Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 76

Just One Chapter Away From Finishing Boaz’s Wager (Featuring Boaz Grady, Patty Dixon, Eva Conneally, Richard Larson)

And thank goodness! I tell you, Boaz has been such a pain to deal with for the past month. I can’t recall having such a difficult time working with any character ever since Dave Larson “disappeared” after I refused to give into his irrational demands back on April 17. 2012.  No wonder I never worked on the third Dave and Mary book.  Who needs that kind of headache?

Boaz: Whoa, whoa!  Are you saying I am nothing but a headache to you?

Ruth: Well, you are hard to deal with.

Boaz trying to look innocent when he’s caused Ruth nothing but grief

Boaz: Can I help it if you didn’t understand my motivation?  The key to writing any book is to understand what the character wants.

Ruth: Which I believe you summed up as getting your kids back in an interview I did with you not too long ago.

Boaz: While that’s true, you didn’t look deeper than that, and that’s something you’re supposed to do as my author.

Ruth: I can’t look deeper unless you let me.

Boaz: It sounds to me like you’re trying to blame me for something that is wrong with you.  I can’t tell you how many men thought the horse was the problem when it was really the way they handled the horse that made the horse “hard to work with.”

Ruth: I have 38 romances under my belt.  After writing that many of them, I can assure you that I understand the process a lot better than you do.

Boaz: You’d better be careful.  It’s those who think they know it all that really don’t.

Ruth: *thinks to herself* I only have one more chapter left and then I’ll be done with him.

Patty, the kind of gal who doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants

Patty Dixon (heroine in Patty’s Gamble): Well, I for one am celebrating this great feat, Ruth.  It’s about time we finally got around to my story.  I’ve been waiting all these years for you to rewrite and expand the novelette “The Keeping of Greg Wilson”.  I’ve been patient for a long time as I waited to finally get Greg to admit he loves me.  Why, in Mitch’s Win alone, Heather’s plan failed miserably.  For a while there, I wondered if you were going to pair me up with Boaz since you had him sit right next to me at the supper table.

Ruth: I’ll have to post the scene from Mitch’s Win on Sunday to remind everyone of that time.

Patty: It was downright disheartening.  No offense, Boaz, but I don’t want anyone but Greg.  I’ve had my heart set on marrying him from the first time I saw him when I was just a school girl.

Boaz: No one cares about your silly fantasies.

Eva as she tries to reason with Boaz

Eva: I’m shocked, Boaz!  How could you talk to her that way?

Boaz: It’s Ruth.  She brings out the worst in me.  Did you see how she opened up this post?  She said I was a pain to deal with.

Eva: Well, you have been a tad bit difficult.

Boaz: After all we’ve been through, you’re taking her side?

Eva: No, but to be fair, you haven’t been very forthcoming in what you wanted.  I’ve had to sit you down a time or two and find out what was going on.

Ruth: Thank you, Eva.  Had it not been for you, the book would have been a total flop.

Patty: And mine wouldn’t have gotten started.  I really don’t understand why you men have to be so difficult.  You have a woman who’ll cook and clean for you, and on top of that, you get another benefit I’m too much a lady to mention on this blog.

Boaz: Though you have no trouble undressing in front of Greg or slipping in his bed.

Patty: *gasps* How do you know that?

Boaz:  *snickers* I know all about that conversation you had with Eva and Heather in my book.

Patty: I never said anything about undressing in front of him.

Boaz: I might have peeked at the notes Ruth has for your story.

Patty: Boaz, you are horrible.  I hope the book ends with your hair setting on fire.

Eva: Patty!

Patty: It’d serve him right for going into my personal moments.

Boaz: Personal moments?  Ruth writes about everyone’s personal moments.  With her, there is no such thing as privacy.  Quite frankly, she’d be better off writing something pure for a change.

Ruth: No way.  Spice is nice, guys.

Richard Larson, the one who never got a book….and boy is he upset! LOL

Richard Larson: I sure wouldn’t mind you throwing some spice my way.  In fact, I’d be happy if you got my book done this year.

Boaz: Who are you?

Eva: I think I know who he is.  The name Larson is pretty familiar.   Rachel Larson marries Herb in Boaz’s Wager.

Richard: I’m Rachel’s uncle.  But no one even remembers me because I never got my own book.  It was supposed to be Wagon Trail Bride.

Ruth: I didn’t forget you.  In fact, I have your book over at my Works In Progress page on this blog.

Richard: But you put me on hold.

Ruth: I’m writing in it when I have time.

Richard: Which is never thanks to Boaz the time hog.

Boaz: Hey!

Patty: Well, the rewrite did cost the rest of us some missing days.

Ruth: This is why I say Boaz has been a major pain.  He has caused all of us a great deal of missed days.

Patty: Don’t take it personally, Richard.  Ruth delayed the writing of my book so she could work on the Nebraska series, the South Dakota series, and some other books.

Richard: Yes, but will my story ever be told?

Ruth: Yes, but I need to finish up with the Montana stories.

Boaz: Speaking of which, will you write about the men who sold Rachel and Eva at the beginning of Boaz’s Wager?

Ruth: I plan to but I don’t plan to put it in the Montana series.

Richard: Please tell me you’ll write my book first.

Ruth: I hope to.

Richard: I want a guarantee.

Ruth: I can never tell anything this far out.

Boaz: Be a pain, Richard.  It’s the only way to get her attention.  *hehe*

***

Credits for Photos:

Boaz: © Megdypro4im | Dreamstime.com

Patty: © Igor Dolgov | Dreamstime.com

Eva: © Candybox Images | Dreamstime.com

Richard: © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com

Sunday Story Sample: Patty’s Gamble (How On Earth Did a Nice Girl Like Patty Get Tangled Up With a Creep Like John Meyer?)

This scene does come into play later on in the book. After facing constant rejection in Mitch’s Win, Patty has decided to take matters into her own hands and is going to make Greg Wilson marry her. But she’s going to need the help of a sleazy, scummy character who would be willing to do whatever it takes to get Greg to marry her. I’m hoping to bring Patty in for an interview. I think she might be fun to talk to.

This book should be out before June.  And it’s the 3rd book in the Montana Collection.  Mitch’s Win is Book 1 and Boaz’s Wager (due out next month) is Book 2.

Patty Dixon entered the saloon and lowered the hat over her eyes.  This was the last place she wanted to be.  But desperate times called for desperate measures.  She could only hope that no one would realize she was a woman.  She had her hair tucked under a wig and a fake long beard covering her face.  To top it off, she’d borrowed her father’s duster and boots.  Beside that, she wore her own shirt and denims, but no one was going to open the duster to find that out.

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the smoke filling the place, she thought over her plan.  If her father knew what she was doing, he’d forbid it—which was exactly why she’d waited until he was asleep before leaving the ranch.  And now she was in the seedy part of town, the part she’d never venture to under ordinary circumstances.

“Buddy,” a gruff voice called out.

She glanced over her shoulder at a large man who stood behind her.

“I can’t go through you,” the man said.

Oh!  She quickly moved aside so he could enter.  Then she proceeded further into the establishment.  She studied the men who were laughing, drinking, playing cards, and—if she saw clearly—a few were trying not to cry into their beers.  From the other side of the room, a group sang out of tune around a piano that’d seen better days.  And from the stairs at the back of the room, a lady wearing very little was waving to someone.  Patty’s gaze went to the man who looked to have a winning hand.

She grimaced.  She didn’t know what the gesture he gave her meant, and quite frankly, she didn’t want to know.  She was on a mission.  She continued scanning the room and finally caught the man she was looking for.  John Meyer.  She’d heard rumors about him.  He wasn’t one to be trifled with.

But what choice did she have?  She’d exhausted all her other options.  As long as she was careful, everything would be just fine.  Taking a deep breath, she proceeded forward, weaving around tables until she reached the one she needed.

John set the cards on the table and snickered.  “Read ‘em and weep, boys.”

The other men at the tabled groaned and threw down their cards.

“I got to get another drink,” one muttered as he rose from the table.

“Me too,” a second agreed.

“I’m out,” a third said.  “I’m not losing any more money tonight.”

“Come back when you learn to play like a man,” John told the third man as he collected the pile of coins in the middle of the table.

That left no one at the table but John.  This was her chance.  Patty stepped forward and cleared her throat.

“You want somethin’?” John asked as he counted his winnings.

Taking that as an invitation, she plopped down in the seat as she’d seen other men do and leaned back.  Then, in the lowest voice she could muster, she said, “Need your help.”

His eyebrow rose.  “You feelin’ alright?”

“Feel fine,” she replied, wondering why he’d ask such a ridiculous question.

He leaned forward and, before she could stop him, tugged on her beard.

She gasped and quickly brought it back up, giving a quick glance around to make sure no one else saw what he’d done.

He chuckled.  “Didn’t think you were a man.  So, what’s a lady doin’ in a place like this?  Unless you plan to entertain men with the soiled doves upstairs.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.  “No.  I want to hire you for a job.”

“I can certainly do the job, little lady,” he said, leering at her in a way that made her squirm.

“I’m not sure what you mean, but I want you to make it so that Greg Wilson will marry me.”

Updates on What I’m Writing (4 Books I Hope To Get Out Between March and June)

The book that’s taken most of my attention is Boaz’s Wager. This is book 2 in the Montana Collection. Mitch’s Win is the first one and Patty’s Gamble will be book 3. At the moment, I am in chapter twenty-one. I finally got through all the rewrites I had to do, switched some scenes around, and modified most of them. Now I’m back on track to finishing it.

I am hoping to have the first draft done in two weeks or less. This puts it on track for a mid-March release.

I am also working on Patty’s Gamble. After this, the Montana Collection will be complete. Patty’s Gamble takes place during the same time Boaz’s Wager does. I’m only at chapter 2 so there’s still plenty more to go in this one. I want to get this one out before June. *fingers crossed*

In the meantime, I am working on a mail-order bride story.  I’ve been wanting to do one for over a year and am finally getting around to it.  This takes place in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the late 1800s.  I went there last year and really enjoyed the scenery so I thought it’d be fun to write a romance that takes place there.

The basic plot is that the heroine happened to stumble upon a mail-order bride who was on her way to meet Allen Grover, but she got sick and died before she could complete her journey.  So the heroine (who’s desperate to escape her life at a brothel) assumes the other woman’s identity and becomes Al’s mail-order bride.  But the woman who was supposed to marry him has some secrets and those are going to catch up to the heroine before all is said and done. I can’t say too much or I’ll spoil the book.

At the moment, I am in chapter 5.  I have this book tentatively scheduled for release in April or May.  We’ll see how things progress.

I put this one on hold while I was doing the rewrites for Boaz’s Wager, but I should be back to writing this book in the upcoming week.  I’m currently at chapter 6.  This will probably be out around the summer.  *fingers crossed*

Interview with Boaz Grady (Hero in Boaz’s Wager)….With Eva Connealy Jumping In

While I’m rewriting portions of Boaz’s Wager, I thought I’d bring Boaz in for an interview to better understand his character.

Boaz: What’s to understand? I thought I was pretty clear on what I wanted.

Ruth:  Not really.  You seem to change your mind quite a bit.  I spent most of the day swapping scenes around in this rewrite I’m doing because you kept changing your mind on what you want to do and when.  It was crazy, Boaz.  I’ve never had a character give me this much trouble.

Boaz: Well, this is my book.  I want to make sure it’s just write.  Get it?  I put “write” where right should be.  *laughs*

Eva: Nothing is sadder than a person who thinks they’re funny when they’re not.

Boaz Grady who runs the risk of being replaced with someone else if he doesn’t start cooperating with Ruth

Boaz: That was plenty funny.  Anyone who didn’t laugh doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Ruth: Anyway, I have some interview questions to ask you.  If you answer them, it might help me figure you out.

Boaz: What’s to figure out?  I want a mother for my children.  I can’t raise them by myself. I train horses so I can’t be there during the day.

Ruth: Okay, so maybe that is what you start out wanting, but during the course of the story  I’m sure you developed another want.  Something that involves an attractive young lady who came all the way from Omaha in order to be in this book?  She had to leave behind possible suitors behind in order to marry you.

Eva: Give me a break.  There were no suitors.  And thanks to the major rejection I faced in Isaac’s Decision, everyone probably thinks I’m a loser.  Not to mention a snob.  I really didn’t care of the way Emily Craftsman talked about me.

Ruth: That’s the beauty of point of view, Eva.  In Isaac’s Decision, everyone got to see how Isaac and Emily saw you.  In Boaz’s Wager, we get to see you as you really are.

Eva: I hope no one reading Boaz’s Wager read Isaac’s Decision.  They’re not going to think I’m worth having my own story.

Ruth: Sure they will.  In fact, some might even be rooting for you.

Eva:  Rooting for me to take my stuck up ways and shove my books up my–

Ruth: Eva!  This is a G-rated blog.  You are not allowed to say that word on here.

Eva: I was going to say “up my snobby old nose” but it appalls me you think I’d say something inappropriate.  I was a teacher up until the time you placed me in this book, after all.

Boaz: I thought this blog post was about me.

Eva: It might be if you would come up with something interesting to say, but all I’ve heard so far is “I know what I want” but no one else can figure out what that is except that you want your children back.  That only takes you up to chapter three.  After that, more stuff needs to happen or else we all might as well do a short story.

Boaz: Are we happily married or does this story end in a tragedy?

Ruth: It’s a romance, Boaz.  You two end up happy.

Boaz: Does she complain during the whole book?

Ruth: No.

Boaz: From the sample you posted on Sunday, it looks like she does.  To be honest, she scares me.  How do I know she’s not going to come in and kill me while I’m asleep because I forced her to marry me?

Eva Connealy who isn’t sure people will believe she’s a sweet, tender heroine based on her past in Isaac’s Decision

Eva: Oh for goodness’ sakes!  I’m not a murderer.

Boaz: Are you kidding me? You got the look of “crazy” in your eyes.

Eva: No, I don’t.

Boaz: Your eyes are ready to pop out of your head.

Ruth: Don’t exaggerate, Boaz.

Boaz: Who’s exaggerating?  Look at what she’s doing.  She’s on the phone and drawing something.  I think she’s planning to be a widow.

Ruth: She’s doing no such thing.  Now, back to this interview.  Boaz, what is your big motivation in this book besides getting your kids back?

Boaz: Easy.  I want to stay alive.

Ruth: *sighs*  It’s a romance, Boaz.  You are the hero.  The hero doesn’t die in the romance.

Boaz: I don’t know.  What about the movie Titanic?

Ruth: That movie wasn’t a romance.  It had a romantic subplot.

Eva: Thanks for spoiling a movie, Boaz.  Some people out there might be reading this and haven’t even seen the movie.

Boaz: Hey, I just watched it to see the ship sink.

Eva: That’s alarmingly gruesome.

Boaz: Who is going to watch that movie without knowing the ship is going to sink?

Ruth: Boaz, this is the problem with you.  I’m trying to stay on course as I’m rewriting your book.  And just like you’re doing in this blog post, you keep bouncing around on me in the story.

Boaz: You keep saying I’m in a romance novel.  Then the whole plot is obvious to me.  I marry Eva.  She’s a good mother to my kids.  Somewhere along the way, she decides not to kill me for buying her when she didn’t want to be sold.  And we end up living happily ever after.  The end.  See?  Now that I just stated the whole entire plot, no one even needs to read the book when it comes out next month.

Ruth: But you’ll need to get to the point where you consummate the marriage.

Boaz: No.  That’s not going to happen.  I’m not putting another woman through another risky pregnancy.  Sorry.  This will have to be a G-rated book.

Eva: Are you kidding me?  I didn’t sign up for this.  It was bad enough Isaac Larson didn’t want me.  I won’t have you not wanting me either.  We’re going to consummate the marriage whether you like it or not, Boaz.

Boaz: I don’t think so, Eva.

Eva: We are.

Boaz: Not.

Ruth: While you two continue to argue about it, I’m going to go back to your book and see what I can do about that thing Heather just slipped Eva to use with Boaz.

Boaz: What thing?

Ruth: That’s for me to know and you to find out.  You’re not the only one who can keep the other one guessing on what’s going to happen next.

***

Photo credits:

Boaz: ID 20962790 © Megdypro4im | Dreamstime.com

Eva: ID 11450598 © Candybox Images | Dreamstime.com

Sunday Story Sample: Boaz’s Wager (Boaz Wins Eva in a Bidding War)

Quick background into this scene:

Boaz showed up in Mitch’s Win as Mitch’s brother who was struggling to get his life back on track.    At the end of Mitch’s Win, he finally does, but until he gets married, he can’t get his children back because the children (Leroy and Hannah) are 3 and 4 and need a mother to take care of them while he works.

In the scene below, Boaz finds two women are for sale.  His friend Herb just bought one.  Now Boaz is going to bid on the second one.

Fun side note: Eva Connealy (the heroine in this book) originally appeared in Isaac’s Decision.  She had a crush on Isaac Larson, but he ended up marrying Emily instead.  So this is her happy ending.

“Now,” the man who was standing next to the brunette began, “this here is Eva.”

“I’m not for sale!” she protested and tried to free herself from his hold, but he held onto her arm.  “Unhand me at once, you brute!”

“She’s a fiery one, but that’s good news, gents,” the man said then his smile widened.  “Imagine this kind of passion in the bedroom.”

The men roared with laughter and Boaz took the opportunity to wiggle his way closer to Eva.  It didn’t really matter what she looked like.  One woman was as good as another as far as he was concerned, but he was happy to note that she was pretty.

“Who’ll start the bidding at $20?” the man asked.

Eva gasped and voiced her protest, but someone called out, “$20!”

“$25,” Boaz countered.  If he was going to do this, he needed to do it quick.

“$30,” someone else called out.

$35,” Boaz replied.

And so the bidding continued.  The higher the bidding went, the more irritated Eve got, and considering how upset she’d been before, that was saying a lot.  He’d be lucky if she talked to him after this was over.

Finally, the bidding came to a tie at $150, and that tie was between Boaz and Otis Mills.  The man holding onto Eva searched the crowd.  “Come on, men!  Doesn’t anyone have a little bit more than $150?  Women don’t come to Lewistown every day.”

Boaz mentally thought of everything he owned and as much as he tried, he couldn’t figure out anything that was worth adding to the money he had saved.  He looked at Otis to see if he could top that amount, but Otis shook his head.

“Why don’t we race for it?” Boaz asked Otis.

After a moment, Otis nodded his agreement.

“Sound fair?” Boaz asked the man holding Eva’s arm.

The man glanced at his partner who said, “Alright.  You two will race from the wagon down there to this line.” He walked over to a clear spot and used the boot of his heel to make a line in the dirt road.  “The first one over that line gets his bride.”

“I won’t marry either one of them,” Eva protested, doing her best to slap the man’s hand from her.  Again, it was to no avail.  She grunted and stopped fighting.  “This isn’t fair.  I am a human being, and it’s not right to sell a human being.”

Ignoring her, the man gestured to Boaz and Otis.  “You ready to race?”

Boaz tightened the reins on his horse, hesitant to go through with it, but then he reminded himself of Leroy and Hannah and strengthened his resolve.  Eva was going to be married before the night was over, so it made no difference to her which man got her.

Taking a deep breath, he led the horse away from the crowd then hopped into the saddle so he could trot over to the wagon.

As Otis approached, he smiled.  “I think you’re a good man and all so don’t take it the wrong way when I say I hope you lose.”

“I was about to say the same to you,” Boaz replied with a chuckle.

When they ready, they turned their attention to the men selling Eva.  From the distance it was hard to make out Eva’s facial expression.  Boaz gripped the reins.  If he won the race, it was going to be an interesting evening.

One of the men held his hand up in the air and counted down to one then told them to go.  Boaz kicked his horse in the sides and began to race.  Leaning forward, he ignored everyone else and focused on his goal.  Leroy and Hannah.  He was doing this for them.

The length to the finish line wasn’t long, and really either he or Otis could easily win the race.  Otis was just as good on a horse.  Though he was tempted to look over at his competitor, he reminded himself to stay focused on the line in front of him.  Taking the time to see where Otis was at could slow him down by a couple seconds, and right now, he needed every second he could get.

The crowd cheered them on, some calling out Boaz’s name and others lent their support to Otis.  After Boaz crossed the line, the crowed erupted into a round of applause.  Boaz ventured a look in Otis’ direction, wondering which one of them got to the finished line first.  To his relief, he won.  But he’d only won by a couple inches.  That was closer than he liked, but he did it.  He took the hat off his head and wiped the sweat from his brow.  He did it.  The point was he did it.  And now he could take his children home to live with him.

Boaz slid off his horse and Herb ran over to him to pat him on the back.  “You did it!  Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Boaz glanced at Eva then the blonde woman.  Both remained with the men who were selling them, but he could tell that the blonde was more shocked than angry about being sold.  “You too.  I think you’re going to have an easier time with your bride than I will with mine.”

Mister Christopher Robinson Finally Gets His Interview (after I Post Where The Earl’s Scandalous Wife is Up for Anyone Interested)

So I had planned to give Christopher time to talk on this blog, but other things kept getting in the way, most notably the release of The Earl’s Scandalous Wife. Since I don’t want to delay letting him come on this blog another day, I’m going to quickly link to where this book is at on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Then I’ll get into the interview.

*Oh, I got the new release email to work this time. I guess the secret is to send it out right away instead of trying to schedule it to go out at a future time. These lessons have to be learned through trial and error.

The Earl’s Scandalous Wife can be found at these links right now.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

(It is approved for premium distribution at Smashwords.  So it should be up on Kobo, iBooks, Flipkart, Sony, Disel, Page Foundry, Oyster, Scrid, and other sites Smashwords distributes to in one to a couple months.  I really don’t know how long it takes books to get on these other channels, but I have set Smashwords up to distribute to them.)

***********

Now that I got that out of the way, I can finally bring Christopher on.

Christopher: Well, it’s about time.  You’ve been promising me that I’ll get to defend myself since last week.

Ruth: I know.  It took longer than I had hoped.  I had to get Perry’s book out.

Christopher: And you were also working on Boaz’s Wager.  You’ve been spending all your time on his book.

Ruth: You know I work on more than one book at a time.

Christopher: But you’ve been spending most of your days on this one.  If any other book gets written in right now, it’s The Mail Order Bride’s Deception.  I don’t see what’s so great about the historical west in America.

Ruth: Which is why I put you in the Regency setting.  You would never have lasted without the comforts you were given because you happened to be the wife of a wealthy widow.

Christopher: Are you implying I’m only with Agatha for her money?  Because I can assure you, that isn’t the truth.

Ruth: I know it’s not.  I wrote your book, remember?  But we’re not here to talk about His Reluctant Lady.  Today we’re here to talk about The Earl’s Scandalous Wife.

Christopher: If it weren’t for me, Perry wouldn’t even have a wife, scandalous or otherwise.  But the fact that she is scandalous deserves my highest respect.

Ruth: So you would say that what you want most in that story is for Perry to get married.

Christopher: Yes, and by the title, we all know my plan works.

Ruth: As you were in the process of finding Perry a wife, what was the most horrifying thing you had to do?

Christopher as he recounts his ordeal of finding Perry a wife.

Christopher: Find her.  You would be surprised at how many ladies there are who don’t meet up to all of Agatha’s qualifications.  Agatha had this long list of things that Perry’s future wife had to be.  She had to be young, attractive, kind, and able to deal with boredom.  The young and attractive part was easy.  There are tons of those kinds of ladies on the prowl for a titled gentleman. But kind and able to overlook Perry’s tendency to be boring?  That was the challenge.

Ruth: So how did you do it?  How did you find her?

Christopher: It was incredibly hard.  I had to go to every ball and dance with every eligible lady I could find.  Through the whole time Agatha watched me to make sure I was doing my job, too.  If I went off to talk to my friend Ethan, she’d come up to me and remind me I had work to do.  Little did she realize that I was working.  Ethan would help me pick out ladies I should talk to, and if there’s anyone who understands ladies, it’s Ethan.

Ruth: It sounds like you feel unappreciated.

Christopher: You bet I feel unappreciated.  I gave up time alone with Agatha to do this, and being with her is a lot more fun.

Ruth: But you did find the right lady.

Christopher: Yes.  Miss Paula Leighton was perfect, especially since she didn’t mind Perry’s cane.  I led Perry out to the veranda where Paula was lying in wait to make her move.  I wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but I was sure whatever it was, it’d be worth seeing Perry embarrassed.  He’s easily scandalized.  So I left Perry out there in Paula’s capable hands and went to get Agatha.

Ruth: Did Agatha know Perry was about to get involved in a scandal?

Christopher: I felt no need to worry Agatha with the pesky little details.  I only told her that I found the perfect lady for Perry and would introduce Agatha to her.

Ruth: Was there a moment when it looked like Perry wouldn’t get to marry Paula?

Christopher: You bet there was, and it was all Perry’s fault.  After Paula did her part and kissed him, he tried to cover it all up by saying it never happened.  If he had any appreciation for all the work I went through to get Paula, he wouldn’t have done that.

Ruth: But Perry’s plan didn’t work.

Christopher: Thankfully, it didn’t.  I hurried off and told everyone I came across about the kiss.  I might have exaggerated a couple things.

Ruth: Exaggerated what?

Christopher: I merely told everyone that I caught Perry intimately entwined with Miss Leighton.  I might have suggested something far more interesting than a simple kiss, but the details elude me at the moment.

Ruth: You have a way of making things sound worse than they were.

Christopher: Worse?  I wouldn’t say ‘worse’.  I’d say it was good.  If I didn’t give out enough juicy information for the gossipers so they’d even remember Perry was involved in the scandal.

Ruth: Well, it worked.  Perry is now happily married.

Christopher: Yep, it just goes to prove that miracles do happen, even to gentlemen as boring as my cousin.

Quick Update about the New Release Email List

I was going to do an interview with Christopher tonight, but I ended up spending all morning publishing The Earl’s Scandalous Wife (at last check, it’s not live on Amazon or B&N yet).  Then I spent all afternoon and evening working through emails.  So Christopher will just have to wait and if he doesn’t like it, I can send him to Lord Roderick’s to clean out some stalls.

Last month when Bride by Arrangement came out, I scheduled the new release list for a day out and it never got sent. I have no idea why. I tried rescheduling and it didn’t work either.  t will try sending out the list for The Earl’s Scandalous Wife once it’s live on Amazon and B&N (B&N usually takes the longest but usually only by a day).  Instead of scheduling it to be sent out in advance, I’ll just have it go out right away.

Hopefully tomorrow I can bring Christopher in so he can nag—I mean delight me—with whatever he wants to say.

Sunday Story Sample: The Earl’s Scandalous Wife (Christopher’s Mission Begins)

As Christopher wished, I am posting this sample of The Earl’s Scandalous Wife. In a day or two, Christopher will be in for an interview.

Christopher groaned and leaned his head against the seat of the carriage.  “You can’t be serious.”

Agatha crossed her arms.  “I am serious.  We aren’t going to our estate until you find your cousin a wife.”

“I’ve been looking for a suitable lady and there’s no one.  No one!” He threw up his hands in despair.  Why couldn’t she let the matter go?  At least for this year.  “We should try again next year.  There’s bound to be a better selection of ladies to choose from then.”

“You haven’t been diligent in your search.”

“I haven’t been diligent?  I’ve been asking everyone if there’s a lady who’d be willing to marry Lord Clement, but they all say no.”

“You can’t ask only three people and expect to find her.”

“It wasn’t three.  It was five.” When he saw her eyes grow wide, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze.  “I’m teasing.  I asked more than five.  It was ten.  Maybe even twelve.”

“This isn’t amusing, Christopher,” she admonished as he kissed her neck.  “We won’t be leaving London until Perry has a wife.”

“And she has to be young, attractive, kind, and overlook his boring tendencies?”

“Of course.”

“You are difficult to please.  Do you know how hard such a lady is to find, especially one who doesn’t mind being bored?”

She sighed.  “Perry isn’t boring.  I don’t want to hear anything else about him being boring.  Now, I want you to help me seek out a suitable lady for him tonight.  Ask every gentleman there if he has a sister or daughter who is looking for a husband.” She adjusted her gloves.  “You know how much I hate going to balls.”

“Which is why we should have stayed home.” He kissed her and wiggled his eyebrows.  “We could have a lot more fun there.”

“We’ll have fun later.  Right now, we need to work.” After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  “I promise I’ll make it worth your while if you find him a wife tonight.”

“All right.” What he wouldn’t do for his wife.  “I promise you that before the night is over, Perry will secure a betrothal that the lady in question won’t be able to get out of.”

Made a New Page Featuring My Works in Progress, Update on The Earl’s Scandalous Wife, and Signing the Montana Collection with a Publisher

It’s been a while since I did a general “updates” post so I thought I’d do it before I forget. Christopher has been bugging me to do a similar interview like I did with Perry last week.  Since he craves the  spotlight, I’ll oblige him.  But tonight I wanted to let everyone know what I’ve been up to.

I Finally Made a Page Where I List All Of My Works In Progress

This was long overdue.  I usually put a lot of books on the right side of this blog, and I realized this was cluttering things up.  So what I decided to do was give the latest new release and two other books that are due to be the next two releases.

I don’t write in every one of those books every day.  A couple of them only get something written once or twice a month.  So the progress in the books on that list will vary.  But you can go over there to see how close I am finishing them.  :)

Here’s a direct link to the Works In Progress page, and you can find it along the black menu bar at the top.

(I couldn’t let Wagon Trail Bride or His Convenient Wife go, but I’m not promising they will be out this year.)

The Earl’s Scandalous Wife will *hopefully* be out by the end of this month.

I’m in the final editing stages as we speak.

Since this book concludes the Marriage by Scandal series, I am probably going to change the cover of The Earl’s Secret Bargain to better fit in with the new series I started, Marriage by Arrangement.

I’ve signed the Montana Collection historical romances with a publisher.

Long story short, but I sense that something is shifting in the publishing world.  Guesses are only speculation, but I have been searching for a publisher for about two years.  What I wanted most in a publisher was for the publisher to keep the content of my books the way I want them.  I started self-publishing because I wanted to keep my books the way I wanted them.  I had submitted them to publishers, but they either wanted me to change the content, wanted me to nix the sexual content, or wanted me to put sex before marriage.  So I self-published.

Fortunately with the emergence of small presses, the rules are now more flexible and I found a publisher who will let me write the books my way.  I still plan to self-publish some books, but I expect to do some shifting into the traditional publishing world in the upcoming world.  I can be wrong, but I suspect small publishers will become more important.  At the very least, I’ve always believed in not putting all of my eggs in one basket and see signing with a publisher as a win-win situation, especially since I am given lots of freedom in my contracts.  The publisher is Parchment & Plume, and it will feature books similar to what I write (another thing that was important to me when making this decision).

I signed Mitch’s Win over to the publisher this month.  So it’s already out, and it’s the first book in the Montana Collection.  Most of you have already read it.  If you have, you don’t have to read it again because it’s been kept the same as it was when it was self-published.

Boaz’s Wager is book 2 in the Montana Collection and is due to be released in March.

Patty’s Gamble is book 3 and is expected out by this summer.

There’s no set date on it yet, but I have started it.  Patty’s Gamble is the complete rewrite of “The Keeping of Greg Wilson” which is a novelette I wrote years ago.

(The publisher has also let me keep the covers I wanted on them.)

****

Since I’m trying to keep my blog posts shorter this year so they don’t get so exhausting to read, I’ll end it here.

Tomorrow, I’ll let Christopher has some of the spotlight he’s been craving in the Sunday Story Sample.  :-)

Bride by Arrangement and Mitch’s Win: Some Excerpts and a Chance to Get a Free Copy (or Two) in Exchange for an Honest Review

For a short time, I took down the offer for a free copy of Bride by Arrangement in exchange for a review on this blog.  Now that I have Mitch’s Win up with my publisher, Parchment & Plume, I can put the offer back up.

I did originally publish Mitch’s Win myself, but I have now published it with Parchment & Plume, so if you already read Mitch’s Win, you don’t need to get this book again.

You don’t have to review both Bride by Arrangement and Mitch’s Win.  You can pick one or the other.  If, however, you would like to review both, then I’ll be more than happy to gift you an ebook copy of both books.

In exchange for an honest review, I’ll give you a free copy of the ebook of your choice.  You only have to review the ebook I gift you.

If you have already bought one of these ebooks and are willing to leave an honest review, I’ll gift you another ebook I’ve written.

Below, I’ll give two excerpts from the two novellas in this anthology.  The first one is from my novella “The Purchased Bride” and the second is from Janet Syas Nitsick’s novella “She Came By Train.”

Then I’ll post an excerpt from Mitch’s Win after that.

From “The Purchased Bride” which is about a mail-order bride whose brother sold her to a man she’s never met:

            Ada turned her attention to him.  “I’m here to be Pete Kelly’s wife, right?  He doesn’t have another wife or illegitimate children or engages in anything wrong, does he?”

“No,” the preacher said.  “Pete lives by himself on a farm.  He’s tender and kind.  He’s a good man.”

Jimmy placed her trunk in the wagon then came over to them.  “The situation with Pete is a delicate matter.”

Her stomach tensed and her grip tightened on her purse.  “What is his situation?” she forced out.

From “She Came By Train” which is about a woman who must choose between two men who are vying for her hand:

            For the first time, he realized what a smart woman he brought here. Not just in her intellect, but she also was levelheaded and charming. What a combination! A surge of warmth filled him. “Have a seat, if you don’t mind. I forgot to open my mail.”

“Go ahead.” She settled in a seat in front of his desk.

He picked up a letter opener, slit the envelopes open, glimpsing at each one before he stopped at the last one. He examined the return address then opened it and read the letter. His jaw clenched. Raising his head to Opal, he said in a low voice, “Reverend Stone should arrive tomorrow.”

Her face blushed and she wiggled in her seat. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

His stomach twisted in resentment. He could not understand his reaction. Stuffing the letter back in its envelope, he returned it to his desk and glanced up at her. “We’d better get going.”

~~~*~~*~~~

A scene where Mitch realizes a young woman is among one of the items being bid on in a poker game:

Mitch slammed his money in the middle of the table and told John, “She’s not in this.  We’ll use my horse.”

“Like hell we will!” Abe yelled, pounding his fist on the table.

“The woman stays,” John said as he dealt Mitch five cards.  “I already have a horse from Boaz.”

Mitch glanced at Boaz who refused to make eye contact with him.  With a look at the poor woman who sniffed back her tears, Mitch knew he didn’t have a choice.  His only hope was to win the game.  Then the woman could go back home where she’d be safe, and his brother could keep his horse.

John motioned for him to check his cards.  Mitch did.  He had nothing.  No pairs or partial straights.  Nothing.  If he hadn’t been watching John, he’d swear the man set it up so that he’d have to lose.  Trying not to give away the fact that he had a bad hand, he saved a jack and king of hearts.  Might as well pretend he had a pair.

He tossed the other cards face down on the table and held his two cards.  “Give me three.”

As John handed him the cards, he glanced at the woman and prayed she wouldn’t have to end up with John.  The possibilities of that scenario made him sick.

He turned his attention back to the three new cards that sat in front of him, face down.  Well, this was it.  He was either going to win or lose.

~~~*~~*~~~

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