Introducing When the Chokecherries Bloom
An idea or a concept inspired each of my books — except my newest novel, When the Chokecherries Bloom. Proving Her Claim began with a statistic. While 42% of women (unmarried or widowed) homesteaders proved their claims, only 37% of men (single or married) proved their claims. Lone Tree Claim was inspired by a museum […]
A new genre. Stretching my writing muscles.
But this story is written for younger audiences, probably for Middle Grade or Tween readers. Writing in a new genre has been challenging.
Authors talking to authors
Wild Deadwood Reads is a book fair on steroids. Nearly 100 authors and hundreds of readers got together to shop for books and talk about books.
Two More (Fictional) Women Who Tamed the Frontier
The third book in the On the Dakota Frontier series, Medicine Creek Claim, is the story of two sisters who lived in Missouri during the Civil War.
Sequel or Series?
I didn’t t write a Sequel: a “what happened next” book with the same characters. Instead, I wrote a story with new characters: Katie and Jake. So, I’m writing a Series.
First Book Talk for Lone Tree Claim
During the talk, I introduced the new characters and briefly summarized the plot. Then, I read an excerpt from the book that encapsulates Katie’s and Jake’s personalities and relationships.
Happy (?) Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week sheds light on this unwarranted censorship. It’s an opportunity for readers to voice censorship concerns and to celebrate freedom of expression.
SD Festival of Books 2023
What a difference a year makes. Last year, I attended the SD Festival of Books as a wanna-be author. This year, I’m attending the Festival in Deadwood as a published author with two Western romance novels to my name. Last year, I attended panel discussions and presentations by authors from all over the country. I connected with two authors […]
“On the Dakota Frontier” series continues
I wrote Proving Her Claim: On the Dakota Frontier 20 years before it was finally published. But my second book took only (only!) a year to research, write, polish, and bring to readers. I write “only” because more prolific writers publish three, six, or nine books a year. I can’t imagine the pressure, but I’m […]