Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Sarah Lamb

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Welcome to my kitchen! Some of you might know there are food allergies in our house. Just to name a few are eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, and every legume but soy. To further complicate things, as an adult I developed an avocado allergy. So, cooking in our house can get kind of…difficult. However, there’s a recipe that I discovered and I’ve been wanting to try, and I thought I’d share it with you, since it’s a cookie with a pretty unusual ingredient, and only five ingredients total, unless you want to add a topping, then it’s just two more.

Ready?

I’m here to introduce Italian Cinnamon Olive Oil Cookies!

This recipe comes from this website here, and so you can print out the recpie if you are interested in trying this yourself!

As I said, super simple ingredients.

  • 2 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup Regular olive oil
  • 2 / 3 cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon Mandarin zest or orange zest
  • 1 / 8 teaspoon Kosher salt

If you want a topping for the cookies, you’ll need:

  • 2 tablespoon Granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, and make a little well in the center.

Add the zest and olive oil, and mix.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then test it. If you can squeeze it together and it doesn’t fall apart, it’s ready. If it does, add 1-2 more tablespoons of olive oil and mix well.

Roll the dough into a ball, and, if desired, sprinkle your sugar and cinnamon on the top. It’s easiest to blend the two together before sprinkling.

Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until the bottoms brown.

Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then 10 minutes on a rack and sample.

Don’t forget the last step. If you don’t sample, how will you know if it’s good for whoever you are making it for? Always sample, my friends!

 

If you have a favorite type of cookie, I’d love to hear it. I really like oatmeal raisin or oatmeal chocolate chip or plain old sugar! Those are my favorites. What is yours?

R.J. Sloane Has a Winner!

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Thank you so much for coming, R.J.! We really enjoyed you and all the chatting about action-driven westerns. We know all about action. 🙂

But now for the Drawing………..

One commenter will get a copy of The Rustler Hunter! Yippee!

And the Winner is………..

JOYE

I’m dancing a jig for you, Joye! Congratulations! Now keep  your eye out for R.J.’s email!

 

I Thought I Was Writing for Men. My Readers Had Other Ideas–by R.J. Sloane

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I Thought I Was Writing for Men. My Readers Had Other Ideas.

By R.J. Sloane

I’ll be honest with you. When I sat down to write The Rustler Hunter, I figured I knew exactly who would pick it up.

Men. Specifically, men who grew up on Louis L’Amour and still reread Hondo every few years. Guys who like their westerns lean and mean with action-packed gunfights, manhunts, wide-open Arizona Territory, and not a lot of fussing about feelings.

So, imagine my surprise when the emails started coming in, and most of them were from women.

Not just a few. Most of my reader mail comes from women. Women who write things like, “I don’t usually read westerns, but I couldn’t put this down.” Women who tell me the Harper brothers remind them of the honorable men in their own families. Quiet protectors who show up when it’s important. Men who don’t make a speech about it. Women who say the family oath in the series—Proverbs 21:15 CSB, when justice is executed, it is a joy to the righteous but a terror to evildoers—impacted them profoundly.

I had to think hard about why my writing resonates so strongly with women.

This is what I think: women have always understood what justice costs. They’ve watched the men they love carry the weight of protecting others. They’ve been the ones keeping families intact while that work got done. They know, maybe better than anyone, what it means to hold a code when the world makes it inconvenient. I finally realized that’s not a masculine theme. That’s a human one.

The Harper siblings, children of a violent outlaw, aren’t compelling because they’re tough. They’re compelling because they chose to be something better than the man who raised them. And that kind of story resonates with anyone who’s ever had to rebuild their life or overcome a tough past.

Hayley Harper, the Pinkerton agent at the center of The Rustler Hunter, is probably part of the answer too. I write women who are competent, stubborn, and fiercely loyal. Women who carry the same moral code as the men beside them but fight their battles with their strengths. Women who don’t need rescuing but aren’t too proud to accept backup. I believe readers appreciate that kind of woman.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she spends most of the book striking sparks off a certain legendary manhunter who didn’t see her coming either. J.J. Westin met his match in Hayley Harper, and I think readers enjoy watching two people who are equally stubborn and equally principled figure that out—one dusty Arizona canyon at a time.

What is it about action-driven western fiction that keeps you coming back or brought you to it in the first place?

I have a feeling you’ll teach me something, partner.

Giveaway

I’m delighted to offer a signed copy of The Rustler Hunter to one lucky winner. Just tell me in the comments below, what is it about action-driven western fiction that keeps you coming back or brought you to it in the first place?

The Rustler Hunter: Harper’s Justice Book 1

When forty-one successful manhunts make you a legend, there’s only one way left to go—down.

J.J. Westin, the infamous Rustler Hunter, goes undercover at Arizona Territory’s largest cattle ranch to expose the rustlers bleeding it dry. The thieves aren’t just stealing cattle. They’re trusted cowboys operating from inside the bunkhouse.

What he doesn’t expect is Hayley Harper, the tough-as-nails cook with secrets of her own. She’s a Pinkerton agent working the same case and the daughter of notorious outlaw Galen Harper.

When their covers are blown, they uncover something far deadlier than rustling. A corruption network spanning three territories. With enemies closing in and bullets flying, the legendary manhunter and the outlaw’s daughter must survive the badlands of 1898 Arizona, where trust is deadly and justice comes at gunpoint.

R.J. Sloane writes gritty Western adventures where justice rides hard across the untamed Southwest. Inspired by Longmire, Yellowstone, and a childhood of classic westerns watched with his dad, R.J. brings authentic frontier spirit to every page. His Harper’s Justice series follows territorial lawmen where doing right often means defying the law.

When he’s not writing fiction, R.J. releases original dark country music—outlaw Americana cut from the same cloth as his stories.

Find R.J. on his site: https://rjsloanewesterns.com and at all major retailers

 

Wildflower Bride–Book Six Available Now–and a Giveaway

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ALL SIX BOOKS IN THE PETTICOATS AND COWBOYS SERIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Three more coming but after a short break!

Boy that happened fast.

Book six is:

Wildflower Bride

CLICK TO BUY

This is the one that, when I pitched it, way back (these six books are all re-releases) my editor said, “I don’t see you making that guy into a hero, but I trust you. Go for it.”

Wade Sawyer, the hero of Wildflower Bride, was the villain of Montana Rose. A man obsessed with Cassie Dawson and willing to kill her husband to get her.

Welp, Wade reformed. 

Yes he did, and Red Dawson and his wife, the sweet, gentle-hearted Cassie, helped to draw him away from the dark path he was headed down.

Now in Wildflower Bride we find Wade is needed to go home and save his pa’s ranch. His pa who has spent Wade’s whole life denigrating poor Wade. Wade has to find his backbone and who’s there to help him? The absolutely fearless, knife-wielding Abbie. Introduced in The Husband Tree as Glowing Sun. A white woman taken in as a child by a native tribe, she grew up to be a wild woman.

Maryconnealy.com

She loved her native family and has no use for the invading pioneers. But her native family is dead and she agrees to go along with Wade to his home because she honestly has no idea where else to go.

One of my favorite lines from this book is, “So, does Abbie pull a knife on every man she sees?”

Wade’s answer after some thought…….. “So far.”

But Wade’s tyrant father is no match for the fearless Abbie and from her boldness, Wade learns to stand up to his father and find the courage his young faith has given him.

Wildfire Bride, available now. One of my very favorite books ever. And though we have a few months break for a true NEW RELEASE–The Hearts Most Wanted, book #2 in the Rocky Mountain Marshals Series, coming in October, available for Pre-order now…then there are three more books coming in the Petticoats and Cowboys Series.

LEAVE A COMMENT TO GET YOUR NAME IN A DRAWING FOR AN EBOOK COPY OF WILDFLOWER BRIDE. 

SUMMER IS ENDING, KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT AUTUMN?

http://www.maryconnealy.com

Linda Has a Winner!

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Thank you all so much for visiting my Tuesday post! I really appreciate you.

Now for the Drawing for one paperback copy of Bright is the Light!

And the Winner is…………

ALICIA HANEY

Woo-Hoo!! I’m so happy for you, Alicia. I’ll contact you so be watching.

Western Author R.J. Sloane Will Arrive Friday!

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This guest is going to be very interesting. R.J. Sloane will ride into the Junction Friday, August 21, 2026!

R.J. plans to talk about how perspectives change with authors sometimes when they perceive things one way and it turns out to be something different. Kinda like me with my new mule Casper. I thought he was kinda meek at first only to find him a real pain in the you-know-what.

One commenter will win a copy of The Rustler Hunter so you’ll want to leave a comment.

Come Friday, hitch up the wagon, start the car, or walk over here. Just come.

A Day in Holiday

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One of the greatest compliments a reader can give me isn’t just that they loved the characters or enjoyed the story. It’s when they tell me they wish they could visit the place I created.

I happened upon a review of Declaration of Love recently that made me smile when the reviewer wrote, “If Holiday is ever commissioned as a city, I would move there.”

Oh, how I wish we could make that happen!

Since I can’t put Holiday, Oregon, on a real map, I thought it might be fun to take you on an imaginary visit to the little mountain town that has been the setting of several of my stories.

It all started with the Holiday Brides series, then the Holiday Express series, and Holiday Dreams. There were also single title books like Henley, Love on Target, Lucky Shot, and now Declaration of Love.

Today, we’ll pop by a few popular places in the mountain town.

You’ll want to arrive early because mornings in Holiday are too pretty to miss. Imagine sunlight spilling over the mountains, touching the peaks with gold before filtering through towering evergreens. The air is cool and fresh, flowers spill from hanging baskets along Main Street, and American flags flutter from lampposts and storefronts.

Our first stop is Sunni Buns Bakery. The scent alone will draw you through the door. Fresh coffee, cinnamon, warm bread, and something sweet baking in the oven make it nearly impossible to leave empty-handed. Would you choose a cinnamon bun or a raspberry roll, one of her savory sandwiches, or go straight for dessert first?

There are a few fun shops in town, but most of the locals know they can visit Milton’s Feed & Seed to find everything from home décor and a new shirt to garden tools, gloves, boots, flowers and plants, plus so much more.

Holiday is the kind of place where people notice when someone new comes to town—and before long, they’ll probably know your name, where you’re from, and whether you’re single.

Which brings us to… a visit with Matilda and Ruth.

If you happen to see two older ladies sitting together outside Golden Skies, by all means stop and say hello. Just understand what you’re getting yourself into. Matilda, with her flamboyant sense of style, and sweet Ruth may look perfectly harmless sitting there enjoying the sunshine. Do not be fooled. They are wily matchmakers who keep their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in town.

By this time, you might have found a postcard to mail and stop by the Holiday Post Office. Kate Barton came to town as the temporary postmaster in June, only planning to stay for the summer. If you haven’t read Declaration of Love yet, I won’t give you any spoilers, but Grady Guthry might give her a reason or two to consider staying. While you’re at the post office, make sure your postcard gets a Holiday postmark. After all, how often do you get to send mail from a town where love seems to find people whether they’re looking for it or not?

Roll down the windows and take a drive on one of the country roads. You’ll pass green pastures, weathered fences, grazing cattle and horses, wildflowers dancing in the breeze, and mountains rising in the distance. You might see a gorgeous lake in the distance, or hear the whistle from the old steam engine Hope if it is taking tourists for a ride today.

After dinner at the café or, if you’re feeling fancy, the Italian restaurant, wander over to the gazebo in the park. Strings of lights begin to glow as dusk settles over Holiday. Neighbors gather. Children run across the grass. Someone laughs nearby. The mountains turn dusky blue against a sky streaked with the last traces of sunset.

Holiday may exist only in the pages of my books, but in my imagination, it feels wonderfully real and I hope this little tour made it feel like a place you’d love to visit.

Even though you can get in a car or take a plane there, you can travel to Holiday through the stories. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll begin with Declaration of Love, Book 8 in the Petticoats & Patriots series. Come visit Holiday and discover a wholesome romance filled with patriotism, community, family, freedom, and abiding love.

If you could pack your bags tomorrow

and spend one day in Holiday, Oregon,

where would you go first?

Also, if you haven’t yet, be sure to enter for a chance to win

my huge Declaration of Love prize pack.

But hurry! Time is almost up to enter!

Cowboy Time

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I found an interesting article in this month’s Electric Co-Op magazine and want to share it. Cowboys have more ways to tell time than you can shake a stick at and their time isn’t fast or slow. It’s just right.

Do you know how long it takes to mosey? Or lollygag? Me either, but I’m guessing it’s as long as it takes. Ha!

When cowboys were on cattle drives, they told time by the sun and moon. Then when it was time for dinner or supper, they could tell when they heard the cook striking his large iron triangle or rang a bell. No whistle blew and no horn called them. Trail hands joked that the cook had the only watch that mattered and that might be still the case even on modern ranches.

The only time that mattered was daylight and whether the herd was settled for the night or the work done.

By dawn, they were in the saddle, driving the cattle and at night, time passed in shifts—first which began right after the evening meal, midnight, and morning. The cattle calmed to the music so time passed more often by melody instead of a clock.

Often, the dying embers of campfires helped tell the time in the dark. Cowboys not on shift knew to hit the sack and they didn’t dawdle. Many were probably asleep before the embers half died in the fire if the truth was known.

Even distance was measured, not by a watch, but how often they had to stop the horses to rest. For instance, they’d say, “That’s a two-horse ride.” Normally, they stopped to let the horse rest every fifteen to twenty minutes, but shorter if they carried a heavy load or were galloping instead of walking or trotting. So a two-horse jaunt with a single rider and no heavy load was approximately about an hour.

Texas cowboys, circa 1880

The cowboys with timepieces were usually from Waltham or Elgin. Those were well-known for being tough and dependable. Even so, you wouldn’t find many of these dedicated men who rode the range, content with, not only what they had, but also satisfied with who they saw looking back in the mirror. 🙂

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of “cowboy time.” Life passed in a slower pace and only as fast as you needed. It was very steady and most often you could set your watch by the cowboys’ daily lives. Why would you want anything else? Sounds like a great life to me.

I have to admit, “Cowboy Time” still has a hold on a lot of us. We work till half-past dark, eat when the food’s ready. We don’t need any buzzing on our phones to tell us what to do. Old cowboys whisper a different wisdom—don’t count every minute. Let it pass as slowly as it wants. We’ll all be better for it and you won’t need anxiety medicine.

Find pleasure in the small stuff. An animal, a wildflower, a book, a poem, a child’s drawing. Doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.

I have one early autographed copy of my new Christmas book, Bright is the Light, to give away. To enter the drawing, are you keeping the right time? What’s your opinion of a slower pace and letting life unfold as it should? In or out?

BRIGHT IS THE LIGHT….

Sometimes the brightest Christmas miracle begins with a single lantern in the window.

Two weeks before Christmas, former soldier Calder Jackson drifts into Jubilee, Texas, half-frozen and desperate to escape a blinding snowstorm. Looking for nothing more than shelter, he never expects to find a family who welcomes him as though he belongs. He hasn’t belonged anywhere for a long while.

Kate Walsh hesitates to take in a male boarder, knowing how fast small-town gossip can ruin a woman’s reputation. However, with a disabled mother and a simple-minded brother depending on her, she needs the money. Before long, Calder becomes more than a tenant. His kindness brings laughter back into their home and gives young Micah the acceptance he’s longed for.

Together, Calder and Micah build a Christmas lantern to place in the window on Christmas Eve, honoring an old Irish tradition that welcomes blessings and guides the way home. Can Calder finally find the elusive peace he’s been chasing? The love he feels for Kate makes everything seem achievable as though the light has been waiting in the window all along.

Filled with hope, faith, and the warmth of family, this heartwarming holiday romance celebrates second chances, unexpected love, and the light that guides us all home.

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Release date – September 1, 2026 — KU, Kindle, Print

Available for preorder now –  CLICK HERE

FOR EXCERPT — CLICK HERE

I’ll have more copies to give away next month! Let’s Keep Cowboy Time. 🙂

CHERYL’S WINNERS!

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A big shout out to everyone who stopped by today to read and comment on my blog post about details in description of settings! I enjoyed so much hearing about places you’ve been that made a lasting impression on you! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you all, our readers, are the heart and soul of our P&P group and we love you all! 

I picked three winners today! THEY ARE…(DRUMROLL PLEASE….) SARAH GUNTER, JULIE DAHL, TRACY DELEGAL

 

If you ladies will please email me at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com and put WINNER in the subject line so I’ll be sure and see it, you can let me know which digital copy of a book of mine you’d like to have, and  please be sure and confirm your email address you want the book sent to. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by!

Petticoats & Pistols