UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
*~*~*

My love of historical fiction springs from the nexus of where imagination meets fact. Through her time-telescope book, Jubilee, poet author Margaret Walker hurls me back in time to the American Civil War as experienced by a slave family based on the life of her great-grandmother. James Michener does the same on the multicultural history of Colorado in Centennial. My erotic historicals don’t come anywhere near the scope of these sagas, yet in “The Patience of Unanswered Prayer” imagination meets fact as it does in Walker’s and Michener’s work.

As he brings my heroine Eleanor Taylor to safety, my hero Franklin Adams muses on family life that could have been his but for slavery. I created this life for him, i.e., the backstory of his ancestors in Africa from my research. The image above is from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg digital collection. It shows an African man feeding cattle. Michael Grauer, the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, in Oklahoma City is quoted as saying “cowboy traditions originated in Africa, where cattle herders would rope cattle on foot, and the likes of the Maasai people drove them toward better lands for grazing.”

My research for this story also found that while Blacks enjoyed more respect and freedom driving cattle in the West, they rarely rose to trail boss or foreman. Yet reading about Bose Ikard, one of the most famous Black Texas frontiersmen and trail drivers, I learned this former slave, who worked on several of the Goodnight-Loving cattle drives, was so trustworthy Charles Goodnight often put him in charge of the cash collected at the end of the trail. Thus, I created Franklin, also a former slave, with an ancestral knowledge of the best way to handle cattle and equally trusted like Ikard. My imagination met these two facts and created one of those rare exceptions: a Black trail boss.

Other famous Black Westerners could have been models for Franklin as well. One was former slave Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick, who worked for large cattle spreads in Texas and Arizona. He recounts his life in his autobiography, The Life and Adventures of Nat Love. Another could have been Bill Pickett who is credited with creating bulldogging. While these facts did not meet imagination in my present story, I can easily see how they might in future ones.

So for a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share in the comments some interesting piece of history that may have sparked your imagination.

“The Patience of Unanswered Prayer”
in Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology

A feisty businesswoman about to become the next victim of Post-Civil War revenge receives rescue from an unexpected source

Excerpt from “The Patience of Unanswered Prayer”…

She prayed Flyte would ungag her quickly, prayed her gut was right that he wasn’t party to whatever Radcliffe had planned.

Flyte pulled down the gag.

“He’s going to kill me,” she rasped, her mouth free of the loathsome muzzle. “You have to stop him.”

“Kill you?” Flyte blenched. “He’s done this for your safety.”

“Taking me the long way round to Darlington City in the dead of night is for my safety?”

“A mob was waiting to lynch you.”

“You know that’s not true. Radcliffe trumped up these charges against me to put me at his mercy.”

“Gordon Daniels brought the charges against you.”

“At Radcliffe’s urging. Daniels is ex-Confederate and can’t cotton any Black—man or woman—doing better than Whites.”

“Why would the sheriff do that? He’s an ex-Yankee who hates confederates like Daniels.”

“Radcliffe hates me more. He wants revenge on me for rebuffing his attentions.”

“I can’t believe—” Flyte paused, then looked thoughtful. A frown filled his face. “Yet…”

His hesitation gave her hope. Her gut tensed, and her heart beat until her chest hurt.

“You know full well taking me from jail is either foolishness or mischief.”

The cock of a gun hammer turned them both in the same direction.

*~*~*

Buy link: Amazon – https://amzn.to/3iwUhkN
Michal Scott Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2TSHzRn
Website: www.michalscott.webs.com

UPDATE: The winner is…Pat Bohn!
*~*~*

I’ve had a busy weekend! My son’s in town for a visit, so yesterday we spent the day in Hot Springs—hitting flea markets, the rock shop—yes, we’re a family of junkers and rock collectors, so we had a blast. I didn’t buy much. I found a Japanese brush pot—chipped (I think the chips added character!). I bought a large carved and polished labradorite heart and a rose quartz worry stone.  Not much, but I’m not disappointed. It’s like when I travel. The best part for me isn’t the destination, it’s the journey. Never take a road trip with me unless you love stopping to take a look at the largest ball of twine or the only pearl farm in North America. That’s me with junking, too. Don’t get me wrong, I love finding treasures, but it’s the hunt I adore, especially with fellow hunters who love the process as much as I do!

Anyways, my son’s heading back to Virginia tomorrow. The next big thing coming up is Thanksgiving. We’ve already bought the turkey and all the dry or canned ingredients we need for the meal. I heard on the news they expect shortages of certain foods for Thanksgiving, and of course, made the dd head to the store the next day to make sure we had a turkey. Yes, I’m one of those people.

Anyway, we bought a small turkey because as much as we love Thanksgiving, we aren’t keen on days of leftovers. What are you planning to serve? Is there some special dish everyone expects? Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Be sure to solve the puzzle for inspiration!

This is just a quick peek inside the door! My son’s visiting this week, and I’ve been mostly absent online. I just wanted to remind you that Defending Evangeline releases next Tuesday! I can’t wait for you to read it! Also, I have some contests on this site and my Collections website that are wrapping up! $ are at stake! So, enter now!

Open Contests Here!

1. COWBOY is here! Brand new release! FREE in KU! (Contest) — This contest ends this weekend! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. The World of Dead Horse, MT (Contest) — This contest ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Happy Halloween & October Wrap-up! (Contest) — This contest ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!

 Open Contests on the Collections site!

1. IN ONE PICTURE: JENNIE KEW’S “TYING THE KNOT” (CONTEST) — This contest ends this weekend! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. IN ONE PICTURE: REINA TORRES’ “SWEETGRASS SUMMER” (CONTEST) — This contest ends this weekend! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. IN ONE PICTURE: IZZY ARCHER’S “SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT” (CONTEST) — This contest ends this weekend! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. IN ONE PICTURE: DELILAH DEVLIN’S “HUNK OF BURNING LOVE” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!

I’m finding this ridiculously difficult to believe, but it’s actually November 1st. When did that happen??

Usually, my house is overflowing with Halloween decorations right now, and I’m busily pawing through whatever candy the 75 or so trick-or-treaters left at the bottom of the cauldron, to decide what stays with me and what I’m taking into the office for my ravenous coworkers. But I just couldn’t get into Halloween this year. However, I have already watched White Christmas twice, three Christmas movies on Lifetime, and four Hallmark Christmas movies. (In October. Not kidding!) So now that October is behind us, I’ve decided to run with it. Christmas is going up early at my house this year.

November 1st also means National Novel Writing Month, otherwise affectionately known as NaNoWriMo, has begun. Ever tried to write 50,000 words in 30 days? Yeah, me neither. But if all goes well I’ll have at least that many words on the page this month. Because while book one Fire’s Rising of my debut dragon shifter series Elemental Dragons is with my editor — that is the coolest thing in the world to type — I’ve got to put the finishing touches on book two Wind’s Fury and put a serious dent in book three Storm’s Warning. And actually, I could use some help.

The hero of book three is Adrian Pence. He’s a doctor with the CDC, and he enters the story because his younger sister Haidee has mysteriously fallen ill. Their mother is also slated to make an appearance, but I don’t have a name for her yet. She’s an insecure, self-centered woman who’s about to have her world upended when she finds out her daughter is a dragon shifter.

Care to suggest some names for Adrian and Haidee’s mother? Anything goes! Comment below with your suggestions and how you came up with them. If I use your suggestion, you’ll get credit in the acknowledgments for Storm’s Warning and a free copy of the book when it’s published this coming winter. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Meanwhile, it’s time to load up on coffee and chocolate and log my first words for NaNoWriMo month. I, uh, may or may not also be watching White Christmas again.

Cheers,
Grace Adams

About the Author

Grace Adams is a 2017 Golden Heart® finalist and award-winning author of paranormal romance who loves nothing more than a happy ending. Whatever the genre, regardless of the medium, as long as justice prevails, the good guys win, and people are falling in love, she’s in.

A lifelong reader of science fiction, fantasy, and of course romance, Grace also enjoys painting and drawing and is an avid skier. One of those rare Geeks who loves both Star Wars AND Star Trek, she’s got a closet full of costumes she created and firmly believes that she who dies with the most fabric (and books) (and shoes) wins.

Grace has a B.S. in Mathematics from Ursinus College and an M.A. in English from Wright State University.  She is a veteran of the USAF as a communications officer and currently works as an IT Controls Analyst. She shares her home with the best super cats ever, Thor and Loki.

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

The kids, even the 17-year-olds, are eager for tonight! The older ones are going to dress up and escort the younger ones, hoping some candy will be tossed their way, too. You’re never too old. LOL

October was a crazy-busy month.

I had my first art show! It was so much fun and reaffirming! I signed up for some more online art classes, and away I’ll go, getting ready for next year!

I wrote two books and mucked around in one other book! My hands are still sore from that whirlwind of activity!

I’ve been editing like crazy for other authors. I have yet to figure out a way to nail down that particular schedule because some authors deliver late, plus work can go fast or slow depending on how much work is to be done on the book and how rested I am!!!!

Anyway, the important thing about October was that I had two new releases! And NO, I didn’t plan on having two COWBOY books go out in the same month, but that’s how it worked out. October’s theme was just meant to be about Cowboys! (Click on the covers if you want to know more about the stories!)

November’s going to be just as nuts!

First off, my son is coming for a visit on the 1st! We’ve been separated due to distance (he lives on the East coast) and COVID. But he’s staying for a little over a week, and he wants to spend time with me and his sister, and do some junking at local flea markets! You know I’m so in for that!

I have multiple editing projects to keep me busy in November. Plenty busy. ‘Nuff said. It won’t be until December before that train slows down.

And I have books to write. One anyway. I’m thinking, if I can get motivated, that I’ll write another quick, short Cowboys on the Edge story before I start into the next bounty hunter, Eli. We’ll see if I get lazy. I didn’t put the COE story up for pre-order because I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do it, but NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts tomorrow, and I’d love to participate, so maybe that will be enough incentive to keep my butt in the chair.

As for releases in November…

You can’t miss this one. It’s longer than I usually write. My hero is gobsmacked by the heroine from the start, but she’s hiding some dangerous secrets. It’s juicy and suspenseful, a isn’t the cover gorgeous? Have you pre-ordered your copy of Defending Evangeline? I’ll tell you a little secret: THE PRINT VERSION IS ALREADY AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

However, that’s not the only book releasing in November, though. I haven’t hyped it enough, but I am republishing a book that Avon published back in the 2000s. I’ve been re-editing it and will release it on November 16th. I loved building this world filled with old Sumerian and Judeo-Christian mythology (okay, I’m geeking out!). It’s dark, sexy, and suspenseful. Did I mention sexy? AND it’s a loooong novel…

Check out Dark Legacy!

Is that enough for November?! Gah. I’m already tired. 🙂

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether you’ve read any of my Cowboys on the Edge stories, featuring my firefighters and deputies in the little town on the edge of a canyon, AND whether a new story in the series would interest you!

We take Halloween seriously, here in the Devlin house. The kids always dress up. We always take photos. This one was taken in front of a local graveyard. Our four + an extra kid who joined us for the fun! Enjoy solving the puzzle!

Open Contests Here!

1. Cowboy’s coming in 5 Days! (Contest & Excerpt) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. Scary Halloween Puzzle & a Cowboy Reminder! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. COWBOY is here! Brand new release! FREE in KU! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. The World of Dead Horse, MT (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

Open Contests on the Collections site!

1. IN ONE PICTURE: KELLY VIOLET’S “CARRY ME HOME” (CONTEST) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. IN ONE PICTURE: MARGAY LEAH JUSTICE’S “EIGHT SECONDS” (CONTEST) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. IN ONE PICTURE: ELLE JAMES’S “FREE REIN” (CONTEST) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. IN ONE PICTURE: AVA CUVAY’S “SOLAR FLARE” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. IN ONE PICTURE: SUKIE CHAPIN’S “THOROUGHBREDS AND THERMODYNAMICS” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. IN ONE PICTURE: CINDY TANNER’S “COWBOYS & ZOMBIES” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. IN ONE PICTURE: JENNIE KEW’S “TYING THE KNOT” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. IN ONE PICTURE: REINA TORRES’ “SWEETGRASS SUMMER” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!
9. IN ONE PICTURE: IZZY ARCHER’S “SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT” (CONTEST) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly Blank!
*~*~*

Amazon link to Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT

I’ve had fun building this “world”—my little Montana town called Dead Horse, named after a dead horse that the town’s founders came across.

And there’s a story inside the story about how the town was named and how the hunters became a part of that story. It all goes back to the first story, Cage. All along the way, I’ve introduced the characters who “people” the little town. My favorite is Nadine, the ornery waitress at the Dead Horse Walk-in Diner. The town’s shops all feature that “dead” theme in their names. It’s fun, and makes me smile whenever I play in Dead Horse, writing a new story.

I hope you’ve followed along, because I have more in store for Dead Horse—not just the hunters, but the townsfolk, too. I hope you picked up your copy of my latest installment, Cowboy, or that you’re going back to pick up previous stories to catch up. I promise, they’re all fun, filled with action, sexy times, and people as real as I can write them.

Contest

I’ve named some of the businesses in the town: Dead Horse Walk-in Diner, Dead Easy Saloon, Dead Center Guns & Pawn, Dead Heat & Air, Dead as a Doornail Hardware (which is now closed, due to the arrest of it’s owner, so I suppose I need a new hardware store!), Dead End Cemetary, Deadly Delights (the bakery), Dead Horse Realty, Dem Bones Package Store, and the Drop-Dead Gorgeous Salon.

My challenge to you is to name a new business. It can be a competing business, so you can have another hair salon or barbershop, or how about street names? I’ve only named Main Street, but the town could use some more streets! Play for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!