Join the Fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Welcome to the

Cowboys & Christmas

Blog Tour!

A kickoff of two new holiday romances by Shanna Hatfield

and a fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Meet the Women of Hardman Holidays

Our interview today is with three characters from Shanna Hatfield’s historical holiday series, Hardman Holidays. Set in the western town of Hardman, Oregon, this series of sweet romances highlights determined women and the men who fall for them.

Filly, Ginny, and Alex join us today to talk about life in Hardman in the 1890s.

Welcome to you three lovely ladies. Tell us a little about how you each came to be in Hardman.

Filly: I grew up in Hardman, although most people thought I left when I was fourteen, because my father imprisoned me on our farm for the next thirteen years. Thanks to Luke, my husband, I got a second chance at life here in the community.

Ginny: Filly’s husband is also my brother and only sibling. Our parents brought us to Hardman when we were quite young. Luke loved it here, but my mother preferred our home in New York City. We returned there when I was fifteen. It broke my heart to leave.

Filly: (Grins at Ginny) That’s because you were daffy over Blake Stratton.

Alex: (Giggles) It appears the feeling was mutual since they’re married.

Ginny: (Huffs indignantly) It just took a while to admit our feelings. Anyway, I’m back in Hardman now and wouldn’t want to live any place else.

Alex: I had plans to pass through town on my way to California, but my wagon broke down a few miles north of Hardman.

Ginny: And a very handsome man came to her rescue.

Alex: I didn’t need rescued, although I concede Arlan is very handsome. And kind. And wonderful…

What does a typical day entail for each of you?

Filly: Luke and I live in the house his parents built on the edge of town when they first moved to Hardman. Our day begins early. I know I’m spoiled to live in a house with indoor plumbing and every modern convenience, but it requires diligent effort to keep up with everything. I spend a good part of my time cooking and cleaning.

Ginny: Don’t forget about hogging time with your baby. I’ve never seen two parents as piggy with their offspring as Luke and Filly.

Filly: (Laughs) I can’t help it if I rather cuddle her than clean up after your brother.

Alex: Maura is a sweetheart. I wouldn’t get anything done but hold her all day if that was an option.

Ginny: (Smiles coyly at Alex) Speaking of sweethearts, I saw Arlan walking you home from Granger House in the moonlight the other day. You two lovebirds didn’t seem aware of anyone else.

Alex: (Glares at Ginny) I believe we need to stick to the topic at hand.

Ginny: Fine. A typical day for me is avoiding Blake’s horses since they scare me, watching him carve wood in his workshop, or heading into town to write an article for the newspaper. I also like to draw and paint.

Alex: Ginny’s incredibly talented with her sketches. She’s even done a few for my students. Although I’m a prestidigitator by trade, I took a job as the schoolteacher to pay for the repairs to my broken wagon.

What’s one thing people might not know about you?

Ginny: I’m a terrible cook and don’t have plans to change. I’d much rather paint or write or watch Blake.

Filly: (Rolls her eyes) And they somehow find their way to our table several times a week.

Ginny: A girl has to eat and you always make extra, when she can tear herself away from Maura or isn’t off gallivanting somewhere on her horse.

Filly: I love to ride horses. I wanted to run away and join a Wild West show as a young girl. Although I can still do a few tricks, Luke curtailed that particular activity when we found out I was expecting Maura.

Alex: Even though I’m a magician, I still like to watch other people perform illusions. Just last night, Blake and Luke made an entire pie disappear right before our eyes.

(The girls all laugh.)

What’s the most exciting thing going on in your town this Christmas?

(Filly and Ginny both look at Alex)

Filly: Alex and her magic wagon.

Ginny: Definitely Alex. She lives up to her title of Alex the Amazing.

Alex: (Blushes slightly) I’d say the most exciting thing happening in town is the Christmas Carnival. The children can hardly wait for it to arrive.

Thank you for joining us. Any parting words for our readers?

Alex: If you enjoy sweet holiday romances set in the past, I hope you’ll consider reading our stories in The Christmas Bargain, The Christmas Token, and The Christmas Calamity.

The Christmas Bargain

The Christmas Token

The Christmas Calamity

Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund®

Now through Dec. 24, Shanna will donate 10 percent of the net proceeds from all her book sales to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period.

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party Thursday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more! Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasparty

The third book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series releases that day! The Christmas Calamity takes readers back to Hardman just in time for the holiday season. Preorders are available now for just $1.99 on Kindle. You can reserve your copy here: http://amzn.com/B00OGOO994

In addition, the first book in the Hardman Holidays series, The Christmas Bargain, will be available free that day, as well!

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, autographed books, chocolates, original western artwork, and more fun goodies, fill out this form.

http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes

About Shanna Hatfield

A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

She is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America.

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:

Commenting on Comments~Part 1

I enjoyed all the comments that came from the blog. ”Writing – What is Easy, What is Hard.”

Mary Harwell Sayler, doyenne of Christian Poets and Writers asked writers to tell her what they find easy about writing and what they find difficult.

My bottom line answer was that I found blogs easy, but isolated spots in my novels are as hard to write as good pie crust is to make.

I mentioned that I could hardly wait to get my new iPhone so that I’d always have a camera with me. It seems I often come home from somewhere and want to write a blog about it, but because I don’t make an effort to take my digital camera, I have to scrounge to get something together.

SCOTT’S COMMENT:

Great idea! I have a good smart phone, and occasionally use it as a camera.

JESS SAID

That new phone needs to come home today. Since your birthday was recent, I think a gift of that phone for you and your stories for us would be a great way to celebrate.

Our guru and his wife (our daughter) brought pizza and our new phones last week. We had a big phone party and enjoyed ourselves very much. I learned a lot, and know I have a whole lot more to know. I can take pictures with it, but still have a few difficulties to overcome such as getting the pictures anywhere except my phone so I can put them in my blogs.

I understand you can email them, but I turned on the email and the inbox got flooded with old messages I already had on my computer and it turned me off. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy emails, but since I spend most of my time at home, I don’t need a mailbox full of letters I’ve already answered, stored, deleted, or junked.

There’s something about a full box of emails that disturbs me like dirty dishes in the sink or a meowing cat that needs to be fed. I try to keep the emails washed, ironed, folded and put away so I don’t have laundry lying around. I won’t say dirty laundry, because it’s not that. I could work through it all in a doctor’s waiting room, but in order to keep up, I’d have to go to the doctor a lot more often.

That’s about all I have to say about the new phone, except this, I haven’t learned to take my fingers off the buttons so I got a whole filmstrip of the shadows on the trail – all alike as far as I could tell. It’s pretty cute if I do say so, but I don’t know how to show it to you – yet! My new phone has a stabilizer so the days of tremulous vibrations are over. Thank the Lord for that!

I loved the rest of what Scott said: I also find myself inspired by things I see when biking or walking, or even on the bus: people, nature, situations. If I could find a quiet spot and few minutes, I could quickly use my electronics to publish a fast blog post.

I got clear pictures and the flavor of his activities. I could imagine him on a rock next to a lake, or at a coffee shop writing away on a blog and having the pictures and everything he needed to send it all off right then. I’ve never thought of it like that before. He’s going to be one of my role models, and one of these days maybe I’ll be able to do something like that too. Until then, I may have to ask Rebekah Lyn to help with the pictures for this blog. Next weekend, we’re going to be sitting outside an Independent bookstore signing our novels as people purchase them. We might get a minute between signing books to work on getting the pictures from the cell phone onto this blog, at that time. Meanwhile, here’s one about the festival we’re attending.

A few minutes after I wrote that, Rebekah Lyn called and asked if she could come over. She helped with the email, but she got tired of deleting them too, so I’ll have to do it a bit at a time. It’s worth it to be able to use the pictures. So I didn’t have to wait until Saturday to get my selfie uploaded for you. Ain’t I cute? Ha. But seriously I am very impressed with the lack of blurring from shakiness! We paid extra for it on the 5s, but it comes with the 6 and Rebekah Lyn is pretty sure her IPad has it too. That’s one of the greatest advances in photography, but they’re all great, aren’t they?

I just added the word selfies to my dictionary.

The Magic of Falling Leaves

There is something enchanting, magical even, about falling leaves. They don’t just flutter to the ground, they dance and whirl, as if enjoying their freedom. Even when they land they aren’t content to lie still, they take flight again in a gust of wind or in the wake of a speeding car. I could watch this ballet for hours, except you never know where the next show will be.

I recently spent a weekend chasing fall around Western North Carolina and while the colors weren’t as vibrant as what I’ve seen in the past, there was a different beauty to the landscape. Perhaps spending my whole life in Florida with little to no fall color that made this trip so spellbinding; maybe it was the much needed reprieve from the stifling heat; or maybe it was taking the time to see the world from a different perspective.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As I watch my photos from this trip slip through the screensaver on my computer, I’m struck by the thought that fall is a chance for God to show us what a master artist He is. There is the side of a mountain with red, yellow, and orange spattered among the deep green of the pines and spruce. There are the fallen leaves, some brown, some still golden, that found a resting place on a moss covered rock in the rushing rapids of a clear stream. In the front yard, red and pink roses are still blooming in front of trees that are changing color daily.

Back in Florida, I can immerse myself in the photos and videos from this trip and find inspiration. There is so much beauty in the world, sometimes we just have to take time to change our perspective.

Writing~What is Easy What is Hard

Mary Harwell Sayler, doyenne of Christian Poets and Writers has asked writers to tell her what we find easiest about writing and what is hardest for us. I’ve been thinking the questions over and I’d like to tell her these things.

Blogs are easy for me, though I’m sure she’s not asking what genres we like or don’t like. But I’ll tell you why I find blogs such a pleasure to write. Like journaling they let me re-live good experiences twice. Take the blogs I wrote today: one was about going to see the “Gone With The Wind Exhibit” in Orlando on my birthday and one was about a fall Saturday when I got a lot out of ordinary things. Both of these will be on www.oldthingsrnew.com on a Monday at some point.

I’m going to get a new phone one of these day with a really good camera because I’ve discovered that whether I go out for a meal, take a walk, or finish a piece of artwork, it’s probably going to flow from my brain and heart in a blog and I’m going to want pictures. Quite likely if I don’t take notes, I’ll wish I had those too. All my senses are keener when I know I’ll want to write about the experience, and I’m convinced I enjoy things twice as much. While things are happening my brain is recording. I see a string of third graders riding bikes on the trail and ask their leaders what’s going on as they pass. I count the children – eighteen. When I got to a neighborhood yard sale, I want to tell who I saw, what I bought, and the reasons for everything. Once I got overly nosy like a real reporter, and got “thrown out” of a big library. I wanted to know about all the homeless people I saw hanging about. I thought it was great that they had a splendid place to be in the daytime. The woman at whose desk I sat to ask my questions apparently thought I was there to make trouble. I can’t talk about that she said primly and clamped her mouth shut. I said, “Oh, okay,” and left. Now, I’m more interested than ever, of course, but I won’t pursue it as a real reporter might.

Memoir, blogs, experiences, descriptions are the easiest things for me, the hardest task comes when I’m writing a novel and must come up with a new scene. What happens next? Then my imagination groans and labors like an old furnace starting up after a halcyon summer off.

Everything we do has hard and easy parts to it, we do it anyway, especially if we are called to it and have found that we love it. So that’s my answer for Mary Harwell Sayler’s question. I’m glad I was inspired to think it through. Thanks, Mary.