New Releases

Kathleen Lawless on the Significance of Family

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Throughout history, the existence of the family unit has played a significant role, continuing to have a huge impact on most of our lives. Because of the opportunity to improve one’s fortune, and the types of employment available, never mind plain old gender inequality, the early settling of the West drew more men than women. As more communities were created a settled, the result was a disproportionate percentage men and women of marrying age.

The early settlers who struck out in search of new opportunity and the chance to settle new lands soon realized that when people compete for the same land and resources, success and failure often depended how prolifically one is able to reproduce. Extra sets of hands are imperative to work the farm or the ranch. One way men chose to attract a woman partner was to advertise for a bride.

I’ve written many mail order bride romances, but I wanted to do a different type of series with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Thus, I set out to create a family of seven brothers; a series where each man eventually meets and marries his soul mate.

As I started creating my leading men, developing their personalities, interests, skills, and goals, I quickly realized that having my heroes be biological brothers didn’t lend itself to the types of conflicts and storylines that would make interesting reading. I didn’t want them to all come from the same background and parents.

I felt the series would have far more appeal if each man was a loner, a product of his individual background and baggage. It’s difficult to be a loner if you grow up in a large family. Thus, I brought together seven young men from a diversity of backgrounds, circumstances, fortunes and talents. Swearing a loyalty to each other, this new family united in a single cause. Revenge.

For fun, I included a set of identical twins, but the others were as different from each other as they could possibly be. My newly-formed ‘found family’ banded together over a stretch of years at different times for different reasons. Having been knocking about on their own, none of them were accustomed to being part of a family dynamic, let alone the cooperation and compromise required to ensure a family functions and thrives.

One of the rabbit holes my research into families throughout history led me to was the ‘birth order theory’, where the eldest is perceived as the leader, the most responsible and conscientious. Middle children are thought to be more adaptable, diplomatic, and good at keeping the peace. The youngest is often seen as more playful, sometimes having a rebellious streak, or being irresponsible.

With seven brothers in my fictional family, did that mean there were five middle-children? Or two that were more irresponsible, while two who clashed for the leadership role. Numerous possibilities presented themselves. Maybe the elders were the first ones who formed this rag-tag family, while the late-comers were viewed as the youngsters, regardless of biological age.

Along the way, I couldn’t resist a quick analysis of my own siblings and my own children to test out the birth order theory.

Meanwhile, the series progressed with varying levels of commitment from the ‘brothers’ some intending to leave once the need for revenge had been fulfilled, others resenting the changes that befell their family, as one-by-one each brother claimed a bride. The remaining bachelors weren’t always happy about the intrusion of a woman, let alone several women into their male-dominated lives.

The end result was tons of fun, with lots of conflict. Not unlike every family I have ever known, including my own. But one thing is for sure. Differences aside, family is and always will be, the backbone of society as we know it today.

What do you think about the birth order theory as it applies to your own family?  Do you think a found-family, together by choice rather than birth, can share the same loyalties as one that shares blood? What about children who are adopted? Or an only child? I don’t always see eye-to-eye with my siblings, but when we lost a parent recently, I was very grateful not to be an ‘only’.

Leave a comment below, sharing some of your thoughts and theories regarding family for one of three chances to win a free copy of Book 1, Brody’s Bride. If you’ve already read the series, I’ll gift you a different title from my back list.

Meanwhile the series prequel, Before the Brides is available to everyone who signs up to join my VIP readers list. http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

You can learn about the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers series, tagline: “Bridgerton meets Yellowstone.” CLICK HERE

About Kathleen:

USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes. Blaze in One Fantasy Fall is a movie stuntman, who rides a Harley instead of a horse.

With over 60 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction.

She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and loves to hear from her readers.  http://www.kathleenlawless.com

Sign up for Kathleen’s VIP Reader Newsletter to receive a free book, updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers.    http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

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To Tame a Wild Horse — New Novella — Plus Giveaway

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Howdy!  Welcome to another terrific Tuesday!  Hope y’all are doing well!

Have just released a new Young Adult, Novella #2 in the Untamed Frontier Series.  The title of the book is To Tame a Wild Horse.  It’s written under one of my pen names, Genny Cothern.

First let me tell you a little about the series and then the story of book #2.  The series is about two teenagers from completely different cultures, Good Eagle and Miss Starling.  When they first meet, he is eighteen and she is sixteen and they spark off of one another from the start.  But gradually, they become friends, though it’s a long, hard road.

 

Book #2 takes place about a year later and together they herd the horses for the Fort (where Starling’s uncle is the Factor), they hunt for the fort and they roam the prairies when they can.  They’ve become good friends.  And so, with this in mind, this is the back blurb for the book:

 

TO TAME A WILD HORSE

Montana, 1848

 

Can Friends Ever Fall In Love?

I have only been at Fort Lewis for a year, but my friendship with Good Eagle has blossomed and has brought me a kind of happiness like nothing I have ever known.  Daily I ride over the prairies and mountains with Good Eagle, and, I’ve now learned to herd horses, to hunt wild game and to aim at a target and bring it down.  But, when a grizzly threatens both Good Eagle and me, and, when Good Eagle commands me to hide from it while he faces the grizzly alone, I refuse.  Desert my best friend?  Never.

But, after we rescue some stolen horses, I begin to believe my friendship with Good Eagle might have been love from the very start.

This is not good.  Not only has Good Eagle given my Uncle Jed a promise to treat me like an almost-sister, we share nothing in common except our friendship.  Nothing.  And, when I slyly bring up the subject of love, Good Eagle reminds me of his vow to my uncle.

And yet, when we track and bring down the wild, black stallion we are seeking, Good Eagle gives me an unexpected gift.

Is falling in love really impossible, or are we merely too young to know our own hearts?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F89HQKVZ?tag=pettpist-20

This fictional story is inspired by the true adventures of Thomas Fox and Pitamakan, as written by James Willard Schultz from Thomas Fox’s handwritten legacy — and from Thomas relating the adventures of he and Pitamakan, while sitting around an evening’s cozy fire.

Pitamakan went on to become a great chief, but a quick search doesn’t pull up many results about him because Pitamakan means Running Eagle in Blackfeet and there was another Running Eagle, a girl warrior, and most accounts I’ve been able to find about Pitamakan are about the girl warrior, who, by the way had many adventures, as well, as told by her lifetime friend, Ap’ah, who was born on the same day as she.

 

Must admit I love telling these stories about friendship and honor, and about two people from completely opposing cultures who somehow manage to become friends.  And, I love learning about a history I had no knowledge of prior to doing this research.

Now, I’ll be giving away this new story to four (4) bloggers today.  So come on in and leave a comment.  And, May your week be filled with happiness and love!

 

 

Heidi Gray McGill: Grit, Grace, and a Deputy

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Grit, Grace, and a Deputy with a Past: Behind the Story of Written on My Heart

If Louis L’Amour wrote Christian historical romance, he might’ve dreamed up someone like Deputy Gabe “Little Sun” Manning.

Of course, Mr. L’Amour would’ve probably added a few more bar fights and left out the slow burn romance—but the grit, the honor, and the determination to do what’s right no matter the cost? That’s pure Gabe.

Set in the rugged town of Shumard Oak Bend, Written on My Heart is where tumbleweeds meet transformation, and where the path to justice often overlaps with the journey of faith. It’s a story of belonging, redemption, and learning to trust God’s purpose—especially when life feels more like a shootout than a Sunday sermon.

Gabe Manning isn’t your average lawman. He’s Arapaho, raised in a world that rarely gave him the benefit of the doubt. Now, as deputy in a town with more secrets than saloons, he’s sworn to uphold the law—while carrying his own burden of past regrets, unspoken grief, and a question that keeps him up at night: Can a man with blood on his hands ever truly be clean?

Enter Betsy Smith. Schoolteacher. Book lover. Dreamer. The kind of woman who keeps her boots polished and her heart guarded. She’s not looking for romance, especially not with a deputy whose silence speaks louder than most folks’ shouting. But Betsy’s world isn’t as tidy as her lesson plans. Trouble’s brewing in Shumard Oak Bent, her past is knocking louder than she’d like, and she’s about to find out that heroes don’t always wear white hats—or follow the script she imagined.

Edge-of-your-seat moments—ambushes in the woods, stormy confrontations, secrets that threaten to unravel everything—abound in the story, yet its quiet, faith-filled pauses might leave you breathless. Because woven through the gunpowder and grit is the undeniable thread of God’s grace.

I didn’t set out to write a story that balanced intense drama with tender romance, but sometimes, characters have minds of their own. Gabe wouldn’t let me ignore his pain. Betsy wouldn’t stop fighting for her future. And in the end, I found myself writing about two people searching for purpose in a world that seemed set against them.

But that’s the beauty of Westerns, isn’t it? They strip life down to its bare bones. What do you stand for? Who will you protect? And how do you move forward when the dust settles and the silence creeps in?

In Written on My Heart, the answers come not just through love, but through faith—a God who redeems broken stories, restores hope, and reminds us we are never too far gone to be called His own.

So, if you’re in the mood for a romance with the soul of a cowboy tale, the stakes of a showdown, and the heartbeat of a Savior’s love—I’d love to invite you to Shumard Oak Bend.

Just watch your step. The horses spook easy, the past has a nasty habit of showing up uninvited, and there’s a deputy with dark eyes and a heavier heart than he lets on.

But I promise, the ride is worth it.

 

Why do you like stories set in the old West? Is it the history, the setting, or maybe just the good “feeling” they give you? Leave a comment to get in the drawing for one ebook copy of Written on my Heart.

AUTHOR BIO:

Heidi Gray McGill is a celebrated author whose award-winning Christian fiction transports readers to the rugged landscapes of the past, where faith and fortitude reign supreme. With a talent for crafting historical and contemporary tales, Heidi has penned nine compelling books, each filled with resilient characters navigating the wilds of life with God’s love as their guide.

Heidi’s writing is as bold and purposeful as the untamed West itself. She began her literary journey in March 2020. She quickly became a beacon of inspiration, weaving stories that echo the timeless themes of redemption, courage, and the transformative power of God’s love and forgiveness. Much like the pioneers of old, her characters face adversity head-on, offering readers a chance to journey alongside them, discovering healing and insight through God’s Word.

Living in a quaint town near Charlotte, NC, Heidi shares her life with her devoted husband of over three decades. When she’s not crafting stories of grit and grace, she treasures moments with her family, especially her grandsons, and finds joy in cooking, playing games, and exploring new worlds through books.

Join Heidi on her inspiring journey into the heart of the American frontier and beyond. Visit HeidiGrayMcGill.com to discover the transformative power of God’s love woven into her stories. Connect with her on social media and sign up for her newsletter to receive a free prequel to her bestselling series.

Christian Fiction. Relatable Characters. Life-changing stories. Fusing Faith and Fiction™

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Heather Fry Blanton Talks Proximity and Emotional Tension Trope

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Trust on the Trail: Forced Proximity and Emotional Tension in Frontier Romances

There’s something deeply compelling about a romance that begins with distrust and danger, especially when it unfolds on the rugged frontier. In Western and frontier fiction, the “forced proximity” trope—where two strangers are thrown together by circumstance—is a beloved storytelling device. Why? Because it strips away all pretense and forces characters to confront not just each other, but themselves.

In stories like my new release, Lance, from the Gun for Hire series, Lance Wister finds himself wounded and on the run. He’s got no choice but to accept help from a wary peddler named Cat Callahan. She could turn him in. But she’s running from something, too, and he could bring trouble to her door. Survival, however, demands that they work together, and slowly, necessity begins to shift to something deeper.

On the frontier, trust isn’t just emotional—it’s practical. Will this person guard my back? Tend my wounds? Keep my secrets? When you’re traveling alone through Colorado’s wild terrain, every decision is high-stakes. Forced proximity amplifies the tension, especially when characters are hiding past sins or running from pain. And it’s in those quiet, inescapable moments—sharing a campfire, sharing a wagon bed, binding a bullet wound—where the seeds of intimacy are planted.

But here’s where the faith element takes root.

In many of these stories, trust doesn’t just bloom between two reluctant partners. It also becomes a journey back to trusting God. Often, both characters are running from something, like danger, or more emotional elements like grief, betrayal, or shame. They’ve lost faith in people, and sometimes in the Lord Himself. But being forced to depend on a stranger reveals a deeper truth: that God hasn’t abandoned them. He’s working, even in the wilderness, even in the mess.

For Lance and Cat, being “stuck” together becomes divine design. It’s not just about survival—it’s about healing. Scripture tells us that iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), and sometimes God uses the most unlikely people and situations to refine us. What begins as distrust slowly turns to cooperation, then protection, and finally—if they’re brave enough—love.

That’s the heart of the frontier romance: it reminds us that in the loneliest, most desperate places, God still writes love stories. He still calls the broken into partnership. And He still brings beauty from the hardest trails.

 

So the next time you pick up a romance with a wounded outlaw and a wary heroine forced into close quarters, remember—it’s not just sparks and suspense. It’s about learning to trust again… each other, and the One who never left.

Can you think of a Western romance that hinges on forced proximity? What do you think of this trope? Comment below for your chance to win one of 5 copies of my new release. Lance and Cat are waiting to get to know you!

About Heather:

Heather Blanton is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of thirty Christian Western romances, including the highly rated and awarded “Romance in the Rockies” series.

She is a former journalist and often weaves real history in among her fictional storylines. She loves exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. She has walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw’s note in her hand.

Her novels are all Christian Western Romance because she enjoys writing about feisty pioneer women who struggle to find love and hold on to their faith. Like all good, old-fashioned Westerns, there is always justice, a moral message, American values, lots of high adventure, unexpected plot twists, and often a touch of suspense. Her work is inspired by authors like the great Louis L’Amour, Francine Rivers, and Linda Lael Miller, to name just a few. Her Defiance series has been optioned for TV.

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Aussie Ways Versus American – Margaret Tanner

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I am Margaret Tanner, an award winning, bestselling, Australian author with nearly two hundred books published on Amazon. I now concentrate on writing sweet Western Historical Romance, although in the past I used to write Contemporary and Australian Historical Romance.

I like to think my stories will tug at your heartstrings and evoke strong emotions.

My heroes hide behind a rough exterior. They are tough men who are prepared to face danger and overwhelming odds for the women they love. My heroines are brave, resourceful women willing to endure hardship and danger in an untamed land, if it means they can win their heart’s desire.

I have had many jobs over the years including being an Army Reservist, an Army Major’s secretary and a Medical Audio typist. My most memorable job, for all the wrong reasons, was as a postal delivery person. Surprisingly, I am scared of dogs, and I have to say I was accosted many times by dogs who were/or were not, intent on doing me harm.

I sadly lost my husband at the end of Covid. I have three grown-up sons, and two lovely granddaughters.

Outside of my family and friends, writing is my passion.

FRONTIER LIFE – AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA

Life on the American and Australian frontiers have a strikingly similar history, so it was fairly easy for me to make the transition from writing Australian to American western historical stories.

For example, take the Australian Act of Selection.

America: The original Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20th, 1862. It gave applicants freehold title to up to 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River. The law required only three steps from the applicant – filing an application, improving the land, then filing for a deed of title.

Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves, could file a claim on the provisions that they were over the age of twenty-one and had lived on the land for five years.

The Homestead Act’s lenient terms proved to be ill-fated for many settlers. Claimants didn’t have to own farming implements or even to have had any farming experience. The allocated tracts of land may have been adequate in humid regions but were not large enough to support plains settlers where lack of water reduced yields.

Speculators often gained control of homestead land by hiring phony claimants or buying up abandoned farms.

Homesteaders could often build a log cabin in a matter of days, using only an axe and auger. No nails were required for the task.

The first step in construction was to build a stone or rock foundation, to keep the logs off the ground and prevent rot. Once the foundation was laid, settlers would cut down trees and square off the logs. These logs were then “notched” in the top and bottom of each end then stacked to form walls. The notched logs fitted snugly together at the corners of the cabin and held the walls in place. After the logs were stacked, gaps remained in the walls. Settlers had to jam sticks and wood chips into the gaps, then they filled in the remaining gaps with cement made from earth, sand, and water.

Fireplaces were built of stone and often had stick-and-mud chimneys.

Most cabins had dirt or gravel floors, which had to be raked daily to preserve their evenness.

Rustic log cabins in a fall setting located at Grayson State Park in Virginia.

Australia:  The 1860 Land Act allowed free selection of crown land.  This included land already occupied by the squatters, (wealthy landowners) who had managed to circumvent the law for years and keep land that they did not legally own.

The Act allowed selectors access to the squatters’ land, and they could purchase between 40 and 320 acres of crown land, but after that, the authorities left them to fend for themselves. Not an easy task against the wealthy, often ruthless squatters who were incensed at what they thought was theft of their land.

The Act of Selection was intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture. Selectors often came into conflict with squatters, who already occupied land and were prepared to fight to keep it.

The bitterness ran deep for many years, sometimes erupting into violence.

The first permanent homesteads on the Australian frontier were constructed using posts and split timber slabs. The posts were set into the ground, about three feet apart, according to the desired layout. Slabs of timber were then dropped into the slots. A sapling or similar, straight piece of timber ran across the top of the posts, which allowed them to be tied together so they could support the roof.

Sunset above Craigs Hut, built as the the set for Man from Snowy River movie in the Victorian Alps, Australia

Clay was often plugged in between the joins and splits of the cladding to stop droughts. The internal walls were sometimes plastered with clay and straw, lined with hessian/calico, whitewashed or simply left as split timber.

Roofs were pitched using saplings straight from the bush and often clad with bark. Early settlers learnt from the aborigines that large sheets of bark could be cut and peeled off a variety of trees and used as sheets to clad the roof.

* * * * * *

 

I’m so proud of my Gun For Hire book – Dustin.

Please visit the series page HERE.

 

 

My latest release was on the 2nd of April – Callum’s Bride.

CALLUM’S BRIDE

Blurb:

Sebastian thought he was irredeemable. Will Carly’s love set him free?

Bounty hunter Sebastian Callum is ambushed and seriously wounded by the McSweeney gang.

He finds his way to Carly’s house and she and her young son give him sanctuary. But danger is an ever-present threat. And why does the littler boy think Sebastian is Jesus?

While nursing him back to health, Carly gives Sebastian her heart, even though he thinks he is an unworthy recipient. Will he accept this special gift from her?

If so, how far will a woman from his past go to keep them apart?

Readers can contact me via my FB author group. I would love to see you there. Or private message me on FB.

To find out more about my books please check out my Amazon link.

GIVEAWAY

One reader who leaves a comment, will win a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Have you ever been inside a log cabin?
What do you think would be the biggest challenge of making a home on the frontier?

Writing the Historical Western with Nancy Fraser-and a giveaway!

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One of the most difficult tasks an author of historical western romance has is shutting down their modern brain and encompassing the hardships and developments of the past. When the idea for this post first came to me, I was in the middle of finishing my current work-in-progress. So, I tapped a few friends for their thoughts on the content.

Here are the top five historical issues most writers struggle with:

  1. Language. Dang gum it. It’s not easy setting aside everyday words that might not have been used in 1888. I can’t count on both hands the number of times I/we have been called on a word or phrase we used. My favorite comment is… “that word wasn’t recognized in the dictionary until 1902.” As politely as possible, we explain that while it wasn’t “recognized” it had to have been used at least for a decade or two before it’s even considered worthy of the dictionary. Inclusion is quicker now but, back in the late 1800s/early 1900s, it often took 10-15 years, or notoriety, to achieve recognition. Realizing how foreign some of the old words are, one of my favorite things to do is put together word games matching the old-fashioned saying to the meaning. I’ve used the games many times during author/reader parties. One of my favorite resources is this site: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-slang/

  1. Transportation. Readers wouldn’t believe the number of times we check train routes, connecting transportation, and schedules. While fleeing her cheating fiancé, my heroine can get from Philadelphia to Saint Louis to Denver on the same route. Yet, Bozeman, MT is out of the question without one stagecoach ride, followed by a northern-routed train. It’s often a well-woven jigsaw puzzle to get your characters from Point A to Point B. My saved historical research sites are filled with links to transportation schedules. One of the most interesting facts about train travel in the late 1800s is that on November 18, 1883, at exactly, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move was emblematic of the power shared by the railroad companies.

 

  1. Plumbing. I was surprised how of the other authors hated writing about plumbing. It was definitely in my top five. In my Land Run book, Lily’s Luck (2022), I made a big deal of my heroine’s particulars for her outdoor privy. Indoor plumbing, even crudely done, was out of the question for a young couple building their home on newly claimed land. However, my feisty heroine wasn’t going to be satisfied with a hole in ground. For the most part, I stick to time periods where I can give my characters indoor plumbing, with boilers fired by wood to heat their bathwater. Only as they travel across the land in wagon trains, or on land runs, must they avail themselves of outdoor facilities.

  1. Communication. Written communication is tricky. How long can it take for the mail-order bride letters to get from Gold Rush California back to proper Boston as our miner hero searches for a bride? As part of a multi-author series based on heroines who quilt, I’ve written books for three straight years, and set all three in the same town in Oregon. My heroine’s father is the town’s postmaster, so I did my due diligence on when and how their postal services came to be. Trickier even than the intricacy of the mail is the cost of sending a telegram… assuming the remote western town even has the necessary capability. At one point the cost was as high as two-bits a word. Needless to say, telegrams were only used in the most important of situations. The job of a telegraph operator was so vital there were schools and even so-named colleges to teach the skill of operating the equipment.

 

  1. Faith. Not as complex as some of the other issues, incorporating one’s faith, and the faith of their characters, into a story can be challenging depending on when and where your story is set. While the majority of inspirational historical romances are Christian based, there is a fine line to acknowledge and celebrate the inclusion of all religions. Most authors, while acknowledging other beliefs, will center their book and characters solely on what they know and practice rather than run the risk of insulting readers of other religions/faith systems.

 

While these aren’t the only challenges, they made the most Top 5 lists of the ten or so authors I’d queried.

 

Writing, for me at least, is a joy. Creating strong, yet vulnerable, characters challenges both my emotions and my skill. It keeps my senior brain active. I admit, I laugh (a little) when I see all these advertisements for games (like mahjong) and spelling/word association touted to help ward of loss of memory and strengthen brainpower. You want to strengthen brainpower? Try researching and writing a book. It doesn’t have to be a romance, but putting thoughts to paper can be cathartic in a way that beats Wordle hands down.

In my April 3rd release, The Bride Who Keeps Running Away, I utilized a number of my train schedules, a couple of stage routes, and both mail and telegraph communications to get my heroine from Philadelphia to the small town of Union Flat, Washington Territory. You can bet, my three-time runaway bride led the Pinkerton detective hero on a merry chase.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Lenora (Leni) Pennington really hopes her third attempt at getting married will be different.

First betrothed at the age of sixteen to a man twice her age, she ran away the night before her arranged marriage and sought refuge with her maternal grandmother. Her second engagement wasn’t any better. Believing her intended chose her as his future wife on his own, she was shocked when she overheard her father and her fiancé talking about the value of their business merger, so she went on the run again.

Now, just hours short of walking down the aisle to marry her mail-order husband, a young man she admires, Leni discovers her groom in a compromising position with her best friend. Humiliated, she’s out the door and miles away before anyone realizes she’s gone. This time, however, Leni’s father is not willing to put up with what he considers spoiled and childish behavior. At the urging of his solicitor, he hires a Pinkerton’s detective to track his daughter down and bring her home.

Jackson (Jake) Taylor has been working for the Pinkerton Agency for the past six years. His area of expertise is private protection, be it a person or a train car filled with gold and cash. When he’s tasked with finding a runaway heiress, he’s tempted to refuse the assignment.  His boss convinces him it’ll be a nice break from being shot at from time to time. After all, how difficult can it be to track down a spoiled young woman and deliver her back to her doting father?

Given he’s matching wits with an expert at running away, Miss Lenora Pennington might be more than he bargained for. In more ways than one.

You can find Leni and Jake’s adventure here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQP2ZJHW?tag=pettpist-20

As always, it’s been fun visiting today. I hope to come back again soon. In the meantime, here’s some information about me, along with my social media links.

What are some things you’ve read in historical romance that presented real challenges to the characters? Nancy will give away two ebook copies of The Bride Who Keeps Running Away to be drawn from those who comment.

NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all. Her preferred genres are sweet western historical and sweet small-town contemporary. However, she has been known to dabble in the most unusual settings. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09FTH655Z?tag=pettpist-20

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/nancywritessweet.bsky.social

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

 

Legends of Gold–and a giveaway

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In my current series

Golden State Treasure

next up is

Legends of Gold

Here’s the thing about writing books…sometimes the research for them is JUST SO INTERESTING!

I started the series thinking of lost treasure, or a lost mine, in the Rocky Mountains, similar to The Lost Dutchmen’s Mine.

The Lost Dutchman’s mine…the story goes a man comes stumbling out of the mountains in Arizona with gold in his saddlebags. He was dying (I can’t remember exactly the story and rather than look it up I’ll just do my best to repeat it…which is how all wild tales of lost gold go, so why not continue that tradition?)

He ranted and raved about his gold mine, then died.

Thus began a wild search for this gold mine, using the man’s location, the nearby mountains and the man’s ravings as clues. No gold mine was ever found. But there was the gold in his saddlebags so it HAD to be true, right?

It’s said the west was full of such stories so I thought why not write my own?

A garbled journal with dubious clues. An obsessed man who ruined his family by abandoning them to search. Two of his three children are caught by thrill of this treasure hunt.

And my first book, Whispers of Fortune, begins with that third child, an older brother, bitter about his father’s abandonment, and determined to save his brothers from the same obsession, catches up with his treasure mad little brothers. In the course of book #1, we find out that there is SOMETHING out there. The journal, vague and hard to decipher, is definitely a guide to something. Now, finally, mainly because he can’t control his brothers, the older brother agrees to join in the hunt.

The thing about the research is, it starts to turn up very cool true historical facts that can weave their way into my book and there was some really interesting things going on historically at this time and in this place. Or before…which explains the gold.

This is Josh and Tilda’s story. Tilda, who came west searching for the same boys the older brother was, because they lied their way onto an orphan train SHE was in charge of, (they weren’t orphans for heaven’s sake) then ran away from the train, leaving her in a bad position with the people who sent her with the orphans…we can’t just LOSE children, Tilda.

So here she is and she rediscovers knowledge she has about old California and the history of Conquistadors that explored the California coast, and why is it so fascinating to her? And did Captain Cabrilla really come inland? And why is her old boss at the orphanage in New York City so insistent she comes back, when she’d been on the verge of firing her? And did–

Well you get it. So much stuff to read about and research and LOVE that it’s a wonder I can get a book written. And unexpected discoveries about times and places are their own kind of treasure!

Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.

Legends of Gold

Book #2 of Gold State Treasure

After years of solitude, Tilda Muirhead’s life takes an unexpected twist when she takes a position teaching at the orphanage on Two Harts Ranch following her cross-country pursuit of two brothers obsessed with a treasure map left by their adventurous grandfather. Tilda is now tasked with educating the mischievous brothers, who are bent on remaining out west until they find the hoped-for treasure. Then a man named Ben arrives, claiming to be her own long-lost brother. Raised as an orphan with no memory of her family, Tilda is both fascinated and wary of Ben’s sudden interest in finding her.

When Ben’s motives grow increasingly suspect, rancher Josh Hart suggests Tilda and the brothers set off on a quest with him that aims to protect Tilda while unearthing the map’s secrets. As they navigate the rugged wilderness, Tilda becomes captivated by the history behind the map, though she doubts it leads to anything more than old artifacts. Yet danger looms ever closer, and Tilda and Josh must rely on faith and their blossoming love to navigate the treacherous path ahead.

An action-packed Western of family, faith, and the quest to belong.

http://www.maryconnealy.com

 

New Release Coming Soon!

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Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. As we begin this Holy Week, I want to pause and wish each of you a joyful and blessed Easter season. Whether your days are filled with sunrise services, egg-dyeing with grandchildren, or simply soaking up the signs of spring—new life, green buds, and muddy fields—I hope your heart is filled with peace and renewal.

On the book front I’m thrilled to announce that we are just a couple of weeks away from the April 29th release of An Amish Widow’s Promise, the 2nd book in my Sweetbrier Creek series.

I’ve always been drawn to the kind of heroes who earn their place quietly—not with grand gestures or dramatic declarations, but with a steady presence, practical kindness, and unwavering character. The kind who fixes what’s broken without being asked. Who listen before they speak. Who care for what matters to you—because it matters to you.

When I sat down to write this book, I knew I wanted a hero like that. A man who wouldn’t try to sweep the heroine off her feet, but who might… catch her anyway.

Daniel Beiler doesn’t come in with romantic speeches or daring rescue missions. Instead, he shows up every day—rain or shine—to tend the orchard. He teaches Miriam’s six-year-old son how to draw maps. Fixes a sagging fence without being asked. Brings a pie as a thank-you gift (well, technically it’s from his sister-in-law, but he remembered to deliver it—very important hero points).

But Daniel isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes—sometimes big ones. He assumes instead of asking. He pushes too hard or moves forward without looping Miriam in. But what makes him special isn’t that he gets everything right from the start—it’s that he listens when he gets it wrong. He owns his missteps. And then he does better. That quiet humility? That’s its own kind of strength.

Because what truly sets him apart is this: he sees through to the heart of both Miriam and Jonah.

He sees a little boy who’s lost his daed and is eager for connection. He sees a widow carrying the weight of a farm, a home, and a deadline she didn’t ask for. And even when they clash—over orchard methods, over parenting, over control—he never tries to silence her. He listens. He adapts. He keeps showing up.

And that, to me, is the mark of a true keeper.

So tell me—what makes a hero a keeper for you? Is it strength? Gentleness? Humor? That one scene that makes you melt?  Join the discussion for a chance to win a copy of this book or any other in my backlist you select.

AN AMISH WIDOW’S PROMISE

What if the man who understands your son… doesn’t understand you?

Widow Miriam Lapp has three months to find a husband. Not for love—but for security. For her son. For the orchard that’s been in the family for generations.

She’s not looking for romance or someone with big ideas and opinions. She’s looking for someone safe. Predictable. Willing to follow her lead when it comes to the orchard.

But Daniel Beiler isn’t any of those things.

And worse yet, he stirs up a whole mess of emotions Miriam thought she’d left behind for good.

He’s not one of the men her well-meaning would-be-matchmaker neighbor is lining up for her. But he’s the one Jonah is growing attached to. And maybe—just maybe—the one Miriam is starting to trust… even when she doesn’t want to.

If you love quiet heroes with strong hearts, precocious kids, and a love story that simmers before it sizzles, I think you’ll fall for this one.

To Preorder, you can use this LINK

 

Range Wars–and two giveaways!

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By Lynne Lanning

Thank you so much for stopping by for a few minutes to share my adventures on this Historical Western journey. And my, what a thrill it is! The West was built by a conglomerate of people ranging not only in age and culture, but also the downtrodden trying to survive and live free, to the thrill-seeking entrepreneurs.

Search the history of Western expanse you’ll learn about railroads, cattle drives, new towns built, and range wars. I mention these four, as it seems most of my stories are written around them. You can’t mention one without the others being involved somehow. It’s like a chain of events.

Did you know . . . For over 300 years, the longhorn cattle roamed free across the plains of Texas? No one claimed or wanted them, they had no use for more than a few at a time, and they were considered more dangerous than a herd of buffalo, scaring everyone. The plains of Texas were full and over-running!

Before the railroads, a few rough and tough entrepreneurs decided to take on herding these dangerous beast to far reaches of the West. They could sell beef to the locals, sustaining a living…BUT the big money was in supplying beef to the East. Enter – the cattle drives, with all the hunky, handsome heroes we call cowboys! (But that’s another story…)

For decades, these entrepreneurs (Cattle Barons) became rich, increasing their herds and sending the cattle East. When the railroads came, it became an even more lucrative business. The cattle grazed on free-range land, which was unused land owned by the government. The Cattle Barons may have owned hundreds, or even thousands of acres, but they were using tens of thousands that they didn’t own. For decades, it wasn’t a problem, until…Enter – the Homesteaders.

Click to BuyThe government wanted to occupy and settle the West, coming up with some great incentives for people through Homesteaders Acts. But guess where these homesteaders were legally moving to? Right in the midst of free-range grazing land!

Arguments and deadly fights ensued for years. The Homesteaders refused to give up their homes, and the Cattle Barons refused to give up the grazing land they had used for generations. Not only did the Cattle Barons eventually have to move their herds and reduce them drastically, but some had to reroute their trails to cattle markets and railheads by miles around mountains, or pay (by the head) to cross someone’s property. Their lives, and livelihoods changed forever.

The Cattle Barons had done the same as they had for generations; the Homesteaders were legally taking advantage making a better life for themselves; yet hundreds of men, women, and even children died because of it. Some men, (like William Bonney aka Billy the Kid), even became outlaws over it.

I put myself in the shoes of both sides and can see how there was a huge problem.

Several of my books are written about, or at least mention, Range Wars. I am excited to announce that Mail-Order Stone Mason is a Finalist in the 2025 Selah Awards Western Category! Love can blossom even in the midst of such dangerous surroundings!

Buy – Mail Order Stonemason 

And…be still my heart…To Trust A Heart is a Finalist in the Historical Romance Category! What an HONOR!

 

Buy – To Trust a Heart

Two lucky winners will receive another great story that incorporates a small Range War, young entrepreneurs, building a railroad and a town – Mail-Order Station Master. My question for you is what information or fact caught your eye in my post about the West? I’d love to hear your opinions about the Range Wars. We have lots to talk about.

Buy – Mail Order Station Master

The Old West is so intriguing, and that’s where I park my wagon and stay for weeks at a time as I write one incredible tale after another! I can vividly see it in my mind as all those brave ancestors made their way to an adventure of a lifetime…and I’m so glad they did!

Find out more about me and my love of Western Adventures:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B6R33BXX?tag=pettpist-20

 

The HANGMAN – Charlene Raddon – And a giveaway

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The Hangman

You’ve already heard of the series Gun for Hire. My book is the next due out on April 15.

In the Old West, for some reason, people hated hangmen. They threw garbage and rocks at them, ran them out of town, sometimes on a rail, and in rare cases, even tarred and feathered them.

The hangman didn’t choose the job. He took it because he had no choice.

It started back in Old England, where they would select a convict from a prison and make him the hangman.

His goal was to cause instant death by breaking the top two vertebrae of the victim’s neck. This did not always cause the quick death hoped for, but usually caused severe damage to the brain or left the victim paralyzed. In rare instances, this particular break caused no damage. I am an example of this. Several years ago, I fell on my sidewalk and broke those top two vertebrae. I also split my nose open. Bleeding badly, I got up and walked into the house. My doctor told me I was a miracle.

A few hangmen stand out in history:

William Marwood invented the “long drop” technique intended to break the prisoner’s neck instantly and cause death by asphyxia. Marwood also created a table of height and weight to determine the length of the rope used for hanging.

William Calcraft performed the last public executions in England in 1868. Calcraft’s methods sometimes caused the condemned to take several minutes to die. To speed matters up, he would pull on their legs or climb on their shoulders to break their neck.

By the 20th century, the role had become almost celebrity status with thousands of applicants after the death of William Calcraft.

Albert Pierrepoint, b. 1905, followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle and was England’s most prolific hangman. His autobiography was made into a movie, Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman, starring Timothy Spall. In 1941, Pierrepoint undertook his first execution as lead executioner when he hanged the gangland killer Antonio “Babe” Mancini. He arrived the day before the execution, learned the height and weight of the prisoner, and viewed the condemned man through a “Judas hole” in the door to judge his build, then went to the execution room—typically next door—where he tested the equipment using a sack that weighed about the same as the prisoner; he calculated the length of the drop using the Home Office Table of Drops, making allowances for the man’s physique, if necessary. He left the weighted sack hanging on the rope to ensure it was stretched. He would re-adjust it in the morning if required.

On the day of the execution, Pierrepoint studied an X-ray of a cervical spine with a hangman’s fracture. He secured the man’s arms behind his back with a leather strap and walked him to the execution chamber to a marked spot on the trapdoor. There, Pierrepoint placed a hood over the prisoner’s head and a noose around his neck. He placed the metal eye through which the rope was looped under the left jawbone, which, when the prisoner dropped, forced the head back and broke the spine. A large lever released the trapdoor. All of this took a maximum of 12 seconds.

Kirk
  Kirk-Gun for Hire-Click to Buy

In my book, Kirk, Gun for Hire, Book 3, Kirk’s younger brother is framed and convicted of bank robbery. Unconvinced of the boy’s guilt, the judge gave him a choice of prison or becoming the county hangman. Kirk saw his brother as too young and weak-willed to face prison life, so he asked the judge to let him take the hangman job for his brother. His request was granted.

And so Kirk became the hangman for Owyhee County, Idaho.

In the opening of my story, Kirk hangs a condemned man and is shot by the convict’s partner. The bullet grazes his skull; he falls off the gallows and lands unconscious, nearly at the feet of my heroine, Adina, a typist at the local newspaper. She rushes to help him and, assisted by the town marshal, gets him to the tinker-type wagon he used to get around, change clothes, and sleep in on the road. When Adina witnesses a murder the following day, the marshal takes her to Kirk. Together, they travel around the county conducting hangings and trying to avoid the men who wish them harm. They don’t always succeed; the tale includes plenty of action and romance.

Have you ever seen the movie about Pierrepoint, or have you known someone who broke their neck?

Charlene Raddon fell in love with the wild west as a child, listening to western music with her dad and sitting in his lap while he read Zane Gray books. She never intended to become a writer. Charlene was an artist. She majored in fine art in college.

In 1971, she moved to Utah, excited for the opportunity to paint landscapes. Then her sister introduced her to romance novels. She never picked up a paintbrush again. One morning she awoke to a vivid dream she knew must go into a book, so she took out a typewriter and began writing. She’s been writing ever since.

Instead of painting pictures with a brush, Charlene uses words.

In 2011, Charlene’s artistic nature prompted her to try a different path and she began designing book covers. Today, she has a long list of clients and her own cover site, silversagebookcovers.com where she specializes in historical romance covers, primarily western.

And I think it’s fair to say she’s a cat lover!

 

Do you prefer history told in a frank manner or would you rather the author gloss it over and leave out details? Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a chance at one of two free copies of KIRK when it comes out. 

 

Kirk – Gun for Hire Series

A man sacrifices his future for his brother and finds danger lurking in the shadows.

Kirk Reddick, a former preacher, is faced with either letting his brother be forced into the job of a hangman or accepting it himself. He chooses to take on the hated work until he finds the man who framed his brother.

Observing a hanging at Red River Crossing, Adina Kinnaird is touched as she overhears the hangman comfort the condemned man. When Kirk is shot, she helps him escape the gunman and the angry mob.

Traveling from town to town, Kirk and Adina search for the man who framed his brother and find themselves falling for each other, but Kirk doesn’t want her living in the danger he faces every day.

In a showdown with the outlaw, Adina is shot. Kirk’s heart stops. He doesn’t want to go on without her. If she lives, will capturing the gunman be enough to clear his brother’s name and give Kirk and Adina the freedom to live outside the shadow of the hangman’s noose?

Charlene’s Links

https://twitter.com/craddon

http://www.facebook.com/charlene.b.raddon

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1232154.Charlene_Raddon

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/charlene-raddon

https://www.pinterest.com/charraddon5080/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlene-raddon-00854629/

https://www.instagram.com/charrad75/

https://www.facebook.com/CharleneRaddonwesternbooks

https://linktr.ee/craddon