Yellowstone Heart Song receives 5star Crowned Heart Review

I just found out that Yellowstone Heart Song received a 5 star review from InD'Tale Magazine in November! 
I am shaking, in utter disbelief, and absolutely stunned! I know this may seem like such a small milestone for some, but this was my debut novel, a book I had to be coaxed, poked and prodded time and time again by my critique partner to publish. 





Here is the full review:

Aimee Donovan is a nurse who thought she’d seen it all until she met Zach Osborne. Claiming to be a time travelling mountain man, he tempts her with a wilderness survival tip back to the year 1810 in Yellowstone. Although she doesn’t quite believe the man, she is skilled and can handle three months in the mountains. 

She is also happy to escape Brad and the engagement she calls off just prior to leaving.

After a near-death experience once she travelled back to 1810, fate steps in and she meets Daniel Osborne, Zach’s son. He rescues her in more ways than one and the cruel reality of leaving this world eats at her heart. How can she tell Daniel the truth of how she came to be here and how can she ever leave him?

Yellowstone has always held her heart but now, in more ways than one.

The excitement and anticipation in this book is endless. The reader is left bursting to discover the next event as almost every page is turned. Vivid descriptions of Aimee’s surroundings will transport even the least imaginative back to 1810. 

Aimee is spirited and determined to succeed. Finding she has bitten off more than she can chew makes her humble and very substantive. Daniel is as manly as they come for a male character set in a wilderness environment. His character is dark, mysterious, and courageous – cautious, but (sigh) delivering on all the readers’ expectations. Their love grows with so many heart wrenching moments that twist and tear the emotions, then leave the reader enraptured. 

Come Home to Me in Audio!

I'm excited to announce that Come Home to Me will soon be available as an audio book. The producer/narrator, Cody Roberts, has finished production, and it should be available at Amazon, iTunes, and on Audible towards the end of November.

From cholera to chaps, Come Home to Me by Peggy L Henderson is the definition of excellent storytelling. Henderson spins this yarn with subtle dialogue and description accurate of the era. So subtle, in fact, the reader won’t know they’ve been transported, like Jake, back in time until they’re entrenched in the hardships of the emigrants who left ruts in the ground in 1848. With the rattle of wooden wheels, and a crack of the whip, the reader will open their eyes as an omnipotent observer to the slow burning love between Rachel and Jake as they cross the mighty American frontier.

InD'Tale Magazine Crowned Heart Review

Teaser Tuesday - Ain't No Angel

Here's this week's teaser.

Tyler’s fingers grazed her back when he lifted her hair and laid the long strands over her shoulder. Her heart hammered in her chest, and a chill raced down her spine. Why did he affect her like this? There was something so sensual about his slow and gentle movement, something so unexpectedly tender that it brought tears to her eyes. She’d asked him to remove her corset and he quietly complied, without any lewd remark or stare, or even a hint that he wanted to undress her fully and take advantage of the situation.

Tyler worked the lacings loose as if he had plenty of practice with this sort of thing, and she breathed freely once the confining contraption fell away from her sides. She clutched the corset tightly to her chest, even though she still wore a chemise underneath. A breeze swept through the room from the open window, and although it wasn’t cold, goose bumps covered her arms.

Laney stood still. She leaned forward slightly and held her head down. She ground her teeth in frustration. The skin along either side of her spine tingled, anticipating, longing for his touch. Now that he’d loosened the confining corset, she imagined his palms sliding along her shoulder, his lips pressing against the back of her neck.

“That oughta do it,” he grumbled. “You’d better get dressed before you catch a chill.”

Laney held her breath. She waited, then slowly turned.

Guest Author - Lyn Horner

My special guest today is western-with-a- paranormal-twist award-winning romance author,  Lyn Horner. She's busy at work on a new series after the success of her Texas Devlins series. Welcome back, Lyn!

Hi Peggy, thank you for inviting me to your gorgeous site. It’s an honor to be here. Today, I’d like to tell you and your readers about the new series I’m working on and what led me down this path. So far I’ve written mainly western historical romance with dashes of paranormal in the form of Irish psychics.

With The Scrolls of Danu I’m leaving the Old West and venturing into modern times, but continuing the psychic theme. This series will consist of nine to ten novellas, all separate yet intertwined by a larger ongoing story. Think of it as a soap opera on steroids. Wink! The first book, Beyond the Darkness, is set in County Kerry, Ireland. Following installments will jump around the globe.

Premise of the series: A great secret handed down through millennia is guarded by ones who derive unique powers from their long dead ancestors, the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Legend: “In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Tuatha Dé Danann (“People of the goddess Danu”) are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, who originally lived on ‘the islands in the west’, had perfected the use of magic. They traveled on a big cloud to the land that later would be called Ireland and settled there.” – Micha F. Lindemans, "Tuatha Dé Danann," Encyclopedia Mythica Online.

According to the legend, the Tuatha Dé Danann defeated the Firbolg and the Fomorians, prehistoric inhabitants of Ireland. Later, they were themselves conquered by Milesians from the Iberian Penninsula and were driven to the underworld. Called Aes sidhe, they are invisible to mortals, but in a battle against evil, it is said they will fight beside mankind, wielding lances of blue flame, carrying snow white shields.

Does that kind of remind you of Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring, with the mystical elves fighting beside men against the evil forces of Mordor? It does me!

Enthralled by the magic of Irish myth, I find myself compelled to follow it where it may lead my character. Of course there will be romance, since that’s what I love best to write, although not necessarily hot and steamy in every book. Oh, and there are evil ones trying to get their hands on the treasured scrolls. Maybe they should be shrouded in black cloaks like, ride fire-breathing mount and carry swords like Tolkien’s Ringwraiths, you think?

Naw, that would be plagiarism. Besides, my bad guys live in the real world, not Middle-earth. Well, not the real world, but the real world of my imagination.

EXCERPT from Beyond the Darkness

In this scene, Lara Spenser, Chief Keeper of the ancient scrolls, meets a man she hopes to hire as her bodyguard.

 “Come in,” she called, opening the door and backing away.

Una stepped into the room with a rolling pin gripped in one hand and flour dusting her apron. She partially closed the door behind her.

“Mum, he looks a bad un,” she whispered, worry lines creasing her brow. “Ye oughtn’t to be alone with him.”

Lara hesitated briefly then put the warning down to melodramatics. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Please show him in, Una.”

“But mum, he’s –”

“Show him in,” Lare gently insisted, raising her hand to stave off further argument.

The Irishwoman issued a mournful sigh and nodded. “Aye, mum, as ye wish.”

While she went to fetch the man, Lara smoothed her long skirt and self-consciously fingered the jagged scar on her right cheek. She considered standing to create a stronger first impression but dismissed the idea with a grimace. Her injured leg wasn’t strong enough to bear her weight yet, if it ever would.

A man’s heavy tread accompanied Una’s footsteps up the hall. The door opened again and the plump Irishwoman warily ushered in a tall stranger. He halted just over the threshold to stare at Lara, obviously unprepared for her appearance. She stiffened self-consciously and gulped at the sight of him. He had to be six-foot-three or four. His coffee-brown hair was shaggy and several days’ growth of beard shaded his square jaw. Clothed in faded jeans, a dark shirt, black leather jacket and boots, with studded leather gloves protruding from one pocket, he looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang.

“Mum, this is Mr. O’Shea,” Una said tightly, eyeing the man with a disapproving scowl.

Lara forced a stiff smile. “Thank you for coming, Mr. O’Shea. I’m Lara Spenser.” Receiving a silent nod in reply, she glanced at her housekeeper. “That will be all, Una. I’ll ring if I need you.”

Sticking out her chin, the woman appeared ready to argue but evidently thought better of it. “Aye, mum. Excuse me, sir,” she snapped at O’Shea, who finally deigned to step farther into the room.

As the door closed behind him, he cleared his throat. “Sorry for staring. I wasn’t expecting . . . .” He pointed toward her wheelchair.

“You needn’t apologize. Perhaps I should have mentioned this when we spoke.” She tapped her fingers on an arm of the chair, thinking he was probably more shocked by her scarred face. She’d deliberately not told him about her infirmities when he phoned yesterday. He was a complete stranger and in her situation it paid not to give out too much information. Besides, his Texas drawl had rattled her, causing her to stammer like a tongue-tied adolescent.

“Maybe so, ma’am, but my mama would skin me alive for my bad manners,” he said in those deep, achingly familiar tones. He added a genial smile that softened his rugged features. However, that smile didn’t reach his steel-gray eyes, eyes that watched her intently, making her stomach flutter and her hands sweat. Maybe she should have listened to Una.

To find out more about Lyn, please visit her blog!

And check out her books at Amazon

Teaser Tuesday - Ain't No Angel

Laney observed his hands, his subtle finger movements as he played with the reins through which he communicated silently with the animals. He closed his hands in a relaxed fist, and the team came to a stop at the top of the incline. Tyler had a gentle hand with the animals. It required a certain touch, a feel, to control a team with such subtle finesse, and he was a master at it. Before she allowed her mind to wander to what else his hands were capable of, Laney glanced at his profile, wondering why they’d stopped. He looked straight ahead, and her eyes followed his gaze.

“Oh, wow.” Her heart rate accelerated, and she sat up straighter, leaning forward to see over the tops of the horses’ backs. Spread out in the valley below them were several barns and buildings, and wooden fenced corrals. A large log ranch house caught her eye, nestled against the slope of a pine tree-covered hill. A huge stone chimney rose from the backside of the house. Dozens of horses grazed in the outlying fields and larger fenced paddocks. A windmill stood off to the side of the dirt yard that separated the main house from the first outbuildings. The blades turned lazily in the breeze.

“Welcome to the Double M,” Tyler said. There was a distinct note of pride in his voice. 

Guest Author - Susan Horsnell

Today I am pleased to welcome Australian Author of western romance, Susan Horsnell. Welcome, Susan! Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I grew up in Sydney, Australia. I am the eldest of 5 to British parents. They migrated to Australia in 1952 as £10 Poms – a migration system which cost the Brits £10 each to come. I attended public school and high school near where we lived and at the age of 13, as part of my studies with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, I became a volunteer at our local hospital. This sealed my decision to be a nurse and at age 15 I entered Nursing at the same hospital. In those days we were hospital trained and lived in the quarters at the hospital. I have been married to a Naval Officer for what will be 40 years in March. We have 2 wonderful sons, 2 gorgeous Daughters-In-Law and 5 very special grandchildren which we adore.

Why did you decide to write Western romance? What is the appeal?

I was always fascinated with North American western history. I am very close to my Dad and grew up watching cowboy and indian movies on wet, rainy weekends. It fascinated me and as I grew older I read more and more about it. I felt an affinity with it for some strange reason. My imagination began to run wild with stories so when I retired, 4 years ago, I decided to give it a try. I was always an ‘A’ grade English student and had written some pretty good short stories and essays at school.

How much research goes into your books, and how do you tackle that?

I research quite a bit by using the internet and hoping they have it right. Being an Australian and writing American themed books I have to be very careful. My books are not factual but I do weave some facts throughout them.

What is the best comment you ever received from a reader? The worst or weirdest?

The best comment was my very first. The reader said she had stayed up until 3am as she had been unable to put the book down. That was for The Glenmore’s: Revenge. My worst, which did hurt, was for The Stuck-Up Governess. The reader didn’t like my use of American slang eg: ya, y’all. She said she couldn’t finish it as Americans didn’t speak that way. I did a rewrite on that book and removed it all. My characters all now speak perfect English which I think took some of the atmosphere from the book. Being a new author I hated the fact I had offended someone.

Tell us a little about your writing style? Do you plan and plot your stories, or do you just plow through them?

I do a little of both. I have a wonderful mentor in Margaret Tanner now and I run the plot by her before I begin. She will tweak it and give me ideas of how to develop certain sections. She then reads chapter by chapter as I write and basically edits for me. It has made my last two books much, much better. I am a good student and take everything she suggests onboard. I tend to have ideas pop into my head as I write too so I usually try to incorporate them as I go.

Can you tell us a little about your current work, Blind Achievement? Is there a story behind the story?

Blind Achievement is the sequel to Blind Acceptance. The little boy, Phillip, who was blinded in an accident at the age of 6, has grown up and is going off to a College for the Blind. I worked with the blind for four years, teaching techniques to help them cope more independently. I worked mainly with newly blinded teenagers and their families. It gave me the idea to explore how dangerous a ranch is, not only for a young child, but a young, blind child. I also focused on the trouble fathers have accepting their child is blind, especially when it is their son and heir. It was particularly hard in the 19^th century as people believed if you were blind you were also insane and many were locked away to live their lives in asylums. Being in such an environment usually did send them insane – very sad.

What sets your heroine Belinda apart from all the other women in your hero’s Phillip’s life? Why is she perfect for him?

Phillip ‘rescues’ Belinda from unwanted advances and when she seeks relief in his arms, he is smitten. She is soft-spoken with a musical lilt to her voice that he loves. She is an administration assistant at the school, always around, caring and helpful. She knows the restrictions of the blind but encourages them wherever possible. She is not fazed by Phillip’s blindness like so many others are.

Have you ever had writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

Usually I suffer with writer’s diarrhea but I did get block during my last book. I visited an historical site nearby, sat and meditated. Worked wonders and after talking to volunteers there about the history I now have ideas for my next book.

Can you give us a little background on your hero Phillip that’s only in your author notes, and not found in your story? What inspired you to create this character?

He is wary of females and their honesty after his mother’s betrayal. I do touch on this in the book though as I do pretty much everything in my notes. My inspiration was to show blind people have enormous value to society and should not be cast aside.

Describe a favorite scene in your current novel?

My favourite scene is when Phillip’s father, Luke, suddenly realizes Phillips’ sister, Edwina, is growing up and becoming interested in boys, including Phillip’s assistant from the school. I could picture the look on his face and his feelings.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

In this book there will be the love that blossoms between Phillip and Belinda despite her secrets. The danger she places them both in because of her secrets. Attempted murder and kidnap.

Excerpt- Blind Achievement-: Due for release in late September/Early October

….       Luke thanked and paid the driver, adding a tip, before ushering his family indoors.

“I’ll get us checked in,” he said as he strode to the reception desk.

The other members of the family, except Phillip, were craning their necks skywards to take in the ceiling of the lobby. The opulence and splendour was breathtaking.

While they waited for Luke, Rachel positioned herself by Phillip’s side and began describing their surroundings.

“We are in the lobby which has high ceilings up to the very top of the building. There is a walkway around the second floor and you can look over the railing into the lobby. I can see people moving around up there. The floors are exquisite marble and there are huge supporting beams also in marble. Four of the largest chandeliers I have ever seen hang from the ceiling. I have no idea how they would have been lit before electricity.”

Rachel brought her gaze down to floor level and spun in a circle to ensure she wasn’t missing anything. The children stood quietly listening while she explained it all to their brother.

“There is a wide, marble staircase sweeping up to the second floor with red carpet laid down the center. The reception space is made of wood inlaid with marble. Gold framed paintings are scattered on the walls, the chairs are gold with red velvet backs and seats. It is all breathtaking.”

“Who is breathtaking?” Luke asked when he returned with their keys.

“I was describing the lobby to Phillip.” Rachel explained.

“Here I was thinking you thought I was breathtaking.” Luke laughed.

“Father, men aren’t breathtaking. Please be sensible.” Eddie slammed her small hands on her hips and glared at her father in disgust.

He gave Rachel a shocked look at his daughter’s outburst. She inclined her head to the side where the young men from the station now stood.

Luke frowned, grasped his daughter’s hand and began leading the way upstairs.

“Father, please let me go.” Eddie struggled against his hold.

Luke stopped on the steps, crouched down and peered into his daughters’ face. “Edwina, listen carefully. I will say this only once. You are too young for boys and you can drop the high and mighty attitude. Am I understood?”

Her lips quivered and tears began to well in her eyes. “Yes father.”

He released her hand, not wanting to embarrass her any more than she already was, and the family proceeded upstairs to their rooms.

Luke reached over, placed the key in the lock of room 103 and swung the door open.

He stood back while Rachel guided the younger children in first.

“We have adjoining rooms and Phillip has his own room straight across the hall.” He led his son to the room opposite. “Either your mother or I will help you. We know it’s difficult for you being in a strange place.”

“Thanks. It does feel odd not knowin’ where I am or where things are.” Phillip conceded.

Supper was taken early in the hotel dining room. Everyone was too tired for a tour of the city so it was decided to postpone it to the following day.

***

Links:

Blog:  http://susanhorsnell.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/susanhorsnell

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/susan.horsnell.3

EBooks available through Amazon Kindle, Smashwords and Kobo.

Paperbacks through Amazon book store

The General Store - Charlene Raddon

“There are more ducks killed around the stoves

on the dry goods boxes at the customary haunts

of local nimrods every evening between seven

and nine-thirty o’clock, than are slain in twenty-

four hours along the Illinois River from source to

mouth. Unless the legislature puts some restriction

on this method of wholesale slaughter, the time

will soon come when there won’t be any duck-shooting

stories to tell -- that anybody will put any confidence in.”

-- Correspondent in news notes to the Carrollton Patriot

General stores came into being during the colonial period for the many pioneers who lived outside urban markets. Early owners of general stores or mercantiles often began as traveling peddlers who established permanent locations in settlements where there was a need once they had saved up enough cash. Others moved west with the specific intent of opening a store once they got there. This was particularly true in boom towns, such as mining camps or railroad towns. Frequently, the "peddler" and his "store" would move along to the next booming community if, and when, profits declined. In many new settlements, the country store was the first business established, in which case the town often took its name from the store or store owner, partly because the store usually stood in as the local post office. The store owner might also serve as the town clerk, Justice of the Peace, or undertaker.   The country store served other roles, as well, such as community center, "exchange bank", community message center, and as a forum for men in the community. Somewhere in the premises one might find a sort of bulletin board for local events, or wanted posters. Every store was different, but there were similarities from a front decorated by tin sign advertising that represented tobacco, cigars, soft drinks, hardware, and more. Most had double doors that opened inward, and windows filled with notions, jewelry and other women's items to entice customers. For the men, displays might show tools and boots. Each visitor was met with dim light, long counters, rounded glass show cases, and side walls lined with shelves, drawers, and bins. Buggy whips, horse harnesses, lanterns, pails, ropes and more hung from the ceiling. Produce, nuts, beans, and nails were stored in bins on the floor or against a wall. Shelves contained foot stuffs, fabric and sewing notions, household items, soaps, medicines, spices, crockery and dishes, cartridges and shells, and small farm implements. Side windows were rare, adding to the darkness of the interior. The post office, if one existed, stood in a corner or at the rear of the store. Stacks of overalls, denim and khaki pants, candy jars, tobacco, and all manner of other products likely occupied the counter space, along with the cash register, and possibly a coffee mill, scales and wrapping paper, leaving barely any space for the customer to set down purchases. Somewhere inside, usually in the center of the room, a pot-bellied stove would be surrounded by chairs, a coal bucket and a spittoon. An empty nail keg might house a checkerboard. Stored along the narrow aisles would be barrels containing pickles, crackers, potatoes, candies, etc.  Since many of the customers were share-croppers and tenant farmers, one store couldn’t provide credit to all who needed it, resulting in one small town boasting several stores. In Learned, Mississippi, which never had a population of over two hundred, there are four general stores still standing, though only one is still in use. In 1896, the postal service began to offer Rural Free Delivery (RFD), cutting down on the number of trips a person had to make to the post office, and therefore the general store. The ability of residents to receive mail order catalogues by RFD also took away from the store’s profits as people would mail in their orders. Some alarmed merchants called the mail order catalogs “town killers.” Along with mail delivery to rural areas came improved government built roads, allowing people who owned cars to travel to larger cities and bypass the local mercantile. Today only a fraction of these old stores remain and these stand mostly as museums, antique shops or tourist attractions.

Charlene Raddon began her fiction career in the third grade when she announced in Show & Tell that a baby sister she never had was killed by a black widow spider. She often penned stories featuring mistreated young girls whose mother accused of crimes her sister had actually committed. Her first serious attempt at writing fiction came in 1980 when she woke up from a vivid dream that compelled her to drag out a portable typewriter and begin writing. She’s been at it ever since. An early love for romance novels and the Wild West led her to choose the historical romance genre but she also writes contemporary romance. At present, she has five books published in paperback by Kensington Books (one under the pseudonym Rachel Summers), and four eBooks published by Tirgearr Publishing. 

Charlene’s awards include: RWA Golden Heart Finalist, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award Nomination, Affair de Coeur Magazine Reader/Writer Poll for Best Historical of the Year. Her books have won or place in several contests.

Currently, Charlene is working on her next release. 

Charlene's Amazon page