New Project- Gabriel Hawke

I have finished the first book of the Gabriel Hawke series and it is off to a beta reader. Once she finishes, I need to find a male beta reader because it is all in the point of view of a male character. Then it will go off to critique partners and on down my line of minions who help me make my books readable.

I had a great time meeting new people and learning about occupations I didn't know to write this book. Meeting an ODFW(Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) State Trooper, a wildlife biologist, and a Forest service helicopter pilot and his wife.

For me it definitely takes a village to write a book. I have so many things I need to learn and prefer hearing it from a person who does that job. Reading about a job doesn't give you all the nuances that you learn from a person.

I also visited the trail head that is part of several scenes in my story and took photos. I'm hoping my cover artist will be able to make a good looking cover from my photos.

Right now my biggest concern is deciding what genre it falls under. Because it has a Law Enforcement protagonist, I believe it should go under Police Procedural or Crime Fiction. It's not a mystery like my Shandra Higheagle books. There is a pretty good idea of who is the killer from early in the book, but my character has to come up with the proof to place the person with the victim.  And being a tracker, once he's on the trail, he can't leave it alone.

This first book will be available in January 2019.

Cover revive, Finishing up a series, #FREE audio book

The last two months have been chaotic to say the least! I've been gone or on the road for most of January and February. I'm trying to get out my Shandra Higheagle series in audio, The Halsey Brother Series had covers revived, and I'm trying to write the last book of the Letters of Fate series.


I'm excited that you can now purchase Double Duplicity the first book of the Shandra Higheagle mystery series in Audio.  Ann Thompson is the narrator. She has a been a dream to work for. Even if I have one little thing in a chapter that I want tweaked she is willing to do it. She is a Cincinnati radio news anchor. Here are the links where you can find Double Duplicity in audio and if you leave a comment I'll pick a winner on Sunday who will win a code to download the audio book for free! 

Book one of the Shandra Higheagle Native American Mystery Series
Dreams…Visions…Murder
On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Detective Ryan Greer believes in them and believes in her.
Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Double-Duplicity-Audiobook/B01MZH4T06

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Duplicity-Shandra-Higheagle-Mystery/dp/B01N3BA7K1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/double-duplicity-a-shandra-higheagle-mystery-unabridged/id1203452394

I'm currently working on the next and last Letters of Fate book. The reason it is the last, comes from a survey I conducted with my western readers. They say they would rather have a series that is connected by the community or family than a premise. So, Henri, will be my last Letters of Fate book, and ironically, it  has been my toughest LOF book to date. I started with a real couple that I took their combustible love for one another and infused that in my characters. This was fine, but the book I started was too sweet for their love. Then I intentionally picked what I thought was an obscure mission in Idaho, only after a third of the way into the book, discovered a load of information about the mission and had to rewrite the firs third of the book. This put me behind. So please bear with me as I get this book finished. 

What is the new series going to be about? Ladies of the Silver Dollar Saloon. I am stoked to write this series. No, they aren't prostitutes though one or two who straggle into the saloon for employment may have that in their background. As it sounds the stories will be written about the men each girl finds, loves, and marries. So the community and secondary characters from the landlady at the boarding house, the gossipy bitties on the street, the store owner, dressmaker, and others will be the same in all the books. Many of the girls will be around in the book before they find their true love. Even the handsome man who owns the saloon will find his one true love. It should be fun and I hope you all will find it so. 

And in the last few months I've had the covers to the Halsey Brothers series revived. After making Marshal in Petticoats an audio book, it had to have a new cover to conform to the cover policies. That made it look different than the other four. Now those books are all updated to the new look.  

DON'T FORGET if you leave a comment you'll be in the running for a free download of the audio book, Double Duplicity!

New Year, New Series!

Last year I rang in the new year with my Shandra Higheagle Mystery Series. There are now 4 books in the series and I have three more slated to be written this year. I am having the best time not only writing the mystery series but doing the research for the forensics, adding and visiting with the characters at Huckleberry Resort, and Shandra's heritage.  

2015 ended the saga of the Halsey Family. The last book ended with the novella, A Husband for Christmas. It was Shayla's story and it brought everyone up-to-date with the Halsey family. I enjoyed writing each family member's book but I am ready for my new historical western series.

January 2016 will launch my new series titled Letters of Fate. When I conceived this idea I had thoughts of a mail order groom type of book, but it has morphed into something better. At least I think so. ;) This series has a hero getting a letter that changes his life and brings him together with the woman he can't live without.  I've penciled out 9 of these books so far and I'm sure as I research more will come to me.

The first book, Davis, will release mid-January. Here is a brief overview of the book.


Davis Weston owns a mercantile in Minnesota. He's lost his wife and son in a boating accident that has his customers and neighbors whispering he didn't do enough to save them. He receives a letter from his sister in Oregon asking him to enter into a marriage of convenience with her good friend.

Mariella Swanson is a buxom and sturdy six foot woman and mother of two. She has pulled her own weight on the ranch since she and her husband started it. The idea of needing a man to keep it doesn't settle right with her, but she'd do whatever it takes to keep the ranch, even marrying a greenhorn several inches shorter than her who wears a derby hat and smokes a pipe.


While the two start out leery of one another it doesn't take long for their chemistry to heat up, making this a steamy read!

I'll let you know when this book is available!

In My Writer Cave

This month is head down and get a book written. I've been having a wonderful time writing the first books in my new Historical Western Romance series, Letters of Fate.

The premise of this new series has to do with letters. Each hero in the book receives a letter that changes his life and brings him to the woman who steals his heart.  I like that I can set each book where ever I want and there are new characters in each book, so the series won't get old for me. It's kind of a like a mail order bride book, only the hero gets the letter than takes him across country and finding his spouse.

Some start out as marriages of convenience and some just bring the characters together and they make decisions when the sparks start flying. Much like the Halsey Series, these books will have different heat levels. For me each book's heat level is dictated by the characters. Some are steamy relationships and some are slow building with sweet new love.

I hope you come on this journey with me and the new series Letters of Fate. The first book will release in January. The tile is: Davis-Letters of Fate.  When I get a finished cover, I'll post a reveal here. This book is set in the Steens Mountains and deals with cattle ranching. I've been having a good time researching the local history. What fascinated me the most is the number of cattle that were driven from the Harney Valley area to Denver each year from 1878 to 1885. 30-40,000 head were taken to the rail head in Denver and shipped back east. That seems unreal when the population of the Harney Valley was less than a hundred people and most of those were the vaqueros and ranch hands working for the three big cattle ranchers.

Now you know some of what you'll learn about the history of SE Oregon in my upcoming book.

Do you enjoy reading about history in fiction books?