and we didn’t know if he’d make it. On Christmas Eve my mom was back at the hospital and my oldest sister who was married stayed with me and my younger sister. As I went to bed that night, nothing seemed right. I didn’t know how we’d make it if my dad died. And I didn’t know if there would any gifts the next morning. Mom barely paid us any attention and worry sat in her eyes. When me and my sister woke up on Christmas Day, there were gifts and I knew we hadn’t been overlooked. Then my mom came and told us that our daddy was going to live and that was the best present of all. He was released from the hospital three months later. This memory has stuck with me and I’m always amazed by the power of God’s love. Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you find your own miracle.
Pam Crooks
After 45 years of marriage, four daughters, and now ten grandchildren, my treasure chest of precious Christmas memories is overflowing. But there is one that stands out.
We always lay out a table of snacks to munch on during gift-opening. Several years ago, I used our Christmas dinner centerpiece to showcase the snacks on the dining room table. With four slender red candles tucked amongst faux evergreen in a lead-crystal base, the flickering candlelight effect was lovely. We retreated into the living room to open gifts.
About an hour in, I heard a tiny POP. With all the conversation, no one even noticed, but I KNEW. I flew off the couch, leapt over a pile of presents, careened around the chair, raced into the dining room, and sure enough, one of the slender candles had tipped over into the evergreens and caught fire.
I kept running to the kitchen for my sleek, white fire extinguisher, but alas, my thumb wasn’t quite strong enough to push the button. Now that my family had run in, too, I thrust the fire extinguisher into my able-bodied son-in-law’s hand and grabbed a box of Arm & Hammer baking soda out of the cupboard. By then, the fire extinguisher was spraying like a trooper, I added a large swath of the Arm & Hammer for good measure, and within moments, the fire was out.
But every plate of those savory snacks was ruined. So was my lead-crystal base and the rest of the centerpiece, and we had to have the dining room table top re-done.
It could have been much worse, of course. Thank goodness that POP! saved the day, and I’m convinced the Christ Child helped me hear it when no one else did.
Shanna Hatfield
When I was five years old, my parents moved up the hill on our farm into the new house they’d spent a year building. It was my mom’s dream home with plenty of room for all of us and for guests, too. That year started a tradition that lasted for more than twenty years of my parents hosting Christmas for thirty to fifty people, depending on which side of the family was coming.
One Christmas in particular stands out so well in my mind. About ten feet out the back door of the house was a big hill we could sled down and at the bottom was a pond where we liked to ice skate. I’d gotten a brand-new bright orange plastic toboggan that morning and was ready to test it out. Right after lunch, once the gifts had been opened and the mess cleared away, most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins poured outside to join in the fun. My dad and brother ran snowmobiles as a “taxi” service, carrying sledders from the bottom of the hill back up to the top. Some chose to skate and others stood outside and watched.
We were out there for hours, laughing and having such a great time. The sledding hill seemed to get slicker with each run and finally Mom decided everyone had been out in the cold long enough and drew us in with the promise of hot chocolate and wealth of desserts. Two of my cousins (who were grown and married with their own kids), decided to take one more run down the hill. They grabbed my old toboggan, jumped on it together, and down the hill they sailed in a great impression of Clark Griswold. They hit a big bump, the toboggan broke in two, and off the went in different directions. One landed in the ditch and the other crashed with a face full of snow. I was so glad they hadn’t been on my new toboggan!
I’m so grateful for all the wonderful childhood memories I have of special holidays at home with my parents and extended family.
Phyliss Miranda
Oh, how I love Christmas! One of my most memorable Christmas Eve’s occurred when I was a third grader. I’m the oldest of four girls. Daddy had just bought a brand spankin’ new Chevy.
We could hardly wait until Christmas morning to see what Santa brought us. I recall waking up to not only a huge snowstorm where drifts had covered Daddy’s new car, but nothing from Santa Claus under the tree. How horrible!
While Mama fixed us hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, Daddy explained everything to us. The snow was so heavy that Santa couldn’t get in our door because of the snow, so he put all of our presents in the trunk of the car.
Well, after breakfast, Daddy dug out while Mama kept us preoccupied by doing a jigsaw puzzle. Sure enough Santa had left our gifts, just like Daddy said. I’m still confused because if Santa and his elves make all of the gifts in his workshop, how in the heck did they end up in Sears and Roebuck boxes. But you know, it was a wonderful white Christmas and I’ll never forget it.
As always, it’s wonderful hearing from our loyal readers who’ve been visiting us for so long. We’ve loved hearing from many new readers, too. Even better, we loved that you learned more about us and our books. We hope you keep coming back to enjoy our blogs and our bestselling western romances, both historical and contemporary.
And now . . . the moment everyone has been waiting for . . . the winners of our BIGGEST contest ever!!
$10 Amazon Gift Cards
Day 1
Raquel Gonzaga
Beth Sondermeyer
Sabrina Templin
Ana Trayler
Day 2
Phyliss Bullock
Debbie Nissen
Lori Smanski
Day 3
Pam Kellogg
Jan Sikes
Zoe Marlborough
Day 4
Connie Saunders
Kimberly Murdock
Rebecca Falk
And Drum Roll . . .
Our GRAND PRIZE Winner of a $130 Amazon gift card is:
Rosalee Alvord
Congratulations, ladies! Pam will send you your gift cards to the email address you listed on the entry form.
I just got word that my sweet Christmas story, A Home for the Holidays
, is a finalist in the Holt Medallion Contest. I’m so excited to have this story recognized because it was such fun to write. The winners are chosen in June, but being nominated is enough for me.
THE ANGEL AND THE WARRIOR, the first book in a series of four, is on sale now for $.99.
When I first started putting my older titles — which had been mass market paperbacks — into e-books, I did it without realizing the amount of errors that can happen to a book simply because of the conversion. And so one by one, I’ve been re-editing these early titles and updating the covers and putting them out as 25th Year Anniversary books.
Here’s the series book covers from Amazon’s series page. The books are: LAKOTA SURRENDER; PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN; LAKOTA PRINCESS.
I have a new release, the second book in my Clear Creek Bride Series.
Christmas is all about family, and last year we tried something a little different. Instead of a big gift under the tree, we decided to give the kids a big experience. So the day after Christmas we piled in the car and drove 2.5 hours to Fort Worth. There we watched the latest Star Wars movie in IMAX, ate an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (browsing in the Barnes & Noble next door while we waited for our table to be ready), then finished the trip by doing an escape room. We had never done one before, but we loved working together to solve the puzzles and figure out the clues to the fantasy storyline. We even managed to solve it with a little grace from the operator who let us go a few minutes over our hour limit. Not knowing what would lie ahead the next year in 2020, I’m so thankful for this Christmas memory of travel and family fun!
oldest of four girls. Daddy had just bought a brand spankin’ new Chevy.
