Thanks so much to the Petticoats and Pistols gals for having me over! What an honor to spend some time with y’all today. For those who don’t know me, let’s see if we can fix that.
I love history and I have a thing for old western tv shows. I also enjoy a good mystery, and if it involves a love story with a few funny moments—all the better! Currently, I’m at work on my sixth book overall which is #3 in my A Matter of Intrigue series featuring some unconventional Pinkerton ladies.
Book #1 of this series, The Songstress, was a 2022 Will Rogers Medallion Award winner!
Book #2, The Adventuress, lives up to its name and will always remain close to my heart. Let me tell you why.
First of all, this one was set in Cimarron, New Mexico, surrounded by the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Though I’m now a Texan, I was born and raised in New Mexico. My grandfather’s family owned a ranch near Cimarron and our family history in northern New Mexico goes back to the 1700s. My papaw was an old cowboy at heart, and his grandmother’s family really did own a local restaurant/saloon/hotel in Cimarron back in the 1800s.
Secondly, in my research for The Adventuress, I discovered some important historical accounts. The Civil War had come to an end. Hundreds of soldiers returned home to find they had no home anymore. They were broken and many were bitter about the terrible losses they had suffered. They migrated westward to the untamed New Mexico Territory, which encompassed modern day New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Nevada and Colorado. Lawlessness became the norm, and corrupt government took over. Hired guns took sides and some of the best-known showdowns took place within the counties of New Mexico Territory.
Lastly, I will always remember The Adventuress as the book I was writing when Covid-19 visited our household. I managed to avoid the worst of it, but my husband spent four unforgettable days in the hospital. Not a particularly happy memory, but an adventure just the same!
The story:
Former Texas Ranger, Nathan Wolfe, has a reputation as a fast gun. Half-Apache and raised in a Spanish mission on the fringes of Cimarron, New Mexico, he knows what it’s like to be an outcast. He’s spent years carving a name for himself, but when someone sets out to destroy him, he joins forces with the Pinkerton Agency as an undercover priest. All goes as planned until he crosses paths with the spitfire daughter of his former commander.
Jessa Jamison has a serious aversion to gunslingers and is committed to nabbing the ruthless outlaw who killed her father. Certain she’s found an advocate in the tall cleric, she soon struggles with feelings of guilt brought on by her unfortunate attraction to the handsome stranger.
Inching closer to the truth, they discover corruption at every level. No one is beyond suspicion. Soon, the imposter strikes again. Nathan is captured at the scene of the crime and it’s up to Jessa to listen to her heart and prove his innocence before it’s too late.
Giveaway
To get you caught up in time for release of Book #3, The Governess, in November, let’s do a giveaway of the first two books of this series! A signed paperback set of The Songstress and The Adventuress.
To enter, comment below with the name of your favorite western television show.