Sounds Kinda Familiar

Déjà vu, All Over Again

By Jeff Salter

I’m told this was my topic suggestion, but – like many other topics which apparently sprung from my weary brain – I have no idea what I was thinking about when I proposed it. It’s a two-parter: (1) have we written something that seems so familiar, we must have already used it in another story, and (2) what do we do when we establish that it has been used before?

I confess that when I re-read some of my older published stories, I’ll come across expressions (dialog) or descriptions (appearance) that I’ve used in later stories. One example is the word “keester” — which probably shows up in several different stories, from the mouths of various characters… simply because I think it’s a cool word and I use it often myself. Sue me.

It’s certainly possible that if some diligent literary professor were to carefully examine three of my novels, side-by-side, that she/he could find words, expressions, descriptions, etc., that would be common to each. That’s regrettable, I suppose, but hardly surprising. After all, we only have 26 letters to deal with and we’re writing novels of anywhere from 55k to 110k words. I reckon you’re gonna see a few of them over and over again… and perhaps even in the same order.

But, as I mulled over this topic this week – for the first time since I’d initially suggested it (over a year ago, or longer) – I got to thinking of a slightly different angle. Something happens to me, and much more often than I’d wish, is that I’ll remember I need to write such-and-such scene in a story. Let’s say it’s character John Doe reflecting on the battle action at Graignes. So I’ll refresh my memory about the facts of that actual battle, then I’ll decide how much detail (or which aspects) I wish to have John Doe verbalize in my fiction… and I’ll find a logical spot in the story to plug that in.
Oops… after I finish composing that bit about the Graignes battle, I’ll read down another page or two and see that I already wrote it… presumably in a previous draft (or possibly even a day or two earlier on THIS draft). And now I have to compare the two iterations, pick the better of the two, or – as I often do – take the best components of each and meld them into one account. And, yes, they will usually be quite different in what they reveal and how it’s told.

This also happens to me when I’m not able to get to work on Story XYZ – because of other deadlines or external obligations – but I’ll take a few minutes to jot down several pages of notes to use in that story… whenever I may next have an opportunity to open the file itself. Oops… when I finally get back to that story – which could be months (or even years later) – those hand-written notes often represent what has since become hardly more than a tangent to how the story has evolved in my head. Or, as in a recent example with my current WIP, it involved the wrong character at the wrong time in the story. So it was all basically useless — eight pages of hand-written notes…wasted!

Oh well.

As I said, I don’t recall what was on my noggin when I initially proposed the topic. This is what’s on my brain at this point in time. The mind can, at times, be a very strange terrain.

Question:

What about you? Have you ever written a scene you forgot about… and ended up writing it AGAIN?

[JLS # 441]

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Writing the Same Thing Over and Over?

As you’re writing (on a new/current project), do you sometimes find yourself creating scenes / characters / dialog that sound VERY familiar. And after you stop and think, you realize you’ve used them before in other stories? If so, do you continue on… or shift gear

In answer to today’s question, I’d have to say that yes upon occasion I’ve found myself having to switch gears because something sounds too familiar. In terms of characters I’m not guilty quite so much. I’ve said before and I’ll say again that I don’t like perfect characters. They’re so boring and unrealistic. I always enjoy deciding what little imperfection I’ll give to my characters. I sometimes get in trouble for it too. In one of my books my readers complained that the heroine was wishy-washy, and my hero was too powerful. He was powerful, but she wasn’t wishy-washy. She’d just had her life turned upside down and was emotionally a mess. I’ve written another heroine that I know everyone is going to just hate. I haven’t decided yet whether to tone her down a little or not, but I can’t help liking her. What’s her problem? She’s mad at the world and not without cause.

When it comes to scenes I don’t remember a lot of repetition in my work. I’ve written about many different types of people, and that probably makes a difference when I’m writing scenes.

Dialogue is where I have to be careful. I have a couple of catchy phrases that I constantly have to strike because I know I’ve used them before. Other than that writing about such diverse characters probably helps here too. People from different social backgrounds may sound very different.  For example, in my romantic comedy Fortuna two thugs who worked for my villain said, “It don’t have nothing to do with zits.” I can’t see my hero saying that, but if you’ve read the book you know it’s exactly what the thug would say. (It would take too long to explain why the thug was talking about zits, but it was a pivotal moment in the story.)

I think writers have to be careful though. It would be very easy to fall into an old, comfortable pattern with your work, and no one wants to do that.

Did I Already Say That?

This week, our hound asked, “As you’re writing (on a new/current project), do you sometimes find yourself creating scenes / characters / dialog that sound VERY familiar? And after you stop and think, do you realize you’ve used them before in other stories? If so, do you continue on… or shift gears?”

Repetition is the key to success in education – I had to play my musical scales many, many times and spent endless hours repeating vocabulary when learning a foreign language – but in writing, it’s a red flag. Writing and trying to publish another author’s work is illegal (as well as unethical), and writing what you’ve already written is a signal that your pool of creativity is not deep.

I had to spend a lot of time thinking about this question as it relates to my writing. I couldn’t remember having repeated scenes and dialogue. But then, I haven’t written all that much. My book list doesn’t come anywhere close to that of  most NYT and USA Today best-sellers. And it seems that if I did make a habit of repeating myself, people who had read more than a few of my stories would have mentioned this, either to me or in a review. Characters from some of my books have made appearances in other books, but I’m certain our hound wasn’t referring to books in a series.

I decided to call my daughter, who’s read most of what I’ve written for publication. She’s also a seasoned editor, having worked in that capacity since her college days. The last time I described a project to my her, she said, “Mom, almost every heroine you’ve written has self-doubt. You need to come up with a different flaw for her internal conflict.” So I asked for her input on this topic, and she mentioned my penchant for using inner dialog to illustrate a character’s inner conflict. Apparently, the method I use to show what the he or she is thinking is something I need to vary.

When creating my characters I tend to have a picture in my mind of what he or she looks like. Often I have a specific person in mind as I’m writing, and that makes it easier for me to avoid repetition. For my most recent contemporary romance, the hero was modeled after the actor Mark Harmon and for the heroine I pictured the actress Jean Smart. For my most recent historical, I wanted someone not normally considered hero material. My husband often watches reruns of the TV show Home Improvement, and I decided Al Borland, played by actor Richard Karn, was the perfect model for James Benton. I haven’t kept track of all my characters and the people they’re based on, but I suppose that’s a project for a rainy day.

As for dialogue, I’m quite sure each story is unique enough that the same conversation wouldn’t appear in more than one book. But to answer the last part of the hound’s question, if it did, I would “shift gears” and re-do the scene. My husband will vouch for the fact that I don’t watch re-runs. If I’ve already seen a show I’ll leave the room and do something else, or put my headphones and work on a project. So I assume people won’t want to read the same scene or dialogue in more than one book.

Does repetition diminish your opinion of an author’s work?

Guest: Author Leigh Lee

I am pleased to welcome my guest here today, author Leigh Lee.

Leigh is a writer of historical romance and I find her work most enjoyable for a reason that will come to light in a few moments.

Welcome, Leigh!

Do we pronounce your first name  “Lei” or “Lee”?

Leigh is pronounced like Lee. Leigh Lee is a nickname that I have had for many years so when it came time to choose an author name it was an easy decision.

Like many of us, ideas and stories came to you years before you put pen to paper, (or fingers to keyboard).  Did you find that when you did start getting your stories down that they were as you had imagined them to become all along?

I started writing many years ago when my children were babies. But raising my children and my career got in the way and I never finished them. They all found their way into a box. Years later when we moved I found them again and began finishing them. As to your question about how they might have changed, all of them took a different turn from their original beginnings. I’d changed so my characters now spoke to me in different ways. It was a struggle at first because not wanting to change the original story I tried to “argue” with my characters, but of course in the end they won.

 

When you finally decided that the time had come, how long did it take you to finish your first story?

My first story, Vows of Pain and Passion took a year to complete. It was a time in my life when I could devote large amount of uninterrupted attention to writing. I thought of it as my day job and it was all I did Monday through Friday. I know there are authors who can complete a story in a few months or less, but I am not one of them. This might sound odd, but I need time to ponder and speculate the thoughts and feelings of my characters. I engage them. Put them into different situations to see how they might respond.

 

Whatever you have done, you have done it right, since your first published novel, “Vows of Pain and Passion” spent 10 weeks on Amazon’s top 100 list. Congratulations! Can you tell us how that struck you?

Since this was my first submission, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I just felt a passion for storytelling and submitted Vows of Pain and Passion. I was in the grocery store when a friend called me to tell me the book was rising in Amazon charts. I had no idea it was even in the top 100. I didn’t believe her at first but once I got home, I was floored! This is not how it’s supposed to happen for new authors. Looking back, I’d say part of the reason is the genre I chose. Vows of Pain and Passion is a medieval romance which was and still is very popular, and back then, there weren’t as many authors writing it. Another reason might be that I really “felt” this story as I was writing it. The characters are so still real to me. It is as if I’d known them all my life.

 

 

In that particular book, you have an illustrator, Winter Bayne, a name that I see credited in many novels. Can you tell us about this collaboration?

Winter Bayne is a writer who was in a local writer’s group I organized years ago. From that, she and I began meeting monthly to discuss our writing efforts and from that a close friendship developed. Since then, she’s created all my book covers. Winter is a very talented graphic artist and once she began doing book covers, I jumped in line. Unfortunately her “day” job took her to another state, and though our friendship remains strong, time does not allow her to do book covers at this time. My hope is that she finds her way back to it, for I believe she has a gift.

 

 One thing which I truly admire about your works is that your research is done extensively, but you put just enough into your stories make them seem real; you don’t overload your readers with too many details. You know how to strike a good balance, which is quite a talent. I don’t like to repeat questions to my guests, but since you do write historically, I’d like to know how you do your research.

About half of the time spent writing my historical novels involves research. I don’t want to have something in the story what isn’t historically correct. However each book written was researched in a different manner and focus.

For example, with Vows of Pain and Passion, when I wrote the scene where Adaira, the heroine, studies her appearance in a mirror, I had to stop and research if the Saxons had mirrors. Yet it got more involved than that. The Saxons and the Normans had individual customs, language, mores, and foods and religions. All those had to be researched. I was fortunate to find a Scottish professor who specializes in Medieval History who didn’t mind answering my emails and questions. He was of great help especially with religion and the languages of the old French and Saxon.

I grew up near Philadelphia where there is a wealth of historical locations close at hand. For Rules of Decorum, the civil war romance, I did most of my research touring Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. You can’t grow up in Pennsylvania without a deep appreciation for the state’s history from seeping into your blood. I’ve seen reenactments of the Battle of Gettysburg and came away so impressed with our forefather’s courage and dedication. But the actual idea for Rules of Decorum came in the form of an article written in 1878. It was about a woman who disguised herself as a young man and joined the Army of the Potomac, the Union side. She was later found out by her commanding officer, who tracked her down after the end of the war, and married her.

No Fear My Love is set in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1833 during a time of peace. The real struggle takes place between a woman with a vision beyond her time and man who has a past to hide. With this novel I studied women of the time and the rights they were permitted, which most times were rigid and depended on the whims of a husband, father or brother.

However one has only to study what was known as the Petticoat War during President Jackson’s term to realize that women could and did exert considerable influence during the time. Those ostracized from society, found it hard to find their way back into its graces. For those out of favor with the matrons of society, nothing was easy. In No Fear My Love, both characters face personal defeat and social failure on their way to happily ever after.

 

You often include in your stories the medicines and botanicals used in other times. Do these hold a special interest for you?

I began my studies as an RN and continued in healthcare working for an ophthalmologist as an ophthalmic technician. Medicine of the past has fascinated me especially the herbs and homeopathic remedies used throughout history. I find as time goes on, the “old ways” are being reinstated in modern medicine as viable solutions to illness and diseases. A perfect example is the herb, Feverfew for migraines. It has been used for centuries in Europe and is chemically very similar to aspirin without many of the side effects. It is just now beginning to gain renewed interest in the United States.

Your novels span from Medieval Europe (Vows of Pain and Passion), to the U.S. Civil War, ( Rules of Decorum), to Early America, 1833, (No Fear, My  Love).  In which era did you find the most surprising things during your research?

I’d have to say the medieval era.  I’ve always enjoyed tracing the origins of words. The medieval era was a time of great change, a blending of cultures, religions, and of course, languages. Many might not realize this but much of the English language we speak today is a blend of old Anglo-Saxon, Gaelic, French and German, Italian as well as many other languages. Once the Normans took control of England, they sought to wipe out the customs of those living in England. They killed all the warriors and nobles with power and influence, married all the noble women and insisted that the language spoken within their households be what is known today as Old French. Thus many of the English words we use today originate from France, or the Frankish kingdom as it was called back then. Of course the Normans were actually Vikings or Norsemen who settled in the region of Normandy in the early 900’s so there is also that influence as well upon what we know as English today.

 

Which era holds the most fascination for you?

That’s a hard question to answer as I find each era fascinating in different ways. But studying the Civil War period really made an impact on me because like many of the time, my family had relatives on both sides of the conflict. War between countries is hard enough on all sides involved but a war within a country, a civil war, is even more devastating.  Our American Civil War tore families and communities apart. Healing from that is still affecting our nation today and has truly tested our country’s mettle.

 

Are you working on more stories of these or other eras? Is there an era about which you have not written, but would like to?

I have two medieval stories in the works, a novella and a full length novel. I’ve also begun a contemporary military romance.

 

Please tell our readers about your life: besides writing: what takes up your time, your interests, your hobbies, your family, your cats!

Ha! This is a good question and to be honest most on social media know the kitten I raised, Rufus, better than they know me as an author. I do love cats, and seem to understand their body language pretty well. If you pay attention, they find ways to get their messages across. But other than cats, I love singing, sewing, studying history, camping, baking and cooking, arts and crafts, and of course reading.

I am married to my hero and best friend who reads all my writings, many times over. My husband will often joke that he is a captive audience because when we take road trips, I plug my kindle into the car speakers and let the text to speech option read my manuscripts. I find it a good way to catch typos and grammar errors, but he loves to critique the work and having a man’s point of view always helps when creating my heroes.

Between the two of us, we have 3 grown children, 2 sons and a daughter, two grandsons and a wonderful son-in-law, all of which we only get to see occasionally because they live so far away. More the reason why Rufus and Mimi, our cats, get spoiled so much.

Thank you for being my guest, Leigh Lee!

Thank you for allowing me to visit and the opportunity to talk about my books. I love comments and feedback from readers. So please visit my website at www.leighlee.com and tell me what you think.
My email is leigh@leighlee.com,
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leighlee53_lee,
or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leigh.lee.5209.

https://www.amazon.com/Leigh-Lee/e/B00TBK3994%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share?fbclid=IwAR2Mxb-Sb6MSCVZ6LydnZBajSohfcAnFSguIh8i00HHNiIbqdxnjKBsVch0

 

Leigh Lee is a writer of historical and contemporary romance, married to her hero. She started writing when her kids were toddlers. Then life changed and all her stories found their way into a box. That raggedy cardboard box saw many moves, until one day Leigh Lee found it, along with her manuscripts, and began writing again. Leigh and her husband currently live in upstate South Carolina enslaved by their rescue cats, Rufus and Mimi.

Guest Fox, Amanda Fulwell

Welcome to Hound Day, Amanda

By Jeff Salter

It’s only because of my failing memory that I cannot tell y’all exactly when I first met Amanda Fulwell – writing as A.R. Conti Fulwell – but I’m certain it was somewhere in the author group at Clean Reads Publishing, where we both share titles.

And just a few weeks ago, Amanda was looking for a blog (to guest on) right at the point that I was trying to fill a slot in my Hound Day schedule… so I hurriedly signed her up before she could say no.

For today’s Guest Fox, I decided to feature an excerpt from her first novel instead of my usual interview questions. Take a look:

Blurb

Lina d’Orsini wants nothing more than to paint until her heart is content. Enthralled by the world of art, she does not complain when treated as a servant in her own house by her would-be stepmother. When her friend, Sofia, whisks her away to a ball at the Florentine palace for Lina’s eighteenth birthday, Lina ends up with a lot more than just a dance.

Lorenzo de Medici is tormented by his uncertain future as his family dynasty is constantly threatened by outside forces. When he meets Lina, she gives him the courage to move be-yond his haunting past. Will the two be able to fight the forces working against them and have a future together? With Lina’s life at stake, they must find a way to forgive, but never forget.

A.R. Conti Fulwell

 

Bio Blurb

A.R. Conti Fulwell holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Malone University and a master’s degree in Education from Walsh University. Her storytelling journey began many years ago when her mother showed her the magic of rewriting fairytales. She claims it is the cure for insomnia, or at least it was for her. Influenced by the greats – Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, T. S. Eliot, and F. Scott Fitzgerald – Amanda resides near Canton, Ohio, and can usually be found curled up with a book, a pen and paper, or behind a camera shooting a short film.

Excerpt from “An Angel in the Distance”

Pierro spotted me, and he knows I am here. Fear bubbled through her veins like hot oil. She felt her face flush but hoped that no one else had noticed. She glanced up at Lore.

“Are you all right?” he whispered.

Lina gazed into his eyes. “Why do you ask?” She glanced down, trying to hide her gaze for fear he could read it.

“My Lady, you’re letting me lead you. You don’t seem like someone who is easily led.”

Now is not the time for nonsense! Lina thought to herself. “I’m afraid, Lore, that the problems that you sense are too grave and incessant in nature for me to explain in the course of one dance.”

He beamed. “This is the longest dance of the evening, and who says we must part at the end?”

Lina could not help but smile. Lore was charming. That was something she could openly admit, but his ability to read her emotions better than she could was almost alarming.

“I suppose it would be best if we did not part. I will have no one to disagree with otherwise,” Lina said, smiling.

“Well then,” he said, “let us continue.”

As the song played, Lina noticed the mass of people surrounding them. Blending in became rather easy in a room full of people. Lina sighed with relief, knowing she was practically invisible.

“May I ask,” Lore began, “if your troubles have anything to do with that gentleman?”

Lina stiffened. “Which gentleman?”

“The one in the balcony who has been glaring at you for the last three dances,” Lore explained. “He seems almost jealous.”

Lina glanced up at the balcony and quickly averted her eyes to the ground. Fear washed over her like a waterfall. “Yes, you may be correct.”

“Why does he glare at you so?”

“He wishes for something that he can never have,” Lina said, staring at the floor. “I fear I may pay the price upon my return.”

“Has he made any offers?” Lore asked cautiously.

“Not exactly offers.”

“You make it sound like he has some sort of leverage over you,” Lore said, looking at her.

“You might be surprised. I see him as a brother, and he sees me as much, much more than a sister.”

“Tell me.”

“Lore, while a handful of Florentines have adopted the new way of thinking, most of the population is still living in the past.” Lina sighed and tried not to look at him.

“Well, I would love to hear more of this theory,” Lore said, smiling.

“Well, unless you insist upon a private conference on some other occasion, I’m afraid that is all you will get out of me tonight,” Lina said, knowing how angry Pierro would be to see her with another man. “Is there another way out of here?”

“You mean an escape route?” Lore laughed.

“Precisely.”

“Follow me.” Lore took her hand and led her away.

Buy Link

https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Distance-R-Conti-Fulwell-ebook/dp/B013Q627QE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=A.+R.+Conti+Fulwell&qid=1560255226&s=gateway&sr=8-1

SEQUEL COMING SOON!

Short Blurb for the Sequel: Angels in Darkness

Relentless and refusing to be beaten, Piero Catone is looking for a rematch. Convinced that Lina’s love is the only thing that will save him from himself, he sets off to win her at any cost. Lina, now the Princess Clarice Angelina d’Orsini wife of Lorenzo de Medici, will not be strong armed so easily. When Piero’s plan goes terribly wrong, he finds himself faced with a straight-forward decision: will he follow the light or surrender to the darkness?

Question

Got a question or comment for Amanda?

[JLS # 440]

Book Review:Love at First Sight

Vincent Zandri’s story is about the devastating effects of war on people on both sides of a conflict.  Zandri’s hero Nick is an American soldier who has been stricken with what his doctors think is hysterical blindness brought on by things he had to do as a soldier.  When all their treatments prove ineffective, the army sends for his fiancée Margo.

The scenes between Margo and Nick are excruciating and charged with emotion.  They reveal the stress and strain the characters are under and graphically illustrate the changes in their relationship brought about by Nick’s blindness. I especially liked Margo whose reactions seemed very real and genuine to me.  I also thought the pacing was good.  The story built inexorably toward the conclusion which said a lot about Nick and Margo’s future.

The book doesn’t have any spelling or grammar errors to distract from the story, and all of the details seemed authentic to me.

There’s nothing new in Zandri’s premise, but I loved his rendering of the topic.  Nick is a man with a conscience who in punishing himself is also punishing Margo, truly showing the extent of war’s reach and the mountains the two must climb to reach a happy ending.

 

Guest Author: Kathy L Wheeler and The Mail Order Bride Series

I love to read historical romance set in almost any place and time period, but one of my favorites is the American West. It was definitely a time for strong, tenacious women, the kind I like to write about. Kathy L Wheeler is a member of one of my author promotion groups, and when she announced the release of her Mail Order Bride series I asked her to share the books with us and give us some insight to her research. So here she is!

Research, Research, Research
Kathy L Wheeler

Even though my degree is centered around computers, business and programming, I love history. I have no idea why I went the route I did. As a result, everything I write, I delve into some kind of background of the subject I attack with a vigor. One reason in particular is a few years back I was reading Linda Howard’s book, The Prey. It was a very different kind of book, even for her! The story featured a bear who actually had a point of view, strangely enough. Something about the bear struck me as odd—he had a taste for blood. I believe it was a brown bear, and I’d never heard that bears had a taste for blood. Not human blood. So I googled it, and low and behold, they did.

So now every story I write, if there is any kind of history that pull a person out and inclined to check on a fact, I try to make certain that they come away with the same information I did. It might be just a sliver of information on a general who led his troops in an obscure battel in the civil war. A one-line piece of information that might have someone thinking “Who was this person?” Then they check, like I did. And, come away with something authentic about me. That I incorporate non-fiction within my fiction.

This can be quite tedious and time consuming and the proverbial rabbit hole. Consider looking up information on traveling from Philadelphia to Colorado Springs in 1885 by rail. The railway system was growing by leaps and bounds. There was a lot of money involved. Jobs. Politics. Luxury cars. You name it.

One has to wonder how one actually manages to finish a story!

 

Mail Order Bride: The Counterfeit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7P84ZB/

After a disastrous first marriage, Will Jeffers hasn’t the stomach for another emotionally entailed union. All he needs is a wife to cook, nurse his mother, and look after the homestead. But good women are few and far between in Colorado mining country. A mail order bride is the perfect solution.

Amelia Johannasen is running for her life. Her mother has decided it’s time her daughter joined the family business, shattering Amy’s dreams of marrying for love. Imagine her surprise when she is mistaken for Will Jeffers mail order bride. She’ll take it.

With a head for numbers and talent for spinning tall-tales but no notion of how to cook or nurse a manipulative old woman how can she reach the heart of a man once burned so badly, he’s sworn off love?

 

Mail Order Bride: The Breakaway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7R46CF/

Tragedy sent Sherman Elias McHuay west twelve years ago. But his troubled past barrels in like a runaway train or—more appropriately—smacks him over the head in the form of a violet-eyed miss without a lick of common sense to her name. If one could actually determine her name.

Amaris Johnston’s carefully laid plans to head west as a mail order bride ratchet up when an announcement for her impending nuptials to the son of a prominent US Senator are set to go public. Not that she’d agreed to marry in the first place. A forced engagement and her family—a conniving slew of ambitious and power-hungry tyrants—send her running for the Colorado hills.

Can a slow talking sheriff and a headstrong girl bent on recklessness outwit her powerful family?

Kathy L Wheeler (a.k.a. Kae Elle Wheeler for her Cinderella Series) has a BA in Management Information Systems from the University of Central Oklahoma that includes over forty credit hours of vocal music. She was a computer programmer for the Hertz Corporation for over fifteen years and utilizes karaoke for her vocal music talents. Other passions include the NFL, the NBA, travel musical theatre, painting, reading, and writing.

She is a member of several chapters of the Romance Writers of America: Greater Seattle chapter, Olympia and Eastside chapters, The Beau Monde Chapter and Hearts Through history.

Her main sources of inspiration come from mostly an over-active imagination. She currently resides in the Seattle area with her musically talented husband, Al, and their bossy cat, Carly, and sweet dog, Angel.

Kathy can be found at her website and on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

My thoughts: Book One, The Counterfiet, releases tomorrow, but I was able to get an ARC and read it this past weekend. I hadn’t read Western Romance in a long time, but this lovely story reminded me of why I enjoyed it. Amelia is an intelligent, resourceful heroine, and she does what’s necessary to survive while keeping her sense of right and wrong. Will is a wonderful hero, coming to the rescue when necessary, yet appreciative of the talents of others. The story is full of surprises and kept me reading. There are several fascinating characters, so I’m glad there’s a sequel. Looking forward to Book Two!