Christmas Eve

I want to wish all a wonderful and blessed Christmas. It the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, take a moment to think about the holiday were are celebrating--Jesus birthday. Let the quietness and peace of that event rest in your heart.

If your heart is in pain, rest in His peace.
If you heart is rejoicing, feel Him smile with you.
Above all, have a wonderful Christmas.

December 7

Yesterday went unnoticed by many Americans and I didn't see it mention on the news, but for many in the Greatest Generation, my parents generation, they knew what yesterday was. It was the day Pearl Harbor was bombed and the US was plunged into WWII. I read in the newspaper in Japan Dec7 isn't considered a memorable date. Just one more date in their struggled to become a super power. They wanted to capture countries that had oil and other natural resources, so they could emerge as a super power. But for my parents generation it is the defining moment, where America turned outward and instead of following isolationist policy, they all pulled together to support the war.

Since I just put out a book set during WWII, I researched the times, The Last Truth. My heroine, Linette Van Linder is Dutch. Her parents and good friends are taken  away to different concentration camps since her parents hid their best friends and business partners, who were Jewish, from the Nazis. Linette sees her fiance standing in front of her house, dressed in a Waffen SS uniform, laughing and joking with the other SS soldiers. She's spotted and runs away. In her desperation, she runs into an American reporter who helps her escape Amsterdam. A marriage of convenience--no a marriage of desperation was born.

As the story progressed, I learned about things that happened during the war that I wish I didn't know, but I had to know the ugly reality to write the book. But my admiration for the men and women who stepped up to the plate grew. They did what they had to do. I've never heard anyone from that generation complain. They did what they needed to do, and came home to create a new America. That is greatness.

 

Veteran's Day

Mom

I want to wish a Happy Veteran's Day to all the veteran's around me. Both my parents and my husband are veterans.  All army. I appreciate your service.

My dad

The husband

Buns and Roses Literacy Tea 2014

This last October, there was a Literacy tea for Richardson Adult Literacy Center or RALC to raise money for adult literacy. 24 authors drove to Richardson to host tables where Tea was held.
http://www.bunsandroses.org/author-hosts.html.  This tea has been an annual event for the last few years. RWA is also a big supporter of literacy and they do a signing at their annual conference.

 This is this year's Bear. Each year there is a bear.

The Authors

Most of the authors wear hats. I do look a bit clueless, don't I?

After the tea we sign our latest books, which the attendees buy from Barns and Noble.

Hostess gifts for the attendees.

Have you ever seen Romancing the Stone? Well I just lived through the opening scene of that movie. My latest book was due 8/15, which I didn't make.  (I have to thank my editor for suggesting 8/15 for the due date instead of 7/15.) I did nothing for the last week and a half but write and proof. My husband did the shopping and cooking, but when he didn't go to the store, we ran out of nearly everything. Soured milk, no bread, nothing to eat unless we bought it.

Well, I was doing the happy dance after I copied the book on my flash drive and dumped it back in the little dish where I keep it. When I added something to the book, I looked for the drive and didn't find it. I kept looking and looking for the drive and found it in my cup of tea beside my computer. I raced into my husband's office and told him what I did. Put it in a bowl of rice to let it dry out was his advice. I ran out of our regular rice and had to use my husband's expensive sticky rice which he uses to make mushubi (sp). (That's spam, rice, wrapped in seaweed.)

Well, the husband was right. My drive was okay, but I didn't need that excitement. And I got a new back up flash drive.

Wonderful Friends

When I started on this journey of being a writer I knew nothing about writing except I wanted to tell my stories. I joined a RWA chapter, where other romance authors helped me. They were with me, answering questions,  reading my chapters, encouraging me and showing me the basics. That was over 25 years ago. If I hadn't  had their guidance, I never would've made it.

Things haven't changed. I've come out with my first Indie book, and my writer friends were right there with me, helping me through the process, answering questions, and pointing me in the right direction. Kathleen and Suzanne, met with me, answered my question and told me stuff I didn't know to ask about. I am overwhelmed with their generous spirit. And for me, knowing such great people is encouraging, and humbling. Thank you, ladies.

P.S. I went to the RWA conference this year and my friends were there, asking me how my energy was holding up, did I need anything. I had sisters who worried for me and watching over me. It was amazing.

Who Am I as a writer?

Julie Cosgrove asked me to be part of this rolling blog tour. Julie's blog is Where did You Find God Today? http://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/


This tour is just to introduce authors to difference audiences.
What am I currently working on?
I'm working on book 2 in my Rodeo Heroes series for Love Inspired. Joel Kaye is the brother of the heroine in the first of book of the series, LI, A RANCH TO CALL HOME.

How does my work differ from others in my genre? I've written in romantic suspense, inspirational romantic suspense, and inspirational romance.  How does my writing differ from others is in my style. How I see the world is uniquely mine. In the middle of searching for answers, or a killer, I have occasional moments that makes the reader smile. Cops often have a strange sense of humor to cope with what they see. My characters do that.

Why do I write what I do?  I write the stories God gives me. I want people to know if you've made mistakes in your life, you're normal and there is a way out of it. I write to encourage.

What's my writing process?  I usually set a daily writing goal and break up my writing times. I do half of my pages in the morning and the other half  in the late afternoon.  I can't sit down and knock out 20 to 30 pages in a marathon writing session.  My well fills up for 6-8 pages a day, then I run out of words.  Once my cursor rolls over to the page I needed to get to, and I've met my goal, I turn off my machine and get out of my program.  Five minutes later when the rest of the sentence or the next line occurs to me, I write it down, and I'm immediately  into the book.

My newest book is an ebook, THE LAST LIE, which is a inspirational  romantic suspense about a woman whose parents have disappeared, and when she sees her father, she pursues him. This book has MI6, KGB, CIA, Canadian spy agency and Interpol.  If you like fast action, you'll enjoy this book.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day.  This is a holiday that stirs in us patriotic feelings, making us proud to be Americans.  But I also think of all the men and women had given their lives for this country, and am humbled.

Several years ago, my husband took me out to the cemetery where most of his family is buried. They purchased the lots in the early 1940's.  When I  walked around the area, there were lots of grave that the end dates were 1941, 1942, 1943. These were young men in the prime of the life.  It is a sobering experience.  Or if you walk around Gettysburg, there is solemness that descends on your soul. There is nothing we can do except say thank you.  Thank you.

My Newest Book

This is the cover of my newest release, and my first ebook. 

When Catherine Lyons comes home from college she discovers her family has disappeared, vanished, leaving her alone.

Fifteen years later when Catherine is on vacation in France, she sees her father getting on a bus, but he's had a stroke. When she tries to talk to him the nurse taking care of him won't allow it. Cat shows up at the clinic the next day, but the people there claim to know nothing of the man. This time Cat isn't going to give up. A Scottish photographer, Colin Montrose, suddenly appears, offering to help. She refuses.

Cat learns the name of the nurse she talked to and goes to her apartment and finds her dead.  Colin follows Cat and asks if she murdered the woman. Before she can answer, they hear police sirens and flee. Cat quickly discovers Colin lied about being a photographer, and Cat can’t abide liars.

Colin Montrose is with MI-6 and doesn't know who this woman is who has stumbled into his operation, but he wants to know. Together, Cat and Colin chase after Cat's father, trying to discover the truth behind her life and her parent's lives.

Animals Know

Joel here. I learned early on to trust my horse, Razor, as a judge of character. Razor is an athlete.  He works in the rodeo arena, helping me to rescue cowboys off bucking horses. Unfortunately, Razor is known to be prickly and doesn't like strangers to come up on him and stroke him. More than one cowboy has found out the hard way not to try to touch Razor uninvited.

Well, I cautioned Kaye the first time she approached Razor. She offered him a carrot, and he acted like a puppy, loving to be stroked. I felt like an idiot with my warning, but noticed how my horse took to Kaye. Razor's reaction ran straight into my heart and I knew there was something special about this lady.

Branigan

I'm going to break in my characters chat and talk about the real Branigan that Billye Ludwig Zimmerman owned in the book.  Here's Branigan real information.  He is one handsome dog and as in the book, he is a hero.

Friends

Kaye here. When my brother asked me to take over his job as the person putting together the charity rodeo for the local ranchers to raise money for  seed and hay for their animals, he suckered me by telling me how good I was at organizing things. Have you ever had someone do that to you? Your brother or sister? Little did I know how that rodeo would change my life.

Joel thought he was off the hook, but he was wrong.  He had to pull his weight, too.  I also came in contact with was my best friend from high school, Billye Ludwig Zimmerman. When I ran into her while buying a new washer and dryer after the lightning strike zapped them, it was being transported back to high school.

Out of her failed marriage she got two wonderful children and a great dog,  Branigan.  He's an Irish wolfhound and a true champ.  Billye got the better end of the deal.  Isn't he handsome?

Going Home

Kaye, here.  I don't know too many adults who like going home.  For me, I was running.  When I lost my parents and grandmother New Year's Eve my senior year in high school, well the easiest way to cope with the pain was ignore it.  But that came back to bite me hard.  When I went home, all those memories--good and bad were there.  Facing them wasn't an easy thing, but God provided a friend, Caleb Jensen, to be there, someone I could rely on.  I knew I could trust him when I freaked out during a massive rain storm and flashed back to Iraq.  Caleb held me, and didn't asked any questions.  That's a man you can depend on.

And I'm just dying to tell you, when lightning struck our ranch house, blowing out all our electronics.  Do you know what I found in my brother's bathroom?  A hairdryer.  He didn't have an explanation.  Who knew?

The Voice of Truth

Let me introduce myself. Joel Kaye, older brother to Captain Kaye. Sounds funny, but Brenda will always be my younger sister. Of course, I saw a different side of my sister when she was in the Army. The professional that my sister became made me proud. Of course, how such a smart woman married the loser she did, I don't understand, but then again, I'm most comfortable dealing with the four legged females.

I will tell you, no brother should see his baby sister in the hospital with broken legs, scars on her arms and legs from bomb shrapnel. When I walked into the hospital at Fort Sam Houston, I thought my legs would give out and I was seeing her three months after the suicide bomber injured her.

'Course I remember my sister as the pest she was when we'd been growing up. She thought it was her job to compete with me.  She wasn't interested in stuff in the kitchen and cooking with mom.  She wanted to be in the barn helping my dad, but that was my sis. After our parents were killed in that car accident, Brenda slept walked through her senior year, denying herself any comfort or joy.  It was no wonder she joined the Army the day after she graduated from high school.  I will say, she made her way and I'm proud of her.

A Meeting to Remember

Hi, Caleb Jensen here. I'll let you in on a little secret. The first time I met Kaye in person,  I'd just walked out of the barn and saw this figure walking up the steps to the kitchen of my friend's ranch.  I would stay with Joel Kaye when I wasn't working as a pick-up rider for various rodeos. Living in one place, having a normal bedroom, and not the little space in my horse trailer, was a treat for me. And working with Joel and his grandpa--Gramps, as I called him, felt like a vacation for me.  So when this woman turned around, I recognized Joel's sister. Well, she kinda knock me on my bu-- on the back pockets of my jeans. Of course, being a gentleman, I got my thoughts in line and drove her to the hospital where Gramps and Joel had gone.

Kaye wasn't happy with what I told her, but I recognized a wounded soul when I saw one. From that moment on, the lady intrigued me, and I wanted to know more, but I had a few of my own problems. I didn't think I could fall in love, I but then the heart doesn't listen to logic. And God can do miracles, for which I am grateful.

Captain Brenda

When I was writing Redemption Ranch (two books back) Captain Brenda Kaye popped into my head.  Originally she was only to have a walk-on roll in the story.  She was at the equine therapy ranch to strengthen the muscles of her legs and lower body, since she’d spent months in the hospital healing from the injuries she received when a suicide bomber walked into the restaurant in Baghdad where she was meeting with some of the local women and blew himself up.

That was the plan, but I didn’t count on Captain Kaye.  Every day when I opened my file to continue writing Redemption Ranch, there was the captain, waiting to insert herself into the story. Well, finally after a week of playing tug-of-war with Brenda, I promised her her own book. After I made that promise, Brenda left me alone.  

Of course when I started writing A Ranch to Call Home, the captain let me know within the first few pages she went by the name of “Kaye.”  That's who she was. Teenage Brenda stayed on the ranch.  Of course, the teenage Brenda and the grown up Kaye are going to have to come to terms. 

 

Fortunately for Kaye, there’s a handsome cowboy,  Caleb Jensen,  (a friend of her brother) staying at the ranch. Caleb is fighting his own demons, and knows the battles she's facing.  They are two wounded people who help each other face their fears—and find love.  But Kaye's going to put in her two-cents worth.  I need say no more.

P.S.  Be on the lookout.  The book is out in different parts of the country.