Do you wonder why authors choose a particular location for their books?
Peggy loves Yellowstone National Park and used its beauty before it became a
national treasure as a background for her wonderful stories. As a Texan, I
enjoy setting my books and novellas in my state. Texas is a big state, though,
with diverse landscapes.
How do I choose?
First, I write about locales I enjoy visiting. That’s what happened
several years ago when my husband and I learned of the open house at an
historic ranch about forty miles from our home. We visited the Belding-Gibson
Ranch in Palo Pinto County. Part of this ranch was taken in by the formation of
Possum Kingdom Lake, known locally as PK. The occasion of the open house was to
announce the release of Barbara Belding Gibson’s book about the ranch, PAINTED
POLE: The Beldings and Their Ranches in Palo Pinto County – Pioneer Days to
Computer Age by Sunbelt Eakin Press.
I had used this lake for a modern story, OUT OF THE BLUE, featuring a
heroine who travels from the past to help a modern police detective solve
several murders. This was my first visit
to this ranch. The Belding-Gibson Ranch started in 1859 with a 12 by 12 cedar
log cabin. Fortunately, the Gibsons who
own what remains of the ranch have preserved the cabin, the smokehouse, and as
much of the original homestead as possible. The ranch is beautiful with huge
live oaks dotting the pastures and offering shade for cattle.
The old cabin now is a bathroom in the Gibson’s home. Hard to visualize
a family living in a room that size, and at first only the Belding forefather
lived there. The smokehouse is now a storage room/pantry. A cold room, actually
a furrow filled with running water, kept milk cool. Now it’s a part of a
hallway leading to a family room. I so appreciate people like the Beldings and
Gibsons who value their heritage and preserve it.
The area was inhabited by cedar cutters and hunters in 1854—and Comanche
and Kiowa. People from Colorado might laugh at the Palo Pinto Mountains and say
they look like big hills. Geographically, they are genuine mountains covered in
live oak, scrub oak, cedar, and other native trees such as elm hackberry, and
cottonwood. The scrub oaks turn lovely colors in the fall, which is why the
Native Americans named them palo pinto,
or painted stick or post.
No, they’re not as pretty as Vermont’s fall colors, but give us a break.
They are beautiful in their own rite. Cedars and live oaks retain their dark
green foliage among the fall hues of the scrub oaks. My favorite time to drive
through this area is spring when trees and grass are green and wildflowers
abound.
Live oaks are a species of oak, not an oak this is living. Of course it
is living, but the tree gets its name because while it is deciduous, it bears
thick clusters of dark green leaves year round. I used that feature to help the
heroine of HIGH STAKES BRIDE, Men of Stone Mountain book 2, escape capture.
Which brings me a chance to segue to my book BLUEBONNET BRIDE, Men of Stone
Mountain, book 3.
The three Stone brothers have settled in the Palo Pinto Mountains to
raise cattle. In book one, BRAZOS BRIDE, they face a drought and a heroine
someone wants dead. By book three, the first two brothers have married and only
Joel Stone, eldest, is single. He’s sheriff of the fictional town of Radford
Springs, and an excellent lawman. While his brothers each have ranches of thousands
of acres, Joel’s smaller ranch is managed by a foreman. I love setting a series
of books in this locale, and I’m sure it will pop up again with spin off
characters from the Men of Stone Mountain series.
BLUEBONNET BRIDE is Joel’s story, and he finally meets the woman for
him. Too bad she isn’t receptive to his attention. Joel is not a man to give up
easily, but he doesn’t know the terrible secret Rosalyn hides.
Here’s a blurb:
He’s a by-the-book Texas sheriff; she’s on the run from a murder
conviction...
When a tornado provides Rosalyn with the opportunity to escape the
gallows, she collects her daughter Lucy and flees. They travel far enough West
that Rosalyn believes she’s gone to the ends of the earth. She hopes she and
Lucy will be safe in this remote North Texas town where she embarks on a new
life as a dressmaker. If only she could avoid contact with people, especially
the handsome sheriff who pops up every time she turns around. She fears either
she or her chatterbox daughter may slip and reveal too much.
Joel Stone has been content with his life, even if it’s not the one he’d
dreamed. His younger brothers are married and living nearby, his aunts have
moved to Radford Springs, and he is respected for the efficient job he does as
sheriff. When he meets the new widow in town, his instant attraction staggers
him. She appears uninterested, but he is determined to win her hand in
marriage.
But life doesn’t turn out the way either Rosalyn or Joel plan. They
overcome temporary obstacles, but what of the secret she protects? Can he save
her from the gallows?
Does that tempt you? BLUEBONNET BRIDE is my favorite cover so far. My
friend Nelda Liles in Frisco, Texas gave me several of her excellent bluebonnet
photos taken at the annual Ennis, Texas “Bluebonnet Trail.” I found the photo representing Rosalyn on
iStock. I hope you find this cover irresistible. My sweet husband combined them
and completed the cover.
Here’s an excerpt from BLUEBONNET BRIDE where Joel has just hung a swing
for Rosalyn’s daughter Lucy:
Lucy did as he
asked. He thought he could shinny down the rope so he wrapped his legs and
hands around it. He would have been all right if Mrs. Dumas hadn’t chosen that
moment to come outside. She shaded her eyes with her hand, but the sunlight hit
her hair and turned it molten golden red.
He stared at her
and lost his concentration. His legs drooped and his fingers tired of
supporting him. He dropped to the ground in a tumble. The fall knocked the
breath from his lungs and he lay there amid twigs and leaves. He blinked and
tried to focus through watery eyes.
Mrs. Dumas knelt
beside him. “Oh my word. Sheriff Stone, are you all right? Is anything broken?”
He sat up and
conked his head on the swing seat. He rubbed the spot and grinned. “Not my most
glorious moment, but I’ll survive.” He stood, wincing at the pain in his back
where he’d hit the broken limb.
“Please let me help
you inside. Lucy, get his coat and hat.”
Going anywhere with
her sounded good. She took his arm and led him into the kitchen. He didn’t feel
at all guilty throwing a limp into his walk.
“Sit at the table
and tell me where you’re injured.”
“I’m fine, ma’am.
Just need to sit a while and clear my head.” He remembered this kitchen from
when the Brown family lived here. Already she’d begun changing the appearance
by moving furniture around. The table was much nicer where diners could look at
the back yard while eating.
She pumped water
into a glass and set it in front of him. “What were you thinking? You could
have broken your neck.”
“I realize that
now. At the time, it seemed an easy enough task.” He downed the water then
smiled at Lucy. “I had a good helper.”
Lucy giggled.
“Giant sheriffs can fall after all.”
“Apparently so. The
swing’s strong enough for you, though.”
“Mommy, may I go swing
now?”
“Just be careful of
that broken limb until we can clear it away.”
“I’d better do
that.” He started to rise.
She pushed him back
onto his seat. “You sit right there until I’m sure you’re all right. Does your
head hurt? How’s your vision? Do you see double?” She tilted his head so their
gazes met.
“My vision is fine,
ma’am, and I sure am glad. You have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
She jerked her hand
back so fast you’d think she’d been burned. He savored the warmth where her
fingers had touched his jaw.
“Humph. Apparently
there’s nothing wrong with you, sheriff.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “At
least no damage from your fall.”
“I’ll just move
that branch out of Lucy’s way and then get back to my business.” He stood and
bent to grab his coat from where Lucy had dropped it.
She grabbed his
arm. “Wait. There’s blood seeping through your clothes. Sit down and take off
your shirt.”
He froze and
considered following her request before sanity gained a toehold. “Nothing I’d
like better, Mrs. Dumas, than having you tend my cuts and scrapes. Seeing as
how you’re a widow on your own, I reckon I’d better get on to Doc Ross’s and
let him see if there’s a problem. This is a small town, and I sure would hate
if anything I did caused gossip to smirch your good name.”
Her expression
softened. “Thank you, sheriff. I appreciate that more than I can say. I’m
pleased you’re truly a gentleman.”
Joel pulled on his
coat and left. He kicked himself all the way to the doctor’s office.
The print and e-book version are available
from Amazon at
Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling author of historical and
contemporary western romances whose books have garnered numerous awards. Her
most recent novel, BLUEBONNET BRIDE, is a poignant tale of tender redemption. A
frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on
characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.
Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with
their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for
writing, Caroline enjoys reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and
getting together with friends. Find her
on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
Thanks
to Peggy for having me as her guest today. And thank you, readers, for stopping
by.
