Montana

Discovering a New Part of Me in My Own Story

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I’m celebrating this weeks, my P&P friends. The Cowboy’s Comeback, Book 2 in my Juniper Falls Ranch series released this past Thursday and wow, I’m just over the moon about how much readers are loving Cassie and Bo’s story.

This one was a little bit of a departure for me—I’ve never used the enemies-to-lovers trope before. Mostly, I think because I really hate confrontation. I mean seriously hate it. I’ll go out of my way to avoid a confrontation in my real life, so writing a story based on one was a little uncomfortable.

My heroine, Cassie Franklin, has no qualms about saying exactly how she feels. A journalist and World Champion barrel racer, she’s had to make her own way for most of her career. She faces life head on. When horse trainer Bo Kennedy’s accusations destroy their relationship and they go their separate ways, the embers of her anger continue to burn for five long years. All it takes is seeing him again to stoke those embers back into flames, and she’s furious with him all over again.

The muscle in Bo’s jaw worked as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, Cassie, it’s been five years. I’ve forgiven you. Can’t we put it all in the past and start new?”

“You forgive me?” It was the last straw after he’d practically wrenched the painful story of losing Pierre from her. “You … you …” she spluttered, too angry for words. She shoved the comb in her back pocket, clipped Storm’s lead under the mare’s chin, and unhooked the crossties. “Stick your forgiveness where the sun don’t shine, George!” She yanked on the lead and started to stalk out but stopped in a few feet, took a deep breath, and patted Storm’s neck. “Let’s walk, baby,” she said quietly. “Good girl. Let’s walk.”

As they try to work together to get her new horse ready for competition, Cassie is alternately cold as ice and yet so ticked off, she steams, so she gets really snippy to Bo. And that’s the part that I had to pull from a place inside me I didn’t know existed. Well, I knew it was down there somewhere because I can be really snippy in my head if provoked, but I can’t think of a time when I’ve brought that attitude to my real life. I’m always the peacemaker, even in an argument I win. I don’t hold a grudge and I’d almost rather cut my tongue out than say something that might make someone be mad at me. Cassie has not such compunction with Bo.

All this to say, Cassie comes at life (and Bo) with metaphorical guns a’blazin’. After a lot of years of being pretty passive, who knew I could write confrontation so convincingly? Go figure. We writers often discover new things about ourselves as we create characters, and sometimes, readers discover something new about themselves, too, when they read our stories. I like that, don’t you?

The Cowboy’s Comeback

It’s an enemies to lovers showdown between the cowboy who can’t trust and the cowgirl who won’t forgive.

Injured rodeo cowboy, Bo Kennedy, takes a job as a horse trainer at a Montana ranch. His skills training cutting horses are in high demand, but he’s holding out hope his days of competing aren’t over. Then his first client arrives, desperate for help with her mare. One problem, she’s his ex.

When World Champion barrel racer Cassie Franklin needs a new horse quickly, her last hope to rebuild her career is to switch to cutting competitions. She brings her new mare to Juniper Falls Ranch, hoping the highly hyped horse whisperer can help. She’s stunned to see Bo. They haven’t spoken in five years after he wrongly accused her of sabotaging his horse when he saw her flirting with his fiercest competitor.

Working together seems impossible, especially as the chemistry still sizzles. Will one of them finally lower their guard and admit they were wrong?

I’ve got a couple of e-books of The Cowboy’s Comeback to give away to two lucky commenters. Just tell me below if you’ve ever discovered something new about yourself that surprised you. 

It’s Yee-Haw Day!

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The fillies are riding in with news fit for sharing!

Nan Reinhardt

What an awesome release week for The Cowboy’s Comeback! Reviews are coming in, and Bo & Cassie are a hit! I’m so thrilled with mentions like this 5-star review on Goodreads:

January 22, 2026
THE COWBOYS COMEBACK by Nan Reinhardt
Release date January 29, 2026Definitely one of my favorite tropes second chances.I loved the story with Bo and Cassie. That a horrible break up five years earlier. Now they find themselves stuck on the same ranch. one is a trainer and one is a student. This is a wonderful opportunity for both of them. Can they make it work?For me all of Nan’s books are unputdownable! And this was definitely no exception. I loved being on Juniper Falls ranch.
Please keep them coming, Nan ?
Can’t beat that! The Cowboy’s Comeback is available now in both e-book and print at all book retailers!

Sarah Lamb

I’m excited it’s release day for a new book!

Her whole life, Ellen Grayson has lived by one rule: stay away from the Claytons. They’re dangerous, evil, and sworn enemies of her family. But when she finds herself on Clayton land, the one who protects her doesn’t match the monster from her parents’ stories. Drawn to him, Ellen is determined to uncover the bitter feud that has kept them apart.

Derek Clayton has loved Ellen from afar since childhood, stealing glimpses of her whenever their paths cross in town. As the third generation caught in a family war, he knows the only way to keep her safe is to stay away, no matter how much he wishes otherwise. It’s gotten more difficult to hide his feelings, and he can no longer deny the powerful pull between them.

But are they doomed to love only in secret for a chance that may never come? Ellen and Derek must decide if their forbidden love is strong enough to finally end the feud that has haunted their families for generations. Or if they’ll be forever waiting in the shadows.

Start reading Waiting in the Shadows now, and get swept away into a romantic, forbidden romance.

Linda Broday

COVER REVEAL!

Jess’s Reckoning – The McIntyres Book 3 – The exciting Conclusion

Jess McIntyre and Abigail Farnsworth find love & adventure, plus his remaining sibling!

Releases May or June

Karen Witemeyer

A fantastic giveaway opportunity, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Tons of western romance on the table in this one. Prizes include: Amazon gift cards, autographed books, and ebooks. Including my upcoming February release, Taming Lady Temperance!

Visit this link to join the fun: https://www.jilldewhurst.com/promo

 

Karen Kay — Night Thunder’s Bride (Book #3 in the The Blackfoot Warrior Series) is on sale!

 

Night Thunder has vowed to protect Rebecca. When she is stolen by an enemy, he goes after her. But he can’t simply ride into the enemy camp and kill the guilty. The thieves are malcontents from his own tribe. There is only one way to save her.

He must claim her as his bride.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072RXCB6H?tag=pettpist-20

 

Justice on the Frontier

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Seems like each state has a storied law enforcement agency. Here we have the Texas Rangers and in Arizona it’s the Arizona Rangers. In early Montana Territory it was a group called the Vigilantes. I recently ran across an interesting story about the Montana Vigilantes that was formed December 23, 1863.

But before you judge, here’s a glimpse of what decent people faced in 1863. Because there was no one to enforce the law, outlaws, robbers and murderers flocked to Montana Territory in droves. What courts that existed had very limited power, especially in remote mining camps. Mostly justice (if any could be had) came about through what was called miners’ courts and was weak and ineffective, unable to enforce the rulings. Basically, there was little law to be had in these rich gold fields. Gold being the accepted form of currency at the time. But transporting it was a huge risk and over time a million dollars in gold was stolen. Gangs, the most brutal of which was the Plummer Gang, was run by the Bannock, Montana sheriff, Henry Plummer. They preyed on all who traveled the roads and over a hundred travelers were murdered in the fall of 1863 alone. Something had to be done.

A group of men from Montana’s major cities held a clandestine meeting in John Lott’s store in Virginia City and formed this secret organization. In two years’ time, their members numbered over two thousand men. The Vigilantes’ main goal was to make the territory safe for families and rid it of crime. To that end, they dispensed harsh justice to undesirables. The organization spread across Montana and into parts of Idaho.

In the first two months of 1864, they hung 24 men. That was the beginning. It seemed quite a deterrent to criminals. There was no safe haven other than the Black Hills of South Dakota where most went.

THE WARNING

Seems the Vigilantes would paint the numbers 3-7-77 on homes, fences, tents and other things as a threat. If the person didn’t leave, they dealt with them violently and swiftly. No one ever got a second threat.

The meaning of the numbers is a mystery. Some say they represented the exact time period that the Vigilantes gave their targets to get out of town – 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 77 seconds. Another interpretation is that the numbers were a grave’s dimensions: 3 feet, by 7 feet, by 77 inches.

Still another school of thought is that it was a code used by the Freemasons.

Whatever the numbers represented, they struck terror in a man’s heart, and he quickly heeded the warning or risked death. These numbers became a potent symbol of law and order. The Montana Highway Patrol still uses the numbers today. The patch on each lawman’s shoulder sports 3-7-77. The department also paints it on the side panel of each patrol car.

To the lawmen of today it represents “Serve and Protect.”

While there’s no justification at all for vigilantes now in the 21st century, neither could a man stand by and let lawless gangs take over without doing something. There has to be law and order so people can thrive. These men simply wanted a safe place for their wives and children and keep rustlers from stealing their cattle.

Montana became the 41st state to be admitted to the union on November 8, 1889. The Montana Vigilantes disbanded around 1870 when the Stockman’s Association was formed.

Do you like a good mystery? While the true meaning of the numbers 3-7-77 has gotten lost, what is your best guess? Is it referencing a grave dimensions, referring to the time they allowed to leave the territory, or something else? I’m going to give two commenters an ebook copy of Love Comes to Christmas so join the chat.

AMAZON

Someone wants Gillian Everly to believe her beloved Christmas shop, the dream she built from nothing, is haunted. Strange events unsettle her, but she refuses to believe in ghosts. With her Christmas Eve piano performance approaching, she can’t afford distractions.

Enter Brett Love, a rugged local rancher who’s as intrigued by Gillian as he is determined to protect her. When he lends her one of his dogs for safety, it seems like the perfect fix, until the nightmare turns real.

A violent confrontation leaves Gillian’s hand maimed, her music performance in jeopardy, and Brett questioning the solitary life he’s always known. This Christmas, it will take more than faith to keep their dreams, and hearts, alive.

Little Pieces of Ideas that Wander Through My Mind

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I was on a writer retreat with my bestie, Liz Flaherty a couple of weeks ago. It was fabulous. We wrote, we drank wine, we ate chocolate, we talked, we processed her book and mine. Our retreats are always as Liz puts it,

“… harbors, as in they are places of refuge and safety, places for gathering, resting, and repairing. They are narrow and small and contained and when we are finished in them, we are ready and happy to return to the open sea of our everyday lives, both our writing ones and our real ones.”

Isn’t that gorgeous? And so very true.

We talked about the little pieces of ideas that wander through our writer minds—snippets of conversations, words, things we notice that perhaps no one else notices. We share ideas about settings, even as minute as the furnishings in a specific house in a setting. That got me thinking about where my random ideas rest in my imagination—on a chintz chair, I think. Faded old flowered fabric on a huge overstuffed chair sitting in a sunny spot under the eaves. Maybe there’s an ottoman, but it doesn’t have to match because honestly, my decorating style, like my writing style, is as random as my ideas. So why would I imagine something that matches?

Everyone has word pictures in their minds—and often it takes just seeing a pair of fancy cowboy boots in a store in West Yellowstone, Montana, or a rusty pump on a ranch in Virginia City for a story to start to happen.

The what-ifs are the things that writers and readers store away in the chintz chairs in their imaginations, and they are as myriad and varied as readers and writers themselves.

So, here’s a list of just a few of the random pieces of ideas, thoughts, and word pictures from my chintz chair:

  • She exuded grace and intelligence
  • A streaky sunset
  • A child mute and blinking in terror
  • He let go of my hand and suddenly I was untethered and adrift in my own thoughts.
  • Rumpled (Isn’t that a great word?)
  • A train stops at a small snow-covered station
  • What if I look in the mirror and someone else stares back.
  • He crooked his finger in a come-hither gesture (Okay, I’ve used that one in more than one book, but it’s still on the table because it’s such a wonderfully sexy word picture.)
  • Earthy and raw
  • Coffee that tasted like morning . . . or was it the other way around?

Doesn’t that cozy chintz chair up there make you want to curl up and read or nap? Share a way that you find the cozy and comfy when you need it. There’s an e-book copy of Forever Cowboy waiting for one lucky commenter.

Until next time…

 

 

Old Bull’s Heavenly Visitor & Give-away

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Howdy!

Welcome to another tantalizing Tuesday!  Hope y’all are doing well today.  And I have a special story for you today.  A true story — one I ran across in doing research for the story I’m currently working on.  This is from the book, BEAR CHIEF’S WAR SHIRT by James Willard Schultz, who is writing about his own true experience.

In June of 1877, Schultz’s mother had given him permission to go out west into what was then called Indian Territory on a buffalo hunt — he was to return that same year where he would attend a military academy, but he didn’t return until 1880 and even then, he was there for only 3 months before returning to Indian Country.  Indeed, James Schultz stayed with the Blackfeet and married into the tribe and became a white Blackfeet Indian.  There is a book he has written entitled MY LIFE AS AN INDIAN, and oh my, what a wonderful book it is — filled with thrilling stories.

This story is about one of Schultz’s adventures as a warrior going with a war party to retrieve Bear Chief’s War Shirt.  On the way to determining what tribe might have stolen the shirt and a way to retrieve it, he had many adventures.  The story I’m about to tell you he declares in his book is true. and is one he saw with his own eyes.

First let me tell you a little about a Blackfeet war party.  There was a man who led the party and it was his responsibility to sleep and live (to some degree) apart from the others so he could pray for a vision that would tell him what lay ahead of the war party.  Old Bull was part of this war party –he was a “Bringer of Plenty” — a man who called the buffalo to a cliff and over it so the tribe would have enough food to get through the cold winters of Montana.  He had what the Indians called much medicine.

Schultz describes Old Bull as a man about forty winters (years) in age.  Here is what Schultz writes about Old Bull:

“…I liked Old Bull best [of the war party}; in fact, I revered him.  He was a man of about forty winters — tall and well muscled, with long hair, keen eyes, and a pleasant face; calm, dignified, and honest; moreover, he was a sacred pipe man, a medicine man, as the whites say.  Old Bull was possessor of the powerful Eagle Head pipe, master of its long ritual of sacred prayers and songs.”

Old Bull was a man whom the war party needed to have a vision so as to alert the war party as to what they might face and it if would be successful.  But, so far, he had not been able to have a vision.

Old Bull stated that oftentimes he had to go someplace alone so that his spiritual helper would come.  He had told Schultz that often his spiritual helper would come to others as Old Bull prayed to their God, the Creator.  His spiritual helper would then tell the others gathered there the answers to what Old Bull was asking.  And so, not having a vision to help the war party, Old Bull went into a hollow tree and there began to pray.

And, I will quote from the book:

Bear chief was praying — “He had no more than spoken these words when his body stiffened, his face becoming tense and his eye balls rolling upwards in his head.  He leaned back against the inside of the tree.  Bear Chief and I were standing close to the tree when this happened….  Before us a white shadow was forming starting up from the ground and spinning up like a whirlwind, building higher and higher until it reached the height of Bear Chief.  Then the fluorescent white cloud began taking a man’s shape, the ears, nose, mouth, eyes, and the rest of the face forming first, then the body, arms, and legs. The figure took on such details as moccasins, a full head dress to the ground, necklaces, and some face coloring.  As I stood there, it seemed as though I could look through the Heavenly Visitor as one would look through a light colored window pane.

“The Visitor spoke in Blackfeet.  ‘Bear Chief, I am your helper.  I have been helping you all your life.  I have helped you in battles, I guide you and give you good thought.  My name is Gray Eagle.

“‘There is trouble for you ahead.  How much trouble will depend on how careful you are in your movements.  Do not travel this night.  You all will go to the Sand Hills someday, but those who are needed here now will stay for a while; those who are needed over there to help do the work of the Above Ones will go earlier.  Bear Chief, you will be rewarded.’  and with that the almost transparent visitor vanished into the sky in a streak of light.

“As Old Bull awakened from his trance, I asked him if he remembered anything that had gone on.  Said he, ‘I remember only that I slept.  What happened?’ I told him about the ghostly visitor and of his message.

“Old Bull continued, “Ever since I was a young man, there have been times over which I have had little control, when I have been seized by the Above Ones and when, as afterward related to me by my friends, Spirit people have built up and have been seen and heard by all present.  I would much rather have a vision, where I get the message direct, but when day after day has passed and I have received no message, often if I pray in an enclosure, as I did here, I am seized, and Spirit people come forth.”

The war party went on to be successful in regaining the war shirt.  Interestingly, Schultz writes, “After passing through several hands [the war shirt], the shirt came to the collection of Indian Americana at the Denver Art Museum.  No myth, this famed Indian relic is now on display for visitors to marvel at for its color, design, and decoration.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed this story.

Now onto other news:  My latest release, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD, is on sale starting today for $.99.  Don’t miss this chance.  Pick up your copy today.

Also, I will be giving away a mass market paperback of the book, Soaring Eagle’s Embrace, to one lucky blogger.  So come on in and leave your thoughts on this blog.  I love hearing from you.

SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBPKBXBZ?tag=pettpist-20

 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Montana!

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When Jane Porter, my publisher at Tule Publishing asked me to switch settings and write sweet, small-town romance in Marietta, Montana, I have to confess, I was more than a little apprehensive. Right off, leaving safe, familiar River’s Edge, where “everybody knew my name…” was a little sad, although I’m not sure I’m done with RE forever. Also, it was daunting to come to a setting that was already created, and by amazing writers who are way more experienced in the ways of the West and cowboys than me. Frankly, I’d never been to the West before and I knew nothing about cowboys. Oh, I’d spent lots of time in California and I’d been Oregon, but those were family and vineyard vacations. I was intrigued with the whole idea of moving to Montana, though, and joining authors I love in Marietta.

The first order of business was to read—I was already a Marietta fan, so I knew some about that little fictional town in Crawford County, Montana. With the help of my amazing editor, Sinclair Jayne, and all the great online information available at Tule, I began to know the town even better. But it occurred to me that if I was going to write more than one book in Montana, maybe I’d better go see it for myself.

I called my friend and fellow Tule author, Carol Light, and said, “Hey, wanna go to Montana?” Carol was an immediate, “You bet, when do we leave?” We picked Big Sky country because it was not too far from Bozeman (neither is Marietta), and the VRBOs there were out-of-season, so fairly reasonable. To be honest, Big Sky, the town, is a winter playground for snow skiers and snow boarders, but all around the area are ranches and not far away is Virginia City and Ennis and other towns that reeked of cowboys and Western life.

In late July, I left my local airport at 8:30 a.m.; Carol left her local airport 10:15 a.m. and we met up in the Denver Airport. Then we flew together to Bozeman–one of the cutest airports I’ve ever seen! There are bears and moose everywhere and some crazy huge bird hanging from the ceiling! The whole airport was mountain stone and cedar beams–really pretty and lodge-y (If that’s not a word, it should be). We also saw the coolest ad for a fishing outfitters that felt like the universe was telling me that moving from River’s Edge to Montana is a capital idea! Take a look!

There are 64 mountain ranges in Montana and our condo was nestled right in the middle of the Madison Range at an altitude of 7000 feet. Lone Mountain was visible from Big Sky as well as several other mountain ranges, including the Gallatin Range and the Absaroka Range, which are part of Marietta lore.

We spent two days of our week at Yellowstone National Park, which is just overwhelming and spectacular! Carol used the term “moonscape of boiling mud and geysers” to describe the Fountain Paint Pot thermal field and Old Faithful. I can’t think of a better way to say it. It was awe-inspiring and this little Midwestern gal couldn’t stop saying, “Wow!” What a spectacular experience that national park was!

When we drove west to Virginia City the first thing I noticed was that the landscape was so very different from Big Sky. In Big Sky, it’s all huge mountains and pines. As we headed west, the terrain changed to rolling hills and pastures and wheat and hayfields. Junipers dotted the landscape and there were lots of ranches and fences and sagebrush. I absorbed it all–even-saw a ranch that reminded me of what I imagined Del Foster’s ranch to be–and oh, the cows and horses! Virginia City and Ennis were real Old West towns and just steeped in history!

I think the most important thing that we discovered there is how big the world is–Big Sky indeed! The mountains overwhelmed us every time we went outside even though we were only halfway up. We loved tramping to Ousel Falls, so I would have a picture in my head (and on my phone) of what I imagined Juniper Falls to look like. I absorbed Montana and imagined the little town of Marietta in each place we visited. We saw enough cattle ranches and guest dude ranches that I can add some authenticity to my Juniper Falls Ranch stories. The Big Sky area wasn’t as cowboy-centric as I imagined it would be, but the vibe was definitely Western.

All in all, this move to Marietta is going to be a fun journey. I can’t wait to share my cowboy/Western romances with you! Hope y’all will come along with me to Marietta and Juniper Falls Ranch!

All My Best,

Question: Have you ever had to change course and do something entirely different? How’d it go?

Guest Author Sinclair Jayne – Rogue Cowboy

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Petticoats and Pistols is proud to host guest author Sinclair Jayne:

Hello – Sinclair Jayne here. One of my favorite places to set a romance is in Marietta, Montana, which is a Tule Publishing and Tule author created town loosely based on Livingston, Montana. I’ve traveled to Montana many times, but never yet to Paradise Valley, where Marietta is, surrounded by two intensely gorgeous mountain ranges—Gallatin and Absaroka.

It’s a given that a Montana romance not only stars the hero and the heroine, but also the setting—the connection to the rugged and beautiful land, the traditions, the tight, smalltown community where people are fiercely independent, yet may need their neighbors, especially in a ranching community. And of course, there’s the spectacular scenery, along with the geology, geography, wildlife and of course weather.

Any time there is an opportunity to participate in a multi-author series at Marietta, Montana’s Copper Mountain Rodeo, my hand shoots up. “Me, me, me.” I live in a rural town in Oregon, and the annual rodeo and the fair are a must and a way for the community to reconnect to the ranching and agrarian roots. For my new book Rogue Cowboy, I wanted to dig into rodeo culture and embrace the healing power of family, small town, ties to the land and of course second chances.

Rogue Cowboy is a reunion romance along with a secret marriage of convenience. The love story features Riley Telford, a local horse trainer cowgirl and former Special Forces soldier, Cole Jameson, who grew up ranch in Texas, but has come to Montana to reclaim his secret bride. No one in his tightknit ranching family has ever divorced so he’s determined to win Riley’s heart so their marriage can be ‘real.’

Western Cowboy romances are my absolute favorite to write. Readers and writers love them for a reason. Cowboys are iconic. The cowboy code. The western hero might be morally grey, but they have their own code of honor and way of being in the world that feels both classic, but so necessary in our complicated present. There is no dialing in a cowboy hero. Readers have high expectations, and I lean into the challenge of meeting them. A Cowboy doesn’t need to swagger (but yum if he does). He does require confidence, goals, a can-do attitude and yes, even if he’s a bad boy, he needs to be kind in some way, take care of the heroine, even when she’s convinced he’s the last thing she needs. Cowboys commit.

Rogue Cowboy: Excerpt (after five-year separation)

 

Riley headed to the barn, needing time to rope her carefree, cowgirl persona snugly around her.

She drew in a deep breath and her heart leapt to her throat. What a gorgeous smell, teasingly familiar. It took her back to the before. She closed her eyes remembering. Bergamot, hint of cedar, sun-warmed leather and something exotic like sandalwood—not that she’d smelled actual sandalwood.

But it smelled heady. Taunted familiarity and safety. Miles out of reach.

Cole. If only. She inhaled again. Pretended she could go back in time to when she’d desperately crushed on him and wanted to show off. Before when life was simple, and the future was a sparkly gold and pink road she could run down, her head full of dreams.

How had she been so stupid and young?

She opened her eyes and through a crack in the door dandelion seeds floated in the shaft of light.

Make a wish.

From behind, a strong arm slipped around her shoulders and a hand anchored lightly on her hip, trapping her between a hard body and the cool metal of Cinnamon’s stall.

“Hello, Riley.”

 

Want to learn more? Here’s my website & newsletter sign up: https://sinclairjayne.com

About Jayne:

Sinclair has loved reading romance novels since she discovered Barbara Cartland historical romances when she was in sixth grade. By seventh grade, she was haunting the library shelves looking to fall in love over and over again with the heroes born from the imaginations of her favorite authors. After teaching writing classes and workshops to adults and teens for many years in Seattle and Portland, she returned to her first love of reading romances and became an editor for Tule Publishing last year. In addition, she’s published over 30 romances of her own.

Sinclair lives in Oregon’s wine country where she and her family own a small vineyard of Pinot Noir and where she dreams of being able to write at a desk like Jane Austen instead of in parking lots waiting for her kids to finish one of their 12,000 extracurricular activities.

 

 

Now it’s your turn – do you think a strong sense of setting enhances a story? Do you have a favorite setting? Share your thoughts in the comments and you’ll be entered in the drawing for the special prize package pictured below.

There’s a New Kid in Town!

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Hi. I’m Nan Reinhardt and I’m the new kid in town here at Petticoats and Pistols. It’s a scary thing being the new kid, don’t you think? My earliest memory of awkward new kid-ness is starting first grade, where I was older than most of my classmates and thus, taller and bigger. It made me incredibly self-conscious. I confess, that even over 60 years later, I’m still self-conscious about being the new kid, especially among a group of great writers like this one. However, I know I shall find inspiration and fun here, and I hope to contribute whatever writerly wisdom and reader pleasure I can.

Perhaps the best way to begin this venture with Petticoats and Pistols is to tell you a little about me as an author. I’m a writer of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. I’ve written fourteen books that take place in my little town on the Ohio River called River’s Edge, but recently, Tule asked me if I’d like to move West. Since what had drawn me to submit to Tule in the first place was Jane Porter and the Marietta, Montana, stories, I was intrigued at the idea. So I agreed, and in my first Western Romance, Forever Cowboy, River’s Edge goes west and my heroine falls in love with Montana and a very special Montana cowboy. I won’t tell you the whole the story, but suffice to say, it has the obligatory happily-ever-after and Forever Cowboy is the beginning of my new series for Tule, Juniper Falls Ranch.

I confess I wasn’t sure that I could write cowboys and western romance. After all, I’d never been out West—California and Oregon, but never to Montana or to a ranch. I fixed that just a couple months ago when a friend and I took a trip to Big Sky and Yellowstone, but that’s another post. Changing from writing my familiar small river town to a ranch in Montana was a very scary proposition, but I figured out that if I simply write the stories that are in my heart, it won’t matter whether they happen in a small Indiana town or on a ranch in Big Sky country.

A little bit more about me. I’m not only a USA Today bestselling author, I’m also a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother to a fun 13-year-old young man and two sweet dogs. I’ve been an antiques dealer, a bank teller, a stay-at-home mom, a secretary, and for the last 30 years, I’ve earned my living as a freelance copy editor and proofreader.

But writing is my first and most enduring passion. I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t writing—I wrote my first romance novel at the age of ten, and I’m still writing romance, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled woman in her prime. I live in the Midwest with my husband of 52 years, where we divide our time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake. I blog weekly on my own website, sharing writer news as well as personal thoughts and experiences and sometimes, even snippets from my upcoming or new releases.

So here I am. I’m smiling, I’m grateful, and I’m thrilled to be a part of Petticoats and Pistols. As the newest P&P “filly,” I look forward to posting for y’all on the first Tuesday of every month. I love comments and conversations, so let’s talk, okay?

How about we do a little getting-to-know-you giveaway? I have a box of goodies for one lucky commenter (including a signed print ARC of Forever Cowboy, some fun swag I picked up in Montana, and other goodies). Just tell me in the comments why you love Western Romance.

ABOUT NAN:

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 52 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

Links:

http://nanreinhardt.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authornanreinhardt

https://www.instagram.com/nanreinhardt/

https://www.threads.net/@nanreinhardt

https://bsky.app/profile/nanreinhardt.bsky.social

  

 

FOREVER COWBOY

It was supposed to be just a vacation fling…

43-year-old Beth Dykeman’s life is spiraling—her 20-year marriage is over as is her career in Nashville’s Chamber of Commerce. Now back home in River’s Edge, Indiana, she’s grieving the end of her dream to have a family. Hoping to restart her life, she books a relaxing long weekend at a spa in beautiful Montana. But Beth arrives only to discover she accidentally booked a stay at a working dude ranch in the middle of Marietta’s 87th Copper Mountain Rodeo celebration weekend.

When he’s not competing, 36-year-old bronc rider Del Foster works at the Aspen Springs Ranch. He’s ready to hang up his spurs. This rodeo will be his last competition before he finally settles down and buys his own small spread to train cutting horses.

Their instant chemistry shocks them both, and on her last night, Beth indulges the attraction, knowing she’ll never see Del again. But fate has a way of changing plans and challenging assumptions. Can Beth and Del both have what they never knew they always wanted?

Forever Cowboy releases September 25, but is available for pre-order HERE 

 

Recent Interview for She Belongs In My World & Giveaway

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Howdy!

Hope y’all are doin’ well on this lazy Thursday, the last one in the month of June this year.  Cathy has kindly given her blog spot to me today and I only hope I can fill her shoes.

The big news in my part of the world is that I have a new release this month, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD, an American Historical Romance/Native American.

Only a few days ago I was interviewed about the book by Written Word and I thought I’d post it here.

Interview Written Word with Karen Kay, author of the book, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD.

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

This is the fifth book in The Medicine Man Series, and two of the characters from book four in the series needed to have their story told.  

Often these characters come alive once they have been created and this was the case with these two characters.  

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

It would be the country song by the late, great Jim Reeves, Welcome To My World.

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

Definitely Romance, whether historical or contemporary, paranormal or western, I love them all.  However, another genre is becoming a favorite and these are the true stories I read from James Willard Schultz about the Blackfeet Indians of long ago. 

What books are on your TBR pile right now? 

Many true adventure stories of Pitamakan and Thomas Fox;  true stories of Rising Wolf and Red Crow and his sister, Mink Woman and many other  true stories of the long ago.  For my other love, romance, I love the stories of Linda Broday, Pam Crooks, Shanna Hatfield and Cassie Edwards, Madeline Baker and many others. 

What scene in your book was your favorite to write? 

This would be a tossup, I think, between one scene where the hero first sees the heroine for the first time after a long four years apart; or it could be the scouts revenge scene where the villain is not killed, but is brought to his knees in order to pay for his injustice to the heroine; but perhaps the other favorite scene in the book is the snow scene where the hero and heroine have a snowball fight and where they learn more about themselves as individuals and as a couple.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? 

Perhaps.  I write to music.  I don’t edit to music, but I love having music that inspires me playing in the background when I’m newly writing a scene.  Also, with the acquisition of four new pets, I generally have quite a crew of the four leggeds around me nowadays when I write.

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

Help others as much as one can.  Be a willing ear to listen to another’s woes.  And be as kind as one can be.  There’s not enough kindness in the world today, I think.  There should be more. 

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

I would like to take the reader on the journey along with the heroine and hero.  I’d like the reader to be able to experience the story as if she or he were there.  I’d like my readers to be able to forget their cares, if only for a little while. And if I can accomplish this, perhaps then all my study and research and doing my best to pour emotion into my stories will be worth the effort.

Well, that’s all.  Hope you enjoyed the interview.

Questions?  Comments?  I’d love to hear them.  Come on in and leave a post.  I’ll be giving away two e-books today to one lucky blogger, SHE BRINGS BEAUTY TO ME and SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD.

 

 

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!