The Half-Breed’s Woman

A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–CAN YOU HELP WITH A REVIEW?–by Cheryl Pierson

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Hi everyone! I’ve talked a lot about A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE lately. It was released in October, but had a hard time from the moment it was released, as Amazon didn’t change the release date from the old version of the book. I am hoping you can help me by posting a review! Here’s what’s happening:

Several years ago, about ten or so, I wrote a book called “The Half-Breed’s Woman” about our hero, U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall, who was the son of a white man and an Indian woman. Brought up in Indian Territory, he’s lived a very hard-knock life with his younger brother, Brendan, who is also a deputy marshal.

The heroine is a young debutante from Washington, D.C., Callie Buchanan, whose stepfather, Dunstan Treadwell, has nefarious plans for her now that she is eighteen. She is on the run (who wouldn’t be?) and Treadwell hires Jaxson to track Callie down and return her to him.

Jaxson takes the job, but things get complicated, and soon they are both in danger.

As the years passed, I thought of so many things I wanted to change in this book. Writers do that, many times,—and a “do-over” is not always possible. BUT, in my case, I was able to do just that, and what fun I had with this!

I’ve re-released this fabulous story under a new title and cover, A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE. It’s full of surprises and action, and one of the most poignant love stories ever. This is a revised version with new content. It is NOT A CHRISTIAN read, but has been modified to a sweeter format than the original.

Here’s where I need your help.

When Amazon re-released this story with the new content and title, they kept the OLD release date, from the old version of the book! It took many phone calls and e-mails but they finally corrected it nearly a month later–too late for me to be able to post it at many of the advertising sites as a “new release”. So, if you think this is a story you might enjoy reading and reviewing, I will send you an ARC copy of it FREE in exchange for a review! 

If you will e-mail me at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com, I will be glad to send a free copy of A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE winging its way to you, and eagerly await your review!

Writers depend on reviews since it helps with our exposure on Amazon. No pressure here, at all, but I could use the help if you think this is a story you might enjoy reading and reviewing!

It’s one of my favorite stories, and I have plans, still, to write sequels as to what happens to these characters—they are some of my very favorite creations. I hope you will feel the same.

Here’s the blurb—it tells the gist of the story much better than I can in the space I have:

A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–A sensual western historical romance that draws you in and won’t let go. 

U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall is hired by Dunstan Treadwell, a powerful government official, to track down his runaway stepdaughter, debutante Callie Buchanan. When Jax realizes he’s been double-crossed by Callie’s stepfather, he doubles down to protect Callie from an evil nemesis from his own past who has been hired to kill them both.

The stakes have changed: Treadwell doesn’t want Callie back—he wants her dead. And the man coming after them is a master at murder.

Jax catches up to Callie in Fort Smith, and none too soon, for Wolf Blocker, the man Treadwell has hired to murder his stepdaughter and Jax, is one step ahead of them—and he’s got assassination on his mind. Jax and Callie set out on the stagecoach for Texas, neither of them able to be honest about their circumstances. With Blocker on their trail and Apaches ahead of them, the future is uncertain.

One thing Jaxson knows: he cannot take Callie back to Washington to face an attempted murder charge. Matters are further complicated when Jax and Callie are forced into marriage by worried Cavalry Captain Alan Tolbert to avoid the trouble he believes Treadwell could cause.

Through all the pretense, the hardships, and the deadly danger, one thing becomes obvious. Callie and Jaxson were meant to be together for this new beginning, for this new forever love that neither of them had ever hoped to find. Will they live long enough to see it through?

Have you ever read a story or seen a movie that had characters so REAL that they stayed with you long after the book was finished, or the movie had ended? What characters have stayed in your heart and mind long after the story was over?

CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  https://tinyurl.com/2k7xeddt

Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie! (#WFcon15)

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Kathleen Rice Adams header

Fellow filly Cheryl Pierson and I spent last weekend at the inaugural Western Fictioneers convention (also known as #WFcon15) in St. Louis. What a great time we had! We met some of the iconic authors in the western genre, learned more than my head can hold during seminars and panel discussions, got to sit around and gab with people we’d only spoken with online previously…and, of course, ate lots of good food. I may never eat again.

You can discover more about Western Fictioneers — a professional organization for authors of western fiction — and the convention here. If we can find Micki Milom, the superwoman who put the whole thing together single-handedly this year, we’re hoping to host another shindig next year, possibly in Fort Worth. Micki appears to have disappeared into the Convention Organizer Protection Program — a wise move on her part.

Instead of the usual post, this week I thought I’d share photos from the convention. Yes, I realize this is a bit like showing home movies to captive relatives, but I can be cruel that way.

Without further ado…

MickiAndJacquie

 

 

Take a good look at the woman on the left. You may never see her again after this convention. She’s Micki Milom, Nashville singer and songwriter, author of traditional westerns, and ramrod of the convention. Evidently, that smug expression on her face is meant to camouflage her nefarious attempt to strangle western historical romance author and all-around nuisance Jacquie Rogers.

 

 

 

Legends panel

The Living Legends panel discussion featured, from left, Robert J. Randisi, Robert (Dick) Vaughn, Dusty Richards, and Frank Roderus. Between them, the gentlemen have published thousands of stories. For such prolific, popular authors of traditional western fiction, all four men are down-to-earth, funny, charming characters (emphasis on “characters”).

 

RomancePanel_by DianeDuring the Romancing the West panel, authors (from left) Jacquie Rogers, Kathleen Rice Adams, Meg Mims, Kat Martin, and Cheryl Pierson astounded attendees with their… Well, I’m sure we astounded the audience with something, but the “something” probably was our ability to be extraordinarily silly. Couldn’t Micki have found western historical romance authors who possess at least a modicum of decorum?

Social Media panel_by Diane

 

The most evil thing about the Taming Social Media and Other Necessary Evils panel was the panelists: traditional western authors (from left) JES Hayes, that Kathleen Rice Adams person again, Jacquie Rogers (again), and Tom Rizzo.

 

PublisherPanelPublishers who specialize in western fiction also addressed the madding crowd. From left, Prairie Rose Publications editor-in-chief and co-founder Cheryl Pierson, Pen-L Publishing‘s Kimberly and Duke Pennell, High Hill Press‘s Louella Turner, Mike Bray of Wolfpack Publishing, and Golway Publishing’s Dusty Richards provided insight into what publishers look for when considering authors and their work.

 

KeithAndHunterKeith Souter, a medical doctor and popular traditional western author from the U.K., traveled all the way across the pond to present one of the most fascinating seminars during the convention — The Doctor’s Bag: Medicine and Surgery of Yesteryear. The presentation provided a hint of the enormous amount of material Keith covers in his newly released reference book of the same name. He was much too gentlemanly to refuse when I threatened him with a necktie party unless he autographed a copy for me. The book is a fabulous resource for anyone who writes historical fiction. I highly recommend it.

MichaelMilom

 

Intellectual property attorney Michael Milom presented one of the most popular sessions during the convention — The “Rights” Side of the Law: Legal Labyrinths. Despite his prowess as a high-powered entertainment lawyer, he quickly lost control of the rowdy herd and abandoned his planned talk in favor of answering a slew of questions from the audience. Michael, who is married to Micki, was gracious about our rude behavior, but as you can see by the metamorphosis in his expression, the lot of us probably should stay out of Nashville for a while.

 

 

There was plenty of time for fun, as well.

PRP Outlaw Gang_by JES Hayes

 

The Prairie Rose Publications gang whooped it up. (From left, Kathleen Rice Adams and Jacquie Rogers [Who are those women, and why did they keep butting in everywhere?], Keith Souter [who makes a wonderful bank robber, for a Scot], Cheryl Pierson [another outlaw who repeatedly butted in], Micki Milom, and Meg Mims.)

 

Cheryl signing book_by JES

 

 

 

Some of us, like Cheryl Pierson, autographed books. Did I autograph any books? Of course not. My ego may not survive.

 

 

MickiRandisiDuet

 

 

 

The entertainment was entertaining, especially when Micki Milom and Robert Randisi sang a couple of duets. We didn’t have to cover our ears or nothin’! (Micki’s a professional, but Bob was a surprise. He’s actually quite good.)

 

And there you have it — #WFcon2015 in a nutshell! (Most photos are mine, but thanks to JES Hayes for the image of the PRP outlaws and to Diane Rodes Garland for the image of Cheryl autographing a book.)

 

TheDoctorsBag

 

UPDATE: I’ve just received word that we kidnapped about a box-full of Dr. Keith’s The Doctor’s Bag — autographed! They’re available for $15 (including postage), which is a great deal considering the paperback version sells for $18.99 on Amazon. Cheryl Pierson has details.

 

 

A Cowboy's Touch Box 2

 

 

To thank everyone for schlepping through all this rambling, I’ll give two commenters a KINDLE COPY of a very special Prairie Rose release: A Cowboy’s Touch. The boxed set of four full-length western romance novels by Cheryl Pierson, Livia J. Washburn, Kit Prate, and me contains nearly 1,000 pages of spicy love in the Old West, and it’s a steal at 99 cents. To be eligible for the drawing, tell me which of the seminars you would have liked to attend. (All Petticoats and Pistols sweepstakes rules apply to this giveaway.)

 

 

NEW RELEASE AND GIVEAWAY! by Cheryl Pierson

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ST. PADDY’S DAY IS HERE, AND I’M GIVING AWAY A DIGITAL COPY OF THE HALF-BREED’S WOMAN TODAY TO ONE LUCKY COMMENTER! JUST LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR CONTACT INFO IN IT TO BE ENTERED IN THE DRAWING!

Do you consider yourself lucky on St. Patrick’s Day? Are you superstitious at all? I remember in those long-ago schooldays wearing green to keep from getting pinched. You know, I still wear green on March 17…guess I’m pretty superstitious…what about you? Today may be your lucky day–I’m going to draw a name from the big ol’ Stetson this evening for a winner of a digital copy of my new full length novel, THE HALF-BREED’S WOMAN. It might be YOU! May the luck of the Irish be with you! Here’s what it’s all about: 

                                                               THE HALF-BREED’S WOMAN
U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall tracks runaway debutante Callie Buchanan from Washington, D.C., into the unforgiving badlands of Indian Territory.  But once the sparks fly between them, can he bring himself to take the beautiful young woman in to face an attempted murder charge?
Callie’s greedy stepfather, a powerful government official, has his own plans for her—a  fate much worse than jail. Jaxson must protect her at all costs—even if it means his own death—or losing his heart to “The Half-Breed’s Woman”.
PRP The Half-Breed's Woman Web Rev
Jax has fought to protect Callie from being kidnapped in the restaurant downstairs. She’s not sure he knows who she is, and he’s keeping up the ruse by calling her by her assumed name, Sarah. They’ve gone back to the safety of his room, and here’s what follows.
Excerpt:

Callie gave him a slow, measuring smile. “Come on, Marshal. Sit down, and let me pull your boots off.”

“I can do it.”

“Huh-uh. That’d be just plain stupid with your ribs hurt like they are, now wouldn’t it, Mr. McCall? Allow me, your kept woman, to do that for you.”

“Sarah—” he began, but Callie gently pushed him down to the side of the bed and carefully pulled his boots off, setting them beside the night table.

He stood up, and Callie returned, brushing his hands aside as she took over the task of unbuttoning his shirt.

“Sarah, I can do this.” His voice became edgy.

Callie smiled up at him innocently. “Oh, I’m sure you are able, Marshal, but isn’t this what a whore does for her man?”

With a predatory growl, he yanked her to him, putting his mouth to hers as it fell open in surprise. In an instant, he was crushing her body against his, molding the curves of her sweet, warm skin against the hardness of his own body. His mouth slanted hotly across hers, his tongue plundering her, tasting the honey of her kiss.

His fingers splayed across her back and speared into her damp hair, as it cascaded around her, falling to her waist. She made a soft noise in her throat, then gasped at the fierce joining, as her breath left her. Her hands came up across his back, under his arms, careful of the wounded right side.

Callie tentatively touched her tongue to his, her fingers threading through his hair.

“God,” he muttered hoarsely against her lips, pulling her closer, molding her body to his own hard, straining arousal. She yielded under the onslaught of his mouth upon hers, and he felt her desire, poorly concealed, under his fingertips as he touched her.

“This, Sarah,” he whispered roughly, lifting his mouth from hers for the briefest of moments. “This is what a whore does for her man.” Or what a woman does, for the man she loves.

 

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON HERE– (print and Kindle)–also available at B&N and Smashwords!
BIO:
Cheryl was born in Duncan, OK, and grew up in Seminole, OK. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and holds a B.A. in English. Cheryl lives with her husband in Oklahoma City, OK, where she has been for the past 29 years. She has two grown children, and a Great Pyrenees “granddog”, Embry.