Moving right along with book #4 this year

 Book #4 for 2019 will go live on October 1. It's a collection of six short stories (well, five short stories and one really short novella--about 42,000 words total) that we can categorize as western romance. I have titled the collection Satin Boots.

Unlike of my romances, these are sweet and clean, so there's no need to clutch your pearls or worry about getting your knickers twisted by the presence of sexually explicit content. "Sweet" and "clean," however, don't mean that I don't insert some strong issues or violence. Major themes running through the stories include bigotry and sexism, which were alive and well back in the 1800s. Protagonists in the stories deal with these issues in the best way they can: by rising above them.

So, what's it all about?

• 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 falls on Clint Cheswick’s front porch, he doesn’t expect to compete with his half-breed foreman for her affection.

I mocked up 10 covers, trying to aim for a sweeter vibe than the usual romance cover, something a little dreamy, something vintage. I titled the collection Satin Boots in reference to the fine footwear more affluent brides of the time wore with their wedding dresses, because these all end with the requisite "happily ever after" the romance genre demands. (Lesson learned there, folks.)

I think the selected cover works well. I hope you like it, too.

Satin Boots is available for pre-order on Amazon for only $0.99 (e-book only). That price won't last long, so take advantage of it while can.

So, what's next on the schedule? I will--really, I will--publish a fifth book this year. It's due for release by December 31. I'm returning to contemporary romance with a hero who's an inactive Marine and a biker and a heroine who's both a college graduate and a cowgirl. Their worlds clash in circumstances involving a lariat and a steer and biker rally. 

This ought to be fun.

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