Best Laid Plans by Laura Hunsaker

In my little corner of the world, school just got out for the summer. The last week of school was incredibly stressful for me, so I took a few days off, now that there are no students. I had so many plans! I was going to do so many things! And it's Memorial Day weekend!

I wound up binge reading some books.

This came about because we got the carpets cleaned, and one of the things we do when we get them shampooed is to get everything off the floor, as much as possible, anyway. This prompted a big spring cleaning, and one of my kids brought out stack upon stack of books that she wasn't interested in keeping anymore. Well, you know, before we could donate them, of course I had to check them all out.

Back in 2016, she came with me to RT Vegas (it was a great book con!), and she was given so so many books! I don't think I've ever seen her so thrilled. So, of course as I saw the stacks of books come out of her room, and I see the RT books that were so exciting that night, I went through them all. I read probably 4 and apparently 2016 was the year of post-apocalyptic YA.

She wound up taking 2 or 3 books back to her room, and I think we had fun reminiscing. So, while I'm kind of bummed to see the books go, I'm glad we got to hang out and chit chat about books together.

So, I wouldn't say I wasted my time off by any means, but I will say that none of my plans got done. ;)

And a quick note! Dark Past is on sale for $.99 right now and until the end of the month, so grab it on the sale price!

Amazon Link

The small town was supposed to be safe...

Kate Landry is tired of running. Thinking she's safe, she settles in the small logging town of Chester, California to manage a cafe. She may be keeping a low profile, but she's hoping to return to a normal life.
When FBI agent Kyle Donovan visits to Chester to stay with a friend, and to recover from his latest case, he never expects to meet sexy barista Kate.

But someone is following Kate...

Kyle worries he brought trouble to her door, while Kate worries her dark past is coming after her.
With danger lurking around every corner, her safe haven isn't as safe as she'd thought. Kate will finally have to trust someone enough to tell him her secrets. Secrets that may just get them killed...

---

Something for the holidays

  by Rain Trueax

Image from Stencil

One of the sharing things we like during the holidays is give or exchange gifts. As part of that tradition, I put some of my Christmas oriented eBooks on sale in Amazon. The sale lasts until the New Year. We would do them free but unless books are permafree somewhere else, that isn't possible on Amazon except for limited times, and we wanted this to last until we got to 2021. Some of the books have more emphasis on Christmas and others it's a part of the story.

The poster shows the five books on sale. Four of them are novellas, two historicals (which are books 5 and 8 in the Arizona Dreaming series) and two contemporaries; but this year, we have a fifth, which is a full length novel (Book 2 in Arizona Dreaming). All stand alone but some have secondary characters from earlier books.

 

While Christmas is not central to The Marshal's Lady, it is important in the development of relationships. As a father, Marshal Cordell O'Brian, who has been kept from his daughter, is trying to finally establish a connection with 9-year old Grace as she is sent to him in Tucson. Will she ever accept him as her father?

Priscilla Wesley, the woman he is attracted to, but knows it'll never work out, has taken Grace under her wing and now is trying to teach them both about the joys of a holiday neither has really known.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Snippet from The Marshal's Lady, as Cord takes on a new responsibility to the laughter of his deputy.

“You’re doing what?” Rafe asked with a laugh.

“You heard me and don’t bother making jokes.”

“No jokes but come on. Geronimo is supposedly signing a peace treaty soon, but he hasn’t yet. There are always renegade bands just looking for easy pickings.”

“I am not easy pickings.”

“Give me a chance to adjust to this.” Rafe chuckled again and leaned back on two legs of his chair. “You are going out Old Spanish Trail then up in the Rincons to cut a Christmas tree?”

“What? You heathens don’t cut trees?” Cord asked finding an old scarf to wrap around his neck and cover his ears if it got too cold. Where the desert floor wasn’t too bad in December, if he had to go above four thousand feet, there’d likely be snow. As he remembered it, there was a slot canyon where pines grew of the right size. It’s where he’d head, hoping he could avoid going higher.

“When we cut a tree, it’s to build a home. Hell, we even revere flowers as sacred. A tree oughta be more so.” His smile said he took none of it seriously.

“Well it’ll be decorated up real pretty until it gets cut up and burned in a fire. That seems special to me.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“For what, to laugh? No, I want you to stay here and keep an eye on the town. Sheriff Adams is out of sight again, most likely drunk in the backroom of a bar somewhere or maybe in one of the girls’ rooms. Whatever the case and wherever he is, he’s not answering to anything.”

“No surprise in that. Why doesn’t the damn town get rid of him?”

Cord shrugged as he buttoned his coat. Outside the drizzle was cold. Any direction he went, this wasn’t going to be much fun. Usually when he got stuck with such hunts they were to go after a bad guy. Who’d have figured it’d be to chop down a six or seven foot pine tree.

“All right, I’ll do it, but I’d rather ride into the mountains and let you stay here and look after town,” Rafe protested one last time.

“And have you feel you had damaged some ancestor’s special something? Not a chance.”

“We could both go.”

“I told you why we won’t.”

“Are they picking up Evans today?”

“Supposedly but that was supposedly yesterday too.”

“I gotta admit I’m glad your girlfriend got Ben off the hook.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, not my friend, and yes, I am too. Judge Emerson was still chuckling as he delivered the orders.”

“She has a way about her.”

“The kicker was she’s hiring Ben, which will work fine so long as he doesn’t drink.”

“James’ll keep an eye on him. He likes James. He likes Miss Wesley even more.”

“Hopefully it’ll work out for them all.” He had a few reservations mostly connected to his jaw, which had almost gone back to normal, but still hurt when he bit down wrong on something. 

“Well watch out up there. See you tonight.”

Links in Amazon for eReaders:

 The Marshal's Lady-- https://www.amazon.com/Tucson-Moon-OBrians-Arizona-Historicals-ebook/dp/B00GYL9DVQ

The two historical novellas both have older heroines. They have given up on love but has love given up on them: 

Rose's Gift--  https://www.amazon.com/Roses-Gift-Arizona-OBrians-Book-ebook/dp/B00T13IID8/

Frederica's Outlaw -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYXKWAG

 And then come the contemporary novellas, both with Christmas rather prominent. 

In A Montana Christmas, the heroine (from an earlier full length novel, From Here to There, has it mind that a ranch Christmas is a time to heal her husband's family rifts. Or will it only create more pressure?-- https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Christmas-Rain-Trueax-ebook/dp/B00AOU0IQ2

In Diana's Journey, a retired teacher is facing a change in her life. With so many lost memories, Christmas is the last time she wants to think about. Can it prove healing for her in a small southern Utah community? -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5IA26Y

Romancing Real Life by Paty Jager

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.    

 

Amazon / Kobo / Nook / Windtree Press 

www.patyjager.net

Writing into the Sunset