You Can Take the Girl Out of Texas, but...

You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the girl!

Yep, I was born and raised in the great state of Texas and proud of it. Lived there (except for seven short months in 1976) from birth until 2011. Then, after living in Houston for 13 years, my husband and I decided we’d had enough of the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes—not to mention a couple of hurricane scares. So we packed up and moved to Tulsa, where friends living there said we’d enjoy the “milder” climate.

Fast-forward five more years, and we were ready to leave Oklahoma’s “mild” ice storms, tornado threats, and 110-degree summers behind! By then, one of our daughters was living in North Carolina, and the other daughter thought her husband might also be transferred there (it didn’t happen). Still, with the possibility of living near all the grandchildren, we relocated once more.

For the record, North Carolina is by far the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived. And yes, the climate really is mild, with four seasons but comparatively few weather extremes, at least in the six years we’ve been here. We have good friends, a church we love, and at least one half of the grandkid generation to enjoy. (When they’re in town, anyway. Another long story—this daughter and her family are dedicated to mission work, and they just left on another lengthy overseas assignment.)

But Texas . . . ah, Texas. Nowhere else can you find those amazing fields awash in bluebonnets every spring. Nowhere else can you find authentic Tex-Mex or real Texas-style barbecued brisket. Besides the longtime friends and extended family we left behind in the Lone Star State, those are the things we miss most.

Texas is definitely a state of contrasts—the lush farmland of the Rio Grande Valley (where I grew up), the piney woods of East Texas, the high desert beauty of Big Bend Country, the flatlands of the Panhandle that seem to go on forever, and—one of my favorite areas—the rugged, rocky Texas Hill Country.

I don’t get back to Texas much anymore, bur I revisit every chance I can through my books, and the latest is Her Hill Country Cowboy, my September release from Love Inspired. With longstanding family ties in the Texas Hill Country, plus fond memories of horseback riding on my brother’s ranch, how could I resist setting my story there? About an hour’s drive northwest of San Antonio, the fictional town of Juniper Bluff is home to Serenity Hills Guest Ranch, a small operation run by (of course) a handsome cowboy.

Naturally, there’s a pretty girl in the story, exactly the right woman to heal this cowboy’s wounded spirit and fill the empty place in the lives of his motherless children. And while she’s falling in love with the cowboy, it isn’t long before this quiet little Texas town starts feeling like home, and all the people there like old friends.

Here I am several years ago in Texas taking my grandson for a horseback ride.

Is there a place where you’ve lived or traveled to that remains dear to your heart, no matter how far away life takes you? What makes it special? Do you return often . . . or wish you could?

Award-winning author Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. Myra is a two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards, winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction, and winner in the Inspirational category of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. Originally from Texas but now residing in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband love the climate and scenery, but they may never get used to the pulled pork Carolinians call “barbecue”! The Johnsons share their home with two very pampered doggies who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They have also inherited the cute little cat (complete with attitude) their daughter and family had to leave behind.

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The Country Girl Writes

Arlene James here to "talk" about how my childhood influenced my work. As a country girl growing up in the 50s and 60s near the small town of Comanche in south central Oklahoma, I rode the bus to and from school. We had neither television nor telephone for much of my childhood, so I grew up reading. Riding the bus gave me lots of time to read. By sixth grade, I had read every book in the elementary and middle school library, except the encyclopedia and dictionary, and I'd delved into both of those extensively. I happily read every textbook in my possession from cover to cover.
I knew early on that I wanted to write. I vividly recall that, one evening around the dinner table, my dad asked each of us three kids what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wasn't quite 10 years old, but I calmly said that I wanted to be a writer.
We were hardworking country kids, living in a tiny house (950 sq. ft.) on a big tract of land. Dad ranched, trained horses, sold real estate, owned an insurance agency that my mom ran, and was a self-taught auctioneer at the local cattle sales barn. I was privileged to grow up around a lot of "rodeo royalty." Neither of my parents had more than a high-school education, but my father firmly believed that his children could do anything to which they set their minds, so he didn't blink an eye when I said that I wanted to write. Instead, he said, "I'm happy to read what you write. Why don't you write something for me?"
Only he read my writings for some time. His usual comment was, "Very good." No further discussion would follow, but then I entered seventh grade, and on the first day of school I heard him tell my English teacher, "She writes better than most adults."
That teacher, God bless her, took him at his words. For a while, I thought she was picking on me because whenever she would assign the class a theme, she would call me to her desk and instruct me to write a short story on a particular subject of her choosing. Then one day, she presented me with a $5.00 check. She had been entering my stories in contests and submitting them to children's magazines. I was abruptly an award-winning published author! Ha!
Our school consisted of about 300 students in all twelve grades, but I'll forever believe that I received an excellent education while I was there. No one ever told this small-town, country girl that she couldn't fulfill her dreams. Rather, they calmly set out to help me do so in whatever ways they could.
When I write about ranching, cowboys, and small-town folk, I'm truly writing about what and who I know. And I'm proud to do so.
I moved to Texas, married, became a mother, was widowed, and married again. After my last child was born, I finally went to college, where a professor pointed me in the direction of romance. I'd never read a romance novel, but I knew immediately that I'd found a home. The very first book sold, and nearly 40 years later, I'm still at it, with almost a hundred books to show for it.
The latest is the third and final book in the Prodigal Ranch series, HER COWBOY BOSS. I know every inch of the fictional town of War Bonnet, where the series is set, and all the surrounding area. I've played in its dusty ravines, attended its churches and schools, driven its red dirt roads in a pickup truck, and ridden the pastures on horseback. I hope you'll come home with me and that you'll enjoy the trip as much as I always do. I've been blessed to see much of this big, beautiful world of ours, but at heart I'll always be a country girl. Who writes.

Up Close and Personal - by Lacy Williams

Lacy Williams here, excited to talk to you about my new release, Her Cowboy Deputy, the next book in the Wyoming Legacy series with Love Inspired Historical.

In this book, sheriff’s deputy Matty White gets caught in a flooded creek (there’s a bad storm!) and injured. He wakes up and finds himself in bed with a broken collarbone and stuck in a small soddy (also known as a dugout). And he’s not alone. Catherine Poole lives on the homestead with her grandfather and helps take care of Matty while he’s injured.

So I had a lot of fun researching this book and imagining Matty stuck in that little one-room house. (Especially because Matty is one of the more sociable of the White brothers!). I know many families lived in this kind of home while they built a more permanent home.

I’ve had a similar experience over the past week as my family has been on vacation. It’s been five of us in one hotel room for the last seven days. At night, I’ve been whacked, kicked, snuggled, and overheated. During the day, my four-year-old starts bouncing off the walls (I can’t imagine doing it during the winter when he’d be stuck inside all the time!).

So Matty and Catherine are stuck in this small dugout together. For weeks. It’s no wonder that they start getting on each others’ nerves—and then forming a friendship. I hope you’ll check out the book!

What about you? Let’s talk today. Do you have vacation memories or other memories about being up close and personal with your family or maybe even friends? Leave a comment!


About Her Cowboy Deputy

Stranded! 

Bear Creek sheriff’s deputy Matt White is used to being the rescuer, not the rescued. But now the hurt lawman’s marooned on Catherine Poole’s remote homestead. The little girl he’d known briefly as a child is all grown up—and tugging at his heart.

Isolated from the world around her, Catherine’s spent her whole life caring for her ailing grandfather. The last thing she needs is a cowboy stranded in her home. Let alone the memories he dredges up of a past she’s tried to put behind her. But can this deputy be her chance to finally move forward and find true happiness?


About the author

Grab one of Lacy’s books free at her website www.lacywilliams.net
USA Today bestselling author Lacy Williams works in a hostile environment (read: three kids age 5 and under). In spite of this, she has somehow managed to be a hybrid author since 2011, publishing 22 books & novellas. Lacy’s books have finaled in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards (2012, 2013, & 2014), the Golden Quill and the Booksellers Best Award. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Novelists Inc.

A summertime Christmas

Lacy Williams here today talking about my new novel, Her Convenient Cowboy. That’s right, I had a May release and a June release this year. Let’s just say there was a lot of writing going on last year. :):)

HCC is Davy’s story and takes place concurrently with Ricky’s story (A Cowboy for Christmas). So basically brother Ricky left town, abandoned the family and no one knows where he is. And it’s hitting Davy particularly hard. See, Davy and Ricky met up during their childhoods while they were both orphans and they’ve stuck together ever since. Until now.

Davy’s smarting from his brother’s absence and resigned to spending the winter isolated in the line shack at the edge of the family ranch, watching over the herd that will provide important funds for the family.

But when he arrives with a blizzard on his heels, he finds someone has already taken up residence in the line shack. A young widow who found herself abandoned in the wilderness. And she’s nine months pregnant.

Stuck together in a blizzard, Davy discovers that Rose has nowhere to go, no family to turn to. And she’s scared of just about everything he does.

The more he finds out about her, the more he likes her. But he’s made a commitment to his family to get these cattle through the winter…

Rose wants to trust the cowboy who has helped her from day one (when he really didn’t have to), but after the men in her life have taught her they can’t be trusted, she’s nervous.

And with a baby on the way, she has to be careful about the choices she makes. But the more she gets to know Davy, the more she falls.

Can Davy earn Rose’s trust before Christmas comes?

About the book

Do You Take This Cowboy?

A blizzard traps rancher Davy White in his family’s secluded cabin with Rose Evans…and she’s nine months pregnant! Help is miles away, and Davy must work to keep them both alive. As the storm rages outside, he comes to care for the vulnerable widow. Enough that he’s willing to offer her his name-against his family’s objections.

Rose will do anything for her baby, but she’s recently widowed. She doesn’t know if she can trust the feelings she has toward Davy. And she refuses to come between him and his family. But the more time they spend together, the less she can resist the comforting, caring cowboy.

Available at:

Amazon

iBooks

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Reunion Romances

Good morning from Carolyne from the Great White North,which, after all the gorgeous spring weather we've been having isn't so white. Still great, but hey, this is Canada. Next month the second book in my Refuge Ranch series comes out - Reunited with the Cowboy. The title kind of says it all and sorry, it's a bit of a spoiler! It's a reunion romance - my favorite kind. I love writing about star-crossed lovers who were together at one time and as life and decisions move them around, they end up in the same place but different people. Why I like Reunion Romances is firstly because it makes for an immediate conflict. Why should my hero/heroine trust this person after they broke their heart before? Plus, it makes the romance easier to work with because I'm building on a previous relationship. And I like second chances. There's been many times in my life that I'd like a chance to meet someone from my past that I've hurt or wronged and try to find a way to fix the broken relationship. But even more than that it is a reminder that our God gives us more than a second chance. He keeps coming after us when we turn away from him, always calling us back to him. It's what Easter is about. God coming to us and making his home with us. About Christ's sacrifice to give us chance after chance to come to him. I hope you have a chance (or two) to pick up Reunited With the Cowboy. A second chance for Heather and John to find their way through the difficulties they've faced in the past.

Refuge Ranch. Where a Montana family comes home to love.

Procrastination: my favorite friend

Hi, Craftie Readers! Lacy Williams here to chat about procrastination.

This is possibly on of my worst faults. If I know about a project in advance, I’ll mull it over. I’ll brainstorm. I’ll percolate.

But until the deadline looms, I procrastinate.

Daughter’s birthday? I’ve got time. Family event? It will get done. Book deadline? We’re good. I can juggle several projects and still get it done.

Until crunch time. When it’s cutting it close, that’s when I’m inspired and when most of my best work comes. That last week before the deadline is busy, intense, but also lights my fire. And then when I'm done, I give myself at least a day or two of well-deserved rest. Ha!

The hero of my December 2014 release, A Cowboy for Christmas, has a deadline looming… sort of. Ricky White has a secret, and he wants to tell the heroine before she finds out his part in the disaster that cost her a major life change. But when he starts falling for her, it’s already too late… This is the fifth book in my Wyoming Legacy series. Her Convenient Cowboy and Her Cowboy Deputy will be out in 2015.

What about you? Do you work well under pressure? Or do you hate deadlines? Leave a comment and let me know!


Fun note: I was over at Amazon today and saw A Cowboy for Christmas was on sale, discounted to $3.79. If you’d like to try this book, now is a good time to buy!

Book blurb:

After an accident leaves her injured, Daisy Richards stays secluded at her family's Wyoming ranch to avoid the town's gawking stares. Yet handsome cowboy newcomer Ricky White insists she can do anything she dreams—ride a horse, decorate a Christmas tree…even steal a man's heart. 

Once a reckless cad, Ricky is to blame for what happened to Daisy. Now reformed, he wants to make amends by setting things right for his boss's beautiful daughter in time for the holidays. But Daisy doesn't know Ricky's responsible for her predicament. When the truth is revealed, will he lose the greatest gift he's ever received—her trust?

More reviews about this book:

http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-cowboy-for-christmas.html

http://missbatesreadsromance.com/2014/12/30/review-lacy-williams-a-cowboy-for-christmas/

About Lacy:

USA Today bestselling author Lacy Williams grew up on a farm, which is where her love of cowboys was born. In reality, she's married to a right-brained banker (happily with three kiddos). She gets to express her love of western men by writing historical romance. Her books have finaled in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards (2012, 2013 & 2014), the Golden Quill and the Booksellers Best Award. If you’d like to try one of Lacy’s novellas for free, sign up for her newsletter at her website www.lacywilliams.net.

Lacy Williams: We interrupt this scene

Lacy Williams here with a we interrupt this scene post.

If you've followed my Wyoming Legacy series, you know that older brothers Oscar and Maxwell have found love with some pretty spunky women. And now it's Edgar's turn...

Cowboy Edgar White has met his match in Fran Morris, who is on a mission to protect her younger sister. They've been hitched--only as a convenience--and are currently driving a bunch of cattle toward the railroad for a sale (Fran is driving the chuck wagon). It's been several days on the trail, and... well, I'll just let you peek in on what's going on:

It made for a drowsy morning, especially with the bright spring sun glaring in her eyes.
She was glad to take a mid-morning break.
Fran walked a bit away from the wagon, stretching the kinks out of her still-sore muscles.
The grass in this area was taller than her knees, and dotted with wildflowers. It smelled fresh and springy, and she felt hope for the first time in a long time.
Edgar hadn’t made any declarations. But didn’t actions speak louder than words? This morning had given her a tiny kernel of hope.
Contemplative, she sat down among the prairie grass, letting the sun warm her shoulders.
Then she thought she’d like to feel it on her face, so she laid down and spread her arms, face turned up to the sky.
It stretched, limitless and blue, like the possibilities before her.
Could she and Emma be happy on a ranch? She could. She knew it.
A shadow fell over her face.
She opened her eyes, raising up on her elbows to face the man standing over her.
“What are you doing?” Edgar’s voice revealed his curious confusion.
“Enjoying the day,” she retorted, lying back down to stare up at the puffy clouds against the blue sky. “You’ve been driving all of us so hard I thought I could take a few moments for myself.”
He settled beside her in the grass, heads tucked together, only inches apart. “Tyrant that I am, I’m only giving you two more minutes,” he said. He sat his Stetson on his chest.
He took a deep breath. She felt more than saw the motion, as his feet were pointed in the opposite direction of hers, and she couldn’t really see his chest.
“How long has it been since you stopped to smell wildflowers?” she asked, genuinely curious. “You haven’t stopped working since I met you.”
“It’s not always so bad,” he murmured. “Things around the homestead slow down in the winter months. There’s time for reading, games… But in spring there’s planting, calves being born, steers to sell…”
They were silent for a moment before he went on. “And I guess my brothers are probably right—I’ve been working more and not taking time to slow down and have fun like I used to.”
“Too afraid some eligible girl might catch your fancy?” she asked, only half teasing.
He snorted. “Didn’t stop you,” he said, reaching over to tweak her nose.
“Ha.” She swatted at his hand, and he captured her fingers. Slowly, he interlaced their fingers, surrounding her hand with the warmth of his larger one. He kept her hand, their clasp resting lightly on his shoulder.
“Just didn’t—don’t want to let my pa down. With Maxwell gone to medical school and Oscar married, more work falls on him.”
“But doesn’t your oldest brother still live on the ranch?”
“Yeah, across the valley. But he’s busy with his own family.”
“And the other brothers? Seems like they’re all of age…able to help take on more responsibility….”
He turned his head, the soft grasses beneath him rustling.

Photo courtesy www.scx.hu #1212249

She turned to meet his gaze straight on. From only inches away, the intensity of his blue eyes caught her breath.
“And what of Ricky?” she asked softly. “Maybe he could bear a little more of the load?”
“You’re not going to let my excuses stand, are you?” he asked.
“Should I?”
That one corner of his mouth kicked up. “You’re intent on turning every cranny of my life inside-out, aren’t you? The only one who challenges me.”
==We interrupt this scene==
Lacy: Edgar, I've got to grab you for a quick interview for this blog post.
Edgar: (sighs) Fine. But I was enjoying a private moment with Fran there...
Lacy: Yes, I saw. You seem like you're getting along pretty well.
Edgar: (neck turns red) She's something, isn't she?
Lacy: Are you starting to trust her yet? Because you've had trust issues all throughout this book.
Edgar: I... don't know. She's different than the other gals of my acquaintance. Pushes me. But there is the fact that she was in the middle of a deception when we met.
Lacy: She didn't really have a choice.
Edgar: (he shrugs, looks off in the distance)
Lacy: Don't you think you could forgive that one little untruth about her age, since she was really protecting her sister?
Edgar: I guess I would do the same for one of my brothers. If I was really stuck and there was no other choice.
Lacy: See.
Edgar: Doesn't mean I like being lied to.
Lacy: You got stuck in this marriage of inconvenience--
Edgar: Who came up with that tagline anyway?
Lacy: Marketing.
Edgar: Figures.
Lacy: Ssh. You're hijacking my interview. So you got stuck in this marriage. Any chance it could turn into a real love match?
Edgar: I guess we'll have to see what happens with Fran and me. Can I get back to the meadow now?
Lacy: Sure.

The Wrangler's Inconvenient Wife is an August 1 release and available for pre-order now. Click here to grab a copy.

Book blurb:

With no family to watch over them, it's up to Fran Morris to take care of her younger sister, even if it means marrying a total stranger. Gruff, strong and silent, her new husband is a cowboy down to the bone. He wed Fran to protect her, not to love her, but her heart has never felt so vulnerable. 

Trail boss Edgar White already has all the responsibility he needs at his family's ranch in Bear Creek, Wyoming. He had intended to remain a bachelor forever, but he can't leave Fran and her sister in danger. And as they work on the trail together, Edgar starts to soften toward his unwanted wife. He already gave Fran his name…can he trust her with his heart? 

And don't miss, A Cowboy for Christmas (Ricky's story), a December 2014 release!

Cowboys

Lacy Williams here - What is it about cowboys that we can't get enough of?

“A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by.” –John Wayne

For me as a writer, part of it is the idea that these men (and some women!) battled the elements, tangled with ornery animals, and sometimes fought against wild animals. They must've been some of the hardest workers, fighting against those conditions for a little profit at the end of the season!

“Look at all the stars. You look up and you think, "God made all this and He remembered to make a little speck like me." It's kind of flattering, really.” –Tombstone

I grew up on my grandpa's farm and he often went birdwatching with me. Watching those little winged creatures amazed me. God created them, made them be able to defy gravity, provides food for them even in the winter... it's kind of amazing, really.

For the cowboys I write, seeing God's handiwork is also something that deepens their lives.

“First getting shot, then getting married. Bad habits.” – The Long Riders

And then, of course, my cowboys have to have someone who w
ill side with them against nature, against wild creatures and fight for love. She won't always understand him, but his loyalty, integrity and grit will win her over.

What about you? Do you love cowboys and cowboy books?

Here's a blurb on my latest Love Inspired Historical, Return of the Cowboy Doctor:

Two years shy of his medical degree, cowboy Maxwell White is out of money. So, he's back in Bear Creek, Wyoming, working part-time for the local physician. Though he is immediately drawn to the doctor's lovely, whip-smart daughter, she seems to be irritated by Maxwell's very existence. 
Hattie Powell can't quash her feelings for the town's new would-be doctor. But that's exactly why she must keep him at a distance. Hattie is closer than ever to fulfilling her lifelong wish of becoming a doctor. Now, the only thing standing in her way is the man of her dreams. 

And I'm thrilled to announce that I'm part of a collection called FIRST KISSES, available now. It's on sale for only 99 cents, for a limited time.

Leave a comment about why you like cowboys today and be entered to win a paperback copy of RETURN OF THE COWBOY DOCTOR. 

Writing a Novel Backwards

Have you ever had one of those inside out days? You know, the kind where you walk out of the house with one black sock and one blue sock on? The kind where everything seems to go backwards or in the entirely wrong direction?

When I wrote The Wyoming Heir, I intentionally wrote my story backwards. No, that doesn't mean I began with chapter twenty something and worked my way down to chapter one. It means that when I planned the story, I went about reversing some of the usual norms for a novel.

You see, after writing my first novel, which is set during the French Revolution, I wanted to try something set in the United States. And what better way to set a novel in the US but by writing a story about a cowboy? After all, cowboys are about as American as you can get, right? But therein lay my problem. It seemed like everyone was writing a story about a cowboy. Numerous cowboys stared back at me whenever I walked down a book aisle or browsed various book lists on the web. So if I was going to write a story about a cowboy, how was I going to make it different enough to stand out?

That's when I decided to reverse my novel. Instead of having the fancy eastern woman go West where she falls in love with a rugged cowboy and gets an education as to how much fun rustic living can be, I decided to have my cowboy come East, where he gets an education about the importance of women's education (along with a few other things) and learns how much fun citified folk can be.

The Wyoming Heir turned out to be a fun story to write as I could take some elements of the classic western-era novel and completely flip them around. (For more information, I've got a book description and excerpt up on my website.)

As for the ending of the story, I won't comment one way or another about whether my cowboy and school teacher end up in Wyoming or New York. You'll have to read the book for that. ;-)

What about you? Have you ever taken a trend and intentionally bucked the norm? Did you feel a bit out of place doing so? How did your experience end up? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below.

Tis the season...

Lacy Williams here.

Black Friday is just past. Stores have had Christmas items and decorations out for at least a month.

Traffic is getting a little crazy, and the grocery store is constantly packed.

But in all the chaos of the season, I'm finding joy. Having little children is a blessing. To be able to see things through their eyes, to know the joy of Christmas again when I myself have gotten a little cynical.

We decorated our tree over a week ago. Yes, we have the overload of ornament on the bottom branches (where they can reach!). And the littlest Miss has an obsession with the cord. Yikes!

We put up our outside lights as well and it makes me smile when our son (two years old) asks daddy to drive around the neighborhood to see lights every time we come home after dark.

Sure, there's family stress and money is tight, but we get to talk about the birth of Jesus when the kids want to know what Christmas is all about. It's a bit like having a second childhood. And isn't that what it's all about? Jesus said that we need to have faith like a little child.

I hope that no matter your circumstances this holiday season, you'll find joy in the small things. What's your favorite thing about Christmas?

Lacy Williams grew up on a farm, which is where her love of cowboys was born. In reality, she's married to a right-brained banker (happily with three kiddos). She gets to express her love of western men by writing historical romance. Her books have finaled in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards (2012, 2013 & 2014), the Golden Quill and the Booksellers Best Award. JOIN LACY'S NEWSLETTER

Here's the blurb for her recent release RETURN OF THE COWBOY DOCTOR:
Two years shy of his medical degree, cowboy Maxwell White is out of money. So, he's back in Bear Creek, Wyoming, working part-time for the local physician. Though he is immediately drawn to the doctor's lovely, whip-smart daughter, she seems to be irritated by Maxwell's very existence.
Hattie Powell can't quash her feelings for the town's new would-be doctor. But that's exactly why she must keep him at a distance. Hattie is closer than ever to fulfilling her lifelong wish of becoming a doctor. Now, the only thing standing in her way is the man of her dreams.

"Williams delivers a smart, gentle, and uplifting fourth novel set in 1890s Wyoming (after Roping the Wrangler)...sweet, poetic Max is a lovable hero, and Hattie's desire to have both career and family will resonate strongly with readers." - Publisher's Weekly (Oct 28, 2013)

4.5 stars TOP PICK! "Hattie's story accurately depicts the kind of prejudice a female doctor would have faced in 1897. It is easy to have sympathy with the hero's character, and the mention of his brothers will leave the reader eager to hear their stories in future books." -RT Book Reviews (December)

 

For The Love Of Horses

 

Stock photo from www.sxc.hu

Lacy Williams here.

And yes, I am one of *those* girls.

The ones who dreamed about, begged for, desperately wanted to own a horse. I don't know if it was because I was raised on a farm, or just the fact that I live in Oklahoma, but I always wanted one.

Since childhood, I have loved books about horses. Black Beauty... the Saddle Club series... Misty. Even books like Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie had horses as an active part of the protagonist's life.

And now, I've had my own chance to write a story involving horses! In ROPING THE WRANGLER, hero Oscar White is known as "the horseman". He's a (regionally) famous horse trainer who also competes in bronc busting competitions all over the Wild West, and part of the story involves him training a colt for a wealthy rancher.

As I started writing this book, I soon realized the heroine, Sarah Hansen, had a huge fear of horses--and one of the conflicts in the book was born. How does a woman afraid of horses fall for a horseman?

I hope you'll check out the book to find out. Here's the blurb:

Teacher Seeks a Husband. Schoolmarm Sarah Hansen longs for a family of her own. But horse trainer Oscar White is the last man she'd consider. Still, she can't help noticing the care he shows three motherless girls and the gentle way he helps Sarah overcome her fear of horses. Too bossy by half—that's the Sarah that Oscar remembers from their teenage years. Yet as a former orphan, he finds the little Caldwell sisters—and their pretty teacher—getting under his skin. Could the tender heart Sarah's always hidden tame a once-reckless wrangler?

And if you're reading this blog post, I'd love to know - what is your favorite book with horses?

If you'd like to get a taste of my writing and this new series from Love Inspired Historical, don't forget that COURTED BY A COWBOY is available free as an ebook on all major e-railers.