A Sneak Peek Behind The Scenes of Harlequin’s Fortunes of Texas Series

Harlequin releases the paperback and e-book editions of some of its lines on different dates. Two weeks ago, I celebrated the paperback release of MADDIE FORTUNE'S PERFECT MAN. Tomorrow the e-book will finally be available, making it available in all formats everywhere. Hooray!  

This book is special to me for so many reasons. First, it’s the 30^th book I’ve written for Harlequin (and 40^th overall). I remember so clearly the days when I first became serious about writing, hoping to be published. It seemed like the impossible dream. Thirty books later, it still feels like a dream come true. I love what I do and feel so very fortunate to be living my dream.

The other reason this book is special to me is that it’s part of Harlequin’s beloved Fortunes of Texas series. It’s one of two “continuities” in the Harlequin Special Edition line. It’s my sixth time contributing to the Fortunes’ saga. Each year, there are seven books in the Fortunes series. A new one is released each month between December and June. The books, which are written by seven different authors, build on the storyline as each book is released. This requires the authors to work closely (with each other and with the editors) to make sure that we’re all on the page. Since it’s a continuity, that means all seven books must line up.  One author can’t write something that contradicts or disputes something another author has written. For example, the heroine in my book (I have book six of seven) is Maddie Fortune. Her sister is Schuyler Fortune, who was the heroine of book three (written by the fabulous Judy Duarte and released in February 2018). Judy and I were in constant contact making sure we didn’t write anything that would be out of character or otherwise detract from the other’s book. It was hard work, but it was such fun.  All of the Special Edition authors – and especially those with whom I’ve collaborated on the Fortunes of Texas -  are such smart, talented women. It’s a pleasure to work with them and be part of the Fortunes team.   

If you're looking for a fun secret crush/ rivals to lovers story, please check out my MADDIE FORTUNE'S PERFECT MAN. If you haven't read any of the other Fortunes stories, never fear, all books in the series stand alone. This would be the perfect place to jump in, and I encourage you to pick up the other books in this year’s Fortunes of Texas: The Rulebreakers series.

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While we’re at it, how about a couple of giveaways?  

I'll give away three copies of MADDIE FORTUNE'S PERFECT MAN. Enter here:

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Also, you can enter the drawing I’m having in celebration of my 30^th Harlequin. You might win a $100 Amazon gift card. Enter here:

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More Wild Deadwood Authors Reveal Their Secrets

USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors bring Deadwood’s past and present to life in this limited edition anthology benefiting rodeo athletes.

What inspired some of the wonderful stories in Wild Deadwood Tales? What little secrets do our writers have? Read on for fun answers from six of WDT's authors!

Seventeen original short stories in one exciting anthology. Proceeds from Wild Deadwood Tales go to benefit the Western Sports Foundation, which provides critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there.  For more visit the Western Sports Foundation.

Angi Morgan: Maverick Seduction

Sean Maverick is on a charity auction block until a beautiful woman from his past buys him for the night. Em Stone believed in love at first sight even if she had to lasso and knock Sean off his feet.

What was the inspiration for your story?

I was intrigued by the idea of what happened to a cowboy when he could no longer be a cowboy.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Romantic suspense & Romantic Comedy with a touch of suspense and dab of supernatural

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

speedster -- I love the idea of being able to get everything done and maybe get ahead with housework.

What's the one thing you won't leave home without?

A notebook and purple pen

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Roping

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

Jigsaw puzzles and yard work

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I was a Boy Scout Leader Trainer. I was the youngest advertising intern at the Dallas Morning News. And I sang backup for Music majors final projects in college.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

"Silverado"

Jacqui Nelson: Rescuing Raven

Raven wants to save one person. Charlie wants to save the world. Their warring nations thrust them together but duty pulled them apart—until their paths crossed again in Deadwood for a fight for love.

What was the inspiration for your story?

Appaloosa horses and the history of Deadwood and the Dakota Territory in 1876, including the gold rush, General Crook's Horsemeat March, the Battle of Slim Buttes, Al Swearengen's Cricket Saloon (that he owned before the Gem Theater) and Al's relationship with his first wife Nettie and saloon girl, Kitty Austen.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Western historical romance

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

"Dances with Wolves" and "For a Few Dollars More."

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Travel all around South Dakota, safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and live in the country with a pair of corgi dogs.

Nancy Naigle: Timing is Everything

Kendra is fine with being a bridesmaid. She hung up her wedding hopes and dreams eight years ago when her cowboy chose the rodeo over her. But when they cross paths in Deadwood, the timing just might be right for reconciliation.

What was the inspiration for your story?

A gorgeous pair of western boots--pretty enough to get married in. And who doesn't love a reunion romance?

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Small town romance and women's fiction

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Ummm...I'd rather be the announcer ;)

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

Trail riding with good friends on my Palomino named Tooter.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

It's hard to pick a favorite but I'll say Tombstone, and I love Sam Elliott in that movie. I even named a husky-voiced moustached man Virgil after his character in Tombstone in my upcoming Christmas novel, Dear Santa.

Paty Jager: Saving Dallie

When a miner tosses his daughter into the pot at a poker game and the winner is a brothel owner, Beau Gentry is determined to keep the young woman out of the man’s hands.

What was the inspiration for your story?

This s a short story connected to my Silver Dollar Saloon series. To showcase on of the main characters in my Silver Dollar Saloon series, I had to put a woman in peril and have the Beau Gentry the owner of the saloon save her. I set the story in the Gem Theater, known to be one of the worst brothels in Deadwood. The owner was mean and nasty. He lured women there with stories of how they would sing and perform and then would make them prostitutes and if they refused beat them up and threaten to kill them. My hero, Beau, is not about to let this man get his hands on the young woman Dallie.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Historical & Contemporary western romance and Murder Mystery

What's your favorite thing to snack on while writing?

My favorite thing to snack on while writing is Dove dark chocolate.

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I have driven in a Powder Puff demolition derby, skinny dipped, and have been bucked off a horse three times in my life.

Ginger Ring: Best Results

Orphaned at a young age, both Adam and River yearn to find a living relative from either of their families. After finally deciding to put down roots in Deadwood, a simple DNA test brings a result that is more than they expected.

What was the inspiration for your story?

A couple years ago my cousins found out they had siblings that they never know about. They found each other through one of those DNA sites.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense, mafia

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

I'm blind as a bat so I would love to just be able to wake up in the morning and be able to see. So great eyesight would be a cool thing to have. I once reached to pet my cat and it was a pillow. Lol

What's the one thing you won't leave home without?

My Kindle.

What's your favorite thing to snack on while writing?

Dark chocolate

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Barrel racing.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?
Reading and traveling to out of the way places.

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I'm very shy, I grew up on a dairy farm, I didn't get married until I was 40.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

I love them all Longmire, Pale Rider, Tombstone. If it's a western I watch it.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Making one of the big best selling lists, Visiting New Orleans, Getting a job I love.

Lizbeth Selvig: Gotta Have Faith

Faith “Bunny” Redmond forms an extreme plan at the Deadwood rodeo to convince a champion bull rider that women can excel at the dangerous sport. If she wins his respect, she might also win his love.

What was the inspiration for your story?

I read about a woman named Maggie Parker who is currently the only professional female bull rider on the pro circuit. I was inspired by her story and her courage even though I'd never ever have enough courage to climb on a bull! I wanted to write something fun but still inspirational so my heroine Faith was born.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

I write sexy-sweet contemporary romance.

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

I would choose teleportation. The ability to get anywhere in the blink of an eye would make my life so much easier!

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I can speak German

I hiked 200 miles across England in 16 days, and 100 miles across Scotland in 8 days.

I met the love of my life when I was 15 years old. I married him when I was barely 19 and we've beaten the odds by being together over 40 years!  

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

1. Go back to Scotland and do book research as well as hike;

2. Take my husband to Australia.

3. Take my grandchildren on an African safari

GET YOURS TODAY!

100% Profits go to the Western Sports Foundation.

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WHAT JOB WOULD YOU TAKE IN A RODEO?

Wild Deadwood Authors Reveal Their Secrets

USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors bring Deadwood’s past and present to life in this limited edition anthology benefiting rodeo athletes.

What inspired some of the wonderful stories in Wild Deadwood Tales? What little secrets do our writers have? Read on for fun answers from six of WDT's authors!

E.E. Burke: Unexpected Calamity
Calamity Jane is drawn back to Deadwood by a force more powerful than death and becomes an unexpected savior in the midst of an epidemic.

What was the inspiration for your story?

Last year, I visited the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood and saw Calamity Jane's grave right next to where Wild Bill Hickok is buried. Her last request: to be laid to rest beside him. Based on the research I did, it seems she only knew him for a week or two, and they weren't lovers. I wondered why she would come all the way back to Deadwood to die and be buried beside Wild Bill, who'd been murdered 27 years before she passed.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Western historical romance and Western contemporary romance

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

I'd love to be able to fly. So I could wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Plus, having a bird's eye view of the world would be amazing.

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Roping...hot cowboys, preferably.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

I fell in love with the AMC television series Hell On Wheels. The historical setting, the great acting, and Anson Mount were the three reasons I could not miss one single episode of this show. I was (and still am) addicted.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

The top three? Hmm. That's a tough one. Spend a week on a ranch in Montana with "real" cowboys. Visit every National Park in the United States. Live in Provence (France) for a year.

A.C. Wilson: Tricks
Pushed to choose a direction for her life, Tandi discovers that some crossroads are necessary. Surprisingly, each marker leads her to an arena of spectators with her talented horse and a handsome guy who gives her hope to do the impossible.

What was the inspiration for your story?

I have always admired trick riders and am an advocate for young people to find their own pride inside themselves.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Contemporary Western Romance

What's the one thing you won't leave home without?

My phone! I'm totally lost without it.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

McClintock with John Wayne! I could watch it over and over again.

Amanda McIntyre: Once Upon a Deadwood Dream
Past and present meld together in Deadwood when a woman who discovers true love must fight to escape a deadly twist of fate.

What was the inspiration for your story?

I was inspired when I discovered that Wild Bill had been married once to the woman who was the love of his life. They'd been married only a month when he went to Deadwood to claim his fortune in gold and secure their future together. Oddly, he wrote Agnes Lake a letter expressing his love to her should he never return to her side. Days later he was shot at No 10 saloon by the cowardly Jack McCall.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Contemporary western/historical romance

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Barrel racing

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

Time with family (especially my grandson) and friends, exploring new places, movies, music, sports, museums, and being grateful for my many blessings.

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I am not a GOT fan. I write my first draft on college-rule paper with a Black Bic pen. I am a taphophile-I love cemeteries--the older, the better!

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

Secretariat is my favorite horse movie,the heart of that horse is inspiring.

Tina Susedik: The School Marm
Having left her parents’ struggling farm, Suzanna Lindstrom dreams of a better life in Deadwood with a man who’s struck it rich in the goldfields. Fresh off the stagecoach, she meets a “disreputable” man. Or is he?

What was the inspiration for your story?

The history of Deadwood and how women help settle it.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Historical romance and romantic mysteries

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

The ability to add time to my day so I can get more writing done.

What's your favorite thing to snack on while writing?

A mixture of chocolate chips, cashews, raisens, and craisens.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Visit all the national parks in the United States, Visit as many historical sites in the US as I can, and go to the last four states my husband and I haven't visited yet.

Sylvia McDaniel: Love Across Time
Sadie Mae Miller hangs up her barrel-racing crown for a new life. But when her grandmother asks her to sleep under a wedding ring quilt, promising visions of true love, she doesn’t quite believe her. Until she falls asleep.

What was the inspiration for your story?

My grandmother was a quilter and she once gave me a wedding ring quilt and told me that when I slept under it the first night, the man I dreamed of, would be who I married. Of course it wasn't true, but I always thought it was a wonderful sentiment.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Western historical or contemporary westerns

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

Truth Seeker -- I would like to be able to tell when people were lying or telling the truth. I would watch TV and know who was lying and who was telling the truth.

What's your favorite thing to snack on while writing?

Skinny Pop

If you could excel at any rodeo sport which one would it be?

Rodeo Queen! Yes, I know it's not a sport, but it looks so cool.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Travel to Ireland, Alaska and England

Terri Osburn: After the Fall
Aspyn Fielding blames Tucker Stargill for not talking her brother out of riding bulls. When Colt is gravely injured, Aspyn hopes Tucker will finally see things her way, but she’s the one who needs a change of heart.

What was the inspiration for your story?

I watch bull riding all the time and wonder how the riders keep going with the certainty that they might not walk away from the next ride. I also have to wonder how their loved ones deal with watching them do it.

What genre(s) do you usually write?

Contemporary Romance

You've been granted a superpower for one week. What power would you choose and why?

Healing, because that seems to be what this world sorely needs right now.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

Either attending concerts or watching sports.

What's your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?

Has to be Rio Bravo. Who can resist John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson all together? Plus the fabulous Angie Dickinson.

Tell us three surprising things about yourself.

I was once a radio DJ. I was a pageant queen when I was little. I used to twirl baton.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Travel Europe, see the Great Divide, become a grandmother.

 GET YOURS TODAY!

100% Profits go to the Western Sports Foundation.

| Amazon | iBooks |  Barnes & Noble

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WHAT IS A SURPRISING THING ABOUT YOU?