medicine men

It’s Raining eBooks!

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Howdy!  Welcome to a terribly terrific Tuesday!

Okay, so it’s not exactly raining books, but do you remember old pop song, “It’s Raining Men”?  I loved that song and it popped into my head while I was writing this blog.

What I mean by it’s raining books is that I intend to give an ebook to each person who leaves a comment on the blog.  Let me explain:  I plan on having two new books coming out soon (the Good Lord willing).  One is a Historical Romance/Native American, book #5 in The Medicine Man Series.  And the other is a Young Adult story, Novella #2 in The Untaimed West series.  So, to celebrate these two books that I hope will be soon released, I’m giving away either book #1 in the Young Adult series, THE ADVENTURES OF GOOD EAGLE AND MISS STARLING, or book #4 in The Medicine Man series, SHE BRINGS BEAUTY TO ME to each person who leaves a comment…reader’s choice.  This offer expires, by the way, at 11:59 PM on April 8th, 2025.  Also, if you could please let me know on your post which book you would like, I would appreciate it.

So, I should probably tell you a little about each one of these stories, and to do that, I’ll leave a synopsis of each story.

THE ADVENTURES OF GOOD EAGLE AND MISS STARLING

Montana, 1847 

When my life is turned upside down, I have no one to turn to except Uncle Jed, a fur-trader who lives deep in Indian Country; a man I have never met.  I was expecting to be greeted by my Uncle Jed at a place called Fort Union, a fur-trading fort some two thousand miles above St. Louis.  But, when I finally arrive at the fort, I am met, instead, by an eighteen-year-old Indian, Good Eagle, who swears my uncle has sent him to meet me.  Would you trust this boy, a youth only two years older than my sixteen years?  I certainly didn’t and I told him so.  However, although I was polite, he took offense.

As the steamboat continues its way to my uncle’s fur-trading post, Fort Lewis, the Indian boy, Good Eagle, has declared that my heart has panther’s claws around it.  Yet, though he seems to dislike me as much as I do him, because of the promise he gave to my uncle, he has no option but to guard me.

But, when my life is threatened and Good Eagle saves me, I experience a change of heart about this young man; I decide I will “bury the hatchet” and become friends with him.  Imagine my surprise when he refuses my offer of friendship.

Can I ever change Good Eagle’s mind about becoming my friend?  Or will his first impression of me remain to forever haunt us?

 

SHE BRINGS BEAUTY TO ME

 

A woman deserted.  A troubled warrior.  A passion denied.

1855

When eighteen-year-old Czanna Fehér is forced to flee her home in Hungary, she journeys with her younger siblings and her father’s manservant to Montana in search of her cousin. Mourning for her recently deceased parents, she sings a prayer to the grand, Montana mountains.  From the first moment Stands Strong hears Czanna singing, he is transfixed.  When he meets her, he is captivated as much by her dark beauty as he is by her voice.

But, after the family’s hired guide steals their money and runs, her father’s servant leaves Czanna to go and serve justice to the man, leaving Czanna desolate and in charge.  Being of the gentry class in Hungary, Czanna knows she and her siblings cannot survive in this land without help.  When Stands Strong comes to her aid, she realizes she must trust this man.

Lakota born, though raised by the Blackfeet, Stands Strong descends from a long line of medicine men, but this legacy seems to have skipped over him.  Accepting this, he has become an expert scout.  But, when Czanna attempts to hire Stands Strong as their guide, offering him the “evil gold rock” as payment, he suggests marriage to him instead.  Czanna refuses him, even though the flame of love is burning heatedly in her heart.

Can two people from incompatible cultures ever come together?  Or are their star-guided paths meant only to briefly cross?

Warning:  A sensuous romance that might cause a desire to go West in search of love and adventure.

I’ll leave you today with a little bit about the new book which is currently in editing, entitled, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD.

 

Coming soon: SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD

Beauty, treachery, and an untamed wild love

Liliann Varga had been too young the first time she met and fell head-over-heels in love with the Blackfeet Medicine Man, First Rider, the man who saved her father’s life. Besides, he was newly married to a woman of his own tribe. But years later, when Liliann’s husband has committed a terrible aggression against her, it’s First Rider who once again is called upon to put his healing skills to use.

First Rider has come to heal Liliann, not to seduce her. But his reaction to the grown up Liliann, the little girl who used to be his shadow, is entirely masculine and sensual. Though he’d vowed to bring his first wife back after her capture by an enemy tribe, he’d failed and she had died, causing First Rider to nearly lose his mind. Could Liliann be his second chance at love?

Enacting a “scout’s revenge” against Liliann’s cruel husband would leave the man alive but broken, and it would also set Liliann free. But, just as their love deepens, a report emerges: First Rider’s wife is still alive.

To discover the truth or lies of the report, they both embark on a dangerous journey through the Backbone-of-the-world Mountains. But, with little more than a bow and a gun, can they survive the beautiful but treacherous snows to find a world where they both belong?

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Well, that’s all for today.  Hope you enjoyed the blog today and I hope, too, that you’ll leave a commit.

 

 

 

A New Book Soon to be Released — and a Give-away

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Welcome to another sensational Tuesday!

What am I giving away this month?  I’ll be doing a drawing for the mass market paperback (this is the original edition of this book) of RED HAWK’S WOMAN.

This is book #3 in THE LOST CLAN series.  Though all the books are related, they are all different stories and are all a stand alone book.  Originally published by Berkley in the early 2000’s, it is a solid historical book with a strong mystery connected to it, as well as a paranormal element.

But, please allow me to give you a synopsis of the book

RED HAWK’S WOMAN

Their passion is thunder and lightning.  Their fate could be a flood of sorrow.

THE LOST CLAN, BOOK 3

Red Hawk’s most precious childhood memory is of a single morning with a girl whose beauty seemed lit from within with magic.  Now, years later, she could very well hold the key to a centuries-old curse – but when his visions lead him to her again, no recognition lights her eyes.

At age twenty-five, Effie Rutledge has missed her chance for marriage, but the daughter of a renowned archaeologist would rather get her hands dirty on a dig than cleaning up after some man.

She is determined to finish her father’s quest to recover four precious artifacts that could free a lost clan from a half life in the mists, but with her expedition reported as jinxed, there are no guides to be had.  Except one tall, enigmatic native who draws her as naturally as water flows to the sea.

Even when memories reconnect, they struggle to trust each other.  Worse, their once-in-a-lifetime passion risks the Thunder god’s wrath – and the future of the entire Lost Clan.

Warning:  Within the pages of this book is an all-consuming passion, so deep, so sensuous, it might cause you to want to spend the night in a loved one’s arms.

To enter into the drawing for this book, just leave a comment.

And then, on another note, I thought I’d let you know that my latest effort, entitled, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD, is in editing right now and I hope to have the book published and out for sale in early April.

And so I thought I’d give you an inside glance at the cover for the book.  This is book #5 in The Medicine Man series.  As you can see, this is a winter scene and the hero of the book is wearing a capote, an item of clothing worn by many of the Northwestern tribes in the winter.

But, what is a capote?  The capote in these days of the past was a blanket made into a coat.  Usually it was white and might have strips on it or other decorations.  These commonly had a hood, were very warm and were preferred by the men of the tribes because of it’s white color, which blended in with the countryside and made it a little easier when they were hunting.

Nowadays, capotes are still in style in the northern regions of this country, but they are also a little fancier.  But, they are still made in the style of the original, which was a blanket made into a coat.  I’ll post some pictures here so you can see them as they were worn in the late 1800’s.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the time because it shows the style of the capote, the hair style worn at this time by many of the northern tribes and also shows the style of the white man’s clothing.  These two young men were obviously friends.  Note the beautifully beaded gun case our Blackfeet (Pikuni band) young man carries.  The coat the young Blackfeet man is wearing is a capote.

To the right here are a couple of Blackfeet (Pikuni band) men wearing capotes.  Notice also the style of the two women’s clothing in the photo.  All are wearing moccasins.
This is another Blackfeet young man, although he is of the blood band of the tribe, which resides in Canada.  He is holding some kind of weapon, perhaps a tomahawk or something similar to it.
This picture was posed in front of a tepee or lodge (as they were often called).  And note the hairstyle and moccasins.  The Blackfeet wore three braids.  One on each side of the face and one in back.
And this last picture is a painting by Karl Bodmer (the artist who accompanied Prince Maximillian in 1832 to Fort McKensie)  It is of special interest to me because the blanket he is wearing is one which could have been made into a capote.
Notice the difference in hairstyle between the 1830’s northern style and the later style abive (1850-1890).
Well, so much for men’s fashion in coats and the blankets they wore during the winter while hunting or attending to other chores.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little excursion into the past.
If you’d like to enter the drawing, just leave a comment
Have a beautiful and a blessed day as well as for rest of the week.

Recent Interview & Give-Away

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Howdy!

Welcome to a Thunderous Thursday — Thunderous because we’ve been having so many, many thunder storms where we live.

Anyway, Welcome!

Thought I’d share a recent interview that was done with me by Written Word Media.  My newest book — still considered a new release — was the subject of the interview and I thought I’d share it with you today and also offer you the book as a give-away today for one of you wonderful bloggers.

So, without further ado, here is the interview:

 

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

This is book #4 in The Medicine Man Series, and the hero in this story was a young boy in book #3.  In book #3 (She Paints My Soul), this young boy of seven showed such courage and knowledge for his age that I wanted him to have his own book…of course he is grown up in this story.

 

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?

It would be my inspiration for the plot of this story: Pie Jesu.  The song  is so beautiful I had to have a story to go with the song.  In my mind it is this song that the heroine is singing when the hero, Stands Strong first meets her.

 

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

It’s the Romance genre in general, although I do prefer Historical Romance.  But I also love to read historical accounts.  And yes, Historical Romance is my favorite genre to write in.  In truth, I am lost in the world of today, not only its lingo, but its mores, I think.  I really do prefer to write about a calmer time, when men were everyday heroes and women were beautiful, kind and had nothing but the enhancement and enriching the lives of their families in mind.

 

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Mostly I have research books by James Willard Schultz on my list to read.  I find it difficult to read other romance books when I’m writing, and so I content myself with reading historical research books which are not dull in the least.  They are usually full of true life adventure.  Right now I’m reading a Public Domain book by James Willard Schultz entitled RED CROW’S BROTHER — a true story at the turn of the 19th Century (the early 1800’s).  Full of adventure and romance, it keeps me reading when I really should be writing.  I’m also reading An Indian Winter by James Willard Schultz

 

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

There are several scenes that I loved because they made me giggle, as the hero teases the heroine.  But, probably my favorite scene is the one where Stands Strong (the hero) first meets Czanna (the heroine).  There’s another one, too. This scene, a little further on in the book, has to do to the proposition the heroine gives to the hero of the story, seeking to sway him to her cause of keeping her family safe.  I expected the hero’s reaction to be completely different from what his reaction really was.  I love it when the characters do things I don’t expect.

 

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Well, I write with music in the background and usually the songs that inspire me are the songs for that particular book.  Also, my feet need to be warm when I write…unfortunately, even in summer.

 

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

I think it would be that kindness to another is more important than anything else in a relationship, be it one’s marriage partner or a friend.  Kindness and generosity are probably more important than any of us realize, I think.

 

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That people truly in love can work out almost anything if they really want to and if they keep trying.  And also, again, kindness is important.  It was once said by a wise man that it takes real strength of character to be kind.  He who seeks to dominate, who pretends friendship, but who cannot or will not feel the real emotion of empathy and kindness, is not a man at all.  Regardless of his wealth, regardless of his influence, he is a spiritual weakling among real men who have the betterment of his family, his tribe, his nation all humanity and all life always at the forefront of his mind.

Well, that’s all for today.  I’m hoping you’ll leave a comment about one of the questions asked of me…Do you have a mitto, quote or philosophy you life by?

I’ll be giving away an e-book copy of my newest release, SHE BRINGS BEAUTY TO ME.  Although this is a sensuous romance, it is in many aspects a sweet romance.

You can pick up your copy here:

https://tinyurl.com/She-Brings-Beauty-To-Me