Teaser Tuesday - Yellowstone Deception

Another quick teaser from Yellowstone Deception. I'll probably announce a release date next week!

Dan had always been proud of his family’s history here in Yellowstone. The fantastical idea that none of his family tree would be around if not for the impossibility that a woman from this time had traveled to the past was still something he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. He’d long given up wondering where that time travel snakehead could have possibly come from. He didn’t want to know the answer. What he really did want to know, what he needed to know – where was that device now?

Dan ran a hand through his hair, and headed out the door. Jana Evans was his key to finding that device. She had to be. His entire future depended on it. 

Top Ten Ways to Die in Yellowstone

Top Ten Ways to Die In Yellowstone

           

Boiling in a Hot Spring

People have fallen in, jumped in to rescue dogs or personal items, or thought it was safe to bathe in . Some of the springs reach temperatures in excess of 200 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Death by Bison

Gorings and stompings by bison occur often because people don’t heed the warnings to stay at least 25 yards away. These animals may look slow and docile, but a two ton bison can charge at 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than the average human can run.

Lightning Strikes

Most lightning strikes occur while out boating or hiking, and not having adequate cover when a storm hits.

Drowning

Aside from car accidents and illnesses, drowning claims more lives than any other danger in Yellowstone. Several deaths have been reported as recently as 2007–2010. Swimmers who underestimate their abilities, boaters whose boats capsize, and hikers who fall into a lake or river account for most of the drownings.

Poison Plants 

Water hemlock looks a lot like an edible wild parsnip or carrot, but it's deadly poisenous. For both of the confirmed deaths, it was the last thing they ate. 

Falling

One fall involved a driver who backed his car off a cliff, killing both himself and his wife. Several workers have died after falling from scaffoldings or buildings. Others who have fallen to their deaths from cliffs have ignored warning signs and wandered from established trails. 

Exposure

A number of people froze to death or died in avalanches in Yellowstone during its early years. Since 1921, however, such deaths have been very rare; three people died in two separate avalanches in the 1990s.

Rolling Rocks

Setting a boulder tumbling into a canyon might seem like innocent fun until you realize there are hikers down below. It's also illegal to toss rocks down a canyon. One person died this way, while several others were killed by rocks that were unintentionally dislodged or just happened to fall.

Falling Trees

Although rare, deaths from being hit by a tree have happened several times in Yellowstone, either during logging operations or windstorms.

Grizzly Mauling

The first documented death caused by a bear in Yellowstone happened in 1916; the latest two, in summer 2011, after a gap of 25 years when no bear-related deaths were recorded. Visitors have died while hiking, sleeping in tents, or getting too close to a bear while trying to snap that perfect picture.

This list was complied from one of my favorite books about Yellowstone. For more details about deaths in America's oldest national park, check out Death in Yellowstone - Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park

by park historian Lee Whittlesey.

In the introduction, the author states, “Play safely, and think before you act.”

Now go out and enjoy your national parks!

Teaser Tuesday - Yellowstone Deception

Dan drove back to Old Faithful in silence. Jana sat next to him, her hands balled up stiffly in her lap. Now why did he have to do a stupid thing and kiss her? The way Jana flung herself at him had surprised him beyond belief. For the last day and a half, she’d acted like a skittish deer in his presence. Her unexpected reaction to his return from the canyon floor stirred a deep longing within him, and only served to intensify his attraction to her.

He hadn’t been able to stop himself from taking advantage of the situation. Never before had he wanted to pursue a relationship with a girl the way he wanted to with Jana. Damned if he could explain it. He’d felt something strong and powerful tug at his insides the first time he saw her. It had drawn him to her like the proverbial moth to a flame, and the feeling only grew stronger by the hour, now that she was back. Now that he’d kissed her.

Cover Design Contest

I'm at the point in Yellowstone Deception, where I need to think about a cover. In all my previous Yellowstone books, I have my characters, with a Yellowstone theme as the background. For books 1 and 2, I chose the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, namely the Lower Falls. For Book 1, I chose this background, because the model representing Daniel has a contemplative, almost sorrowful look. There's a scene in YHS, where Daniel is sitting gazing out at the Lower Falls, deep in thought about Aimee. 
For Yellowstone Redemption, I once again chose the Lower Falls, because the canyon and falls play a major role in the book.
For Yellowstone Awakening, I have a photo of Old Faithful, with a few other geysers in the background, and a locomotive at the bottom. All are significant symbols to the plot of that book. Likewise, for Yellowstone Dawn, I used a bison bathed in early morning fog. 


I have my character model photo for Yellowstone Deception, but I need a background picture. Here's what I have in mind, for anyone interested:


Tell me what symbolizes "Yellowstone" to you. What one thing - the geysers (a specific one?), hotsprings, a certain animal or landscape, or even a man-made structure. Anything goes for this cover. Leave a comment, and a way for me  to contact you. If you'd rather leave your contact info in a private email, email me at ynpdreamer at gmail dot com


If I choose your Yellowstone symbol, you will receive a free ebook of any one of the books in the Yellowstone Romance Series (your choice).
Entries will close on May 31st.

Teaser Tuesday - excerpt from Yellowstone Heart Song

I've been very quiet on the blog this past week. I've had a long week at work, and I've been furiously writing Book 5 in the Yellowstone Romance Series, Yellowstone Deception. For this book, I've had to go back to book 1, Yellowstone Heart Song, several times to make sure I've got all my facts straight. In the back of my mind, I am also working out the details for the prequel novella I plan to write, which will go in depth into the origins of the time travel device I use in this series. 
For today's teaser, I thought I'd give my readers something different. A snippet from Yellowstone Heart Song, way back when I first started writing this book. The following passage is the very first thing I wrote when I started writing the book, and it was part of a prologue, which I ended up taking out of the book completely. It will find it's way back into the prequel. 
So, even if you've read all the books, this passage will be brand new to you. Forgive the raw writing. I like to think my writing skills have improved over the years.

January, 1786     Rocky Mountain Region, in what is today Yellowstone National Park

            The wind howled fiercely, and the snow fell so heavily that the visibility was almost zero, but Zaccharia made his way determinedly through the heavy snow. It was laborious walking, but the young trapper kept his head low, and slowly put one foot in front of the other. His job was  even more difficult, for he was dragging a freshly-killed deer behind him. He was determined to reach the shelter of his cabin before dark, not because of the weather, or the fact  that the scent of a fresh kill would most likely lure hungry predators. He needed to get back  to tend to his wife. The thought of her being by herself in this blizzard made him speed up the pace. 

Marie was not cut out for living in the wilderness as he had hoped when he brought  her here six months ago, and he had promised her he would return her to civilization as soon as the snow melted, and made passage possible to reach the Yellowstone River and a way to get back to St. Louis. He would not have gone out hunting either, but they were in need of meat, and she would need all her strength, what with the baby so near to being born. Had he know she was with child before the passes  closed due to snow, he would have taken her back right away.  Marie, dear sweet, loving Marie, had wanted nothing more that to please her husband, and had kept the pregnancy hidden for months. She’d been determined, however, to make him happy by following him into the wilderness. Zach soon realized that Marie was too frail to survive in this harsh and unforgiving land. Now her health and his unborn child were at risk because he had brought them here. 

Teaser Tuesday - Yellowstone Deception

I'll be real brave today and post a few lines from my current WIP, Yellowstone Deception, which is Book 5 in the Yellowstone Romance Series. This is from the first draft, raw and unedited. 

“Maybe she left it somewhere along Hellroaring Creek, just like the journal,” Dan finally ventured a guess, breaking the silence.

“No,” Jana said immediately. “She wouldn’t leave it somewhere that obvious.” The plastic bag rustled as Jana dug through the nuts and seeds to find some morsels of dried fruit. She stopped abruptly, and looked at him. “Do you realize this is more impossible than trying to find a needle in a haystack?”

“What’s impossible?” He gestured at the bag in her hand. “Finding the raisins or the time travel device?” He grinned at the annoyed look she shot him. He inhaled deeply, staring straight at her, and sobered.

“You’re my only chance, Jana. You knew her the best, and if anyone can figure out what she might have done with that device, it’s you. I have complete confidence that you’ll figure it out.” Their eyes met and held, and Dan wished for the thousandth time that he could have asked her back to Montana under different circumstances. 

Guest Author - Dawne Prochilo

Today I welcome Dawne Prochilo to talk about what made her decide to write historical western romance.

I have always been an erotic / contemporary romance author but I do have a prolific writing background- from newspaper staff writer to online web content writer and my 12 novels- I have a wide range of writing.

I also have an expansive reading genre selection. Thrillers to suspense and all sub-genres of romance. But my one true love in the romance genre is westerns... historical westerns to be exact.  I have never attempted to write westerns, let alone historical westerns. I've always been a contemporary/present day romance writer. So here I am challenging my writing abilities and styles. I am stoked!

Catherine Anderson, Carol Finch and Linda Lael Miller to name a few, have always been my idols and I love their writing styles, story premises and characters. So here I am, Dawne Prochilo- former erotic romance author, heading into the ranks of these amazing authors.

I started writing my historical western romance series (The Butlers of Willow Creek) about one month ago and have almost 9k into it. I am building the characters, learning the old weest lingo (with the help of a couple of research books purchased from eBay) and starting my own little old west town and story lines.

I am having so much fun with the era words, clothing, etc- I actually had to chuckle recently. I had sent over the first two chapters to a mentor's review. She writes cowboys and knows the lingo very well and I respect her opinion. Everything was perfect with the exception of the man pulling up his knickers... really? Yes, I laughed. She chuckled. I changed it to trousers and moved on.

There's just something about a cowboy calling a woman darlin', his swagger in his denim jeans, the way you just know he smells of leather and a hard day's work and the strut of confidence he has that makes me swoon- see, I got the word right.

It is all trial and error when writing about unfamiliar topics, centuries and all that goes along with them. I have discovered the story flowing from me, with a few roadblocks when I am stumped with verbage. I know the way I want the story to play out, I just need to make sure I say it the right way. My series is based in 1898 in the Northeast Colorado Territory and I want perfection and no reader to question a phrase or word.

I recently read a historical western based in the same era/decade and saw a few phrases that really stood out. One was 'a walk in the park'. Were there any parks in the 19^th century old west? Doubtful. But when did that phrase really begin? Regardless, it stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Hence why I am taking my time, re-reading and editing as I go.

I am thrilled with my transformation back to contemporary romance, and even more anxious for this series to be completed and submitted. I do love challenging my writing abilities and hope to continue on with the western writing. I may have found my 'branding' in the business.

Blog- http://dawneprochilo.blogspot.com