Thirty-seven years ago today I married a man who swept me
off my feet, and yet, most would wonder why. He’s your typical male. Forgets
important dates if they aren’t related to haying or calving, shaves when his
beard itches, does, thankfully, shower every night, but will sometimes put the
dirty outer clothes back on the next day saying he’s saving me wash.(which is a
romantic gesture from his way of thinking) He doesn’t cook, barbecue, or do
dishes or the laundry. In fact, the biggest thing he does in the house is walk a
dirty cup to the sink. He’s slowly learning to use the microwave when I’m gone.
But he makes me laugh and does do some sweet things now and
then. Buying me a hay baler for Christmas wasn’t so sweet, but when he brought
me a bunch of hand-picked wildflowers it melted my heart. There are days he
does little things that remind me of why I fell for him all those years ago. And
those are the traits I bestow on my heroes in my books.
Years ago when I became published in romance I asked, my then
out of school, daughters if they wanted to read my books. They both responded, “I
don’t want to know what you and Dad do.” I quickly told them, what was in the books had
nothing to do with Dad and I. Romance books are written mostly for women by
women and therefore they are the fantasies of the writers, giving men the
stamina, playfulness, and romantic gestures women would like in a man. After my daughters married they understood what I was
talking about. ;)
That’s not to say there aren’t men out there who fulfill a
woman’s romantic needs completely, but face it, most men don’t have that romantic
quality most women dreamed of as girls. And that’s where romance books come
into the picture. You can read about men who do the things you wish your man would
do. It helps fulfill a part of that romantic need. The same as watching a
romantic movie. It gives your heart and soul a bit of “Awe, that was sweet” and
gives you hope. (My husband prefers Hallmark movies over shoot-em up blood and
gore- bonus for me!)
I had never dreamed of marrying as a girl. I was an independent
child and teenager and didn’t want a man telling me what do to like my father
did. He demanded I be first chair in band, I had straight A’s, and I go into
the medical field after school. I wanted the Arts. Music, art, writing. I spent
one year in school for a medical profession and kicked loose of my father’s
demands. Living on my own, I was enjoying doing things I wanted to do. Then one
night at an Under-Twenty-One club, in walked my husband. We met that night and six
months later we were talking forever. Two years later we married.
Just like in romance books, when the right person comes
along, there isn’t anything in this universe that can keep them apart. Love
reigns supreme!
Right now you can get my Halsey Homecoming trilogy plus the Christmas novella as an ebook box set for $.99!! Sale ends May 14th.
Blurb
Three historical western romance books and a novella
featuring characters from the Halsey Brothers Series.
Laying
Claim
Jeremy
Duncan heads into the Yukon Territory by dog team in the middle of a blizzard
to keep Clara Bixbee, a strong-willed, business-minded, beauty, alive.
Staking Claim
Colin Healy, an
American who has inherited an English estate, and Livie Leatherby, an imposter
trying to save her family, find themselves marked for death as they travel by
steam ship and railroad to find safety with the Halsey family.
Claiming
a Heart
Donny Kimball’s loss
of sight didn’t blind his heart. It can see far more than his eyes ever could.
His heart tells him Callie MacPherson needs him as much as he needs her. If
only he can convince her of that before they both get killed in the Pendleton
tunnels.
A
Husband for Christmas
Final Novella in the Halsey Homecoming and Halsey
Brothers Series
Shayla Halsey wanted to be home for
Christmas, but never imagined her travels would include spending the night in a
brooding stranger’s cabin. Snowballing events cause her to look inside herself
and recognize maybe it wasn’t being home she wanted as much as it was to have a
home.
