Hello, I hope this finds you all well. As this goes to print, I will be in Deadwood, SD at the Wild Deadwood Reads event. This is the sixth year (should have been seven, but COVID.). I’ve been to each one. Organized by Ginger Ring and Linda Rae Sande, this is one of the best events I have attended. I get excited each year as the day approaches. I get to hug authors and readers I don’t get see for a year and meet new ones. It’s like a family reunion.
Besides being a great event, one of the reasons I brought up Deadwood is because of my “Darlings of Deadwood” series which came about after the first year. It’s a rather funny story. The first two years, we did an 1880s train ride through the hills of Deadwood. We got on the bus in Keystone, SD and were driving down the street when I saw a sign on a balcony that read, Balcony Girl. Boom. An idea for a woman who comes to Deadwood with her sister in 1879, the year a fire wiped out the town, nearly knocked me from my seat. She’s a seamstress, her sister a teacher coming to Deadwood as the new schoolteacher.
I won’t go into more detail, but “The School Marm,” ended up being a short story in the following year’s Wild Deadwood Reads anthology, “Wild Deadwood Tales,” but I had to tell her sister’s story next. The book, “The Balcony Girl,” is the first book in the series. They can be read as standalones, but best in order. After “The Balcony Girl,” came the full book, “The School Marm.” Then “The Proprietress,” “The Banker’s Wife,” and “The Unconventional Blacksmith.” There will be two more books about a traveling librarian and a traveling photographer. There is also a novella, “Saving Ellis.”
Each book features a strong woman trying to survive in a man’s world in the wild west. Oh, by the way, The sign actually read, “The Balcony Grill.” Because I can’t read properly, I now have this award-winning series.
One of the best things I like about writing these books in Deadwood is the research. Like most authors say, we can get lost in the internet rabbit hole when researching. There is so much history out there. Each time I go, I learn something new. Hubs and I also love Custer State Park. So much wildlife.
I also write contemporary and other stories. All my books have mysteries in them. I can’t seem to write anything without a mystery. It’s also my favorite genre to read, especially romantic mysteries. I have won quite a few awards for my books, including first runner RONE award for “The Balcony Girl.”
I live in northwestern Wisconsin with my husband of fifty years. Yes, I said fifty years. We’re not sure where the time went, but we’re still hanging in there. We have two children and five grandchildren, whom I adore. I always believe grandchildren are our reward for raising our own kids.
Where are you from? What is your favorite genre?
I would love to give away one of my books from the ‘Darlings of Deadwood.’ All you need to do is comment on the blog. I’ll leave the choice of the book to you. Here’s the question to win: If you could travel back to any time period, what would it be? What do you think it would be like?
