Category: 2021
September is here!
I don’t know about you, but I am ready for cooler weather. When September arrives, my mind starts to think about autumn–cool crisp nights, sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and colorful leaves. If you live somewhere like me, and chances are you do, September doesn’t always signal a cool down. It’s still in the 90’s here, but we know that fall is coming. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love football and the beginning of the holiday seasons. I’m ready to decorate and have some hot chocolate.
To celebrate the fall season, I have a couple of book coming out next week on the 7th. First is the third book in my Peaktop Dude Ranch Series, Peaktop Dude Ranch Aflame. You wont’ want to miss this one and see what happens when a wildfire descends on Peakview County. Of course, there may be a romance with a handsome firefighter thrown in 🙂 You can pre-order it now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D46R31N
Also coming on September 7th is the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog. You will find my dog, Merlin’s own story on page 164. https://bit.ly/37mBaTX
Enjoy the beginning of Autumn wherever you are and sit back with a good book!
New Release-Peaktop Dude Ranch Reunion
The second book in my Peaktop Dude Ranch Series, Peaktop Dude Ranch Reunion, is now available at Amazon.com for your kindle, or in paperback or hardcover formats. You don’t want to miss this seasoned romance about a second chance at a long lost love.
Does first love ever die?
Pamela Emery, aged fifty-six, walked out of the courthouse with her divorce papers in hand. Life as she’d known it was over. Why had she let her son and his wife talk her into going with them on a vacation to a Colorado Dude Ranch? She just wasn’t in the mood, but she wouldn’t let them down. She’d spend a couple weeks with her adorable grandchildren, and with any luck, she’d come back home in a better frame of mind.
Kenneth Tucker glanced around the Peaktop Dude Ranch dining room at all the young families. He felt more than a little out of place. It was his first vacation since his wife died five years ago. Was there anyone here his age? Spotting the only other person in the room who looked like she was over forty, he decided to try to strike up a friendship with a stranger. Little did he know she wasn’t a stranger at all.
When Pam and Ken realize they not only knew each other in high school but were high school sweethearts, the sparks that sizzled between them almost forty years ago come crashing back. But can they trust their fragile hearts to the one person who broke them all those years ago, both believing that the other dumped them? Will they discover the real truth, or is it just too late for their ill-fated romance?
Peaktop Dude Ranch, where love soars to new heights.
FREE E-BOOK
I wanted to let all of you know that book three in my Aspen Ridge Series, Come Home to Love, is free for your kindle today through Sunday.
Do you like secret baby stories? If so, this book is for you. When a one night stand results in Riley becoming a single parent, she soon realizes that the handsome stranger has given her the best gift of her life. She’s spent the last six years being the best parent she can be to her daughter, Ava. When cowboy and drifter, Justin Thorne, ends up back in Aspen Ridge, Colorado, memories of that one night with a special girl come racing back. He hadn’t thought about her in years. But when his attempts to rekindle their sparks are met with resistance, he soon discovers the reason why in the person of a beautiful six year old with his eyes. Will he try to take away the only thing that matters to Riley, or will the three of them find a way to make a home and family together? Rediscover Romance in Aspen Ridge, Colorado, a small town with an open heart. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T6B6M67
New Release-New Series
The first book in my Peaktop Dude Ranch Series, Peaktop Dude Ranch Homecoming, is now available. To purchase your copy just click on the book cover (above).
I am so excited to write this series which takes place on a Colorado Dude Ranch. One of my earliest memories is of the summer when I was five years old. My parents loaded my brother and I into our car for our first cross-country roadtrip. There were no Interstates back then, so it took us several days to drive from our home in Indiana to the Colorado Mountains. When we arrived at Tarryall Dude Ranch, I loved everything about the place–the mountains, the cute little cabin we stayed in, and the horses–especially the horses. It was the first time I’d ever ridden except for a couple pony rides at fairs. This was a real, full size horse on a mountain trail with no one but me holding the reins. I still remember that horse. He was a black and white pinto named Little Joe. See picture below-yep, that’s me!
My whole family was sold on dude ranch vacations. We continued to vacation on a dude ranch every summer until I graduated from high school. We stayed on six different ranches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Each unique in their own way, but all with the family atmosphere and brand of western hospitality. When I was old enough, I spent three summers working on two different dude ranches in Colorado, Lost Valley Ranch and Tumbling River Ranch. They were experiences I’ll never forget. Later, my mom became a realtor and specialized in selling Dude Ranches. I was able to visit ranches with her all over the west. If you ever find yourself in Cody, Wyoming, you can stop by the Dude Rancher’s Museum where my mom’s saddle is displayed along with a portrait of her painted by a Native American artist.
As an adult, I continue to take my kids and now my grandkids to Lost Valley Ranch for weekends in the spring and fall. I call it my happy place. A place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoy the horseback riding and gorgeous mountain scenery. I hope Peaktop Dude Ranch can do that for you. It was born as a combination of all the various ranches I’ve experienced in my lifetime. For those of you who’ve read my Peakview or Aspen Ridge Series, Peaktop Ranch is nestled in the Peak National Forest between my two towns. You will see some of your favorite characters pop in from time to time. If you haven’t read any of my books yet, this is an excellent place to start.
COME HOME TO PEAKVEIW COUNTY, COLORADO, WHERE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE AT LOVE!
Pre-order now
The first book in my new Peaktop Dude Ranch Series is now available for pre-order. If you enjoyed my Peakview Series and my Aspen Ridge Series, you’ll love this new series which takes place on Peaktop Ranch nestled in the Peak National Forest between the small towns of Peakview and Aspen Ridge, Colorado. Don’t worry, many of your favorite characters, from the prior series, will pop in from time to time to say hello. And of course, Violet Crandall will continue to take credit for all the new romances. If you are new to me as an author, this series is also a great place to start. Here’s a peak at the first story:
SOPHIE DALTON never expected to graduate from college and get dumped on the same day, but life doesn’t always turn out like you plan. When her boyfriend leaves her for New York City, she’s suddenly thrown into an uncertain future. A job offer from the dude ranch owned by her high school best friend and her older brother just might the solution to her problem. Coming home to Peakview County, Colorado, Sophie has no intention of letting another man capture her heart, even if her new boss is the crush she had all the way through high school.
BRANDON PEYTON has big boots to fill, taking over the running of the family ranch for the first season since his parents retired. Everything needs to be perfect. When his kid sister begs him to hire her high school friend as his office manager, he fears it will be a really bad decision. He wants someone older with more experience. Nevertheless, he gives in and decides to give Sophie a try. As the summer progresses, she not only surprises him with her handling of the job, but he’s drawn to her in a way he’s never been to any woman before.
Two people who’ve put up protective barriers around their hearts, slowly feel their walls start to crumble. Can these two find a way to run the ranch they love together and find the love that they’ve always longed for? In the beauty of the Colorado Mountains, two hearts unite with a common goal—make Peaktop Dude Ranch their forever home.
PRE-ORDER NOW BY CLICKING THE GRAPHIC COVER BELOW 🙂
2021 Word of the Year-Patience
Each year for the past few years. I’ve come up with a word for the year. Something to motivate me to move forward. This year my word is patience. If you’ve been anywhere on social media the past couple weeks, you’ve seen lots of posts celebrating the end of 2020. Of course, we all want 2020 to be over. It’s now hard to imagine that just a year ago living through a pandemic was something we read about in some science fiction novel. Now it’s become reality—a seemingly endless reality.
It’s been a hard year for me, a true optimist, glass is always half full, kind of gal. There hasn’t been much of that this year. So I am optimistic about the vaccine and getting back to “normal” sometime this coming year, but I know I still have to be patient. Even in the group I’m in, it’s likely to be another three to six months before I’ll be able to get the vaccine, then there’s the 3-4 weeks wait between two doses, and then another wait until the vaccine is effective. And then, although I’ll feel safer venturing out of my home, the general population won’t be vaccinated, so masks will still likely be a requirement. And when will big events start again? Right now, I’d consider selling my first-born child to go to a concert, football game, or just to church on Sundays.
I live alone and I miss people. I miss book signings and meeting my readers, and I’m so tired of zoom meetings. Oh, and I’m a hugger. I MISS HUGS!
So anyway, my word this year is patience. The optimist in me believes we will overcome this and return to normal life, hopefully with a little more appreciation for the little things than we had before the pandemic, but I know it’s still going to take a while and in the meantime we will all need to be patient. 2021 isn’t magically going to change anything, but we’ll get there.
Happy New Year. What’s your word for this year?
