The Family Dinner Feeling: Guest Lacy Williams

Watercolor mountains and trees. Text "New Book & Giveaway, Guest Blogger Lacy Williams, Petticoats & Pistols"

We’re excited to welcome Lacy Williams to the corral! She’s discussing her new release and has a giveaway for you!

“Are we fishing with marshmallows?”

“Did you hear Aunt Linda had to go to the doctor again?”

“Blood pressure?”

“My catfish was so big it broke the line–it was the granddaddy of the one Gramps caught!”

“Can we play cards yet?”

Lacy Williams

Hello! Lacy Williams here today to chat and I’ve just brought you a real-life conversation from around our dinner table when extended family gets together. (Names changed to protect the innocent).

I absolutely love big family get togethers. When I was a kid, there might be one Sunday lunch a month, or Thanksgiving, or “just because”–I loved the time together with my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandma and great aunt. I can barely remember gathering around a big ping pong table that was brought in so everyone would have a place to eat. Later, we changed to TV tables and criss-cross applesauce on the floor just so we could fit everyone in.

And the conversation usually goes about like what I’ve written above. Catching up with someone we haven’t seen in a while, news we haven’t heard yet. My youngest daughter is a nature lover and so is my grandpa (my only grand still living). They will chat about birdwatching or dogs or other animal stuff and it’s adorable.

And sometimes it’s difficult keeping track of the multiple conversations that start winding around the table! This family dinner feeling is something I tried to capture in my new release, A CONVENIENT HEART. The catch is, my bookish hero Jack is an orphan. Now an adult, but from a very broken family situation. He can’t remember a time when he sat down for family dinner.

Until it happens when my heroine’s extended family descends on the two of them. It was a fun scene to write and I loved capturing this confident man feeling very out of his element in this scene. I’ve shared it below if you’d like to read it.

Blue and silver ripples. Book cover A Convenient Heart by Lacy Williams. Text "Book One Wind River Mail-Order Brides"

Merritt had abandoned him.

At least, she’d excused herself to the kitchen to cook supper. He’d heard the clank of pans, the crackle of kindling taking hold in the stove. The two girls had gone with her. David and Nick had gone to settle the horses and wagon at the livery for the night.

Which left Jack in the room with her cousins Drew and Ed.

“Where did you say you were from?”

Drew had asked the question, but Ed’s intense gaze was a mirror of his brother’s.

“Here and there.” Jack still didn’t know what John-the-groom had written in his letters, didn’t know how much Merritt had told her cousins about her potential groom.

“What happened to your hat? Hey, Merry,” Drew called into the kitchen, “I’m not sure I can trust a guy without a hat!”

“Lost it,” Jack said cheerfully. “How far’s your ranch?”

It must be pretty far if they were staying the night in town. The oldest brother had mentioned staying in the bunkhouse of a rancher nearby. The girls would stay the night here with Merritt.

Drew stared at him.

It was Ed that answered. “About half a day’s ride.”

“How many cattle you run?”

If he could keep the conversation focused on the brothers, it’d make everything simpler.

“Almost a hundred head,” Drew answered. “You got family back home?”

Jack sat down on the sofa, crossing one ankle over his knee. “No family. Why do you want to know?”

Drew’s eyes narrowed. “Wondering whether you’re going to try to take Merritt away from her family.”

They’ll be your family in a few days. Merritt’s words from moments ago whispered through his mind.

They wouldn’t. He knew it.

And it seemed Drew wasn’t too keen on the idea of this match.

Merritt appeared in the kitchen doorway. The scent of frying ham had his mouth watering. The sounds of something sizzling on the stove were muted, as were the girls’ voices behind her.

“We’ll be staying in Calvin long enough for me to finish the school year,” she told her cousin primly. “Not that it’s your business.”

She set several tin coffee mugs on the table with a clank. The pot followed with a heavier clunk.

“You can pour, Ed,” she said. She pointed a finger at Drew. “Be nice.”

There’d been a flurry of introductions outside, and the young girl he thought was named Tillie skipped into the room, carrying a glass of milk. There’d been no mention of a mother. Was Drew widowed? Jack’s curiosity was piqued, despite knowing he should ignore those thoughts.

“What’re you doing, peanut?” Drew asked as she skirted him and then came to sit right next to Jack on the sofa.

“Merry asked me to come rescue Mr. Jack.” She took a sip of her milk and set her cup on the table too. She had a small milk mustache across her upper lip, and it made her look innocent somehow.

He felt another kick in his stomach. Had Dewey ever been as innocent as this girl seemed?

Her leg swung where her foot didn’t touch the floor. “What d’you need rescuin’ for, Mr. Jack?”

He glanced up to where Ed had turned his smile into his shoulder and Drew was staring at him. “I reckon I don’t.”

She tipped her head to one side. “Then how come Merry thinks so? She’s real smart, ya know? If she says you need rescuin’, ya prob’ly do.”

She said the words with such earnestness that he couldn’t argue. But Merritt was wrong. He didn’t need rescuing from these men. He could hold his own at a card table with men more dangerous than these. Men with loaded weapons in their laps. He wouldn’t be afraid of her family.

Tillie pointed toward a small pile of brown-wrapped packages in one corner of the room, half hidden behind the edge of the sofa. He hadn’t noticed them until now.

“Those’re our Christmas presents.” Tillie whispered so loudly that the sound carried across the room. “Merry always gets me a book, but this year I’m hopin’ for a dolly.”

His lips twitched with the urge to smile. “You’ll be as smart as your cousin if you read lots of books,” he said.

Nick and David stomped inside, complaining that the wind was turning colder. The added bodies and noise turned the attention off Jack and filled the room fair to bursting.

Soon enough, Jack found himself seated at the round table in one corner of Merritt’s kitchen, surrounded by the children, his knee pressed against Merritt’s.

“How come you haven’t decorated for Christmas?” Tillie asked, her mouth full.

“I supposed I haven’t had time this year,” Merritt said with a furtive glance at Jack. “I’ve been extra busy with the pageant.”

The family camaraderie was evident when Tillie spilled her cup of milk and David helped her mop it up. Jo rolled her eyes, but he also saw the girl sneak a piece of her biscuit onto Tillie’s plate when the girl complained of still being hungry.

Drew and Nick ribbed Ed about the wooden top he’d promised to craft his nephew for Christmas and promptly forgotten about.

Merritt was teased for keeping her mail-order beau a secret, but she took it with good-natured laughter, nudging his boot with her shoe beneath the table.

Jack knew every move to make at the poker table. How to present himself, how to hold his cards and arrange his chips to let his confidence shine through.

But in the middle of a family supper like this…he was completely out of his element…

 

What about you? Do you have a favorite memory of a big (or small) family dinner? Share in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a $15 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A Convenient Heart . These are to one winner.

Thanks for hanging out with me today!

-Lacy

 

Blue and silver ripples. Book cover A Convenient Heart by Lacy Williams. Text "Book One Wind River Mail-Order Brides"

ABOUT LACY’S NEW RELEASE:

Spinster schoolmarm Merritt Harding is done waiting for the future she’s always wanted. Which is why she answered a mail-order bride ad and is anticipating her groom’s arrival on the eve of Christmas. She’s about to get everything she’s dreamed of…

Except the Jack who steps off the train can’t be the same man who wrote her letters. That Jack was a steady, mild-mannered businessman. This Jack is an enigma with flashing eyes and a pirate’s smile. He’s too charming, too keen, too perfect to be real.

And too secretive. What exactly is he hiding?

Jack wasn’t looking for a bride, only an escape from the danger chasing him. But the longer he stays in the small Wyoming town, the more he wants to stay. How can he, when his intended doesn’t even know his real name?

 

This sweet historical romance is perfect for fans of the following tropes:

*Spinster schoolmarm

*Marriage of convenience

*Mistaken identity

*Swashbuckling hero

A Convenient Heart is available now!

PURCHASE A CONVENIENT HEART HERE!!

Welcome Lacy Williams!

When you have a lot of kids (I have four amazing ones), some days are filled with squabbles and “I’m hungrys!” and running them to and from sports or piano lessons.

Today was one of those days. And then I looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky. And all of that other junk faded away.

Oh, it was still there. Voices in the background arguing with each other. But they were a little muted and my well of patience had filled up.

Those little rainbows in our lives (and other special moments—like when all the kids join in for a random, impromptu sing-a-long while we clean up after dinner) are gifts. And I try hard not to miss them.

I also love giving those unexpected moments to my characters—especially a prickly heroine like Rachel Duncan from my upcoming release Wild Heart’s Haven. Rachel has been through a lot by the time she joins the wagon train and is understandably wary… but when hero Owen and his incorrigible niece start a music/sing-a-long after supper around the campfire one night… she can’t resist joining in. And when he carries her home after a terrible ordeal… ?????? Like I said: sometimes those small moments create wonderful memories.

What about you? What’s a small moment or rainbow that you’ve experienced lately? Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A Trail Untamed (most recent release where we meet Rachel for the first time).

Thanks for hanging out with me today!

-Lacy

ABOUT LACY’S NEW RELEASE:

Rachel never wanted to travel into the wilderness. The westward trail has stolen everything from her. Her home. Her family. Her husband. Now a match made out of necessity has trapped her in a marriage with a man she can’t stand.

Owen likes Rachel about as much as his horse likes a burr under its saddle. She’s bossy and stubborn with an independent streak a mile wide. And a baby on the way.

He can’t help feeling responsible for the prickly mother-to-be. A marriage of convenience is the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean he has to like it. He just has to survive it until they reach Oregon.

Wild Heart’s Haven releases February 15!

BUY LINK: http://tinyurl.com/2y6jj7rn

How visual are you when you read a book?

By Lacy Williams

I can still remember being about twelve and realizing that I had visualized Frank and Joe Hardy as opposites when reading (countless) Hardy Boys books.

I was devastated because I liked Joe better and now my vision of him was ruined.

I think that’s why I don’t write in-depth descriptions of my characters. I definitely write the important stuff. Hair color, eye color, etc. But I don’t usually write detailed descriptions of facial features or what they are wearing. As a reader, I like to imagine the characters I read about in my own way. And I think most of my readers are like that too.

But.

I have a long held dream of eventually seeing one of my books made into a movie or TV show. Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay? And I thought it might be fun to dream up the perfect cast for my new book, Heart of Gold, for this blog post.

Sebastian Stan as Tom. Did you see The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+? Sebastian Stan can definitely play a conflicted character, and that’s who hero Tom is. He was raised by two outlaw brothers and has had a very loose relationship with the law. But when he is exposed to Ida and her family, his foundations are shaken. Who is he if he isn’t the outlaw he was raised to be?

A slightly younger, blonde Daisy Ridley as Ida White. I am a huge Star Wars saga fan and Daisy’s portrayal of Rey means she would be a fantastic Ida. Ida is a nurse who just completed her training and after some traumatic events, came home for Christmas to heal. She’s the spunky youngest sister in a big family and can definitely hold her own—but there’s a part of her that is still innocent about men. Not innocent enough to trust Tom. At least not until she sees the real him beneath the arrogant outlaw exterior.

Hugh Jackman as Jonas White (Pa). I loved Hugh Jackman as a father in The Greatest Showman (more so at the beginning and the end of the movie). I could totally see him taking on the fatherly role in this book, both to comfort/support Ida and to offer advice to Tom.

Amy Adams as Penny White (Ma). I love Amy Adams and think she’s versatile enough to play Penny, who might be even more protective of her children than Jonas. And all of Ida’s older brothers. Penny is the heart of the home and one major reason Ida needed the homecoming she gets in this book–there’s nothing quite like the special bond between mother and daughter.

I wish I had the time to dream up a full cast for this book! I didn’t get to imagine Breanna and Seb and Oscar… all my favorites. But I’ve got to get back to the writing cave.

I would love to do a giveaway today. One random winner chosen from the comments will receive a paperback copy of Heart of Gold and a $10 Amazon gift card. Leave a comment and let me know what is your favorite book-to-movie (or TV) adaptation. Or if you are someone who never sees a movie adaptation because you love the books so much, tell me that too.

Thanks for hanging out with me today!

-Lacy

Heart of Gold 

They survived a harrowing near-death experience. Can a poignant family Christmas bring them together?

Ida needs a quiet Christmas at home to rest and find her footing again. But her boisterous family is anything but quiet and things only get worse when her U.S. Marshal brother brings home a prisoner for the holiday-the same outlaw that saved her life.

Tom Seymour discombobulates her. He’s arrogant and unrepentant. But when she’s forced to nurse his injuries, she realizes that his persona is all a facade. The man underneath is wounded and kind and in need of redemption.

But Tom must make a choice between his old life and the chance to make a new one with Ida. Can she trust the man he is becoming or will he betray her?

Click HERE to buy on Amazon

 

Lacy Williams’s A Trail so Lonesome and a Give Away!

The Fillies welcome back Lacy Williams!

* * * *

Are you a road trip person? In late 2021 my husband started thinking about the epic summer vacation he wanted to take in 2022.

I am a person who thrives on routines. But our kids are at a fun age for travel now and so I couldn’t say no. And thus the epic trip was on.

We flew to Vegas (didn’t stay there) and spent a day driving to the Grand Canyon. It was epic thing #1. Then we drove to Sequoia National Park and stayed a few days. Drove to Yosemite and stayed a few days. Then drove to the coast. It was a lot of driving.

But it was probably the most fun we’ve had on a road trip. My older kids love to read. They also watch movies in the car. And sometimes create their own imaginary adventures. And sometimes annoy each other!

We’ve had much more challenging road trips (including a two-day trip to Florida with three under age 5). Can you imagine a months-long road trip? My new series Wagon Train Matches takes place on a journey from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. It took approximately five months. Pioneers walks most of the way while oxen or horses pulled wagons full of their belongings. It was hot, cold, rainy, stormy, and everything in between.

And some people did it with small children. I am writing these books and still finding it difficult to imagine just what they endured.

My new series starts with A TRAIL SO LONESOME. What it’s about:

Spending five months eating trail dust wasn’t Leo Spencer’s first choice. Or his second. He’s not one to run away, but some situations can’t be fixed and his family—two brothers and a sister—needs to start over. Which is how he finds himself on a westbound wagon train.

Evangeline has a secret, one that has sent her on a journey across the plains on the Oregon Trail. When her father is badly hurt and she needs help, Leo is there. A deal is struck and the two unlikely friends form an alliance… that leads to more.

But Evangeline’s secret looms over her… and Leo’s family troubles are far from over.

You can check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B83ZWVSG?tag=pettpist-20/

I would love to give away a $10 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A TRAIL SO LONESOME. Leave me a comment and tell me about your best or worst road trip.

Thanks for chatting today!
-Lacy

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at http://www.lacywilliams.net/vip.

Author Links:

https://www.lacywilliams.net

https://www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lacy-williams

https://www.amazon.com/Lacy-Williams/e/B004PAHLDU?tag=pettpist-20/

https://www.goodreads.com/lacywilliams

CHRISTMAS WISHES AND COWBOY KISSES–AND A GIVEAWAY!–by Lacy Williams

It is fantastically hot here in Oklahoma. We’ve had several days in with temps over 100 lately with more to come.

So what better time than to chat about a Christmas book, right?

Have you ever experienced a moment of mistaken identity? Maybe you have a doppelgänger out there somewhere or maybe you look a little bit like a famous movie star. I have never been mistaken for anyone else, but I do you have a bit of an identity crisis that happens every once in a while. (Crisis might be a strong descriptor…)

It started when I was a junior or senior in high school. I would meet people and tell them my name and they would immediately say, “Oh. You’re Sean’s sister.”

My brother was/is a social butterfly and it became a running family joke that even though I was older, I would frequently get recognized as being his sister.

Fast forward twenty years, and it still happens. About three years ago, we moved into a neighborhood about half a mile from my brother. Our kids go to the same elementary school and they love being able to see their cousins in the hallway during the day (none of them are in the same grade). It wasn’t long before I started hearing from other parents, “Oh. You’re Sean’s sister.”

It used to bug me. But now I’m able to laugh about it. I am even thinking about having a T-shirt made for myself with “Sean’s sister” on it for next time we take a trip together.

The hero of my October release in the Christmas Wishes and Cowboy Kisses anthology happens to be a twin. And he gets mistaken for his brother by the one woman he never got over.

Giveaway!

I would love to give away a $10 Amazon gift card and an early copy of my novella from this anthology (ready in about two weeks via ebook). Leave me a comment and let me know whether you’ve ever been mistaken for someone else or maybe you’ve been the one who was mixed up.

Thanks for chatting today!

-Lacy

ABOUT MY BOOK

Cora didn’t know the inheritance that changed her life came with conditions. She needs money, fast, and the only way to get it is by partnering up with her high school boyfriend to run a Christmas tree farm. Working together brings back memories she’s powerless against…

ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY, releasing October 25.

Ring in the holiday season with 23 heartwarming sweet contemporary romances from USA Today and Top 100 Kindle Unlimited All-Star bestselling authors!

Discover second chance romance, love at first sight, small-town Christmas cheer, swoony single dads, enemies to lovers, snowed-in with the cowboy, and many more stories featuring the cowboy next door. Fall in love with the hunky heroes of this limited-edition Christmas cowboy romance collection.

Pre-order now from your favorite retailer.

***

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at http://www.lacywilliams.net/vip .

Author links:

Traveling, Christmas, and a Give Away!

Hello, P&P readers. Lacy Williams with you today asking a couple of questions: How far would you travel to be with your loved ones at Christmas? What are you willing to go through to get there?

During my freshman year of college, we had a massive, unusual-for-us snowstorm here in Oklahoma. It delivered a massive twelve inches of snow and the (few) snowplows couldn’t keep up. I was living on campus, and even though I was only ten miles away from home, I can still remember the adrenaline rush and my white knuckles as I drove home for Christmas break with my laundry basket of belongings in the back of my small car.

Probably the worst experience I’ve had traveling home at Christmas was flying cross-country to visit my in-laws for the holiday. This was before we had kids, and between my husband and I one of us is the kind of person who likes to have a list and be packed and double-check the night before. The other one likes to throw things in a bag just before we walk out the door. I will let you try to figure out which is which.

Hubby and I arrived at the airport with what we thought was enough time to check our bags and get through security, but it turned out we were wrong. The airline wouldn’t let us check our bags because it was too close to the flight time and it was possible they might not get on board the plane. We had gifts for his family packed in our luggage and we couldn’t leave them behind or combine them into our carry-on luggage, so basically we missed our flight because of our luggage.

It was devastating for two broke college kids (we were paying our way through night school at the time) to think we had missed our chance to be with our family. Luckily, we were able to get on another flight a few hours later. It could’ve turned out much worse than the couple hundred dollars it cost us.

(Am I wrong or does Hallmark have a sub-genre of their Christmas movies like this? Films about travel gone awry where either the hero or heroine gets stranded in a small town and falls in love while they are trying to get through all the obstacles it takes to get home.)

Fighting to get home for Christmas is the premise of my new release, Christmas Homecoming. Set in 1914, my hero Walt is on a train ready to take the wanted criminal in his custody to a judge where he will face justice. Surprise! His younger sister and her beautiful friend hop on the train mid-journey and suddenly Walt is getting lectures about why he should come home for Christmas when he hasn’t been home in years due to a broken relationship with his father and brother. Before he can blink, the train is part of a hold-up and Walt finds himself in a heap of trouble. It’s gonna take a lot more than he thought to get home for Christmas and to rescue the woman he’s falling for from the bad guys.

This new book is an adventurous romance. Tell me about your most disastrous trip home for the holidays. If you don’t have a story like that, tell me your favorite holiday food.

I would love to give away a paperback copy plus a $10 gift card to one of the readers who makes a comment today.

Thanks for chatting with me today!


About the book:
All traveling nurse Libby wanted was a quiet Christmas to grieve losing her younger brother. She’s on a westbound train heading home when she and a friend find themselves in the middle of a hijacking and then taken hostage by a gang of outlaws.

Walt White is a U.S. Marshal who has been chasing down the Seymour gang for years. But he’s kidnapped along with two innocent women, he must figure out how to keep them alive—and it doesn’t help that he’s completely distracted by the beautiful Libby. He’ll need his wits about him if he hopes to save them.

As they work to engineer an escape, Walt realizes that Libby is resilient and cunning—and vulnerable, though she hides it well. He must give his all to protect her heart and bring her home in time for Christmas.


Find it on Amazon    
Available soon on OverDrive!


Author bio:
Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at http://www.lacywilliams.net/vip .

Lacy Williams Talks About Bucket Lists

The Fillies are happy to welcome Lacy Williams and her latest historical western romance. She’s giving away a gift card to someone who leaves a comment about their bucket list.

Do you have a bucket list?

Google says a bucket list is “a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to accomplish during their lifetime”. I’ve always thought of it as a list of goals or places I want to go before I get to the end of my life.

I almost always have a list of written goals. January first is a great time to renew that list. I look at my goals frequently. But a bucket list is a little different. Like, I want to visit Europe someday. I’d like to have a book on the New York Times bestseller list. I want to see my children give their lives to Jesus.

Right now it feels like I have plenty of time to complete my bucket list.

But what would it feel like if you knew your time was almost up?

In THE WRANGLER’S READY-MADE FAMILY, hero Gil has been diagnosed with consumption and doctors have told him he only has months to live. Gil feels restless and unmoored. He doesn’t really have a bucket list, he just feels as if his life isn’t over yet.

And when he meets heroine Susie in a stagecoach accident, he feels like he’s gotten a second chance. When he begins to fall for her, he wants to use his limited time left to help her reconnect with her estranged family.

But it turns out one “bucket list” wish isn’t enough.

About the book:

Susie is a desperate young mother with another baby on the way. Her late husband left her nothing but his bad reputation. She has no money and is too ashamed to return home to her family. When she is trapped alone during a snowstorm with a stranger and the baby coming, her only choice is to rely on him.

Boone came west to find healing for his tuberculosis. He never expected to find himself trapped with a lost young widow. Or how fast he could fall for her and her two little ones. But it doesn’t take long for his secrets to come to light.

After everything she’s suffered in the past, can Susie ever trust another gambler?

AMAZON  |  OVERDRIVE

 

I’d love to give away a $10 Amazon gift card to one commenter who tells me something on your bucket list. Good luck!

Thank you for hosting me on the Petticoats blog today!

Lacy Williams

Author bio:

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at http://www.lacywilliams.net/vip

WEBSITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  BOOKBUB  |  AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE  |  GOODREADS  |

Lacy Williams: Bullfighters and Butterflies

Well looky here! Lacy Williams has come back for a visit. I swear to goodness that woman writes some good stories. Guess that’s how she got to be a bestselling author, huh? Let’s give Miss Lacy a big ol’ howdy!

heart line divider2

lacy-williams-media-1Lacy Williams here, excited to be back with P&P!

Today I want to chat about the men who risk their lives in the rodeo arena. No, not the ones with the vests and helmets… the other ones. They wear colorful outfits and clown makeup. You know. The bullfighters.

Their job is two-fold. When the bull riders get bucked off (or jump off), the bullfighters distract the bulls to buy the riders time to get out of the arena. In between rescuing riders, the bullfighters also entertain the crowd with their antics and often over the loudspeaker, so they have to have a sense of humor and be able to think on their feet.

Can you imagine racing around in a dirt-packed arena, just in front of a fifteen hundred pound bull that wants to pound you into the ground? You jump into a barrel (have to be pretty fit and more agile than I am!) and wait for the bull to leave the arena. Then you do it all over again!

Ty Pozzobon Invitational PBR

 

What would make a man choose bullfighting for his job? That was the question I asked as I created the hero for my June release, Luke Starr. As Pamela Tracy and Vickie McDonough and I brainstormed the Lone Star Brides series, I knew their heroes would be twins and bull riders. I also knew Luke would secretly be a little envious of their close twin relationship. But the real thing that drove him to choose bullfighting is his guilt over something that happened when he was sixteen. I won’t spoil the story for you, but Luke uses bullfighting to distract himself from the guilt that eats him alive… until he’s forced to come home to his family’s ranch and face the memories that haunt him.

THE BUTTERFLY BRIDE is book three in the Lone Star Brides mini-series and is Luke’s story. When heroine Jess Sadler ropes him into reaching out to a special needs student, Luke uses the skills he’s learned in the arena to reach out to the boy. And what woman can resist a man with a soft spot for kids?

THE BUTTERFLY BRIDE is releasing in ebook only and I’d like to give away two ebook copies, names to be drawn from anyone who comments today. Do you have a favorite kid-friendly hero? It could be a single dad, uncle or otherwise. Let me know!

Thanks again for hosting me today. I always love visiting Petticoats & Pistols!

 

lonestar brides-3_lowres copyAbout The Butterfly Bride:

The prodigal son is back. Ever since the terrible mistake he made in high school—a mistake that cost his best friend his life—bullfighter Luke Starr has stayed far away from Pecan, Texas, and his family. But with his twin brothers gone on their respective honeymoons, Luke is forced to come back to town to watch over Gramma and the family ranch. And he can’t wait to leave again. Because being home hurts more than being stomped on by a bull—and it’s only a matter of time until he messes up all over again.

Special ed teacher Jess Sadler will do anything for her students—even abandon her comfort zone to convince a reluctant rodeo cowboy to give “horse lessons” to a student she can’t reach. But when feelings for Luke blindside Jess, she knows she’s in trouble. The man is counting down the minutes until he can leave Pecan. Will he take her heart with him when he goes?

Then a little boy goes missing on the family ranch, and Luke must confront the ghosts of his past or lose the future he never dreamed was possible.

 

About Lacy Williams:

USA TODAY bestselling author Lacy Williams works in a hostile environment with three-point-five kids ages 6 and under. In spite of this, she has somehow managed to be a hybrid author since 2011, publishing 26 books and novellas. Lacy’s books have finaled in the RT BOOK REVIEWS Reviewers’ Choice Awards (2012, 2013, & 2014), the Golden Quill and the Booksellers Best Award. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, ALLi, and Novelists Inc. Visit her online at LacyWilliams.net.

 

Image © vanell via depositphotos.com
Cover art © Lacy Williams via Serenade Books

A Mother’s Love—Guest Post by Lacy Williams

Aren’t moms wonderful? I have a lot of great memories of my mother. She homeschooled me and my siblings, so we spent a LOT of time together. She taught me how to ride a bike. Went on long walks with us (we lived on my granddad’s farm for about six years during my childhood). Inspired me with my love of dogs—she took me to purchase my first puppy at age 11.

She girl-talked with me as a teenager, about boys and friends and growing up. She helped me get ready and gave me advice when I got married. She was there for me when my two children were born. Now that I’m a mom myself, I can understand more fully the incredible amounts of patience and love she shared with me and my siblings (and still does sometimes!).

Yes, moms are special people, and their capacity for love is one of the things I tried to capture in THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART.

Heroine Penny Castlerock is a social butterfly who mostly cares about her wardrobe and which event she’ll be attending next. Until she meets and falls in love with her grandfather’s next-door neighbor and his daughter and seven adopted sons. Penny is drawn to the kids who haven’t experienced much love in their lives, and she can’t help but open her heart to them—even though the boys can be rambunctious and ornery. Here’s an excerpt from the hero (Jonas White’s) Point-Of-View. In this scene from the middle of the book, he comes upon Penny talking to one of his sons:

A peek through the doorway revealed Breanna curled up next to Penny on the sofa, head on the woman’s lap, fast asleep. Maxwell was the only boy left in the room and sat against the wall facing Penny.

Jonas suspected Davy and Ricky had snuck out to the barn to check on a new foal and the others had probably retired to their rooms for a rainy-day nap, a luxury they rarely got.

“She’s a real sweet gal. Helps her folks with their store, and keeps her little sisters.”

Jonas realized Maxwell was talking about a girl. His son had never expressed an interest in the fairer sex, at least not to Jonas, but this certainly sounded like admiration.

“She sounds sweet. Do you know her, Jonas?”

Maxwell looked up from his spot on the floor. Jonas stepped into the room, hoping his son wouldn’t shut down because of his presence. Maxwell still kept some things private, even from his adopted father.

Maxwell cleared his throat, face reddening. “We’re talking about Emily Sands.”

“I didn’t know you were sweet on her.” Jonas sat on the end of one of the benches, close enough to be part of their conversation without having to speak loudly and possibly wake Breanna.

“I ain’t really said anything to anyone, because…” Maxwell looked down and fiddled with his pants leg. “Well…she’s really somethin’ special and I’m…”

Jonas held his breath. Would Maxwell share about his past?

Penny reached out, stretched a little, and ruffled Maxwell’s curly black mop of hair. “You’re something special, too.”

His son looked up, his face open, hopeful. Yearning for Penny’s approval to be real.

Jonas knew exactly what Maxwell was feeling. His stomach had tightened into a knot as he waited to see what she would say to his son. He wanted her approval for Maxwell.

He tried not to think about what it would feel like to have Penny’s approving gaze rest on him.

 

Question for you: what is your favorite memory with your mother?

I’d love to give away a copy of THE HOMESTEADER’S SWEETHEART to be drawn from all those who comment.

 

Here’s the back cover of the book:

To escape a dreaded arranged marriage, Penny Castlerock will face anything—even life on her grandfather’s farm. But it isn’t the rustic lifestyle that’s got the Philadelphia socialite tied in knots. It’s the handsome homesteader and his eight adopted children next door….

With seven boys and a girl to raise, transplanted farmer Jonas White could sure use some help. He just didn’t expect it to come from the high-spirited, copper-haired beauty he’s always admired from afar. But surely working the land is no life for a woman like Penny. Yet a threat to Jonas’s farm just might show him how perfect Penny is for him after all.

 

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate my birthday and the release of this book, I’ve gotten together a small contingent of authors to give away some gifts and book bonuses. There are specials just for Mother’s Day, too! Check out www.megamaybirthdaybash.com .