Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wednesday Promo- Miner in Petticoats


This Friday my third book in the Halsey brother series, Miner in Petticoats will be released at The Wild Rose Press in e-book. You can already purchase it from Amazon in print.

Miner in Petticoats came about with the title first. I had to keep it in the same venue as the other two books- a male occupation in Petticoats. And since the Halsey brothers live in gold country I decided on a miner. Then I chose the brother-Ethan, the oldest. He’s thirty, never been married, raised his brothers after the deaths of his parents and youngest brother. He’s determined to make the Halsey name something to be proud of and to provide for the future of the whole family. Okay, that was all well and good.

Now, I needed a heroine with conflict- She’s twice widowed with a nasty rumor attached to her that she killed her second husband. She has two children- one from each marriage. And she has land Ethan needs to provide for his family and make his dream of family prominence come true. She will not part with the land, nor crumble at the feet of any man again.

And so the battle of wits begins- Ethan promising things his brothers chide him about and Aileen getting more out of the dealing than she ever dreamed of.

Excerpt:
“Mrs. Miller?” he asked, extending his hand.

She kept her head tipped forward just enough her face was shadowed and hidden behind the brim of the hat.

“Who be askin’?” Her voice caught his attention with its deep, lyrical tone.

“I’m Ethan Halsey. My brothers and I have a claim just over the ridge.” It aggravated him he couldn’t see her face and register how she took his words.

“Are ye lost?” The voice vibrated under his skin, causing his body to warm.

He cleared his throat. “No, I’m not lost. I’m looking for Mrs. Miller. I’m assuming that is you,since you’re the only grown woman I see here.”

“Ah m Aileen. Ah dinnae fancy bein’ called Mrs. Miller.”

This disclosure piqued his curiosity. “Mrs— Aileen. I’ve come with an offer.” Her head tilted, tipping the wide-brimmed hat to the side and revealing a slip of her face.

“And whit may this grand offur be?” He saw the slightest curve on one side of her lips.

“Ma’am, not to sound bossy, but I’d like to see your face as we discuss this proposition.”

Her shoulders dipped slightly before she squared them, stretched her neck to its full length, and whipped the hat from her head. Copper sparks reflected off her hair as the sun lit her dark locks.

Ethan hadn’t believed the words of a cowardly man like Miles, and he was happy to see there wasn’t any kind of mark on the woman’s face, at least none put there by the devil. Her skin was abundantly sprinkled with angel kisses. That was what his mother had called the freckles on her face. Angel kisses. He’d always had a fondness for freckle-faced women and children.

“Thank you, I appreciate seeing people’s eyes when talking business.” Ethan took a step closer to the porch, waiting to be invited to the shade.

“And whit be yer business?” The woman didn’t seem inclined to invite him any closer.

“I’ve scouted the land all around our claim. The five acres of your land down where Cracker Creek drops in elevation is the perfect spot to set up a stamp mill. The side of the canyon has the right slope and the water is moving fast enough to power the mill.”

“So yer business is askin’ me tae sell ma land?” She clamped work-reddened hands onto those ample hips and glared at him.

“We’d give you a fair price for the five acres, and you could use the stamp mill to claim more gold from your mine.” The information didn’t seem to change her opinion. She still glared at him. “We’re allowing the nearby claims to build rails to bring their ore to the mill. They can use the stamp mill, giving us a small cut of their profits.” He smiled at his family’s generosity.

“So ye’re doin’ this oot o’ the goodness o’ yer heart? Takin’ yer neighbor’s land and their gold.” Her light green eyes flashed with indignation.

If you read the book, I'd appreciate your thoughts about it in a review either at the Wild Rose Press or where ever you purchased the book.

9 comments:

Deborah Wright said...

Congratulations on the new book, Paty! Sounds like it'll be a fun read.

Oh, and the picture you're using on your post ain't bad, either! ;-)

Paty Jager said...

Deb, since the cover was right beside the post, I thought I'd give a little peek at one of the inspirations for Ethan. LOL Thanks for stopping by!

Susan Macatee said...

Congratulations on your newest release, Paty!

Sounds like a great read!

Lauri said...

It's finally here! Feels like this has been on the coming soon list forever! I can't wait to read more!

Congrats!

Helen Hardt said...

I'm looking forward to reading it -- congratulations on the release!

Paty Jager said...

Thansk Susan!

Yes, Lauri, it seems like it's taken forever for this book to be released. LOL

Thanks Helen, I'm anxious to get a review or two for it. I loved the characters and hope the readers do too.

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Holy cow!!! What a way to get bloggers to read your posts...the man candy sure caught my attention ;-)

Jennie Marsland said...

An eye-catching photo all right! Congrats on the release!

Nicole McCaffrey said...

This is such a fun story and a great read. I wish you much success with it!