#Heartreads: His Secondhand Wife

It was an honor when His Secondhand Wife received a RITA nomination from Romance Writers of America the year it was published. I was delighted with the recognition. This story went through a couple of revisions in the brainstorming and plotting process. It started out as Darlin' Katie, then A Choice of the Heart and once finished and ready for publication got its final title.

The original version suffered from too much plotting, which my wonderful editor pointed out. It was always a beauty and the beast story and a marriage of convenience, but Kate's backstory took some figuring out.

My early notes include things like:

• his sense of duty
• what can she do to show him she's valuable?
• she makes him see things in color
• "you're thinking," she says all the time
• she needs to be needed
• the step-monster is a big problem
• he'd never been this vulnerable before

As always, I had a list of 25 things that could happen.

There are three stories in this Copper Creek Brides series, though Harlequin wouldn't agree to put a series label on the books:

1. Sweet Annie
2. His Secondhand Wife
3. Almost a Bride (novella in Wed Under Western Skies)

ORDER A COPY FROM AMAZON

If you've read it, please leave a review!

Here's a link to His Secondhand Wife on Goodreads. Thank you!

DISCOVER #HEARTREADS

#HeartReads: Sweet Annie

This week's #HeartReads is Sweet Annie

Book #1 in Copper Creek Brides

Annie Sweetwater wasn't like other girls

All her life everyone she'd ever known had told her so. Except Luke Carpenter, who never let her limp blind him to seeing her as she really was: a woman grown, full of dreams, desires and hopes for a future—with him.

Luke couldn't remember a time when he hadn't loved her

To her family, she was a Dresden doll in a wheelchair. To Luke, She was his sweet Annie, a woman of surprising gifts, with a heart as open as the wide Western sky. And he'd risk anything to make her his bride.

FIVE STARS:

"...a sweet journey of love, friendship, heartache, loss and new beginnings and blessings."     - amazon reader

Discover #HeartReads: Badlands Bride

Shooting a bandit was reporter Hallie Wainwright's introduction to the Wild West, where she'd traveled with a bevy of mail-order brides. But it was the more intimate "hello" in the arms of Cooper DeWitt that sent her heart racing—and made it all the more difficult for her to tell the brawny plainsman that she wasn't the woman he'd sent for….

When she jumped from the stage, shining with true grit and spewing tall tales, Cooper DeWitt thought he just might have struck gold. Raised with the Sioux, Cooper needed a wife who could brave the frontier and corral his restless heart. The problem was, his would-be bride had no intention of marrying him.

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON OR LEAVE A REVIEW

LEAVE A REVIEW ON GOODREADS

Thank you!

Reviews help authors become more visible to new readers.

Lighting the Tree

Whether or not to have a real or artificial tree is purely up to the tree lover. There are pros and cons for each. An artificial tree has no mess and is economical. No bare spot turned to the wall. A real tree has that wonderful smell, and most often the asymmetrical shape has its own appeal. 

Today's pre-lit artificial trees cut the time of decorating considerably, but if you have a real tree, the first step is adding the lights. Choose the strand color that matches your tree so the wire will be hidden--green is most common. Illuminating your Christmas tree from the inside out will give it the most dynamic look. Start at the base of the trunk and work your way up, wrapping lights around every major branch, moving from the trunk to the tip and back.

You can never have too many lights! But if you're buying new, get the smart lights that stay lit even if one bulb goes out. There's nothing more irritating than having your tree loaded and then having a string of lights go out.

Here are four popular types of lights to choose from when decorating your Christmas tree.

Traditional incandescent lights: These Christmas tree lights, which come in a variety of sizes and colors, are the most popular type of tree lights. They warm up the branches of a real tree, which will release the scent of pine into the room.

At one time we used to decorate four trees and one was huge, with the big old-fashioned bulbs. We could feel the heat when we walked past it. I couldn't run my hair dryer when the lights were plugged in! 

LED Lights: These Christmas tree lights are newer than the traditional incandescent lights and don't produce heat. They're typically more expensive, but are flameproof and fireproof and completely safe to put on your tree.

Globe lights: These Christmas tree lights are round and come in many sizes. They look like balls of color on the tree, and while they have a softer glow than mini lights, the light they produce covers a larger area on the tree.

Bubble lights: These retro lights stand straight up on the limbs of your Christmas tree. When the liquid tube on top of the light warms up, bubbles will float up and down inside the tube. You can use these on your pre-lit tree as well for old-time appeal.

Experiment with different lighting schemes until you find one you like -- it's okay to mix and match lights. For example, a background of white or clear lights can be highlighted with strands of colored lights that wrap the outer areas of the tree.

Happy decorating!

#HeartReads: The Tenderfoot Bride

When I wrote The Tenderfoot Bride, I had no idea the effect it was going to have on readers. 

"This is absolutely one of Cheryl St.John's very best. The Tenderfoot Bride is full of so much love and pain, it really is a great book.

I couldn't put this book down. I was up all night until 8 am reading then woke up a few hours later and finished it off. This breathtaking story is definitely a keeper and will be added to my list of most favorites and re-reading list as well!"

ORDER FROM AMAZON

For Nook at Barnes & Noble

The story began on a pink 5x8 index card with character names. My first notes for Will Tucker say, 'Will doesn't connect w anyone. Without realizing it, he envies their relationships. They get quiet when he comes around. Think early Jude Devereaux heroes - think warrior. Tough, huge, gruff; claw scars from a mountain lion.' 

Early notes for Linnea: 'He's a man to be feared. She knows how to hide feelings of fear and anger., how to keep men in good humor with food; tiptoes around, blending into the surroundings.'

For each book I write, I keep notes, synopsis, GMC grid (goal, motivation, conflict) character traits and flaws, places, research, names, pictures from magazines, everything I've used in development. Even though a bare minimum of research is actually written, a writer still has to know the details--like how bread is baked in a wood-burning oven or parts of a saddle. In this binder I still have notes from my critique group.

The Story:

Secrets and lies made poor references, Linnea McConaughy knew. But her survival depended upon keeping her past hidden, especially from her employer, rancher Will Tucker. True, he'd shown her kindness, even tenderness, but could he ever accept her shameful past--and another man's baby?

Will Tucker did not like surprises, and Linnea McConaughy was not the sturdy, past-her-prime widow he'd expected to manage his household. Instead, she was a tiny slip of womanhood desperately seeking a place to belong. Yet much to his growing surprise, that place seemed to be in his home--and his heart.

 

If you've read it, please leave a review here ----> CLICK

And/or review on Goodreads ---> CLICK

While brainstorming each book, I create a list of 25 THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN. Sometimes I do it again at the halfway point. There's something about pushing through until I hit 25 that makes me think outside the box.

And last but never least, here's Will's horse.