My newest book A MAN OF LEGEND is now available everywhere. This is Book 3 of the Lone Star Legends series and brings it to a gripping conclusion.
Quite a bit of research was necessary, some because I wasn’t sure about the early 1900s as I’d never set a book during that time period. It was really an interesting time with thousands of inventions and improvements in just about every part of life. Automobiles were just beginning to be driven and phones used.
One thing I wanted to add that I had questions about were screen doors and windows. In the 1880s, when diseases caused by mosquitoes and flies began to reach the public, folks started paying attention and installing screens. Then by the 1890s, companies began to mass produce and make them rust-poof and they really took off.
Since my story is set in 1908, I put them on the doors and windows at ranch headquarters of the Lone Star. I mention them quite a bit since Stoker Legend refused to have very much to do with innovations. Up in years at 83, he preferred the old ways.
A lot of people, including Charles Goodnight, slept on screen-in porches. A lot of folks did.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have air-conditioning and always slept with the windows up and doors open in the summer. I can still smell the fragrant night air coming in. I loved that smell. That was some good sleeping. It’s too bad those days are gone now, replaced by manufactured air.
Do you have any favorite memories of a screened porch or open windows? And sometimes we could overhear things we weren’t supposed to. I’m giving away three more copies of A MAN OF LEGEND so leave a comment.
About the book
Crockett Legend has always loved Paisley Mahone, but a family feud sure can ruin a romance. When her father turned against the powerful Legend clan, she took her family’s side and broke Crockett’s heart into pieces. Now her father’s dead and Paisley and her last remaining brother are convinced the Legends are to blame.
If only he can find a way to prove their innocence…
A chance meeting throws the couple together, and when their train is held up by outlaws, Crockett and Paisley have to team up to save a young boy from dying. A tenuous truce is born. Together they may have a chance of bringing the truth to light…if they can get to the bottom of who’s been trying to turn the two powerful families against each other. With so many secrets to unbury, it isn’t long before Paisley finds herself in the crosshairs, but Crockett vows there’ll be hell to pay if anyone hurts the woman he loves…or stands in the way of a Legend in the making.
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Pam Crooks
CHRISTIANA is Finally Here!
Book 1 of the LOVE TRAIN Sweet Historical Romance Series
When her mother is taken to jail, Christiana Turcotte loses the happiness of her childhood. By the time she’s a grown woman, she’s determined to escape the scandals in her past and live a respectable life. First, though, she must return for the diamond ring she’d hidden that terrible day.
As a rifleman for Union Pacific, Holt Maddock’s job is to protect the train from outlaws. But he’s been riding the rails too long, and it’s time to settle down. Only one thing stands in his way. The elusive beauty traveling on his train and the diamond ring she’s determined to keep.
Holt’s plans for the reward money threatens to destroy her dreams. Will stolen diamonds destroy their love, too?
It’s a fact that communication on a large ranch was one of the biggest problems. At times it was crucial to get some way to relay information to the cowboys on the range as quickly as possible. Or for them to notify headquarters in the event of a medical emergency or wildfire. Before the late 1800s, it was done by sending a fast rider out.
I found an interesting article in my Texas Electric Co-op magazine about this and have to share.
One of the largest ranches in the world was the massive XIT in the Texas Panhandle at over three million acres, all fenced. That’s hard to fathom. The powers that be there heard about a way of attaching a very basic form of telephone onto the barbed wire fences and letting the wire carry the transmission. Though the quality was horrible, it sure proved to be a blessing. And all at no charge. They didn’t have to pay the phone service anything and they could even connect neighboring ranches with each other.
Later, when the phone company began to provide rural service, they took that idea and used existing power lines instead of stringing new.
I have a new release on March 29th—A Man of Legend. It takes place in 1908 in the middle of an industrialization boom and although the patriarch Stoker Legend wouldn’t allow telephones or automobiles on the Lone Star Ranch, they were widely available.
There’s a crucial scene near the end of the book where Crockett Legend needs to get word quickly to his grandfather of the trouble and bemoans the lack of telephone access. It all works out and Crockett had to hitch a ride in an acquaintance’s new automobile to arrive in time to help save the day.
Here’s a short excerpt from that scene:
Crockett glanced up into John’s laughing eyes. The only person the man would do a favor like this for was Farrel Mahone. His gut twisted, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, it all made sense. John was supposed to get Crockett off the ranch. He froze.
Farrel was going to make good on his promise to kill either Paisley or Hilda or both.
Or maybe he intended to abduct Tye. Maybe all three.
Crockett stood so fast, he knocked his chair over. He had to get to a telegraph. He hurried out and collided with a woman in the hall. “Pardon me, ma’am. This is life and death.”
Cursing the fact that Stoker had yet to install a telephone at headquarters, Crockett rushed down the street and sent a message to the Lone Star.
“I’ll wait for a reply,” he told the operator. Ten minutes passed. Crockett paced, praying for a miracle. Then the machine began to tap while the man scribbled it down.
“Here you go.” The operator handed the paper to him.
Too late. Boy has disappeared, and women riding to get him back.
A moment later, Crockett fired off another, asking about his dad. The return message said he and Stoker had gone to Medicine Springs to pick up a shipment.
He sagged. Too late. He read the first message again. What women? Paisley and Hilda? Where were the men? Had they all left the ranch? He thrust a hand through his hair. He had to get home.
“Isn’t there a noon train to Medicine Springs?” he asked the operator.
“Not today.”
“Thank you.” Crockett‘s thoughts whirled. He couldn’t wait that long. He was eighty miles away. If he bought a horse and rode it hard, he still wouldn’t make it by dark. He’d have to wait on the train. That would get him to Medicine Springs by eight, then forty-five minutes to the ranch.
That was it. All the air went out of him. Whatever was going on, the women were on their own. He dropped into the nearest seat and put his head in his hands.
* * * *
I put a talking parrot named Casanova in this book that provides a lot of comical relief. He is quite taken with Paisley Mahone and fancies himself her boyfriend. And since Paisley becomes a nurse on the ranch, there are heartwarming scenes with her patients. Crockett watches all with love in his heart for this special woman.
This is the first series I’ve written set in the 1900s. What is your favorite time period to read? Do modern conveniences bother you? I’m giving away a copy of A Man of Legend (print or ebook) to three people who comment.
This book concludes the Lone Star Legends. I have another exciting project that’s completely different that I’ll talk more about in the coming days so stay tuned.
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Linda Broday
I’m working hard on an August 15th release in the multi-author Love Train Series!
Isn’t this cover gorgeous? I just love it and feel very blessed.
The first book up in this is Christiana by Pam Crooks. These are Amazon Kindle and Amazon Unlimited exclusively.
Stay tuned for more! And don’t forget…A Man of Legend releases on March 29!!
Pam Crooks
The first book in the new Love Train series!
I’m pleased to be the launch book for the newest sweet historical romance series in town! There’s alot of enthusiasm for this one, and I can’t wait until April 1st arrives – the big day of CHRISTIANA’s release!
When her mother is taken to jail, Christiana Turcotte loses the happiness of her childhood. By the time she’s a grown woman, she’s determined to escape the scandals in her past and live a respectable life. First, though, she must return for the diamond ring she’d hidden that terrible day.
As a rifleman for Union Pacific, Holt Maddock’s job is to protect the train from outlaws. But he’s been riding the rails too long, and it’s time to settle down. Only one thing stands in his way. The elusive beauty traveling on his train and the diamond ring she’s determined to keep.
Holt’s plans for the reward money threatens to destroy her dreams. Will stolen diamonds destroy their love, too?
Sweet Romance.
#kindleunlimited
Shanna Hatfield
The second book in the new Love Train series!
My sweet romance Henley is in the chute right behind Pam’s book in the new Love Train series. It releases April 15!
Henley is a keeper of secrets. Want to know one of her big secrets? She can play cards with the best of ’em, even though she looks so prim and innocent.
Love is a gamble, and heartbreak is a risk she’s willing to take.
Despite her dreams to set down roots, Henley Jones has never had a place to call home. She’s spent her life on riverboats and railroad cars, tagging along with her gambling father. A shoot-out during a card game results in his death, leaving Henley alone and nearly penniless. Out of luck and options, Henley agrees to travel across the country to the newly established town of Holiday, Oregon to marry a stranger.
A demanding practice in a town clawing its way to respectability keeps Doctor Evan Holt rushing at a hectic pace. He’s far too busy to see to pressing matters like hiring competent help, or finding a wife. When one of his patients orders a mail-order bride, Evan can’t decide if the man is crazy or brilliant. From the moment he meets her, Evan battles an unreasonable attraction to the beautiful, charming woman who seems to be hiding something from her past.
In a town flush with possibilities, will taking a chance on love end with heartache or a winning hand? Find out in this sweet western romance full of the humor, hope, and love.
Henley is part of the Love Train sweet romance series. Look for more books set in Holiday in the heartwarming and wholesome Holiday Express series.
In other exciting news, my sweet World War I romance Sadie has bene shortlisted for the Hemingway Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
If you haven’t yet read Sadie, you’ll find her on Amazon, and available in Kindle Unlimited.
Inspired by the true stories of women who served in France during World War I, Sadie is a sweet romance filled with courage, hope, and lasting love.
She yearns for far-flung adventures. He longs for the home he’s found in her heart. Will a world at war tear them apart, or draw them closer together?
For most of her life, Doctor Sadie Thorsen has imagined seeing the world on grand adventures. When America joins the war raging across the world in 1917, it seems her dreams are about to come true. She travels overseas as a contracted physician, eager to do her part to help the war effort. Endless streams of wounded push her to the limits of endurance, then she receives word Harley John Hobbs, the man she’s loved for years, is missing in action. Unable to bear the thought of life without him in it, she refuses to let go of her hope that he’s alive.
The day Sadie Thorsen shoved Harley John Hobbs down on the playground was the day she marched off with his heart. He spent years doing everything in his power to become successful, determined to have more than himself to offer Sadie if she ever returns to their eastern Oregon town. Conscripted to join the American Expeditionary Forces, Harley John answers the call and heads to France. Wounded and alone, he clings to the promise of seeing Sadie one last time.
Can deep, abiding love withstand the tragedies and trials of a world at war?
Her Beauty Takes His Breath Away… Only She Can Restore It
Eagle Heart of the Blackfoot Nation has not come to the trading post, Fort Union, to trade, but to find his missing brother. The medicine man has never seen a white woman, but, when she walks into the room, her beauty literally steals his breath.
Laylah McIntosh has assets besides beauty that make her valuable to her father, the fort’s trader: her skill with numbers, her photographic memory and her knowledge of the sign language used by all the tribes. But, when she’s injured and caught in a fierce blizzard, it is Eagle Heart, alone, who rescues her.
Forced into each other’s company, their attraction deepens. But a union between them is forbidden in both their worlds.
Can their love find a way to survive the wrath? Or will their differences separate them forever?
Warning: Sensuous romance and a love written in the stars could cause a gal to go West in search of love and adventure.
Judges today have a lot of control and clout, but nothing like in the 1800s. And except for federal judges, they have to answer to the people who elect them. In the past, state judges were appointed by the governor and wielded a lot more of power. In addition to hearing cases, they could:
Appoint Deputy U.S. Marshals (the president appointed U.S. Marshals)
Form a posse
Notify a traveling hangman that he was needed following a verdict
Oversee hangings if a sheriff either refused or couldn’t
Step in and take over for a crooked sheriff and/or appoint a new one until election time
In some cases, he could form a sort of task force (or single person) to handle a particular problem
Choose jurors
Oversee census takingand other duties of a lawman if there was none
So you see, they were pretty powerful and answered to no one. As a result, there were a lot of corrupt judges. But the majority were dedicated, followed the law, and did their jobs well.
I’ve never written a judge hero…until now.
In my March book, Crockett Legend is a judge working out of Quanah, Texas. Quanah is only forty miles from the Lone Star Ranch so he spends a lot of time on the ranch, traveling back and forth by train.
However, the Legends’ neighbor the Mahones have started a feud with them, killing their cattle and shooting at range riders. The feud ramps up when Joe Mahone dies under mysterious circumstances and Joe’s only son, Farrel, accuses them of murder.
Crockett has always loved Paisley Mahone only now she’s taken a stand with her brother in the feud and she refuses to talk to him. Crockett doesn’t give up and hopes she’ll soon see reason. It takes a hilarious matchmaking talking parrot to bring them back together.
The theme of this story is things aren’t always as they seem, and perseverance is crucial when it involves softening a woman’s heart. This concludes the Lone Star Legends series but never fear. I’ve started a brand new series that I think you’ll love.
I’m a little sad that I’m leaving the Legend Family behind. I’ve done three series using them in various degrees. That’s ten books.
Question for you: How do you feel about the length of a series? Do some get too long? At some point, do you ever feel they’ve run their course? I sometimes do.
A Man of Legend comes out on March 29th. It’s available for preorder now HERE. Please don’t confuse this with the first book of the series – A Cowboy of Legend. The two are completely different.
I’ll have more next month about A Man of Legend and some giveaways so watch for that.
Right now I have a sale to announce. The Mail Order Bride’s Secret is at $1.99 and will be the rest of the month. If you missed it, you can get it cheap.Click HERE. This is Book #3 of Outlaw Mail Order Brides. She came with a secret that would destroy the man she’d come to love.
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Linda Broday
COVER REVEAL!
My March Book! A MAN OF LEGEND!
Isn’t this pretty?? I just love it, especially the train in the background.
Two young lovers ripped apart
A family feud turned deadly
A secret waiting to be unearthed
And a passion neither can deny
Crockett Legend has always loved Paisley Mahone, but a family feud sure can ruin a romance. When her father turned against the powerful Legend clan, she took her family’s side and broke Crockett’s heart into pieces. Now her father’s dead and Paisley and her last remaining brother are convinced the Legends are to blame.
When I first began writing twelve years ago this month, I thought I’d write a book, have it out of my system, and move on.
But I fell in love with writing sweet romances, and was hooked after that first book.
However, I never imagined I’d be celebrating the release of my 100th book!
You are warmly invited to join me for a little online celebration February 15! I’ll be sharing the details on my website, so be sure to pop by on February 15!
Thank you to everyone who has read my books, offered encouragement and support, and traveled along this incredible writing journey with me. I am so grateful for you!
Happy February!
Cathy McDavid
Do you remember my post a couple weeks ago about the wild horses of Arizona’s Salt River Valley? I told you I was researching them for a new book proposal. I might not have mentioned the proposal was for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense Mountain Rescue Collection.
Well, I got some good news on Friday. I sold the book! So, yeah, yee-haw! This will be my third book for that line, and I couldn’t be happier. In the meantime, I’m working on my fourth (and last) book in my Wishing Well Springs series for Harelquin Heartwarming. So, we had some celebrating in my house over the weekend! Thanks for letting me share.
Howdy!
Isn’t this a beautiful cover? I truly love it!
WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH has just been re-released. It is another of my 25th Year Anniversary books. It’s been completely re-edited and the original map drawn for the book has now been restored to the book.
And, it is on sale right now for on $.99. The sale will be going away soon, so get your copy today.
The paperback is also now available for only $9.99. It’s nice that the book is back in print now after being out of print for 25 years or so.
Hope y’all are doing well in ever changing world. Do well. Stay free.
The book is free on KU and here is the link to get your copy today:
When her mother is taken to jail, Christiana Turcotte loses the happiness of her childhood. By the time she’s a grown woman, she’s determined to escape the scandals in her past and live a respectable life. First, though, she must return for the diamond ring she’d hidden that terrible day.
Karen Witemeyer
Howdy!
