Kari Trumbo

Courting the Country Preacher: What does traditional publishing look like to an Indie Author?

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Burlap background with pumpkins and leaves at side. Cover of Courting the Country Preacher. Text, "What does Traditional Publishing Look Like to an Indie Author? Guest post by Kari Trumbo, Petticoats & Pistols"

Hello everyone! It’s so good to be back in the stable temporarily. I’ve missed you all.

Karen asked me shortly after I stepped away if I wanted to blog at all in the coming year. At that time, I knew I had this release coming out (that’s one good thing about traditional publishing, I know WELL in advance of a release) that I had this book coming!

This is a book that I’d been talking about for a long time and finally, my friend Carolyn Miller contacted me and basically said, “let’s stop just talking about this and find two other authors to do it.” I had the time in my schedule (weird, I know) and I was excited.

It took a little while to find two other authors who also had time in their schedules (more normal people, lol) but then the discussion really started. We decided this would be historical and we like the idea and the tension of a bachelor country preacher finding love either by the push of his congregation, one member, or by the woman herself. It was really fun bouncing ideas around.

 

Coffee, laptop, and hand writing on paper with image of book cover by Kari Trumbo

 

Since I was the only author who hadn’t yet published with Barbour, I had to write my first chapter to submit with the proposal. So, not only did I have to write a one page synopsis of the story, I had to have a nearly perfect, compelling chapter one. I was worried that if my chapter didn’t do it, I could blow the whole project for everyone else.

It took six months to hear back from my agent that we had gotten the contract. In that time, I’d written four indie books. I could barely remember what I’d plotted. Thankfully, I kept good notes. Since I’m a fast writer, I wrote that 30,000 word story in four days (minus the first chapter, which was already done). Then, unlike when I indie, I let it sit. It wasn’t due back to the publisher for six months, so I wanted to return to it and not remember what I’d written when it came time for a read-through.

 

Hand with watch

 

A few months later, we got the mockup for the cover. I already knew that I wouldn’t really be all that involved in the cover creation process, but Barbour did allow us to make suggestions (the church in the background didn’t have a steeple at first). But it was so lovely, I had no real changes to suggest. I’ve been blessed to have two amazing covers for my traditional books.

 

Cover of Courting the Country Preacher by Kari Trumbo. Woman wearing tan dress from late 1800s and man wearing country hat with church in background

 

It was due in February, so in January, I opened the document and did some deep editing. I wanted it to shine for the editorial team so they would like me and hopefully take future work from me. In the end, my editor loved the story. One funny thing I wasn’t expecting was four rounds of edits in a week and a half. I expect that from indie, but I always expect traditional publishing to be slow. In my case, it was not. I was exhausted after those ten days.

I didn’t receive the galley copy (the final read through copy) for a few months after the editing stage. That was a wow moment for me because they do it differently from Harlequin. You literally get to see the fun fleuron (graphic separating a scene) and the chapter header images. Barbour did such a beautiful job. I was blown away.

I printed out my section, did my final read through and sent it back, knowing the next time I would see it would be when it came to me in a box of books from the publisher. As of writing this blog, I haven’t gotten my author copies yet.

I WISH I could describe to you what that is like. I’ve only experienced it with Harlequin. When that box is sitting there and you know what’s in it, something wells up inside you. It isn’t pride, it isn’t joy, it’s more pure than either of those. You’ve done something God asked you to do and in that box is the proof. I cried like a baby the first time I opened one of those boxes and I’m not too proud to say so.

By the time you read this (I wrote this in early September after seeing Karen, Winnie, and Mary at the ACFW conference in New Orleans) I should have my author copies of the book. I would LOVE to offer a signed copy to one commenter (in the US or Canada only, please) outside of those areas, I’ll buy an eBook copy for you and send that. I apologize in advance. I know that’s unfair.

Here is the back cover copy, so you’ll know if you want to enter:

Every Preacher Needs a Wife, Right?

Being a preacher in the countryside is not for the faint of heart nor faith. Four inexperienced preachers face a myriad of challenges including those who figure a man of the cloth needs a wife. Can they meet the expectations of “helpful” congregants and be true to their hearts?

The Mountie’s Rival by Angela K Couch
Canada, 1907 — Tired of living in his twin’s shadow, Jonathan Burton is frustrated to find himself serving as a still wet-behind-the-ears preacher in the same community as his Mountie brother. How is he to find a wife when all the eligible women of the community seem enamored by his dashing brother in scarlet uniform?

Convincing the Circuit Preacher by Carolyn Miller
Australia, 1863 — As soon as Dorothea Maclean saw the country preacher, she knew Mr. Hammill was the man of her dreams. Now she just needs to convince her wealthy parents—and Mr. Hammill.

The Angel and the Sky Pilot by Naomi Musch
Minnesota, 1905 — A preacher with a checkered past sets off to win souls in the lumber camps like the “sky pilots” before him. But can he earn the respect of hard-living men—and still respect himself—after a local trader’s daughter joins the all-male congregation?

Mail Order Minister by Kari Trumbo
South Dakota, 1889 — Olive’s parents mail-ordered a preacher and prayed he’d be a husband for their daughter. The rest of the town—and Olive—have other ideas.

Purchase Courting the Country Preacher

To enter the drawing, tell me what you love most about your preacher or minister.

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Kari Trumbo is an international bestselling author of historical and contemporary Christian romance and romantic suspense.

She loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one’s listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits.

She makes her home in central Minnesota—where the trees and lakes are plentiful—with her husband of over twenty years, two daughters, two sons, a few cats, and a bunny who’s the star of one of her books.

 

A Christmas Game

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I was reminded by an alarm on my phone that today was my day to post and … with all the bookish and Christmas things going on, (I literally just got home an hour ago from one of my son’s two Christmas concerts) I am plum out of blog ideas.

 

So, what does one do when one is out of ideas? Let’s play a game instead.

So, I’ll ask four questions and you can leave answers in the comments. I’ll choose one winner and send a signed book their way. Winner announced tomorrow evening.

  1. How far have you gone to do a Christmas event?
    1. For me, 9 hours of driving
  2. Have you ever participated in a Christmas event or custom others might think was strange?
    1. I haven’t personally, unless you count exchanging white elephant gifts with my husband’s family (I had never heard of white elephant before then)
  3. Do you prefer single color lights or multicolored Christmas lights?
    1. Depends on my mood. Praise God I have a tree I can change as my mood does.
  4. Have you ever been caroling?
    1. I have! I love it, especially the hot chocolate afterwards (I live in Minnesota, hot chocolate is a staple).

I hope you enjoy this little game. I’ll choose a random winner from those who comment.

A Cowboy with a Different Kind of Ride

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Good Morning (or whenever you choose to read this),

When we think of cowboys, we certainly have a prototype in mind, a clear picture of what a cowboy is. I would bet that cowboy is not in a wheelchair for most of you. Well, in the book I’m releasing the end of next week, the hero is a cowboy with all the heart, honesty, and beliefs of a cowboy, he lives on a ranch and works hard. In fact, he works very hard, and he’s also in a wheelchair.

You may be thinking, how can that be? If he has no legs or no ability to use his legs, how does he ride a horse? Those are good questions (and also questions people are sometimes afraid to ask for fear of legitimately hurting others). The answer is, in many cases, yes. Paraplegics can ride horses. Let’s chat about it.

This is Brendon Ruse, he is a former Army Ranger and suffered a debilitating spinal injury. After recovering, he becomes a clinical psychologist and offers counseling to victims of human trafficking at Wayside Ranch. While he’s not a wrangler as many of the men on the ranch are, he still enjoys riding.

Brendon has worked hard and enjoys his life on the ranch. He has an all-terrain wheelchair that helps him move around on the rougher terrain of a rural setting. His chair looks something like this one (this one is from Razor Blade Terrain).

  This chair with wider front wheels is light and maneuverable 
This is similar to what Brendon would use, except Sam made his and it’s a manual hoist that he uses himself. Image from lifelifts.com

 

 

 

With this chair, Brendon can go almost anywhere he wishes to. The only places really inaccessible are homes with stairs and no railing (he is capable of using a narrow railing and his arms, but he doesn’t prefer to do so).
With his riding mount assist, he can mount a horse without help, though it does perturb him that Connor requires a spotter for him in case the chain would slip from his grasp and he’d land on the floor, potentially injuring himself). All of this came through research. I knew paraplegics could ride from another story I wrote, but I never understood (because while I had mobility issues, I certainly felt disabled) that many people in wheelchairs actually don’t feel disabled. They don’t want to be treated differently. They just want to happily live their lives. And that’s kind of the revelation I wanted to pass on in Operation: Discovery.

Now, to be honest, there’s a lot more in the book than just Brendon’s grappling with one particular woman who he thinks treated him as incomplete when they dated in the past. It is a second-chance romance, but it also sheds light on a horrible situation in this world, human trafficking. The whole series does, but this one is sensitive because it’s about children. Fair warning if you preorder the book.

Bottom line, if a cowboy is made by the condition of his heart, character, and work ethic, Brendon is definitely a cowboy and he’ll ride off into the sunset to prove it.

 

Do You Ever Keep Track of Book Quotes You Love?

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I love sentences that make you pause for all the right reasons.

When I’m reading a particularly savory sentence, I’ve been known to stop there in the story and just read it again, letting the meaning sink in. Now, slowing down your reading is generally the OPPOSITE of what authors are trying to do. We genuinely want readers to devour our books. Often, people only slow down when they find an error or something else pulls them out of the story.

However, I try in each of my books to make an effort in each emotional section of prose, to make one quotable statement. Have you ever noticed authors doing this on social media or in their newsletters? They will take a pretty image and put a quote from the book on it? I’ve done that a few times. The goal is to make you curious about what is inside. How could that quote fit into the larger picture of the story?

I gathered a few famous quotes from famous authors as examples. Do you have any favorite quotes from books?

 

For those who have difficulty reading images, it says: “Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.” -Louis L’Amour

I find this to be so true. The better the book is, the more it sticks with me. I spent literal years trying to recall the name of a book I read in high school. I couldn’t recall the name of it, but could recall parts of it. Especially the parts that touched me. The book actually has the easiest name in the world, but I couldn’t recall it, The Good Earth.

Tolkien has some of the best quotes. Well, his bestie C.S. Lewis had some too, but I think they basically acted as critique partners as well as friends, so that makes sense. This quote reads: “Not all those who wander are lost.” J. R. R. Tolkien

Last, but not least, from the lovely Louisa May Alcott, “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” This from the amazing Little Women.

So, if you are a collector of quotes or just recall the titles of books that had some delicious prose, please share them with us!

Back to School in the 1800s

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What would life be like if you were an Abecedarian (a child learning their ABCs) in the 1800s? Let’s tackle the subject together.

I’m sure we all have ideas about what we think school would look like based largely on Little House on the Prairie. They got some things right, and some…not so much.

The first surprising fact is that the average child in the mid 1800s didn’t go to school at all. In fact, in many states school was not only elective, it was expensive. The government had not yet stepped in to make school mandatory (though it was in a few states) and tax dollars didn’t pay for it. So, the school buildings were funded by the town by collection and the teacher was paid by the fees charged for each student.

The second thing is that we assume that children went to school until they were seventeen, but that isn’t the case. Regular, one-room school houses were only first through eighth grade. If children wanted an education beyond eighth grade, their parents had to pay for a “high school” which would’ve been a boarding school.

Image from Google

Interestingly, until the mid-late 1800s, all teachers were men. But with western expansion came a boom in the population. Some sites say that by the 1870s, as many as a quarter of the unmarried women had acted as teachers at one point in their lives. But, how could that be… teachers had to be trained, right?

Well… not really. Some states required a certificate, but not all. Many states had rules teachers had to follow, but no rules about education requirements. All that was needed was proof that you had fulfilled your own eighth year of education. At that point, they were only teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history. They taught the children exactly what they had just finished learning, often for very little pay. Since many of the families living rurally were poor, the only book they could afford to send with their child as a reader was the Bible.

Some areas of the country did two sessions, a summer and a winter. Girls and younger children would attend during summer while the boys were helping in the fields. In winter, boys would go to school, allowing the girls to help with chores during that season. In that way, the family was never left completely without the children to help. School years were roughly 78 days long instead of the current average of 180 days. Later, schools would adhere to the fall, winter, spring schedule they have now, but even so, boys struggled with attendance during the busiest seasons.

By the early 1900s, there were many schools for teachers and across the country large, multi-level school buildings were popping up. Even in the most rural of areas had multi-room, individual grade classes by the thirties. Interestingly though, my father attended a one-room school house until he was in 7th grade, when the local school building was finally finished. Even more interesting, the very school where he attended 1-7th grade is now the place were I vote.

Do you know anyone who attended a one-room school house?

A Writer in Her Natural Habitat

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What does a writer in her natural habitat look like? Well, I’m sure that each of us fillies has a different office space than the others. Some can work in busy coffee shops, others of us need ear plugs just to get a scene in. Some of us pace back and forth while we dictate our books, some write more than one book at a time. One of us (at least) even writes one book on computer while she writes another book on another device, switching back and forth. Some have to draft on paper, some feel that’s a waste, and go right to the computer.

Authors are strange creatures, even at our best moments.

Some of us plot out our stories, some of us write into the darkness. Some of us struggle for a few hundred words a day, others consider a few thousand words ‘not enough’. The great majority of us aren’t satisfied with our ‘normal’ and wish we were like someone else.

It goes without saying that we spend a lot of time in our own heads. That can be good and bad. We’ll remember scents and feelings from long ago experiences, but forget what day it is. We’ll remember the exact flavor of a slice of pie we ate fifteen years ago, but can’t remember what we ate yesterday.

You can tell when we’re struggling with a story (or are between stories) because our desks are clean. The great majority of us our introverted, but we love extroverts. We also love author get-togethers.

Here is a little glimpse at my natural habitat, though I am not in this photo.

I love my desk, but I wish I had more storage. I have an entire bookcase of research books that I would love to have closer to me, but at least I have a corner that’s mine. I know not everyone is that fortunate.

It’s nice and clean in this picture, but don’t let that fool you. It’s not that way right now. It’s covered in research materials, bills, water cups, pens (I somehow have a million), notebooks, and my planner which is always on the corner of my desk and FULL.

Even though we have a lot of things in common, I really think the only thing that every author does, is write.

Believe it or not, I’ve even met a few authors who don’t enjoy reading all that much. You’d think that would be universal, but it’s not.

Some of us love marketing our books, but most of us didn’t become authors for that part. In fact, many of us would much rather do the work of writing, editing, compiling, and loading the book onto retailers…and then pray people find it so we don’t have to market.

I’ve met a lot of authors who secretly (and maybe not so secretly) feel this way:

Forgive the language, but that is how many of us feel. Sometimes, even talking about what we write feels like sales, so we don’t do it. Talking to friends can feel awkward. Do they really want to know about writing, or am I an oddity (Don’t answer that)?

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me. I’d bet you’ll be surprised at how…boring…my life is.

I get up, make my coffee and read my daily Bible reading. This is the only quiet time I will get all day. It’s summer, so I have all three children home (one of mine has flown the nest already). Once they are all up, the house will be loud even after I go to bed.

Once I finish my coffee, I move back to my bedroom. My office is currently in a corner of my bedroom. I’d like my own space, but that’s still a someday dream. I have a part-time job where I manage ads for people. I do that 3-4 hours every day, Mon-Fri. When I finish that, I need to mentally switch gears. I’ll often take a quarter-mile walk to clear my mind.

After that, I hit Facebook, this blog, and my ads to see how things are doing. I’ll respond to emails, or write my newsletter if its Friday. Admin tasks can take as little as twenty minutes, but sometimes as long as a couple hours. I’ve been trying to get more admin tasks done than I did before. I used to write for literally six hours a day.

After I finish that, I’m ready for my creative work. I will turn on Youtube and listen to water sounds so that I don’t hear what’s going on in my house around me. Crashing, cats, and video games don’t help me get in the zone to write a book based in 1890.

Often, I will log on to Discord with other authors and sprint to make the most of my time. If you’ve been keeping track, I may not actually get to writing until late afternoon, so I have to make the most of the hours that I have. When I’m editing, I’ll use this time for edits instead of writing.

And that’s how we write books. What is one thing you’d like to know about the life of an author? And maybe some of my fellow fillies would love to answer any questions, too.

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Kari Trumbo

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Hey everyone! I’ve got a super easy recipe for you today. In the Trumbo house, we would usually use venison, but we’re almost out for the year, so we used beef this time. This recipe feeds 6 with lots left over.

  • Ingredients:
    • 2 lbs beef or venison
    • 1 lb crinkle sliced carrots
    • 1 lb med potatoes cubed into 1″ pieces
    • 1/2 a large onion, diced
    • 1/2 C peas
    • 3 C water
    • 1 Tbsp celery seed
    • 1 Tbsp Worcester sauce
    • 1 Tbsp flour
    • 2 Tbsp brown gravy mix
    • 1 tsp turmeric

 

In a crock pot, dump 2 lbs cubed beef (or venison) and the flour, stir to coat. Turn on high for 5 hours of cook time or low for 8+ hours. Add carrots, potatoes, onion, water, celery seed, and Worcester sauce. Let that cook for 4 hours until the meat is cooked and the veggies are just tender.

When there’s one hour left of cook time, in a small sauce pot, put 2 C of cold water. Follow the directions on your brown gravy mix to get 2 cups. Add that to crock pot. Just before serving, add peas and turmeric, stir and serve!

My family loves this. I know it’s more than the usual 3-4 ingredient recipes, but this comes together mostly from ready-made ing. (I buy my beef cubed when I don’t have venison and I buy fresh, crinkle cut carrots) I also don’t bother to peel my potatoes, but you certainly could if the peels bother you. Enjoy

A historical and contemporary release, all in one month

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May was a busy month for me.

I had 2 very important book releases (and another coming at the end of this month)

The first was, of course, Bullseye Bride. That is my Pink Pistol Sisterhood book. I hope you all had a chance to read it and enjoyed Kitty and Thad’s turn with the pistol. It’s getting some wonderful reviews, so that is exciting. That story is an “across the tracks” romance where Thad is an influential member of the community but Kitty has struggled her entire life, buried under the weight of her father’s poor choices. But Kitty is no damsel in distress, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to pull her family out of poverty. Honestly, so many people emailed and told me that they want the brother’s stories, I’ve already planned those for sometime next year.

Release 2 was a contemporary. Operation: Return is the sequel to Operation: Restoration. We’re back on Wayside Ranch, where victims of human trafficking can heal and find their way back to some semblance of normal life. However, this romantic suspense also has a secret baby. Cole didn’t realize his girlfriend was pregnant when he left for the military. When the government accidentally counted him as dead after going undercover, Erica moved on as a single mom, never dreaming that the child’s father was still very much alive and about to show up on her doorstep.

If you like second chances, thrilling suspense, and slow-burn romance, that book is for you.

Now for book 3 (I’m already tired just thinking about another release so soon!) Get ready for Rodeo Sabotage in the Sizzling Summer collection! I’m part one of three boxed sets, each releasing a month apart. Each set is on a special preorder price that will go up after release. Just look at these covers!

He’s a champion, about to lose it all.

 

Bull riding just became even more dangerous.

 

Jase Wheaton has one thing on his mind, a perfect 8 second ride—until someone in the crowd sends his bull into a fury. Twice. No one believes his life is in danger except the EMT who saved him. The clock is ticking before his final ride of the season, but will it be the last of his life? Everyone’s a suspect when the threat could come from anyone in the crowd. Even his best friend might be his worst enemy.

For a chance to win an ebook copy of any one of my three books above (Bullseye Bride, Operation: Return, or Stay With Me), comment how much suspense do you like with your cowboy romance (all three have a little). 

 

Favorite Things – Kari Trumbo

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I’m sorry this is later than usual. It’s been quite the weekend so far. Frankly, this weekend kicked off with one of my favorite things, my birthday. I don’t know why it is, but I love that fresh-start feeling that comes for me with a birthday.

I’ve actually talked about my favorite things in other posts, just not as a revealing “this is something I love” but more so, “my characters do this”. I will occasionally weave things that I love to do in my stories, because that makes the story more real. One of those things is knitting. I’m not as fond of crochet, but only because I never got the hang of the patterns and stitches. Knitting was more straight-forward to me.

I’m currently knitting the Elisabeth Zimmerman Pi shawl (though mine is not knit in the round, there’s a slit to make it easier to wear). I’m close to binding it off. I love all the blue colors. It reminds me of my recent releases.

Another of my favorite things is music. When I need something to calm my brain, music is my go-to. I love Laura Story, Crowder, and Mercy Me. When I want to just listen, not sing, classical is my jam. Occasionally, when my brain is in squirrel mode, I need the sound of water moving to get my thoughts flowing in the right direction. It’s amazing to me what sound can do for you.

My two favorite things are calming. Are your favorite things more calming or exciting?

Cover Reveal for Deadly Yellowstone Secrets!

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When your book finally feels like a book…

March of 2022 I signed a contract with Love Inspired Suspense for a book that was then titled, Blizzard Warning. Before signing, I’d actually gone through TWO complete edit/rewrites with two separate editors.

When I got the call, it was with an editor I had met at a conference in 2017 and that made meeting this goal all the sweeter. A few months later (after another full edit and rewrite), I was handed to one of the new Harlequin editors, not realizing at the time that my editor was going to be leaving.

And that editor wanted…you guessed it…another rewrite.

This isn’t surprising, every editor has their own things they like to see. They want to be proud of every book they sign off on. And, I’ve got to tell you, I’m incredibly proud of this book.

So, you get to be the first to meet the characters. Because you’re awesome.

Meet, Yellowstone naturalist, Tamala Roth

She follows bears and studies their habitat and movement. When she’s trapped by a poacher who takes aim at her, the hunter becomes the hunted. Tamala has to not only save the bears, but herself.

And did I mention she’s trapped in Yellowstone during a blizzard?

Law Enforcement Ranger Clint Jackson has a long list of things to do with an impending blizzard, but saving lives takes top priority. But what will he do when he and Tamala are locked alone in Yellowstone with a raging blizzard and nowhere to turn? Find out Oct, 24th when Deadly Yellowstone Secrets releases!

While this story isn’t outwardly western, Clint has the heart of a cowboy. He reads like a cowboy hero, so I hope you’ll accept him as a cowboy that wrangles bad guys instead of cows.

 

What would you do if you found yourself trapped in Yellowstone with a blizzard moving in?