Pantser or Plotter? Rhonda Lee Carver

 

I have a new pre-order! Check below for a blurb. And if you want an unedited excerpt, read September's newsletter. It'll give you an up close and personal view of how I write. It gets messy.

I'm often asked if I'm a pantser or plotter.

Well, I'm a total pantser. I never know where my characters are going to lead me. This can be good. This can be bad. I love to jump in and write that first line. It's as important as the last line. 

Here are some other authors who claim (claimed) they are pantsers:

Stephen King

Dean Koontz

Margaret Atwood

Mark Twain

Ernest Hemingway

Lee Child

The closest I get to plotting is writing the blurb before I begin a book. This can be tedious when I've changed the outline. Sometimes I'll have to tweak a blurb two-three times to match the storyline. You may have notice :0

The Fractured Texas Ranger (Book 2. Texas Heat: The Heart of a Texas Ranger)

 This beauty is no cowgirl, but she’s about to rope in a Texas Ranger.

Margo Deveraux lives a comfortable life as a romance author, but things are about to get bad—very bad. Her ex-boyfriend is fatally shot in front of her, and the cowboy who comes to her rescue is about as irritating as a bed of nails. From the moment he walks into her life and gives her the shirt off his back—literally—she has no choice but to trust that he can keep her safe. But from who? From her viewpoint, he’s about as dangerous as the men who killed her ex and want her dead too. This could be a story right out of one of her novels, but this was real life, and she was out of her comfort zone.

The last thing Dean “Hawkeye” Hawk needs is to babysit some princess writer but finding out who orchestrated the ambush on the Texas Heat Recon unit is top priority—and the lady has valuable information. He’ll need to earn her trust—and work on his charm—if he wants to find out everything she knows.

Back on Creed’s Creek Ranch, Margo is bound and determined to prove to Hawkeye that she can pull calves, feed livestock, and handle backbreaking chores. And, the words flow like water. This could be the best book she’s ever written, and it’s a love story. The rough and cocky cowboy isn’t about all work and no horseplay. The nights are heating up, and it isn’t just the danger lurking in the small town.

Hawkeye is full of mystery, and he has secrets. Can he share with her that he’s a Texas Ranger? He might want to earn her trust, but can he trust her?

Pre-Order here!

I'm looking to grow my share team. I give out monthly Amazon GCs. Interested? Send an email to rhondaleecarver.author@gmail.com with the subject line reading "Share Team" OR become a member of my street team and send me a message. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/471259293018665/

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Cowboys, Women, and Trains in the Old West by Reggi Allder

   Cowboys, Women, and Trains in the Old West by Reggi Allder

I love trains When I was a kid my family took a train to Los Angeles and then went on to Disneyland. We had a great time. On the train, my brother and I watched the view change and played with the other kids. It made for a wonderful trip. Since then, hubby and I have taken several short trips on vintage trains. However, I realize the reason for the railroad is the transportation of products throughout the country and that the passenger trains are only a small part of the business.

As a movie buff and a lover of cowboy movies, I wondered if there was any validity to the stories about cowboys taking cattle to the new railway towns for transport to the cities in the East. 

I did research and discovered that there was truth in that. Railroads in the West impacted the lives of cowboys. Some changes were positive and others were not. The cattle business thrived. But without the long cattle drives, a few of the cowboy's skills were no longer needed, so those men left. Other cowboys who had the desired skills flourished with the shorter drives. 

Newly built towns were set around the railroad yards. They provided general stores, hotels, saloons, and other amenities unavailable on the long trail drives.

I remember hearing that a horse and a train had a race. I couldn't verify that story, can you?

One fact that surprised me was women were allowed to work alongside with the men to build the railroads. 

The railroad allowed Americans to move westward. This opened jobs for men and women. Though still encouraged to be in the home, women wanting to work outside could do so with the railroad. In the late 1830s and 40s, telegraph lines expanded alongside new railroad tracks. This was a new profession for women as well as men. Early pioneer women telegraphers were still the exception rather than the rule, but they blazed new opportunities for women to follow.

 Sara George Bagley was the first telegraph operator in 1846.

 Elizabeth Cogley (1833-1922) was a telegrapher for the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1856-1900

According to author Virginia Penney, to be a telegrapher you must be well read, know how to spell, and to be able to learn Morse code. Virginia Penney’s book was written in 1870  and entitled How Women Can Make Money, a good lady telegraphist could make between $300 and $500 a year. 

 Iron Women: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroads by Chris Enss

I haven't read this book, but it looks interesting to me.

If you love small towns, second chances and cowboys, check out my novels in the Sierra Creek Series. The books Her Country Heart and His Country Heart book 1 and 2 of 4 in the series.
Discover the Dangerous Series if you want romantic suspense. Dangerous Web is book 1 in the Series. All on Amazon. Dangerous Moves is coming soon. Watch for it.

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Hope you will leave a comment and say hi. :)

Thanks for stopping by, Reggi Allder