Good morning!

WELCOME TO PIT STOP NUMBER ONE!

LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG TOUR

March 6, 2013

On day one of the LOVE TO THE RESCUE BLOG   TOUR, I mentioned that the original title for the book was Red Rover. I promised to relate the story about the change, and I’ll do that today. But first, a little insight into Rover and his personality.

Rover is a very good dog, and Amy’s nickname for him is Big Guy. Most readers fall in love with him.  Of course, like all dogs, the big guy tests his new owner. 

The morning after Rover is adopted, my heroine wakes up to discover him sleeping on the bed with her despite the fact he was snuggled up in his own bed on the floor when she fell asleep the night before.  Amy and Rover have a discussion about bed ownership and he remains in his own bed after that.  Also, Rover enjoys an encounter with a feather pillow later in the story, and I’m certain you can imagine what happens there! Like most rescued pets, Rover settles into his new forever home quite well considering the abuse and neglect he’d experienced prior to being adopted.

At the end of the book, the reader learns about Rover’s past owners and how the dog came up for adoption. The poor guy survived quite the ordeal, but he has found a wonderful home with Amy.

I’m actually allergic to dogs that shed like Rover. That’s one reason why I have always owned small non-shedding dogs like Kelly and Beau and Candy. But I love Irish setters and their beautiful red coats.

As I’ve mentioned, the original title for the book was Red Rover because of the dog’s coloring and his name. Remember the kid’s playground game? Who doesn’t remember playing Red Rover as a kid?

But, I required a tagline (the description that runs across the top of the cover). I asked for help with this little problem at one of my writer group meetings and several suggestions were put forth. None of them seemed right. And then Love to the rescue… was suggested, and everyone in the room, including me, knew we had a winner.

Hi! I’m looking forward to the Love To The Rescue Blog Tour from March 4th to March 15th. I’ll be discussing the book, the characters, and several topics or themes relating to the story. Check below for details and for a list of sites and dates where you’ll find me.

Click Here for Tour Details!

 Drop by and leave a comment to win one of TEN ecopies of When Dreams Collide, the sequel to A Bandit Creek Miracle.

See you there!

Happy Family Day, Everyone!

The sun isn’t shining, but it’s not snowing. Hope you have a wonderful day!

And Happy President’s Day to all my neighbors to the south!

Keep reading, please. This isn’t going where you might think.

My favorite ‘F’ word without a doubt is Family. In fact, family is a recurring theme in most of my writing. But running a close second is the word Friendship. I love the concept of Friendship – people we welcome into our lives because we want them there. Unlike family members whom we might absolutely adore or barely tolerate, sharing time with friends is our choice. People we share common interests with – work, children, pets, exercise, sports or hobbies. Good times and bad. There’s nothing as wonderful as a good friend.

Over the years, I’ve met some wonderful women, and I’ve enjoyed some great friendships. But three women in particular shared an astounding experience with me a few years ago.

January 12, 2013

Firstly, thank you to my writing pal and fellow CaRWA http://www.calgaryrwa.com member, Victoria Chatham – http://victoriachathamauthor.wordpress.com -for inviting me to participate in this blog hop.  I’m on Facebook and on Twitter, but I’ve been remiss in blogging in the latter part of 2012. One of my 2013 goals was to increase the frequency of my blog posts in the New Year.  No time like the present.

What is the working title of your book?

In 2012, I published several books in the contemporary romance genre.  I’m changing genres in 2013 and currently working on revisions to Book One of my historical western Spirit Creek Series, No More.

Where did the idea come from?

I’ve been an avid reader of historical American west romance for years. The genre is my first love and my writing mentors always said ‘write what you know’.  I suppose write what you enjoy qualifies, too. The plot just popped into my head one day.

http://t.co/IH0Faqny

For as long as Jack can remember he’d been a resident of Bandit Creek. For almost two hundred years he’s been roaming the streets, alone, drinking to forget about his damned life. Cursed by a demon, he can’t die, although he’s tried many times.  The only thing that can release him from this wretched existence is to find the gold he stole all those years ago and return it to those who died in the flood. Only problem is…with his mind so ruined he can’t remember where he buried it.

His salvation comes with Kristen Morgan’s arrival. The infamous psychic and the sheriff’s daughter can help him. There’s only one other person who knows where the gold is…his long dead partner Colton. And Kristen’s seen him in her dreams.

*

This is the final book in the Bandit Creek Series.  Kinda sad, isn’t it? But we finally learn about Jack! 

December 31st…the last day of 2012.  And what a year it has been for me!

My main resolution for 2012 was to become a published author. Thanks in huge part to encouragement, support and friendship from my writing pals from CaRWA (the Calgary chapter of Romance Writers of America), I achieved this goal on March 17th (fitting for a gal of Irish heritage) with the release of War Bride on Amazon http://amzn.to/VyXsTK . My story, Lucy’s April Fools http://amzn.to/LEqTlD, followed in the Bandit Creek anthology, Fool’s Gold released on April 1st. My Bandit Creek story, A Bandit Creek Miracle http://amzn.to/KgZu6U , was released on May 15th as part of the wonderful Bandit Creek Books Series. Being a member of the Bandit Creek Book Series taught me so much about Indie publishing and all that it entails, and I’ll be forever thankful that I was included in that wonderful project. As a result of this experience, four more of my contemporary novels were released in 2012. I’m especially proud of Love To The Rescue http://amzn.to/Si97FR, of which I’m sharing half of my royalties with Humane Society shelters. No stopping me now.

What’s on the agenda for 2013? More writing, more book releases. I’m currently working on a couple of contemporary stories that weren’t completed in time for a 2012 release. I’ll publish them on Amazon sometime next year. But the truly exciting, upcoming project is my Spirit Creek Series. Yep, I’m concentrating on historical American west romance (my first love) in the New Year.

The Spirit Creek Series is set in the fictional Montana town of Spirit Creek, located a few miles south of Miles City in the south-east part of the state.  Book One, NO MORE, takes place in 1889, the year Montana received its statehood. The story centers on the sheriff’s widow left destitute by her late husband’s lies and deceptions. Book Two, NO TIME, continues the series with the story of the newly-elected sheriff’s fiancée. Book Three, NO CHANCE, tells the tale of the bank manager’s daughter, a finishing school graduate and female piranha who is out to find herself a suitable husband. More storylines for Spirit Creek books are simmering on the back burner of my mind, including NO TIES about the new schoolmarm in town. Seems the local male population keeps marrying the school teachers and finding replacements has become a full-time job for the school committee chairman. There’s no telling who he might unwittingly hire.

2013 is looking promising for me, and I hope you’re making plans and resolutions and setting goals for yourself, too.  You can accomplish anything you set your mind to if you’re willing to work hard, learn all you can about it, and then fearlessly jump in with both feet. Worked for me. 🙂

Happy Reading and Happy New Year, Everyone!