Ok, all done...

For the last two weeks, I have been quietly grieving the death of Robert Jordan. No, I didnt personally know him. But from reading his books and being a huge fan of his work, I felt like I did! It was just a huge shock that sucked the wind right from my sails. Ive been trying to put it all in perspective and it took some very good friends of mine to pull me from my funk, telling me they dont think he would want to see one of his fans, that he unknowingly had such a heavy influence on, to stop writing. So now, here I am. Ive picked myself up, dusted myself off and Im picking up again. Ive been picking at my "girl pirate" trilogy and now its full speed ahead, Im ready to move on.

Another thing that has been a tremendous help is working with the horses. I have come to understand why people have bonded to them and dogs so very closely. Just being around them seems to cure my ills. The other day, I had a terrible headache, went out to the barn and was grooming Lad, the stallion. He is such a love and so warm and affectionate. He kept nuzzeling and asking for scratches, pointing with his nose while I was grooming him. Before I knew it, the headache was gone and he took off at a gallop through the pasture to show how handsome he is. hehe Then theres Daycon, pure white and a true gentleman who asks for kisses, which I readily give. Even when he has green drippy lips from his moistened alfalfa pellets. hehe Then theres Tanner, another true gentleman and shy love who obeys voice commands! He is so soft and fuzzy right now. Its hard to leave his softy hair alone. : ) Scooter is my speed demon whom I loooove riding through the tree farm. Him and Lad (who my friend and trainer rides only) are best buddys and Scooter hates HATES to be behind him. He just HAS to try and pass. Its so funny because these trails are very narrow and lined thickly with trees, so he sees a wide spot and the ears go back and he trys to nose ahead. LOL... I reign him back, but its still funny to see him try it. And last, is my little girly, Passion. She loooves to be groomed like any girl would. I just hold up the brush and say "Its beauty shop time!" She buts her way in and nips poor Scooter out of the way to have her turn over and over again! Im pretty short, so if Im real quiet and Scooter is still, I get a few swipes of the brush on him before she finds me. And then its usually the feel of hot breath on my back, or she lays her chin on his back like "ah ha! I caught you!" lol Then Scooter gets a nip and it starts all over again. lol

So yes, Ive found my way to deal with loosing a favorite author and inspiration. I scoop alot of poop. It helps when your too tired to think on such matters.

Thank you Robert Jordan for the inspiration to start my own writing career.
May you shelter in the palm of the Creator’s hand, and may the last embrace of the mother welcome you home.

Autumn Windsong

Today is the release day for Autumn Windsong! Its a wonderful way to start the day. Here is the first chapter to get things started!



Chapter 1
The sound of a single shot echoed and re-echoed through the darkness of the early Alaskan morning. Alita Wickstrom bolted awake, her silky dream shattered as the connection to her soulmate severed with brutal cruelty. She blinked her sleepy eyes a couple of times before they became wide with realization as she listened for a split second to her dogs howl with frenzied fervor. Poachers on her land, and close too! Catapulting herself up, she tore back the blankets, thrust herself into jeans and yanked a wool sweater over her head. With confused trepidation, she pulled on a thick snowsuit, hat, and boots and jammed her gloves in a deep pocket. When her trembling hand was on the door, her eyes fell on the long Winchester rifle standing in the corner. She hated that gun but begrudgingly carried it for protection anyway. She tucked it under her arm and slipped an extra magazine in her pocket as she stumbled out the door, letting it slam, the comfort and safety of her little cabin behind her. She inhaled the pure stinging air, wincing when the sub-zero temperatures bit into her exposed cheeks as she ran to the kennels.
The dogs yipped and yelped with crazy anticipation from the unexpected sound, and on its heels, the excitement of seeing Alita appear so abruptly. They bounded and banged against their kennels on their hind legs, sensing her shaken demeanor and eager to be with her. She laid the gun in the basket of the long wooden sled as she prepared the leads for the dogs. The full Blood Moon lit her way in pale, wan light, as she unlatched the first kennel and took Jezebel out. Jezebel quieted and licked Alita’s hand with a contrasting warm tongue. Alita gave her noble head a soft pat. One by one Alita pulled them out, slipped leather booties on their paws and harnessed them to the towline. The chore was an easy one that came from a lot of experience of harnessing in the darkness, and the dogs
obediently remained in their positions behind the leaders, Jezebel and Jack, trembling with restrained excitement.
“Line out!” Alita called to Jezebel and Jack; they stepped forward and took up the slack on the towline as she added each dog to its position in line until all eight dogs were in position. She shoved her frozen hands into her gloves and jumped onto the runners, barely catching them as the sled moved forward.
“Mush!” A turmoil of excitement streaked through her body with every hammer of her heart; adrenaline both warmed and sparked her mind as a thousand scenarios of “what ifs” played through her imagination. It angered her that people would be killing animals on her land, especially without permission. It was something else that nagged at her, though, the fear of the unknown and the feeling of something gone wrong, that forced her to put herself into jeopardy. That coiling gut feeling of instinct gave her the charge to ignore her own physical discomforts and follow the invisible line that drew her forward.
The sled bolted forward, hissing on runners, over the vast sparkling white meadow. The dogs plunged and bound over the fresh powder, yelping as they went along. The well-traveled course led to the forest’s edge where the darkness swallowed them in. The dogs knew the trail well and traveled it with ease. She had little to no fear with them; her pack was her loyal protectors. They quieted as the sharp jump of energy began to mellow. Panting dogs and the swish of her runners in the snow were the only sounds. Even the wintering birds and animals lent to the quiet, though it wasn’t yet winter. The morning’s occurrence had left all the creatures frightened and wary of any intruder in their world.
Through the lacing canopy of naked branches, pink blushed the dark periwinkle skyline, marking the beginning of the new day. The nervous twist in her belly goaded her forward, past where she usually turned back. She looked for a fallen animal, hoping it wasn’t what her gut told her it was. It was then she spotted a familiar shadow, and her heart sank. The long stretched shadow of a deer’s face, a large rack of antlers, the lean shape of a large buck, tangled in the brush.
Alita gave the quiet command to stop them. “Whoa…” Her heart pounded as she sprang from the sled and stumbled through the deep powder before the dogs stopped. There, on the other side of the fallen branches, lay the downed form. With guarded caution, she stepped closer. Her heart pounded fiercely, in fear for the beloved buck of her dreams. But it was not the shadow of a deer; instead, it was a large and unexpected beautiful creature lying motionless in her forest. It was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, caught in the brambles and unconscious.
She felt the tension of a familiar connection grip her, as it often had in the web of her dreams, and she knew in her heart it was him. “No!” Alita gasped and plunged through the loose snow to find him, plowing through the dried and brittle brambles to where he lay. Ripping off her gloves, she pushed them into her pockets and fell to her knees. Cradling his face in her hands, she was relieved when a deep groan erupted from his chest. His skin felt warm; she breathed a sigh of relief. He was alive. Her eyes went to the contrasting tufts of white down wafting from a small hole on his shoulder. Her bare fingers found a small patch of slippery wetness; holding them up, she saw the darkened blood on her fingers and staining the feathers and shoulder of his coat. Then her eyes went to the dark embroidered badge that identified him as an Alaskan game warden. Pushing down the rising panic, she unzipped the zipper a small length with trembling fingers and looked beneath. The filtered light was too dim to see anything against the black shirt, but a dark, wet stain was spreading through the stiff uniform fabric.
“Can you hear me?” She spoke in an unsteady soft voice by his ear.
“Yes.” He groaned again.
“Can you tell me what happened?” She fought to keep her voice strong.
“No.” He groaned again.
She placed her arm under his head. “I need your help, I can’t lift you alone and you can’t stay here. Come on, I need you to sit up.” She wrapped her arm around his broad back as he moved to sit up. “That’s it, now stand and lean on me. My sled is just over there. I have a nice warm cabin not too far away with a nice warm bed and a fire.” She knew she
was encouraging herself as well as this stranger. She did her best to balance him on her small frame as he leaned heavily on her when he stood. With slow steps, they staggered their way to the sled as the stranger gasped in pain with each step.
“I’m sorry, I really hate to move you without getting help for you first, but it’s the best I can do right now. Better to be safe than sorry.” When they made it to the sled, he slid from her grasp into the basket of the sled and was still. Alita tucked his dangling legs in the best she could, then hurried to cover him with the blanket she always kept there. Her pack stood watching the trees, ears pricked forward. Their hair stood on end as a warning growl rumbled low in their throats. Alita’s eyes darted around, scanning for any immediate danger. She felt it around her, pressing in like an ominous cloud of doom. She hurried faster, getting the game warden secured in the basket. Finally done, she pulled her gloves back on and jumped on the sled, glad for the first time that she had the old Winchester with her.
“Come! Gee!” The command had the dogs turning around and bolting to the light edge of the forest and into the sparkling snow again.
“Mush! Come on, guys! Let’s go!” She felt the little hairs on the back of her neck prickle as the dogs growled while they ran. The edge of light came into view, prodding the dogs to move faster. They lunged to the edge and the forest spat them into the welcome brightness of the meadow. They strained against the unaccustomed extra weight in the loose powder, but home was in their sights, along with their warm kennels and food. The level clearing was faster going and they reached the cabin in record time as the dogs followed their own tracks home. As soon as the sled stopped next to the kennels, they threw themselves onto the snow with tongues lolling.
Alita jumped from the runners and went to the ranger again. He was lying too still and much too quiet. No sounds came from him now as she hovered over him, listening, searching for any signs of life still left in him. She rubbed his legs, fearful hypothermia would set in faster than she could help him.
“Come on. Wake up!” A groan rewarded her efforts.
“That’s it, come on!” She reached for the hand of his uninjured arm and pulled on him until he responded by sitting up slowly. He began to pitch forward in a somersault. Alita leaned all of her weight against him, catching his scent. For a split second, while she balanced him, she recognized his scent, for it had teased her in so many dreams. Struggling hard, she managed to prop him against her and pull him up to standing. They stumbled forward to the cabin and burst inside. There was only a second for Alita to consider where to put him—in her bed.

Autumn Windsong Release!

My first book out with the Wild Rose Press is going to be released as a Miniature Faery Rose on September 19th! Yea! Im so excited!

Autumn Windsong Blurb:

Alita Wickstrom lives alone in the Alaskan Outback. Her dreams are haunted by the spirit of a large Buck, who visits her nightly in her dreams. His appearance shifts from deer to man as he loves her. She knows this kindred spirit is her soul mate and invisible ties will bring them together when the time is right. She waits, and one fateful night, a shot is fired severing the tie and jolting her awake. She follows her heart and intuition; she readies her dog team and makes her way into sub zero temperatures, letting her trusted canine companions take her to where the shot was fired. She finds an exquisite man. But is he her destiny?

Autumn Windsong Cover!

Autumn Windsong Blurb:

Alita Wickstrom lives alone in the Alaskan Outback. Her dreams are haunted by the spirit of a large Buck, who visits her nightly in her dreams. His appearance shifts from deer to man as he loves her. She knows this kindred spirit is her soul mate and invisible ties will bring them together when the time is right. She waits, and one fateful night, a shot is fired severing the tie and jolting her awake. She follows her heart and intuition; she readies her dog team and makes her way into sub zero temperatures, letting her trusted canine companions take her to where the shot was fired. She finds an exquisite man. But is he her destiny?


Release date coming soon!
Gorgeous Cover, isnt it??

Finished Gatekeepers of the Mists!

I finally finished the edits on Gatekeepers of the Mists last night! Im so happy I could pop! This book is 89,000 words and was the very first thing Ive ever written. Of course it was a disaster, but when Liquid Silver Books saw it, they liked my voice and gave me a chance. They showed me what was in need of fixing instead of rejecting outright like everyone else did (without offering a contract because they are very nice people!). I rewrote it as an erotic and fixed it. But it just didnt feel right after all of that, so I rewrote it again as a traditional romance and will be giving it to my editor at The Wild Rose Press. Ive written this book 3 times and I still love it. Matter of a fact, Ive decided to expand it into a 7 book series, one book to tell each priestesses story. I think it will be fun using the world I have created. I didnt get to use it very much in Gatekeepers as its a split between the mundane world (in the first half) and the fantasy world (in the second half). Its definately not a time travel, its a dimensional travel.

Anyway, Im just excited and so happy to be finished with it and now I have a few other voices in my head that need addressing.
Im in the middle of writing my Sea Sirens Trilogy. The first book, Violet, Queen Pirate is a little over half finished. Anne's Atonement is in the works along with Carries Confession. They are destined for Liquid Silver! Yea!

Super Sexy Sunday

I hope you had wonderful weekends!

I got my first riding lesson yesterday and it was worth the wait. My trainer doesnt believe in mincing words or ideas. She has you help hands on all the way. Awesome. So I got to ride Scooter (yea!). He is a 7 year old gentleman who is 15.1 hands. I cannot see over his back, but I can reach up to brush him. She rode Lad, who is her stallion and equally a gentleman of 15.3 hands and 17 years old. He is the best behaved stud Ive ever seen and been around. He throws out every theory of these mean, unpredictable stallions that attack if you get in thier pens. Matter of fact, I kept wondering if he was a giant puppy! Everywhere we went, he had to stop and smell the 'road apples' and proceed to cover them. lol It was pretty funny. Whenever we came across other riders, he would puff up and start huffing and puffing because he was interested in all of them. We went to this very popular place everyone calls 'the tree farm'. The horses know this place well and they were on fire to get at the trails. Lad wouldnt even let Lee Ann on! He just wanted to go! She had me on a lead for most of the time to be sure we stayed connected, because Scooter and Lad are best friends in the sense that they are like competitive brothers. Scooter was determined to be the leader and wanted to pass every chance he got. He would sneak up and start pushing on these paths that are only about 2 feet wide at the widest point (we had to wear leather shin guards to protect our legs)! He would get up to Lads neck and his ears would go flat because he wanted to win. Id reign him in and Lee Ann would laugh because they are just so competitive. When we got to the road is when it really started. So, I got up to advanced lessons and Lee Ann said she was so surprised and happy. She said I have a great center balance and Cantered perfectly. It will get better once I get more experience under my belt.

When we got back to the car park, we took off the saddles and let them roll in the dirt and catch their breaths before loading them up again. Scooter was so lovey, he would give me kisses and lean his head on me to be scratched and loved. Him and Lad were very sweet and Lad would kiss him then he bit Scooters hind end! He was even gentle doing that. It was a love nip. Needless to say, Im hooked!



Anyway... That was my day yesterday. Weve been down with the weather changing crud other then that!