Release Day! Bride, Texas

The Unlucky Bride!!!

What happens when seven authors get together and write a series about a town started by a jilted Bride. Come to Bride, Texas, where love cures broken hearts.

Flood waters and broken hearts…two jilted ex-lovers trapped in Bride, Texas

Laney Baxter’s ironic escape to Bride, Texas couldn’t be more fitting - considering she is a runaway bride! Unfortunately, her plans to hide out have her jumping from the frying pan into the fire when she discovers she is trapped with the one man who broke her heart years ago - Chase Hamilton! Now, she can only hope the rising waters recede just as fast before Chase uncovers the mystery of their past.

Chase returns to Bride, Texas to nurse a broken heart and re-evaluate his life. The family home along the river was supposed to offer him peace and quiet, not the last woman he ever expected to see again. When the river rises, trapping them together, Chase questions whether his heart was really broken or just his ego bruised.

Laney and Chase are forced to face some startling revelations - including the feelings they still have for each other. Can the two work through their tangled emotions before the river recedes, or will long hidden secrets tear them apart?

Available Everywhere! Click here!

Yes, I'm Older, But I'm Not Dead Yet!!

This year when I attended the Romance Writers of America conference, I realized I have been attending these since 1991. Yes, for twenty six years I’ve been a member of RWA and attended their conference at least twenty times if not more in my lifetime.

But this time, when I looked at some of the same people who have attended year after year, I noticed how we are all aging. The only time I really feel old is when the body aches in a new joint or I’m short of breath or I can’t keep up. The rest of the time, I feel just like I did when I was sixteen. Hopefully a lot smarter than I was then, but the same age. 

That’s not to say that I don’t see the wrinkles around the eyes, the ones forming over my lip or that the girls don’t stand as high as they once were. But let’s face it, I’m not as young either. So that brings me to this month's post. 

Ten Things Not To Say to an Older Person

Emotions or What's Love Got To Do With It?

I love reality television and watch it because I enjoy seeing how normal people interact in front of a camera. Some people think it’s scripted - I don’t. But I do believe that all reality TV producers want people on there show that will create drama. I’m amazed at what people reveal about themselves in front of a camera. Just like in fiction…you can’t make this stuff up.

 An example - on Bachelor in Paradise - we have Ashley the cryer. (She promised that this season she would limit her crying to three times. She cried that much in the first hour over a man she loves, but he just wants to be friends. Move on Ashley!) We had Chad, who I can say went home the first night for reasons that are better left unsaid. On Couples Therapy… I see divorce in most of the couple's future. On Millionaire Matchmaker they had a man who had over three hundred plastic surgeries trying to make himself attractive. Scary!

So last week we were watching Millionaire Matchmaker. She had a woman on who didn’t show emotion. She had her own company and thought if she showed her emotions, then she appeared weak. Instead, she appeared cold. She refused to be vulnerable with anyone. 

Which got me to thinking. Why as women are we perceived to be weak when we show our emotions? Being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. We’re human.

Aliens and Witches, Oh My!

With over thirty books under my belt, I struggle to find plots that are new and different. There are only twenty plots in the world and I’ve probably written every one of them. As an author you have to start looking outside the box for ways to keep the writing fresh and interesting to not only your readers, but yourself. 

A close friend of mine, who writes science fiction and is very successful, was asked by Amazon to invite other authors to write in her world. I don’t have a science fiction following, but she asked me if I would be interested and I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to write about funny witches and then I threw in an alien. Yes, this western historical/contemporary author was stepping out of her well worn box and writing about stuff she has very little knowledge of. Space…that final frontier. 

What came out is a book that I absolutely love. I agreed to write this short novella in January and then in February, my life sort of fell apart. My loving, funny, 84 year old father became ill and I spent a lot of time with him and my mother until he eventually passed away. 

This book, which is supposed to be humorous was written in the hospital, while I sat with my father. If it had been typed on paper, there would have been places stained by tear drops. In the end, it’s become one of my favorite stories simply because I know the emotional place I was at while writing this story. And yes, it did come out funny - not sad. But the story also reflects the importance of family, no matter what planet you’re from.

Is Black Friday Out of Control?

It’s November, and already the black Friday buildup has begun.  Amazon is advertising Countdown to Black Friday deals. I signed up for an ad from Book Blast for their Holiday advertising. Put your tennis shoes on and be prepared for the holiday races to begin. 

Our family is small, and we have to travel to San Angelo to spend Thanksgiving with my parents who live about thirty miles out of town. There are main roads into town, but at night or early in the morning you have to watch for deer. In the past, on two separate occasions, my parents have hit deer crossing the road at night, which does considerable damage to your car. When we drive out to their place, my husband, and I are always watching for those rascally deer who run right in front of you. Once we’re there for Thanksgiving, we usually don’t go anywhere in town until it’s daylight.

Plus, I find it very hard to get up at three in the morning and go shopping just so that I can get some great deals. I’m snuggled up under the covers, dreaming of Ryan Gosling and how I can persuade him to appear on my next book cover. But a lot of people enjoy this early morning shopping spree. I know women who pour over the sales ads and plan their shopping excursion.