Next Best Thing Challenge, Week 10

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing. 

Week 10

How this works: There are ten interview questions.  I'll answer those for Come Home to Me and then tag five more authors.  They'll each tag five more, and so on.  Here are the interview questions as applied to my book. Special thanks to Jacquie Rogers who tagged me—check out her blog to see her Next Big Thing.

 

What is the working title of your book?

The working title used to be Come Home Boy, but on the advise of one of my beta readers, I changed it to Come Home To Me. It is Book 1 in my new series – the Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series (a mouthful, I know)

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for the main character, Jake Owens, came from a song by country music artist Eric Church. The title of the song is Homeboy. It’s the story (the song, not my book) of a man asking his brother to please come back to his country roots after he runs away and gets involved with a gang in the big city.

What genre does your book fall under?

I don’t think it fits under one particular genre – it’s a historical western, a time travel, a romance…so lets just call it a historical western time travel romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have no clue. I rarely watch TV, and I don’t remember the last movie I’ve been to see. So I can’t even think of any actors who would fit the bill for my characters.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In one sentence? You’re kidding, right? OK, here goes…..

Jake Owens gets sent back in time for a second chance to turn his life around, but pioneer woman Rachel Parker might prove to be a far bigger challenge than the assignment he's been given. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It’s still a work-in-progress. So far, eight weeks. This is the second-longest it has ever taken me to write a book. I have to do a lot of research for this story. Much, much more than I had to do for my five previous books.

 What other books would you compare this story to within your        genre?

I hope it’s unique enough to not get compared to other books. I suppose any wagon train western romance, or time travel romance set in the old west might be a loose comparison. Since I started writing, I tend to read very few books that might be remotely similar to mine. That way I don’t get influenced by other stories, and can just make up my own.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

The inspiration came from, as I already mentioned, the song Homeboy by Eric Church. I also wanted to break away from the series I’ve been writing for over a year, and try something completely new and out of my comfort zone.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I’m hoping it’s unique enough in the time travel genre to interest people to give it a try. I tend to stay away from the usual time travel portals used in other books, and keep it simple and uncomplicated. 

Here are the five authors I'm tagging:

Carol Spradling

Meg Mims

Suzie Grant

Lyn Horner

Kirsten Arnold

Rules

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) ***

Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them. It’s that simple.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

1. What is the working title of your book?
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Teaser Tuesday - Come Home To Me

Sorry for not posting a teaser last week. I was busy working with my cover designer on a cover for Come Home To Me. There is a poll on my facebook page right now to pick the final cover for the book. Everyone who casts a vote (except for my beta readers who voted, and you know who you are) will be entered to win a ARC of the book. The poll will close when I announce a release date. 

Here is this weeks teaser for Come Home to Me (Book 1 in the Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series)

Squinting into the wind, Rachel wasn’t sure if the tears that rolled down her cheeks were due to the dust, or if she’d finally succumbed to homesickness. She missed the company of others, someone she could talk to, familiar faces of people she’d known all her life. Bracing against the sensation of someone crushing her chest, she mindlessly set one foot in front of the other, her worn leather shoes sinking into the loose soil. She couldn’t think about home anymore, or the friends she’d left behind.

She was the one who suggested to Thomas that they move out west so he could make a new start. She had really hoped the idea would brighten his spirits. He’d gone along with her suggestion at first, seemed almost eager at the idea, but it hadn’t taken long for his broodiness to return. She glanced up, squinting into the sun that slowly descended into the far off horizon, and envisioned the Oregon territory she’d heard so much about.  Perhaps when Thomas saw the lush green valleys of Oregon, and laid claim to the 320 acres of land that would be theirs to farm, he would finally return to the man she’d known before . . .

Loud giggles penetrated her mind, and she held her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the wind and sun. A rider on a dun horse galloped towards the line of wagons, heading directly for her. Jake Owens. Rachel’s heart fluttered in her chest. The man sat his horse as if he were one with the animal. She hadn’t seen him much over the last three days, after that first night when he ate supper at her wagon.

So, who knows their Oregon Trail history? Where was this picture taken? 

Guest Author - Kat Flannery

Today I’m very happy to have author Kat Flannery visit the blog. A fellow western romance author, she’s here to share a little bit about herself and her writing. Welcome, Kat. Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I am a wife and mother to three boys. I co-own Prairie Dog Publishing where I devote my spare time in producing anthologies with deep, heartwarming stories and donating a part of the proceeds to charities. I’ve also freelanced for seven years.

Why did you decide to write Historical Western Romance?  

I love history, especially the American and Canadian cowboy and pioneer days. What is the appeal? The happily ever after.

Yes, the HEA is a must have! How much research goes into your books, and how do you tackle that?

I do a lot of research, more so because I love to learn new things. I only use ten percent of what I actually research and store the rest away for another book, or article.

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

Best comment would be that they cannot wait for my next book. The worst was when my novel was called a wall banger.

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

Well, I do plot and plan, but not in great detail. I write pivotal points of the story I need to get to and go from there. However, half way through the novel the characters take it in a different direction.

Sounds like me and my characters.

Can you tell us a little about your current work?

I’ve recently finished a Historical Paranormal Romance.

Oh! You’ve got my attention. I love historical paranormal.

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

Oh, I have and it is so frustrating. When I get writers block, I move onto another project, an article, or short story until I can go back and finish the book. If that doesn’t work a shot of whiskey is always an option. J

Sounds like a great strategy!

Can you give us a little background on your hero, John Taylor that’s only in your author notes, and not found in your story?

He had brothers and a sister. I never used any of this information in CHASING CLOVERS. I didn’t feel that it was relevant. 

What inspired you to create this character?

I love John Taylor, he is a strong, stubborn, loving man and I had so much fun writing him. I wanted to create a three dimensional character that the reader would have a love-hate relationship with.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

I plan to write many more books that will touch my reader’s lives in some way.

Thank you, Peggy for having me visit your blog.

Thanks for stopping by, Kat! Where can we find you and your books?

Website: www.katflannery-author.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Flannery/131065966999142

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Clovers-ebook/dp/B005UFQMWA

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Chasing-Clovers?keyword=Chasing+Clovers&store=allproducts

Author Bio:

Kat Flannery has had her writing published in numerous periodicals. She's received her diploma for Creative, Freelance, and Business Writing. She is co-owner of Prairie Dog Publishing, where she devotes her spare time as head of Marketing and Communications. CHASING CLOVERS is Kat's first published novel, and she is currently hard at work on her next. When not writing, or spending time with her family, Kat's on the couch with a hot chocolate and a good book.

Book Blurb for CHASING CLOVERS.

Mail order bride, Livy Green, is desperate to escape the memories of her past. John Taylor will never love another woman again, but his children need a mother. Will they learn to trust each other, or will their pasts interfere?

Longing to escape the awful memories and the saloon she once sang in, Livy Green lies about her past so she can be a wife to John Taylor and mother to his two young children. Overwhelmed by the task, she struggles to put her resentment aside and love them as her own.

John loved his first wife and is still heartbroken over the loss, but he needs a mother for his children. When his distant and unfriendly mail order bride arrives, he begins to doubt his decision, though one glance into Livy's terrified green eyes tells him he can’t turn his back on her.

As Livy's past catches up with her and suspicious accidents begin to happen on the ranch, she is tempted to come clean and tell John the truth. But will he send her back if she does? Or will they forever be CHASING CLOVERS?

Guest Author - Alison Bruce

 Today I am pleased to welcome author Alison Bruce to the blog. 

Tell us a little about the person behind the pen. 

My mother used to compare me to Walter Mitty, James Thurber's fantasy-living hero of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I'm not sure if Mum thought that was a good or bad thing, but my rich fantasy-life provided material for my stories.

From early childhood to late teens, my sister and I used to act out adventures. To keep us from killing each other, we had to adhere to rules about causality and logical consequences. If one of us shot the other (she was always shooting me) then that person was wounded or killed. No bullet-proof characters. (Although afterlife haunting was allowed.)

Now I see my teenage daughter writing and role playing stories with her best friend and I delight in her imagination. My preteen son is a good storyteller too. I used to make up stories about Leprechauns for him. Now he tells me bedtime stories.

That's great that your kids have a wonderful imagination!

Why did you decide to write historical western romance and a near future detective story?

I grew up reading Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie, Louis L'Amour and Robert Heinlein. There were others in their respective genres, but their the ones that had the most influence on me.

Writing genre fiction comes naturally to me. It also harks back to role playing and setting up rules. Genre fiction has rules—boundaries that delineate science fiction from fantasy, mystery from thriller, western historical from historical. You can bend and blend the genres, but you have to be aware of the rules to play the game. It makes writing genre writing challenging.

You can bet that whatever I'm writing, there will be mystery, romance, humor and coffee involved.

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

I'm a research junkie. I look things up for fun.

Once I have the bare bones of a story laid out, I go to town researching and note taking. Many of my plot points come as a result of this process.

Later, when I'm writing and editing, I often stop to fact-check which sometimes leads to new plot points or at least notes for a future story.

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

I've had some great comments and some terrible ones, usually about the same thing. My plots are complex and peopled with quirky characters. If you like that, you'll like my books. If you don't, I'm not the author for you.

The best comment came from a friend of mine. He's a military SF guy and bought Under A Texas Star just because I wrote it. When he was done, he said “When I was reading it, I forgot you wrote it.”

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

Yes. I plan and I plow.

I know where my stories are going and have a basic plot worked out. With a mystery, I need to plan where and when clues and red herrings will be presented. That was less important with Under A Texas Star, but crucial with Deadly Legacy.

I don't always know how my characters are going to react to everything that I plan for them. New subplots emerge, others fall by the wayside. That's where I'm more seat-of-the-pants.

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

My heroines start off as a reflection of me at the time I started the story. They change and become their own people over time, but there are a couple of traits that we always share: sense of humor, and an ability to adapt, however reluctantly, to deal with crises. Yes, I know, not exactly unique human qualities. That's why circumstance plays a big role in bringing my heroes and heroines together.

In Under A Texas Star, would Marly Landers have caught Ranger Strachan's attention if he had caught up with his quarry in her hometown of Cherryville, Kansas? Maybe not. But he meets her on the road and she fools him into thinking she's a boy. He admires her spunk. Shared adventure gives them an opportunity to fall in love.

With Kate Garrett and Jake Carmedy in Deadly Legacy, murder is about the only thing that would have brought them together.

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

Yes and not very well. I get very frustrated when I can't work on my stories—whatever the reason. I'm a copywriter and editor and I can get blocked there too. Switching from nonfiction to fiction sometimes makes it worse. Deadlines help.

Can you give us a little background on your heroes that’s only in your author notes, and not found in your story?

There's one thing you'll find in my notes that you'll probably never find in the novels (certainly not the historical western). I've worked out the birthdays, with brief descriptions of their astrological charts, for all of my main characters. I've also given them each the Briggs-Meyers Personality Test.

Describe a favorite scene in your current novel.

You may have noticed that I have a hard time not giving equal time to my two series. It's the mother in me not wanting to play favorites. Picking a favorite scene is even worse. However, scenes I really enjoy writing tend to be ones based on personal experience—with my characters doing it better, or at least funnier than I did.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

Under A Texas Star is going to be followed by a story set in Fortuna Texas, involving the new marshal, Hugh Birke and the daughter of the new school teacher. His first view of her is when she throws up on him. Like me, Morgan Reardon suffers from motion sickness and stage coaches didn't have great suspension.

Deadly Season takes up where Deadly Legacy left off, as Kate and Jake taking their first case as partners in Carmedy and Garrett Investigations

Sounds like great books to look forward to! Thank you for being here today, Alison.  Where can we find your books?

Under A Texas Star

http://www.amazon.com/Under-a-Texas-Star-ebook/dp/B00501H6YM

Deadly Legacy

http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Carmedy-Garrett-Mystery-ebook/dp/B007TYPHYO

Alison Bruce

Website: http://www.alisonbruce.ca/

Blog: http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alisonebruce

Disguised as a boy, Marly joins a handsome Texas Ranger in the hunt for a con man and they must bring the fugitive to justice before giving up the masquerade and giving in to their passion.

When Marly Landers is fooled by con man Charlie Meese, she's determined to bring him to justice--even if it means dressing up as a boy and setting off across the plains to find him.

Texas Ranger Jase Strachan is also after Meese, for crimes committed in Texas. He joins forces with the young boy in a journey that takes them to Fortuna, where a murder interrupts their mission. Jase is duty bound to find the killer, no matter the cost.

Marly carries out her own investigation and comes to the aid of Amabelle Egan, the sister of one of the suspects. But appearances are deceiving, and Marly is mistaken for Amabelle’s suitor, making her a target for the killer. Not to mention, Charlie Meese is still out there.

Under the Texas stars, Marly and Jase are drawn together by circumstances beyond their control, yet fate plots to tear them apart. Will Marly finally get her man?

Even in the future, the past can kill you...

In 2018, rookie detective Kate Garrett lives in the shadow of her near-legendary father Joe. When Joe dies unexpectedly, he leaves Kate half interest in Garrett Investigations, his last case that ties to three murders, a partner she can't stand and a legacy to live up to.

Jake Carmedy has lost a partner, mentor and friend, but grief will come later. First, he has a case to solve, one that has detoured from a simple insurance case to a murder investigation. If that isn’t enough, Joe’s daughter seems to want to take her father’s place as his boss.

No matter how hard they try, Carmedy and Garrett can't avoid each other—and they might be next on a killer's list.

Teaser Tuesday - Come Home To Me

I'm approaching the half-way point in Come Home to Me (Book 1 in the Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series). This book has become my personal challenge, since it's the first project after the Yellowstone Series.

“Sweetheart, do you think this is the only river you’ll be crossing?” he drawled.  “When we’re hundreds of miles from nowhere, there won’t be ferries waiting for you. I’ll get the animals across.” There was a note of confidence, but not arrogance, in his voice. Rachel took a step backward. Sweetheart!  She glanced around nervously, hoping no one had heard him. She stood much too close to this man, who made her feel things just by standing in his presence. He was a dangerous man, she realized suddenly, and remembered all the rumors about him. Dangerous to her, at any rate. She’d do well to keep her distance. 

Guest Author - Cindy Nord

Today it is my great pleasure to introduce author  Cindy Nord on my blog. Her Civil War Romance   No Greater Glory,  was just released on July 31, 2012. It also happens to be her debut novel. Already, the book has created quite a buzz, and is receiving rave reviews from readers. Congratulations, Cindy! 

Cindy loves everything Victorian, and today she's here to talk about fans! As in those things you wave in front of your face. Ok, I'd better turn it over to her now, since she is much better at explaining what a fan is, and its many uses. 

1863 Punched paper with feathers and ivory slats

KEEPING ONE’S COOL…The Victorian Fan

Today, one never leaves home without their credit card…or so the commercial goes.  But in the mid-19^th century, a proper Victorian lady would never leave home without her fan.  

Black-lacquered evening fan

In fact, so prominent a role did this little “voguish accessory" play in secrecy and love that it quickly became known as "the Lady’s scepter." This exquisite, hand-crafted instrument served a much more important role than merely a practical way to move around the air.  In fact, holding one a certain way could tell a special someone an entire story. For you see, the Victorians lived and breathed by proper etiquette – and these guidelines demanded certain boundaries exist between men and women. However, love was still love, and getting a message across a crowded room to the recipient of one’s heart meant a lady must be crafty while in a throng. To do so, Victorian ladies created elaborate flirtation rituals with their intended suitor while safely ensconced behind the slats of their hand-held communicator. Full of subtlety, this oft-times objets d’art accessory was useful to hide behind or temper blushes or even allow a straying gaze or two. Whether one was at an afternoon soiree, an elegant evening ball or even the popular theatre, engaging in a full conversation could be done without even the utterance of sound.  So let’s talk the Victorian language of the fan…shall we?  

hand-beaded lace on ivory slats

"Yes" – the closed fan rests on the right cheek.

"No" – the closed fan rests on the left cheek.

"Follow me" – the closed fan placed in right hand in front of face.

"I wish to speak with you" touching a finger to the tip of the open fan.

"We will just be friends" – the fan is dropped to the floor.

"You have won my love" – the closed fan is placed near the heart.

"Kiss me" – the handle-end of the closed fan placed on the lips.

"You are cruel" – the fan opening and closing several times.

ostrich feathers on tortoiseshell slats

"Do not betray our secret" – the open fan covering the left ear.

"When may I be allowed to see you?" – the fan is held closed and touching the right eye.

"At what hour?" – the number of sticks shown answers that question.

"I am engaged" – fanning the fan quickly.

"I am married" – fanning the fan slowly.

"Do not be so indiscreet" – sharp movements with a closed fan.

1860's oriental silkscreen, handpainted

"You may kiss me" – fan placed half-opened against the lips.

"Forgive me" – hands clasped together while holding an open fan.

"Leave me alone" – placing the closed fan over the left ear.

"Wait for me" – the fan is opened wide and fluttered in the right hand.

"I love you" – the open fan covers the eyes.

"I hate you" – drawing the closed fan through the clenched fist.

"I love someone else" – twirling the closed fan in the right hand.

"Yes I’ll meet you later" – slowly shutting a fully opened fan.

"I am sorry" – the closed fan is drawn slowly across the front of the eyes.

"Goodbye" – the closed fan placed behind the head with index finger extended.

"We are being watched" – twirling the closed fan in the left hand.

silk paper on mother-of-pearl slats

"Shall we meet later?" – the fan rests in left hand in front of face.

"Come over here and talk to me" – the fan is opened wide and fluttered in the left hand.

(Language of the Victorian Fan information compiled from Reenactors Journal magazine)

Who knew that fans conveyed so much! And you may need one while reading her book!

And now, Cindy will treat us to her blurb, and an excerpt from

No Greater Glory

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Amid the carnage of war, he commandeers far more than just her home.

Widowed plantation owner Emaline McDaniels has struggled to hold on to her late husband’s dreams. Despite the responsibilities resting on her shoulders, she’ll not let anyone wrest away what’s left of her way of life—particularly a Federal officer who wants to set up his regiment’s winter encampment on her land. With a defiance born of desperation, she defends her home as though it were the child she never had…and no mother gives up her child without a fight.

Despite the brazen wisp of a woman pointing a gun at his head, Colonel Reece Cutteridge has his orders. Requisition Shapinsay—and its valuable livestock—for his regiment’s use, and pay her with Union vouchers. He never expected her fierce determination, then her concern for his wounded, to upend his heart—and possibly his career.

As the Army of the Potomac goes dormant for the winter, battle lines are drawn inside the mansion. Yet just as their clash of wills shifts to forbidden passion, the tides of war sweep Reece away. And now their most desperate battle is to survive the bloody conflict in Virginia with their lives—and their love—intact.

EXCERPT:

NO GREATER GLORY

Chapter One

October 1862
Seven miles west of Falmouth, Virginia

A bitter wind slammed through the tattered countryside, sucking warmth from the morning. Emaline McDaniels rocked back in the saddle when she heard the shout. She glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened. Across the fields of ragged tobacco, her farrier rode toward her at breakneck speed. Lines of alarm carved their way across the old man’s ebony face.

Emaline spurred her horse around to meet him. “What’s wrong?”

Tacker pointed a gnarled finger eastward. “Yankees, Miz Emaline! Coming up da road from
Falmouth!”

“Yankees?” Her heart lurched against her ribs. She’d heard of their thievery, the fires and destruction left in their wake. Teeth-gritting determination to save her home flashed through her. She leaned sideways, gripping his work-worn sleeve. “Are you sure they’re not the home guard?”

“No, ma’am. I seen ’em, dey’s blue riders, for sure. Hundreds of ’em.”

Two workers moved closer to listen to the exchange, and the farrier acknowledged them with a quick nod.

“Everyone back to the cabins,” Emaline snapped, sinking into the saddle. “And use the wagon road along the river. It’ll be safer.”

“Ain’t you comin’ with us?”

“No. Now move along quickly, all of you. And keep out of sight.” She flicked the reins and her horse headed straight across the fields toward the red-brick mansion that hugged the far edge of the horizon.

The spongy ground beneath the animal’s hooves churned into clods of flying mud. Aside from a few skirmishes nearby, the war had politely stayed east along the Old Plank Road around Fredericksburg.

Her mare crested the small hillock near the main house, and Emaline jerked back on the leather reins. Off to her far right, a column of cavalrymen numbering into the hundreds approached. The dust cloud stirred up by their horses draped in a heavy haze across the late-morning air. In numbed fascination, she stared at the pulsing line of blue-coated soldiers, a slithering serpent of destruction a quarter of a mile long.

Waves of nausea welled up from her belly.  “Oh my God…” she whispered. She dug her boot heels into the mare’s sides and the nimble sorrel sprang into another strong gallop. Praying she’d go unnoticed, Emaline leaned low, her thoughts racing faster than the horse. What do they want? Why are they here?

Her fingers curled into the coarse mane as seconds flew past. At last, she reached the back entrance of the mansion. Quickly dismounting, she smacked the beast’s sweaty flank to send it toward the stable then spun to meet the grim expression fixed upon the face of the old woman who waited for her at the bottom of the steps. “I need Benjamin’s rifle!”

“Everythin’s right dere, Miz Emaline. Right where you’d want it.” She shifted sideways and pointed to the .54 caliber Hawkins, leather cartridge box and powder flask lying across the riser like sentinels ready for battle. “Tacker told me ’bout the Yankees afore he rode out to find you.”

“Bless you, Euley.” Emaline swept up the expensive, custom-made hunting rifle her late husband treasured. The flask followed and she tumbled black crystals down the rifle’s long muzzle. A moment later, the metal rod clanked down inside the barrel to force a lead ball home.

She’d heard so many stories of the bluecoats’ cruelty. What if they came to kill us? The ramrod fell to the ground. With a display of courage she did not feel, Emaline heaved the weapon into her arms, swept past the old servant, and took the wooden steps two at a time. There was no time left for what ifs. 

“You stay out of sight now, Euley. I mean it.” The door banged shut behind Emaline as she disappeared into the house.

Each determined footfall through the mansion brought her closer and closer to the possibility of yet another change in her life. She eased open the front door and peered out across Shapinsay’s sweeping lawns. Dust clogged the air and sent another shiver skittering up her spine. She moved out onto the wide veranda, and with each step taken, her heart hammered in her chest. Five strides later, Emaline stopped at the main steps and centered herself between two massive Corinthian columns.

She squared her shoulders. She lifted her chin. She’d fought against heartbreak every day for three years since her husband’s death. She’d fought the constant fear of losing her beloved brother in battle. She fought against the effects of this foolhardy war that sent all but two of her field hands fleeing. If she could endure all that plus operate this plantation all alone to keep Benjamin’s dreams alive, then surely, this too, she could fight.

And the loaded weapon? Well, it was for her fortitude only.

She knew she couldn’t shoot them all.

“Please, don’t turn in,” she mumbled, but the supplication withered on her lips when the front of the long column halted near the fieldstone gateposts at the far end of the lane. Three cavalrymen turned toward her then approached in a steadfast, orderly fashion.

Her gaze skimmed over the first soldier holding a wooden staff, a swallow-tailed scrap of flag near its top whipping in the breeze. The diminutive silk bore an embroidered gold star surrounded by a laurel wreath, the words, US Cavalry-6^th Ohio, stitched beneath. Emaline disregarded the second cavalryman and centered her attention directly upon the officer.

The man sat his horse as if he’d been born in the saddle, his weight distributed evenly across the leather. A dark slouch hat covered sable hair that fell well beyond the collar of his coat. Epaulets graced both broad shoulders, emphasizing his commanding look. A lifetime spent in the sun and saddle added a rugged cast to his sharp, even features.

An overwhelming ache throbbed behind her eyes. What if she had to shoot him?

Or worse—what if she couldn’t?

The officer reined his horse to a stop beside the front steps. His eyes, long-lashed and as brown as a bay stallion’s, caught and held hers. Though he appeared relaxed, Emaline sensed a latent fury roiling just beneath the surface of his calm.

Her hands weakened on the rifle and she leaned forward, a hair’s breadth, unwillingly sucked into his masculinity as night sucked into day. Inhaling deeply, she hoisted the Hawkins to her shoulder, aiming it at his chest. Obviously, in command, he would receive her lone bullet should he not heed her words. “Get off my land!”

Audio cover for No Greater Glory

Cindy’s bio: A member of numerous writing groups, Cindy’s work has finaled or won countless times, including the prestigious Romance Writers of America National Golden Heart Contest. A luscious blend of history and romance, her stories meld both genres around fast-paced action and emotionally driven characters. Indeed….true love awaits you in the writings of Cindy Nord
Find out more here at Cindy's website