Today, rather than write
about a cowboy or western-related subject, I’d like to take the opportunity to
talk about a western anthology that I am privileged to be a part of. Several
contributors of Cowboy Kisses are also part of this collaboration. I’m excited
and pleased to be partnering with more than a dozen other western romance
writers for the short story Anthology, Rawhide 'n Roses, which is set for
release on March 15th.
When the idea was first
proposed on the Western Romance Writers thread on the Amazon Meet Our Authors
Forum for each of the authors to write a short story and publish it as a
collection, I jumped at the chance. A short story of roughly 2000 words? Sure.
No problem. How hard could it be?
Famous last words. Writing a
short story is a real challenge, as I came to find out very fast. I think the
shortest novel I’ve written is just under 70,000 words. Writing a complete
story using fewer words than an average chapter soon became an almost
impossible undertaking.
For my story, I chose to go with
what was familiar to me, namely the Yellowstone setting from my Yellowstone
Romance Series and its spin-off trilogy, the Teton Romance Trilogy. I
picked a character I introduced briefly as a very minor character in Teton
Splendor, added the character who is the hero in my current WIP, Teton
Sunset, and added a new character, to build my story. The resulting
short story is called Yellowstone Proposal, which takes
place in the time between the last two of the Teton books, Teton Splendor and Teton
Sunset.
Blurb:
Evan Connelly has been in love
with Kara Russell since he first arrived in St. Louis. But how could he
possibly tell her? He was from Boston, and she grew up in the wilderness of a
place he’d only heard of. She couldn’t possibly see anything in him. When Kara
returns home to her beloved mountains, can Evan find the courage to follow her
and make his feelings known?
Excerpt:
“Mr. Osborne? I would like to
request a leave of absence.”
Zach Osborne had glanced up
from the papers he’d been studying at his desk.
“Do you need to return to
Boston?”
“No, sir. I . . . ah . . . I
made a mistake when Miss Russell left.”
“Mistake?” The corners of
Zach’s mouth twitched. “What sort of mistake?”
“I let her get away, sir.”
Evan glanced at the ground. “I should have told her that I love her.”
“You want to go after her?”
Zach’s eyebrows rose.
“I’ve lived in Boston all my
life, Mr. Osborne. All I’ve known is how to keep my nose in a book. My family
was in disbelief when I told them I was moving to St. Louis. Here, I met a girl
I would like to make my wife, and I should have made my feelings known. If she
rejects me, then so be it, but at least I won’t have any regrets that I didn’t
try to win her over.”
“I wish I could go with you,
Evan, but you know I can’t leave the practice on such short notice.”
“I’m not asking you to go
with me.”
“All right, Evan, but you’ll
need a guide to take you up the Yellowstone.”
Three days later, Zach
Osborne had introduced him to Lucas Walker, an army scout who was heading back
home to the Tetons for the winter.
“You’re in love with little
Kara?” Lucas had given him the skeptical once-over. “I warn you right now. That
girl is a handful. I’ve known her since we were little kids. Her claws are
sharper than those of a mountain lion.”
“The Kara Russell I’ve met
was nothing less than a lady,” Evan said, standing taller.
“Suit yourself.” Lucas
shrugged, grinning broadly. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just understand
that heading to the Yellowstone will be harsher than anything you’ll ever
experience.”
“It’ll be worth it, if I can
win Miss Russell’s hand.”
Lucas laughed. “You sound
like my brother. He suffered from a sickness of the heart, too. I sure as hell
hope I’m never afflicted. I don’t need my brain addled that way.”
“When do we leave?”
“Before first light in the
morning.”
The Yellowstone Romance Series
For Aimee Donovan, it started out as an unbelievable
journey into the past. Little did she know that her time travel would shape the
destiny of the place we know today as Yellowstone.
The Yellowstone Romance Series is an enticing mixture
of adventure, love, and danger through the generations as we meet the Osborne
and Russell families.
From the
dawn of the rugged and untamed wilderness of Yellowstone to the majestic
national park we know today, we feel the passion, heartache, and excitement on
every page.
My books (and audiobooks) are
available at the following links!
No comments:
Post a Comment