Seak Peek at A McCree Christmas!

A McCree Christmas

 

© J.C. Isabella

Copyright 2012 by J.C. Isabella

This book is the personal property of J.C. Isabella. Its characters are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. This book is for your entertainment, not to be given freely or resold in any way.

Thank you for respecting her work.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Briar

 

 

I remember the first time I played in the snow.

I was seven. My parents had brought me with them to a fancy ski resort in Colorado to attend a medical conference for my dad’s job. Left to my own devices—my nanny was more interested in skiing with cute instructors—I ventured out the French doors of my parent’s suite onto the hotel balcony.

A small pile of snow had fallen from the roof.

I dove right in, and was instantly in heaven.

Ever since that day, I promised myself I would have white Christmases when I was a grown up. I’d move somewhere with seasons.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be riding a horse, herding cattle, in the middle of a blizzard.

The wind gusted through the trees and sent flurries of thick snow dancing across my vision. Visibility grew worse. I couldn’t see my boyfriend, Chase, or Ash, his horse. We were about ten miles east of the main house on the McCree Ranch.

Chase had forged ahead, searching for a cow that had separated from the herd. He’d told me to stay back where it was safe. The terrain ahead was rocky, slick with ice, and snow filled crevices on the hillside.

I was still a novice at navigating a storm like this, so I stayed back as he’d asked, though the waiting was starting to wear on me, and my horse.

Firefly was in a restless mood. She probably sensed my unease. I was having trouble holding onto anything resembling calm. She bucked once, pounding her hooves into the snow. I steadied her, smoothing my gloved hand down her mane. “It’s okay girl.”

It was only my second time on horseback in snowy, inclement weather. So far, I hadn’t run back to the house, seeking shelter from the cold. Earlier in the day, Chase had said he was proud that I was trying.

“This is your last chance to run back inside, Briar baby.” Chase said to me. “It’s going to take you a while to get used to the cold.”

The thought of going back to Chase’s Aunt Millie and having a hot mug of cocoa was awfully tempting, “No, I can do this. I’m not going back.”

Now I wish I’d stayed home.

Firefly jerked her head. I held tighter to the reins, trying to keep her calm, but something was bothering my horse more than usual. She hadn’t been this skittish in months.

I squinted, searching the white and gray, hoping that it wasn’t anything too bad. Probably just a small animal looking for shelter, or maybe a tree branch had fallen.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something dart, disappearing behind a tree.

Firefly reared up. I held on for dear life, clinging to the saddle as she stood on her hind legs.

She dropped back on all fours, jarring me. The reins slipped from my hands. I grabbed the saddle horn. Before she reared again I let myself fall. It was a soft landing, right into a pile of snow. I sighed with relief, remembering the time Firefly had thrown me on the Fourth of July. I promised myself that if it happened again, I’d stop riding her and just keep her as a really awesome pet.

Stabbing, unbearable cold soaked through my coat and hit the back of my neck.

The creek.

I rolled to my stomach, scrambling on my hands and knees for the trees. I hadn’t realized how close we were to the creek. It wasn’t fully frozen yet. I’d been lying on snow that had piled up on the bank.

But as I sat up I felt water slide down my back. My skin crawled. I was wet from hips to shoulders.

Being wet wasn’t my biggest problem though.

Twenty feet away, a pair of glacial eyes met mine.

A wolf.

I was cold and wet, and my rifle was strapped to Firefly’s saddle.

The animal didn’t charge. He was sitting, just eyeing me, as if he didn’t know what to make of me.

I sat up a little straighter. Chase had told me what to do if I encountered a wolf, but every vital piece of information seemed to have vanished from my mind. I was frozen solid with fear and icy water from the creek.

One Year Anniversary as an Indie writer, and I'm Going to Tell All

It's my one year anniversary as an indie writer. November 14, 2011 was the day I put The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club online for the world to see. It was on a whim, and I didn't think anything would come of it. I wasn't one of the people who set out to be an indie writer. I had no hopes for any kind of career, and to be honest, I had no idea people did this for a living.

The only thing I knew: I had a book, I thought it was good, and other people might like it.

I was in for a wild ride over the next twelve months that I never, ever, in my wildest dreams would have imagined.

My mother has a friend. He told my mom to tell me I should try self-publishing. So, I put Zack Warren up and forgot about it. I just left it. It was on Amazon with it's little blue and pink cover. I made that sucker on PowerPoint, and I thought I'd be lucky if one person read it.

Fast forward a couple months later....

I was at home, surfing the Internet. I read an article about a girl that was now making a good living putting her books up on Amazon, and I remembered I had a book, and maybe I should check on it. I may have sold a couple copies. So after trying to remember the password to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), I hadn't logged in since I put up the book, I eventually found my way to the page detailing how many books I'd sold.

Over 500.

I was in shock.

I stared at the computer screen for a few minutes, trying to make sense of things.

"Oh, that must be views....my page has been viewed that many times...."

After convincing myself that I was seeing things, dreaming, or that I somehow had magically logged into another person's KDP with my email--I mean, what are the odds of that?--I realized that I'd actually sold 500 copies of a book that I thought would never get any kind of recognition whatsoever.

So I screamed, scared the dog poo out of the cat, called my mother at work, who thought I was having some sort of crisis, and then proceeded to call and message anyone willing to listen. I'm not sure who was on the receiving end of my excitement, but no one was safe. Not even the mailman.

At one point I remember staring at my phone, bummed that I'd run out of people to call.

And my journey as an indie author started. I had no plan. No formula. Nothing. This wasn't something I set out to do. I still thought the only way to have a career as a writer was to get an agent and muddle through it like the rest of them. After all, I wanted to be legit. I thought that I wasn't a real novelist or author until there was a publisher who told me I was.

Hell, I was half sure there was a ceremony with a little diploma stating you are a real author!

But no.

No one can tell you if you are an author or not. I think it's something you earn as people buy your books.

If you've penned anything at all that resembles a book, you're an author, just not a professional one.

(I could argue the professional side too. Most of the time I'm writing in my jammies, not a suit and heels. I don't go to board meetings or young professionals groups, and I've never been late to my job as an author. Yeah, I could argue both sides till I was blue in the face, but we'd be here all day.)

Knowing that I had potentially stumbled onto something, since my book was selling, but not quite sure what it was, I held on for dear life, hoping the choices I made were the right ones. But there really is no right or wrong, just what works. If it works, great! If it doesn't, you hop on the next idea train.

The only idea I had at that point was Google.

I read blogs and articles and kindle books, all about indie writing and self-publishing. I was like a newborn. I had no idea what I was doing. No marketing, no twitter. NOTHING. All I knew how to do was sit at the computer and make up fun stories.

I'm going to tell you right now, half of everything I ended up with, I got from sheer dumb luck. That's all. I've put work into it, yes. In the beginning though, I had no business plan. I had no idea what I was doing. I just thought something looked good and went with it! There are authors who have gone into what I do with research and planning, carefully, meticulously. they have marketing plans and ideas to gain readers....I had none of that, and I'm doing okay. So if can do it, I think anyone can.

The key is being able to write.

If you can do that, and keep writing things people like to read, then I don't see how you could fail.

So that's it for this blog post. In my next, I'll talk about something a little more meaty.

Like steak!

Just kidding.

In my next one I'll delve a little deeper into life as an indie author, and exactly what I do.

 

Okay, so here is a little Tuesday Teaser of Kyle B. Johnston. On Kindle and Nook October 2012

Happy Reading!!!

Chapter 1

Kyle

I’m a liar. There. I finally admitted it.

I am a sad excuse for a man, because I lied to my friends. I lied to the world. And I wasn’t even lying for myself. I was lying for someone else. Someone who I thought gave a damn about me.

But there it is.

Kyle Benjamin Johnston.

World-class pushover.

It’s eating a hole in me. I don’t know what to do. I have this huge secret that I’ve never told anyone. Not even Zack. He was his own person. He didn’t care what people thought of him, most of the time, or even doubted what he wanted. He and Chloe had a good thing going.

To be honest, I was a little envious of their relationship. I mean, I wasn’t looking to strap on the ball and chain, forever and ever amen, but it would be nice to be in a relationship where both parties were equally interested in each other.

I wish it had been good for Lana and me, but we were toxic. I couldn’t make her happy, and she didn’t do anything for me. So what were we staying together for? Not for us, that was for damn sure. It was for a secret.

A big ass secret I’ve been keeping since spring break. Everything went down the proverbial toilet once Zack found out about the club. Then I found myself standing on the edge of the porcelain throne, thinking I could hang on to the rim, or jump into the chaotic clockwise swirl.

I jumped, feet first.

I’d had enough.

Finding Your Muse

Where or where has my little muse gone?
Where oh where can she be?
With her wit so good.
And her snark so strong.
She can’t stay hidden from me!



We need good mojo to write. We have to feel the words flowing like molten lava through our veins, searing our fingertips. It’s magical. An experience that cannot be duplicated in any way….

Okay, so what do you do if your writing muse says, “Thank you. Thank you very much,” and leaves the building?

Well, you could try going back to the beginning of what you wrote and reading everything to the point you lost your mojo. Or go looking for it. Search under every nook and cranny. Get out your compass and map, if your old school and totally awesome like that, or ask Siri where your muse is hiding. I’m sure she’ll know!

Or you could always take the project you’re working on and shove it in a deep, dark hole until lightning strikes and your muse takes up shop again.

That’s what I do.

If I can’t figure out what to write, I put my book away. It could go away for a week, a month…once, it went a way for a full year! Your muse will return, but if you try to force the writing, it’s not going to be pretty. You might as well brace yourself for some crummy work. At least, that’s what happens to me. Maybe your muse fly’s the coop and you produce some top quality work, because again, you’re just awesome like that.

So when I am looking for my muse, I work on something else. I’ll do research for another book I have coming up. Or I’ll go read a book by someone else that has nothing to do with what I’m trying to write. I know at some point, she'll be back. That little devil sitting on my shoulder, telling me what to write.

Blog Overhaul

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog, and with good reason. I never gave myself a direction to go with things, so most of it was turning out to be willy nilly. While that can be fun, it can also leave me scratching my head, losing my sense of direction.

So with that being said, I've decided to change a few things. From now on my blog is going to be dedicated to posts about the writing world and everything in it. It's what I know and what I do, so why not spread the love, right?

Once a week I will post a piece about writing. You can expect it to be on technique, the process, the business. Just anything under the writing sun.

If there are any writing questions you'd like me to tackle, leave them in the comments.

My first post will be up Tuesday :)

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

Advice Column

Hey everyone, I'm excited to be running an advice column every Saturday on author Jillian Dodd's blog!I've answered my first question. Yay! Pop over and check it out.
http://​jilliandodd.wordpress.com/

Hey guys, before I give you the update about the Council Book 2, I want to start this off by saying how much I appreciate all the support and love from you, my readers. You guys have no idea how much you mean to me.

What I've come on here to write about is The Council, Book 2. It was to be released tomorrow, and even though it is complete, from the beginning it has had a little black cloud over it. So it will not be on Kindle June 20th.

I've had a lot of problems with this book, and frankly, if this book were a person, I'd hit it over the head with a rolling pin.

I'm sure you've all been in that place, where something you worked on just couldn't find it's footing.

Well, I'm in that place right now.

The question I was asking myself was: Do I post it just to post it? Or do I profusely apologize while cursing this book into the far bowels of my computer?

I am choosing option 2.

Why? Because I want to give you guys a good book, not a problem child with a bad attitude. Something about it feels wrong to me, and I need to sit and stew on it before I can decide what it is.

This is good news for you Zack Warren Fans! Because it means that I can really devote my time to Kyle B's book. He's really very vocal right now, as is his love interest. So I'm going to spend some time with them, and make their book something special. Maybe after some reflection, the black sheep of the books in my computer will have complied and given me the right path to take.

In closing, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate every single one of you for reading my books. And don't forget about The McCree's Star Spangled 4th. A free read about Chase and Briar on Kindle this July.


Happy Reading,


J.C. Isabella

The Post of Many Things

I have lots of fun things going on! One of them this weekend, I am spending it with my Aunt Judy in Mt. Dora, just outside Orlando. Yay :) But aside from that, I have  a fun freebie on the way!

When I wrote Chasing McCree, I knew I would never write a sequel to Chase and Briar. Their story is done. I will be writing more books with cowboys in them, so no worries there. But until then, I have a special little freebie coming out this summer. It is with Chase and Briar. It's called The McCree's Star Spangled 4th.

Yes, it's a 4th of July BBQ.

And yes, grandma will be attending :)

It's short and sweet, and free for download in early July. I'm going to try to have it up as close to the 4th as possible! So I hope you guys enjoy it. It's just a bit of fun, taking place shortly after Briar's parents have left her on the ranch.

NEXT

The Unofficial Story of Kyle B Johnston. I am working very hard on the book and loving it :) But because of my schedule I'm going to have to push back the release date. It's not set in stone, but you can expect it October 1st. It could be sooner, but I'm leaning on the cautious side to give myself plenty of time.

Once Upon A Time....

Fairy tales are everywhere!

I turn on the TV. I see commercials for movies and TV shows revolving around Snow White. It's kind of crazy how Hollywood has jumped on the fairy tale bandwagon, leaving a blazing trail of apples in it's wake. But I have to say I'm happy. I'm a big fan of Once Upon a Time. I love what they have done with the queen and all the characters. And come on, Rumple? He is badass. They've put such a refreshing twist on one of the fairy tales where the girl was anything but heroic.

Chick runs away and hides with seven little men, only to fall victim to a bad apple, and be kissed back to life by Mr. Hot Stuff in a cape and tights...

At least Cinderella went to the ball!

But while I have some favs in the Snow White genera, I have to hope that Hollywood doesn't lose control of the wagon they so gleefully hopped upon.  In the fall there will be a Beauty and the Beast TV show on Cw. Beauty is a cop in this one, plus even more movies than I can keep tack of. Little mermaid, Peter Pan, and...OZ? I didn't classify that as a classic fairy tale, but I'm sure it will be worth seeing...hopefully. I have to say I'm a fan of the original great and powerful, but who knows? Below you'll find a link to imdb. This list is full of stuff I didn't even know was in the works. Lea Michele in the animated Wizard of OZ. Yup. Hansel and Gretel in 3D? Why not. Oh, and can't for get Pan. He's going to be a villain, and Hook is the captain of the police force chasing after him.....IDK if I like the sound of that.

http://www.imdb.com/list/adCaRHxwLtg/


Well, hope you enjoy perusing the list, and that your head doesn't spin off into space from the overload of fairy tale magicalness. Mine was teetering for a second, just trying to digest it.

So this brings on a few questions, how do you think Hollywood's fantastical fairy tales will effect the books appearing on our shelves? Will the publishing industry follow via magic carpet? Or will it be a flash in the pan?

I know I'm a writer... But....

In my first posts, I talked about writing, something I love. I am a writer, but I'm also a cook. I love to cook and bake. When I'm not elbow deep in a novel, I'm elbow deep in the kitchen. This happens in spurts, kind of like my writing.

So today, Saturday, my grandparents came over for a big family dinner. This is a frequent, almost weekly thing. No big surprise. Last time we had the usual Italian dinner, but this time, we went all American. Burgers and hot dogs....but there was still that bowl of olives in the table....

Now, last time they came over, I made affogato. It's a shot of espresso or really strong coffee over a scoop of ice cream or gelato. My grandparents love this. I stick an Italian cookie in it and it's like the grown up float, with coffee instead of root beer.

But this time we were doing American. Hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob. So for dessert, I made my version of apple crisp. Some call it Apple Betty. I call it awesome :)

Whenever I bake with apples, I always use organic and combine a few different types. My go to, Fuji and Granny smith. I LOVE to bake with Fuji apples. They have the best flavor. But that's just my preference. I use the granny smith to add a little pucker and tartness.

The difference between my recipe and others is that it's gluten and cane/white sugar free. I sweeten with agave.

So I started off with a ton of apples. Really, I lost count at how many I peeled. Maybe....8 I think it was. (I'm the kind of person that eyeballs it and uses my hands to measure.)

So I chopped them up, and added a handful of gold raisins, regular raisins, and dried cranberries.

I added cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Again, this is me, putting it in the palm of my hand and seeing how it feels. I'd guess it was somewhere around a tablespoon of those combined. Then I added a few tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and around half a cup of agave syrup. Now for the flour, I used Namaste gluten free flour blend. But you could use any gluten free flour blend. The only recommendation I have is that you use one without potato flour or starch in it. I think the potato over powers when you bake with it.

So I mix the apples and other ingredients together, then placed it in a casserole dish that I've greased so the apples don't stick. Then I top it with a crumble. Equal parts gluten free flour and gluten free rolled oats...I used about a cup of each. Then I added about a third of a cup of agave, the mixture of raisins and cranberries, and a couple tablespoons of melted butter. Mixed it all together, and spread it over the top of the apples.

I baked it at 375 degrees, until the apples were tender and the top was golden brown.

This was how I spent my Saturday afternoon :)

A day in the life of moi....is not usually this exciting

So I consider myself to be a quieter human. I like my routine. I don't stray from it too often, but when a wrench gets thrown in the works, I can roll along with whatever happens. But yesterday, it was one of those days I was tempted to walk outside, stand in the yard with my arms spread wide and ask, "Is that all you got?" Or maybe it would have been more of a, "I could really use a break right now...please!"

I had high hopes yesterday. I was up at 6:50. Ready to leave the house at 8. My cat Bailey was packed in her paw print carrier, ready to visit the vet she hates with a purple passion. Then, I was going to drop her home, snag my laptop, and find one of my favorite haunts to write at for the rest of the day.

If only.....

So at the vet, a routine visit, the doc says Bailey has a chipped tooth. She needs a root canal within six months, or she'll need to get it pulled. I'm like, how and when did you chip a tooth, and do I need to get you a mouth guard and crash helmet?

That will be eleven hundred for a trip to the pet dentist.

Sigh.

Okay, no more rough housing.

Then, on the way out, the vet asks if she's been micro chipped. I'm like, no, but I'd like her to be.

Cha-ching.

I swear, these people see me coming a mile away!

Then, we are finally in the car, headed home, after the longest trip to the vet in my life. I get the cat in the house, take her out of the carrier, and discover she has peed her pants.

Well, she doesn't have pants, but she, I guess, was so RELIEVED to be on the way home, she let it all flow. AND I MEAN ALL. I did not know so much pee could come out of such a tiny kitty!

So I'm in the bathroom, scrubbing her up with the baby shampoo, and it hits me.

New car.

My brand new Prius.

*Hauls ass outside*

Yes, it went through the canvas carrier, and soaked into the nice new cloth seat.

Cut to me wanting to beat my head on the hood of the car.

Think positive, I kept telling myself. You're car is not going to smell like cat piss. Why couldn't she have peed in the Jeep? If I had made the appointment a couple months ago, she would have peed in the car I didn't care about.

*Drives to Toyota dealer*

Sorry, can't help you. Maybe try an air freshener?

*Drives home dejectedly*

Google is my new best friend! Seriously. I Googled mobile detailing, and found Detail Daddy. The name kind if threw me. I was worried the guy would show up in a low riding cadi dressed like Mr. T and have a full set of gold teeth. But he was the only guy who could be at my house within an hour, and save my car.

He. Was. Awesome. He cleaned the seat, after soaking it with tons of cleaning stuff, then he sucked all the water out, and gave my car a clean bill of health.

Car and cat are back to normal.

Though once all the drama was over, I ended up on the couch next to Bailey staring blankly at my computer. She agreed that I could have the rest of the day off to chill.

I'll write tomorrow.

On Kindle June 20th 2012

The Council

Book 2

A Werewolf's Moon

I should feel scared, shaking from head to toe with a fear that rivaled any I’d ever felt before—but I wasn’t.

I should want to run, put miles between me and the werewolf who claimed I was now like him—but I couldn’t.

I could only lock my blurred gaze with his golden eyes and wait for the moon to rise, for the pain to end, and for my new life to begin.

Pepper Peterson has a problem. He's about six foot four. Surly. Swears like a sailor. His eyes glow in the dark, and he scares people just by breathing.

She tried to give him the slip, and tried to throw him off her trail, but he had a nose like no other, and he wasn't going to back off no matter what she did.

Lucky her, she's got a werewolf for a watchdog. And he's the meanest one in town.

Quinn has been trying to explain to Pepper he isn't an actual wolf. He doesn't have a tail, and he doesn't howl at the moon. But he does have a problem. Because of an accident beyond his control, Pepper wasn't going to be human for much longer.

The moon was going to rise. Pepper's human life would soon end. The question eating away at Quinn was… would she trust him enough to get her through it? And would he be strong enough to defend her until her transformation was complete?

He was about to find out, the hard way.

What is in a Name?

"Hi, my name is Gaylord. I'm seventeen. I enjoy skateboarding and fixing computers." He smiles. "Meet my friends, Lucifer and Bob. Wanna hang out with us?"

What's wrong with that first paragraph? Anything? What sixteen year old girl wouldn't swoon for a cute guy named Gaylord? He can fix her computer! Fly down the street on a piece of wood with four tiny wheels!

Three things are wrong with that first sentence. Well, three names. Who wants to read book about a guy named Gaylord, Lucifer, and Bob....

On second thought, it sounds like such a train wreck, it might work!

But seriously, names are very important. I can't stress how important the name of your character is! When you pick up a book it sets the tone for the whole story. If I were to have named Zack Warren something else...say Timmy, or Leon, it wouldn't have gone over so well.

The Unofficial Timmy Warren Fan Club, sounds more like something you'd attend at the fort built in Timmy's backyard.

So when we name our characters, we have to be aware of what the name means and the impact it has on the reader.

"Hi, I'm Jennipher."

Look, there is nothing wrong with spelling a name creatively. BUT, when it comes to writing, it can really throw the reader off. Certain spellings are so confusing and can be annoying. Readers have been known to put down the book or not even buy it.

But you want your character to stand out from the crowd. He or she is different, a rule breaker, a genius. You need the person who picks up your book to know the character is not just another Tom, Dick, or Harry.

Why not try naming them something classic and timeless? Like William or Charlotte. Or go with an unusual name like I did for Briar. Sounds different, but it's been around for a while. You can also look at the other books and see what the super popular names are. Make a list of those names. Use it for reference when you write. If the name is on the list, don't use it.

If you were to put William or Charlotte beside Diesel, Striker and Mandy, IMO, they are more intriguing. Why? Because everyone is so concerned with being different and standing out in the crowd, the quirky names are starting to become the norm.

So next time you see a book about a character named Benjamin or Andrew, give it a shot. He could be a total bad ass or a real prince charming. And don't forget you can give your character a nickname that really stands out, or shorten his long name. The possibilities are endless :)

Chocolate makes me want to write

So I have a thing for chocolate...what girl doesn't? I think my favorite kind is by Godiva. Milk chocolate with salted caramel. Yum. I'm in heaven.

So anyway, I'm noshing on this chocolate I absolutely love, battling writers block. Well, not quiet block. It's more like writer's interest. I'm supposed to be working on one book, but my mind keeps drifting into the ether with ideas for another book I have that's not even supposed to be in the works yet...and wouldn’t you know it, I’ve already written the first chapter. lol. It's great, because my mojo is in high gear...but not so great because it's for the wrong book!

It's like shiny object syndrome (which I'm sure is something I’ve just made up). You're working hard, something distracts you...ohh, shiny! I shall hop over here to investigate. An hour later you've sat back, realizing you've been watching cat videos on YouTube.

Very productive.

So I've decided to focus by eating chocolate. Not sure if it will work. But my mouth is very happy.

The book I'm trying focusing on right now Is the Council, book 2, A werewolf's moon. Normally when I get writer's block, I go back to the beginning, and read it. Then I end up where I left off and I'm able to keep going. I have not gone back to read it yet, so I'm thinking that will be my next step. Or I may just take a couple days off and work on something else, maybe leave a message for my muse. PLEASE COME BACK!

Just kidding, my muse is fine, just a tad distracted by shiny objects and chocolate.

Other than that, I'm going on a mini blog tour for Chasing McCree!! Very excited for that. You can find the link on my Facebook page. The dates have been chosen. 5 days in May. But I have no idea which blogs I will be on yet. I'm leaving that up to my tour manager.

Well, that's all for now, I'm going to stop hopping off on bunny trails and get back to writing...but first I have to go to the mall...

Cowboys! Cheerleaders! Oh my!

So this is it. The day of my third book release. I sit here writing this, bleary eyed at 8:22 am. My cat, Bailey, is whining and crying for attention. I’ve been on the computer way too much over the last few weeks. It’s time to spend more time with me. That’s what she’s saying. But this is only my third book, and my computer keyboard is hardly smoking. So I will give my fingers a rest for a couple days, and then it will be back to work on two books!!

TWO.

Do you hear me? The incredible feat of having two books released this summer is probably insane. But I am going to do it! Why? I HAVE NO IDEA. It just seems like a good idea…. I may regret it. Who knows? But I love a challenge.

Before I talk about what’s in my future, I would like to talk about what is in my present. Chasing McCree. The book about a cowboy and cheerleader. I wrote it for many reasons…the most prominent one being that I looked around, and did not find any YA about cute cowboys! What?? They were all relegated to the romance novels.

How come there are no cute cowboys in YA? I kept asking myself, over and over.

Sure, sure there were plenty of books with cowboys in them and on their covers with glistening, bulging pectoral muscles and the promise of a feisty heroin. She would love him for the man he is, and not his shiny, sweaty, glistening, work roughened exterior….

O.

M.

G.

Lord save me from the clichés!

So I decided to remedy this. I let my fingers do the walking over the keys, thinking, I’m not breaking new ground or penning the next New York Times Bestseller, but damn it, I’m filling a void. YA romance needs cowboys! We have vampires. Werewolves. Angles. Demons. Fairies. Witches. Dead Cheerleaders. (Because live ones are so last year.) Hell, there are probably books about bigfoot….pirates. Greek Gods. (I’m running out of things to list!)

And now, we have a book about cowboys!

*sighs, smiles*

And now I’m sitting here thinking…why stop at just one book about cowboys? Why not have a whole slew of cowboys, and maybe even cowgirls? Cowpokes. Cow people? (Foreshadowing here.)

Is there a song called, I am my own worst enemy??

If there isn’t, I should try writing it J

Okay, back on track…

So, yes, we now have a book about cowboys.

As for my next two books, The Unofficial Story of Kyle B. Johnston, and book 2 of The Council, which will be titled, A Werewolf’s Moon, they are being written! I have no release dates yet, and no idea what the covers look like. But when I do, of course I will tell everyone! Even the poor mailman who deals with my spider-ridden mailbox!

YEEHAAA!!