 One way I have prepared myself to write fiction about cowboys and cowboy life has been to read background material. In the history of Wyoming in this area, just about everyone will read Asa Shinn Mercer’s The Banditti of the Plains. Or The Cattlemen’s Invasion of Wyoming in 1892. (The Crowning Infamy of the Ages), which is about the invasion of Johnson County, also called the Johnson County War. Mercer’s version has been much disliked by many people (such as stockgrowers), but it was written at the time, and it is standard reading. A more researched treatment of the same topic is Helen Hunt Jackson’s The War on Powder River (1966), and a more recent treatment with a somewhat different angle is John W. Davis’s Wyoming Range War: The Infamous Invasion of Johnson County (2010). All of these have added to my understanding of that episode in history, but I cannot say that I have arrived at a definitive version. That is the nature of research; one continues to read and to compare versions. Another angle on cowboy life in Wyoming of the late 1800’s is available through autobiographical works. Of the many I have read, I have read a couple of these a couple of times, and they offer a wealth of detail from cowboy life and work as well as many examples of language use, which is good for a writer. One of these books is Pulling Leather: Being the Early Recollections of a Cowboy on the Wyoming Range, 1884-1889, by Reuben B. Mullins, who worked as a cowboy in my part of Wyoming. A good companion to Mullins’s work is Pony Trails in Wyoming, by John K. Rollinson, who also lived and worked in my part of Wyoming (and may have ridden across what is now my horse pasture) a little while after Mullins. Rollinson’s account covers more experience and presents more detail, and it also presents a little more insight into human nature. A couple of books about cowboy life but not about Wyoming in particular are also worth mention here. Philip Ashton Rollins’s The Cowboy: An Unconventional History of Civilization on the Old-Time Cattle Range is a good standard source for cowboy life of the nineteenth century, and he has a good chapter on the cowboy mentality of the time, which a person may compare to life today. Another good book is Charles Siringo’s A Cowboy Detective: A True Story of Twenty-Two Years with a World-Famous Detective Agency, which tells stories about this famous detective and adds insight into conflicts and intrigues in the working world. This is just one aspect of doing research, and I mention only a few of many books I have read on the subject. This kind of research can be balanced by first-hand experience on and observation of cattle ranches, by getting to know people who have been working cowboys for a living, and by saddling and riding one’s horse. For me, the defining element of the western novel is the horse, not the gun, and so I have been much more interested in learning about and writing about cowboys than about gunfighters and outlaws. Perhaps I should add that I grew up in a ranching heritage, and although my father went broke when I was very young, I wore his Stetson at an early age and recovered some of that heritage by living on my own land in Wyoming and by having a horse that I can go out and saddle.  Blurb—review excerpt (front cover copy) “One-Eyed Cowboy Wild is a refreshing version of the stories that first set the Western before its audience. [It] is a Western in the form of classics like The Virginian. . . . Prepare yourself to experience the Western the way it was before gratuitous violence was the American way of entertainment.” --Springdale, AR, News Blurb—back cover copy When Zeke Hill returns home, his brother Gene is glad to see him—despite some troubling changes. As Zeke’s true character comes out, Gene realizes that his brother doesn’t have a strong set of moral values. When Zeke resumes a deadly feud with Charlie Bickford, and then Charlie’s brother, Chet, Gene has no choice but to stick by his own brother. But at what cost? Danger stalks the Hill brothers, and Gene’s budding relationship with a pretty young ranch girl, Katharine Rose, is at stake. Blood’s thicker than water…but trouble is here to stay. Excerpt- Gene Hill would always remember the day his brother Zeke came home from Texas. It was late May on the Wyoming plains—that young and green and hopeful time of year, with the promise of warmer weather in the air. Gene felt the sun on his back and the cool breeze on his neck. He was tamping in the corner post when Zeke came riding across the open pasture on his buckskin gelding, wearing a rippling red shirt and a high-crowned white hat. Zeke stood in the stirrups, pushed himself up to stand on the saddle, and waved his hat to his brother. The breeze ruffled the full head of black hair as the rider swayed, easy and carefree, on the prancing horse. Zeke put his hat back onto his head, slid down into the saddle, and kicked the horse into a lope, riding straight at his brother in a drumming gallop. He stopped the horse with its haunches bunching under it, so close that the horse's slobber flicked on Gene's shovel handle. Zeke vaulted off the horse as it stopped, the same old Zeke as always, gliding out of the saddle with both feet clear of the stirrups, pushing himself away from the saddle horn, and landing in a perfect walk. He flipped the knotted reins up and over the horse's head to trail on the ground so that Bucky, with a hackamore across his nose but no bit in his mouth, went to cropping grass. Buy Links- https://www.amazon.com/One-Eyed-Cowboy-Wild-John-Nesbitt/dp/1530457777/ref=sr_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YKEa17K90VIcEb4LzxhiUTUhgcN6DLNmVOLivGwnaTAO_5syzESfQE0NEISEJSSnNSplNKB30uFZRb4g9MJGQKpYGnb4WIyC1TRAeXry64CqdhwVNZSgNU64vZVTUYl1QWMP8yEUF545LUrWWW_xfYFvNgIEsRkHGkwyqCUKcixkZDI7SOvQauRMn6u5Xi247Y-YrCdq5kkQEUdnDFEtf-NIBAth2Wu8RANlvJ8xy5w.a9QtJW-lUK05QgqC2LXwxq4jN0ZbXxmrdi5VaGwAfII&dib_tag=se&qid=1710295632&refinements=p_27%3AJohn+D.+Nesbitt&s=books&sr=1-4&text=John+D.+Nesbitt https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-eyed-cowboy-wild-john-d-nesbitt/1000129398?ean=9781530457779 About the Author-
John D. Nesbitt is the author of more than fifty books, including traditional westerns, crossover western mysteries, contemporary western fiction, retro/noir fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He has won the Western Writers of America Spur Award four times—twice for paperback novel, once for short story, and once for poem. He has won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award twice—once for novel and once for short story. He has been a finalist for the Spur Award twice, the Peacemaker seven times, and the Will Rogers Medallion Award eight times. He has also received two creative writing fellowships with the Wyoming Arts Council—once for fiction, once for nonfiction–and he has won the fiction award four times with the Wyoming State Historical Society. Recent works include Summer’s Lease and Diamonds and Doom, frontier novels with Thorndike. Visit his website at www.johndnesbitt.com  Cowboy stories and the Old West have always intrigued me. The rugged terrain, hardships to endure, constant threat of attack from any number of things, fashion, and even tumbleweeds—they each have their own points of interest. And then, there are the cowboys themselves, riding the range, braving every challenge, sitting round a campfire at night or cooking over the open flames. What’s not to love about cowboys? One of my favorite parts of writing about cowboy life is, believe it or not, writing about what they ate. Food, and the way it was prepared, is a topic I can’t get enough of. Every time I write a western, I try to pull some interesting food facts into the story. For example, I nearly always reference Arbuckles coffee. I love a good cup of joe, and I’m pretty sure those who moved westward needed a fortifying cup or two, also. Arbuckles was considered a new product back in the times of cowboys, having only gained popularity shortly after the Civil War. It was unique because prior to its hitting shelves, the practice of making coffee included roasting the coffee beans in a skillet over a fire. Two brothers streamlined the process, roasting beans in big batches and packaging them for sale. No more scorched beans or burnt fingers! There are so many historical bits and pieces that make cowboys and the Old West interesting. It is an absolute pleasure to take a peek into the lives they led, and then to share that with readers. I think that as long as we remain curious about history, cowboys will be in style!  Blurb: When Gertie Jackson lost her husband in the war, she left Richmond searching for a new life. She wanted peace for her tortured soul...and she found it in Wylder. Lane Hutchins rode to Wylder as a favor to an old friend...and to look once more upon the woman who'd stolen his heart years ago. When Gertie's preparations for the big Founder's Day festivities sets off a streak of vandalism, Lane knows he can't leave while she's in danger. But will his efforts to win her heart push her further from him, or will Wylder's magic work to finally bring them together? Author Bio:
Sarita Leone loves happy endings—in life and on the page. When she's not busy writing her next novel, this adventure-loving yoga teacher likes to hike, travel, and dance beneath the stars. She studies languages, enjoys making a mess in the kitchen, and never says “no” to fun. Finding pockets of peace everywhere she goes, this author plans to make every moment of this journey count.  I could say “Who doesn’t love a handsome Scotsman” and leave it at that. Callum MacPhillip deserves more. Callum immigrated from Scotland at the age of seventeen. He grew into a tall six-foot four inch, two-hundred-pound muscle man, with brownish red hair and clear blue eyes. The Scotsman is a skilled horse trainer and works on a quarter horse ranch in Wyoming. His Saturday nights are spent drinking, playing poker, and enjoying his favorite girl at the brothel in town. On the other hand, Callum is an excellent baker of scones, a good cook, proficient housekeeper and serious about someday acquiring and raising draft horses. His life is the best it can be until the day he sees a beautiful red-haired woman on the street in Cheyenne. Callum doesn’t know who she is or how to find her. A twist of fate brings them together and their lives are forever changed.  Blurb- Rose O'Brien is a stage actress masquerading as a Saloon Singer in Wylder, Wyoming. With an abusive lover hot on her tail and a handsome Scotsman proposing marriage Rose decides to flee to California before her secret can break Callum's heart –and hers. Callum MacPhilip has loved the Irish lass since he saw her enter a carriage on a street corner in Cheyenne. When a snowstorm and a turn of fate brings them together, Callum vows to protect her --and convince her to take a chance on love. Excerpt- She cradled the sides of his head in her hands. His curly reddish-brown hair fell below his ears and his well-trimmed beard suited his handsome face. An urge to kiss him swept over her. As if he read her mind, he lifted her from the chair and brushed a kiss across her lips. She melted into his embrace and rested her head on his chest. His body was hard as molded steel, and his muscles rippled as he enfolded her in a tender embrace. She’d never been this protected and cared for in her thirty years of life. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. His lips were on hers before she could speak. Searching. Probing. Demanding. A man, a woman each lost in the intensity of desire. The image of him naked made her core lust after a connection. She let herself feel for the first time in years, feel the affection, feel the lust, feel the love. When the kiss was over, her body instinctively gravitated toward him desiring more. “Come.” He steadied her with his arm around her waist and guided her to his bedroom. “I want you to rest, comfortable in a bed, not on the floor.” They entered a bright room with a large ornately carved bed, dressing table and mirror, and large wardrobe. The Scotsman appeared to be a strong, rough cowboy, but she was learning he was more refined and intelligent than Walker. How could she compare a devil to Callum MacPhilip? Buy Links- Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Wylder-Rose-West/dp/B0BBPDXQWL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UP28392JZ7LI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.et9ksKII3vbPvLL6rgHbjdEF62_kCmaH8EU5VojMPfTGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.VnUA5xn5Su6IUN-1UIGno8HXO6tJbK59dfaxXziVM_U&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+wylder+rose+by+jane+lewis&qid=1710600927&s=books&sprefix=the+wylder+rose+by+jane+lewis%2Cstripbooks%2C69&sr=1-1 Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wylder-rose-jane-lewis/1140891844?ean=2940161143841 BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jane-lewis-db74f213-ccbd-4ba4-97d1-4a3236eb56d0 About Jane Lewis-
Jane Lewis dreamed of being a romance writer since she read her first romance novel. She wrote articles for her school newspaper, articles for a music magazine and composed and arranged music. When she isn’t writing, re-writing or editing her next romance novel, she enjoys cooking, playing music, yoga, weight training and hanging out with her real-life hero, her husband.  It was super important for the character to live in my mind—I practically inhabited his skin as a real person while narrating the cowboy’s story. The first thing I did was choose his name: Cayo Bradley, Cayo short for Coyote, an unusual name, a memorable one that I hoped would stick in readers’ brains. Many authors write a list of characteristics about their characters—I’ve never done this—I simply imagine him, and for Cayo, I had to imagine him in different stages of his life: as a boy before he was captured, as a youth growing up with the Jicarilla Apache, and as a man returning to the white man’s world. I was able to convey these in writing by imagining his actions and mentally following him around to see what he was doing. I related his backstory and tried to make this part of his life as interesting as his “present–day aura.” I made sure that his goals and desires were attainable, even if they’re not completely reached in the novel, they were always at the forefront. Writing about Cayo’s background, upbringing, or whatever he was doing “in the now,” I needed to understand why he was the way he was, and it helped me to distinguish the workings of his psyche—the mechanisms of his brain intimately. I made my cowboy a flawed individual. Cayo Bradley commits a heinous crime that stays with him for the rest of his life. He seeks forgiveness for the guilt he carries throughout the entire novel and seeking redemption, almost secures it by the end of the novel. I found that there was no need to describe his entire physical appearance, so I didn’t, instead I depicted a few impressionable details for the reader—his high cheek bones in a sun-tanned rugged face. He has a swagger, looks great in long-legged jeans, and has a strong build. I researched all the things I had to know about being a cowboy in the years that I presented him as a living, breathing individual. I investigated the following: horses, guns, rifles, knives, roping, branding, wattling, and herding cattle. I researched cowboy songs of the past, how to make arrows, wanted posters for criminals, food, the Jicarilla Apache Nation—their history and the geographical area of New Mexico where they were situated in during the 1850’s to the1870’s. Although at times, my cowboy appears tough, I gave him a loving soul. I bestowed on him a past hurtful love story from which he is reborn despite being left scarred and damaged. He then becomes a man who, although bereft by a failed union, searches for and finds love. This love is painful, but in a completely different way than his first love. There are many traits that in my mind a cowboy should possess: a loyal heart to his true love is among the top ones. He should be trustworthy, and not afraid to act in a courageous manner when necessary or forced. He should demonstrate manners, such as helping a lady out of a ditch when her carriage goes off the road. A cowboy should show kindness to his elders—and my character Cayo does this with his adopted grandmother and his mentor, the old wise, blind man, Gray Wolf. I described Cayo as a hard worker on the ranch, one who loves animals, especially horses. One who has keen intuition and communes with beasts of the wild—especially wild Mustangs. He has intimate relationships with horses and speaks to them in a most gentle voice. Sometimes he uses Spanish because it is a sweeter sounding language than English. And I have a scene where he is very caring toward a little calf. A cowboy should be brave and honorable, and to this end, I have several scenes devoted to showing Cayo’s bravery. One is a scene where he kills a rattlesnake that entered his adopted grandmother’s tipi. Another scene is where he displays great courage, sacrificing his horse to save his captor during a buffalo hunt when he is with the Jicarilla Apache. He takes care of his women, even if it means avenging their murder. Most of the cowboy traits I furnished for Cayo are difficult to find in the modern world, and that’s probably the main reason why it was such a wonderful experience writing these qualities. In my mind, the cowboy hero is the embodiment of the ideal male, not without imperfections, but with courage to surmount them, and he’s never too big a man to say he’s sorry or exhibit tenderness.  The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, a superbly crafted American Western Romance, is a deftly spun saga of ill-starred sweethearts—an expertly woven story with clever dialogue, a fast-paced plot, and enchanting, elegant prose! —Michelle Cox, author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series Romano’s story sizzles with the tension of lovers—one struggling to blend Apache ways and White, the other torn between East and West—searching for a way to join two lives traversing in opposite directions. —Ruth Hull Chatlien, author of Blood Moon, and The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte Book Blurb A brutal killing shackles Cayo Bradley more than his captivity by Apaches until his salvation—falling obsessively in love with Darby McPhee. Can a deathbed promise ever be broken? This dilemma confronts Darby McPhee, an untutored farm girl caught in a tedious routine of caring for her father, brothers, and working in a mercantile since her mother’s death. Darby falls in love with Cayo Bradley, a high-spirited cowboy from a nearby ranch, struggling to settle back into White Society after his captivity by the Jicarilla Apache in northeastern New Mexico. Darby is torn between her love for Cayo and the vow at her mother’s side to seek an education. This choice stands in the way of her heart’s desire to belong to the untamed ranch hand. If she maintains her promise it will cleave apart her world, despite knowing she’s Cayo’s redemption. In this haunting tale of stunning love and loss, Darby learns regardless of what transpires she’ll always be THE GIRL WHO LOVED CAYO BRADLEY . . . Buy Link: Amazon amzn.to/3LbZexp Social Media: X Twitter: @ninsthewriter Author Bio
Nina Romano’s most recent historical thriller, Dark Eyes, is the winner of the thriller category for Pencraft Book Awards, is short-listed for the Clue Awards, and the Goethe Awards and is a semifinalist in the Clue Awards. The novels of Romano's historical Wayfarer Trilogy: The Secret Language of Women, Book #1, is the Gold Medal winner of the Independent Publisher’s 2016 IPPY Book Award, and a Foreword Reviews Book Award Finalist. Lemon Blossoms, Book #2, was also a Foreword Reviews Book Award Finalist. Book #3, In America, was a finalist in Chanticleer Media’s Chatelaine Book Awards. Romano’s Western Historical Romance, The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, Book #1 of the Darby’s Quest series, is a semifinalist for the Laramie Book Awards. Book # 2 of this series, Star on a Summer Morning, is forthcoming from Speaking Volumes. Romano is also the co-author of the non-fiction work Writing in a Changing World, and a short story collection The Other Side of the Gates. She has also written seven poetry collections, which were traditionally published. Romano has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry. Nina Romano earned a B.S. from Ithaca College, an M.A. from Adelphi University,a B.A. and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from FIU. A world traveler and lover of history, she lived in Rome, Italy for twenty years, and is fluent in Italian and Spanish. She has taught English and Literature as an Adjunct Professor at St. Thomas University, Miami, and has facilitated numerous Creative Writing and Poetry Workshops at Writing Conferences throughout the United States. Romano has also presented her poetry and fiction at the Miami International Book Fair.  I grew up watching John Wayne movies and old western TV shows with my Grandma—Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Maverick, Wagon Train and many others that I probably cannot recall. But I loved cowboys. They were always the good guys, always the ones who saved the day. As I got older, I devoured every historical romance I could find that featured cowboys, bounty hunters, native American heroes and even those heroes who walked a thin line on the right side of the law. I was hooked on the Old West. There was no denying the appeal of a man with a fast horse, a fast gun-- and a heroine to vex and challenge him. Odd as it may sound, I remember being heavily influenced by the original Star Wars movie. Han Solo was the ultimate bad boy space cowboy, and that cantina scene with Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan just spoke to me—even before I heard George Lucas say it was based on the old west. When I first decided to write western historical romance, those influences definitely played a role in the characters and situations taking shape in my mind. My first historical western, Wild Texas Wind, was released in 2010 and I have never looked back. Life has thrown some curveballs my way that have kept me from being as productive as I’d have liked, but this year has finally allowed me to put those cowgirl boots on and once again get back on the horse.  Blurb: Eliza Jane O'Hanlan is called west to care for her ailing mother. Raised by a spinster aunt, she only knows that her mother is a successful businesswoman. When she arrives in Wylder, she is shocked to learn her mother is the town madam. But the secrets don't end there… Doctor Sam "Coyote" Sullivan saw enough suffering and dying in the war to last a lifetime. He is more than happy to help the town madam keep her girls free of disease—and worse. The moment she arrives in town, the madam's daughter makes it clear she doesn't approve of her mother's unconventional methods—or him. Before long, Eliza doesn't just have the town of Wylder in a stir. She has Coyote pretty stirred up, too. Excerpt: Eliza Jane O'Hanlan is called west to care for her ailing mother. Raised by a spinster aunt, she only knows that her mother is a successful businesswoman. When she arrives in Wylder, she is shocked to learn her mother is the town madam. But the secrets don't end there… Doctor Sam "Coyote" Sullivan saw enough suffering and dying in the war to last a lifetime. He is more than happy to help the town madam keep her girls free of disease—and worse. The moment she arrives in town, the madam's daughter makes it clear she doesn't approve of her mother's unconventional methods—or him. Before long, Eliza doesn't just have the town of Wylder in a stir. She has Coyote pretty stirred up, too. Buy links: Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B08LZXSX7F/thewildrosepr-20 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wylder-county-social-club-nicole-mccaffrey/1137963189?ean=9781509234561 iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-wylder-county-social-club/id1539089533 Author Bio:
For as long as she can remember, award winning author Nicole McCaffrey has heard voices in her head. Fortunately, they're just characters wanting to tell her their stories. Whether it’s short stories, poems or adventures for friends, she has been writing pretty much since she was old enough to pick up a pencil. While she has written contemporary romance and light fantasy, historical romance has always been her first love. She is a firm believer that every romance story should feature Love, Laughter and Adventure. She has been married for over 25 years and together she and her husband have raised two amazing sons. They share their home with two spoiled kitty cats and an equally spoiled rescue pup. She enjoys gardening, and cooking, especially Italian food, but Nicole is happiest when writing, reading or buried nose deep in research for the next book. Please visit www.nicolemccaffrey.com for news, reviews, excerpts and sneak peeks at upcoming releases. Social Media: Find Nicole on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nmccaffreyauthor Follow Nicole on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicMcCaffrey  I've been a registered nurse for over 35 years and it shows in my writing I hope. Though there are times my editor may tell me to pipe down the medical or soften the injury I just can't quit playing nurse. While I write western historical romance I still say what I really have in my McCades of Cheyenne series is family saga with romance and suspense. Yes my cowboys fall hard for their girl but there is a lot going on in my stories while that is happening. Things are going on with the family and all the brothers and inevitably someone's gonna get hurt, sick or injured. That being said I wanted to offer something different here and give writers a hint or two on writing about old west injuries, medicines and treatments. Rule number one is to do your research and if you are truly writing about the old west it was actually a very short time period in history which I need to clarify first. To break it down: 1607 to 1912 is a period called the frontier days. This is when discovery and travel/exploration across America first began and continued. Cowboys and true western events happened between: 1865 to 1895....however the true cowboy boomtowns hit around 1879 to 1982...and don't forget to know the history such as the cattle market died 1880 pretty much ending the era of real cowboys. The first of the cowboys who did arrive west were often soldiers who headed west after the war in the late 1860 and many a rogue pioneer veered off that direction as well. At that time medicine was much like what happened during the war...very barbaric and still with a lot of home remedies and treatments. While cities back East had hospitals and physicians who performed surgeries under various kinds of anesthesias, not many of the medical procedures were set up to be performed out west. Any equipment or advances just weren't available there. So as I wrote the McCades of Cheyenne series and other western historical novels I've remained cognizant of what might or might not have been utilized or performed in that time and day. My goal is to provide a few hints I've learned along the way. First, do your research on herbal medicines of the time and what plants grew in the location of the setting in your story. Remember the Indians already knew a lot about plants and herbs and their healing powers. Women knew the power of onion polices for infected wounds and garlic or honey as natural antibiotics. I found myself purchasing several herbal remedy books to help me get things right in my stories. There really weren't many hospitals and your local veterinarian or snake oil salesman might have been of a little help but likely not much. Research pain and other medications and what they were called at the time. For example the old west fell victim to Opium Houses which ruined many lives during those years due to addiction. And while today we give morphine, back then it was called: Tincture of Opium, just as an example. I encourage a lot of research around what injury is intended for a character and see if its going to fit the time period and what was available to doctors and caregivers. Here are a couple of examples from my McCades of Cheyenne series: For a cowboy a broken leg might mean becoming crippled for life and being unable to climb in the saddle if it was a left leg for instance. The left leg is utilized to step into the stirrup and mount a horse. This was a question I had to research in Wyatt's Bounty because he wound up beaten and I realized I had to plan that well and keep him still for weeks before he could seek his revenge. Lucky enough his best girl was Doc Tess....a graduate of the Philadelphia Women's college of Medicine at the time. It was also rare to have a female doctor and a lot of people were skeptics about letting them render care. When I was working on Sawyer's Rose, Sawyer gets shot and in the old west it wasn't that many survived a bad gunshot wound. If a cowboy was gut shot then he'd linger until infection killed him days or weeks later. Not a pretty death and death didn't always come right when someone was shot like on TV. They died of fever and sepsis when it came down to it. So I gave Sawyer a left shoulder hit and he did nearly die. I actually had Doc Tess give his brothers blood to Sawyer and while she'd have known to do this from her training back East, I had to write carefully and correctly about that practice in the late 1800s which worked for some and killed others. In Dawson's Haven, Dawson takes an arrow through the belly. In the old west that was kinda bad for blood loss and infection depending on what internal organs were hit. So I planned well where that arrow was placed but still had Dawson suffer weeks of fever and infection enough to need a second surgery. Back then women sewed up wounds with their sewing needles. Doctors bled people until they might have died of anemia. Broken bones mended badly. Fevers were treated with ice and covering someone in piles of blankets...something we don't do today in medicine. Oh we use the ice but not multiple blankets. We have cooling blankets. So you can see by my examples you really have to do your research on the dates and current medical options depending on where a story takes place and what year. There are a lot of websites that can update you on how things were done or not done on various diseases, illness and injuries. And as I've had to learn the hard way, readers will let you know you didn't get something quite right in a story if you haven't done your homework. So take the to plan well for what happens in your story. You'll never regret having done that well from the start. BIOGRAPHY: Kim Turner writes western historical romance, and discovered her passion of writing at the age of eight. Kim has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 35 years and enjoys studying the medical treatments of the old west as well as keeping up with the latest western movies and television. While she loves reading anything from highlanders to pirates, she claims to have an unquenchable thirst for the American Cowboy when choosing her reads. Kim lives south of Atlanta with her husband and two daughters. Kim's Mooto: It's All About A Cowboy and the Woman He Loves. Kim Turner's The McCade of Cheyenne series is a family saga full of suspense, old west and romance all wrapped up in one. Fall in love with the McCade Brothers one brother at a time.  Sawyers Rose Book #1: Will a sheriff set on avenging his father's death rescue the mail order bride with secrets of her own? Wyatt's Bounty Book #2: Will a bounty hunter set on revenge risk it all for the lady doctor who walked away? Dawson's Haven Book #3: Will an Indian Agent allow the woman who has captured his heart come to his rescue? Evan's Ransom Book #4: Will the return of the only woman he's ever loved turn a cowboys life around? (Coming in 2026!) A McCades of Cheyenne Novel #1 Paint the Sky: Will love, where two hearts collide be enough when their world falls apart? (Coming Fall 2024!) A story for Leaning Bear the Cheyenne Medicine Man from Dawson's Haven, who falls in love with a white woman who has come to teach on the reservation. Other characters in this series who will have stories: Eleanor "Dodge" McCade- Loving Brett Zane Carve McCade-Zane's Law More TBA..Follow the McCades through the years to catch up on this historical Family Saga! Sales:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kim-Turner/author/B01BTE6K54 Contact Kim: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimturnerwrites Website: https://kimturnerwrites.com Blog: https://kimturnerwrites.blogspot.com  Royce Weston is the 1st cowboy I brought to life. He lives on Wooded Acres, in Coyote, Colorado, both of which are also born from my imagination. Royce is my only blond-haired hero. He’s tall, handsome, muscular, loyal, hard-working, temperamental, and knows his way around horses, cows, and the land. He’s quick to help someone in need and loves his heroine fiercely, but don’t ever lie to him. Some emotional scars from his growing up years still run deep, and out of that handful, a few will never heal. One may ask how this cowboy came to be, if he’s based off of a real person. The answer to that is no, but I can tell you the many inspirations I drew from in creating him and his world. I’m a product of 1970’s and 1980’s television. Back then, westerns such as Big Valley and High Chaparral were on tv’s primetime lineup. Sunday afternoons, old movies aired. Many of them were westerns, and it was through watching several with my father that I was introduced to John Wayne and his style of cowboy. I instantly took to his tough-as-nails persona, his zest for good triumphing over evil. Peter Breck’s character on Big Valley (Nick Barkley) had that same grit and toughness… that same spit-in-your-eye determination. And both had a heart, soul, and weakness for family. Whether mother, sister, brother, or father, stepping outside the code of loyalty and protection to family was something they wouldn’t do. Cameron Mitchell’s character of Uncle Buck on High Chapparal was also cut from this cloth, plus he had a sense humor born only to him. The cowboys these three men portrayed stayed with me into adulthood, as did the horses they rode (my second favorite animal), the ranches they lived on, and the women they loved. (On a side note, little girl me always wanted to be Linda Evans’ Audra Barkley. I thought she was so pretty, and I envied her clothes, hair and makeup.) Fast forward to my teenage years, and one Friday night I happened upon what I thought was a movie on television. The plot had to do with one brother being mistaken for another brother. He was kidnapped, and most of what I watched centered around the family trying to get him back. The end was a cliffhanger, which ticked me off, because I wanted to know what happened him and thought I had wasted my time with a terrible ending. And then, next week’s sneak preview came on and I discovered I was watching the television show, Dallas. In that one episode, I was hooked. I loved the clothes, the hair and makeup, the back-stabbing, the family dynamic. More importantly, Patrick Duffy and Steve Kanaly played the Texas cowboy perfectly. They rode horses, lived on a sprawling ranch, wore the Wranglers and Stetsons, and had the same grit, heart, and swagger as John Wayne and Peter Breck. And just as important, the dialogue and interaction between Patrick Duffy’s Bobby Ewing and Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing was irresistible. They were brothers who hated each other in the office, sat down to family supper table, and always had each other’s back. And then, there was Jock Ewing, the weathered father and patriarch of the family, another cowboy to admire. Sadly, just like Big Valley and High Chapparal, Dallas came to an end. My desire to pen my own novel came afterward, and had nothing to do with any of these shows. Two authors I read were my inspiration and I tried my hand at contemporary romance, but after 2 stories, I wasn’t happy. Something didn’t feel right, and was missing. Not only in my writing but in myself. And then, somehow I came out of my funk and realized I missed all of the above; horses, a ranch house, the family dynamic… the heart and soul of a cowboy. Royce Weston was born in that moment. He lived on an enormous ranch with his father and two brothers. Like Nick Barkley, he was quick-tempered and enjoyed a fist-fight. Like Bobby Ewing, he often bickered with is older brother, but he always had Lucas’ back. And like John Wayne, he had a heart the size of Texas and a swagger in his step. Loyal to a fault and in desperate need of love, beneath his cowboy drawl and mannerisms, he had many layers that was truly rewarding to bring to life with the pages of a book.  Get to Royce Weston in Luck of the Draw Available exclusively at Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0063VOS4E Blurb: Royce Weston knows firsthand women are exceptional liars, especially the one who has wormed her way into his family's good graces by claiming amnesia. Since Paige didn't heed his advice at the poker tables, he reasons a bit of friendly persuasion is needed to send her packing. But when she matches him trick for trick and has his ranch hands jumping to please her, Royce is thoroughly disgusted. A simpering miss she is not. Sassy and daring, if only she'd give him a reason to trust her… Paige Morgan knows Royce Weston despises her. But on his family's ranch, populated only by males, he seems to be the only one who knows about her past… a past she can't remember. Until he tells her what he knows, she isn't going anywhere. And if along the way she manages to tame this rough and tough cowboy, so much the better. Any girl will admit it's not how you play your cards, it's the Luck of the Draw that counts. Excerpt: "I'm ready to finish this water fight you started." "Me?" he exaggerated, turning to face her. "You're the one…" If the sight of her bare calf had caused his pulse to pound, the sight of her now was sure to kill him. She stood across from him, knee-deep in the water with a determined smile playing on her lips to match the gleam in her eyes. Her arms were bare to the neck except for the narrow straps of her soaked chemise, which clung to her body and did little to conceal her breasts from his heated gaze. She leaned forward to play her fingers on the water, and Royce bit his tongue as he watched a droplet of water trail down her skin to the valley between her breasts. With the sun glistening off her wet skin, his body hardened, throbbed, and ached with a need even Sandra hadn't provoked in him. "Paige." Her name was a ragged moan. "Come here." "Not on your life, big guy," she teased. "You have your space and I have mine. This is the boundary." She drew an imaginary line between them with her finger. "Whoever crosses it first loses." "The hell with the line." Royce dove beneath the water. He came up in front of her and lifted her out of the water. A little about Julie:
Julie was born and raised in New York. She married her high school sweetheart and accompanied him on his twenty year career with the Air Force. Currently, she resides in Colorado where she enjoys a career writing western romance, taking care of her family and home, and exploring the Rocky Mountains. To connect with Julie, visit her here: Website: www.julielence.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieLence Twitter: www.twitter.com/JulieLence  When I grew up way, way back in the 1960s, Western programs dominated our TV screens. Shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rifleman, and Rawhide gave us a taste of the old West that lives on in my head till this day. Since TV time at our house in Buffalo, New York was family time, I have vivid memories of sitting with my parents and two older sisters to watch program after program. Mom would take us girls in turn to set our hair in rollers or pin curls, while we all absorbed the networks’ versions of what the West should be. I guess I never realized just how many of those images and how much of that lore went into my head until I was offered a chance to write for The Wild Rose Press’s Wylder West series. I’d never before published a Western Romance, but I was game and plunged right in. The details of those long-ago cowboys, villains, sheriffs, and Western towns came flooding back. Oh, did they ever! I found myself comfortable in the town of Wylder, Wyoming, a fictional place where the series stories take place. Echoes of programs long off the air reminded me of how a cowboy should talk. How he should walk. How he carried a gun and looked at a woman. There’s nothing quite like the way a cowboy looks at a woman—a little bit shy, a little bit bold. You just know there’s a whole lot of man simmering inside. What do my memories tell me about what a cowboy should be? Oh, so many things. Hard-working, tough as boot leather, sparing with his words, and with a kind of honor that never bends. Even the gunslingers (whom I admit seduced me a little) had their own kind of honor that made them turn up for a shoot-out, even if the sheriff had the faster gun. In “my day” Rowdy Yates of Rawhide was the cowboy who set all the girls to sighing. No surprise, since he was played by Clint Eastwood at his youthful best!  Blurb: Newly retired, Earl Hanson wishes he felt happier about it. He's built a cabin up in the hills and has free time on his hands. He also has the most obnoxious widow in town eyeing him up as a possible husband. What's a beleaguered former sheriff to do? Fleeing an ugly scandal, spinster Victoria Major takes a job playing piano at the Trail's End Saloon. But it's the roughest watering hole in Wylder, and when the customers turn rowdy, Earl Hanson steps in to protect her. In return, it seems only right she should shield him from the predatory widow, by pretending he's her beau. Of course, it's only make-believe… Excerpt: She inspected this fellow in front of her, and wondered who he was. Not a young man, by any means, he wore a battered hat and had a gun strapped to his side. A heavy coat covered bulky shoulders, a strong figure of just above average height. His hair, gone to silver, matched a pair of lengthy sideburns and a fine moustache. He had a weathered face, and some of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. “Well now.” He placed an elbow on top of the piano and leaned, effectively screening her from the room and affording a few minutes of blessed relief. “That would be a shame—you leavin’, I mean.” “It would not. They hate my playing.” She gathered up a raft of music sheets in front of her. “That has been made abundantly clear. I’d better just admit it and—and slink away like a kicked dog.” He cocked his head. “You the kind of woman who gives up easy?” The bright blue gaze slid over her face. “Got to admit, you don’t look it.” “This stint has been anything but easy, Mr.—” “Hanson. Earl Hanson.” He stuck out his hand. “And you are—?” “Victoria Major.” She had no choice but to slip her fingers into his hand, which felt broad and horny. She wondered if he’d heard that cowhand call her a hag. The second time that had happened in the past five days. Then she wondered why she cared what he’d heard. Just another man in this accursed town. Did it matter what Earl Hanson thought of her? Buy Links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Wyld-Wylder-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B098LXXZKK/ref=sr_1_1 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-wyld-laura-strickland/1139794981?ean=2940162487999 iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/forever-wyld/id1575104221 Author Bio: Multi award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Laura is intensely interested in animal welfare and has been privileged to mother a number of very special rescue dogs. Her love of animals and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing. Laura's mantra is Lore, Legend, Love, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Social Media:
Author Web site: www.laurastricklandbooks.com Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000002632317 Author Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Strickland/e/B001KHSACW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Author Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/760146.Laura_Strickland Author Twitter: Laura Strickland Author @LauraSt05038951 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurastricklandauthor/  How did I come to be writing cowboy stories? Well, I grew up with those old western TV shows in the 50s and early 60s. Most every kid wanted to be a cowboy or Indian back then. There were so many Wild West series on during those years. Growing up in Ohio, I didn’t any contact with cowboys, real or imagined, but that changed in fifth grade. My teacher took us down to the little school library the first week of school and told us to pick out a book, because we were going to read a book a week and someone was going to give a report in class, so we had to be ready. I looked that shelf of books over, up and down, and came across a spine with the name Zane Grey on it. I had no idea what a Zane Grey was, but I thought it was a cool name. I pulled that book off the shelf (wish I could remember which one it was), read it and I was hooked on the Old West. I could see the cowboys and Indians racing after each other beneath the red sandstone cliffs of the Painted Desert. From that point on, I read every Zane Grey novel I could and that’s where my fascination with the West and cowboys came from. And it still holds me today.  Blurb- New Mexico Territory, 1890 In a hidden cavern, a treasure trove of gold bars sits alongside an ancient relic. To find her treasure-hunting brother, Lottie Durham enlists the help of an easygoing lawman she can’t stand—at first. When a mysterious woman known only as Ma asks her to join the relic’s guardians, Lottie’s world spins. Should she take on this solemn obligation? Twill, leader of those secretive guardians, has sworn a vow to protect the centuries-old priceless relic. Regrets bedevil him and his dedication to his oath is repeatedly tested. But if he breaks his promise, he’ll fail Ma, the one person he’s never wanted to let down. Will a looming attack by a band of determined raiders be the end of the guardians, the gold, and the relic? Excerpt- Ma took to her knitting, but spoke to Twill. “Have you spoken with the fellow, yet?” Twill shook his head. “He weren’t in any shape to talk, don’t know if he’s still breathin’. Got him stashed away, will figure things out when I get back up there.” “Please set up a perimeter around the Peak while you do that.” Without looking up, she said, “Make sure our saints haven’t been disturbed.” She raised her eyes and held his gaze. “And—” Twill nodded. “No need to even say it, Ma. I crawled down to check and everything’s all right. Maybe a few coins, some jewelry missing. That’s about all. The relic is fine. What would you like to do with the intruder?” “If it’s who I think it is, he’s harmless, but still, he’s been somewhere he shouldn’t have been. As poor as he and his sister are, I figure he might be doing Richards’ dirty work. Can’t have that—you know what to do if he’s still alive.” “Will he be missed?” “Yes, by his sister, but there is nothing else to be done. Word around town will be he died lost in the depths of the Peak, unfortunately. Not the first and won’t be the last. Perhaps I can help her with a memorial service, she’s so young. Her father gone a year or so ago as well—another misfortune.” She shook her head as she purled a row. “Victorio hasn’t been good to that family.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR-
Mike Torreano is a multi-award-winning author with a military background and a particular interest in American history and the Old West. His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, The Renewal, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018, with a third western mystery, A Score To Settle, set in New Mexico Territory in 1870 released October 2020. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, also set in New Mexico Territory, 1890 and released by Wild Rose in September 2022. He has a coming-of-age novel released November 2023, Fireflies At Dusk, which is set during the Civil War era. His short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014. Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught English and Journalism at both the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other writing groups. He has appeared on the British broadcast On The Record, and he recently guested on LA Talk Radio’s Rendezvous With A Writer and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ podcast. His novels have received two Firebird Book Awards for western fiction and historical fiction, two American Book Award finalist for mystery/suspense and historical fiction, a gold award for fiction from Literary Titan, and most recently a finalist award in the New Mexico Book Co-op program. He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in mid-to-late nineteenth century America. He and his wife, Anne, live in Colorado Springs.   One of the most popular drinks of the era was coffee, also referred to as brown gargle. Coffee—or brown gargle—was every bit as popular as whiskey in the Old West. Maybe even more so. In 1863, Sharps Rifles had even manufactured a few trial carbines with a coffee grinder that had a removable handle built into the stock. (This may have been used for grinding more than just coffee.) Arbuckles was considered the original cowboy coffee. Out on the trail, whether it was rounding up cattle or horse thieves, the cowboy needed that extra jolt of caffeine and a strong, aromatic cup of coffee provided it. The Arbuckle brothers were the first to sell their roasted beans in one-pound bags instead of selling it green where the cowboys on the range would have to roast the beans in a skillet over an open fire. As an enticement, peppermint sticks were often included with the package. On the trail drives the cooks kept the coffee flowing. If available water was too acidic, they would break an egg and add it to the pot. Some cooks added salt to reduce the bitterness. But whether acidic, with salt or without, Westeners loved their coffee. And no Westerner more than Keeper Tyree. Previously posted on Cowboy Kisses.  Blurb Keeper Tyree has taken the job of sheriff of El Dorado. Everything is going well. He’s tamed the town and doesn’t have to knock more than a few heads together a day, and has no more than one or two occupants in the calaboose at a time. Then a stranger comes to town. A stranger bent on vengeance and the man he wants to bring down is Keeper. Excerpt A fist shot out of the dark. “What the hell, Cathleen?” Keeper went reeling back, rubbing his jaw. “I can smell cheap perfume on you a mile away.” She lit a kerosene lamp on the bedside table and held it up. And looked, Keeper thought, like an avenging angel. Dadgum but she was a beauty. Those eyes sparking fire always got his juices rolling. “Now, honey—” “And there’s red lip-stain on your collar. It’s Dora’s isn’t it? That woman is like a bitch in heat.” Never explain. Never apologize. Those were words he lived by. Until he tied the knot. It just didn’t work when you had a passionate, hot-tempered bride. She took a step forward. He managed not to take a step back. The door creaked. A blue-eyed tousle-haired little beauty, that looked so much like her momma it made his heart hurt, stood in the doorway. A one-eyed, stuffed bear under her arm. On her finger she wore a ring that was a replica of her momma’s wedding ring. He’d given it to Allie the day he wed Cathleen to make sure she knew he had room in his heart for both of them. He squatted down and held out his arms. She ran into them. “What are you doing up, Allie Cat?” He pushed to his feet, cradling her, soaking in the scent of soap and little girl. “I heard Momma yelling at you.” “Come to protect me, did you?” She nodded and said in a loud whisper, “Momma can be fearsome when she’s mad.” Bio
Sandra, who writes as both S. Cox and Sandra Cox, is an animal lover and avid gardener. She spent a number of years in the Midwest chasing down good Southern BBQ. By the time she moved to North Carolina where Southern BBQ is practically a staple, she’d become a vegetarian. She and her husband are ruled by four cats. Sadly, their dog recently crossed the rainbow bridge. An award-winning author, her stories consist of all things Western and more. |
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