Creek

Creek is Out Plus a Giveaway!

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I’m so excited to finally have Creek out! Have you ever watched water, waiting on it to boil? This was exactly like that. I thought it never would.

This is Book 1 of a multi-author sweet romance series called Gun For Hire that was the brain child of Charlene Raddon. She also created all of these gorgeous covers.

Ten hardened men. Ten life-changing loves.

This thrilling ten-book, multi-author series follows men who live by the gun, surviving one day at a time. Outlaws, bounty hunters, hired guns—each has walked a dangerous path, never expecting a future beyond the next fight. But everything changes when they meet the one woman they can’t walk away from.

Join us on this unforgettable journey of passion, redemption, and the power of love—March 15th to July 30th!

Here are all ten of the authors. You may recognize several Fillies.

Now about Creek. When he receives a letter from a friend asking him to come to El Paso, he doesn’t waste any time. He owes this dying woman a debt of gratitude. He just hopes he’s not too late. He’s immediately swept up in rescuing a young orphan girl and when she sees the drawing of a thunderbird on Creek’s wrist, she claims he’s her father.

The story takes several turns as he tries to figure out what to do and how to let this girl down easy. He has to make her understand why he can’t be who she wants. Danger soon follows and they’re trust into a life-and-death struggle. Who will survive?

Here’s a video of all the books created by the talented Dan Garrett. Enjoy!

This is the first real western romance I’ve written in a while and it felt so good to get back to my roots. I discovered the joy of writing the kind of man I love to read.

I come by this love honestly. My dad was fascinated by outlaws. He claimed he once saw Clyde Barrow. All I know is that he admired men like Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger. Maybe it was because they did things he wanted to but couldn’t. My dad wanted to know just once what having “enough” felt like. Only he died a poor man, never knowing. When I was growing up, he used to take me and my little sister Jan to museums and displays about outlaws. Maybe that’s where I got my fascination from. Or it could’ve been the many westerns on TV that thrilled my heart.

Some of my favorites were Laramie, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Cheyenne. What are some of yours? I’m giving away two ebook copies of Creek so leave a comment.

What is That I Smell?

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Did you know that our sense of smell was the first thing to develop when humans appeared on earth? Our “smellers” are very old and very complex. It was not only vital to locating food but also finding a mate. Our nose can sense 1 trillion odors, both good and bad.

So when I’m writing stories, I need to implement the sense of smell far more than I do.

Fragrances and odors are closely entwined with memories. A sniff of Pond’s loose body powder for women instantly reminds me to my mom. And Old Spice always brings back times with my dad.

I remember so often coming home from school and Mom would have red beans cooking on the stove or she’d have a cake baking in the oven. If I smell those, it instantly sends me back to my childhood. Also, in my childhood, if a certain food gave off what to me was a bad smell, it wasn’t going in my mouth. I watch my great grandson who’s almost three. He always smells things before he puts them in his mouth. It think that’s very interesting. A dog often does the same thing.

Courtesy of Jade87 on Pixabay

My husband never wore any after shave much because he had asthma and smells would sure send on an attack. But I loved the natural smell of just the soap after he showered. Smells are so powerful.

We camped a lot and I still remember the smell of an open fire and my mom frying bacon or making coffee. There’s nothing like it.

Did you know our sense of smell is strongest in the evening? Smell is directly related to the sleep hormone. In man’s early days on earth, smell helped us not only find food but to discern danger. It came in mighty handy.

And then there’s the fragrance of rain in the air. The official word is petrichor. It’s the release of organic compounds in the soil into the air during and after a rain event. I don’t know about you, but that’s one of my favorite smells. I love to stand outside just smelling the fresh air. It refreshes my soul.

Smells are closely associated to romance. I once dated a guy for a short time that gave off a scent that I could not get past. He was clean and didn’t have body odor but I hated the scent of him. Later, I learned that he was not the person he presented to people and was thankful I dodged a bullet, thanks to my discerning nose!

Now it’s your turn. How has your sense of smell helped you in life? Do certain things spark memories? I can’t wait to hear your responses.

Also, don’t forget that Creek is available for preorder. It’ll be in ebook and paperback. The paperback should show up on Amazon in a few days.

This leads off the multi-author Gun For Hire series. I can’t wait for you all to see these fabulous covers that the Charlene Raddon made. Here’s a list of the authors: Margaret Tanner, Charlene Raddon, Heather Blanton, Carra Copelin, Jo-Ann Roberts, Caroline Clemmons, Tracy Garrett, Cheryl Pierson, and Winnie Griggs.

Here are the three of the series that are already up.

Next month, I’ll have some giveaways of Creek as well as an awesome book trailer.

Don’t forget about our Petticoats and Pistols Reader Group on Facebook! CLICK HERE

Wishing you all a blessed day and week.

Linda Broday 

What the Heck Are Wrist Cuffs?

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I had never heard the term wrist cuffs that cowboys wore until pretty recently. I’d seen pictures of them but didn’t know what they were called or why they wore them. Maybe you already did and are way ahead of me. That’s quite possible.

Definition: Wide soft leather bindings that cowboy wore on their wrists to protect them from barbed wire fencing, cattle kicking and causing injury and protecting shirt sleeves. They also protected against rope burns and branding irons. They are also called roping cuffs and sometimes gauntlets.

I’ve seen them on motorcycle riders quite a bit for protection on the road. These were very popular on cowboys until the turn of the century but you can still see them on some working cowboys today.

I admit, they’re pretty cool and make the wearer look tough.

When I started writing Creek, my sweet western romance, I wanted him to wear them but in his case it was partly to conceal an ink drawing on his wrist. My cover designer put them on him but they looked horrible so we took them off.

I have an eleven year old girl in my story. Willa July Calder was left orphaned when her mother dies but she was told to look for a man with a thunderbird drawing on his wrist. That would be her father. When she happens to see Creek’s, she’s convinced he’s her father and starts following him everywhere.

Thunderbirds were revered by Native Americans who believed the mythical birds carried magic and could protect the person.

I won’t give the plot away. The book is available for Preorder. This is Book 1 leading off a multi-author Gun For Hire series with two others of the books also available for preorder now. These are Sweet Western Romances and mine goes on sale March 15. Margaret’s will be available March 31 and Charlene’s April 15. There will be 10 altogether. Here’s the series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTHVRM6K?tag=pettpist-20

Here are the rest of the series: Zane by Heather Blanton, Keith by Carra Copelin, Ash by our own Jo-Ann Roberts, Shad by Caroline Clemmons, Clint by Tracy Garrett, Landon by Cheryl Pierson, and Luke by another Filly Winnie Griggs.

We sure hope you’ll find these entertaining. Have you read a good western lately? If so, what is the title? Do you like westerns? Let’s talk. I don’t have any copies to give away yet but I will later on.