Romancing the West blog hop

Welcome To The Romancing The West Blog Tour

Why do we enjoy writing and reading about the West? What is it about cowboys that is just plain irresistible? Over thirty authors and bloggers tackle these and other questions by explaining why we love Romancing the West.

But that’s not all, as you enjoy some awesome blogs and find fantastic books, for every post you comment on with your email address, you will be entered for some amazing prizes.

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***

Grand Prize

A swag pack which includes books (both ebooks and paper), Amazon gift card, custom made butterfly jewelry, book cards, magnets and much more all tucked away in a keepsake box. (Available to US residents only. Winner will be announced on February 26 at 10 PM EST)

My Giveaway

An ebook of A Midwest Summer Night’s Dream, released by BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/a-midwest-summer-nights-dream

I’d love for you to check out the Casting Call, and more at:

http://catemasters.blogspot.com/2011/04/midwest-summer-nights-dream-western.html

Here’s the blurb:

Open sky, Shakespeare, solitude. All Jebediah Greene needs. Alone since his teens, he’s never known loneliness, until he leaves Winona Young in California. Worse, he fears she’ll trap herself in a loveless marriage of convenience. After acting as her guide to San Francisco, how far will Jeb go to win her heart?

Reading provides escape for Winona Young. Usually. Fleeing Philadelphia, she learns her distant suitor isn’t who he seemed. Neither is her mountain man guide, in a good way. Intelligent, but mule-headed, Jeb’s impossible to speak to, in any language. Winona falls in love with the stunning beauty of the wilderness, with the simple ways of the Osage people, and with Jeb. But books can’t teach her how to tame a mountain man.

Excerpt

Curses flew through Jeb’s head all day, but he cut them off before they reached his tongue. Stubborn woman. She’d cornered him like a fox in a hen house. Her chances were slim, but not impossible.

The mere thought of riding beside her, wind rifling through her hair… Oh, what a pickle. He sure could use the cash, but the strain of avoiding her might do him in. He’d have to ride upwind so as not to catch her lilac scent, or the constant erection hitting the saddle might kill him.

When she approached him that night as he relaxed on the porch swing, her sheepish expression said it all. “No luck?”

“Not yet. But I’ll find one soon. When I do, will you be my guide?”

Time to try a different tack. “What makes you think I’m trustworthy? I might be the kind of man who takes advantage of a lady in such a situation.”

“You are trustworthy. Mrs. Wilson said so. I have implicit faith in her good opinion of you.”

Why had he introduced the two women? Dealing with a single woman didn’t present a problem, not usually, but get two or more together, and damned if trouble didn’t brew in the kitchen right along with the coffee.

At his silence, she folded her arms, and stole glances at him. Never a good sign. He could see the spokes of her brain working behind those dark eyes.

“Perhaps you don’t have the gumption necessary for such an assignment.” She tilted her head, exposing her gracefully arched neck.

His mouth watered, longing to taste it. A laugh burst from him. “Gumption?” He scratched his chin. “Or perhaps my foresight is keener than yours, Miss Young. Do you have any idea what such a trip entails?”

“If you’re worried I can’t keep up with you—”

“You can’t keep up, you can’t pitch in. You can’t even cook, can you?”

She glanced away. “Well, I—”

“If I shoot a rabbit for dinner, how would you prepare it?”

She winced. “A rabbit?”

“A saddle can get mighty uncomfortable after an hour. What would you do after three hours? Or five?” The image of her rubbing her sore rear stirred him. Mighty tempting to offer to rub it for her. His voice cracked as he said, “If you want to be in San Francisco sooner than the coach, we’d have to make good time. Six, seven, maybe eight hours’ riding every day. And if we get caught in a storm, or held up somehow, we’d have to make up the time.”

Her jaw set hard, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“I’m sorry, Miss Young. You are not cut out for that kind of hardship.” Nor was he built to resist such temptation, the kind that carried a long-term sentence. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy carrying it out; yes, just thinking of sharing a bedroll with her heated his insides and turned his brain to mush. Another strike against such a trip; he might lead them in circles, staring at her rather than the path ahead.

She stepped closer, her eyes ablaze. “You think I don’t know hardship? You’re wrong, Mr. Greene. No, not the kind you face in your travels. I would think those hardships would be easier to bear than…” She looked away with glazed eyes. “Forgive me.”

Her sudden fury gave him pause, and aroused his curiosity. She had mettle in her bones, a steel reserve of strength in her sinewy frame. He had no doubt she’d experienced something terrible, terrible enough to make her leave her home. Her stubbornness might fade in the face of the long trail.

“I mean no disrespect.”

“Your kind never do.”

“Ma’am, believe it or not, I am not ignorant of the rules of civilization. I am well able to prevent myself from committing social blunders.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be unkind. My nerves have been on edge since we left Philadelphia. A woman traveling alone can’t take too many precautions.”

“I don’t expect you’d encounter many willing to take up the challenge of threatening you, ma’am.” He regretted his words when he saw how she flinched under their sting. He wished her no harm, but everything she said provoked him in some way.

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Lorrie Unites-Struiff Spills the Beans today!

Hi Lorrie! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book.

I’m also glad to be here, Cate. *looks around*  Sweet blog!

Thanks! Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

I’ll have a cup of tea please. Two sugars.

A woman after my own heart. Fur or feathers, petwise?

Ahh, neither.  But I do take care of my friend’s cockatoo when she is away. Does that count?

Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits?

Ooooh, I have so many pet peeves, it’s hard to pick out one. Let me think. Hmm.

It really bugs me when I’m in the middle of writing a scene, I’m really into it, it’s flowing so nice, my fingers are flying across the keyboard—then the telephone rings. I have to answer because it may be family or an important call. Arrrrrgh!  That sure has a way of breaking the moment.

Argh, I agree! Favorite quote?

“Never argue with an idiot.” That’s a personal one I tell myself every time people argue and don’t know what they are talking about. Instance: when someone says to me, “Ah, anyone can write a book, self pub, and make lots of money.” Uh, huh, sure they can, but let them try it. Lol.

Lol, exactly. :) What’s your ideal day like?

Oh, to have an ideal day. I wish I had one.

Get out of bed, have my two cups of hot tea. Straighten the house, then hit the computer. Stop for breakfast at noon (yes, I can’t eat breakfast in the mornings) take a little break, then back to the computer. Stop to make dinner and hope my eyes stop burning. A very long break here. Back to the computer to finish up little things, like finish writing a blog article, trying to learn how to manage my blog and maybe answer the new emails. With eyes burning again after an hour, I’d get off and snuggle in my tilt back chair and watch TV, snack, and clear my mind for a few hours, try to relax, then bed.

Now that is an ideal day for me. But, do they happen? Sure!  Maybe once every two or three weeks. Like all  author’s, there is real life to contend with.

Too true. If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do?

Be younger and travel to distant lands.

Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what type of music makes you rock out)?

All of the above, and let’s not forget the oldies. I have a weird love of music. My mother used to get so angry with me. From my tapes converted to CD’s now, I’ll listen to one by Tears for Fears, the very next one on the same CD may be Chopin, then Smoky Robinson, then an old one by Hank Williams Sr. Then Foreigner, REM, then Mozart, etc. Hey, you asked. Lol.

Like my writing, I’m all over the place with genres. From horror to romance and all in between.

We have the same musical tastes too. :) Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book?

Nope. If I have music on, I would listen to it instead of write. Yep, weird.

Not at all! I'm the same there too. Which of your characters would you most/least to hang out with, and why?

Most would be Beggar, the ringtail monkey from A Heap of Trouble. He’s so funny.

Least would be Morgan’s husband from my short story Wild Blackberries. I don’t like him at all.

Beggar's a cutie! And I agree about Morgan *shudders* 

While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?

That is was harder than I thought. You authors made it look so easy. Wow, did I have a lot to learn. And learn I did. I’m still learning as we all do with every story we write. We actually slave over the stories, so many rewrites until you have almost memorize every line you wrote. And it takes a long time to produce one story. At least it does for me.

Where can readers find out more about you?

My still learning to work blog at http://lorriejuly.blogspot.com/

I’m on Facebook, look for my page, and try punching my name in on Amazon to see what I have available. I have some nice reviews there for you to read.

Please share a book blurb and/or excerpt.

Blurb

Sheriff Cole Walker is fearless, except when it comes to critters. When a runaway ringtail monkey decides to adopt Cole and won’t leave, he has more woes than he can handle.

Cole has a powerful yen for the newly arrived Mattie Wells, the pretty woman who can jingle his spurs with just a smile. Mattie takes a shine to men who have pets, and she adores the monkey. So do all the town’s folk – until their smaller valuables start coming up missing. But Cole has no choice but to put up with the thieving furball if he’s going to win Mattie’s heart.

But Mattie is holding a dark secret and refuses to get married. Cole tries every which way to make her see that she’s the only woman he wants, but with cattle rustlers and a miniature thief on the loose, it’s all Cole can do to find time to take her to a picnic.

Cole and his deputies, Wade and Sully, are given a month to find the thieves before Mayor Farley calls for outside gunslingers. Cole knows that’ll spell disaster for the town and likely unemployment for him. Can he overcome Mattie’s fears, bring the rustlers in, and teach his new unwanted furball sidekick a lesson about property rights before the town implodes?

With the help of his deputies and his unwanted sidekick Beggar, Cole must find a way to win Mattie’s heart, bring the rustlers to justice, and bring peace once again to Cold Creek, Kansas.

Yep. Cole has a heap of trouble on his hands.

Available on MuseItUp at http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=367&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

And on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/A-Heap-of-Trouble-ebook/dp/B0099VXLLG/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348235799&sr=1-4&keywords=lorrie+unites-struiff

Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, PA, thirty minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. She lives at home with her favorite toy—a computer.

Once a gold medalist teacher/manager for a big-name ballroom dance studio she has retired and now enjoys the quiet life of writing and watching TV. But she loves to have lunches with local writers to keep abreast of the challenging world of publishing.

Lorrie writes in many genres so you never know what she will come out with next. She never wants to bore her readers and enjoys the thrill of entertaining them by writing a good story.

She would love to hear from her readers at struiff@msn.com. Please put “reader” in the subject line.

Thank you for choosing this book.

Thanks for spilling the beans today, Lorrie!

I hope I didn’t spill too many. :)

SSS: Jeb's bath

Hey Sixers! Welcome back. Hope you had a great week!

Here's another look at my Western historical, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. Jeb uses the same bath water Winona used earlier, and it has a strong effect:

I bear a charmed life – no one said it better than Shakespeare, and Jeb could live no other way. Open skies and plenty of space suited his needs, with a borrowed book now and then to help chase away loneliness, but what tomes did Miss Young have stashed in her trunk?

The flash of an image through his mind stole his breath. Miss Young—Winona—dipping her hand into this water, letting it run along the skin of her arm, mass of chestnut waves pinned atop her head, long legs leaning against the tub sides, her curving bottom in the self-same spot his now sat. The vision hardened him with uncommon force, and he slid under the water, let the scented water cover him. Better to drown in a porcelain tub than in his own foolishness.

Ah, I love a well-read guy, don't you? :)

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to check out the other Six Sentence Sunday authors. Something there for everyone.

SSS: First peek at A Midwest Summer Night's Dream

Hey, Sixers! I'm switching it up this week to a first look at my Western historical with a Shakespearean twist, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream. Here's the opening six:

Strange how fast civilization fell away. Faster with each stop, it seemed to Winona Young. No sooner had the Overland Stagecoach departed the last town—its name meant nothing to her—than plains stretched out, framed by the rectangular coach window like a moving painting. So beautiful, even in its emptiness. Like a clean slate.

Exactly what she needed.

 Thanks so much for visiting, and especially for your comments! You guys are great. :)

Check out all the fantastic participants at Six Sentence Sunday. Have a great week!

Story Elements: A Midwest Summer Night's Dream

The heroes of the Old West always intrigued me, probably because I'd grown up with TV shows like Bonanza, The Rifleman, The Virginian and The Lone Ranger, all rugged men who survived hardships with stoic grace, but who never hesitated to help others whenever needed.

While I never base characters on anyone I know, I do sometimes borrow names for some of my heroes and heroines. My sister Annette's a genealogist, and traced our family history back to a French Canadian fur trapper named Peter LeVert. The Anglicized version of LeVert is Green, and my paternal grandmother's name was Nettie Green. So my hero became Jebediah Greene.

The imprints of the Native Americans who lived on the Eastern coast also influenced me while growing up. Their names were everywhere. The road I grew up on was an Indian name, I believe from the Lenne Lenape tribe though I'm not certain. This story begins in Tipton, Missouri, a major stop for stage coaches.

Several Native American tribes made their homes in Missouri, but for this story, I chose the Osage. The women of the tribe took care of the farming, the men hunted and sometimes fought to protect their people. Men and women alike were storytellers, artists, musicians and healers. Osage artists were famous for their wood carving and beadwork. They seemed like the type of tribe I would fall in love with, so I let my heroine, Winona, fall in love with their ways too. She'd never been particularly fond of domestic chores in Philadelphia, but the camaraderie of the Osage changed all that.

I'd read about the mountain man Jim Bridger who made his living as a hunter, trapper, trader and guide. He was also an illiterate who loved books and hired others to read to him. In this way, he memorized passages from Shakespeare and recited them along the trail.


Shakespeare's provided inspiration to countless writers, too. One of my favorite movie versions of Shakespeare (besides the Franco Zefferelli production of Romeo and Juliet) is A Midsummer Night's Dream with Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, and others.





While my story's not a fantasy, both the hero and heroine love this Shakespeare play and make reference to it.

On a side note, I found this Beatles rarity while looking for the movie above. Enjoy!

Visiting Natalie Owens today

I hope you'll pop over and visit with us, too! I have a bit of spring fever, and am sharing a little background about this month's release from BookStrand, my historical Western, A Midwest Summer Night's Dream.

And I have a fun giveaway to celebrate spring, too, so come on over!