T.K. Conklin's Blog, page 2

The books that inspired me to be a writing.

Once upon a time..... That is how it all begins. We first fall in love with fairy tales and happily ever after. Our love for story telling grows into "it was a dark and stormy night". From fairy tales we branch out to our favorite genre. Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, and more. I fell in love with romance. Western romance specifically.

   The very first romance book I read was Apachee Caress when I was about 12. Took it from my mom's shelf (she said I was too young to read romance books) and snuck to my room to read it. Loved it. And I read the rest of Georgina Genty's Panorama of the West Series. This was where my love for romance books began. Each story was great on its own but I loved the way the author wove the characters from other books into new stories. I liked reading about the familiar characters and getting a glimpse of their continued story in a small way.

Then came Betty Brooks. I loved her books as well and read them all. (Exept one that I am searching for) Again I loved that her books connected together by the characters.

Then I discovered Victotia Thompson and Jodi Thomas. And my own desire to write took over. I was passionate about telling stories of strong people in the Wild West.

 

   What I loved most about these authors and the way they wrote their books is that they all tie together in some way. Characters from other books appear throughout the series. Each title is a stand alone but reading them in order gives the sense of knowing the characters on a deeper level. Several authors added Paranormal elements to their books and I loved it. My books all tie together and many have paranormal elements.

    These amazing authors were my inspiration to start my own writing.    I've read many, many books since those teenage years, but those books published over 30 years ago are still my favorite ones. I have every book of every series (except that one elusive Betty Brooks book) on my shelves in my office. A constant reminder of my original inspiration. 

      Outlaw’s Redemption is the first book in the Wild Love Series. The second generation of my Rimrock characters. The families of the Rimrock Series span three generations so far. I love the familiarity of the characters I’ve spent the last 25ish years writing about.

Award Winner!!

 So happy to announce that Outlaw's Redemption has won another award. First in Category for Western Romance and a finalist for Paranormal Romance! A big thanks to Chanticleer International Book Awards for this honor.  Writing a book is a long process that takes so much time and effort. Hours of slaving away over the computers. Never ending editing. Cover art. Uploading and distributing your work. Getting an award for that hard work is very rewarding. It's nice to get recognition for what you've done.   The best recognition is from the readers. It makes me happy to have people enjoy my work and want more. I'm not sure what is next in the town of Rimrock. A third Rimrock Series book or a fourth Wild Love Series book.

   The next Rimrock book will be about Clu and Aleena. You were introduced to them in Promise of Spring. Clu is the Mayor and owner of the freighting company in Rimrock. A tragedy in his past left scars on his heart. Aleena is an orphan looking to make her way in life. After witnessing the murder of her family, she is taken in by a mountain man until his death. Clu hires her to cook and clean, as well as help in the freight office. Aleena helps heal Clu's heart and he gives her a sense of family.  When an accident kills his father and wounds his brother, Clu and Aleena head for St. Louis to help with the family business of freighting up and down the Mississippi River on a steam ship. They arrive to discover it was no accident that had killed Clu's father. No only is his brother's life still in danger, but now he has become a target.

  The next Wild Love book will be about Kade and Brenna. You briefly met Kade (Aleena and Clu's son) in Threads of Passion. Doing a favor for a friend, Kade has to get to St. Louis and back to Rimrock without getting killed. With hired killers chasing him the entire way, Kade needs to change his identify. Brenna longs for a better life than working in the laundry. When she catches a scrubby mountain man stealing clothes she finds herself with two choices. Go with him and pose as his wife and receive enough money to start her new life, or stay stuck in her current life. Brenna agrees and finds herself in more danger than she had bargained for. But Brenna learns that Kade isn't the mountain man she had him pegged for. And she isn't the lowly laundry maid he took her to be.

Ready for Summer!

 

 

Summer is right around the corner, and I am ready for it! Getting away into the mountains is my favorite part of summer. Up in the crisp fresh air, no phone service, and endless adventures. It is also where I like to go to rejuvenate and relax. Taking time to recharge is something all of us need to do from time to time.

Spending months slaving away in front of the computer to finish and publish a book can be exhausting. But working hard doing something I love is rewarding and thrilling. Seeing that hard work getting recognition is the best feeling. But taking a break and having time for yourself is a must. Life gets busy and finding time for yourself can be hard. For me, time in the mountains is just what I need for a life reset. 

Outlaw's Redemption

 Living at the base of the Big Horn Mountains gives me endless opportunities to go up and play or relax. Just a day drive over the mountain to Tensleep and back is relaxing and wonderful. After getting through Wyoming's unpredictable winter and going through the moody spring weather, I'm ready for summer and time in the mountains.

 

Those lucky times when I get to see the local wildlifeis always a giant bonus.

We have upgraded to Glamping!  Growing up, we loved to sleep outside under the stars. Summertime in a ranch house with no air conditioning, it gets hot. We spent most of the summer sleeping outside on ancient bedsprings. Then we upgraded to tents! Hunting camp with dad's big canvas tent was always so much fun. Warm and snug inside with the stove on a cold mountain day. Now I've become what I used to make fun of, a camper trailer camper. Going from a leaky 1977 camper to a new 2021 camper is so nice. Comfort but we still get to be out with nature enjoying the mountains.

Though I still make time to write while I'm relaxing in front of the campfire or sitting on top of the mountain with an amazing view before me. I always take a notebook and a handful of pens with me when I go to the mountains to hide from the hectic world. 

In Promise of Spring True Tucker gets lost in the mountains. After saving the life of a little girl, a blizzard strands True in a cabin with the girl and her handsome father. Adventure, excitement, and love find True as she spends time in the mountains with the dashing man and his adorable daughter. But when it's time for her to return to her normal life, will she stay with the man she loves or choose the life she is accustomed to?

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Outlaw's Redemption is a winner!

 

  I entered Outlaw's Redemption in The Book Fest Awards a while back and WON!  What a happy surprise for me last night. I received an e-mail about the winners and was honored to be among such great authors.

  Winning Second Place in Western Romance.

  But winning First Place in Paranormal.... this might confuse people.

  When Outlaw's Redemption made the Finals for the Chanticleer Reviews Paranormal Category, many people were confused. "But your books are Western Romance" some people said to me. This is true. Western Romance is the main focus of my books and many people don't think that Historical Western and Paranormal should go together.  Not all my books are this way, but a few have paranormal elements.    Outlaw's Redemption is a good mix. Leslie has visions of events to come. Boone is haunted by a ghost that speaks to him in his mind. That is just a quick example. There is so much more to it. The love blossoming between them, his promise to fulfill, her secret ability, and a cast of complex characters.   I never thought of my books as Paranormal. To me, paranormal was vampires, witches, werewolves, etc. For those who have read my books know that the Tucker sisters each have a special ability. Joanna can see at night. Shyfawn heals with her hands. True has visions of events to come. The abilities pass only to their daughters as their families grow.  I never saw those abilities as being paranormal but apparently they are. After that, I decided to enter Outlaw's Redemption into the various Paranormal categories in contests. I'm very glad I chose to branch out.  However, not everyone likes this combination of Historical Romance and Paranormal. People have their own preferences, and that is okay. I myself enjoy this combination. Many years ago, I read a historical western romance that had merged the two. I can't remember who the author was or what the book was called, but I really enjoyed it. Her main character could heal with her hands. Another book I read, her main character could touch an object and see past events. There were a handful of theses book I read before I began writing and I loved it. So I decided when I started writing my books, my main characters would have their own special abilities.  As the years went by, the families grew and their daughters gained the abilities. So three generations later, the abilities are still being passed on. (I have so many books to publish) Future books have a few surprises in them. I can't give up too much information, but there will be a few books with new characters and new abilities.  The next few books I publish won't have the paranormal aspects in them. I love writing both and will continue to do what I love. My lifelong dream of being an author is finally coming true.    

Signed Books!

Signed books are available at Butterfly Shadow Publishing.
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Order one of all of my books signed and personalized for you. Plus, free bookmarks and a small gift included. And did I mention FREE SHIPPING! 

Book Signing!

   I will be doing a book signing in Newcastle Wednesday March 23rd at the Weston County Library from 10-2. Stop in and see me. Grab a book or bring your book in and I'll sign it.

Wild Love Series

Rimrock Series

Award Finalist!

 Happy to announce that Outlaw's Redemption made the finals in the Chanticleer International Book Awards for Paranormal Romance. 

First place winners will be announced in June. There are so many talented people on this list and it's such an honor to be among them. Check out the list, you may find your next favorite author on there.

2021 Paranormal Awards Finalists | Chanticleer Book Reviews (chantireviews.com)

Not many people care for paranormal aspects in western romance, but many, many, years ago I read a couple that added the paranormal. I loved it! Not vampires, werewolf, or fairies. But woman with elemental abilities and physic powers.

When I started writing the Rimrock books, I gave all of the Tucker sisters their own special gift. A gift that passes on to their daughters. Some gifts don't pass on the same, some with dire consequences. As in LaRisa's case. Her story is told in Guarded Hearts. 

Welcome to Rimrock, Wyoming

 

    Hello all, I hope everyone is having a fantastic February. We all know that February is best known for romance, and who can resist a good romance story. I never could. Though I loved reading, I had a desire to write my own love stories. So eventually I did.    First, I needed a setting. Second, great characters. I randomly chose a name for the town, (I was around sixteen at the time) and it stuck. Rimrock is a fictional town set in the wilds of Wyoming and the people there all have a story to tell.
   After discovering romance books and falling in love with them, I wanted to start writing my own books. It started when I was a junior in high school with the idea for one book. Then three books. Then five books. Over the years, I fell in love with my characters and the supporting characters and decided that their stories needed to be told as well. There were three main families in the town that kept growing and growing. Soon I was writing books about their children and grandchildren.
    Rimrock itself started with a few settlers but over the years grew into a bustling town and a stop for the railroad. The train brought more interesting characters to the town, and they had their own story to tell. Each book is a standalone, but they have reoccurring characters.
    



The first two Rimrock books are finished and I'm excited to get more finished. This series is about the original settlers of Rimrock. Full of romance, fighting to survive on the harsh land, defending loved ones against danger, mystery, and even a little magic.  The Wild Love Series is about the second generation of the Rimrock families. The first three books are finished, and I can't wait to get the rest finished.     

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Happy Valentine's Day

 I hope the day is full of happiness and romance for the couples out there. For those singles out there I hope your day is wonderful.  Spending the majority of my adult life single, Valentine's Day was just another day. I could have cared less. I was happy and content with my life and myself. But for the past two Valentine's Day's I've been lucky enough to spend it with a great guy. The right one comes along at the right time.

Five Books!!!!

Five Books Published


It's hard to believe that I have publishedfive books!Something that started when I was in high schoolhas turned into something amazing for me.My active imagination and passion forromance novels, progressed into writing myown novels. And that passion keeps growing.
What originally started as three books about three sisters, soon turned into 45 books.I added two more sisters and fell in love withmy supporting characters. Feeling that they had their own stories to tell. Many of them have some amazing stories! Then came ideas for other books. Branching out from Wyoming, I started books taking place in Texas, Nebraska,and Oregon. Those books will be a few years down the road before they are published.      In my original Rimrock books, my main character, Jo, I absolutely fell in love with. A complicated, haunted, and stubbornly independent woman. As I wrote her story, I soon realized that it would require being broken down into a couple books. As I wrote, the books became about her sisters and Jo's story was secondary. She is in nearly all of the Rimrock books but never got her own story. Crazy how writing takes its own path. But both of her daughters have their own books.I have had such a great time developing the three main families that live in Rimrock, Wyoming. The books span three generations and, who knows, maybe more.    In this writing journey I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing authors. I am constantly learning and, thankfully, improving my writing style. Promise of Spring and Theads of Passion are mutli award winning books. Something I never dreamed of!     I'm eager to share the stories of the other people in Rimrock, Wyoming. (a fictional town)  There will be lots of passion, mystery, and a touch of magic......