Cheryl Pierson: Time Plains Drifter

Wecome, Cheryl Pierson!  We're featuring your July 15th release, Time Plains Drifter.  Thank you for joining Romancing The West.

Buy links: Amazon * Smashwords * Lulu

RTW: We want to get the lowdown on your new book. In 100 words or fewer, tell us about Time Plains Drifter.

CP: Trapped in Indian Territory of 1895 by a quirk of nature, high school teacher Jenni Dalton must find a way to get her seven students back to 2010.  Handsome U.S. Marshal Rafe d’Angelico seems like the answer to her prayers; he is, after all, an angel.  In a race against time and evil, Rafe has one chance to save Jenni’s life and her soul from The Dark One—but can their love survive?

Contest!!!

If you would like to win a pdf. copy of Time Plains Drifter it's easy!  Just leave a comment on one of Cheryl's posts this week, and your name will be entered in the drawing!

RTW: Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable!  First question: what aspect of life in the Old West intrigues you the most?  Did you work that into Time Plains Drifter?

CP: Probably the way that everyone had to know how to do so many things for themselves.  There was a super high level of self-reliance then, but yet, communities pulled together to help one another.  I think that would have been a very rewarding time to have lived. Rafe is a US Marshal in Indian Territory, so he is extremely self-reliant, but yet he feels at a loss around Jenni, who is from the future.

RTW: If you lived in the Old West, what modern convenience would you miss the most?

CP: Probably indoor toilets. I am a big chicken, and I know this because my great aunt and uncle had an outhouse that we used when we'd go to visit them.  What an experience!

RTW: Are there any common errors in western historical romances that bug you?  If so, please set us straight.

CP: I would have to say the poor research about common things such as electricity being in common use before it actually was, jeans being worn before they were manufactured, and guns being used that were not manufactured yet (such as repeating rifles, etc.) as well as medical treatments and medicines that weren't in use commonly.

RTW: Why is Rafe the perfect hero for Jenni?

CP: Rafe is perfect for Jenni because he is unsure at this point in his life.  You see, Rafe was murdered sixteen years earlier along with his brother, Cris, also a Marshal.  He's a novice angel, sent to help Jenni and her students who have been flung backward in time by the passage of a comet near earth that rearranged the bands of time.  Only, he doesn't WANT to help, and he certainly doesn't want to be an angel.  He is very attracted to Jenni, but realizes that he might have little or no time to see that attraction come to fruition, in his condition. 

Jenni, being a modern woman, is more open to oddities than she might have been had she been a woman from his own time, 1895.  She had never believed in time travel until it happened to her.  So her mind is open to other things that are happening in the coming battle between good and evil and the part she is going to have to play. They are equally matched in their love for one another, and their acceptance of the strange happenings that are going on in their lives.

RTW: Set us up for your excerpt, please:

CP: In this excerpt, Rafe has prepared himself to be honest with Jenni and tell her who and what he is, fully expecting her to reject him. But she surprises him with her understanding and acceptance, and he realizes he's fallen a lot harder than he ever intended.

Excerpt from Time Plains Drifter:

He closed his eyes, letting the pleasurable feel of her wet mouth on his body wash over him, along with her voice. “Some things never change,”she’d said earlier. Her Oklahoma accent was a slow waltz to his mind, its lilting cadence urging him to accept what they had between them. Still, he couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t ever be dishonest with her, of all people.

“Don’t you want to know—”

She stopped him, placing two cool fingers across his lips, smiling at the tickle of his moustache against her skin. The smile faded as she absorbed the worry in his expression, the smoldering fire in his eyes, and made it her own.

“Not now, I don’t. You asked me—earlier—if I felt it. Whatever it is between us. I do.” Debating with herself, she hesitated a moment before coming to a decision. “I want you, Rafe,” she murmured. “I trust you.” She nuzzled his neck.“It doesn’t matter now, who—or what—you are.”

His hand closed in a fist around the shimmering satin of her copper hair, his chest filling with a sweet peace at her quiet words.

Dead...alive...Mexican...American...man...ghost...angel...

His mind churned as Jenni kissed him once again. Accepting him, for whoever he might be. She loved him. She hadn’t said it yet, but he knew it by the gentle way her lips grazed across his, then claimed his mouth completely, as if that was the only way she had to let him know how she felt. They breathed together, as one.

He answered her wordlessly, his tongue going into her mouth, fingers splaying and tightening against her scalp as he pulled her to him.

She came across his bare chest, the stiffness of the material of her own blouse gliding with gentle abrasion across his nipples. He groaned in pleasure and felt her smile against his mouth. She made the move again as she lifted her lips from his, emerald eyes sparkling into his searing gaze.

“We’ll talk later,” she assured him.

“It’ll be too late to change your mind about me then,” he said, half-jokingly.

“I won’t change my mind, Rafe.”

The sweet sincerity in her voice and the promise in her eyes reassured him. He pulled her down silently.

As their mouths melded once more, he rolled, taking her with him, changing their positions so he lay atop her.

She gasped, yielding to him, her cool palms sliding over the fevered heat of his skin, across his chest and shoulders. He began to unbutton her blouse as he kissed her, his fingers moving deftly. He pushed away the first layer of material with his customary impatience, then started on the stays of her corset.

She twisted beneath him at the loosening of the undergarment. He pulled her upright momentarily, whisking blouse and corset over her head, dropping them in a heap on the floor.

In silent invitation, Jenni lifted her hand to him. She touched his side, and he flinched slightly as her fingers lingered over the very place the Bowie had gone into him earlier that day. Even though a red scar marked the spot, there was no pain for him, and he saw no puzzlement in her eyes...only concern.

“Does it hurt?”

It was as he had suspected. She’d seen what had happened, how bad it should have been...but wasn’t. And she had accepted it, unconditionally. They would talk later, as she’d said, but somehow, he felt he would find the words he needed to explain things to her. He shook his head slightly. “No.”

***

RTW: What are you cooking up for us next?

CP: Right now, I have three things in the works. One is a contemporary romantic suspense involving a drug cartel and two DEA undercover agents, both of whom unknowingly have a connection to the heroine-- and boy, are they in a world of danger!<G> It's called Of Dreams Forgotten.

The second thing I am working on is another western historical romance, Gabriel's Law. Brandon Gabriel is a half-Comanche gunfighter who is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Allie Taylor, from the orphanage where they both spent several years. They're adults now, in an adult world--she's a white woman, and he's half Indian, but they are still in love. Can they find happiness together in the rough western area of Indian Territory? No matter what, Allie is determined to push forward with her dream of providing a working cattle ranch for orphaned boys to live on--whether Brandon stays or goes.

And last but not least is a western short story called The Kindness of Strangers that will be included in an anthology with a slew of other western writers with names a whole lot bigger than mine, so I'm thrilled about that.  It'll be released in July sometime, too.

RTW: Anything else you’d like to add?

When Time Plains Drifter was released briefly in 2009, here's what Romantic Times Magazine had to say about it with their 4.5 star rating:

“Pierson's fresh, well-crafted novel pits some unlikely heroes against evil incarnate. The characters are vibrant and tell a story of courage in difficult circumstances. An open thread invites a sequel.”   ~~Romantic Times Magazine~~ 4.5 Stars

Time Plains Drifter also garnered me honorable mention in the Best New Paranormal Author in the 2010 P.E.A.R.L. AWARDS. I'm so glad that it's being re-released with Western Trail Blazer, and am looking forward to seeing it "out there" again.

Thanks for stopping by, Cheryl!  We'll be looking forward to your article on Thursday.

Contest: Cheryl is giving away a free .pdf of Time Plains Drifter.  All you have to do is comment this week, either on this post or on her article, and you'll be eligible to win!  Cheryl will pick a commenter, and the winner will be announced Sunday evening.  Don't miss out on your chance to score a free book!  And you know it's gonna be a great read.

To learn more about Cheryl, check out her Amazon Author Page.

Free Book!

To win a pdf copy of Time Plains Drifter, leave a comment!  Drawing will be held 10pm Pacific Time August 6th.  Cheryl will be posting a couple more times this week so comment on all of them for more chances!  Don't forget to leave your email address so we can contact you.

RTW Faithful Follower Award:

Desiree Laurant

Congratulations, Desieree!  Send your email address to jacquierogers@gmail.com to receive your $25 Amazon Gift Certificate!