Margaret Tanner

LANDON AND LISSIE–HOW DOES THEIR STORY COME ABOUT? (AND A GIVEAWAY!)–by Cheryl Pierson

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Hi, everyone! Now that LANDON is HERE, and the entire GUN FOR HIRE series is complete and available, I just wanted to talk a bit about this book that was so dear to my heart–and the series that has been a wonderful success for all of us!

Caroline Clemmons’ book, SHAD, was just released three days ago, and Winnie Griggs’ book, LUKE, came out on August 1st! Y’all know by now, this is a 10-book, multi-author sweet historical western set that contains stand-alone stories but with the common thread of a hero that lives by the gun–somehow–could be good, could be bad. AND, each of these heroes has their own unexpected way love comes to him and changes his life forever! Here’s a collection of the covers of all the books in the series, created by Charlene Raddon! And let me just say, they are ALL swoon-worthy, and every book is a new discovery of action, love, and a final happy-ever-after ending–so what more could anyone ask for?

Covers of all books in Gun For Hire series

When I started thinking about the hero for this story, I knew I had to have a person who was a good, decent man. But in his eyes, something so terrible has happened to his beloved younger sister there is nothing he can do but take action for justice for her–and he is determined to get it, no matter what it costs him. He has a healthy dose of mystery in his personality, and we don’t know whether he is on the side of the law or not–or what lengths he will go to for his vengeance.

Alissa has been in a tight spot for many years now. After her own mother dies, her father has married a much younger woman. When the woman dies almost as soon as their baby is born, it’s up to Alissa to step in and raise the boy, Zach, even though she’s only 14 at the time. With a no-good gambler for a father, her life has been misery to try to provide even the most basic necessities for her younger brother. When her father is killed, she sees it as both a blessing and a curse. Set to travel to Indian Territory for the land rush of 1889, she has no choice but to continue with the plans her father has made and try to see it through alone with a 5-year-old to care for. To me, that took a huge amount of courage!

As the story unfolds, all we have to go on in judging Landon’s actions and personality is the same thing Alissa can see in him when she first meets him and gets to know him through their time together. By now, she is a good judge of character, after living the life she’s lived, but she barely knows him. Can she trust him?

Here’s their first meeting–and what a meeting it is! Alissa learns a lot in just a very few minutes!

EXCERPT:

Lissie’s head came up, her attention immediately arrested by the dark, piercing, eyes of the tall man who had just entered. He removed his hat as he came through the doorway, revealing black, too-long hair that reached his collar and fell in unruly, black spikes across his forehead.

He was tall, his hair as dark as Zach’s, with the same obsidian eyes and olive skin. He carried Indian blood, that much was obvious—but what could he want with her?

He stood beside their table, towering over them, and the barest hint of amusement entered his brown eyes, crinkling the corners upward.

“Miss Devine?”

“Yes—I—”

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Landon Wildcat.”

“I’m Zachary.” Zach put his hand out, and Land took it, the corners of his firm, sensuous lips tilting upward. “Everyone just calls me Zach.”

“Hello, Zach. It’s very good to meet you.”

“Zach—” Lissie started, but she was ignored as the conversation continued without her.

“This is my sister, Mr. Wildcat. Her name’s Alissa, but everybody calls her Lissie. Just like everybody calls me Zach. And we—we had a dog named Nashoba…a long time ago.”

“Ah. Wolf—in the Choctaw language.”

“Hey! Do you know it?” Zach’s surprised joy was evident. “My mother was—”

“Yes.” Land cut Zach off and Lissie noticed a fleeting look of pain that came over his face, then was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “Yes,” he said, more gently. “I know it.”

Land turned to Lissie. “My apologies, ma’am. I didn’t mean to intrude, but I was told that you and your brother plan to be in the wagon train that’s heading for Indian Territory come Monday morning. Is that true?”

Lissie nodded. “Yes—will you please sit down with us?”

There was uncertainty in Land’s eyes, but Lissie leaned forward and earnestly assured him, “Indians are allowed here, Mr. Wildcat.”

Caught off balance at her unassuming candor, he gave a quick grin. “Yes, ma’am, I know. But I wouldn’t want to cause your reputation any harm. Me being Indian and all…”

Lissie’s glance flicked to Zach and back to Land’s questioning gaze. “I have nothing to fear on that count, Mr. Wildcat. Zachary and I have had every kind of insult known thrown at us. We’ve heard it all before.”

Land pulled out a chair and positioned himself facing the door, his back to the wall. He shrugged, meeting her eyes. “It still hurts, when you’re that age.” He glanced at Zach. “And please just call me Land—that’s what my friends call me.”

“Will you be going West with the wagons, Mr. Wildcat? Ah-Land?” Lissie raised a bite of the succulent beef to her mouth.

“I’ll be the scout.”

“Oh…”

“I’ll come right to the point, ma’am. Wagon train’s no place for a woman alone—especially a woman and child with no man.”

Lissie’s skin flushed with anger. She tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke. “Are you warning me away from going, Mr. Wildcat?”

He grimaced at the return of the formality, watching her a moment before he answered. “No, ma’am,” he said finally. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Fact is, I…I know this wagon master, Bill Castle.”  He frowned. “He’s…ah…not someone I’d trust to be alone with a woman—just a word of caution.” He spoke slowly, choosing his words with care.

Lissie daintily wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Why are you telling me this? Truly, are you trying to scare me?”

He shook his head. “No. Just warning you. I know you two are alone. You’ll be the most obvious target.”

Lissie smiled, but she had to force it. “I assure you, sir, I’ve handled far rougher men than this Mr. Castle, I believe. And I’ve held my own. You must have heard of my father, Happy Devine, gambler extraordinaire.” She said it with a dash of mockery she couldn’t hold back. “I’ve dealt with everything life’s thrown so far. I don’t believe Mr. Castle will be the exception.” Bitterness seeped into her words. “And if you know I’m alone, you also must be aware that my father is dead.”

Land leaned forward and lowered his head a fraction, veiling his expression. “Yes, ma’am. I know.” Slowly, he raised his dark, tempestuous gaze to hers once more. “I was the one who…I was there.”

For a moment, Lissie thought she had to have misunderstood. But no. His eyes told her all that he’d kept from saying—for Zach’s benefit, she was sure. Not only had he been “there”—he had pulled the trigger. How could a man who possessed such a heartbreakingly handsome smile be a killer? How could she have invited her father’s murderer to sit at the same table with her and Zach?

But, she had to know one thing—and everything depended on his answer. Her gaze arrowed to his and held. “Was he cheating?”

The question took Land by surprise, she could see. He slowly leaned back in his chair, his near-black stare puzzled. But he wasn’t a man accustomed to wearing his thoughts in his expression, and in the next instant, a curtain slid into place, transforming him, hiding anything that may have given Lissie a hint as to his feelings.

Some of this series is available in paperback and in Kindle, and LANDON is one that can be purchased in either format—and, hopefully, soon, in Audible, as well.

BLURB FOR LANDON

Alissa Devine finds herself in an unthinkable situation when her father is murdered, and she’s left to raise her young brother, Zach. With $22 to her name and her no-account gambler father’s burial to pay for, Lissie has no choice but to carry on with her father’s plan to take part in the Oklahoma land run. But single women aren’t allowed on the wagon train.

Landon Wildcat’s mission for months has been to find the man who abducted his younger sister. His search ends when crooked gambler Happy Devine gets what he deserves at the end of Land’s gun. But that act of vengeance leaves Lissie and Zach alone with no man to accompany them on the wagon train.

Wagon Master Bill Castle hires Land as his scout; a devil’s bargain—for both of them. Land offers Lissie his protection, suspecting the unscrupulous Mr. Castle has indecent intentions toward her.

When one of the settlers is murdered, Land takes the outlaws on in a desperate battle to protect the only witness, and nearly pays the ultimate price. Land’s life hangs in the balance, but the wagon train moves on, callously deserting him and the teen boy he saved, along with Lissie and Zach.

Through the hardship, Lissie and Land both realize how much they love one another, and what they have come so close to losing. Though danger lurks around every curve in the road, Lissie believes with all her heart there is a place for their small band of settlers in this untamed Territory. Now that love has finally come, will Fate allow a miracle for their happiness with this new beginning?

I’m giving away TWO KINDLE COPIES of LANDON today! Here’s my question for the day:

Do you think you could have traveled from another part of the United States to settle in Indian Territory during the Land Run of 1889? What would you do for a living? Where would you settle–near a town or out in the country away from others? Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win!

AMAZON GUN FOR HIRE SERIES PAGE

ORDER LANDON HERE

I love series like this one. The heroes and heroines are all different because they come from varying backgrounds and places, but the heroes have something in common that holds the thread of the series together. I have loved every single one of these books as I’ve read them, and I think you will, too!

CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE! 

Aussie Ways Versus American – Margaret Tanner

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I am Margaret Tanner, an award winning, bestselling, Australian author with nearly two hundred books published on Amazon. I now concentrate on writing sweet Western Historical Romance, although in the past I used to write Contemporary and Australian Historical Romance.

I like to think my stories will tug at your heartstrings and evoke strong emotions.

My heroes hide behind a rough exterior. They are tough men who are prepared to face danger and overwhelming odds for the women they love. My heroines are brave, resourceful women willing to endure hardship and danger in an untamed land, if it means they can win their heart’s desire.

I have had many jobs over the years including being an Army Reservist, an Army Major’s secretary and a Medical Audio typist. My most memorable job, for all the wrong reasons, was as a postal delivery person. Surprisingly, I am scared of dogs, and I have to say I was accosted many times by dogs who were/or were not, intent on doing me harm.

I sadly lost my husband at the end of Covid. I have three grown-up sons, and two lovely granddaughters.

Outside of my family and friends, writing is my passion.

FRONTIER LIFE – AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA

Life on the American and Australian frontiers have a strikingly similar history, so it was fairly easy for me to make the transition from writing Australian to American western historical stories.

For example, take the Australian Act of Selection.

America: The original Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20th, 1862. It gave applicants freehold title to up to 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River. The law required only three steps from the applicant – filing an application, improving the land, then filing for a deed of title.

Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves, could file a claim on the provisions that they were over the age of twenty-one and had lived on the land for five years.

The Homestead Act’s lenient terms proved to be ill-fated for many settlers. Claimants didn’t have to own farming implements or even to have had any farming experience. The allocated tracts of land may have been adequate in humid regions but were not large enough to support plains settlers where lack of water reduced yields.

Speculators often gained control of homestead land by hiring phony claimants or buying up abandoned farms.

Homesteaders could often build a log cabin in a matter of days, using only an axe and auger. No nails were required for the task.

The first step in construction was to build a stone or rock foundation, to keep the logs off the ground and prevent rot. Once the foundation was laid, settlers would cut down trees and square off the logs. These logs were then “notched” in the top and bottom of each end then stacked to form walls. The notched logs fitted snugly together at the corners of the cabin and held the walls in place. After the logs were stacked, gaps remained in the walls. Settlers had to jam sticks and wood chips into the gaps, then they filled in the remaining gaps with cement made from earth, sand, and water.

Fireplaces were built of stone and often had stick-and-mud chimneys.

Most cabins had dirt or gravel floors, which had to be raked daily to preserve their evenness.

Rustic log cabins in a fall setting located at Grayson State Park in Virginia.

Australia:  The 1860 Land Act allowed free selection of crown land.  This included land already occupied by the squatters, (wealthy landowners) who had managed to circumvent the law for years and keep land that they did not legally own.

The Act allowed selectors access to the squatters’ land, and they could purchase between 40 and 320 acres of crown land, but after that, the authorities left them to fend for themselves. Not an easy task against the wealthy, often ruthless squatters who were incensed at what they thought was theft of their land.

The Act of Selection was intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture. Selectors often came into conflict with squatters, who already occupied land and were prepared to fight to keep it.

The bitterness ran deep for many years, sometimes erupting into violence.

The first permanent homesteads on the Australian frontier were constructed using posts and split timber slabs. The posts were set into the ground, about three feet apart, according to the desired layout. Slabs of timber were then dropped into the slots. A sapling or similar, straight piece of timber ran across the top of the posts, which allowed them to be tied together so they could support the roof.

Sunset above Craigs Hut, built as the the set for Man from Snowy River movie in the Victorian Alps, Australia

Clay was often plugged in between the joins and splits of the cladding to stop droughts. The internal walls were sometimes plastered with clay and straw, lined with hessian/calico, whitewashed or simply left as split timber.

Roofs were pitched using saplings straight from the bush and often clad with bark. Early settlers learnt from the aborigines that large sheets of bark could be cut and peeled off a variety of trees and used as sheets to clad the roof.

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I’m so proud of my Gun For Hire book – Dustin.

Please visit the series page HERE.

 

 

My latest release was on the 2nd of April – Callum’s Bride.

CALLUM’S BRIDE

Blurb:

Sebastian thought he was irredeemable. Will Carly’s love set him free?

Bounty hunter Sebastian Callum is ambushed and seriously wounded by the McSweeney gang.

He finds his way to Carly’s house and she and her young son give him sanctuary. But danger is an ever-present threat. And why does the littler boy think Sebastian is Jesus?

While nursing him back to health, Carly gives Sebastian her heart, even though he thinks he is an unworthy recipient. Will he accept this special gift from her?

If so, how far will a woman from his past go to keep them apart?

Readers can contact me via my FB author group. I would love to see you there. Or private message me on FB.

To find out more about my books please check out my Amazon link.

GIVEAWAY

One reader who leaves a comment, will win a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Have you ever been inside a log cabin?
What do you think would be the biggest challenge of making a home on the frontier?

NEW WHR SERIES “GUN FOR HIRE” KICKS OFF WITH A BANG! by Cheryl Pierson

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There’s a new series in town! GUN FOR HIRE is a multi-author series that focuses on ten men who must rely heavily on their guns throughout their lives. They don’t expect to ever settle down and have a normal life, much less ever fall in love! But, and there is a big but…they didn’t ever expect to meet “the” woman who can make all of that fall into place for them, either!

GUN FOR HIRE includes books by some present and past fillies, and many other talented authors, including Charlene Raddon, who put the series together. It was her brainchild and she made all the gorgeous covers! I was so thrilled to be asked to participate because I had a story in mind I’d been wanting to write and it fit right into the broad premise that Charlene had come up with.

Linda Broday kicked off the series with her book, CREEK, yesterday. Oh, my stars, y’all. Let me just say, I think I’m in love with every one of these men – and that’s before I’ve even read their stories! I’ve ordered CREEK and am just waiting for the perfect time to be able to sit down and immerse myself in his tale.

Next comes DUSTIN by Margaret Tanner. Her story will be available on March 30, but you can pre-order NOW! Charlene Raddon’s story, KIRK, follows on April 15. (So pay your taxes and then treat yourself to a great story!) LANCE by Heather Blanton follows two weeks later, and then DEVON by Carra Copelin.

Jo-Ann Roberts’s hunky hero is named ASH, and SHAD is Caroline Clemmons’s heartthrob. Tracy Garrett’s story is CLINT, and my LANDON is next in the lineup, rounded out by Winnie Griggs’s  story, LUKE.

My LANDON won’t be out until July 15, but boy, there’s lots of great reading in the months ahead, and of course, Winnie’s story just after mine, at the end of July.

Some of these stories will be available not only on KINDLE, but also in print, including my tale about LANDON. Aren’t these covers gorgeous? 

Here’s the blurb to whet your reading appetite! You can pre-order LANDON now, as well as many of the others, and the availability to pre-order the remainder of the others will follow soon.

Landon: Gun For Hire Sweet Western Romance Series #9

Alissa Devine finds herself in an unthinkable situation when her father is murdered, and she’s left to raise her young brother, Zach. With $22 to her name and her no-account gambler father’s burial to pay for, Lissie has no choice but to carry on with her father’s plan to take part in the Oklahoma land run. But single women aren’t allowed on the wagon train.

Landon Wildcat’s mission for months has been to find the man who abducted his younger sister. His search ends when crooked gambler Happy Devine gets what he deserves at the end of Land’s gun. But that act of vengeance leaves Lissie and Zach alone with no man to accompany them on the wagon train.

Wagon Master Bill Castle hires Land as his scout; a devil’s bargain—for both of them. Land offers Lissie his protection, suspecting the unscrupulous Mr. Castle has indecent intentions toward her.

When one of the settlers is murdered, Land takes the outlaws on in a desperate battle to protect the only witness, and nearly pays the ultimate price. Land’s life hangs in the balance, but the wagon train moves on, callously deserting him and the teen boy he saved, along with Lissie and Zach.

Through the hardship, Lissie and Land both realize how much they love one another, and what they have come so close to losing. Though danger lurks around every curve in the road, Lissie believes with all her heart there is a place for their small band of settlers in this untamed Territory. Now that love has finally come, will Fate allow a miracle for their happiness with this new beginning?

Our GUN FOR HIRE series page is still populating, but the first four are up if you want to go take a look at them, too, and pre-order. Here’s the link for the series page. Here’s the link for the series page, and keep checking back to see more as they are added there. The link for LANDON is just below–he hasn’t made it to the series page yet, but he’s coming, along with the rest of the gang!

AMAZON GUN FOR HIRE SERIES PAGE

PREORDER LANDON HERE! 

I love series like this one. The heroes and heroines are all different because they come from varying backgrounds and places, but the heroes have something in common that holds the thread of the series together. 

CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE