Guest Post by Dianna Rostad, Author of You Belong Here Now

Please join me in welcoming Dianna Rostad to Let Them Read Books! I've had the pleasure of Dianna's friendship for several years now, and I'm thrilled to have her here today in celebration of the publication of her debut historical novel, You Belong Here Now! Read on to learn how her dad helped her write this book and see some photos that helped inspire the story!

Montana 1925: An Irish boy orphaned by Spanish flu, a tiny girl who won’t speak, and a volatile young man who lies about his age to escape Hell’s Kitchen, are paraded on train platforms across the Midwest to work-worn folks. They journey countless miles, racing the sun westward.

Before they reach the last stop, the oldest, Charles, comes up with a daring plan, and alone, they set off toward the Yellowstone River and grassy mountains where the wild horses roam.

Fate guides them toward the ranch of a family stricken by loss. Nara, the daughter of a successful cattleman, has grown into a brusque spinster who refuses the kids on sight. She’s worked hard to gain her father’s respect and hopes to run their operation, but if the kids stay, she’ll be stuck in the kitchen.

Nara works them without mercy, hoping they’ll run off, but they buck up and show spirit, and though Nara will never be motherly, she begins to take to them. So, when Charles is jailed for freeing wild horses that were rounded up for slaughter, and an abusive mother from New York shows up to take the youngest, Nara does the unthinkable, risking everything she holds dear to change their lives forever.

AMAZON  |  GOODREADS  |  WILLIAM MORROW

My Father’s Bookshelf

One Christmas my father drove down to Texas and he brought a bunch of old photos of the family ranches in Montana, and stories about how his family lived in this beautiful, but unforgiving land. One picture I always remember is of my grandfather’s old ranch house with a small windmill on the top of it. My grandfather had written a note that he’d put that windmill on there as a boy, hoping it would power just one light bulb—and it did for a time. He tells a great story about walking through the snow near the train tracks to get a wet car battery to store and convert the power from the windmill. My grandfather became an electrician later. All these photos broke open a whole big world where I could see my characters falling into place. I decided then to set You Belong Here Now in 1925 Montana.

My father was pretty excited, and we went down to the library straight away, and later on, he gave me a list of recommendations for books written by writers from Montana or set in the Big Sky state. These books helped me frame the mindset and everyday lives of people living in this quiet, rural place.  

• Larry Watson, Montana 1948, White Crosses
• Ivan Doig, Sweet Thunder, 
• Richard Wheeler, Winter Grass
• Ray Grensten, Tracks of the Iron Horse
• Elmer Kelton, The Man Who Rode Midnight

From there I discovered:

• Judy Blunt, Breaking Clean
• Margaret Bell, When Montana and I Were Young
• Barbara Van Cleve, Hard Twist
• Spike Van Cleve, Forty Years’ Gatherin’s 

As the manuscript began to take shape, he would often read my manuscript for me. One time, he came back with the advice to cut the man fight out of the book, as he didn’t think guys would really believe it. I told him I needed it, and could he help me make it better. He sent me a link to a YouTube video of an old Charles Bronson movie set in New Orleans of an illegal fight much like mine in the book. It helped tremendously. All the goings on of the people watching a fight like that, how it was run by the men putting up the fighters, all those little details gave credence to my scene. The scene was cut after many versions, but I’ll always remember him sending me that video. Or the time we argued about whether butane was available in 1925. Throughout the process of bringing this book to the world, my father was with me every step of the way, giving me advice on rifles vs. shotguns, how they were loaded, cocked, etc., and lots of good feedback on old cars from that era, as he is a great hobbyist of early 20th century automobiles. 

Spotlight: A Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann

A Sparrow Alone

by Mim Eichmann

On Sale April 15, 2020

Living Springs Publishers

eBook, Paperback; 374 pages

1890s Colorado:  desperate following her mother's sudden death, 13-year-old Hannah Owens is hired as domestic help for a wealthy doctor's family in Colorado Springs.  When the doctor declares bankruptcy and abandons his family to finance his mistress' brothel, however, Hannah is thrown into a vortex of gold mining corruption, rampant prostitution and the economic, political and cultural upheavals of the late 19th Century.

Two of Cripple Creek Colorado's most colorful historic characters, Winfield Scott Stratton, eccentric owner of the richest gold mine in Cripple Creek, and Pearl DeVere, the beautiful madam of the Old Homestead, come to life as this old-fashioned, coming-of-age saga unfolds, a tribute to the women who set the stage for women's right.

“I believe that I was most captivated by the women in Hannah’s story, and how they all continued to come together, even in times of turmoil and uncertainty. I found that this novel had incredibly strong female characters, and I could feel the unity that these women experienced. Hannah’s story is not only a wonderful historical coming-of-age tale, but also a novel about overcoming hardships, finding friendship, and female empowerment."  ~Deanna Frances, Windy City Reviews

Available for Preorder:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Mim Eichmann has found that her creative journey has taken her down many exciting, interwoven pathways. For well over two decades she was known primarily in the Chicago area as the artistic director and choreographer of Midwest Ballet Theatre and director of its home, Midwest Ballet Academy, bringing full-length professional ballet performances to thousands of dance lovers every year and was the recipient of many arts’ programming grants. A desire to become involved again in the folk music world brought about the creation of her acoustic quartet Trillium, now in its 15th year, a folk band well known for its eclectic repertoire performing throughout the Midwest that has also released four CDs. She’s also written the lyrics and music for two award-winning original children’s CDs, “Why Do Ducks Have Webby Toes?” and “Wander Down Beyond the Rainbow” and occasionally schedules concerts of her children’s music and movement programs.

Always captivated by the writings, diaries and journals of late 19th century women, as well as that era’s economic, social and political upheavals, Ms. Eichmann has now put pen to paper and the historical fiction novel she has been passionately researching, its rich synopsis gradually evolving over many years, has finally become a reality. We hope you’ll enjoy A Sparrow Alone and its sequel, Muskrat Ramble.

Author website  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads

The Danger of Postpartum Depression in 1800s America: Guest Post by Loretta Miles Tollefson, Author of Not My Father's House

Please join me in welcoming Loretta Miles Tollefson back to Let Them Read Books! Loretta is celebrating the release of her new novel, Not My Father's House, and she's here today with a guest post about postpartum depression in early America.

Suzanna hates everything about her New Mexico mountain home. The isolation. The short growing season. The critters after her corn. The long snow-bound winters in a dimly-lit cabin.

But she loves Gerald, who loves this valley.

So Suzanna does her unhappy best to adjust, even when the babies come, both of them in the middle of winter. Her postpartum depression, the cold, and the lack of sunlight push her to the edge.

But the Sangre de Cristo mountains contain a menace far more dangerous than Suzanna’s internal struggles. The man Gerald killed in the mountains of the Gila two years ago isn’t as dead as everyone thought.

And his lust for Suzanna may be even stronger than his desire for Gerald’s blood.

Amazon  ~  Apple  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Kobo  ~  Goodreads

The Danger of Postpartum Depression in 1800s America
by Loretta Miles Tollefson

There were a lot of different methods for treating depression in America in the early 1800s. 

• Water immersion, which involved submerging the patient as long as possible without actually drowning them. 

• A specially designed spinning stool, intended to bring on dizziness and to reorganize the contents of the patient’s brain into their proper positions. 

• An early form of electroshock therapy that Benjamin Franklin had introduced.

• Physical restraint. 

• Bloodletting, a therapy that was apparently thought to cure just about everything. 

• A course of enemas. 

• Induced vomiting. 

If none of these worked, drugs were always available. These included opium and calomel, a white tasteless powder that was also called mercurous chloride and used as both a purgative and fungicide. Later in the century, institutionalization in an insane asylum was also an option.

So when a new mother showed symptoms of what is today known as postpartum depression, she could expect to be subjected to any one of these options.

Fortunately for Suzanna, the late-1820s protagonist of my novel, Not My Father’s House, she doesn’t live in the United States. She lives in New Mexico when it was still owned by Mexico, where there were no insane asylums and the type of science that recommended electroshock and spinning stools hadn’t yet made inroads.

Suzanna lives in an isolated mountain valley with only her husband, Gerald, and his business partner for company. She suffers from seasonal affective disorder brought on by long snow-bound winters cooped up in a small cabin with no real windows. 

When Suzanna’s first child is born in December 1828, the weather is already making her miserable. And then the postpartum depression hits.

New Mexico, Land of the Free? Guest Post by Loretta Miles Tollefson, Author of Not Just Any Man

Please join me in welcoming Loretta Miles Tollefson to Let Them Read Books! Loretta is here today with a guest post about New Mexico in the 1820s, the setting of her latest novel, Not Just Any Man.

Just a man. Known for his character, not the color of his skin. That’s all Gerald, son of a free  black man and an Irish servant girl, wants to be. It’s an impossible goal in slave-holding Missouri, but in the West, mountain men and villagers alike seem to accept him without question.

New Mexico is all that Gerald hoped for, but shortly after he arrives in Taos, he realizes he wants more than he’d thought: A girl with her own complex ancestry and a high mountain valley with intriguing potential. 

Can Gerald survive the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the Mohave Indians, and the arid south rim of the Grand Canyon as well as the fellow trapper who hates him for the color of his skin? Can he prove to himself and the girl he loves that he is, after all, not just any man?

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

New Mexico, Land of the Free?

Not Just Any Man is set in New Mexico under Mexican control, but its story is actually propelled by events in the United States, specifically Missouri. Before it became a state in 1820, Missouri wasn’t a bad place for a free person of African ancestry to live. Free Blacks didn’t have the social or economic mobility of Whites, and most of them subsisted as menial laborers, but they could legally hold property and enter into apprenticeship agreements. And work was readily available: in the countryside during harvest and other high-activity seasons, and on the river the rest of the year.

But in 1820, Missouri entered the Union as a slave-holding state. Almost immediately, the lives of its free citizens of African descent began to change. Travel was restricted. The sale of goods was limited. And there were fewer jobs available as more and more slaves were imported  to work the new state’s crops and river cargo. But one of the most egregious changes was to the penalty for enslaving a free Black.

Up until 1825, anyone caught enslaving a free Black in Missouri was automatically sentenced to death. Without benefit of clergy, which meant they’d go to their reward without spiritual guidance or comfort. Under the new law, the penalty for enslaving a free Black was reduced to a maximum of thirty lashes and ten years in prison.

This sentence was further reduced if the enslaved person was returned to freedom. If this happened, the penalty was simply a $1000 fine and court costs. While this was a significant amount of money in the 1820s, it certainly wasn’t death.

Not Just Any Man imagines that, given the new laws, the safest place for a free Black in 1820s Missouri was somewhere else. For a single man, New Mexico was a logical place to head. There was economic opportunity there, and, perhaps even more importantly, Americans of any skin color were not only welcome, they were invited to become full citizens.

In the 1820s, Mexico’s attitude toward racial differences was remarkably different from the United States. This was especially true in New Mexico, where frontier conditions left little time to worry about the color of each other’s skin. Families of all ethnic and racial backgrounds freely participated in every aspect of community life, including government land grant programs. In fact, historical records indicate that at least one family of African ancestry lived in the Taos area, where Gerald Locke, Jr., fleeing Missouri and its laws, arrives in the late 1820s. And where he finds the love of his life.

No one in New Mexico seems to care about Gerald’s race or ethnicity. Even the girl. It turns out that his only problem is the attitude of other American trappers. Or of one of them, at any rate. The one who also has his eye on the girl. But you’ll have to read the book to find out who that trapper is and what he does about Gerald. Can Gerald survive the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the Mohave Indians, and the arid south rim of the Grand Canyon as well as the one man in New Mexico who hates him for the color of his skin? Can he prove to himself and the girl he loves that he is, after all, not just any man?

The Wild West: Women Were There Too, Guest Post by Carolyn E. Cook, Author of The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn

Please join me in welcoming Carolyn E. Cook to Let Them Read Books! Carolyn is celebrating the release of her newest historical novel, The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn! I had the pleasure of helping Carolyn design the cover, and I'm thrilled to have her here today with a guest post about the women who helped shape the Wild West. Read on and enter to win a paperback copy of The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn!

Fleeing hazardous circumstances in New Orleans, Lilly Quinn arrives in hardscrabble Minden Springs, a thrown-together town on the dry prairie of 1870s Kansas. She plans to continue her journey onward to San Francisco, but her chance sighting of Barnett Swan, the only lawman for miles around, gives her pause. She chooses to remain, at least for the time being. As Lilly says, “It was only the shortest of encounters, perhaps a minute, but on that much alone, I made the rash decision to retrieve my carpet bag from the stage and extend my stay in this dismal place. That marshal seemed worth investigating.” 

Little does she know that the choice will determine the entire future course of her days.

Told in the voice of feisty and independent Lilly, the story flows through decades and introduces numerous colorful characters. It’s full of life and love, heroes and villains, a page-turning saga. Lilly reveals the western myths, its sometimes brutal realities, and how the landscape captures the imaginations and hopes of those who settle there. 

Set in those legendary, rough and tumble days, The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn presents two strong-willed people who, in spite of their differences, embrace a lasting love that stands the test of time.

The Wild West: Women Were There, Too

by Carolyn E. Cook

Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, Pat Garrett. The history of the West seems filled with tales of famous men and their exploits. Except for a few respectable women, Annie Oakley, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and some rather notorious ones, Belle Starr, Calamity Jane Canary, Etta Place, western stories appear to be quite lacking in females, as if women on the frontier hardly existed. 

That concept is yet another of the Wild West mythologies and, of course, is far from accurate. Women were definitely on the scene. They were homesteaders, living in isolation, raising children, and determined to survive. They resided in newly established towns, working as seamstresses, shop clerks, and laundresses. Others were bandits, “soiled doves,” and generally disreputable figures. And there were the women of color, the Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics, who also struggled and endured.

My character of Lilly Quinn is a composite of actual women who achieved a measure of success in the western man’s world. One was Julia Bulette, known in Virginia City, Nevada, as a soiled dove with a tender heart. Among her plentiful good deeds, she nursed the sick through a smallpox epidemic, continually fed the poor, and donated to charitable causes. 

Molly, Annette, Lottie. Some only used first names, but many more frontier “girls of the night” were known by the same traits of compassion and thoughtfulness, while being tough against those who deserved it.

Guest Post: Widow 1881 by Sara Dahmen

Please join me in welcoming Sara Dahmen to Let Them Read Books! I'm thrilled to have Sara here today with a guest post about the inspiration for her historical novel Widow 1881 and the desire to write about "normal" women. Read on, and check out Sara's line of copper cookware inspired by her novel!

The Dakota Territories held promise for misfits, outlaws, and hardened pioneers, but would Flats Junction offer enough
sanctuary and hope for the widow from Back East? Boston widow Jane Weber moves to the Dakota Territories to reinvent herself. Stirring up controversy, Jane rooms with the last Blackfoot Sioux in town and navigates a mercurial friendship with the fiercely independent town grocer. She finds everyone has an untold story, including her unpredictable employer, the town doctor.

The print version of Widow 1881 has charming illustrations and a map of the Flats Junction, Dakota, area. Both the epub and print editions come with Book Club Questions, Historical References, and Notes for the Reader.

The notion to write in the late 1800s in the Dakota Territories happened when I sat down at my computer and began to write. And suddenly I had a woman on a train. I didn’t know her name or where she was going. I didn’t know who she would meet. I had a vague idea of her final destination.
Unfolding Widow 1881 onto the page was almost like reading it for the first time. I explored the world, the characters, and the internal conflict of the protagonist, Jane Weber, as if I was not the author, but you – the final reader.

Afterward, in the extensive editing process, suddenly the world Jane inhabits, this fictional town – Flats Junction – and its location at a very real junction on the Milwaukee Road rail line, became part of a six-book series. There are over 200 characters who all play a part throughout the books, and the overarching story revolves around three women: a tinsmith, a grocer, and a housekeeper.

Widow 1881 is your introduction to Jane Weber, a curious woman who hides that curiosity under a curated shell of respectability. Because of that, her unexpected pregnancy in her widowhood threatens to crack her wide open, and she leaves Boston to tackle a new life in the West, knowing she can hide under layers of lies where no one knows her. Her attempt to build a new story for herself is in a state of constant upheaval. She must live with a Sioux woman, cannot figure out Kate Davies, who runs the general store, and realizes her employer, the town doctor, is disliked by half of Flats Junction. On top of it all, she has no idea how to be a housekeeper in the West, least of all while pregnant.

Most of the characters in Widow 1881 are fictional, like Jane herself. However, the outside influences of the 1880s were extremely specific and dictated the actions, options, and sensibilities of so many of the characters. Everything from the stuffy rules about train travel in Victorian years to the exploding changes in science, biology, and medicine was up for grabs, and so I pulled them in. Widow 1881 takes place immediately following that horrific winter (Recall Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter? Yeah, that one.) and catastrophic flooding in southern South Dakota. This is also when Sitting Bull, the last holdout from the Plains Wars, finally was brought into custody, and President Garfield was assassinated (and actually died from improper medical care, not the bullet!).

The research for Widow 1881 made me realize just how tenacious childbirth was and how commonly women and children died. One of the advertisements in the newspapers I read from the time period would include ads taken out by mothers who had lost babies and hired out their breasts and milk. Plus, the amount of time in the kitchen spent making food and preparing food was astronomical (and it inspired my cookware line!). We sure are lucky not only to have modern medicine, but modern food options!

Jane has to juggle all of the issues of her time because they are part of the world she inhabits, but also she has her own internal struggles, insecurities, and character flaws, just like the rest of us. She may not completely get along with all the women in town. She may not be sure if other people like her. And she certainly gets tongue-tied at times. I wanted to write about a normal woman. Someone who doesn’t do things outside-the-box. Someone who operates within the confines of culture while still struggling to be true to herself. Not all of us are Calamity Jane. Most of us are "just Jane." Special in our own right, of course, but making a difference in the corner of our little space, not on a grand scale. And there is something beautiful about writing about a single piece of the tapestry, to slow it down and really dig into the reality of a person’s journey.

The ultimate joy from writing historical fiction is the ability to wrap fiction and nonfiction together and pass along information in an extremely entertaining way (I hope!). If you decide to pick up Widow 1881, I hope you fall headlong into the 1880s and enjoy your visit. When you leave, I hope that pioneer spirit has grabbed your heart once more and made you feel as though anything is possible.

Amazon  ~  Goodreads  ~  Sara's website

Sara Dahmen is an award-winning novelist and a coppersmith who builds cookware in her garage. You can learn more at www.flatsjunction.com or www.saradahmen.com. She resides in Wisconsin with her family.

Guest Post: America Needs Westerns by Mike Torreano, Author of The Renewal

Please join me in welcoming Mike Torreano to Let Them Read Books! Mike is touring the blogosphere with his new novel, The Renewal, sequel to his debut novel, The Reckoning! I had the privilege of offering Mike some developmental editorial assistance, and I'm thrilled to have him here today with a guest post about the continuing relevance of Westerns and why we need more of them!

Ike McAlister has finally put the ghosts of his past to rest. He’s found new joy with a spirited wife, a young daughter, and a mountain valley ranch where a man can make something of himself. But a coming railroad through the South Park valley threatens to take his land and tear his hard-won peace apart. 

Discovering that the railroad could easily bypass his ranch, he organizes opposition and earns the animus of the formidable foreman. When Ike’s brother Rob, the sheriff, is bushwhacked, Ike sets out on a high stakes quest to get the killer before the killer gets him. 

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Wild Rose Press  ~  Goodreads

America Needs Westerns

My western mystery, The Reckoning, was recently released by The Wild Rose Press. It’s set in 1868 and follows Ike McAlister, a Union soldier who returns from the Civil War to his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas to find his parents have been killed by Quantrill’s raiders. He sets out on a single-minded hunt to find the murderers; a search which takes him to the high plains of Colorado. The sequel, called The Renewal, was just released and also takes place in Colorado four years later.

I’ve heard some people say the traditional American western is dead—all of which prompts the question, ‘If that’s so, why write a western?’ Well, it’s true the golden age of westerns was some time back. Since then, there’s been a bit of a dry spell until recently when several big box office westerns have been released.

Are they’re coming back? I don’t know, but I hope so. Why would they be mounting a return? Perhaps because westerns and the Old West embody timeless values, places where right triumphs over wrong. Not always, certainly, but you get the idea. The American West in the nineteenth century was a black and white society with clear-cut rules—there were things you were supposed to do as well as things you weren’t. And if you did wrong, there were consequences, oftentimes immediate.

Code of the West

There was a code of the West, even among the bad guys. Simple rules for simpler times. Unwritten, but adhered to nonetheless. The Code drew its strength from the underlying character of westerners, both men and women alike. Life back then was hard, but it was also simple. Things that needed to get done got done. Whining wasn’t tolerated. Complainers were ignored. You weren’t a victim; you just played the hand you were dealt.

If you’re getting the idea I like that kind of culture, I guess you’re right.

Blog Tour Excerpt: 1886 Ties That Bind by A.E. Wasserman

1886 Ties That Bind
by A.E. Wasserman

Publication Date: November 8, 2016
Archway Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback & eBook; 370 Pages
Series: Langford Series, Book #2
Genre: Fiction/Historical

It is 1886 as Englishman Lord Langsford travels by train to San Francisco. Newly widowed, Langsford is desperate to escape his grief, demons, and life in England. As Langsford completes the last leg of his transcontinental journey, his life unexpectedly changes once again when he crosses paths with Miss Sally Baxter, a beautiful rancher who packs a pistol in her purse.

Sally has made it her mission to find the men who robbed a train and killed her brother. Unfortunately, no one—not even the owners of the Southern Pacific Railroad—seem to care. Unable to resist her pleas, Langsford offers to help Sally and soon becomes entangled in a web of politics, corruption, and greed. As murder, threats, and attacks ensue that endanger both Sally and Langsford, influential men in both California and Washington, D.C. jockey for positions of power. Langsford, who finds himself oddly attracted to Sally, now must sort through criminals and politicians alike to discover the truth behind her brother’s death and prevent his own murder.

“Not only is this a fast-paced historical mystery, 1886 Ties That Bind offers commentary on the political and social issues that are still relevant today.” – Helga Schier, PhD, author and founder of With Pen and Paper

“Wasserman’s writing is atmospherically rich. Very strongly recommended.” – Historical Novel Society, London, critical review of 1884 No Boundaries

Excerpt:

The Central Valley, California, United States
August 1886

The passengers waited on the Delano Station platform for its arrival; some relaxed on crude wooden benches, while others stood in anticipation, ready to pick up their suitcases to board as soon as they could. The hot California sun danced on the metal rails while the motionless air under the depot’s overhang hung heavy with heat.

They saw it first, a dark dot where the rails converged. Those sitting stood in anticipation, gripping their bags with tight fists. Everyone as a unit slowly moved toward the edge of the worn wooden planks, leaving the stale shade of the overhang so they might encroach upon the edge above the gap, where shiny rails on dark ties lay embedded in gravel deep below. Not too close, for that felt dangerous, but close enough to peer up the track as the dark dot rapidly enlarged into the locomotive they expected.

The black steel mass burst forth into the station, as promised, but failed to fulfill its duty to stop. Indeed, failed to even slow. It monstered through, roaring indignation. The would-be passengers instinctively took a step back under the protection of the short roofed area and away from the now-filled gulf as the wheels spun on hidden rails. The whizzing blur of noise and black roared, followed by a dark-gray car flashing square windows as it clacked past, rapid rhythm, the wind-wake whipping onto the depot platform. Everyone stood frozen with the force of the noise and braced against the hot gust that slammed their bonnets, hats, skirts.

Then it was gone. Silence. A void—above the rails and within their senses. Quiet.

Stunned by the sudden unexpected, they all gasped in unison; a communal breath. Wide-eyed, they tried to speak as they slowly began to recognize what they had just seen fly past.

Guest Post: Injecting Humor into the Wild West by Bryan Ney, Author of Calamity Jane: How the West Began

Please join me in welcoming author Bryan Ney to Let Them Read Books! I'm thrilled to have Bryan here today with a guest post about his debut young adult historical novel, Calamity Jane: How the West Began. Read on, and grab a copy of the ebook edition for $1.99!

A teenaged girl arrives in the goldfields of 1860s Montana, impoverished and despised for her parents' behavior. Through her exploits, she soon makes a name for herself as “Calamity Jane,” wins friends, and becomes the toast of the town. But murder and robbery stalk all who travel the surrounding trails, and Jane thinks she knows who is responsible. Can she and her new friends rally forces to clean the place up? 

“A light, fun, and atavistic Western novel!” ~Kirkus Reviews

Injecting Humor into the Wild West

by Bryan Ney

“Teen-aged Calamity Jane has to convince her frontier town that a respected citizen among them leads the outlaws, or Jane's friend won't be the last to die.”

The Western genre is populated with violent stories filled with stern, self-reliant characters, seemingly bereft of humor. A lone hero has to overcome obstacles on his (usually his) own. My debut historical novel, Calamity Jane: How the West Began, is a stern tale as well, as in the log line above.  In contrast to the classic Western, however, (High Noon comes to mind) mine is a coming-of-age tale where Calamity is more a catalyst than a hero. She brings together the diverse elements of the town at a critical moment. And she has a sense of humor. Here is an excerpt from early in the story as an example. Rough-and-tumble Jane is making her acquaintance with Andrew, a boy from a prominent family. (Incidentally, this little exchange is the favorite of Andrew's real-life granddaughter, but that is whole other story.)

There was an awkward pause. “You catch it when you got home?” Andrew asked.

“Catch what?” Jane said. Andrew seemed nice enough. Not really her sort, though: he seemed a bit timid.

“You know. Catch…heck.”

“Heck? You mean catch hell? ” Jane asked. “Are you a Mormon or something, ain’t supposed to swear?”

“No, we’re agnostic.”

“Agnostic. Never heard of that one.” Jane prided herself on being as clever as anyone else she met, but her schooling had been sparse. “Agnostics don’t swear?”

“Not as much as whatever you are.”

“Never mind what I am,” said Jane. “Queer mix of folk hereabouts. Are agnostic sermons really boring?”

“Ain’t no agnostic church. It’s a philosophy.”

“So where do agnostics go on Sunday?”

“It’s not like that. Agnostic just means you figure that you don’t know if there is a God or not,” Andrew said.

“I thought that was what an atheist was.”

“Nope. An atheist is sure there is no God.”

“Oh,” she said. “No matter. “I ain’t much of one for church anyhow.”

The reason I inject humor as often as I can is two-fold. One is just a matter of style. Good writing (I am told) is an ebb and flow of tension building and tension relief. When I can use humor for that tension relief, I do. The above excerpt follows an episode (firmly historically based) where Jane goes begging, ill-clad, cold, and hungry, little sister in tow. Some sort of tension relief is needed after that.

The other reason I use humor is to be true to the primary historical sources, particularly Langford's Vigilante Days and Ways. I came to this history biased by austere TV Westerns I had seen as a child and  was surprised to find so much humor woven into Langford's story. As that author tells us explicitly, in the darkest hour of this frontier town, humor was a daily undercurrent. In order to be true to history, I had to inject humor as well.

Calamity Jane:How the West Began is on sale!

Grab the ebook for $1.99 on Amazon. Ends September 1st.

About the Author:

Bryan Ney is a medical doctor in Los Angeles. In the 1990s he stumbled upon the history of how the outlaws held sway in 1860s Montana, and was fascinated by the dynamics of how the good guys finally united and overcame them. This book, a finalist in four contests in the months after publication, is the fruit of that fascination. Dr Ney now dreams of a second career, bringing the Old West to life in a new way for devoted fans. www.bryanney.com

Book Blast: Where Rainbows End by AnneMarie Brear

Where Rainbows End

by AnneMarie Brear

Publication Date: May 23, 2017

Publisher: Choc Lit

eBook; ASIN: B071P7KBH6

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance/Western

Can she hold on to her dreams...?

It’s 1850 and the Noble family have travelled to the other side of the world to start a new life after scandal drove them from their native England.

Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society that has very set ideas about a woman’s place...

Pippa learns the hard way about the unforgiving nature of the bush, sometimes with devastating consequences. And when unfortunate circumstance leads to Pippa tending the farm alone, it is the friendship of neighbouring estate owner Gil Ashford-Smith that helps her through.

Then an unexpected visitor from England arrives, putting Pippa's dreams in jeopardy. But she refuses to let go. She will hold onto her family's land, even if it means losing everything else...

"A compelling story of a headstrong woman who defies the traditional female role and forages a successful life through hard work and a strong vision. Excellent descriptions of the outback and the hardships of life in Australia in the 1850's." - Amazon Review

You can purchase Where Rainbows End in eBook via:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Chapters | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author:

AnneMarie has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, genealogy, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate – not always in that order! AnneMarie grew up in Australia but now lives in the UK. For more information please visit AnneMarie Brear's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Excerpt: Sunrise Crossing by Jodi Thomas

SUNRISE CROSSING

by Jodi Thomas

Harlequin; August 30, 2016

$7.99 U.S.; 384 Pages

ISBN-978-0-373-78930-6

Return to peaceful Crossroads, Texas, where community comes first and love thrives in the unlikeliest places… 

Yancy Grey is slowly putting his life back together after serving time for petty theft. As he rebuilds an old house, he finally has a sense of stability, but he can't stop thinking of himself as just an ex-con. Until one night, he finds a mysterious dark-haired beauty hiding in his loft. But who is she, and what secret is she protecting? 

The art gallery Parker Lacey manages is her life—she has no time for friends, and certainly not lovers. But when her star artist begs Parker for help, she finds herself in a pickup truck, headed for the sleepy town of Crossroads. A truck driven by a strong, silent cowboy… 

Gabe Snow has been a drifter since he left Crossroads at seventeen after a violent incident. When he accepts a job in his hometown, he'll have to decide whether he can put the worst night of his life behind him and build a future in the community that raised him.

Praise for Jodi Thomas:

“I love the depth Jodi Thomas brings to her characters, and the chance we have to see them developing over a period of time. It makes for very satisfying reading. Some relationship angst, some mystery and danger, a long time quest to be fulfilled. Great mix of a story.”
—Goodreads Reviews

“Thomas weaves each character’s story together into one great tale that is sure to keep you reading late into the night!”
—Amazon Reviews

“Thomas is a wonderful storyteller, and her latest offering is a great example of her work—a tender and sweet story of romance. Readers will have their heartstrings gently tugged as the featured characters find their way to one another.”
—RT Book Reviews

Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

Flight

January 2012
LAX

VICTORIA VILANIE CURLED into a ball, trying to make herself small, trying to disappear. Her black hair spread around her like a cape but couldn’t protect her.

All the sounds in the airport were like drums playing in a jungle full of predators. Carts with clicking wheels rolling on pitted tiles. People shuffling and shouting and complaining. Electronic voices rattling off numbers and destinations. Babies crying. Phones ringing. Winter’s late storm pounding on walls of glass.

Victoria, Tori to her few friends, might not be making a sound, but she was screaming inside.

Tears dripped off her face, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away. The noise closed in around her, making her feel so lonely in the crowd of strangers.

She was twenty-four, and everyone said she was a gifted artist. Money poured in so fast it had become almost meaningless, only a number that brought no joy. But tonight all she wanted was silence, peace, a world where she could hide out.

Book Blast: Lakota Honor & Blood Curse by Kat Flannery

Lakota Honor (Branded Trilogy, Book 1) by Kat Flannery

Publication Date: May 26, 2013

Publisher: Imajin Books

eBook & Paperback; 182 Pages

Genre: Historical Romance/Paranormal/Western

Fate has brought them together, but will a promise tear them apart?

In the small town of Willow Creek, Colorado, Nora Rushton spends most of her days locked up in her home with a father who resents her and fighting off unwanted marriage proposals from the wealthy Elwood Calhoun. Marked as a witch, Nora must hide her healing powers from those who wish to destroy all the witkowin—crazy women. What she doesn't know is that a bounty hunter is hot on her trail.

Lakota native Otakatay has an obligation to fulfill. He has been hired to kill the witkowin. In a time when race and difference are a threat and innocence holds no ground, courage, love and honor will bring Nora and Otakatay together as they fight for their freedom. Will the desire to fulfill his promise drive Otakatay to kill Nora? Or will the kindness he sees in her blue eyes push him to be the man he once was?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Chapters | Createspace

Spotlight: Lone Star Nights by Delores Fossen

Lone Star Nights

by Delores Fossen

Series: The McCord Brothers (Book 2)

On Sale May 31, 2016

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: HQN Books

No strings attached is pretty much Lucky McCord’s calling card in Spring Hill, Texas, but when family is on the line, this cowboy’s honor and heart are about to get lassoed, tied and branded.

Every family needs its black sheep, and Austin “Lucky” McCord is happy to oblige. The bad-boy bull rider lives fast and loose, until his business partner leaves him an unexpected bequest. Suddenly Lucky is sharing custody of two children with Cassie Weatherall, one of the few homegrown women he hasn’t bedded. And not from lack of trying…

Cassie fled her messy past to become a celebrity therapist in LA. So why does it feel so right to come back and share parenting duties—and chrome-melting kisses—with a man she’s striven to avoid? Loving Lucky always seemed like a sure bet for heartache. But for this perfectly imperfect family, Cassie might just gamble with everything she’s got.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines.

Connect with Delores

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Lone Star Nights is on a blog tour!

View the tour schedule ~ Add it to your shelves on Goodreads

Blog Tour Spotlight: Bane by Brenda Jackson

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson's last Westmoreland bachelor is a navy SEAL on a mission to protect the woman who got away… 

After five years, navy SEAL Brisbane Westmoreland is back home on his ranch and ready to reclaim the woman he left behind. But when he tracks her to Dallas, he's in for a shock. 

Crystal Newsome isn't ready to forgive Bane for saying he loved her then vanishing from her life. Only now the beautiful chemist needs his protection. As their own irresistible chemistry takes over once again, can Bane keep Crystal safe and convince her they can have the second chance they both deserve?





Dear Reader,

When I first introduced the Westmoreland family, little did I know they would have such a huge impact on your lives. Originally, the Westmoreland family series consisted of one core group—Delaney and her five brothers: Dare, Thorn, Stone, Storm and Chase. Then there were the cousins—Jared, Spencer, Durango, Ian, Quade and Reggie. Lastly, there were Uncle Corey’s triplets—Clint, Cole and Casey.

I soon discovered more cousins living in Denver and they became known as the Denver Westmorelands. That meant my readers got to know even more Westmorelands. I believe that of all the Westmorelands I have introduced to my readers, none has captured my readers’ hearts and imaginations more than Brisbane “Bane” Westmoreland, the youngest male Westmoreland of them all.

From the introduction of the Denver Westmorelands, Bane was known as a hotheaded troublemaker and a young man totally obsessed with a young woman by the name of Crystal Newsome. Now that Bane’s book has finally come around, Bane has become a disciplined military man who is still obsessed with his Crystal.

Bane is Brisbane and Crystal’s story. And I hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Happy reading!

Q&A with Sandra Dallas, Author of The Last Midwife

Please join me in welcoming bestselling author Sandra Dallas to Let Them Read Books! I recently had the chance to ask Sandra a few questions about her new book, The Last Midwife, on sale September 29th. Read on and enter to win a copy!

It is 1880 and Gracy Brookens is the only midwife in a small Colorado mining town where she has delivered hundreds, maybe thousands, of babies in her lifetime. The women of Swandyke trust and depend on Gracy, and most couldn't imagine getting through pregnancy and labor without her by their sides.

But everything changes when a baby is found dead...and the evidence points to Gracy as the murderer.

She didn't commit the crime, but clearing her name isn't so easy when her innocence is not quite as simple, either. She knows things, and that's dangerous. Invited into her neighbors' homes during their most intimate and vulnerable times, she can't help what she sees and hears. A woman sometimes says things in the birthing bed, when life and death seem suspended within the same moment. Gracy has always tucked those revelations away, even the confessions that have cast shadows on her heart.

With her friends taking sides and a trial looming, Gracy must decide whether it's worth risking everything to prove her innocence. And she knows that her years of discretion may simply demand too high a price now...especially since she's been keeping more than a few dark secrets of her own.

With Sandra Dallas's incomparable gift for creating a sense of time and place and characters that capture your heart, The Last Midwife tells the story of family, community, and the secrets that can destroy and unite them.

Hi Sandra! Thanks so much for joining us today! Where did you find the inspiration for The Last Midwife?

My editor suggested I write abut a midwife, but the idea for the story itself came from a poem by Colorado poet Belle Turnbull--"In These Rude Airs" from her book The Tenmile Range. It's about an old midwife called the Sagehen. My character, Gracy, is known as the Sagehen, too, but she is much different from Belle's midwife. Belle was an elderly woman when I met her in 1963, after I moved to Breckenridge, Colo., as a bride. She lived there in a log cabin, with her roommate, Helen Rich, a novelist. Belle was a gentle creature, but her poetry was as tough and as hard-edged as the mountain people who lived along the Tenmile range. They had a love-hate relationship with the mountains and a tenacity that was as strong as a timberline pine.

Review: Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

From the Back Cover:

Revenge is worth its weight in gold.

When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal.

My Thoughts:

Vengeance Road was one of my most anticipated titles of the year. I love that we're getting more YA historicals, but a YA Western is new territory for me, and the idea of this book was irresistible. After reading the first chapter, which gave me the oh-man-this-is-gonna-be-a-good-book goose bumps, I was sure this was going to turn out to be one of my favorite books of the year. But alas, it didn't.

It started off amazing. Kate is one tough, capable gal, and the reader can't help but feel for Kate and root for her as she buries her murdered father and sets off with a heart full of hatred and vengeance. As Kate follows the trail, disguised as a boy, she discovers her target is none other than the most feared outlaw in the West, Waylan Rose, who terrorizes towns and stage coaches with his band of criminals, the Rose Riders. Kate can't figure out why someone like him would go out of his way to murder a small-time farmer, but a trip to visit her father's closest friend reveals more about her father than she could have dreamed. Reeling from the revelation that nothing about her father or their life together was what it seemed, she becomes even more determined to hunt down the men who ruined everything. But she has a problem. The Colton brothers, Jesse and Will, are determined to ride with her, and though she first resents their presence, she soon comes to appreciate the value of safety in numbers. On the trail of a notorious gang of criminals is a dangerous place to be. Though she claims she has no place for soft emotions, the older brother, Jesse, really gets under her skin. But what will he do when he finds out that she hasn't been quite honest with them about who she is and what her mission entails? And will the lure of gold bring them closer together or turn them into enemies?

Blog Tour Q&A with Jodi Thomas, Author of Ransom Canyon

RANSOM CANYON

By Jodi Thomas

HQN Books; September 2015

$7.99; 368 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0-373-78844-6

Rancher Staten Kirkland, the last descendant of Ransom Canyon's founding father, is rugged and practical to the last. No one knows that when his troubling memories threaten to overwhelm him he runs to lovely, reclusive Quinn O'Grady—or that she has her own secret that no one living knows. 

Young Lucas Reyes has his eye on the prize—college, and the chance to become something more than a ranch hand's son. But one night, one wrong decision, will set his life on a course even he hadn't imagined. 

Yancy Grey is running hard from his troubled past. He doesn't plan to stick around Ransom Canyon, just to stay long enough to learn the town's weaknesses and how to use them for personal gain. Only Yancy, a common criminal since he was old enough to reach a car's pedals, isn't prepared for what he encounters. 

In this dramatic new series, the lives, loves and ambitions of four families will converge, set against a landscape that can be as unforgiving as it is beautiful, where passion, property and pride are worth fighting—and even dying—for.

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads

What do you like most about Texas?  

Once a reporter asked me, “Writers can live anywhere in the world, why do you live in Texas?”  I told him there would never be enough time to tell him all the reasons.  I love the history of the state.  We were made up of people down on their luck, many who saw Texas as their last chance.  I came from farmers and fighters.  Sometimes I think that’s why Texans brag.  When we finally did make something of ourselves, we had to tell the world.

I love the sunsets that spread out across open skies and the people who’d stop, in their best clothes, to help a farmer get his tractor out of the ditch.  I love the tall stories folks tell even when they know everyone listening knows the truth.

I had an uncle once everyone called Wildhorse.  If he had a fender bender on the way home, it was a near-death crash by the time he told the story three times and by dark it would be moved up to a near-death experience.

I love the way cultures blend.  In architecture and art.  In music and food.  In all of life that makes up Texas.

Blog Tour Excerpt + Giveaway: Untamed by Diana Palmer

I'm excited to be part of the EXCERPT TOUR for the release of Diana Palmer’s new Western romance UNTAMED!

Follow along with giveaways and long excerpts in consecutive order at each tour stop!

Stanton Rourke lives life on the edge. The steely mercenary is dangerous in every way…especially to Clarisse Carrington’s heart. She and Rourke were playmates as children, but she’s not the innocent girl he once knew. When tragedy robbed Clarisse of her entire family, her life was changed forever. Besides, she’s a grown woman now, and there are secrets that hold her back from succumbing to her pursuer. As she struggles to keep her distance, sparks as hot as a Texas summer fly between them. But danger is following Clarisse, leaving her no choice but to rely on Rourke, even as the old wounds lying dormant between them flare up again…

“Palmer…is the queen of desperado quests for justice and true love.” -Publishers Weekly

“The popular Palmer has penned another winning novel, a perfect blend of romance and suspense.”

–Booklist on Lawman

“Diana Palmer is a mesmerizing storyteller who captures the essence of what a romance should be.”

–Affaire de Coeur

Read yesterday's excerpt at From the TBR Pile

EXCERPT

“I would…like that very much,” Rourke said. “I’ll keep my foster father’s name. I’ll just add yours to it.”

K.C. smiled sadly. “Your father was my best friend. It tor­mented me to think what I did to him, to your mother. To you.”

“I think it tormented her, too,” Rourke said.

“It did. She loved me.” His face hardened. “That was the worst of it. I had nothing to give her. Nothing at all. She knew it.”

Rourke’s one good eye searched his father’s. “Nobody’s per­fect,” he said quietly. “I have to confess, I wished even when I was a boy that you were my real father.” He averted his eye just in time to miss the wetness in K.C.’s. “You were always in the thick of battles. You could tell some stories about the adventures you had. I wanted so badly to be like you.”

Blog Tour Q&A with Tina Leonard, Author of Heart of a Bull Rider

HEART OF A BULL RIDER

by

Award-Winning, USA Today Bestselling Author Tina Leonard

When New York billionaire John Carruth is summoned to No Chance, Texas to save the local rodeo he has no idea he is going home. Now the long-lost twin to the town’s favorite son is determined to win over the people he left behind—and capture the heart of Chloe Winters, a Texan who has her own ideas of what it means to be part of a small town.

 Jake Fitzgerald, champion bull rider, didn’t know he had another half. John may be kin, but he’s still a stranger in these parts. With his billionaire brother hell-bent on changing Jake’s world, Jake knows he has to take a stand. Will he choose family—or will he take a chance on Erin O’Donovan, a woman who has always meant family to him?

The cover features real-life professional bull rider Reese Cates, whose father and grandfather both rode professionally before him. Reese says he was riding horses before he could walk (his mother, aunts, and grandmother were all barrel racers). He competes as part of the Professional Bull Riders, which includes more than 600 bull riders from the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. To learn more about Reese, follow him on Twitter: @reesecates. For more information about the Professional Bull Riders, visit www.pbr.com. 

With more than 70 books and special projects to your name, how do you create such original storylines and characters time after time?

I love to write! And I love to create.  It honestly makes me happy! I can’t imagine not writing—I love getting to know readers and other authors, and the adventure is endlessly meaningful to me. So the creative process gets charged by making new friends and constantly admiring my writing sisters’ works. If I ever get a little rundown, I head to the beach for two days. It works!

You’re known for "sexy hunks with attitude and heroines with plenty of sass." Do you consider this sass to be a part of your own personality as well?

When I read this question to my husband, he exclaimed, “Yes!” Women are supposed to be intelligent and fun and sassy. We’d be boring if we weren’t!

Review: A Dangerous Passion by E.E. Burke

From the Back Cover:

Can a hero lurk inside the heart of a villain?

Life in a small New England village is too quiet, too ordinary for a free spirit like Lucy Forbes. When her father lands a job out West, she packs her books and her dreams and eagerly sets off to pursue the kind of grand adventures she longs to experience and write about. Yet the moment she steps off a train in Kansas, she's thrust into the gritty reality of an untamed frontier—and into the arms of a scoundrel.

Henry Stevens, the ruthless railroad executive her father has been sent to investigate, is as passionate as he is ambitious. Brave and charming, as well as clever, and possessed of a sharp wit. He is, in fact, the most fascinating man Lucy has ever met. However, his opponents are vanishing and strangers are shooting at him. Fearing for her father's life, Lucy resolves to unmask the secretive Mr. Stevens and expose a villain. What she doesn’t expect to find is a hero. 

My Thoughts:

This is a hard book for me to rate because there were things about it that I loved, and things that I didn't. I loved the idea of a hero who seems like a villain at first, but once you get to know him and peel the layers away, you realize that all of his questionable actions actually had good intentions behind them, and that the exaggeration of his reputation has been perpetuated by his enemies and cultivated by the hero himself as a front for the lonely and chivalrous man he really is.

The story starts out with plenty of excitement: a shootout at the train depot just as Lucy Forbes arrives in Parsons, Kansas. The man who saves the day turns out to be none other than Henry Stevens, manager of the Katy Railroad, the man her father has been sent to investigate for wrong-doing on behalf of the railroad board. Henry's reputation precedes him, and Lucy is dismayed to find that the strong and handsome Henry is nothing like the villain she was prepared to hate on sight. And to Henry, Lucy is a breath of fresh air in a town where beautiful, unmarried ladies of station are in short supply. He quickly vows to make Lucy his, but he first has to overcome her own objections and those of her father, and he has to figure out who is trying to kill him and stop them before they accomplish the task. What follows is an exciting tale of danger, mystery, tragedy, and love. The town of Parsons is brimming with historical ambiance and filled with well-drawn secondary characters. And the tension between Henry and Lucy sizzles.