Small town

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. 

Welcome Guest Author Teri Wilson

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Howdy, everyone! I’m Teri Wilson, and I’m excited to be here and tell y’all about my latest book, The Perfect Pass.

First, just to share a little bit about myself, I write sweet romance as well as inspirational/Christian romance, and I’ve had five Hallmark Channel movie adaptations of my books. So, yes, I’m also very much a Hallmark girl! I’m also a lifelong Texan, and I’m a big dog lover. My Cavalier King Charles spaniel Charm is a therapy dog and a reading education assistance dog, and we love volunteering in our community to spread a little doggy comfort and joy.

The Perfect Pass is set in a fictional small town in my home state, so I thought it would be fun to talk about small town Texas settings and what makes them special. Like I said, I’ve lived in Texas my entire life, from big cities like Houston (where I grew up) and San Antonio (where I’ve lived for the past thirty-plus years), to tiny College Station, where I attended college at Texas A & M University. I love spending time in the Texas Hill Country, dotted with small towns situated among rolling hills, fields of bluebonnets and winding rivers. Each of those towns had its own special flavor, whether it’s a historic dance hall, a beloved barbecue joint or a bunch of wineries and vineyards, all in a row.

The Perfect Pass is the first book in my new Texas Forever After series, which came about when my editor asked me if I’d like to write a football romance. I immediately said yes, even though I’m not exactly a football expert. But I loved the television show Friday Night Lights, and I thought it would be a really fun challenge to write something in that same spirit. When my editor reached out to me, the first thing she mentioned was football, and then she followed it up with, “You’re from Texas, after all,” and I immediately knew we were on the same page.

The town I created for my series is called Bishop Falls, and I modeled it after a real Texas town called Gruene (pronounced like the color green), which has a historic steel water tower standing in the heart of the historic district. In my little fictional town, the water tower is an important landmark. The high school football team’s bulldog mascot is painted right on its side, and the water tower is a popular place for late night victory parties. I think it’s important for small town settings to have something unique to make them really come alive—special landmarks and quirks that set them apart from every other town on the map. Landmarks give readers something to picture, something that feels real and memorable. They’re the kind of details that make readers say, “I know this place. I’ve been here.” And in a way, they have. Because so many of us have our own versions of Bishop Falls tucked into our memories.

The other defining characteristic of Bishop Falls is its passion for football. In true Texas tradition, Friday nights revolve around the Bulldogs, and the whole town turns out to pack the stands, win or lose. You can see that love of the game everywhere you go, from the End Zone Bakery with its football-shaped cookies to Huddle Up Coffee, where the lattes are served in team-colored mugs. Even Main Street is called Bulldog Avenue, a reminder that in Bishop Falls, football isn’t just a sport. It’s part of the town’s identity, woven into everyday life in the quirkiest, most endearing ways.

And of course, no small Texas town would be complete without a big dose of Texas hospitality. In Bishop Falls, neighbors look out for one another, strangers are greeted with a smile (or, in my hero Jackson Knight’s case, a literal parade), and there’s always room for one more at the table. That welcoming spirit is part of what makes small towns so endearing, and the perfect setting for a heartfelt romance.

Still, even in a place as warm and welcoming as Bishop Falls, life isn’t always simple. The same closeness that makes the town so special can also stir up its share of challenges, especially for newcomers who aren’t quite sure if they belong. That mix of open-armed Texas hospitality and small-town scrutiny sets the stage for The Perfect Pass, where love takes the field right alongside football.

You can learn more or purchase HERE

Visit Teri’s website HERE

To celebrate the release of The Perfect Pass, I’m giving away a signed paperback of the book, along with a pair of J. Crew football socks featuring Bishop the Bulldog. One lucky winner will be sporting Bishop Falls pride while turning the pages!

To enter, simply answer this question in the comments below:

If you could invent one quirky business for a small Texas town like Bishop Falls, what would it be called and what would it sell? I can’t wait to read your creative ideas. Good luck, and here’s to the magic of small towns, both real and fictional!

Sunrise Surf

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When I was kicking around ideas for the hero in my new book, Sunrise Surf, releasing July 31, I decided to make him a surfer, mostly because I’d chosen the book title last year and wanted surf to have some significance to the story.

However, I wanted the hero to be a guy with integrity who can carry a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

Just before I started writing this book, the news featured details about a huge multistate drug bust that has been dubbed the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history. That gave me the idea to have Logan be a state police officer working undercover as the laid-back, no-cares-in-the-world surfer named Bodhi.

The only problem with making him a surfer was that I knew nothing about it, except how much I smile when I hear the song “Wipe Out,” which really doesn’t count for anything.

So, I started doing research about surfing and learned about waves, boards, surfer slang, sharks in Oregon (ack!), and wetsuits.

I’m a very visual learner. I wanted to watch a documentary or movie about surfing. I stumbled across Chasing Mavericks, a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity.

Not only did I learn about surfing, I learned about someone who impacted the lives around him. Jay was a 15-year-old surfing phenomenon who wanted to ride the Mavericks surf break in California, one of the biggest waves on Earth. He trained with surfing legend Frosty Hesson, and a photo of his wipeout on the Mavericks became the cover of a surfing magazine. Jay went on to become an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. The day before his twenty-third birthday, he was free-diving in the Maldives and died. No one is sure what happened. In honor of his life, of the inspiration he gave to the people he encountered, a Live Like Jay movement began.

Live Like Jay embodies living a life of passion, positivity, and authenticity.

The thing about this movie that I randomly decided to watch is that I unknowingly watched it on the anniversary of his death date. It gave me goose bumps when I started doing research about Jay Moriarity the next day, which would have been his birthday. Even typing that just gave me goose bumps.

By now, you are wondering what an undercover state police office pretending to be a surfer has to do with anything western.

Well, not a lot, except Logan, the hero, grew up on a ranch in Central Oregon and our surfing cowboy still loves to rope and ride any chance he gets.

I hope you’ll check out Sunrise Surf!

When a police officer posing as a surfer and a doctor wading through the unchartered waters of parenting a teen join forces to dismantle a drug operation, anything is possible.

Oregon State Police Officer Logan Wright swaps his badge for a board, posing undercover as a homeless surfer to infiltrate a deadly drug ring. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Seaside’s rugged coastline, he struggles with his dual life, especially after meeting a beautiful doctor who turns his head and touches his heart. Troubled by the fine line between duty and authenticity, Logan fears sharing the truth of his identity will drive her away.

Laken Hayes is a devoted doctor, fiercely protective of her teenage nephew, and determined to keep her hectic life in balance. But when a free-spirited surfer enters her world, nothing will ever be the same. Unexpectedly drawn to the charismatic man, Laken finds joy in his upbeat outlook on life while inadvertently becoming entangled in the web of Logan’s mission.

As their connection deepens and mysteries unravel, Logan faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: will he continue the deception to protect his cover or reveal his true self to the woman who has captured his heart?

Join Logan and Laken as they navigate a tide of secrets, false identities, and a wave of fast-moving danger in Sunrise Surf, a wholesome small-town romance that proves love may be the ultimate risk worth taking.

I found the idea of Live Like Jay so inspiring. 

What is a slogan, saying, or something that has inspired you? 

Hometown Hoedown – Cathy McDavid

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I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona when I was thirteen years old. And while I’ve lived here ever since and consider it my home, I was born and raised in Connecticut. Our house was in Scantic—a small community near East Windsor with not much more than a church, a cemetery, historical society, State Park on the Scantic River, along with several home-run businesses like a construction company, art studio, and auto repair. The only new additions since I was a child are a few Airbnbs and some more houses. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same picture-perfect heart of Colonial New England all these decades later.

Just to give you an idea of what old and quaint Scantic was and continues to be, our house was built fifteen years post the end of the civil war. The original property consisted of many, many acres with the main crop being tobacco—specifically a broad leaf variety used for cigars. Some of you may have heard of the book by Mildred Savage called “Parish” which was made into a 1961 movie of the same name starring Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Claudette Colbert, and Karl Malden, among others. Much of the movie was filmed in East Windsor and featured vivid scenes of shaded tobacco fields. Of course, the tobacco industry has died off since then, but there were still some fields when I was a child and one of the original tobacco drying barns on our property remained standing, although it was in great disrepair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was able to return for a visit about a year-and-a-half ago. Both my parents are buried there And while it’s far from where I live now, I honored their wishes as they were so happy during the time we lived there. It seemed only fitting they are resting in the cemetery, not far from the graves of Colonial settlers who lived in Scantic during the 1700s.

When I visited, I brought with me and donated a collection of painted primitive art that was done by a friend of my mother’s, Jean Dewey, to the historical society. The scenes on the items are from Scantic and depict the idyllic life from then and now. Small tidbit. Jean Dewey’s adorable son Christopher was in my class at school, and I had a terrible crush on him. In the third grade, he gave me a kiss on my cheek, and after promising not to tell anyone, I proceeded to blab to every girl in my class the following day.

One last note of interest. Scantic was so small, we didn’t have a school and were bussed to Broad Book, the next town over. While considerably larger, Broad Brook is still as charming as ever, and when I visited recently, I was delighted to find that some of the original buildings, like the opera house and general store, were much like they were in my youth.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me and visiting my hometown. Tell me something memorable about where you grew up and if you ever return for a visit.

PS:  Don’t forget to stop by our P&P Facebook reader’s group:

Petticoats & Pistols FB Readers Group

New Release! Training the K-9 Companion {Giveaway!}

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Meadow background, book cover Training the K-9 Companion by Jill Kemerer, text "New Release & Giveaway, Petticoats & Pistols"

The third book in my Wyoming Legacies series is in stores now! TRAINING THE K-9 COMPANION follows Cade Moulten, a rancher opening a high-end horse-boarding operation, and Mackenzie Howard, the new veterinarian in town, as they train little Tulip to be a therapy dog for his grandmother. This Love Inspired book takes place during the summer in fictional Jewel River, Wyoming.

I enjoyed learning how rural vets utilize mobile trailers to treat cattle and horses on ranches. I also love writing books with dogs in them. Talk about a win-win! Mackenzie’s trying to convince local ranchers to trust her with their cattle, but she’s terrified she’ll make a mistake and lose an animal. And Cade needs high-paying clients to offset the reduced rates he plans on charging the locals to board horses at his new stables. On top of that, Cade’s mother insists on training a therapy dog to comfort his beloved grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s. Poor Cade never knows what to expect when he visits Nana.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s are terrible diseases. My father suffered from Parkinson’s and dementia, and I spent a lot of time at the nursing home with him before he passed away. I’m blessed with a supportive family who loves Jesus, and this story reflects it.

Don’t worry–the book isn’t all gloom and sadness! Cade’s mom is an unrelenting matchmaker. Add the warm, rowdy members of the Jewel River Legacy Club, and you won’t want to put the book down.

 

Book cover Training the K-9 Companion by Jill Kemerer. Mountain background, Pomeranian in meadow with daisies

Man’s best friend…
Could be the key to a second chance.

When rancher Cade Moulten decides to get a therapy dog for his ailing grandmother, he doesn’t expect a fluffy Pomeranian—or a pretty veterinarian trainer. But Cade will do anything to prove he’s a changed man, even train the small K-9 alongside Mackenzie Howard. Soon the weekly sessions with Mackenzie have Cade wishing for more. But will he risk revealing his shameful past for a chance at acceptance?

 

Purchase Training the K-9 Companion

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Read an excerpt!

As usual, the restlessness snuck up on him, and, too late, Cade Moulten realized his mistake. Offering to help his mother train a therapy dog was just another attempt to atone for his past.

He couldn’t back out now. He wouldn’t if he could. Cade had other reasons—good ones—for being here.

“It’s not much to look at, is it?” His mother, Christy Moulten, sat in the passenger seat of his truck and stared at the small industrial building with faded gray aluminum siding. Next to it, a matching structure roughly three times its size shared the parking lot. The early June sunshine began to fade as the day wound down.

Cade cut the engine, and his mom bent to pick up her purse. A few months shy of turning sixty-four, his mother hadn’t slowed a bit. Her stylish blond bob, subtle makeup and smile lines gave her the appearance of someone who enjoyed life, but she also had a stubborn streak wider than a country mile.

At thirty-five, he’d mellowed to the point of not minding driving her around town whenever her driver’s license was suspended—and that was often—nor did he mind living with her in the big house on the ranch. Kept her out of trouble.

Maybe they kept each other out of trouble.

He pocketed his keys. “What’s it supposed to look like? It’s a vet clinic, not a spa, Ma.”

Cade had personally taken a loss on this property by selling it to the new veterinarian and her father for pennies on the dollar. Anything to convince a vet to take a chance on moving to Jewel River. When Dr. Bill Banks, the only veterinarian within two hours of here, retired last fall, it had affected every rancher and pet owner in this swath of Wyoming.

Jewel River needed a veterinarian ASAP.

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Want to read more? Purchase Training the K-9 Companion!

You can find Training the K-9 Companion in Walmart and all stores that carry Love Inspired books!

To celebrate, I’m giving away one copy of  Training the K-9 Companion (US winner will receive a signed paperback, International winner will receive an ebook, void where prohibited by law.). Simply leave a comment below, and I’ll select a winner via random number generator. Giveaway ends on July 3, 2024 at noon EST, and winner will be announced in the comments of this post and in a separate post!

Do you love books with dogs and cowboys? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you for celebrating my new release with me!

Remember the Milkman?

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I wonder how many consumers order groceries through an App and either have them delivered or drove to pick them up. I haven’t seen any statistics but I know a lot of busy people do this. It’s become very common. Before the 21st Century though, markets had some limited home delivery but the milkman was a staple.

The milkman emerged in the 1700s and continued into the mid-1900s as advancements in technology made it impossible for that system to continue. With the advent of cars families didn’t need to have groceries and milk brought to them.

The first milk was delivered to homes in horse-drawn wagons with the milk in large metal barrels. The milkman would ladle fresh milk into bottles, jugs, or whatever container was left outside. But, this wasn’t very sanitary. The milk was often contaminated by insects or debris that fell into it. Slowly things changed and glass containers were a definite improvement.

Compliments of Free Photos @FoxPhotos

The milkman really came into his own in the 19th Century. He’d drive up to a home in his horse-drawn wagon and deliver milk in glass bottles and either leave the milk on the doorstep or hand directly to the house’s occupant. Then ice boxes became a thing. Often it was arranged for the milkman to let himself into the home and place the milk into an “ice box.” Those were made of wood and lined with zinc or tin with large blocks of ice place in a compartment at the bottom. Can you imagine a delivery man coming into your home when you weren’t there? That would make me feel weird yet it was common place.

Image by Pixabay and photographer Ruslan Sikunov 11647343

You’ve all probably heard people say that one child or another was the product of a milkman. I do wonder about the statistics on that. My grandmother always accused my mom of having “relations” with the milkman because she never believed my father could bear children. You see, my dad contracted rheumatic fever as a child and doctors had told her he was impotent. Surprise, surprise. He and Mama had five. And no milkman.

Anyway, all that led up to modern refrigeration and the milkman died out. But delivery service didn’t. Grocery deliveries are common place as well as pickup.

I just wanted to give you a little history on that. I’ve wanted to write a book featuring a milkman. I can think of all kinds of funny situations. Maybe another time.

Are you old enough to remember a milkman? If not, I’m guessing you heard your family talk about that.

Right now, I have LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT coming out July 1st. It’s a story of a woman who’s lost everything including her home and is forced to rely on a stranger for survival. Slowly she begins to set her world upright again. It’s a long way up from the bottom and impossible without faith.

If you like an ARC in exchange for a review, CLICK HERE. But only if you plan to review. Otherwise, the book releases July 1st. I’ll have several to give away next month on my blog.

Here’s the blurb:

After suffering a devastating accident, Rachel Malloy wakens with a stranger. He bears no resemblance to her perception of God, nor does he have a halo so she must not be dead. Regardless, after taking her entire family and leaving her, she and God are not exactly on speaking terms.

Rancher Heath Lassiter has prayed fervently and long for a wife. Is she the one? The appearance of a rare white dove shortly afterward seems to be a sign.

Despite Heath’s unwavering faith and kindness, Rachel refuses to marry him. Dark secrets haunt, secrets that blacken her name, making marriage to anyone impossible. Though disappointed, Heath rebuilds her burned-out home. There, her world again shifts with the discovery of a newborn near her family’s graves and a white dove perching nearby.
Love grows as Heath becomes a constant in her life. Yet Rachel lives in fear of losing this baby. When the infant becomes very ill, she desperately promises God she’ll return to her forsaken faith if He’ll heal the child. But first light brings uncertainty. Will the dove return as a symbol of divine mercy, or will Rachel’s fragile faith be shattered once more?

Meet Mandi Blake, and Hear Her Amazing Journey!

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Hi! I’m Mandi Blake, and I’ve been invited to be a guest author on the blog today.

A little about me…

I write Christian cowboy and small town romance. I live in Alabama where I grew up on a cattle farm. If I’m not reading or writing, I love to travel with my family and explore new places all over the world.

I started writing about six years ago, and I published my first book five years ago. Time is flying on this amazing journey, and I am excited to see what new and wonderful surprises are coming next.

I started off writing small-town romance set in Georgia. It was close to home, and I’m a small town girl through and through.

But once that series was over, I decided to shake things up a bit and write a cowboy series set in Wyoming.

Don’t ask me why. I have no idea why I chose Wyoming. I’d never been there, and I had no plans to go there. Sounds like a challenge, but I was ready to research and see what I could learn. I knew a little about raising cattle. I’d been around it my whole life. I wouldn’t trade growing up on a farm for anything because I had the best childhood.

I wanted that love of the land and hard work to shine through in my stories. The weather isn’t always cooperative in Wyoming, so I assumed an already difficult job had to be ten times harder in the harsh climate.

That was the beginning of the Blackwater Ranch series. Each book followed one of the tough-as-nails Harding brothers, and the last book was about their cousin who also lived on the ranch.

The Blackwater Ranch series was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. I grew so much writing those books. I loved right along with the characters and readers. I met so many people who just happened to pick up the books and like them. Readers became some of my dearest friends.

When the series was over, I wasn’t ready to let go of Blackwater. I immediately started a spin-off series about a dude ranch in the same town, and Wolf Creek Ranch took everything that Blackwater Ranch did for me and quadrupled it. These contemporary Western romances were the stories of my heart, and as they say, the rest is history.

When the Wolf Creek Ranch series came to an end, guess who still wasn’t ready to leave this fictional town of Blackwater. Me!

Through the last twelve books set in this little town, I’d introduced tons of side characters, so I decided to make my next series, the Love in Blackwater series, about some of them.

Since these new books are still so close to the ranches, I get to include my older characters in the newer books!

Y’all, I’m having too much fun.

Have you ever gotten so drawn into a book that you think about the characters when it’s over? My aunt, who is an avid reader, always told me she would envision what the characters might be doing once their story was over.

I get to show readers pieces of the ongoing lives of the characters they’ve known and loved. They sometimes play a big part in other stories, and their “lives” continue long after “The End.”

The first book in the Blackwater Ranch series is Remembering the Cowboy. Noah and Camille’s love story started it all, but even after their happily ever after, we got to see Camille fighting for justice in a courtroom in Better Together, the fourth book in the Wolf Creek Ranch series. We get to see how she juggles a family and a successful career all while being a rock for her friends when they need a hand.

One of my favorite scenes in the book I’m writing now is a wedding where all of the people in town are gathered together. Some of the Hardings have kids! Their fictional lives are being lived in new stories, and I’m so excited for these possibilities.

As something special for you, I’ve put the Blackwater Ranch series on sale. For April 5-6 only, you can get both of the three ebook box sets for this series for 99 cents each (in the US and UK only). You can read the whole series for two dollars or borrow them and read for free in Kindle Unlimited.

I also have a giveaway!

In the comments, tell me about the first book you read that sparked your love of all things Western. One winner will receive a signed paperback copy of the first book in my Blackwater Ranch series, Remembering the Cowboy. I’ll also throw in a matching bookmark and some other little goodies. A winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 7th. This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Thank you so much for having me on the blog today. I hope to “meet” you again sometime.

10 years of Cowboys & Christmas

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Tomorrow is a big day for me.

It’s the 10th annual Cowboys & Christmas Celebration on Facebook – a party that gives me an excuse to have a day of fun with my author and reader friends while raising funds and awareness for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.

Ten years.

When I hosted the first party, I never imagined it would turn into an annual event. But it has, and I’m so glad!

It all started with a trip Captain Cavedweller and I took to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

We were at the airport, waiting to catch our flight home, and I noticed there were a lot of other rodeo attendees waiting to go home as well. The airport was a sea of cowboy hats!

As we sat there, I started thinking about how fun it would be for a rodeo cowboy to meet an uptight business executive at the airport and fall in love.

By the time we landed, The Christmas Cowboy, the first book in the Rodeo Romance series, was already taking shape.

After I began writing the story, though, I wanted to know how much care an injured rodeo cowboy would receive right there at the rodeo arena before they sent him to the hospital.

In the story, the hero is a saddle bronc rider named Tate who sustains an injury at a rodeo. In an attempt to get my facts straight for the story, I reached out to the Justin Sportsmedicine Team®. Through mobile medical centers, they provide care at more than 125 PRCA rodeos annually. Their responses to my questions were extremely helpful and I was so impressed with them, I wanted to do a little something in return.

That’s when I learned about the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.

Most rodeo athletes aren’t able to get insurance because it isn’t a matter of “if” they get hurt but “when.” Because of that, when they sustain injuries that leave them unable to compete (and earn money) for an extended time, it can leave them in a financially challenging situation.

That’s where the JCCF comes in. They give a hand up to those athletes, helping them cover their bills so they can focus on healing.  The other wonderful thing about the JCCF is that 100 percent of all donations go into the fund.

In 2013, I launched a campaign to donate a portion of my book sales to the JCCF during the month of December and held the first party to help spread the word.

In 2015, I added the month of November to my promotion, giving two months to raise funds for JCCF. Then I extended the promotion period for my Read a Book, Help a Cowboy campaign to October 1!

So from October 1 through December 24, ten percent of the net proceeds from all my book sales (eBook, paperback, hardback, and audio all count!) will be donated to the JCCF.

I hope to see you at the party tomorrow! The fun begins at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time: 11 a.m. MT, Noon CT, 1 p.m. ET). Join the party by clicking the button below. It will be a day full of connecting with some of your favorite authors, games, giveaways, and more!

And if Facebook parties aren’t your thing, you can still support the Read A Book, Help A Cowboy campaign through every book you purchase between now and Christmas Eve.

In fact, I have a brand new book coming November 30 in the Rodeo Romance series!

Will an innocent offer of help lead two obstinate hearts along the road to love?

Truitt Lucas is the guy who brings laughter wherever he goes and refuses to take life too seriously. Beneath his carefree exterior, though, he yearns for more adventure and excitement than he’ll find working on the family ranch alongside his cousin and grandmother. When the opportunity arises to assist a trick rider, Truitt eagerly lends a hand. However, he soon finds himself drawn to the perplexing woman who barely tolerates him.

Jolee Judson is living her dream as a trick rider on the rodeo circuit, using her lifelong passion for horses and gymnastics to wow the crowds. But when her partner unexpectedly abandons her, Jolee is just desperate enough to accept a good-natured cowboy’s offer to help. Fascinated and infuriated by Truitt and his shenanigans, Jolee struggles against her growing feelings for him. Falling for Truitt could spell disaster for her future and derail everything she’s worked for.

Can the two of them find common ground where trust is earned and love becomes a cherished gift?

A sweet holiday novel full of the magic of Christmas, Tricking Christmas brims with small-town humor, heartwarming moments, and wholesome romance..

If you were hosting a holiday party,

and could invite anyone,

who would you like to attend?
Post your answer for a chance to win a digital copy of the first three books in the Rodeo Romance series!

A New Book, A New Lesson

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I’m excited for Aiming for His Heart to be released on June 30th. Writing this book, the tenth story in our Pink Pistol Sisterhood series, challenged me in many ways. First, at 40,000 words, it’s the shortest story I’ve written. I hear those who know me well laughing because you know I can’t say hello in less than fifty words. 🙂  In my first writing classes, the instructor asked if I was taking her class on writing tighter. To my I hadn’t decided answer, she responded that I needed to. Despite hard work on that, I struggled 60,000 word Harlequin novels within the overage allowance.

I also had less time to write this story. When I start a book, I count on two things happening. I’ll start in the wrong place, either too far into the story or too far . I’ll take wrong turns. Sure enough. Both happened with Aiming for His Heart. In fact, the wrong turns were so disastrous I pretty much started over once. Maybe twice. While I was proud of writing in the shorter time frame, as a tortoise writing (unlike many of my amazing rabbit speed writing filly sisters), doing so took its toll.

However, the main challenge came from my heroine, Jade. Boy did she and I get into a battle of wills. Okay. I hear you laughing again. Yes, I know I can be stubborn, too. ? Our trouble started during brainstorming. My story ideas almost always start with the hero. In fact, only one hasn’t. But in the Pink Pistol Sisterhood series the heroine receives the pink-handled pistol which plays a key part in the story. This meant the story needed to begin with Jade. Until I learned her backstory, her personality, and what she wanted, I couldn’t move forward. And blast the woman, she wouldn’t let me into her head.

I knew Jade’s mother died when Jade was ten. From then until she went attended college, Jade spent summers and school vacations with her maternal aunt in Oklahoma. There Jade found the love and acceptance she often didn’t receive from her workaholic, distant father and his new family. Jade revealed her past to me, but after that, she shut down. All she revealed was she was returning to Oklahoma to settle her aunt’s estate.

Anyone who’s taken on that task knows how emotionally and physically exhausting it is. Despite putting Jade in stressful situations, she remained distant, almost emotionless. Thankfully, while talking to my dear friend and critique partner, Nancy Haddock, I realized Jade acted that way because she didn’t want to feel anything. She didn’t want to let anyone in. I finally had my key to her character. Jade feared if she felt anything, especially grief, she’d fall apart and never recover. She viewed her emotions as the enemy because when she lost control of them, chaos and disaster followed.

Being a sinister author, I had to break her. But as often happens in my stories, in busting through my character’s defenses and forcing them to face their issues, I make a discovery of my own. I learned I had been at war with my emotions lately. Because I had been feeling too much for lack of better words, I didn’t want to feel anything and had shut down in some ways, too. Forcing Jade to deal with her emotions forced me to grow and deal with mine, too. I guess, not only do I write what I know, sometimes I write about what I need to learn.

GIVEAWAY:  To be entered in my random drawing for cactus tote leave a comment about a challenge that made you grow and what you learned or what new skill you acquired.

 

Tess Thompson Visits the Corral

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Hello to all the Western Romance fans! I’m delighted to be with you today. I’ll be giving away two paperbacks of my bestselling historical romance, The School Mistress of Emerson Pass. See how to enter at the end of my post.

I recently finished writing my Emerson Pass Series. I’ve been working on the books for over two years, so you can imagine that saying goodbye was a bittersweet. On the one hand, I was thrilled to have completed a 14 book series. I always feel a sense of accomplishment and relief when they’re done. On the other hand, the Barnes family felt like old friends and saying goodbye was hard. It’s a strange thing, this writing fiction. Characters I made up out of my head feel as if they’re real when I know they’re not. Readers tell me they feel the same way about the books they really enjoy. As a reader, I’m that way too. Book friends can sustain us during hard times! They never let us down.

 

 

Emerson Pass, set in 1910, is about a young school teacher who takes a job in a little mountain town out west. Once she arrives, she meets a widower and his five children and they all fall in love. Yay. The entire Barnes family and my heroine, Quinn Cooper, came to me in dream. I’m a woman of faith and fully believe that God whispered their stories in my ear while I was sleeping. I woke up to an image of Quinn getting off on a train in the middle of a snowstorm. In addition, my hero, Alexander and all five of his children were all so clear in my mind that I knew what they looked like and their personalities before I even opened my eyes that morning. However, I was in the middle of writing Cliffside Bay so I had to be satisfied with jotting the details in my journal so that I wouldn’t forget. I didn’t start writing The School Mistress until two years later! I went back to my notes and it was all in there, like the characters had been waiting for me to share them with the world. So, I did. I’ve enjoyed writing all my characters but these ones are special. If you haven’t met them, I hope you’ll give the series a try. They’re all in Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback.

Giveaway:  When was the last time you read a series or book that you loved so much you hated for it to end? Let me know in the comments below and you’ll be entered in the random drawing to be one of two winners of a paperback copy of The School Mistress.

Happy reading and thanks so much for joining me today!

Tess Thompson is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of clean and wholesome Contemporary and Historical Romantic Women’s Fiction with nearly 50 published titles. Her stories feature family sagas, romance, a little mystery, and a lot of heart.

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