Showing posts with label Sons of Texas series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sons of Texas series. Show all posts

Saturday, July 14, 2018

A Rocky Path.....

Every author has a story of seeing his work published  and on a book store shelf. I've often said if I had known how hard it is (was), I doubt I would have pursued it.

When indie publishing was just getting off the ground, I had no trouble embracing this new and exciting thing in writing and publishing. Consequently, when I wrote my 9th book, THE TYCOON, I didn't even think about pursuing a traditional publisher. I went straight for indie publishing. Little did I know the quagmire I was stepping into. 

After many obstacles and 2 years of work and learning, I got THE TYCOON on the market. This was Book #1 in a trilogy I planned with a story arc that spanned 3 books and came to a conclusion in Book #3. ..... In THE TYCOON, I introduced the dysfunctional Lockhart family, a hundred-year-old Texas dynasty uber-rich in land, cattle and oil and gas. Drake, the oldest son, had dreams of escaping the ranch and making his own fortune in real estate investing. He did not have a plan to meet a sexy redhead and fall head-over-heels in love, but there she was at a charity Christmas ball.

THE CATTLEMAN is the story of the middle son who stayed at home and assumed the responsibility of managing the huge Double-Barrel ranch. He has an uncertain relationship with a woman he has known his whole life.

Book #3, THE HORSEMAN, is the story of Troy Rattigan, the patriarch's bastard son, who has a mystical connection to the healing of abused horses and unintentionally, abused people. He meets a beautiful woman who started life as a homeless waif and product of the welfare system and instantly falls in love.

The story arching over the 3 books is that a mysterious person is harassing the Lockhart family, but nobody knows who it is until the end of Book #3.

I'm happy to say I'm finished with THE HORSEMAN. Yay!!! .....The list of distractions I've had since I started this trilogy is long. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I'm now in the editing process and hope to have this book on the market in another month. .....

Those of you who have read my books know that my heroes are always heroic alpha males and my heroines are always beautiful and desirable. I try to make my stories dramatic and interesting. Hope you'll read THE HORSEMAN and enjoy it and find the end of the trilogy satisfying.


Here's a brief description:

Troy Rattigan devotes most of his time and energy to horses— rescuing them, training them, understanding them. He seems to have a spiritual connection to the equine species. But because of his brutal schedule and an escalating series of attacks on his family, his connections with the opposite sex haven’t gone beyond meaningless hookups. …. Then he comes across Rudy in his current workshop. There’s something about the fractious, blood-bay horse that lures him. And something about the unassuming beauty on the other end of Rudy’s lead rope that ignites his instinct to fix what’s broken—in both horse and woman.

Single mom Brittany Karol is barely back on her feet after almost losing her life and her leg to a rattlesnake bite. The worst step she could make? Accepting the too-rich, too-handsome, too-sweet-talking trainer’s offer to teach her horse-crazy young son to work with her best friend’s problem horse, Rudy. ..... Having seen the worst of life, Brittany is too old and too jaded for her years. Yet, she can’t resist giving her son his wildest dream. But is the deep, instant fit she feels with Troy simply a mutual understanding of loss and grief? Or is it a solid foundation upon which to build a lifetime of happiness? Is becoming connected to the wealthy and dynamic Lockhart family another risk to her own life and happiness as well as her young son’s?

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Snakebit!.....Yikes!



I always try to create interesting situations and circumstances for the characters in my stories. In my newest endeavor, THE HORSEMAN, Book #3 of The Sons of Texas trilogy, I’ve created a situation where a character has been crippled by multiple surgeries after a rattlesnake bite.


Not just any old snake, but a RATTLESNAKE. Thus, I’ve been researching rattlesnake bites. And after researching them, I’m even more scared of them than before. Rattlesnake bites are different from other snake bites.
On the Internet, there are personal stories from victims. One of the most hair-raising is from a 13-year-old boy who was bitten on the hand. http://rattlesnakebite.org/ Another is by a 50-year-old female backpacker in an area where she hikes several times a week. http://www.backpacker.com/survival/out-alive-bitten-by-a-rattlesnake/#bp=0/img1.

Both of these accounts will get your attention and put you on the lookout for venomous creatures.

So what happens if one strikes you? Here is a web site with good information about what to do. http://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/rattlesnake-bites.html.

Rattlesnake venom contains toxins that damage tissue, destroy blood cells, skin tissues and cause internal hemorrhaging. It can also immobilize the nervous system which can affect and even stop breathing. In reality, a snake bite kit isn’t really a good solution. You need to get to an emergency room fast.

The experts tell you that rattlesnakes are solitary creatures. They strike when startled or when they feel threatened. That’s good information, but if one is resting under a bush and you don’t know it and walk past it—as was the case with the 50-year-old woman—I guess that’s enough for it to feel threatened. 

The experts also say rattlesnake bites are rare. I grew up in West Texas, have
lived in Texas most of my life and I’ve never known anyone personally who was bitten. I’ve run across a couple of people who’ve been bitten by copperheads, but apparently those bites aren’t the same as rattlesnake bites.

Those same experts also say that there are very few deaths in the USA from snakebites. But me? If one bit me, I would probably die from a heart attack.

It’s the time of year when everyone wants to be outside working in the yard or the garden. Just be careful out there.

Meanwhile,  I'm  working  away  coming  up  with  a  way  my   heroine  in  THE HORSEMAN, the beautiful Dallas Ann Carol, is going to go on with her life after this trauma. And how our hero, handsome and rich  Troy Rattigan,  is  going  to find her courageous and irresistible.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO WITH JASON BACA

By Anna Jeffery

Check out this video! 


The model in the video, Jason Baca, is one of Kim Killion's models and he's on the cover of my book "Sweet Water." In the book, he's Terry Ledger, the hero. It's so cool to see one of my book covers in this video and to hear him say he actually reads all of the books he poses for. I rarely get this kind of publicity.  



Most people agree that a striking book cover is the number one factor that drives book sales. Blurbs are great, as are reviews, but a great cover is the best thing. When I was contracted by a New York publisher, I had no control of my book covers. They never asked for my input, although sometimes they would ask me if I liked what they came up with. But they didn't really care if I did or not. By the time it was presented to me, their people had already discussed and decided. 
Now that I'm self-publishing my books, I make these decisions myself and it feels good to do it. I do it, of course, through Kim Killion who is a wonderful graphic designer. If she ever quits this business, I'll be hardpressed to find someone equal to her. She has designed every one of my covers.  

***
 On a different note, YOU CAN HAVE MY HEART, BUT DON'T TOUCH MY DOG by DIXIE CASH was released on April 5th. So far, it has gotten mostly 5-star reviews, which is good news.  The book is available at all of the major online sites as an e-book. Eventually, there will be print copies. The blurb is below.



After two divorces, Sandi Walker, entrepreneur extraordinaire, is on her own and loving it. As a devout animal lover, she has made a success of the only gourmet pet food bakery in Midland, Texas. She’s also a pet foster parent and has fifteen assorted abused and unwanted animals at home. When a golden-colored stray dog with an abundance of personality appears at her door, she can’t refuse him and she can’t keep from falling in love with him. She names him Waffle and gives him a permanent home.

General Manager of the Flying C Ranch, Nick Conway, has searched for months for his lost dog, Buster. Giving up on ever finding him, he looks for a new dog and finds a puppy at a pet grooming shop. While he went to the shop to see a puppy, he also encountered a beautiful redheaded woman he can’t put out of his mind. Little does he know that she found Buster in an alley and has now claimed him as her own. Sparks fly between Sandi and Nick when he steals Buster and sues her in court for custody. It will take a mouthy parrot, a sitting judge, the matchmaking skills of the Domestic Equalizers and Cupid himself to resolve this conflict.

Friday, October 10, 2014

THE SONS OF TEXAS TRILOGY

by Caroline Clemmons
for Kathy Shaw

Anna Jeffrey is a member of this blog and a friend. She is never one to toot her own horn, so you may not know what a tremendous author she is.

If you read the first of Anna Jeffrey’s Sons of Texas Trilogy, THE TYCOON, then no doubt you joined me in eagerly waiting for THE CATTLEMAN. Anna did not disappoint readers with this book.



Unlike his older brother Drake, Pic Lockhart is a rancher. After a failed early marriage that cost his family big bucks, Pic is hesitant to marry again. Not that he’s unable to commit. He and Amanda Breckinridge love one another and are a long-standing item. But only in the privacy of her home or an evening drive to another town.

Amanda is the award-winning swimming coach and English teacher whose private life is overlooked by the school board, probably because the Lockhart family makes large contributions to the school and community. Although she longs for more than their current situation allows, she hesitates to press Pic for fear of losing him. But he’s more likely to lose her.

In the first book, we learned of the senior Lockhats’ tumultuous marriage and separation. That situation continues, but Pic’s mom occasionally visits the Double-Barrel Ranch to interfere in the lives of her children and the cheating ex-husband who still loves her. Mama can’t stand the fact that Pic is seeing “a nobody” of whom she disapproves and arranges for him to meet the daughter of a friend. Zochi, that friend’s sexy daughter, tests Pic’s self-control.

In the meantime more mischief is being orchestrated against the Lockharts on several levels. Although readers won’t learn who is behind the problems (I have my suspicions) until the next book, THE CATTLEMAN ends with Pic’s life firmly set to rights in a way that satisfied this reader.  Now I can hardly wait to read the third book when it’s released.



I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy Linda Lael Miller and Joan Johnston, you’re sure to enjoy THE TYCOON and THE CATTLEMAN.

THE TYCOON Amazon link:  http://amzn.com/B00AQS1GWC

THE CATTLEMAN Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00N24Z2R2

About the Author

Anna Jeffrey, Author

Anna Jeffrey is an award-winning author of romance novels as well as romantic comedy/mystery. She has written 9 romance novels and co-authored 7 as USA Today Bestselling author, Dixie Cash. 

Her Anna Jeffrey’s books have won the Write Touch Readers’ Award, the Aspen Gold, and the More Than Magic awards. Her books have been finalists in the Colorado Romance Writers award, the Golden Quill and Southern Magic as well as the Write Touch Readers’ Award, the Aspen Gold and the More than Magic awards. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Dallas Area Romance Authors and PASIC.

Anna is a fifth generation Texan. She was born and grew up in West Texas, where most of her family members were farmers and ranchers or worked in the oil fields. She left Texas for many years and lived in four of the western states, a rich experience she’ll never forget.

She loves most things western, from the customs and culture to the philosophy of life. She enjoys many hobbies, i.e., reading, painting and drawing, crafting, needlework and beading.

These days, she’s back home in Texas. She and her husband currently live in Granbury, Texas, a small town not far from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. 

Find her website at http://www.annajeffrey.com