It's [a]live!

This first day of October see the release of Satin Boots, my foray into western romances with a collection of six short stories. Unlike my other romances, these are not only short, but they're also sweet and clean. No explicit content here. We'll see if Russ' statement is true: readers of the western genre prefer their romances "gentle."

Satin Boots debuts for only $0.99 (e-book) and is also available in print. The stories are summarized as follows:

• ANGELS HIGH: A woman who makes her living by winning at a man’s game learns to expect trouble, especially when the stakes are high. But when trouble finds her this time, Angelica Durant gets more than she bargained for.
• THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE'S CHOICE: Looking to improve her circumstances, an indigent woman travels across the country as a mail order bride to meet a fiancé who has plans for her other than marriage.
• COMING HOME: Life is hard. No one knows this better than Dessie Humphrey who’s trying to hold onto the family farm. When aid comes in the form of a wanted gunslinger, she’s in no position to refuse.
• PRIDE AND PEACE: It’s an open secret on the Lazy Five that Jessie North is a woman, but that doesn’t stop Daniel Harper from reacting badly when he learns about it. Can he overcome his prejudice when the proud half-breed saves his life?
• RESURRECTION: Undertakers bury the dead; they don’t resurrect bodies left for dead. But that’s exactly what Antonio DiCarlo does when a lovely Swedish immigrant lands on his doorstep.
• THE RANCHER'S FIRST LOVE: When a gravely wounded Chinese woman collapses on Clint Cheswick’s front porch, he doesn’t expect to compete with his half-breed foreman for her affection.

Each of the stories includes an explicit or implied HEA. 

Other updates

The Imadjinn Book Fair and Expo is coming in just a couple of weeks. Part of Imaginarium (Oct. 11-13), the book fair and expo showcases "over 100 exhibitors and vendors including authors of all genres, plus memorabilia, collectibles, jewelry, art, crafts, independent film, and much more!" Join the fun at the Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center, Louisville, KY. I hope to see you there.
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I'll be at one more event this year: The Writer's Block Author Fair in Toledo, Ohio. This event will take place a couple of weeks before Christmas, so head to Toledo for unique and personalized holiday gifts for yourself and others on your list.

Finally, the update you've all be waiting for. (Yeah, sure.) We'll go with a literary allusion to Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, the shrew being the lovely and temperamental horse Diva. The good new is that the new trainer is making visible progress with her. She's working on improving Diva's ground manners (atrocious), her focus (lackluster), and her self-confidence (poor). Each small victory brings up previously undiscovered problems, even when it's something as common a picking up a hoof so the human can clear out  dirt and debris. The trainer originally thought Diva would be ready to come home at the end of December. I knew better. We're planning to bring her home in April.

So ... what's in the roster for upcoming releases? I've been working ... s-l-o-w-l-y ... on a new romance that spans the romance subgenres of contemporary, new adult, motorcycle club, and military. It's tentatively titled "Hogtied." I rather like the beginning: Our hero and heroine meet when the herione rides down, ropes, and--yes--hogties a biker who kills her sister's 4-H steer. She's a country girl with a degree in geology and an interest in fracking, and he's an inactive Marine who lives within the biker subculture because he needs the structure and hierarchy of command.

Over the weekend, another idea started rattling inside my skull. I thought I'd finished the Immortal Shifters series (see the Barbary Lion, Tiger in the Snow, Bear of the Midnight Sun, and The Eagle at Dawn), but apparently not. I haven't named the hero or heroine yet, but let's just say that our favorite jerkwad hero Atlas Leonidas isn't the oldest shifter alive. Everyone just thinks he is. This book will go beyond mere paranormal and slide a foot into fantasy. It should be fun.

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