Western Trail Blazer--Quality Books from Top Authors #western #amreading #kindle

Western Trail Blazer

Western Trail Blazer was established in 2010 by Rebecca J. Vickery. Becca worked tirelessly to make the imprint a success, and to make quality western paperbacks and ebooks available to a hungry audience. WTB came along just as the ebook revolution was entering full swing, and has played a large role in reinvigorating the western short story genre in particular. She has grappled with health issues in subsequent years, though, making it ever more difficult for her to find the energy to tend to her brainchild as she would like. As of January 1, 2014, therefore, she has transferred ownership of the imprint to Troy D. and Robin Smith; Troy has been with WTB almost since the very beginning as a writer, and is just finishing his tenure as president of Western Ficitoneers, whereas Robin is a watercolor artist and trained tax preparer. Troy is here to tell us about their plans for WTB.

How did you get involved with Western Trail Blazer?

In the summer of 2010, not long after the writers’ organization Western Fictioneers had been founded, I got an email from fellow WF member Kit Prate. She told me about Becca and WTB, and said they were looking for new stories – or old stories to give new life to. I had never released any of my work digitally before, so it was all new to me, but I was excited at the prospect of getting in on the ground floor of something. I sent a handful of short stories that had been published in the 1990s, and they did well right out of the gate. Over the next few years Becca was enormously helpful to me, and we got all my backlist out and available. 

I was deeply honored when she approached me back in the summer about taking over, because I know how important this venture has been to her. Her faith and trust in me mean the whole world, and I’m determined to keep up WTB’s tradition of excellence. Of course, much as I wanted to, I could never have said yes without the help and support of my wonderful wife Robin. I’m looking forward to helming this ship as partners.

What does WTB have in the chute in its first month?

Well, we have three anthologies, which we’ll be discussing in more detail the next few days. The first is called  Twilight of the Gun – it is a large volume with about a dozen stories, representing many of our regular WTB authors. This one is intended as sort of a general sampler, so readers can get a sense of what we’re all about and the breadth and depth of our pool of talent.

The second one is called Ladies Love Outlaws, and is intended to be the first of an ongoing series of western romances.

The third is also the first of a series… it is called Western Tales! (exclamation point included!) Every volume will have five short stories by WTB authors, many of which will also be available as ebook singles – but in this format, fans will be able to discover new writers (or new to them) whom they can follow individually if they wish. We’ve had so many submissions to this series it’s going to be monthly, maybe even biweekly.

Amazon | Smashwords

On the single-author front, we have several exciting ebook singles. Cheryl Pierson’s suspenseful story Shot for a Dog tells about a young man whose jealousy and ill-will get the better of him, with shocking consequences. Tom Rizzo’s A Fire in Brimstone deals with a smalltown lawman whose dark past catches up with him. And in the fourth installment of Bowen & Baile, by Frank Roderus, our two heroes are approached by a conscience-plagued outlaw with a strange request- he wants help in returning his loot. The rest of his gang, though, aren’t so keen on the idea… Frank also has one called Morning Shadow, in which a French trapper has to make a fateful decision that will affect a little Indian girl.

Morning Shadow

Finally, we have three short stories by Lee Aaron Wilson. Lee, a good friend to many of us at WTB, passed away suddenly in 2012. His wife has delivered us several of his unpublished manuscripts, and we are deeply honored to be able to keep his legacy alive. These three are: Last Badman in Desolation, The Old Dog’s Day, and It Takes a Man.

And even more!

This is really only the tip of the iceberg. We have other projects coming up the pike that we are just as excited about. If your readers haven’t tried out Western Trail Blazer yet, now is the perfect time to get onboard. And if anyone out there has stories they’d like us to consider, by all means send ‘em our way.

In the meantime, we’re extremely grateful to Jacquie for this opportunity to make our “second debut.” Over the next three days we’ll have more details about the stories and writers in those first three anthologies.

I’m going to leave you with a brief excerpt from Lee Aaron Wilson’s Last Badman in Desolation, in which love blooms between that Badman and a bad – but not too bad – girl:

Amazon | Smashwords

Last Badman in Desolation 
by Lee Aaron Wilson

"Am I too forward. Jacob? You been to see me. It was pretty nice. I'm ready for it to be just you, for as long as you want it that way. For a long, long time seems nice."

"I remember. I liked visiting you. I tried to take my time and hoped you liked it, too."

"After the first time, you came on Sundays."

"It seemed you were less busy Sundays and we could take our time."

"We did." She blushed slightly, surprised she could still do that. "Did you know, I don't work Sundays? I just saw you, when you asked, 'cause I liked you. It seemed as if the rest of the time, and the other men, were my job. I was being a dreamy little girl. When you came to me, I imagined I was your gal and you was my feller."

"Oh, I... thank you, Mattie. Me, too. I didn't know you kept Sundays special. I just knew you didn't seem rushed, and I could take my time... we could take our time, and... and..."

"And you could make love to me, not just get your poke into me, and be on your way."

"Uh, yeah, sorta." He looked red now.

"Do we need to rush back? You aren't the stable boy any more. I guess you want to get into your new job?" She took his hand and strolled back into the big bedroom, with its made up bed.

"I'm in no hurry. Be nice to talk a while and get to know each other."

"Earlier you said something about testing the bed."

"Mattie...."

"That name's for work. My real name is Mary. Do you want to?" When he didn't move, or speak, she added, "I do. I'm ready. I've decided to be your woman. If you want me."

He touched her cheek. She put her fingers over his and leaned to meet his lips. The first kiss was soft and tentative. The second felt much better. When she opened her mouth during the third, he knew how to kiss.

It Takes a Man

Amazon | Smashwords

Western Tales! Vol. 1

Amazon | Smashwords

Amazon | Smashwords

Amazon | Smashwords

Amazon | Smashwords

A Fire in Brimstone 

Amazon | Smashwords

Morning Shadow

Amazon | Smashwords

Quality Western Reading: Western Trail Blazer--A New Look!

Western Trail Blazer

Western Trail Blazer was established in 2010 by Rebecca J. Vickery. Becca worked tirelessly to make the imprint a success, and to make quality western paperbacks and ebooks available to a hungry audience. WTB came along just as the ebook revolution was entering full swing, and has played a large role in reinvigorating the western short story genre in particular. She has grappled with health issues in subsequent years, though, making it ever more difficult for her to find the energy to tend to her brainchild as she would like. As of January 1, 2014, therefore, she has transferred ownership of the imprint to Troy D. and Robin Smith; Troy has been with WTB almost since the very beginning as a writer, and is just finishing his tenure as president of Western Fictioneers, whereas Robin is a watercolor artist and trained tax preparer. Troy is here to tell us about their plans for WTB.

How did you get involved with Western Trail Blazer?

In the summer of 2010, not long after the writers’ organization Western Fictioneers had been founded, I got an email from fellow WF member Kit Prate. She told me about Becca and WTB, and said they were looking for new stories – or old stories to give new life to. I had never released any of my work digitally before, so it was all new to me, but I was excited at the prospect of getting in on the ground floor of something. I sent a handful of short stories that had been published in the 1990s, and they did well right out of the gate. Over the next few years Becca was enormously helpful to me, and we got all my backlist out and available. 

I was deeply honored when she approached me back in the summer about taking over, because I know how important this venture has been to her. Her faith and trust in me mean the whole world, and I’m determined to keep up WTB’s tradition of excellence. Of course, much as I wanted to, I could never have said yes without the help and support of my wonderful wife Robin. I’m looking forward to helming this ship as partners.

What does WTB have in the chute in its first month?

Well, we have three anthologies, which we’ll be discussing in more detail the next few days. The first is called  Twilight of the Gun – it is a large volume with about a dozen stories, representing many of our regular WTB authors. This one is intended as sort of a general sampler, so readers can get a sense of what we’re all about and the breadth and depth of our pool of talent.

The second one is called Ladies Love Outlaws, and is intended to be the first of an ongoing series of western romances.

The third is also the first of a series… it is called Western Tales! (exclamation point included!) Every volume will have five short stories by WTB authors, many of which will also be available as ebook singles – but in this format, fans will be able to discover new writers (or new to them) whom they can follow individually if they wish. We’ve had so many submissions to this series it’s going to be monthly, maybe even biweekly.

On the single-author front, we have several exciting ebook singles. Cheryl Pierson’s suspenseful story Shot for a Dog tells about a young man whose jealousy and ill-will get the better of him, with shocking consequences. Tom Rizzo’s A Fire in Brimstone deals with a smalltown lawman whose dark past catches up with him. And in the fourth installment of Bowen & Baile, by Frank Roderus, our two heroes are approached by a conscience-plagued outlaw with a strange request- he wants help in returning his loot. The rest of his gang, though, aren’t so keen on the idea… Frank also has one called Morning Shadow, in which a French trapper has to make a fateful decision that will affect a little Indian girl.

Morning Shadow

Finally, we have three short stories by Lee Aaron Wilson. Lee, a good friend to many of us at WTB, passed away suddenly in 2012. His wife has delivered us several of his unpublished manuscripts, and we are deeply honored to be able to keep his legacy alive. These three are: Last Badman in Desolation, The Old Dog’s Day, and It Takes a Man.

And even more!

This is really only the tip of the iceberg. We have other projects coming up the pike that we are just as excited about. If your readers haven’t tried out Western Trail Blazer yet, now is the perfect time to get onboard. And if anyone out there has stories they’d like us to consider, by all means send ‘em our way.

In the meantime, we’re extremely grateful to Jacquie for this opportunity to make our “second debut.” Over the next three days we’ll have more details about the stories and writers in those first three anthologies.

I’m going to leave you with a brief excerpt from Lee Aaron Wilson’s Last Badman in Desolation, in which love blooms between that Badman and a bad – but not too bad – girl:

Last Badman in Desolation 
by Lee Aaron Wilson

"Am I too forward. Jacob? You been to see me. It was pretty nice. I'm ready for it to be just you, for as long as you want it that way. For a long, long time seems nice."

"I remember. I liked visiting you. I tried to take my time and hoped you liked it, too."

"After the first time, you came on Sundays."

"It seemed you were less busy Sundays and we could take our time."

"We did." She blushed slightly, surprised she could still do that. "Did you know, I don't work Sundays? I just saw you, when you asked, 'cause I liked you. It seemed as if the rest of the time, and the other men, were my job. I was being a dreamy little girl. When you came to me, I imagined I was your gal and you was my feller."

"Oh, I... thank you, Mattie. Me, too. I didn't know you kept Sundays special. I just knew you didn't seem rushed, and I could take my time... we could take our time, and... and..."

"And you could make love to me, not just get your poke into me, and be on your way."

"Uh, yeah, sorta." He looked red now.

"Do we need to rush back? You aren't the stable boy any more. I guess you want to get into your new job?" She took his hand and strolled back into the big bedroom, with its made up bed.

"I'm in no hurry. Be nice to talk a while and get to know each other."

"Earlier you said something about testing the bed."

"Mattie...."

"That name's for work. My real name is Mary. Do you want to?" When he didn't move, or speak, she added, "I do. I'm ready. I've decided to be your woman. If you want me."

He touched her cheek. She put her fingers over his and leaned to meet his lips. The first kiss was soft and tentative. The second felt much better. When she opened her mouth during the third, he knew how to kiss.

Shot for a Dog

Amazon | Smashwords

A Fire in Brimstone 

Amazon | Smashwords

Bowen & Baile 4: Trapped! 

Amazon | Smashwords

Morning Shadow 

Amazon | Smashwords

Last Badman in Desolation

It Takes a Man

The Old Dog’s Day

Twilight of the Gun

Ladies Love Outlaws

Western Tales! Vol. 1

#NewRelease Tumbleweeds and Valentines by Phylliss Miranda in HEARTS & SPURS #western #romance

Tumbleweeds and Valentines

a short story in

Hearts and Spurs

by Phyliss Miranda

Nine days—nine stories from nine veteran western historical romance authors

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Romancing The West welcomes Phyliss Miranda, who, when I asked her to introduce herself, gave us this insight: I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and native Texan, who lives in the Texas Panhandle with my husband of forty-five years, Bob. With plans to write a cookbook, I took my first creative writing class in 2001. One of my favorite parts of being an author is teaching the craft and mentoring beginner writers. I enjoy sharing my love for the new frontier, the Civil War, quilting, and antiques; and still believe in the Code of the Old West.

I blog the first Tuesday of every month, and sometimes in between, at Petticoats and Pistols, dedicated to the love of western historical romances. I also do a separate blog at Prairie Rose Publications, a publishing company devoted to publishing westerns and western romances written women, the first Tuesday of the month and sometimes in between.

Website | Twitter | Amazon

Phyliss Miranda

RTW: What intrigued you to write Tumbleweeds and Valentines?

PM: I was intrigued to write this story for one simple reason... I love chocolate covered marshmallow anythings: the little Santas at Christmas to Hearts for Valentine’s Day.  When I’m at the checkout counter they tempt us by putting them right in our faces, so we have to buy some.  I did some research on when marshmallow came into existence, confirmed what I needed and off I went. In my very first anthology for Kensington, Give Me a Texan, my hero was a blacksmith, so I thought how much fun it’d be if he made molds for my heroine who owned the candy store.  I didn’t even know he had a twin brother at the time.  So, what intrigued me to write Tumbleweeds and Valentines was my love for marshmallow chocolates.

About Tumbleweeds and Valentines

The wildness of a tumbleweed and the sweetness of chocolate bring Amanda Love the love of her life.

Chocolate hearts and a tumbleweed with an invitation attached only confuses Amanda Love ... the last person in town who anticipated getting invited to the town’s Valentine’s Dance.  If so by whom?

RTW: Who doesn't love chocolate?  And a yummy hero to go right along with it.  What else do you have for our readers to enjoy?

Soon to Release

The Troubled Texan 

by Phyliss Miranda

March 14, 2014 

from Kensington 

An LA Assistant DA didn’t resign, she disappears.

My story The Troubled Texan came to me after I followed a horrific mass murder in California. It took two and a half years to prepare for the three month trial.  In my previous life, I worked in the legal field, so I know first hand how a case gets into the head of the lawyer... particularly prosecuting such a horrifying one where psychiatrists were on the scene to assist the investigators.  I asked myself what the prosecuting attorney would do if she was threatened in the courtroom as the defendant heard his conviction.  My answer--get as far away from LA as possible.

I knew I definitely wanted my heroine to come back to a small Texas town, but I needed a name. Suddenly, Kasota Springs and its fifth generation residents came to life.  Many of you will remember the town and the names from two of my anthologies Give me a Cowboy and A Texas Christmas.

I’d been saving my hero for a special book.  A retired professional football player turned Sheriff. He fit perfectly into the first of the Kasota Springs Romance series because it’s full of suspense, romance, and secrets.  As a special treat, at the end, I included my grandmother’s chocolate cake recipe and the family story behind it. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Hearts and Spurs

How do you capture a cowboy's heart? Hearts and Spurs is a collection of nine stories by some of western romance’s best—just in time for Valentine's Day! Following up their Christmas collection Wishing for a Cowboy, these ladies have done it again with new stories of handsome cowboys and the women who captivate them in Hearts and Spurs.

The Widow's Heart by Linda Broday

Skye O’Rourke thinks her imagination is playing tricks on her when she sees a man emerge from the shimmering desert heat. No one would willingly take a stroll under the scorching sun with a saddle slung on his back. She’s shocked to discover it’s Cade Coltrain, a man she once gave her heart to only to have him give it back.

Can she trust him not to abandon her this time? Yet, trusting each other is the only way they can survive. And love might just save them if they believe…

Guarding Her Heart by Livia J. Washburn

Julia Courtland was on her way west to marry a man she had never met. Henry Everett, the marshal of Flat Rock, Texas, was the grandson of her uncle's best friend. It seemed like a good match for both of them, and the wedding was scheduled to take place on Valentine's Day.

Grant Stafford thought the young woman who got on the stagecoach at Buffalo Springs was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long time. She wasn't too friendly, mind you, but she was sure easy on the eyes. Not that Grant had time to worry much about such things. He was the shotgun guard on this run, but more than that, he was an undercover Texas Ranger on the trail of the vicious outlaw gang responsible for a string of stagecoach robberies.

Fate threw Julia Courtland and Grant Stafford together on a cold February day in West Texas, but it also threw deadly obstacles in their path. A runaway team, a terrible crash, and bullets flying through the air threaten to steal not only their lives but also any chance they have for happiness. If they're going to survive, they will have to learn to trust each other...and maybe steal their hearts back from fate.

Found Hearts by Cheryl Pierson

Southern belle Evie Fremont has lost everything — except hope. When she answers an advertisement for marriage to Alex Cameron who lives in the wilds of Indian Territory, she has few illusions that he could be a man she might fall in love with — especially as his secrets begin to unfold.

Ex-Confederate soldier Alex Cameron needs a mother for his two young half-Cherokee sons more than he needs a wife — or so he tells himself. But when his past threatens his future on his wedding day, he and Evie are both forced to acknowledge their new love has come to stay — along with their Found Hearts.

Open Hearts by Tanya Hanson

To honor her brother’s last request, Barbara Audiss takes on his identity. Letting loose her secret will land get her arrested. But keeping it prevents her from giving her heart to handsome sheriff Keith Rakestraw.

Furious at “Judge Audiss’s” latest verdict, Keith discovers she’s a fake and consequences seem easy: toss her in jail. Instead, he finds himself eager to give her his heart.

Hollow Heart by Sarah J. McNeal

Madeline Andrews is a grown up orphan. Sam Wilding made her feel part of his life, his family and swore he’d come home to her when the war ended, but he didn’t return. With the Valentine’s Ball just days away, the Wildings encourage Madeline to move forward with her life and open her heart to the possibilities. But Madeline is lost in old love letters and can’t seem to let go.

A Flare of the Heart by Jacquie Rogers

Celia Valentine Yancey has no illusions she’ll ever enjoy wedded bliss, so chooses marriage over spinsterhood even if she has to marry a man her father picked. On the way to meet her groom, she endures armed robbery, a stagecoach wreck, a dozen hungry baby pigs — and an incorrigible farmer. 

Ross Flaherty retired from bounty hunting to become a farmer but now Celia has brought his worst fear to his door — in more ways than one. A ferocious wolf-dog and a dozen piglets are no match for this determined lady. 

Which is more dangerous — the Sully Gang or Miss Celia Yancey?

Coming Home by Tracy Garrett

Sometimes it takes two to make dreams come true.

When a man who believes he’ll never have a home and family…

Former U.S. Marshal Jericho Hawken should have been shepherding a wagon train to new territory, but he unwillingly left them vulnerable to a vicious raider. The murder of the settlers he was supposed to be guarding is the hardest thing he’s ever had to face…until he meets the sister of one of the settlers.

…finds a woman who has lost everything…

Instead of a joyous reunion with her brother, Maryland Henry has come to River’s Bend to take responsibility for her three orphaned nieces. Fired from her teaching position and with no other family on whom to rely, Mary believes Jericho Hawken is responsible for all her woes. Or is he what she’s been searching for all along?

It takes a lot of forgiveness and a few fireworks to realize that together their dreams can come true.

Tumbleweeds and Valentines by Phyliss Miranda

When Amanda Love finds a tumbleweed lodged against her fence with an invitation to a Valentine Day dance stuck to it she thinks someone must be playing a joke. No one would invite her. No one ever had. Besides, she has no time for such things. She has a candy store to run. Curiosity gets the best of her though. Finding her name scrawled on it as bold as can be sends ripples of surprise through her. As she embarks on a quest to find the sender’s identity, she examines herself and the secret dream she harbors of having a husband and children.

Maybe, just maybe, someone had seen the yearning in her heart. But who?

The Second-Best Ranger in Texas by Kathleen Rice Adams

His partner’s grisly death destroyed Texas Ranger Quinn Barclay. Cashiered for drunkenness and refusal to follow orders, he sets out to fulfill his partner’s dying request, armed only with a saloon girl’s name.

Sister María Tomás thought she wanted to become a nun, but five years as a postulant have convinced her childhood dreams aren’t always meant to be. At last ready to relinquish the temporary vows she never should have made, she begs the only man she trusts to collect her from a mission in the middle of nowhere.

When the ex-Ranger’s quest collides with the ex-nun’s plea in a burned-out border town, unexpected love blooms among shared memories of the dead man who was a brother to them both.

Too bad he was also the only man who could have warned them about the carnage to come.

♥ Hearts and Spurs ♥

Kindle | BN.com | Smashwords | Print

#NewRelease Open Hearts by Tanya Hanson in HEARTS & SPURS #western #historicalromance

Open Hearts

a short story in

Hearts and Spurs

by Tanya Hanson

Nine days—nine stories from nine veteran western historical romance authors

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Romancing The West welcomes Tanya Hanson, who loves those cowboys and writes Western romance, both historical and contemporary, both sensual and inspirational. Writing as Anya Novikov, she is developing a Young Adult series for the Painted Pony line, and a sequel to Claiming His Heart, her first full-length inspirational historical, is in the works.

She lives on California’s Central Coast with her firefighter husband and considers their son and daughter the best thing she’s ever done. Volunteering at the local horse rescue is a treasured activity. Best of all are two little grandsons whom she considers the halves of her heart.

Tanya Hanson Website | Anya Novikov Blog

RTW: What intrigued you to write this story?

TH: Driving through a historic little hamlet, Red Cliff, during an incredible trip through the Colorado Rockies last fall! Then came into my head a heroine-disguised-as-a-man. I had a built-in conflict right away, because she’s falling in love with a handsome sheriff

Tanya Hanson

About Open Hearts

A woman living as a man to practice the law she loves must guard her identity--and her heart--from a handsome sheriff, who discovers just who she is and must decide whether to turn her in or fall in love.

To honor her brother’s last request, Barbara Audiss takes on his identity, and letting loose her secret will get her arrested. But keeping it prevents her from giving her heart to handsome sheriff Keith Rakestraw.

Furious at “Judge Audiss’” latest verdict, Keith discovers she’s a fake and consequences seem easy: toss her in jail. But he finds himself eager to give her his heart.

How can a woman living a lie open her heart to an honest lawman?

Excerpt
Open Hearts
a short story in
Hearts and Spurs
by Tanya Hanson

Barbara choked over the long-nine cigar. A vile habit to be sure, but smoking kept her voice sounding hoarse and her body smelling manly.

The linen strips binding her bosom also contributed to her strangled lungs.

But mostly it was Sheriff Keith Rakestraw, staring at her from the front row and stealing her breath clean away. He was the one man who could get her feeling like a woman.

If she’d been allowed to be one, that is.

RTW: Terrific story, and poignant. Loved it! What else do you have for our readers to enjoy?

Claiming His Heart

by Tanya Hanson

Caught between a noose and a cave-in, Tulsa Sanderson must do anything possible to prove his brother’s innocence...even if it means marrying a gold miner’s daughter he just met. He needs every nugget and flake he can pull from her worn-out claim, but he sure doesn’t need a wife. Save his brother and he’ll be back on the Texas cattle trails. God, and trusting Him, are things of the past.

Charlotte Amalie lost her heart, her virtue, and her money to the last mysterious outsider who came to the valley. Faith? That’s wavered after too many family tragedies. But she has no choice but to wed the handsome Tull. He bears terrible family secrets that need to be kept behind closed doors. Although she’s eager to leave the valley to find a new life for herself and medical treatments for her wounded twin brother, her unwanted marriage douses her plans, yet stirs up hope and love for Tull...and begins to fortify her weakened faith.

Can the two of them find a future--and faith--together even with their haunted pasts?

Print | Kindle | Smashwords | Nook

♥ ♥ ♥

Hearts and Spurs

How do you capture a cowboy's heart? Hearts and Spurs is a collection of nine stories by some of western romance’s best—just in time for Valentine's Day! Following up their Christmas collection Wishing for a Cowboy, these ladies have done it again with new stories of handsome cowboys and the women who captivate them in Hearts and Spurs.

The Widow's Heart by Linda Broday

Skye O’Rourke thinks her imagination is playing tricks on her when she sees a man emerge from the shimmering desert heat. No one would willingly take a stroll under the scorching sun with a saddle slung on his back. She’s shocked to discover it’s Cade Coltrain, a man she once gave her heart to only to have him give it back.

Can she trust him not to abandon her this time? Yet, trusting each other is the only way they can survive. And love might just save them if they believe…

Guarding Her Heart by Livia J. Washburn

Julia Courtland was on her way west to marry a man she had never met. Henry Everett, the marshal of Flat Rock, Texas, was the grandson of her uncle's best friend. It seemed like a good match for both of them, and the wedding was scheduled to take place on Valentine's Day.

Grant Stafford thought the young woman who got on the stagecoach at Buffalo Springs was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long time. She wasn't too friendly, mind you, but she was sure easy on the eyes. Not that Grant had time to worry much about such things. He was the shotgun guard on this run, but more than that, he was an undercover Texas Ranger on the trail of the vicious outlaw gang responsible for a string of stagecoach robberies.

Fate threw Julia Courtland and Grant Stafford together on a cold February day in West Texas, but it also threw deadly obstacles in their path. A runaway team, a terrible crash, and bullets flying through the air threaten to steal not only their lives but also any chance they have for happiness. If they're going to survive, they will have to learn to trust each other...and maybe steal their hearts back from fate.

Found Hearts by Cheryl Pierson

Southern belle Evie Fremont has lost everything — except hope. When she answers an advertisement for marriage to Alex Cameron who lives in the wilds of Indian Territory, she has few illusions that he could be a man she might fall in love with — especially as his secrets begin to unfold.

Ex-Confederate soldier Alex Cameron needs a mother for his two young half-Cherokee sons more than he needs a wife — or so he tells himself. But when his past threatens his future on his wedding day, he and Evie are both forced to acknowledge their new love has come to stay — along with their Found Hearts.

Open Hearts by Tanya Hanson

To honor her brother’s last request, Barbara Audiss takes on his identity. Letting loose her secret will land get her arrested. But keeping it prevents her from giving her heart to handsome sheriff Keith Rakestraw.

Furious at “Judge Audiss’s” latest verdict, Keith discovers she’s a fake and consequences seem easy: toss her in jail. Instead, he finds himself eager to give her his heart.

Hollow Heart by Sarah J. McNeal

Madeline Andrews is a grown up orphan. Sam Wilding made her feel part of his life, his family and swore he’d come home to her when the war ended, but he didn’t return. With the Valentine’s Ball just days away, the Wildings encourage Madeline to move forward with her life and open her heart to the possibilities. But Madeline is lost in old love letters and can’t seem to let go.

A Flare of the Heart by Jacquie Rogers

Celia Valentine Yancey has no illusions she’ll ever enjoy wedded bliss, so chooses marriage over spinsterhood even if she has to marry a man her father picked. On the way to meet her groom, she endures armed robbery, a stagecoach wreck, a dozen hungry baby pigs — and an incorrigible farmer. 

Ross Flaherty retired from bounty hunting to become a farmer but now Celia has brought his worst fear to his door — in more ways than one. A ferocious wolf-dog and a dozen piglets are no match for this determined lady. 

Which is more dangerous — the Sully Gang or Miss Celia Yancey?

Coming Home by Tracy Garrett

Sometimes it takes two to make dreams come true.

When a man who believes he’ll never have a home and family…

Former U.S. Marshal Jericho Hawken should have been shepherding a wagon train to new territory, but he unwillingly left them vulnerable to a vicious raider. The murder of the settlers he was supposed to be guarding is the hardest thing he’s ever had to face…until he meets the sister of one of the settlers.

…finds a woman who has lost everything…

Instead of a joyous reunion with her brother, Maryland Henry has come to River’s Bend to take responsibility for her three orphaned nieces. Fired from her teaching position and with no other family on whom to rely, Mary believes Jericho Hawken is responsible for all her woes. Or is he what she’s been searching for all along?

It takes a lot of forgiveness and a few fireworks to realize that together their dreams can come true.

Tumbleweeds and Valentines by Phyliss Miranda

When Amanda Love finds a tumbleweed lodged against her fence with an invitation to a Valentine Day dance stuck to it she thinks someone must be playing a joke. No one would invite her. No one ever had. Besides, she has no time for such things. She has a candy store to run. Curiosity gets the best of her though. Finding her name scrawled on it as bold as can be sends ripples of surprise through her. As she embarks on a quest to find the sender’s identity, she examines herself and the secret dream she harbors of having a husband and children.

Maybe, just maybe, someone had seen the yearning in her heart. But who?

The Second-Best Ranger in Texas by Kathleen Rice Adams

His partner’s grisly death destroyed Texas Ranger Quinn Barclay. Cashiered for drunkenness and refusal to follow orders, he sets out to fulfill his partner’s dying request, armed only with a saloon girl’s name.

Sister María Tomás thought she wanted to become a nun, but five years as a postulant have convinced her childhood dreams aren’t always meant to be. At last ready to relinquish the temporary vows she never should have made, she begs the only man she trusts to collect her from a mission in the middle of nowhere.

When the ex-Ranger’s quest collides with the ex-nun’s plea in a burned-out border town, unexpected love blooms among shared memories of the dead man who was a brother to them both.

Too bad he was also the only man who could have warned them about the carnage to come.

♥ Hearts and Spurs ♥

Kindle | BN.com | Smashwords | Print

#NewRelease The Second-Best Ranger in Texas by Kathleen Rice Adams in HEARTS AND SPURS #western

The Second-Best Ranger in Texas

a short story in

Hearts and Spurs

by Kathleen Rice Adams

Nine days—nine stories from nine veteran western historical romance authors

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Romancing The West welcomes Kathleen Rice Adams, whose debut story was published in Wishing for a Cowboy.  Descended from a long line of Texas ranchers, preachers, and teachers on one side and Kentucky horse thieves and moonshiners on the other, Kathleen Rice Adams had no choice but to become an outlaw. For the past thirty years, she’s stayed two steps ahead of a lynch mob as an award-winning news writer, editor, and columnist, covering everything from airline disasters, political scandals, and courtroom drama to emerging technologies, dog shows, and hauntings. She also has ghost-written or edited several non-fiction books. A Texan to the bone, she lives on Galveston Island, Texas, with her significant other of 20-plus years and three tiny canine tyrants.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

RTW: What intrigued you to write this story?

Kathleen Rice Adams

KRA: Relationships with stories are always complicated. Mine tend to start out more like kidnappings than seductions: Characters appear from behind shrubbery and start making demands. This story actually began with a completely different idea, about a Texas Ranger who had to tell his partner’s fiancée that her sweetheart had been killed. Somehow, a gang of nuns sneaked up on me, and things went downhill from there. I was raised Baptist, but even I know better than to get on the bad side of nuns—and no Texan wants to run afoul of the Rangers. I was lucky to escape with my life.

About 
The Second-Best Ranger in Texas

A washed-up Texas Ranger. A failed nun with a violent past. A love that will redeem them both.

His partner’s grisly death destroyed Texas Ranger Quinn Barclay. Cashiered for drunkenness and refusal to follow orders, he sets out to fulfill his partner’s dying request, armed only with a saloon girl’s name.

Sister María Tomás thought she wanted to become a nun, but five years as a postulant have convinced her childhood dreams aren’t always meant to be. At last ready to relinquish the temporary vows she never should have made, she begs the only man she trusts to collect her from a mission in the middle of nowhere.

When the ex-Ranger’s quest collides with the ex-nun’s plea in a burned-out border town, unexpected love blooms among shared memories of the dead man who was a brother to them both.

Too bad he was also the only man who could have warned them about the carnage to come.

Excerpt
The Second-Best Ranger in Texas
a short story in 
Hearts and Spurs
by Kathleen Rice Adams

Quinn begins his search for the mysterious Dulce (which means “sweet” in Spanish) in a run-down saloon on the Texas-Mexico border and quickly finds his hands full of more than scantily clad women.

A dove squeezed between Quinn and the wall and snaked bare arms across his shoulders. Long nails toyed with the buttons on his vest while a honeyed whisper dropped into his ear. “All of us can be sweet, guapo, if that is what you want.”

The whore in his lap ran a fingertip along his unshaven jaw. “We can also be very, very naughty.”

That’s when the nun walked in.

Thanks, Kathleen, for visiting RTW today--can't wait for your novel later on this year and other great stories from you!

♥ ♥ ♥

Hearts and Spurs

How do you capture a cowboy's heart? Hearts and Spurs is a collection of nine stories by some of western romance’s best—just in time for Valentine's Day! Following up their Christmas collection Wishing for a Cowboy, these ladies have done it again with new stories of handsome cowboys and the women who captivate them in Hearts and Spurs.

The Widow's Heart by Linda Broday

Skye O’Rourke thinks her imagination is playing tricks on her when she sees a man emerge from the shimmering desert heat. No one would willingly take a stroll under the scorching sun with a saddle slung on his back. She’s shocked to discover it’s Cade Coltrain, a man she once gave her heart to only to have him give it back.

Can she trust him not to abandon her this time? Yet, trusting each other is the only way they can survive. And love might just save them if they believe…

Guarding Her Heart by Livia J. Washburn

Julia Courtland was on her way west to marry a man she had never met. Henry Everett, the marshal of Flat Rock, Texas, was the grandson of her uncle's best friend. It seemed like a good match for both of them, and the wedding was scheduled to take place on Valentine's Day.

Grant Stafford thought the young woman who got on the stagecoach at Buffalo Springs was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long time. She wasn't too friendly, mind you, but she was sure easy on the eyes. Not that Grant had time to worry much about such things. He was the shotgun guard on this run, but more than that, he was an undercover Texas Ranger on the trail of the vicious outlaw gang responsible for a string of stagecoach robberies.

Fate threw Julia Courtland and Grant Stafford together on a cold February day in West Texas, but it also threw deadly obstacles in their path. A runaway team, a terrible crash, and bullets flying through the air threaten to steal not only their lives but also any chance they have for happiness. If they're going to survive, they will have to learn to trust each other...and maybe steal their hearts back from fate.

Found Hearts by Cheryl Pierson

Southern belle Evie Fremont has lost everything — except hope. When she answers an advertisement for marriage to Alex Cameron who lives in the wilds of Indian Territory, she has few illusions that he could be a man she might fall in love with — especially as his secrets begin to unfold.

Ex-Confederate soldier Alex Cameron needs a mother for his two young half-Cherokee sons more than he needs a wife — or so he tells himself. But when his past threatens his future on his wedding day, he and Evie are both forced to acknowledge their new love has come to stay — along with their Found Hearts.

Open Hearts by Tanya Hanson

To honor her brother’s last request, Barbara Audiss takes on his identity. Letting loose her secret will land get her arrested. But keeping it prevents her from giving her heart to handsome sheriff Keith Rakestraw.

Furious at “Judge Audiss’s” latest verdict, Keith discovers she’s a fake and consequences seem easy: toss her in jail. Instead, he finds himself eager to give her his heart.

Hollow Heart by Sarah J. McNeal

Madeline Andrews is a grown up orphan. Sam Wilding made her feel part of his life, his family and swore he’d come home to her when the war ended, but he didn’t return. With the Valentine’s Ball just days away, the Wildings encourage Madeline to move forward with her life and open her heart to the possibilities. But Madeline is lost in old love letters and can’t seem to let go.

A Flare of the Heart by Jacquie Rogers

Celia Valentine Yancey has no illusions she’ll ever enjoy wedded bliss, so chooses marriage over spinsterhood even if she has to marry a man her father picked. On the way to meet her groom, she endures armed robbery, a stagecoach wreck, a dozen hungry baby pigs — and an incorrigible farmer. 

Ross Flaherty retired from bounty hunting to become a farmer but now Celia has brought his worst fear to his door — in more ways than one. A ferocious wolf-dog and a dozen piglets are no match for this determined lady. 

Which is more dangerous — the Sully Gang or Miss Celia Yancey?

Coming Home by Tracy Garrett

Sometimes it takes two to make dreams come true.

When a man who believes he’ll never have a home and family…

Former U.S. Marshal Jericho Hawken should have been shepherding a wagon train to new territory, but he unwillingly left them vulnerable to a vicious raider. The murder of the settlers he was supposed to be guarding is the hardest thing he’s ever had to face…until he meets the sister of one of the settlers.

…finds a woman who has lost everything…

Instead of a joyous reunion with her brother, Maryland Henry has come to River’s Bend to take responsibility for her three orphaned nieces. Fired from her teaching position and with no other family on whom to rely, Mary believes Jericho Hawken is responsible for all her woes. Or is he what she’s been searching for all along?

It takes a lot of forgiveness and a few fireworks to realize that together their dreams can come true.

Tumbleweeds and Valentines by Phyliss Miranda

When Amanda Love finds a tumbleweed lodged against her fence with an invitation to a Valentine Day dance stuck to it she thinks someone must be playing a joke. No one would invite her. No one ever had. Besides, she has no time for such things. She has a candy store to run. Curiosity gets the best of her though. Finding her name scrawled on it as bold as can be sends ripples of surprise through her. As she embarks on a quest to find the sender’s identity, she examines herself and the secret dream she harbors of having a husband and children.

Maybe, just maybe, someone had seen the yearning in her heart. But who?

The Second-Best Ranger in Texas by Kathleen Rice Adams

His partner’s grisly death destroyed Texas Ranger Quinn Barclay. Cashiered for drunkenness and refusal to follow orders, he sets out to fulfill his partner’s dying request, armed only with a saloon girl’s name.

Sister María Tomás thought she wanted to become a nun, but five years as a postulant have convinced her childhood dreams aren’t always meant to be. At last ready to relinquish the temporary vows she never should have made, she begs the only man she trusts to collect her from a mission in the middle of nowhere.

When the ex-Ranger’s quest collides with the ex-nun’s plea in a burned-out border town, unexpected love blooms among shared memories of the dead man who was a brother to them both.

Too bad he was also the only man who could have warned them about the carnage to come.

♥ Hearts and Spurs ♥

Kindle | BN.com | Smashwords | Print

#NewRelease HEARTS & SPURS: Hollow Heart, by Sarah J. McNeal #western #romance #valentinesday

Hollow Heart

a short story in

Hearts and Spurs

by Sarah J. McNeal

Nine days—nine stories from nine veteran western historical romance authors

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Romancing The West welcomes Sarah J. McNeal, a multi-published author of several genres including time travel, paranormal, western, contemporary and historical fiction. Sarah is a retired critical care/ER nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily and Liberty. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Publishing by Rebecca Vickery, Victory Tales Press, Western Trail Blazer and Prairie Rose Publications.

Website 

Sarah J. McNeal

RTW: What intrigued you to write this story?

Stories that take place in the Great Depression interest me. People suffered then, and yet, they had this stalwart ability to find ways to overcome the depravation and tragedies that occurred during that time when most Americans were struggling to survive. There were no programs like Welfare, Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare in place to help people through the rough times. No one even knew when or if the hard times would end. I am fascinated by the strength of these people and their willingness to help one another. Families worked together sometimes three generations living together in one house.

About Hollow Heart

Lost love and the hope for possibilities

Madeline Andrews is a grown up orphan. Sam Wilding made her feel part of his life, his family and swore he’d come home to her when the war ended, but he didn’t return. With the Valentine’s Ball just days away, the Wildings encourage Madeline to move forward with her life and open her heart to the possibilities. But Madeline is lost in old love letters and can’t seem to let go.

Excerpt
Hollow Heart
a short story in
Hearts and Spurs
by Sarah J. McNeal

Madeline folded the letter and slipped it back into its envelope. Her heart ached as she put the envelope back into the box. Reverently, she placed it on her dresser beside the picture of Sam and her, laughing into the sun on that beautiful summer day, years ago. She twisted the gold ring with the little heart-shaped ruby around her left ring finger. Sam had given it to her the day he left for deployment to Europe. He said it was a promise ring. The ring would remind her of his love, his promise to return, and his pledge to wed her when the war ended. A sigh escaped her. None of his promises had come true.

RTW: Oh, but the story's not over yet!  What else do you have for us to read?

Coming Soon!

Fly Away Heart

by Sarah J. McNeal

The Great Depression…
Rum Runners and Old Fears…
Love Against the Odds

Lilith Wilding can’t remember a time when she didn’t love the English born Robin Pierpont, but she knows he loves another so she hides her feelings beneath a hard veneer of self-protection.

Robin Pierpont dreams of flying airplanes and winning the heart of the one he loves, but when he gets involved in illegal rum running to help a friend, those dreams seem to turn into just a fantasy. When he is called upon to face his worst fear to save Lilith’s life, his fate may be sealed in death.

Painted Pony Books

Prairie Rose Publications

♥ ♥ ♥

Hearts and Spurs

How do you capture a cowboy's heart? Hearts and Spurs is a collection of nine stories by some of western romance’s best—just in time for Valentine's Day! Following up their Christmas collection Wishing for a Cowboy, these ladies have done it again with new stories of handsome cowboys and the women who captivate them in Hearts and Spurs.

The Widow's Heart by Linda Broday

Skye O’Rourke thinks her imagination is playing tricks on her when she sees a man emerge from the shimmering desert heat. No one would willingly take a stroll under the scorching sun with a saddle slung on his back. She’s shocked to discover it’s Cade Coltrain, a man she once gave her heart to only to have him give it back.

Can she trust him not to abandon her this time? Yet, trusting each other is the only way they can survive. And love might just save them if they believe…

Guarding Her Heart by Livia J. Washburn

Julia Courtland was on her way west to marry a man she had never met. Henry Everett, the marshal of Flat Rock, Texas, was the grandson of her uncle's best friend. It seemed like a good match for both of them, and the wedding was scheduled to take place on Valentine's Day.

Grant Stafford thought the young woman who got on the stagecoach at Buffalo Springs was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long time. She wasn't too friendly, mind you, but she was sure easy on the eyes. Not that Grant had time to worry much about such things. He was the shotgun guard on this run, but more than that, he was an undercover Texas Ranger on the trail of the vicious outlaw gang responsible for a string of stagecoach robberies.

Fate threw Julia Courtland and Grant Stafford together on a cold February day in West Texas, but it also threw deadly obstacles in their path. A runaway team, a terrible crash, and bullets flying through the air threaten to steal not only their lives but also any chance they have for happiness. If they're going to survive, they will have to learn to trust each other...and maybe steal their hearts back from fate.

Found Hearts by Cheryl Pierson

Southern belle Evie Fremont has lost everything — except hope. When she answers an advertisement for marriage to Alex Cameron who lives in the wilds of Indian Territory, she has few illusions that he could be a man she might fall in love with — especially as his secrets begin to unfold.

Ex-Confederate soldier Alex Cameron needs a mother for his two young half-Cherokee sons more than he needs a wife — or so he tells himself. But when his past threatens his future on his wedding day, he and Evie are both forced to acknowledge their new love has come to stay — along with their Found Hearts.

Open Hearts by Tanya Hanson

To honor her brother’s last request, Barbara Audiss takes on his identity. Letting loose her secret will land get her arrested. But keeping it prevents her from giving her heart to handsome sheriff Keith Rakestraw.

Furious at “Judge Audiss’s” latest verdict, Keith discovers she’s a fake and consequences seem easy: toss her in jail. Instead, he finds himself eager to give her his heart.

Hollow Heart by Sarah J. McNeal

Madeline Andrews is a grown up orphan. Sam Wilding made her feel part of his life, his family and swore he’d come home to her when the war ended, but he didn’t return. With the Valentine’s Ball just days away, the Wildings encourage Madeline to move forward with her life and open her heart to the possibilities. But Madeline is lost in old love letters and can’t seem to let go.

A Flare of the Heart by Jacquie Rogers

Celia Valentine Yancey has no illusions she’ll ever enjoy wedded bliss, so chooses marriage over spinsterhood even if she has to marry a man her father picked. On the way to meet her groom, she endures armed robbery, a stagecoach wreck, a dozen hungry baby pigs — and an incorrigible farmer. 

Ross Flaherty retired from bounty hunting to become a farmer but now Celia has brought his worst fear to his door — in more ways than one. A ferocious wolf-dog and a dozen piglets are no match for this determined lady. 

Which is more dangerous — the Sully Gang or Miss Celia Yancey?

Coming Home by Tracy Garrett

Sometimes it takes two to make dreams come true.

When a man who believes he’ll never have a home and family…

Former U.S. Marshal Jericho Hawken should have been shepherding a wagon train to new territory, but he unwillingly left them vulnerable to a vicious raider. The murder of the settlers he was supposed to be guarding is the hardest thing he’s ever had to face…until he meets the sister of one of the settlers.

…finds a woman who has lost everything…

Instead of a joyous reunion with her brother, Maryland Henry has come to River’s Bend to take responsibility for her three orphaned nieces. Fired from her teaching position and with no other family on whom to rely, Mary believes Jericho Hawken is responsible for all her woes. Or is he what she’s been searching for all along?

It takes a lot of forgiveness and a few fireworks to realize that together their dreams can come true.

Tumbleweeds and Valentines by Phyliss Miranda

When Amanda Love finds a tumbleweed lodged against her fence with an invitation to a Valentine Day dance stuck to it she thinks someone must be playing a joke. No one would invite her. No one ever had. Besides, she has no time for such things. She has a candy store to run. Curiosity gets the best of her though. Finding her name scrawled on it as bold as can be sends ripples of surprise through her. As she embarks on a quest to find the sender’s identity, she examines herself and the secret dream she harbors of having a husband and children.

Maybe, just maybe, someone had seen the yearning in her heart. But who?

The Second-Best Ranger in Texas by Kathleen Rice Adams

His partner’s grisly death destroyed Texas Ranger Quinn Barclay. Cashiered for drunkenness and refusal to follow orders, he sets out to fulfill his partner’s dying request, armed only with a saloon girl’s name.

Sister María Tomás thought she wanted to become a nun, but five years as a postulant have convinced her childhood dreams aren’t always meant to be. At last ready to relinquish the temporary vows she never should have made, she begs the only man she trusts to collect her from a mission in the middle of nowhere.

When the ex-Ranger’s quest collides with the ex-nun’s plea in a burned-out border town, unexpected love blooms among shared memories of the dead man who was a brother to them both.

Too bad he was also the only man who could have warned them about the carnage to come.

♥ Hearts and Spurs ♥

Kindle | BN.com | Smashwords | Print