Raeann Blake's Blog

Ready, set, go.

Hey everyone, I’m back! My little social media break is officially over, and I’m ready to dive back in. The first few days will be spent catching up. Things will be a bit scaled back for now, though, because I do have a new book to write! Unlike my others that were mostly completed years ago and just needed polishing, this one is a fresh adventure from the ground up. So, my focus is going to be on building a brand-new world just for you.

Speaking of this new world, I’m currently calling it “The Lattimer Brothers: Trey” and it will be the first of a 2-book set. Imagine Trey and Tony Lattimer, two brothers who came straight from the backwoods of Tennessee, nestled in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. Thanks to an incredible opportunity from a generous benefactor, they built not just a hotel, but *the* most prestigious hotel in New York City, turning it into a glittering empire with clones scattered across the country. Lattimer Hotels were the definition of glitz, glamour, champagne, and caviar, catering to every whim and demanding absolute perfection. They even had a fascinating tie-in with one of the country’s biggest publishing firms. Trey was pure business, laser-focused… until a New Year’s Eve gala hosted for that publisher. That night, he met Cimarron, and it was pure fantasy. But morning brought the stark reality – an empty bed and just a single note. For an entire year, he searched, but she was a ghost, a myth with no last name, a wisp of smoke that vanished with the rising sun.

Now, a year has passed, and another big party is coming up. Could she possibly be back? Will he finally capture the smoke? And exactly how did he end up in Montana?

Tucker Blood is here!

Well, it took me longer than I wish it had, but ‘Tucker Blood’ is finally out there in the wild. This story is another “Adults Only” sizzling romance. This time we’re in the fictional town of Westend, Texas and involves the ‘new girl in town’ asking too many questions to all the wrong people. Can snooping around in a small town get you killed? You bet your bippy!

I hope you pick up your copy today if you haven’t done so already. If you loved any of my other books, I think you’ll like this one, too.

On other news, ‘Taming Clay’ is almost 13! Can you believe it? To celebrate, I’m giving it away for free from April 26th through April 30, 2025. For those who haven’t read it, what better time than while it is on promotion. ‘Taming Clay’ is an Amazon Bestseller, an IPPY Award Winner and Writing Awards Finalist. You’ll find a novel that unfolds into a sizzling tale of redemption and unexpected love. Clay Cardell has what could be generously described as a surly attitude. Rough exterior, meet electric spark in the form of his newest Business Manager, Hailey Lambert. Pick up your free copy on Amazon, 4/26/2025 – 4/30/2025.

With ‘Tucker Blood’ that makes 12 books I have allowed to find their wings. I hope I have added something to someone else’s life by bringing a smile, a laugh, or a tear here and there. Now it is on to #13. Don’t ever stop reading. And when you find the time, be sure and drop your authors a review now and then. I promise it will make their day.

Happy Reading! ~ Raeann Blake

Eleven Years and Counting

Eleven years. When we were going back and forth to Dallas all that time for testing and classes and counseling and on and on, we were told the average survival rate at that time for lung transplant patients was 5 years. See… all my life I tried to tell everyone I was above average. But would they believe me? Noooo. Well now they sort of have to. LOL

I can’t begin to express how amazed I am that I’m still here. There are no bounds to the length and breadth of my deep appreciation to Christopher, my donor, his family, and an amazing God for sending me to the right doctors, guiding their hands, and giving me the gift of “new to me” lungs, the strength to pull through, and the will to keep fighting.

And above it all there was John, who literally saved my life by insisting I have the surgery even though I was so scared. My kids who always had my back and encouraged me, my sisters who came and stayed to help take care of me both before and after the surgery, and all of my family, friends, and even my readers who absolutely ‘prayed me through it’ by starting prayer chains that stretched across our nation and to many countries beyond our borders.

And, last but certainly not least, our little Millie who took such good care of me with kisses, snuggles, hugs and tail wags. She is my little four-legged .

So, 11 years are officially in the books and it is on to number 12. If you are a registered donor, God Bless you. And if you’re not, why not? But, either way, God Bless you, too.

Donate Life!

Information about Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation | organdonor.gov

Transplant Warriors Rock! ~ Raeann Blake

Happy New Year 2025!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this little blog. I try to keep up, but it often gets pushed to the back burner. But the new year is here – 2024 is gone (good riddance!) and 2025 is upon us. I’m hopeful this year will be filled with the most laughter, love, and blessings we’ve ever experienced.

The past year was not an easy one. My better half underwent two surgeries, and I broke (or rather, re-broke) my ankle, requiring surgery, 8 weeks in a cast and boot, and 8 weeks of rehab. On the bright side, I was still able to release Kansas in Montana as planned, and I opened an online store, Raeann Blake Studios, which now has over 2,000 items. Creating all those designs was a sanity-saver during a challenging time.

I also learned that oxycodone and I do not get along – it took my long-standing panic and anxiety attacks to a whole new, unpleasant level. As for my ankle, I really went to town on the previous hardware, stripping screws and bending the plate. The doctors had to put in two new plates and 14 screws to put me back together. Thankfully, I had a second surgery on January 2nd to remove 4 of those screws, and I can finally walk without pain for the first time since last Memorial Day. And the lungs are still going strong (thank you to my donor). 

Now it’s on to 2025! My newest book, Tucker Blood, is with the editor, and I’m aiming for a spring release. And no more hospital bingo for me this year – my card is full!

Happy New Year, and happy reading! ~ Raeann Blake

We Are Open – Raeann Blake Studios

Raeann Blake Studios: Designs & Collections on Zazzle

Looking for the perfect way to express your style? Our brand-new Zazzle store has got you covered! From shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies to caps, magnets, and mousepads, we’ve got an incredible selection waiting just for you. And that’s not all – our store boasts an irresistible collection of keychains, server trays, blankets, and more mugs and tumblers than you can shake a stick at! But hey, if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, just let us know. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in and discover the endless possibilities together!

Looking for some Seven Brothers or anything Raeann Blake related? Check out these two collections.

The Seven Brothers of Elko Collection All Things Raeann Collection

Or maybe you would like something for one of the upcoming holiday collections.

Mardis Gras Valentine’s Day St. Patrick’s Day

Perhaps something in one of these?

More Collections

National Donors’ Day Collection

Acessories Collection

Baby Animals Collection

Caps Collection

Clothing Collection

Home Goods Collection

Inspirational Quotes and Images Collection

Misc. Collection

Transplant Celebration Collection

Mugs, Water Bottles, & More Collection

Office Supplies Collection

Pet Supplies Collection

Server-ware Collection

Let’s go shopping!

Have a great day. Happy Reading and Happy Shopping! ~ Raeann Blake

Drinking and Driving

As I do from time to time, this is a regurgitation of a rant I posted 13 years ago. I read it again this morning and discovered that it still holds true today. I have no sympathy or compassion for those who climb behind a wheel drunk. Have I done it myself? Yes, I have. I was much, much younger and much, much dumber then. (I wish somebody had sat my stupid ass down and told me these things back in those days.) So rather than retype opinions that are identical to what I thought in 2010, I’ll just repost it here as I’m sure I have before.

Monday, November 1, 2010
Drinking and Driving

I usually write for many reasons.  Sometimes it’s to bring attention to a specific person, event, or cause.  Nearly always it involves members of our law enforcement community in some way.  It is often because I find a story that I feel compelled to make sure others know or to voice my opinion, right or wrong.  My words are usually meant to open eyes, change hearts, or start people thinking.  I don’t think I’ve ever posted publicly what would be considered a ‘rant’.  Well, that’s about to change.  If you’re not interested in listening, then just move along.  It’s my blog.

I am SICK TO DEATH of reading about officer after officer after officer being injured or killed by the thoughtless, irresponsible, careless populace of this country that thinks it is somehow their God-given right to pour liquor down their throats and then climb into a two ton weapon and go barreling down the road.  It is NOT a God-given right.  You have no right to take the lives of others so lightly.  You are not special.  You don’t deserve special treatment or get special perks.  There is not an invisible, cushioned protector around that missile that you’re propelling down our roadways that is somehow going to keep you and everyone else safe. Stop thinking that it won’t ever happen to you. If you keep drinking and driving…YES IT WILL.

I actually read a quote a few days ago that disgusted me in every way. The article was written about an officer who was doing nothing more than going about his job of taking care of the people he swore to serve and protect. At least that’s what he was doing before one of those people chose to kill him by having a great old time combining alcohol and the keys to a car. He was one of so many who put their lives on the line every second of his day because he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to make things right. He sacrificed more than most will ever understand every single day just to protect us all…including the drunk that killed him. What was the driver’s excuse?

“It’s not my fault. I’m an alcoholic.”

Uh-huh.  Mister, I didn’t buy the Brooklyn Bridge.  I didn’t even buy that swamp land in Arizona.  And I am most certainly NOT buying that.  I don’t care if you are so addicted to alcohol that you have to mainline the stuff.  Man up!!!  Take some responsibility.  If you were a responsible, respectable human being, you would have taken precautions BEFORE the first drop of alcohol passed your lips.

He’s not alone.  It happens every day.  It’s not always an officer who is out there trying to keep the rest of us safe that gets killed.  It doesn’t always make the headlines.  But, it does happen.  And there’s always an excuse.

“Oh, I was drunk. I didn’t know any better.” What are you…two???

“It was an accident.”  No, it wasn’t.  It was intentional from the start.  Save that ‘poor me’ stuff for some bleeding heart somewhere that thinks that it’s okay to pat you on the head like a good little dog just because of some misplaced sense of wanting to help those less fortunate.  Well, guess what.  You’re not less fortunate.  You wanna talk about who is?  You wanna talk about the families of all those people that have been killed by the indifference to other lives by people just like you?

“I don’t know why my friends didn’t stop me from driving.  They knew I’d had too much to drink.” Are you their pet?  A friend stopping a friend from drinking and driving is by far one of the most selfless acts that friend can perform for both you and others in this world.  What a shame that they don’t have a friend like that in you.  What gives you the right to put them in that position?  Why should they have to be the one to make your decisions for you?  Why should they have to go through life picking up after you and cleaning up your messes just because you’re so uncaring and indifferent to human life that you would barely qualify as pond scum.  Grow up!  Take responsibility for your own actions.

YOU make the decision whether or not to drink. YOU make the decision whether or not to take steps to ensure that you will not do anything so stupid as to get behind the wheel when you do. It is NOT your friends’ responsibility to watch out for you like some helpless child.

Either PUT IT DOWN or PARK IT!!!  Or if you just insist on driving drunk, at least do us all a favor and make it a long drive off a short pier!!! But before you do, be sure to let your loved ones know your wishes on organ donation!

*NOTE: Yes, I know this says ‘Man-up’, ‘Mister,’, etc., etc., etc. And, yes, I know it’s not only men who drink and drive. Get over it. This applies to everyone, men, women, and teenagers.

Be safe everyone. ~ Raeann Blake (aka Peggy Gunn Milligan)

Goodbye 2023 : Hello 2024

Wow. What a year it has been. There have been incredible highs and heart-breaking lows around the world. For myself, I’ve experienced a rejection scare that thankfully turned out to be a false alarm, suffered the loss of a dear sister/double-first cousin, and had a few more alarms concerning the hubby’s health. Add in the state of our country and the world at large and I would have to say we have all had a somewhat tumultuous year. Despite it all, it has been a productive one. Four new books were released this year, “Hiding from Yesterday” and the last 3 brothers, Casey, Bo, and Lonnie, in “The Seven Brothers of Elko” series. (The end of “The Seven Brothers” was an especially hard pill to swallow.)

The hubby is still the best thing I’ve found on the internet, the kids have all grown into adults that I respect and stare at in awe sometimes, and ‘The Crazy Dog’ is still crazy. In January, I will see the 10-year anniversary of my double-lung transplant and the doctors keep telling me I’m boring because they have nothing to do. That’s simply awesome to hear. I talk to my donor, Chris, every day and I think of his mother and daughter when I do. I still believe he gave me my taste for spicy foods that I didn’t have before the transplant. And I promise him every day that as long as I breathe, he breathes.

So, what’s coming in 2024? First, I’m opening a new store on Zazzle called “Raeann Blake Studios” where I will design and sell Raeann Blake and “Seven Brothers” themed merchandise along with various other creative mugs, clothing, bags, etc. Anything that comes from the twisted brain of a writer that I can design will be there. I’ve had several requests for some items I designed for myself. You will be able to pick up those items soon. I should be open for business sometime in January 2024.

The new year should also see the release of two new novels, “Kansas in Montana” and “Tucker Blood”, so stay tuned for that.

I am beyond, beyond, beyond grateful for my readers. I’ve never met a more true-blue, loyal group of people. You have given me the reason and strength to keep going during those times when I wanted to quit. I can tell you now, we made it. And I see nothing but good coming in 2024.

Have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. But above all else—

If you drink, don’t drive.
If you drive, don’t drink.

We want to see you right back here when the parties are over. See you in 2024.

Happy Reading! ~Raeann

Do you remember when?

Daily writing promptWhich food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?View all responses

For me it is homemade ice cream. The first bite brings back sitting on a newspaper spread over the ice in the old hand-crank ice cream freezer while Mama turned the crank. Fresh watermelon from the garden sliced up right there on the back porch of the old house we grew up in. Hollering back and forth across the pasture to the cousins, “Ice cream! Y’all come on.” Those were the days of lying on a quilt under a tree with a book or studying the clouds. I didn’t have a care in the world back then. What a wonderful world we lived in. One filled with quilts under the trees, books, clouds, watermelon and homemade ice cream. But, the best of all was the whole family there together.

No rejection!

Hooray! The numbers are coming back up. No rejection protocols required. Yippee! The weight is down slightly, spirometry up slightly, and bloodwork was dead-on perfect. YAY!

Now, Bo… where were we, son?

Happy Reading ~ Raeann

Reject, Rejected, Rejection

What awful words. Whether it be a friendship, an offer of your love, a job application, or maybe a credit card. We all face it at one time or another. I have, you have, we all have.

I am finding it to be horse of a different color when you’re talking about your body rejecting the gifted organ(s) you were blessed to receive. Your heart, your kidney, your lungs, or any other organ you’ve been pampering and protecting for however many years it has been. How infuriating is it to learn that my own body may be trying to evict the very things that have kept it alive for the last 9-1/2 years.

Forgive me if I appear to either trivialize transplant rejection or overdramatize it. I am trying to do neither one. I do, after all, live with the possibility every single day just as every other transplant patient does. But I’m swinging from:

“I have the best doctors. This is no big deal for them. They know what to do.”

to

“This is terrible What if they can’t stop it? How much damage has it already done?”

From hope to despair and back again. The dreaded bronchoscopy. The steroid rages from the IV dump. Or maybe it will be a false alarm. I’ll have better spirometry results next time.

Don’t get me wrong. I am worlds away from where I was 10 years ago. That is not taken for granted. It’s just that this is my first big scare, and I am understandably concerned. Hopefully, it will turn out to be nothing. But I’m not holding my breath. (No pun intended)

So, I’ll head back to Dallas on Monday to re-test and hopefully get a thumbs up or a thumbs down then. If it’s thumbs down, I’ll have to get a roadmap of what the next couple of weeks will look like. Of course, I’m apprehensive. But right now, I feel like everything is going to be okay. I mean I have already beaten the odds by making it this far. And I most certainly am nowhere near done yet.

Ask me again 5 minutes from now when I’m scared again.

‘Til tomorrow, do some happy reading. (Did I mention that Casey is out now (look in the left column for a link to the sample) and I’m working on Bo?)

~Raeann

Here’s some more general information on transplants. Click on each link to learn more.

How long can a person live with a lung transplant?

Although some people have lived 10 years or more after a lung transplant, only about half the people who undergo the procedure are still alive after five years.

Facts and Myths About Transplant

Over 104,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant. This is the lowest it has been since 2009. The list topped at 124,000 at its height in 2014. The US saw a 7.5% increase in deceased donors last year- from 13,863 in 2021 to 14,903 in 2022.

Not signed up yet? Click here to sign up in America.

Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. More than 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Transplants rely on the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors, and there are not enough donors to meet the need. You can help.