June What a Wonderful Month! by Paty Jager

half of the hay field is cut

Finally! We have warm weather and it isn't raining anymore. Keep your fingers crossed it stays that way. At least until we get the first cutting of hay off the field. ;) 

It's June! Did you know that June is Audio Book Month? Many of the audio book vendors have specials going on this month. Check out your favorite audio book store or if you haven't listened to an audio book join one of the many audio book stores and listen to your first book free! 

I have 9 of my Shandra Higheagle books in audio and am beginning to start on the Gabriel Hawke series. I can "read" more books but listening to them when I walk. So I have become a fan of audio books. 

Another great thing happening this month is our annual Authors4Veterans Giveaway! 

Authors4Veterans is a non-profit organization started by Stacey Joy Netzel and PJ Fiala in 2017. The purpose of Authors4Veterans is simple; they contact fellow authors like myself, asking for a small monetary donation and books, swag and comfort items. They bag them up in beautiful canvas zippered bags and deliver them to Fisher House Wisconsin. Fisher House is a fantastic organization, located on the VA grounds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where military families who need temporary housing can stay while their loved one receives care at the VA hospital. This is all free to the families. There are currently 84 houses in operation. You can find out more about Fisher House here - https://www.fisherhouse.org/

Authors4Veterans’ came to be as Stacey and PJ both come from strong military backgrounds and they wanted to give back in some way. To date, our author bags have been given to over 115 families. Sometimes families have little notice that they have to rush to the hospital and these bags come in handy as they usually contain toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower soap, hand lotion, etc. in them as well as the books and swag. Families are given a bag upon check-in. Fisher House has shared that the families are often over-come with emotion at the generosity of the authors and how comforting the bags have been.

So, all that said, we also want to give something to our readers! Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win your own Authors4Veterans bag filled with goodies. The giveaway ends at 11:45p CST on June 20th. Four winners will be drawn and announced on June 21st. There are several opportunities for you to enter the giveaway, and of course, sharing it is always appreciated.

Enter the giveaway here - https://authors4veterans.com/2019/06/june-reader-giveaway/

The second pest thing for me about this being June is I'm giving myself a birthday present. I'm going to Iceland through The Authors Guild. We'll meet authors from Iceland and go on literary and scenic excursions. While I'm taking in the sites, I'll also be figuring out how to set a Gabriel Hawke book in Iceland. 

What are you doing this month? Is it a month you look forward to?

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Happy Anniversary to Me and my Hubby! by Paty Jager

Today is my-our anniversary. My hubby and I tied the knot on this day, a Saturday, 39 years ago.  It's hard to believe we've been together that long! It seems like yesterday when we met at an Under 21 Club.

I was 19 at the time and a friend, younger than me, insisted I had to go with her to the club. We went and I had pimply faced 15 and 16 year-olds asking me to dance. I was 19 had a year of college under my belt, and scanned everyone who came through the door.

There he was! A tall, broad-shoulder young man who shaved and had curly hair walked in the door. I have never been one to walk up to anyone and start a conversation, but that night, I did. I asked him to dance. We did and he followed me back to the table where my friend and I were sitting. He said, he was supposed to come with friends and they all bailed on him at the last minute. We talked and discovered we a quite a bit in common. Though I didn't like his name. He said he was Albert and it didn't fit. I asked what his middle name was and he said Albert. His first name was Gerrit. I said I liked that better and that's what I have called him ever since and he has started going by his first name.

Backstory here: His parents came to the U.S. from The Netherlands in the 50's. They lived in a Dutch community until moving to Oregon. My hubby grew up speaking only Dutch until he was enrolled in school, at which time the teachers put on his report card for 2 years, please speak English at home.

Back to the name- when his mother enrolled him in school and when she said "Gerrit" they thought it sounded like carrot. He didn't want to be called carrot so they used his middle name Albert which sounded close to the same. And we now know if someone calls and asks for Albert they are someone who went to school with him because after he met me he goes by his first name.

I became side-tracked again! Anyway, he offered to take me home. We walked out to the parking lot and he

Cruise on our 30th Anniversary

had a flat black 1957 International. We had to both get in the passenger door because the driver's side didn't unlock from the outside. There was blue angel hair hanging from the roof and the outside was covered in cow manure. He worked at a feed lot when he wasn't driving a semi.

We went back to the duplex I shared with a friend. She wasn't home and he came in to "talk" some more. He became handsy and I told him to leave.  He left.  I didn't have a phone number and didn't know how to contact him. I figured after throwing him out, I'd never see him. Three nights later there was a knock on the door. It was Gerrit. He asked if I wanted to go to a movie. He told me if I hadn't of been a good girl, which he considered wife material, he wouldn't have come back. He'd liked a lot about me, but wouldn't have wanted someone loose for a wife.

It wasn't long before we were talking long term commitment. But his mother told him he couldn't marry until he was 21. He turned that in April and we married in May. He is a momma's boy!

Three children and now 10 grandchildren we are pretty happy with our union and having fun as we play in the alfalfa and take short trips to places we've always wanted to see.


Because it's my anniversary- I feel like giving something away!  How about one of my books? Comment about how you met your significant other, or a date gone right and your name will go in the drawing for your pick of my books.

Don't forget the Wild Deadwood Tales Anthology is now available and all proceeds go to the Western Sports Foundation.

WILD DEADWOOD TALES Anthology

Rodeos and romance, Old West adventure, and even a few ghostly tales. Deadwood's wild past and exciting present come alive in seventeen original short stories written by USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors to benefit the Western Sports Foundation. Contributing authors: E.E. Elisabeth Burke, Zoe Blake, Paty Norman Jager, Teresa Keefer, Megan Kelly, Sylvia McDaniel, Amanda McIntyre, Peggy McKenzie, Angi Morgan, Nancy Naigle, Jacqui Nelson, Terri Osburn, Ginger Ring, Maggie Ryan, Lizbeth Selvig, Tina Susedik and A.C. Wilson

Proceeds from this limited edition collection go to benefit the Western Sports Foundation, an organization providing critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there for them.

website: http://bit.ly/DeadwoodTales

Here are the links to the book:

Amazon http://bit.ly/WDTales
universal Link https://www.books2read.com/WDTales

Apple  http://bit.ly/WDTApple

Nook  http://bit.ly/WDTBN

Kobo  http://bit.ly/WDTKobo
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/…/sh…/39739914-wild-deadwood-tales

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters.This is what readers have to say about the Silver Dollar Saloon series: “Paty Jager brings her characters to life, right off the pages of her book. You will laugh, cry, be sad and get angry right along with the characters.”

You can find me at these places. Paty's Posse is my western romance newsletter. 

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HOW IS YOUR SUMMER?

Are you gasping in the heat or loving it? I’m hiding in my office as much as possible. I’m so not a summer person.

Help, I'm meltingggggggg!

Hero and I just helped—at least. we hope we helped—our youngest daughter move to a better home. Not new, but new to her and recently refurbished. The house is older than she is but fits her so well it’s almost as if it were built for her.

No, her house is nothing like this,
but it's still her private castle.
Who'd want all those stairs?

Our eldest daughter is looking for a house, but in a different area. Fortunately, she doesn’t have a time limit so there’s no rush except her eagerness to get resettled. At present she’s been living with us almost two years while she recovers from six surgeries on her shattered femur. Two surgeries ago she was referred to a trauma surgeon who repaired the damage the first orthopedic surgeon caused. Finally, she’s healing.

What I’ve been doing is completing one series while plotting another. I love the series I’m finishing, the Bride Brigade Series, with the final book, PRUDENCE. That will release on August 25 on Amazon. This has been a fun series to write. Here you are--the first time I've revealed the cover online.

The series premise is seven women are brought to a tiny town in North Central Texas where there is a surplus of bachelors and a shortage of marriageable women. Of course there are too many eligible men for the seven women, but that’s part of the amusement. As usual, I have to throw in mysteries, crimes, weather disasters, and other surprises.

Next I’ll concentrate on DANIEL, book four of the McClintocks. Several months ago I left poor Daniel paralyzed from the waist down. I've had lots of email from readers telling me I have to “heal” the poor guy. That’s one of the fun things about being a writer—we can heal or kill with no consequences. Ah, the power! ☺

Then it’s on to my new series, Delaney’s Daughters. More about that another time.

How is your summer going? Have you had a fun vacation or, like me, a staycation?

GIVEAWAY:

I’ll give a print copy of the first of the Bride Brigade Series, JOSEPHINE, to one person who comments today. It’s a trick, of course. I hope you’ll like her story and want to read the others in the series. We writers are so sneaky.

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, and getting together with friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, WattPad, Shelfari, and Pinterest.

Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.

Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?

          She loves to hear from her readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com

Sweet Scent of Giveaways by @JoanReeves #SmartGirlsReadRomance

I'm not in the office today. Actually, each day this week has found me leaving home early and arriving back late--just like a regular commuter--except I'm commuting to doctors' offices.

So I decided to give some books away.

I have 2 Amazon Giveaways, and they're both Instant Wins. Plus, I have a 99 cent sale that started today on Scents and Sensuality.

(No Purchase Necessary. Official Rules. Just click the link to enter and you'll see immediately if you win. Giveaways end the earlier of Mar 1, 2017 11:59 PM PST, or when all prizes are claimed.)

(1) For a chance to win an Amazon Kindle copy of my new release, Last Chance New Year, A Moment in Time Romance Short Story, just click here to enter and see if you win.


(2) For a chance to win an Amazon Kindle copy of FRIDAY IS CAKE DAY, a collection of 52 cake recipes from 3 generations of family bakers, plus a dozen frosting recipes to mix and match, click here to enter and see if you win.

99 Cent Sale on Scents and Sensuality

From now through Feb. 20, my romantic comedy, Scents and Sensuality, is on sale. Amanda Whitfield is a perfume designer who's desperate for a date to her cousin's wedding, scheduled for Valentine's Day of course.

That desperation kicks off a chain of events that's funny and romantic when she meets Harrison Kincaid, a software millionaire who's tired of his matchmaking mom's schemes.

Amazon Reader Review

Amanda is a beautiful perfumer who can't seem to find a man. She needs one desperately as a date for her cousin's wedding.

Harrison has no trouble attracting women, but his mother is tired of waiting for him to settle down and believes Amanda could be Ms. Right. When she offers her son as Amanda's date, Harrison resents her matchmaking and sets out to sabotage her efforts--until he meets his date and realizes he's made a mistake that he can't easily put right.

Meanwhile, Amanda is pretending to be someone she isn't in order to hold his interest. As they grow closer, being honest with each other means discovering truths about themselves.

Great fun to read, this novel crackles with delicious sexual tension and humour. Joan Reeves has a flair for snappy dialogue and creating characters that come alive on the page. Vivid descriptions make you feel like you're in the room watching it all unfold. A satisfying romance.

Post Script

Joan Reeves is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Sassy, Sexy Contemporary Romance. Her books are available at all major ebook sellers with audio editions available at  Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. In 2017, new print editions of her books will be published.

All of Joan's books have the same underlying theme: It's never too late to live happily ever after. Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State.

Sign up for Joan's mailing list/free NL and receive a free ebook. Find Joan online: Blog, Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

Audio Books by Paty Jager

I just returned from an author conference. There were several different interesting workshops and panels.  The most fun was the one put on by the Killion Group or as some may know them, Hot Damn Stock.  They make stock photos for authors to use on their book covers. They held a mock photo shoot with one of their male models, Julian, and individuals picked out of the audience. It was interesting to see how they stage the photos and all that goes into the making of a stock photo. 

The workshop I found most interesting was one presented by Ann M. Richardson an audiobook narrator.  She talked about all the things a narrator has to do and what the author can do ahead of time to make the book quicker and easier for the narrator. 

Here are some key points to getting a good narrator:

1) Either pay the full narrator fee of anywhere from $200-600(well-known narrators) per finished hour of the book. Or set up a hybrid payment of royalty share and so much per finished hour, or the royalty share and try to get a stipend from ACX. The more you can give over the royalty share the better narrator you’ll get.

2) Choose the right audition script. This is 2-3 pages out of your manuscript that has dialog from your main characters and some description text. Be sure to let them know of any specific accents. They will send you a 5 minute audition.

Once you’ve picked the narrator:

1) Send them the manuscript with enough scenes marked to give a good overall of your book and have the narrator send you a 15 minute recording. This is where you adjust any accents and send them a list of words that may have an ambiguous pronunciation.

2) When you receive the 15 minute recording. Listen close and request any specific corrections. When you have approved this, your narrator will continue to record the book.

3) Most won’t send you the audio until the whole book has been read. A few will send you a chapter at a time.  When you find corrections make sure to put down the page and sentence as well as the time stamp on the recording to make it easier for the narrator to find and make the corrections.

The part I have the most difficulty with is remembering to promote the audio book. At this point I only have one. When we re-do the other covers of my Halsey Brothers Series, I plan to get the rest of those in audiobooks. Right now, I’m trying to get my mystery series in audiobooks. I had a rough start with a narrator who backed out after she’d committed  to my book, then decided she didn’t  have time because of all her other obligations.  I’m looking for a new narrator right now.

As a reader do you like audiobooks?  If so, leave a comment and I’ll pick one person to receive a code to get my book Marshal in Petticoats FREE!

Authors, have you dipped your toes in the audiobook world? Why or why not and how is it going so far? 

Marshal in Petticoats

After accidentally shooting a bank robber, Darcy Duncan becomes marshal of a town as accident prone as herself.  Darcy's taken care of her younger brother the last five years, and she’s not about to take orders from a corrupt mayor or a handsome drifter, whose curiosity could end her career as a marshal and take away their security

Gil Halsey is looking for his boss's son who is riding with outlaws. Taking the young man back to the ranch will seal the foreman's job. When he discovers the town's new marshal is a passionate woman with a huge regard for family and being framed for a bank heist, he has to decide which is the better future-- the feisty woman or the ranch.

 

Paty Jager writes murder mysteries and steamy western romance starring cowboys and Indians.

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Rock Fish, Emotion, Action by Paty Jager

Sometimes trying to find the right balance of emotion, action, and showing while writing a book can be as hard as trying to find the two rock fish in this photo.

I like a story that moves along and takes me with it. That means I write a lot of action scenes. But at the same time, the reader has to connect with the main characters. Which means I have to reveal emotions. But then, I can't tell the reader what's going on, I have to "show" them with my word choice.

There are times when I battle with myself over a word or sentence, wondering if I'm conveying what I want and at the same time showing the reader the action and emotion.

My critique partner recently returned a manuscript and said she loved the action--the twists and turns, but felt disconnected with the main characters because I didn't show their emotions enough. Yipes! That means going back through the story and upping the internal thoughts and emotions as well and adding actions to the main characters.

This is why I love having a good CP. She catches the things I missed but thought I'd put in the story. And, as hard as it is to admit being a romance author, I struggle with getting enough emotion in my books. I'm not a person who says "I Love You," every time someone I love leaves. I think I've said it to my husband maybe a dozen times in our 38 year marriage.  I feel my actions show how I feel about someone without my saying it and making the phrase a motion rather than a true sentiment.

Having a CP who catches when I need to add more emotion is my greatest asset as a writer.

Since this post talks about emotions, it makes me happy to give people gifts. I'll put the names of everyone who comments on this post in my pretty name collecting box and I'll draw a winner on Wednesday, September 14th. The winner will receive one of my print books autographed and a couple of fun promo items I have. 
 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 25+ novels and over a dozen novellas and short stories of murder mystery, western historical romance, and action adventure. She has a RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for her Action Adventure and received the EPPIE Award for Best Contemporary Romance. Her first mystery was a finalist in the Chanticleer Mayhem and Mystery Award and is a finalist in the RONE Award Mystery category.  This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”

All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.