Just a Few Pet Peeves by Bea Tifton

 

Ah, pet peeves. Most definitions I found for the phrase said it was an annoyance or something nurtured like a pet that you cannot resist complaining about. But my favorite was from dictionary .com. A pet peeve is defined as “A particular and often continual annoyance, personal bugbear.” First of all, “bugbear” is my new favorite word. Secondly, sounds like it’s a pretty common problem. Most people have them. Some days everything makes me peevish, but that’s a blog post for another day. Now, if you do any of these things, Dear Readers, please don’t be offended. It’s not that I think anyone is doing something wrong, I just can’t fail to notice certain phrases and shudder.

The first one is "Toodles". When I hear someone say it, my teeth hurt. What on earth would possess a grown person to say goodbye in this way?

Another one is shortening words when the person is speaking because the speaker thinks they sound, I don’t know. Something. Words like "breakky" for breakfast, "vacay" for vacation, "bday" for birthday. I know someone who does that constantly and I have to admit it grates on my nerves.

A grown person talking to another grown person using baby talk, words like "potty" or "mommy" or "tummy". Once again, not hurting anyone. Just makes me groan inwardly.

Saying, “You go, girl.” Let’s retire that one. I’m all for Girl Power, but it’s a bit tired.

What is it about some things that just send us over the edge? What bothers one person doesn’t even faze another.  I don’t want to become the trite peevish old lady yelling, “You kids get off my lawn.” Still, I just can’t help myself.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Photo Credits: 
Pavel Danilyuk "A Woman With a Disgusted Facial Expression"
SHVETS Production "A Woman in a Denim Top Having a Phone Call While Waving"
Pixabay "Toddler Standing on Basket"
Tina Miroshnichenko "Close-Up Photo of a Senior Woman Looking Angry"

The Voices In My Head by Laura Hunsaker

 I was at the day job the other day and someone asked me why I stay up so late writing. The short answer is that it's the only time I have to myself where I'm not taking someone somewhere, playing with anyone, cooking, working, cleaning, doing laundry...I'm sure you get the picture. It's the only time I'm not "momming." So I write until midnight and get up at 5:45 every work day. I'm okay with that.

But my friend asked if I could just write on weekends, or breaks, and I said that I have to write. The stories are all up in my brain fighting to get out. My brain is a pretty interesting and busy place. I have to write to get the stories out, to get the characters' voices to hush. 

She looked at me aghast. 

Is that really that odd? To have multiple stories going on inside the ol' brain? Just me?

So when I got home from work I asked my eldest if it was weird and she said not to her, but that some people don't "hear" anything in the head. I didn't quite understand that so she sent me an interesting link. There are people out there who can't picture things in their mind's eye, and people who can't hear thoughts in their head. I can't imagine having such a quiet mind, but as we've established, mine is quite noisy, so I'm probably not the best judge.

So I bring this to you all: Do you, like me, have a constant inner monologue? Can you visualize stories as you read them as if they are a movie playing inside your head? I'm really curious!

If you want to check out what those character voices are like, my story Highlander Reborn is on sale for $.99 right now across all platforms.

Highlander Reborn begins in Scotland, many centuries ago, where a blacksmith fights for his life and his people. His life is forever changed when Amalia, one of the Nightkind, makes the choice to save his life. But first, he has to die...

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Smashwords  |  iTunes

1304…

After Nevin MacLachlan’s wife was killed by a vampire, he made it his mission to hunt them all down. But one late Highland night, in a battle he couldn’t win, one of the Nightkind ripped open his throat. With his blood draining onto the grass, the last thing Nevin sees isn’t a white light; it’s the dark of night closing in on him.

Amalia has been enamored with the blacksmith ever since he first held a stake to her heart. Watching him die was unacceptable. Will he ever forgive her for turning him into what he hates most?

Nevin has lived his life alone for a reason. When Amalia walks back into his life seven centuries later asking for help, he wants nothing more but to turn his back to her. But something about her still calls to him.

Some of the Nightkind in Amalia’s seethe have been killed. It’s up to her to find Nevin and ask for his help. But how can she show Nevin that she isn’t the monster he thinks she is?

WRITING CAN BE STRESSFUL

by Judy Ann Davis

There are only two options:
Make progress or make excuses.
—Anonymous

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the projects you’ve planned for yourself?

Although I often find writing to be fun, it can also be stressful. I’ve been working diligently, trying to update the covers and formats for three novels in Ashmore Brothers series which are historical western romances, each with a mystery. I now want the three stand-alone books to be more consistent and appear like part of a collection.

The process has turned out to be more hours and days—and more intensive work—than anticipated. Covers have to be created with the help of an artist. The stories need to be lightly edited again for grammar, and then proofread with back information and links updated. Headings, margins, page numbers, and chapters, all have to be replicated in the same font and format.  Lastly, everything will need to be uploaded.

The funny thing about a labor intensive project is the yearning to step away and find some calmness and rest. But then, I sit in the sunshine and ponder about parts of the inside text that need more tweaking—and have the urge to get up and make the changes before I forget.

There’s a phrase by Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), French author of Madame Bovary: "I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within."

 

I’ve come to the conclusion, if a prolific writer over 160 years ago felt he was stumbling through the writing process, I have to just hang in, taking the process one step at a time.

But honestly, I feel like I’m climbing stairs instead of taking the journey on flat ground.

Have you confronted a project which seemed overwhelming? Hints and suggestions are welcome. 

VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE FOR ALL MY BOOKS 

 

 My book baby is being made into an audiobook!

COMING SOON

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An orphaned white girl. A plot of deception. Can Rose play the role of a two spirit successfully or prove herself a fool?

Deception would not have been Rose's first choice; however, she will leave behind the white man's ignorance and play the part of a two-spirit to stay with the Nez Perce guide Five Wounds. Outside of her father, he was the only man to accept her for who she was, and she desires to be a part of his world.

Five Wounds heard the women gossip about Rose Baker’s wish to live a life traditionally reserved for men and watched as men snubbed her. Despite the fact that as a two spirit he would have to curb his growing attraction to her, Five Wounds informs Rose the Nez Perce people would honor her.

Rose’s plot is working, and the Nez Perce tribe accepts her for whom she is pretending to be. Everything would be perfect if she was not now in love with Five Wounds.

As head of the family, Five Wounds needed to marry and fill his teepee with children. His family believes one of Rose’s spirits is a demon trying to possess him. Five Wounds is certain it already has.

Will the deception that had been her salvation now destroy her happiness forever?

Two Spirit is Zerry Greenwood's first novel. Written after the death of her mother to connect with the unpublished author of her favorite books.

If you like reading coming-of-age stories, with strong women and good men, you will enjoy Two Spirits.

For a short, fun read in the spirit of Connie and Carla, download your copy today.    Kindle Unlimited

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I absolutely loved this book! It made me feel that I was right there in history.

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Wonderful light reading.

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A beautiful story about the hardship of traveling west.

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I get the sense that the author knows well the hardships her characters are dealing with.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Two Spirits is a well written romance novel blended with the struggles, hardships and accomplishments. 

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I thoroughly loved the story. Five wounds and Rose are a delightful couple, easy to picture and easy to love.

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 I would definitely recommend this romance novel to anyone .

Still A Soft Place by Liz Flaherty

In 2013, Harbourlight books, an imprint of Pelican Book Group, released my only inspirational novel, A Soft Place to Fall. The cover was beautiful and the reviews good. The editing was excellent, although--as always--there were house rules I didn't like. (I still flinch when I see OK in a book instead of okay. During the editing of this book, I took all of them out I could, just to save myself.)

The book pretty much tanked. This isn't the only time I've ever had a book not do well and I don't blame anyone for it, but this was one that niggled at me. (In my second set of parentheses, I hate the word niggled, too, but I can't think of another one that fits.) 

One reason it may not have been successful is that what I call inspirational is more likely "inspirational-light." I don't say stuff when I mean crap, or darn when I mean damn. I can't pretend forgiveness doesn't leave scar tissue in its wake. Pam Thibodeaux says she writes inspirational with an edge, and I like to think I do, too. 

Back to that niggle. It just wouldn't stop. Maybe because marriage resurrected is one of my favorite plot points ever. To me, it is an actual trope, but I'm not sure about that. I think it's my favorite for personal reasons, in that I have a long and happy marriage that we've breathed life into more than once. It's important to me to share that the "breathing life into" doesn't preclude "long and happy."

So, in a move I don't take lightly, I got the rights back to A Soft Place to Fall and released it again at the end of December. It has a lovely new cover created by Nancy Fraser and okay is spelled out. I didn't change much because, even though the book itself might be dated. I believe the story is not. 

While Early and Nash's story hasn't achieved bestseller status anywhere but it in my own mind, it has done better this time around. I have learned lessons from this. 

• Sometimes you need to go with a gut feeling even when your gut is notoriously wrong.
• I really can write inspirational, but I should never try to be something I'm not. (Third parentheses. Yeah, I already knew that, but it bothered me I didn't fit into the community of inspirational writers. It kind of still does.)
• Even when a new release is not New but Again, it's still so much fun. 

Thanks for listening. I'll just tack Early and Nash's information here on the end. I hope, if you read it, you enjoy their story. 

Early McGrath doesn't want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it's forced upon her, she does the only thing she knows to do - she goes home to the Ridge to reinvent herself.
Only what is someone who's spent her life taking care of other people supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones - reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.
The definition of freedom changes when it's combined with faith, and through it all perhaps Early and Nash can find a Soft Place to Fall.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/hn9m6t4s

D2D: https://books2read.com/u/bW57yx

Tech Problems? Just Shoot Me Now by Joan Reeves

Woohoo! I finally got online. It's a technological miracle.

Sheesh. Have you ever had one of those weeks where not one, not two, but three technology problems occurred?

Well, I am on the tail end of that kind of week. Actually, it's been almost two weeks.

It all started with a printer that wouldn't work and ended with the WiFi going up and down like a YoYo.

3 SIMPLE STEPS

I was trying to print my 1099 Forms for 2022 when my printer started making this terrible grinding sound. Three days later, I'm in Office Depot picking up a new laser printer. Happy, but much poorer, I head home with the printer and eagerly start the setup process. Three simple steps.

Unfortunately no one told the printer it was supposed to connect and work in 3 steps. Even though the tech requirements for the printer indicated it would work with the operating systems our computers run, it wouldn't.

RING OF HELL FOR THOSE WITH TECH PROBLEMS

After a day of downloading various MS patches, doing uninstalls and re-installs, and consulting with tech support, the printer still wouldn't work. 

Then our WiFi started going off for no good reason. Agh! More calls to the wonderful people at AT&T with no real answers forthcoming except we should invest more money in their new mesh gadgets which are better than the signal expanders we currently possess.

Funny, I'm thinking we should upgrade to a different service.

SHORTEN THIS LONG STORY 

We spent $100+ bucks plus the cost of 4 brand new HP toner cartridges and got the old printer repaired. It's working great. The day we brought it home and plugged it in, the NEW printer started working too. Now, we're considering switching WiFi providers because I couldn't get this post uploaded until this afternoon.

I'm reminded of what an Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM said in 1968 about the microchip: "But what is it good for?"

Unfortunately, some genius found a use for it, and here we are in today's world, stuck in the quagmire of technology.

THANKS FOR READING THIS POST

I can't help you with computer problems, but if you need help blogging, try my book, Blog Ops: Search and Destroy Bad Blog Elements, Rescue Hostage Blogs, Be a Better Blogger, a compilation of what I've learned after 18 years of blogging for fun and profit. It's only 99¢ and designed to help long-time bloggers and those new to blogging.

Joan Reeves participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products (such as books) on Amazon.

ABOUT JOAN REEVES

Writing Romance—One Sexy Book at a Time—that's JOAN REEVES, a NYT & USA Today bestselling author of Romantic stories with the underlying premise: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.” Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between a book-cluttered home in Houston and a quiet house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl.

 VISIT JOAN ONLINE

Website * Personal Blog * Amazon Author Page * BookBub * Facebook * Twitter * YouTube 

Writers are Like Cowboys by Cathy Shouse

 

There’s a special day for everything, it seems. While writing my Fair Creek cowboy romance series, I came up with the idea of Think Like a Cowboy Day. Only why limit the celebration to just one day? 

But then, I’ve been interested in horses since I was a girl, which then turned into loving cowboys.

And I might have been a cowgirl wannabe, too!

It started because I grew up on a farm and we had cows, so getting a horse seemed like the next logical step, to me anyway. I was constantly reading horse books like Misty of Chincoteague, Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague, and Stormy, Misty’s Foal, all by Marguerite Henry. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was also one of my favorites.

      I have a faded photo of me at age six sitting on Molly, our Shetland pony, as proof that Dad finally gave in and got me one (actually, he bought two and one then had a foal). Molly was steady and barely walked along most of the time. But one day Dad sat me on her back and she galloped away. Mom yelled to me to hold on. I gripped the saddle horn for dear life and dug my knees into Molly’s big broad sides. Bouncing up and down in the saddle, my heart raced and I’m not sure if I was more scared or excited. Dad ran along but couldn't catch up at first. Molly finally stopped with me still on top of her. I felt like a champion.

          A few years later, I would go to the rodeo every summer when it came to our little nearby town. The cowboys fascinated me. They’d be mounted on their horses in the stalls, hear the starting gun, then surge out of the gate into the arena. The sawdust that padded the floor would spray into the air. It was thrilling, and I liked to think I knew a little of what they were going through, after my wild ride on Molly.

Today, I’m still inspired to hold on tight for the ride when facing life’s challenges, like the rodeo cowboys I admired. They would fall off of their bucking broncos or miss grabbing a flag when they guided their horses around barrels. The ropes they sent slithering through the air to lasso animals might fall short. Many times, I watched them pick up their cowboy hats from where they’d fallen to the ground, smack them against their trousers to make the dust fly, then put that hat back on. No matter how rough things got, they never gave up. They climbed in the saddle for the next ride.

            They taught me some lessons: 

5 Ways to Think Like a Cowboy

1.     Don’t let go: hold on tight, no matter how bumpy the ride gets.

2.     Style matters: Wear the fancy Stetson and the cowboy shirt, and don’t forget your favorite boots (spurs, too).  

3.     Confidence counts: Think positively and focus your energy so you’re ready when the starting gun goes off.

4.     Finish with flare: If you fall off, you miss that lasso or don’t quite reach that barrel flag, keep riding hard until the end. Maybe even wave your cowboy hat in the air at the finish.

5.     Speed makes the difference: Poking along is fine on an average day and it’s even preferred. But during competition, keep moving as fast as you can.

Bonus: Never forget that whatever happens, there’s always the next event where you’ll have another chance to shine, God willing that is.

     

                                                       (photo by Matt Shouse)

     Writers are like cowboys because we get in the saddle every day for the thrill ride of finding new readers. Sometimes we're thrown from the horse, when people miss out on our stories, for various reasons. At other times, we grab the flag from the barrel in record time, and make new reader friends who appreciate our work.   

     Which leads me to today when I'm “thinking like a cowboy," I mean, a writer. I'm offering you the treat of tasting my work for free for Valentine’s Day (and because my birthday's in a few days). Below the book cover is a link for you to get the free eBook of Her Billionaire Cowboy’s Second Chance: Galloway Sons Farm, Book 1. You'll have to hurry, though. The sale only lasts from now through February 18^th. 

    I really hope you'll join me in the arena, I mean, among the pages of my books! I think you'll enjoy Wyatt and Sierra's story. And if you do, I would appreciate it if you'd write a review. :)

                    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B61ZYTG3

Thundersleet is My New Favorite Word by Bea Tifton

Last week, a much anticipated cold front swept into Texas.  The first day, there were a few wispy little snowflakes with no accumulation. I enjoyed  watching them blow around and the anticipated weather was the topic of the day on the news. The meteorologist predicted thunder sleet, which has to be one of the coolest weather terms I’ve heard.  (Ooh, I just realized. No pun intended.) I could hear the storm that night. The following day, I walked to the door with our dogs and the whole yard was covered in what I thought was snow. It was beautiful, clean and sparkling like glitter.  Our dogs had played happily played in the yard last time it snowed, so they rushed out in anticipation and kept right on going. This was ice, smooth as glass and twice as slick. With the exception of our new terrier pug, I watched as the dogs gamely slipped and slid about the yard doing their doggy business. Bentley, however, is a compliant, well behaved dog in every way but one; he absolutely refuses to get his feet wet. He hovered on the porch but declined to play and explore with the others. He kept staring at me with his soulful brown eyes as if trying to convince me to come to my senses and lead everyone inside.

The neighborhood was so peaceful. Not a car passed the entire day. During our marathon of Harry Potter movies, I texted a teacher friend of mine and congratulated her on her snow day, telling her not to dare doing anything school related all day.  A family of introverts, we were okay with staying in. We watched movies in our jim jams on and off all day. And so it went all week. Each day I thought, Tomorrow we’ll have to go back to being ridiculously busy, but each day we got a reprieve. The ice may have been treacherous, but it looked lovely. We didn’t have anywhere we needed to be, fortunately, and we had plenty of groceries, so we hibernated. I wore my favorite sweatshirt for five days in a row.  Poor little Bentley gave up and began peeing on the porch. I do feel sorry for the people who had to get out. I’m just so glad we didn’t. 

It’s nice to have an excuse to just stop. We watched movies, took naps, drank hot chocolate or tea, and read. I feel like I caught up on my sleep and decompressed.  That’s a luxury I didn’t take for granted. Many people are complaining about the cold and wishing for spring, but I have to confess. I’d be okay with one or two more ice days. Maybe I’ll get Bentley some snow boots.

Photo Credit: 

Taryn Elliott "A Person Wearing Gray Socks"

Love Stinks & So Do You~ Sherri Easley

 So as I was looking up the history of Valentine’s Day, I found something much more interesting- Vinegar Valentines.

Is there anything possibly more passive aggressive than sending someone a Valentine card to insult them?

In the Victorian era, these postcards were used to let someone know they were unwanted, unappreciated, unliked, or unloved. These unwelcome notes were sometimes crass and even emotionally damaging.

If these cards were not insulting enough, they were sent anonymously, and the recipient had to pay postage upon delivery.

In Civil War Humor, Cameron C. Nickels wrote that vinegar valentines were “tasteless, even vulgar,” and were sent to “drunks, shrews, bachelors, old maids, dandies, flirts, and penny pinchers, and the like.” He added that in 1847, sales between love-minded valentines and these sour notes were split at a major New York valentine publisher. (source atlasobscura.com)

As Valentine cards declined overall, in lieu of fancy dinner dates and gifts, all valentines became less popular including the vinegar valentine, however, if you are not feeling the love, you can still buy them online. 

Once I received a gas station valentine card and felt rose. Guess it could have been worse.  

Have You Tried AI? Plus Food, Cables, & Musings by @JacquieRogers

 

 

 Have You Tried AI?

Plus Food, Pulling Cable, & Musings

by Jacquie Rogers

Okay, so I'm obsessed--what else is new.  (Don't answer that.)  I've been fooling around with AI because, and here's my very well thought-out reasoning, AI would be exceedingly useful for book promotion.   (And it's something new and shiny, but I'm not going to own up to being so easily distracted, so put that thought out of your pretty head.)

One of the things you can do is make a video from a blog post, so of course I had to give that a try.

Here's the actual post: Holiday Season Already! 

To be honest, I don't think bloggers need to worry about being replaced anytime soon.  Even so, it's a wonder that it came so close.  This was done in steve.ai.

Next I tried a promo type video in canva.com.  You just tell canva what you want and it creates a slideshow for you.  I said, "Blonde woman on a black mule set in the Old West."  Here's how that turned out:

So how about fantasy?  Aurora Valentine is also a blonde.  My instructions were, "Blonde fairy riding a red dragon."  Canva never did get this one correct but not bad--and some of the pictures are better than the ones I paid for on dreamstime and depositphoto.  So here are the results of the Aurora's Treasure promo video:

I don't think it's ready for prime time yet.

Why women live longer than men.

Other Ways To Get in Trouble

Mr R and I have spent the last 3 weeks pulling data cable.  Yes, we've lived in this house four years but he never did get around to doing the permanent wiring.  I've been connected to the server by a cable strung from light fixture to light fixture down the hall and into the spare room, then into the server room.  It wasn't pretty but it worked.  Now we're all wired in, but the price was dear.  I have bruises all over my hands and arms.  Mr R knocked off several hunks of skin and it'll take a while for his wounds to recover.

(I don't know why Blogger isn't putting any space around the photo--that's above my pay grade.)

We pulled wire from the floor of the server room, under the house, to the corner of the garage where you see Mr R now.  From there, the wire goes up the wall to the attic and over to the outside wall, then down that wall to his computer.

To be honest, we should hire this work done, but there are two problems.  The first is that our area's real estate is HOT and there are no contractors that do small jobs in a reasonable time frame.  The second is that no one can do anything that meets Mr R's notion of how things ought to go.  So...we pull cable, scooting around in the crawl space and in the attic--both places particularly desirable to spiders.

Now for some bad news.  The jewelry store, Norman Jewelers in Caldwell, where Dad bought Mom's wedding ring set has closed.  Three generations worked there, and I guess there's no one to take over and it's time for the current owner to retire.  Sad to see.  But the good news is that Mr R bought a ring for my Christmas present.  It had to be resized, of course, so we're picking it up tomorrow.  From then on, no more Norman Jewelers.

That's me standing in an empty jewelry store, and my ring on the right.

Naturally, Walter has been asserting his rights as head of the household.

Walter the Bed Hog

Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you get books--they last a lot longer than chocolate and you can enjoy them several times over. ☺

Until next month, Happy Reading!

Jacquie's Website | Amazon author page | BookBub

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

If you're on TikTok, friend me!  My handle is @jacquierogersbooks.  

You can get videos of Honey Beaulieu and Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy videos of her scribe.  Heck, we even do a few cooking videos.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series
Hearts of Owyhee series

WORDS AS PEEVES

 By Caroline Clemmons

Writers—like real people—have words we avoid. Pet peeves that cause us to grit our teeth.

Years ago I was in a wonderful multi-genre critique group. The three men in the group made fun of the word “wafting” as being a frilly, romance writer’s word. Although I’ve seen it in mysteries and general fiction, I avoid it because of their prejudice.

A personal peeve is “each and every” because the phrase is redundant. Choose either “each” or “every” without altering the sentence’s meaning.

We strive to avoid familiar cliches like the plague (you see what I did there, don't you?)

OMG has become such a common exclamation, but it bothers me. Whether it’s in the letters-only or the three words, this is not to be spoken lightly. For me, it’s due to the Ten Commandments’ caution against taking the Lord’s name in vain. I may be in the minority here.

Swearing in general also bothers me. Neither my father nor Hero swear in front of women. I know my dad did when he was around only men (and didn’t realize Little-Miss-Big-Ears was listening). I’ve only heard Hero swear once, and that was a surprise reaction. In a small town where we once lived, there lived a sweet, elderly woman who was a member of the same church as our family. She was no doubt legally blind, but she’d lived in the same house all her life and drove the few blocks to the grocery store and church. Everyone avoided her distinctive gray car, as if she was the nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo. One Saturday afternoon when we’d been to visit friends, we were on our way home and saw her car heading for us. Hero said, “Oh, d__n, it’s Mrs. Snow!” He quickly turned the car into someone’s driveway until Mrs. Snow had zig-zagged past us.

The point of the little story is that the people I know don’t swear like an R-rated movie, book, or television show. Even if I’ve been desensitized by the media, I still prefer not to hear or read cursing. I’ve always considered swear words as fuel for people with small vocabularies—a prejudice of my upbringing.

If you enjoy reading clean historical western books, why not preorder my upcoming release QUINN, book 3, Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides. 

https://www.amazon.com/Quinn-Order-Bride-Country-Brides-ebook/dp/B0BSTMWV5X

Priscilla Bradford is determined she and Quinn McRae will have a happy marriage—all she has to do is convince him.

Priscilla Bradford’s once-impressive family has fallen on desperate times. She and her brother have lost everything. Against her brother’s wishes, she leaves Boston to become a mail order bride to a man in Texas. She’s relieved when she arrives and finds her groom is a handsome and charming man. His family welcomes her—at last, she feels part of a loving, happy family. But her husband soon behaves as if he were two people. She’s certain he’s a good man, and is determined to discover the reason for his mysterious behavior.

Quinn McRae is overjoyed to reunite with his brothers after being apart for fifteen years. They don’t understand why he doesn’t fit into ranch life on their terms. How can he explain the heartbreaking event that continues to create his horrific nightmares? He can’t—at least, not without revealing the secret he believes would cause them to send him packing. In addition to his internal battle, a local bully is determined to kill Quinn and his brothers.

How will Quinn overcome the bully’s attempts to destroy his family? Can Priscilla and Quinn conquer his doubts to become the happy couple of her dreams?