Do you stop to recognize the miracles in your life? So many of us have been brainwashed to believe that the term, “miraculous,” can only be applied to giant earth-shaking events, like winning the lottery or discovering a cure for cancer. But I’m talking about everyday miracles: the hopes and dreams that quietly reappear when […]
When your job is to save the world, you can’t outwit evil masterminds without hiding a few spy gadgets in your Victorian underwear. In the immortal words of my kick-butt Lady Pinkerton, Sadie Michelson, “A garter is only good for one thing: holding my derringer.” Sadie is the sassy, street-wise star of my new Romantic […]
Researching Old West lawmen for my Wild Texas Nights series was a real hoot. I learned that Texas Rangers adhere to a VERY strict dress code: They can only wear white or gray cowboy hats. (That’s right. No black Stetsons for the good guys.) They MUST pin their badges over their hearts. (Many a Ranger’s […]
So you want to play poker, eh? Well, you’d best check your pocket watch, pard. Playing cards on a Friday night, before 6 pm, is bad luck in these parts! ‘Course, if you encounter a hunchback on the way to the casino, Lady Luck might overlook your faux pas – unless the hunchback is female. Crossing […]
Note: Still pining for a date for Valentine's Day? No problem. Sheep rancher Bailey McShane, the (aptly named) TEXAS WILDCAT from my Wild Texas Nights series of Historical Western Romances, is here to share her secrets for catching a mate! Howdy, gals! Bailey here. Now don’t you be moping around the homestead ‘cause some clueless […]
Scribe’s Note: Sadie Michelson is deep undercover, sending this transmission from her latest top-secret location. Per Agent Michelson’s instructions, I have faithfully transcribed her 10 most memorable moments from her secret files – in the event that she fails to survive. Be forewarned: this transcript will self-destruct in 7 minutes . . . My childhood […]
My Texas romance-writing friends congregate in packs: we’re kind of like Lone Star(buck) Wolves. One Saturday morning, while sucking down enough caffeine and sugar to make my eyes float, a Writer Pal asked, “So where are you going to set your next historical western?” I mumbled something about throwing a dart at a map and […]
I’ve had some REALLY freaky experiences writing my Lady Law & The Gunslinger series, so I’ve decided to come out of the closet and “dish.” First, I should probably confess that I am wholly open to the idea of Reincarnation. You may not be. And that’s okay. My experiences were still weird – like, Twilight […]
Schlock. That’s what my high school English teacher called my best attempts at poetry when I was enrolled in his Creative Writing class. But the joke’s on Mr. Snooty, ‘cause nowadays, I’m a bestselling author, who writes bawdy rhymes for her latest heroine: a wise-cracking, pistol-packing Pinkerton, who works undercover as a saloon singer. I […]
Why do book editors reject manuscripts? As a fiction-writing coach, I'm asked that question a lot. Most authors are baffled by the vague correspondence that book editors send. For example: "Thank you for the opportunity to read (Title of Manuscript.) Unfortunately, this story isn't right for us. We wish you luck, placing it elsewhere." Why […]