Linda Broday

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!

https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/

Happy Accidents That Turned Out

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Just about everyone on the planet has heard of John Steinbeck, the author of Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 which laid to rest any doubts about his abilities. He based his books on events and characters of the time and readers snapped up new works.

But did you know his dog Toby ate the manuscript Of Mice and Men? Toby destroyed the only copy Steinbeck had, all that work of finding the right words to fill the pages gone. If only Steinbeck had a computer and thumb drives back then!!

The dog got swatted with the flyswatter and Steinbeck started over. Back then, a writer had to type everything or write in longhand. I’m not sure, but I think he had a typewriter.

Some writers might’ve thrown in the towel but not him. After writing his agent in May 1936, to inform him of the setback, he started over in new surroundings and inspiration flowed. He finished the book and submitted it a mere three months later in August. He didn’t have a lot of faith that the book would amount to anything. He called it mediocre. However, the book released in Feb. 1937 and was a wild success.

After that, he wrote While Travels With Charley and it gave the ailing author one last bestseller. So everything worked out.

I can relate to this. True story. I was writing a contracted book, The Cowboy Who Came Calling, and had completed the first half. I came home from work to find my husband had deleted the book from my computer. He’d been getting rid of files that were no longer needed and happened to get my story.

A huge lump formed in the pit of my stomach. All that work vanished, every single word, and I was writing under deadline like Steinbeck.

To give you an idea of the total devastation, I’d been losing vision and my doctor warned he might not be able to stop it. So this story was about a woman losing her sight after getting kicked in the head by an animal and I had become the character. I put myself in Glory Day’s shoes and wrote what I was experiencing. It was taking a lot out of me emotionally to say the least.

But, you know, when I began writing the book again, inspiration grew by leaps and bounds. The story turned out far better than it was to start with. I don’t know what it is that kicks in but it’s just amazing. My editor loved the story and it went on to win the National Readers Choice Award.

Sidenote: My neurologist did save most of my vision. And from then on, I saved everything in multiple places and on various devices. I did forgive my husband. He didn’t do it maliciously and felt so badly. He really went all out in showing his remorse.

I’ve recently published my 50th book with my newest western called Creek so that was a good lesson learned. I never lost anything else.

Have you ever lost something, doesn’t have to be on the computer, that held value for you? I’m giving away two copies of Creek so leave a comment.

For more fun and information, check out our Petticoats &Pistols Reader Group on Face Book HERE.

It’s Exciting! Ransom Canyon Coming to Netflix!

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I’m so happy to announce our dear friend Jodi Thomas wrote the book Ransom Canyon in 2015 and it’s coming to Netflix this Thursday, April 17th! This has been several years in the making since she and Hollywood producer Dan Angel began talking.

Ransom Canyon the book is a compelling, emotional series set in a small West Texas town where family can be made by choice rather than by blood. Staten Kirkland is a rugged and practical rancher who’s having a secret affair with Quinn O’Grady, a woman with secrets of her own. The lives, loves, and ambitions of four families converge in a story that’s hard to forget.

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait. This is going to be excellent. And we only have two more days to wait!

Here are the actors:

I’m thrilled for Miss Jodi. She wrote a fantastic series that is so memorable that I can still recall the characters and storylines after ten years. There are so many great story people but Yancy Grey has always lived in my heart.

Here’s the book trailer in case you aren’t convinced yet.

Are you excited yet? I sure am!

Have you read the book? Here’s how it opens:

“Staten Kirkland lowered the brim of his felt Resistol hat as he turned into the wind. The hat was about to live up to its name.”

A true story. After this book came out, the Resistol company sent Jodi their top of the line western hat for women. Here she is wearing it. I always thought that was a cool story.

 

I may have to dig my copy of Ransom Canyon out and reread it. What do you like most about books that are translated onto the big screen? My favorite thing is watching the characters come alive. Do you plan to watch it?

 

Creek is Out Plus a Giveaway!

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I’m so excited to finally have Creek out! Have you ever watched water, waiting on it to boil? This was exactly like that. I thought it never would.

This is Book 1 of a multi-author sweet romance series called Gun For Hire that was the brain child of Charlene Raddon. She also created all of these gorgeous covers.

Ten hardened men. Ten life-changing loves.

This thrilling ten-book, multi-author series follows men who live by the gun, surviving one day at a time. Outlaws, bounty hunters, hired guns—each has walked a dangerous path, never expecting a future beyond the next fight. But everything changes when they meet the one woman they can’t walk away from.

Join us on this unforgettable journey of passion, redemption, and the power of love—March 15th to July 30th!

Here are all ten of the authors. You may recognize several Fillies.

Now about Creek. When he receives a letter from a friend asking him to come to El Paso, he doesn’t waste any time. He owes this dying woman a debt of gratitude. He just hopes he’s not too late. He’s immediately swept up in rescuing a young orphan girl and when she sees the drawing of a thunderbird on Creek’s wrist, she claims he’s her father.

The story takes several turns as he tries to figure out what to do and how to let this girl down easy. He has to make her understand why he can’t be who she wants. Danger soon follows and they’re trust into a life-and-death struggle. Who will survive?

Here’s a video of all the books created by the talented Dan Garrett. Enjoy!

This is the first real western romance I’ve written in a while and it felt so good to get back to my roots. I discovered the joy of writing the kind of man I love to read.

I come by this love honestly. My dad was fascinated by outlaws. He claimed he once saw Clyde Barrow. All I know is that he admired men like Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger. Maybe it was because they did things he wanted to but couldn’t. My dad wanted to know just once what having “enough” felt like. Only he died a poor man, never knowing. When I was growing up, he used to take me and my little sister Jan to museums and displays about outlaws. Maybe that’s where I got my fascination from. Or it could’ve been the many westerns on TV that thrilled my heart.

Some of my favorites were Laramie, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Cheyenne. What are some of yours? I’m giving away two ebook copies of Creek so leave a comment.

Cowgirls in the Kitchen With Linda Broday

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Hi everyone, ready to go to the kitchen? This new segment we’re doing feature recipes our mothers and grandmothers used to make. My mom married during the Depression and she talked a lot about not having exactly what a recipe called for and having to make do. Those were hard times but she lived through them by God’s mercy and grace. When I was a girl at home, she used to make something called Slumgullion or you may know it as Goulash. Pretty much anything goes and a lot of times she made it with leftovers in the fridge. Here’s a picture of my mom in her kitchen where you could usually always find her.

Cowboys on cattle drives ate a lot of this. It’s just so easy and very filling. I’m a big fan of anything that doesn’t have a lot of ingredients.

Slumgullion

4 slices of bacon

1 pound of hamburger

1/2 onion diced

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

1 can tomatoes

Optional: Elbow Macaroni

Optional: 1 can of sweet corn and/or sweet peas

Brown bacon in a heavy saucepan or cast iron skillet, drain and set aside. Cook hamburger meat and onion together and drain. Add cooked bacon and tomatoes (drain half the juice) to the beef and stir in the cheese, corn, and the macaroni if you choose to use that. Cook on low heat to let the flavors blend together. Serve with cornbread or some other type of bread. Enjoy.

Thank you for coming to read my post. Have you ever eaten this or something similar? How about old recipes in your family?

Also, have you been on the Facebook Petticoats and Pistols Reader Page? It’s always fun and informative too. https://bit.ly/3EJhldO

 

What is That I Smell?

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Did you know that our sense of smell was the first thing to develop when humans appeared on earth? Our “smellers” are very old and very complex. It was not only vital to locating food but also finding a mate. Our nose can sense 1 trillion odors, both good and bad.

So when I’m writing stories, I need to implement the sense of smell far more than I do.

Fragrances and odors are closely entwined with memories. A sniff of Pond’s loose body powder for women instantly reminds me to my mom. And Old Spice always brings back times with my dad.

I remember so often coming home from school and Mom would have red beans cooking on the stove or she’d have a cake baking in the oven. If I smell those, it instantly sends me back to my childhood. Also, in my childhood, if a certain food gave off what to me was a bad smell, it wasn’t going in my mouth. I watch my great grandson who’s almost three. He always smells things before he puts them in his mouth. It think that’s very interesting. A dog often does the same thing.

Courtesy of Jade87 on Pixabay

My husband never wore any after shave much because he had asthma and smells would sure send on an attack. But I loved the natural smell of just the soap after he showered. Smells are so powerful.

We camped a lot and I still remember the smell of an open fire and my mom frying bacon or making coffee. There’s nothing like it.

Did you know our sense of smell is strongest in the evening? Smell is directly related to the sleep hormone. In man’s early days on earth, smell helped us not only find food but to discern danger. It came in mighty handy.

And then there’s the fragrance of rain in the air. The official word is petrichor. It’s the release of organic compounds in the soil into the air during and after a rain event. I don’t know about you, but that’s one of my favorite smells. I love to stand outside just smelling the fresh air. It refreshes my soul.

Smells are closely associated to romance. I once dated a guy for a short time that gave off a scent that I could not get past. He was clean and didn’t have body odor but I hated the scent of him. Later, I learned that he was not the person he presented to people and was thankful I dodged a bullet, thanks to my discerning nose!

Now it’s your turn. How has your sense of smell helped you in life? Do certain things spark memories? I can’t wait to hear your responses.

Also, don’t forget that Creek is available for preorder. It’ll be in ebook and paperback. The paperback should show up on Amazon in a few days.

This leads off the multi-author Gun For Hire series. I can’t wait for you all to see these fabulous covers that the Charlene Raddon made. Here’s a list of the authors: Margaret Tanner, Charlene Raddon, Heather Blanton, Carra Copelin, Jo-Ann Roberts, Caroline Clemmons, Tracy Garrett, Cheryl Pierson, and Winnie Griggs.

Here are the three of the series that are already up.

Next month, I’ll have some giveaways of Creek as well as an awesome book trailer.

Don’t forget about our Petticoats and Pistols Reader Group on Facebook! CLICK HERE

Wishing you all a blessed day and week.

Linda Broday 

What the Heck Are Wrist Cuffs?

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I had never heard the term wrist cuffs that cowboys wore until pretty recently. I’d seen pictures of them but didn’t know what they were called or why they wore them. Maybe you already did and are way ahead of me. That’s quite possible.

Definition: Wide soft leather bindings that cowboy wore on their wrists to protect them from barbed wire fencing, cattle kicking and causing injury and protecting shirt sleeves. They also protected against rope burns and branding irons. They are also called roping cuffs and sometimes gauntlets.

I’ve seen them on motorcycle riders quite a bit for protection on the road. These were very popular on cowboys until the turn of the century but you can still see them on some working cowboys today.

I admit, they’re pretty cool and make the wearer look tough.

When I started writing Creek, my sweet western romance, I wanted him to wear them but in his case it was partly to conceal an ink drawing on his wrist. My cover designer put them on him but they looked horrible so we took them off.

I have an eleven year old girl in my story. Willa July Calder was left orphaned when her mother dies but she was told to look for a man with a thunderbird drawing on his wrist. That would be her father. When she happens to see Creek’s, she’s convinced he’s her father and starts following him everywhere.

Thunderbirds were revered by Native Americans who believed the mythical birds carried magic and could protect the person.

I won’t give the plot away. The book is available for Preorder. This is Book 1 leading off a multi-author Gun For Hire series with two others of the books also available for preorder now. These are Sweet Western Romances and mine goes on sale March 15. Margaret’s will be available March 31 and Charlene’s April 15. There will be 10 altogether. Here’s the series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTHVRM6K?tag=pettpist-20

Here are the rest of the series: Zane by Heather Blanton, Keith by Carra Copelin, Ash by our own Jo-Ann Roberts, Shad by Caroline Clemmons, Clint by Tracy Garrett, Landon by Cheryl Pierson, and Luke by another Filly Winnie Griggs.

We sure hope you’ll find these entertaining. Have you read a good western lately? If so, what is the title? Do you like westerns? Let’s talk. I don’t have any copies to give away yet but I will later on.

Cowboy Cookie Exchange with Linda Broday

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Wow, and here we are at New Year’s Eve! How did that happen? This month has zoomed. Cookies have always been favorites of mine. They’re just so yummy either by themselves or with something hot. Here’s one I hope you enjoy and very simple. No eggs, flour, or sugar. It’s really healthy and good for diabetics of which I am one unfortunately.

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats

2 cups Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup Maple Syrup (can use Agave nectar)

Optional – Chocolate chips (or any kind of chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl mix together the oats, pumpkin and syrup. If using chocolate chips, add them also and fold in really well.

Roll into balls and press down on a cookie sheet. You can put them pretty close together since they don’t spread.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

There are any number of substitutions. You can add vanilla, nuts, cranberries, and pumpkin pie spice to make them even tastier.

I eat these for breakfast and also as a snack. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Memories

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When I was growing up, we usually didn’t have a Christmas tree. This picture of me and my family was taken in 1953 and one of rare times we had a tree. I’m on the far left. You see, my parents later joined a church that believed it was wrong.

The other time I remember we had one was the year my brother came home on leave from the army after being stationed in Germany for two years. I was 15 or 16 and it was a big deal.

We were so excited to see him and finally have him back with family. I remember my mom baked for days before his arrival. She made everything she knew he liked and we cleaned house until it sparkled. She wanted everything perfect.

I always hated not having a tree and after I left home and got married, I always made sure we had a tree. There might not’ve been much under it, but my children had a beautiful tree. In the beginning, it was always live and I remember well going to the tree lot and picking one out. That was fun. But as the kids got older and allergies began to be bad, we went with artificial. My kids couldn’t wait to get it set up and always loved to decorate it. That was special to us.

Christmas means a lot to me and it also does to Gillian Everly in Love Comes to Christmas. In fact, she owns a Christmas store and sells everything related to the holidays. But someone is trying to make her think it’s haunted, which she doesn’t believe for a second. She knows it’s someone who breaks in and makes her toys come to life, jarring her awake. She is also a very accomplished pianist and is preparing for a big program on Christmas Eve. But will she get to?

A new customer, a rancher named Brett Love, is trying to make sure she’s able to perform. So he loans her his dog named Zema as protection. Gillian and Zema get along famously, so much that Brett gets a little jealous. Along the way, love grows between Gillian and Brett and she sees his big heart that’s longing for a family.

I really enjoyed writing this and hope you find the warmth seeping into your heart as you read it.

I hope you have a blessed Christmas and the very best 2025.

I’m giving away a copy of Love Comes to Christmas (print or ebook) to one commenter so tell me a favorite Christmas gift of yours. Maybe it was a puppy or a pony. I always wanted a horse but never got one except the stick kind.

Blessings and love to all,

Linda Broday