Lauri Robinson's Blog, page 6

Dinosaurs and Bucket Lists

Yowzers, I do hope everyone experiencing the weather hitting the East Coast stays warm and safe! 
Any of you who follow me on Facebook may have seen this picture. Last weekend, after the grandchildren left, I put away the toys, but the following morning Papa and I discovered the ‘left over’s’ on the coffee table. We left the dinosaurs as they were, and last evening when Connor arrived, he ran into the living room and in his little—somewhat unclear—two-year-old voice, he shouted to his sister, “Belle! Dinosaur eat!” Oh, yes, he was overly excited to see his dinosaurs. 
His other sister also had good news to share. She arrived saying, “Grandma, did you hear the good news? You got picked to go on my field trip!” Come February, I’ll be heading to the Children’s Theatre as a chaperon for her 1st grade classroom. 
There truly is never a dull moment around here. Recently a friend of mine had some ‘bad’ health news and decided there were a few things on her bucket list she wanted to complete. Our adventure this week to check off another item, was to the Mall of America where she took a ride on a zip line. (I took pictures—facing my fear of heights isn’t on my bucket list.) As we walked into the mall, I insisted she stand in front of this sign. It’s the perfect message!

It’s also been a wonderful writing week. Scott Eagan of the Greyhaus Literary Agency became my agent, I snapped a picture of Saving Marina sitting on a bookshelf in the Barnes and Noble at Mall of America, and I have been completely engrossed in my latest WIP! I love when stories flow like this one is! 
Along with Saving Marina, I’ll have three other releases in 2016. Western Spring Weddings , an anthology that includes my story, When a Cowboy Says I Do, will be released in April. Her Cheyenne Warrior in June, and a Christmas story, title yet to be determined, in November.
That’s all for now, except that I hope you all find dinosaurs that make you smile, or shout, this week! Make it a bucket list item!

Countdown to Release Day

Saving Marina will be released in print next Tuesday, January 19th, and in ebook on February 1st. 
People often ask me which is of my books is my personal favorite. I usually answer with the one I’m writing now. That is the truth, mainly because that is the story I’m most focused on, however, each book has something special about it. Whether it’s how the story came to be, the research behind it, a character that reminds me of someone, etc. etc. Saving Marina is no different. This book is special because of my family history. 
I’d heard for years that there were ‘witches’ in our ancestry, but didn’t think much about it. All families have ‘skeletons in the closet’ and tidbits that may have grown into ‘wives’ tales’ over the years. It wasn’t until my son was exploring Ancestry.com and told me that my eight times great grandmother was arrested as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials that I took a deeper interest. 
During that tremulous time, which lasted less than a year, fear engulfed many communities, and along with that came self-preservation. People accused others of witchcraft in order to simply protect themselves. There are many theories behind the witch trials. Some I read amazed me, others were staggering, and then there are those that, although incredulous, seem understandable considering the time period and the beliefs and ways of life back then. 
My ancestor’s name was Elizabeth Dicer, and though I dug up as much material on her as I could, there isn’t much. It seems she was arrested after accusing several others of being a witch—which wasn’t uncommon. From my understanding, it was late in the year, and cold when she was imprisoned. Her son-in-law, whose name was Richard Tarr, (my paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Tarr, and Richard would have been her several times great grandfather) petitioned the courts to release not only Elizabeth, but several others because they would never survive the cold winter in the jail which had no heat. Just the previous month, The Court of Oyer and Terminer, which had been specifically created to try accused witches, had been overturned, or dissolved, by the Superior Court of Judicature which specifically outlawed the use of spectral evidence in any of the hearings. Richard obtained Elizabeth’s release by paying her bail and promising to return her to the courts for a set upon hearing date the following spring. Between the date of her release and trail date, additional changes and orders came about which led to the end of the accusations and trails, therefore Elizabeth, as well as several others, never needed to return. A few years later, monetary reparations and public apologies were granted to some families for false proof and wrongful deaths.
Although I used my family history and Richard Tarr’s name in my story, I did not use Elizabeth’s premise. Marina, my heroine, has her own reason for believing she is a witch. 
And now I’m off to work on my next book about two orphans brought west on a train, separated, and reunited years later during the rough and wild days of the cattle drives inundating Dodge City.   
Stay happy!   

It's Here! 2016!

We had a lovely time last night with a couple dozen friends. Lots of laughter and toasts to the old and new year. Our Christmas was truly wonderful and created a host of sweet memories. The chocolate fountain was indeed a hit, and has been proclaimed a must at all family gatherings in 2016.(Minus the huge gummy bear!!)
2016 is already gathering steam for book releases in 2016. Saving Marina will be released in print on January 19th, and ebook on February 1st.  Western Spring Weddings, an anthology with my story, When a Cowboy Says I Do, will be released on March 22nd in paperback and April 1st in ebook. Her Cheyenne Warrior will be released May 24th in paperback and June 1st in ebook.
Saving Marina
Seduced in Salem 

Sea captain Richard Tarr must claim his child after the death of his estranged wife. Arriving in Salem, he's shocked to discover his daughter is in the care of Marina Lindqvist—a rumored witch!

This beautiful, gentle woman awakens unfamiliar feelings in Richard. And as the threat from the Salem witch hunters grows, he knows he must protect misunderstood Marina at all costs. Little does he know that with Marina helping him bond with his little girl, she might just be saving him right back…




Western Spring Weddings
SPRING WEDDING FEVER IN THE WILD WILD WEST! 

THE CITY GIRL AND THE RANCHER by Lynna Banning 

Penniless, Clarissa Seaforth leaps at gruff rancher Graydon Harris's offer to become his cook. She's never cared for a man before, but surely it can't be hard to learn…

HIS SPRINGTIME BRIDE by Kathryn Albright 

Spring is in the air… Can rancher Gabe Coulter and Riley Rawlins, the boss's daughter, find forgiveness and renew the lovers' vows they made so long ago?

WHEN A COWBOY SAYS I DO by Lauri Robinson 

Dal Roberts must make his sister's wedding a success, which means accompanying seamstress Ellie to Wichita. Could there be a double wedding on the horizon…?

Her Cheyenne Warrior
The Cheyenne's captive! 

Runaway heiress Lorna Bradford must reach California to claim her fortune, but when she's rescued from robbers by fierce Native warrior Black Horse, she's forced to remain under his protection. 

Immersed in a world so different from her own, wildcat Lorna learns how to be the kind of strong woman Black Horse needs. But, to stay by his side, she must first let go of everything she knows and decide to seize this chance for happiness with her Cheyenne warrior! 





  The fourth release in 2016 will be my Colorado lumber baron story (title still to be determined) in December.  
2016 is already proving to be a wonderful year, and I hope you each make it one of your best years ever!

Gummy Bear Christmas

I won this wonderful prize at our local Chamber of Commerce Christmas event. What on earth does a person do with a gummy bear that weighs over a pound? 
Well….A couple of months ago I’d decided I wanted to buy a chocolate fountain for our family Christmas Eve gathering. Although I had ordered most of my gifts online, I had procrastinated in ordering the fountain, so last Wednesday, two friends and I set out to find one.  We started out with a delightful lunch, and then hit the stores. Luck, it appeared, was not with us, but we were up for the adventure. We traveled from town to town, store to store, finding other things to buy, food and wine to sample, and displays that truly took our breath away, but not a single chocolate fountain. 
Until the last store. Since it was getting late in the day, we chose to divide and conquer, each going a different direction. As I exited the kitchen area, coming from one direction was one friend, stating if the store had any fountains left, they would be at the end of the next aisle. As we turned in that direction, here came our other friend, carrying the fountain and proclaiming it was the display one so I’ll get 10% off. 
So I am now the proud owner of a chocolate fountain. Along with various fruits, cake, pretzels and marshmallows, there will be a very large gummy bear for people to cut off an arm or leg, poke on a skewer and coat with chocolate. 
It is little things like that—winning a gag gift or finding a chocolate fountain with friends—that makes the season all the more memorable! 
I hope you have an event that makes Christmas of 2015 one you’ll always remember!
From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!!

Gotta Love a Sale!

In celebration of ten years of publishing books in the digital format, Harlequin is having their biggest sale ever! 10,000 books are on sale for only $1.99! I’m excited that nineteen of my books (long and short stories) are included in this sale! You can find them here on Amazon. They are also on sale at Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Itunes, Google, and the Harlequin website!
The sale will run from November 11th to the 17thso shop now!  
Typing hasn’t been easy lately. I managed to tear a tendon in my right hand. It’s getting better every day, and I hope to be done with the brace very soon. Despite all that, I did meet my deadline for the Colorado lumber baron story. The manuscript is now with my editor, and I’m onto my next story.
Make your day a great one!!

Welcome Fall!

It happened whether I wanted it to or not, Fall is here so I must embrace it. I’ll dig out jeans, sweatshirts, warm socks and shoes and look forward to all the fun and adventure the cooler weather will bring.
We did end our summer on with a wonderful event. Last Sunday we had an impromptu family reunion. One of my brothers is moving to Tennessee. I’m going to miss him and his wife, but look forward to visiting them. It so happened all of his children were in Minnesota for the weekend, and I’m so thankful they all stopped by our house. My boys and their families all came over, as did more family and friends. It was a day I’ll always remember. (When my alarm went off Monday morning, I had to push snooze. It had only been 6 hours since I’d been sitting on the front porch drinking wine with my niece from Oklahoma.)
I also must say thank you to all of you who have attended my book signings! These events have been so fun. There will be another one this weekend at the Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud (Saturday at 1:00) and then again next weekend at Buffalo Book and Coffee in Buffalo on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10:00. Hope to see more of you at those!
The final book of my Daughters of the Roaring Twenties mini-series will be released on October 1st. I’ve had a great time with these books and thank you to all of you for your support and reviews. I’m so glad people are enjoying this time period. Next up will be Saving Marina in February. Following that will be When A Cowboy Says I Do in April, and Her Cheyenne Warrior will be released during the summer of 2016.
Right now I’m working on a western set in Colorado during the railroad wars and then I’ll start working on one more western that includes a heroine who had been delivered to Kansas by one of the first orphan trains.

I am so grateful for all the wonderful events life provides! Cheers!

Summer Days

Three of the grandchildren (and Bear) were here yesterday, and spent the entire day outside, just playing. It was the perfect summer day. I see people posting on facebook about sweatshirts, football, pumpkin flavored everything, and other ‘fall’ stuff, and, although I am happy for those who think fall is the best time of year—for this world would be a very boring place if we were all the same—I’m one of those people who want summer to stick around as long as possible. I’m not referring to 100 degree weather, for I’m not really a fan of having the air conditioner on all the time. It’s more of the ‘relaxed’ atmosphere that comes along with summer. Everyone is still very busy, but it doesn’t hold the same ‘rush-rush’ feel as other times of the year.  I guess it just boils down to the fact that summer is my favorite time of the year. Then again, I truly do appreciate living in Minnesota where we do get to experience each season to its fullest.
Last weekend I dedicated time to using up the plums from our trees—we now have plenty of plum jam, jelly, and butter to last the winter. This weekend we are having a family get-together. Just a small one. We’ve had my husband’s cousin’s son (I call him our nephew just to make it easy) staying with us the past few months because his job brought him to Minnesota. We have a spare bedroom so there was no reason for him to live in a motel for months. He’s been a delightful young man to have around and we are going to miss him now that his job is taking him to Missouri. 
We are hoping to get one more trip up north in before the leaves start to turn, and of course I have a couple more book signings still on the agenda for September.
On Friday, September 11th I’ll be at the Maple Grove Barnes and Noble at 6:00 pm and on Saturday, September 26th, I’ll be at the St. Cloud Barnes and Noble. Please stop by if you are in the area!
The Rebel Daughter will be released on September 1st. A year ago I was putting the final touches on these stories, and I’m so happy people are enjoying them! I’m now anxiously waiting to see what the Harlequin art department has in store for Saving Marina—my Salem Witch Trial story. It will be released in print on January 19th and ebook on February 1st.  After that, in April I believe, will come When A Cowboy Says I Do—a story in a anthology that will include three Spring Wedding stories.
Continue to enjoy your summer days, and keep smiling. Life is good!

Print Release!

The Rebel Daughter is now available in  print! Amazon has the book on sale right now for just $3.73! I hope you'll pop on over there and take advantage of that wonderful sale price!

The Rebel Daughter
For every wild child… 

No more watching from the sidelines for Twyla Nightingale: her feet are firmly on the dance floor! She won't let anyone sour the delicious taste of freedom—especially not Forrest Reynolds, back in town after all this time.

…there's a guy who thinks she's the bee's knees. 

Forrest didn't expect a warm welcome from the Nightingale sisters, not after their lives had been so dramatically upturned. But seeing the challenge in Twyla's eyes, Forrest takes this rebel for a wild dance she won't forget!


RT reviews had this to say about The Rebel Daughter--You’ll experience plenty of the Roaring ‘20s atmosphere in the second in Robinson’s series. This time, she’s added some wild adventures, a mystery and loads of sexual tension to the mix, keeping readers on their toes. They’ll eagerly await the next installment of the saga. 
The ebook version will be released on September 1st! Next up will be Josie's story! 
The book signing this past weekend at the Barnes and Noble in Roseville was wonderful! It was so great to see people I hadn't seen for ages--and I mean ages! 
The next one will be on Friday, September 11 at 6:00 pm at the Barnes and Noble in Maple Grove!
Cheers,Lauri

Upcoming Book Signings

I’ll be at several Barnes and Noble Book Stores the next couple of months signing copies of The Daughters of the Roaring Twenties series. 

Join me if you can!




Sunday, August 16th at 2:00 pm Roseville
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
HarMar Mall
2100 N. Snelling Avenue
Roseville, MN 55113   Friday, September 11 at 6:00 pm Maple Grove Barnes and Noble Booksellers 8040 Wedgewood Lane N
Maple Grove, MN   55369
Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 pm St. Cloud Barnes and Noble Booksellers
3940 Division Street
St. Cloud MN 56301

99¢ Cowboy Sale!

There's just something about a cowboy that makes the perfect hero and July is the month to read about several of those great heroes! 

The following Harlequin titles are on sale at participating retailers July 2-30
The Rustler by Linda Lael Miller Mercy by B.J. Daniels Riding High by Vicki Lewis Thompson The Wrong Cowboy by Lauri Robinson The Rebel Cowboy’s Quadruplets by Tina Leonard Runaway Lone Star Bride by Cathy Gillen Thacker No Accounting for Cowboys by Leah Braemel Consent to the Cowboy by Abby Wood Stranded with the Rancher by Janice Maynard A Royal Fortune by Judy Duarte