Welcome to the Team ~ Julie Lence

 

Psst.... Deborah Camp and Reggi Alder are no longer with the group. We hate to say goodbye to friends, and will miss them dearly, but both need to focus on other aspects of their lives. We wish them well and invite them back anytime they wish to guest blog. Replacing them are 2 very talented authors, Brandi Creel and Dalyn Weller. Brandi is filling the 2nd Wednesday slot and slated to begin dazzling you on May 13th.  Dalyn is taking over the 4th Tuesday slot and will have her 1st blog ready for you to read on June 30th. Please give each a warm welcome and check out the right hand side bar for author pages to enable you to know them better and connect with them on social media. 

Welcome to Cowboy Kisses Brandi and Dalyn! We are truly blessed to have both of you on our team. 

Julie      

Character Interview with Zach Maldonado ~ Julie Lence

 

Nothing says springtime like horses playfully chasing each other around a corral. I’m at Bennett Ranch this morning asking Zach Maldonado some of the same questions I asked Barbie Bennett last month. A former bull rider on the rodeo circuit, Zach now works the Bennett Family Ranch. Standing outside the corral with him, it’s easy to understand why Barbie is completely enamored with his dark hair and broad shoulders.

‘Thank you for talking with me today, Zach. What can you tell my readers about you?’

‘Ain’t much to tell. I grew up in San Diego. Dad worked a ranch outside the city. He had me work alongside him and the other cowboys every summer of my teen years, to keep me off the streets. He cracks a grin. Probably the best thing he ever did. That grin widens. Anyway, I learned to rope and ride, and when I turned 16, he took me to the rodeo. Bull riding was my favorite event and it stuck with me. I spent the rest of that summer learning to stay on the back of one for eight seconds. Good thing. Those lessons helped me take care of Mom after Dad passed away.’

 ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’

He nods.

‘How long were you part of the rodeo circuit before you met Barbie?’

‘A handful of years. I always liked her music. Never thought I’d meet her.’  He wipes a hand over his jaw. ‘Was nothing but dumb luck that day I happened upon her. I didn’t even know it was her. Just saw a guy grab a girl and stepped in to help her.  If she hadn’t sent her bodyguard to find me later that afternoon, that woulda been my only time seeing her face-to-face.’

‘What did you think that night when you had supper with her?’

‘Lots of things.’ He hooks his booted foot on the bottom rail, stares at the horses on the opposite side of the corral. ‘I always thought she was pretty, but up close, she was more than pretty. She was drop-dead gorgeous; the kind of face guys dream about.’ He pauses. ‘But, she was more than that. She was sweet… kind… and thanked over and over for helping her. All the time she was talking, I wanted to kiss her, but didn’t dare.’       

‘Why not?’

‘Her crew and bodyguard were lollygagging around outside the tour bus; some bigger than me. Had a feeling if I tried, they wouldn’t hesitate to trounce me.’

“Did Barbie want you to kiss her?’

He shrugs. ‘Too scared to ask. I mean… I was with Barbie Bennett. Her face was on the cover of every magazine in the country… six brothers, cars, homes, money, thousands of screaming fans chasing after her…I was just a bull rider who helped her. I didn’t find out until months later that she would’ve let me kiss her.’  

‘You and she have been together for a long time. How would you describe you relationship?’

‘Barbie’s the best thing to have happened to me. I like to think she feels the same about me.’ He pauses again. ‘She stood beside me when that bull threw me and busted my knee, made sure I had the best doctors, and then badgered the heck outta her brother to give me a job. When she was away on summer tours, she called me every night. I woulda called her, but she wasn’t always back on the tour bus the same time each night. We learned to trust each other, to ignore the gossip magazines… I tell her every day how much I love her. She swears the same to me, and that’s all I need, ‘cause deep down, I know she isn’t leaving me for anyone else.’  

‘How would you describe Barbie?’

‘A sweet, kind, fun, loyal, bossy when it comes to her career, anxiety-riddled woman I’d give my life for.’ 

 ‘How would she describe you?’

 He thinks a moment, cracks another grin. ‘She says she likes my muscles, so I have that going for me.’ He faces me. ‘I think she thinks I’m honest. Someone who would never hurt her.’

‘Between working the ranch and trying to carve out a life with Barbie, how do you relax?’

 ‘Friday nights on the couch with her at my side. Don’t know how she does it, but she brings a calm to me that I’ve never experienced.’

 ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’

 ‘With her, in a home of our own on. If not on this ranch, then somewhere close. Could be a condo or a tent, as long as she’s with me, I don’t care.’

 And that, readers, is true love. To learn more about Zach and Barbie, pop on over to Amazon and grab a copy of The Pop Star Loves Her Cowboy. You’ll thank me!  

 www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG48TFYH

 

Once in a Blue Moon

 

Have you ever wondered about the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon?" 

Something about it always seemed a little magical to me. Something rare and random. 

The phrase "once in a blue moon" originally meant "never" or "impossible," but it evolved over centuries to mean "rarely" due to changes in how we define a "blue moon."

In the 16th century, the phrase didn't mean "rare"—it meant "impossible". The earliest recorded use was in a 1528 anti-clerical pamphlet by William Roy and Jeremy Barlowe, which joked that if church leaders said the moon was blue, people had to believe it. It was basically the 1500s version of saying "when pigs fly".

The meaning shifted from "impossible" to "rare" by the mid-1800s. This was reinforced by the 1837 Maine Farmers' Almanac, which used "blue moon" to describe the rare third full moon in a season that has four.

The modern definition—the second full moon in a calendar month—actually came from a mistake!  For centuries, the Maine Farmers' Almanac defined a Blue Moon as the third of four full moons in a single season.

In 1946, writer James Hugh Pruett misinterpreted the Almanac in an article for Sky & Telescope, calling the second moon in a month a "Blue Moon". This "mistaken" definition is now what most of us use today.

The shift from "impossible" to "highly unlikely" was helped along by nature. After the massive Krakatoa volcanic eruption in 1883, ash in the atmosphere actually made the moon appear blue or green for nearly two years. Suddenly, a blue moon wasn't just a figure of speech; it was a rare, real-world sight.

Today, a "Blue Moon" (by the calendar definition) happens roughly once every 2.7 years. So the next time you use the phrase, you’re not just talking about a rare event—you’re participating in a 500-year-old linguistic evolution!

When I had the opportunity to purchase a beautiful book cover with a placeholder title of Blue Moon Cowboy, it felt meant to be! I loved the title and the cover.

Coming June 4 - Blue Moon Cowboy

He’s spent decades guarding his heart.

She’s spent a lifetime chasing the horizon.

Neither of them were prepared for love to catch them by surprise.

Widower Jason Price isn’t looking for romance. As a trusted pickup man for the Rockin’ K Rodeo Company, part-owner of his family’s ranch, and a proud grandpa, his days—and his heart—are already full. Love is for younger folks with fewer scars and more time.

Photographer Lainey Collins traded corporate life for the open road, capturing the faces and stories of everyday people. Living out of her travel van, she’s built a life of freedom, purpose, and just enough distance to keep her heart safe.

But when a chance meeting at a rodeo puts her in Jason’s orbit, everything begins to shift.

As Lainey sets out to create a book featuring the faces of the rodeo, she finds herself returning again and again—to the arena… and to Jason. What begins as a project turns into something deeper as sparks fly, laughter comes easy, and two guarded hearts start to open.

Falling in love is one thing.

But trusting it—and daring to build a future—is another.

Can a cowboy who’s learned to live without love and a woman who’s always kept moving finally find a place to belong… together?

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet and wholesome romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength. Her historical westerns have been described as historically accurate, blending facts with engaging fiction, while her contemporary works have been called laugh-out-loud funny, swoony, and heartwarming.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website.

The Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain Range

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

The Sierra Madre Oriental is a 620-mile mountain range located in northeastern Mexico. It’s part of the American Cordillera, a continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western backbone of North America, Central America, South America, and Antarctica.

The Sierra Madre Oriental runs from the Rio Grande on the border of Texas down to northern Puebla. The climate is dry and semi-arid in the north with more moisture in the south, although there can be intense thunderstorms in the north, including severe hail and tornadoes.

Cerro El Potosí is the highest point, sitting at 12,208 feet.

Black bears, cougars, and bobcats can be found here, along with several species of deer and javelinas. The high cliffs offer nesting grounds for golden eagles and peregrine falcons.

Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain Range

* * * * *

In my upcoming book, The Falcon, the setting is the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains.

The Falcon by Kristy McCaffrey
Wings of the West: Book 12

Coming July 3, 2026

Mexico

December 1899 

Josie Ryan’s connection to Texas runs deep, from the land to an almost preternatural kinship with the animals in the wild. This bond has led her to the edge of life and death, from saving a boy caught in a fire when she was eleven years old to being struck by lightning to a mountain lion attack that almost ended her life. The discovery of an abandoned falcon chick leads to a fierce attachment, but with only intuition to guide her, Josie struggles to train the wildest creature she’s ever encountered. When she learns of a man who could help, she’s determined to gain an introduction. 

Mateo Almirón, El Halconero—The Falconer—and Argentine gaucho, is tasked with delivering two prized purebred Criollo mares to Matt Ryan, a man whose reputation casts a long shadow. Years ago, Ryan saved the life of Mateo’s father, and the horses will settle the longstanding debt, but when the exchange goes wrong, Mateo is entrusted with protecting Ryan’s daughter, Josie. Now Mateo and Josie must hide in the mountains of Northern Mexico where stories abound of Josie’s mother, a woman who lived among the Comanche and rose from the dead. 

But in a place alive with superstition, Josie and her untamed falcon will give rise to a new legend …

Josie is the youngest child of Matt and Molly from THE WREN.

* * * * *

Available for pre-order from Amazon, Nook, and Apple Books.

(It will also be available at Kobo, Google Play Books, and in paperback on release day.)

Connect with Kristy

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Newsletter

 

The day the railroad united two coasts.

I’d like to thank the people who laid those tracks mile by mile. Their backbreaking work made modern freedom possible.

Before train travel, people either road horses, went by stagecoach, 

or joined a wagon train.

In the movies, there’ something romantic about canvas-topped wagons rolling toward the horizon, oxen plodding forward, dust rising like a promise.

But this was no scenic road trip. Pioneers traveled ten to fifteen miles a day. The journey from the East Coast to California could take four to six months. Families bounced across rutted trails in covered wagons. They crossed rivers and plains and deserts. They cooked over open fires. Storms rolled in without warning. Wheels broke. Illness spread. And still they kept moving west, one slow, stubborn stretch at a time. They faced danger, exhaustion, and uncertainty. All for the chance for a better life.

Then Came the Iron Horse

The laborers who built the railroad blasted through mountains and set track across unforgiving terrain. Thousands of workers put in long hours and dealt with dangerous dynamite to get the job done. On May 10, 1869, two rail lines, the Union Pacific Railroad building westward and the Central Pacific Railroad building eastward, met at Promontory Summit. The Golden Spike was driven into the track, linking the nation from coast to coast.

 

The journey that once took months could be done in about a week. Plush seats and wide windows framed the landscape. Instead of risking disease, weather, and wagon breakdowns, passengers could ride a train across mountains, plains, and deserts. It was faster, safer, and far more predictable.

Because of the railroad, towns sprang up along the tracks. Ranchers had the ability to ship cattle and goods to distant markets. Mail traveled faster. Supplies arrived more easily. People who once lived in isolated settlements suddenly had a connection to the rest of the country. Railroads brought cowboys, settlers, gamblers, and dreamers. They created boomtowns, sparked rivalries, and fueled the growth of places that might never have existed otherwise.

Why is this history important?

Westward travel was an act of faith into a life with no guarantees. We need to respect these pioneers determination and tenacity. People today still long to see what’s over the next ridge, beyond the next mountain, across the next stretch of sky. It just moves a little quicker these days.

 

I am thankful I can drive my air-conditioned car with cruise control and hop on the freeway in excess of 60 mph. I also appreciate the fact that a flight across the country can be done in a matter of several hours. But I still like to travel by train on occasion and think about the hard work it took for our ancestors to make that come to fruition.

Niki J. Mitchell

As a side note, I used old locomotives as a catalyst for my western time travel romance books.

 

 

Loving Small Old-Fashioned Towns ~ Ruthie L Manier

Have you ever explored the charming town of La Conner, Washington? If not, it's definitely worth a visit the next time you're in Washington state! I moved to Skagit County in the 1970s and remember the first time my mom brought me to La Conner so vividly. I thought it was the prettiest little old-fashioned town I had ever seen. The town’s older buildings are next to the waterfront. Restaurants, art museums, and shops run along both sides of the street. We ate ice-cream sitting by the channel. Then drove over the Rainbow bridge and stopped at the park to play for a while underneath the bridge. Today La Conner is still my favorite lunch destination. If you ever visit, make sure to go to the La Conner Pub, it has delicious food, kid-friendly restaurant side, you can sit outside looking over the water and enjoy a spectacular view. 

Some early History: La Conner is nestled on the delta near the mouth of the Skagit River. Swinomish was the original name when it was founded in the early 1860s. The name changed to La Conner in the 1870s after the town and 70 acres of land were deeded to John Conner for only $500. Conner renamed the town after his wife, Louisa A. Conner. 

 La Conner is the oldest community in Skagit County. The first non-native settlers came right after the Civil War, including Alexander Underwood, Michael Sullivan, Sam Calhoun, and A.G. Tillinghast. 

In 1869, John Conner bought the trading post built by John Hayes on the west side of the Swinomish Slough and set up a post office. For a time, La Conner even served as the county seat before Mount Vernon took over. 

After the early settlers diked hundreds of acres of land, creating farmland that surpassed per-acre yields around the world, it became a popular farm community and a hub for steamers carrying freight and passengers from Seattle. The population grew quickly due to La Conner’s proximity to the river. Logging and fishing lured people in until the Great Depression. 

Artists flocked to La Conner in the 1940s, drawn by the breathtakingly scenic landscape and unique light. The nature-inspired them to put a paintbrush to canvas. Some artists were leaders of the Northwest School of Art. With the artists came more tourists. By the 1970s, tourists from all around the world came for the Tulip Festival, the art galleries, the museums, the restaurants, the history, shopping, and to see the Rainbow Bridge. Some came for the old-fashioned feel. Others for peace. 

2026:   La Conner is a favorite town to visit if you want to watch the waterfront or enjoy fine restaurants, inns, and bed & breakfasts. You can also enjoy the natural beauty and wildlife, including birdwatching. La Conner is the wintering grounds for swans and Canada geese. The fertile farmlands continue to produce food and seed crops. Other facts: La Conner is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Civic Garden Club was the first courthouse north of Seattle. New Series Check out my new series “Snooper’s Coopers!” Amazon.com/dp/B0GSS9CW9X Follow me on Facebook, @ruthielmanier Instagram BookBub Website, ruthielmanierbooks.com Xoxoxo

To Whom it may concern.

 

 On occasion, I still have a little trouble 

               with the who vs whom scenario.

                                I found this information helpful.

If you can respond to the question with “he/she,” use who.
        “Who went to the store today?" 

                "He went to the store today.” 

 

If you can respond with “him/her,” use whom.
         “With whom are you going on your date?" 

                    "I’m going with him.”     

                 

"To whom it may concern." "It may concern him." 

  

            Remember, who ends with a vowel, like he/she 

                      and whom ends with M like him.

*****

Then there is weather, whether, and wether.

Weather: the atmospheric condition. 

Whether: expressing a doubt or choice between alternatives.

Wether: a castrated male goat. 

                                                  Cupid
        In Break Heart Canyon, my heroine, Una MacLaren,

                            raises Angora goats. 

                                    Precious 
                                

Break Heart Canyon Winner of best historical romance of the year from Colorado Authors' League. 

Blurb:

  Unearthing artifacts in Colorado sounded like easy money to Ryker Landry. Then he met the woman who owned the land. 

   Una MacLaren vows no fortune hunter will desecrate the ancient relics of BreakHeart Canyon—even if the man is a handsome scoundrel. Fighting to keep her goat farm afloat as local cattlemen hatch deadly schemes to make sure she fails, Una has enough to worry about. 

     Captivated by the courageous redhead, Ryker joins forces with Una and her deerhound, MacTavish. But what does he desire most—the woman or the artifacts? 

    When the mythical white cougar again prowls the rocky cliffs, the legend of BreakHeart Canyon draws them into a web of danger. Now only daring and blind trust can save them. 

                                   Available here

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