Just because trouble has come visiting doesn’t mean you have to offer it a place to sit down. That had always been Crockett Legend’s motto and it had served him well. Until now. Looked like it might be too late at this point for any type of homespun cowboy wisdom. The dye had been cast. Rays of an apricot sky through the idling train’s window sent a reminder that his early morning travel could yield yet more surprises and it was best to be prepared. If possible. He rubbed his face with his hands and glanced around at the people still filling the car. A group of men in rough work clothes were talking about going to the oil fields, hoping to find work in the Texas boom towns that had recently sprung up overnight. In fact, the black gold and talk of getting rich seemed on everyone’s minds these days. A swish of delicate fabric brushing his legs interrupted his thoughts as a woman hesitated, probably scanning the car for a choice of empty seats. Finally, she mumbled something under her breath and took the seat across the narrow aisle from him. The faint scent of sage and wildflowers…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A COWBOY CHRISTMAS LEGEND  2–What is it about? Once a former Texas Ranger, Sam Legend has retreated from family, friends–and life–and settled in the northernmost reaches of the Texas Panhandle. He’s unable to come to terms over the loss of his young wife and throws himself into a new venture of forging knives. All he wants is to be left alone and forget all about any happy celebration, most of all Christmas. But Cheyenne Ronan refuses to let him. She sees his wounded soul and is driven to try to help him. Christmas is no time to be alone, wallowing in misery. Beneath his long hair and unkept appearance is a man worth saving and she’s just the woman to do that. But she has secrets of her own. As Christmas approaches, they have to work together to put another broken family back together and find Christmas is filled with miracles and unexpected love. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The starkness of the Panhandle with it’s harsh winters and heavy snows seemed the perfect place for a man to disappear into. It has high mesas, sweeping vistas, and is filled with deep ravines and gullies. I lived there for a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A COWBOY OF LEGEND 2–What is it about?  Saloon owner Deacon Brannock is fighting to save his business when Grace Legend with the Temperance Society and a bevy of marchers descend determined to shut the Three Deuces down. Grace has seen firsthand the devastating effects of alcohol and doesn’t want to bury another friend. Tempers flare as Grace and Deacon clash. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s set at the turn of the century when the world was changing so fast. The bigger cities had gaslighting on the street, there were trolley cars, reform was happening in many areas, and women were fighting for the right to vote and to have a say in how things were run. The unrest created the perfect storm for Grace Legend and Deacon Brannock. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Grace Legend is such a strong, determined woman but I expected her to be far more rigid however, she could bend a little when needed. She could also mount a good argument—not that she paid Deacon Brannock’s side a lot of mind. She was too busy saving the world. 5–Why will…

Each time I come to the last book of a series I’m overcome with sadness. I’ve spent a long while with these characters, and in this case, the fictional town I built from an outlaw hideout. I’m one of them. I know their deepest desires and what they dream of. Over the many months, they burrowed into my soul and became a part of my fabric. In a way it’s as though family members have died, leaving behind nothing but cherished memories. After four books in the Outlaw Mail Order Brides series, there are a lot of small details and threads to wrap up, details readers will get perturbed at if I leave something hanging. The story has to end in a totally believable way which means nothing so far out it seems beyond the realm of reason. It has to be plausible and it has to be filled with deep emotion. Some things I can tie off during the writing of the last book but others that can only be done with an epilogue, especially if it involves the future. In ONCE UPON A MAIL ORDER BRIDE, I wrote an epilogue because that seemed the best way to complete the…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE’S SECRET 2–What is it about? An outlaw with a large bounty on his head becomes sole guardian of twin nephews and a niece. He quickly sends for a mail order bride to help with the kids only she’s come looking to find his loot and facilitate his arrest. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Desperate 4–What makes your hero irresistible? The love he shows these kids who have no one else. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Friends in the outlaw town of Hope’s Crossing. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? It’s wild and desolate—the perfect place for outlaws 7–Are you a plotter or a pantster? I’m a true panster. I don’t outline at all and want my story to unfold through the characters as I go and not through any preconceived plan. 8–What is an ideal writing day for you? An ideal day is when the story flows through my fingertips and I can easily get 5k words. 9–Do you listen to music while you write, need total silence, or have the TV on? I need total…

Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? To celebrate, we asked the authors from the anthology Longing for a Cowboy Christmas to answer some fun Christmas themed questions! Their answers certainly have us Longing for a cowboy Christmas of our own!   What’s the best part about writing a Christmas book? Rosanne Bittner: The best part about writing a Christmas story is that it takes me into that “miracle” mood that seems to be a part of the Christmas holiday. I always try to include some kind of little miracle in my stories. In last year’s anthology, Christmas In A Cowboy’s Arms, my story miracle was the healed awakening of an unconscious little girl. This year, in Longing for A Cowboy Christmas, my miracle surrounds the birth of a baby boy the mother wasn’t sure she could love. Anna Schmidt: For me the holidays are a magical time of sharing and giving and FORgiving. To be able to tell stories that convey those things is a gift in itself. Margaret Brownley: I always seem to be writing a Christmas book during the searing heat of summer.  To get in the right mood, I try to imagine a reader…

I’m having so much fun writing what will eventually be the 4-book Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. The only hope these outlaws have in making a town where once was their hideout was in getting wives and starting families. This series spilled over from my Men of Legend series when Luke Legend started his own private bride service for men and woman living in the shadows who can’t go the normal route. Luke hand carries letters back and forth between the couples and arranges transportation when they decide to marry. Here are five reasons you should read a mail order bride book:   The Great Unexpected Plots really set these books apart. Each one seems a little different somehow and there’s always the big question of whether they work as a couple that draws you in. Sometimes the groom dies before the bride arrives and she’s forced to change directions. Sometimes someone is playing a joke on the poor groom so it’s a surprise when his bride arrives. Then there are the many, many reasons a woman would choose to marry a man she’s never seen. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of variations to these stories. The Romance is a…

I’m so excited to launch the first book of Outlaw Mail Order Brides, THE OUTLAW’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE. I’ve wanted to tell these stories ever since I wrote Tally Shannon and her band of fugitive women into To Love a Texas Ranger (Men of Legend, Book #1).  Tally Shannon’s stepmother put her into an asylum to get rid of her following the death of her father. A year later she escapes along with other women in the same situation and they take refuge in Deliverance Canyon. Each wears a tattoo on her cheek, put there by the warden for identifying purposes which makes going into town impossible. In addition, Tally has a price on her head. The warden is desperate to get her back. After a year of living in hiding, Tally yearns for a better life for her and her women. Luke Legend and his wife Josie have started a private bride service for people like her who are living in the shadows and she starts corresponding with outlaw Clay Colby. Only another fugitive will know what it’s like to be hunted. Clay is also desperate for change and has decided to make a town out of the hideout where he’s been…

I’m so happy to be here, sharing my new release TO CATCH A TEXAS STAR! This brings the Texas Heroes series to an exciting conclusion and it’s been a long time coming. After I wrote the first two – KNIGHT ON THE TEXAS PLAINS and THE COWBOY WHO CAME CALLING – the publisher folded and I never got to complete the series … until now. This is the book of my heart that I always wanted to write. We met Marley Rose McClain as a baby in KNIGHT ON THE TEXAS PLAINS and now she’s all grown up and looking for love. But there are secrets. Why does she look so different from her parents? What is the secret they’re keeping? Why does a mysterious stranger seem to know her? She discovers Roan Penny lying severely injured at the side of the road one frosty morning and takes him to her family ranch. As he recovers, their attraction grows stronger and stronger and Marley knows he’s the one for her. He calls her his Texas Star and she sees undeniable love in his eyes even as danger surrounds them at every turn. Much of Marley’s time is spent helping to…

When I first began writing the Cat Lady Mysteries for Kensington Lyrical, I realized all too quickly that I’d swallowed one giant hairball of a project. For a few terrifying moments, panic set in. How could I write about a dozen or so cats living in one household? Wouldn’t it seem like, well . . . just too many cats? After sucking in a few deep breaths and gulping back a hearty swig of coffee, I reminded myself: You’re writing this for all the cat lovers out there . . . and they can never have too many cats. So, with that mantra ringing in my head, I scurried over to my keyboard and started typing. To my surprise, I was easily able to imagine myself living in the quaint Folk Victorian home on a gentle hill in New Hampshire that eventually becomes the cat shelter. In my head I saw the rooms—the large and small parlors, the eat-in kitchen with myriad cat bowls lined up along one wall, and the back porch that would eventually become the shelter’s meet-and-greet room. Even more important, I could clearly picture the cats: the black feral with a white ‘stache, the cuddly calico…