One of my all-time favorite genres to read is historical western romance. I’ve loved so many wonderful books by Linda Lael Miller, Diana Palmer, Jodi Thomas, Sandra Brown and many others. But it seems when writing, I flip back and forth between HWR and contemporary romance. I’ve even been dabbling in a few romantic suspense stories of late. Most of the HWR books I’ve written have been series, namely the seven book Spirit Creek Series and the five book Sons of a Gun Series. Both are available on Amazon.
Several months ago, I woke up with a scene in my mind that could be the beginnings of a new historical western romance. After quickly writing the scene before I forgot the details, I continued plotting and writing. That first scene and the initial idea have been expanded to become a new 60,000-word, standalone HWR story.
When I initially began writing this book, I had no idea what the title should be. After completing the entire first draft and sending it to two of my favorite beta readers for the initial critique, I still hadn’t discovered the perfect title. However, after working on revisions and reading the manuscript several times, it occurred to me Jake’s Orphans might work. My beta readers agreed that it seemed perfect. Finally, I had a title for my new standalone story.
After completing more revisions, I forwarded the manuscript to a third beta reader for comments while doing the fun stuff… a cover! Except for one or two, all my covers have been created by the very talented Su Kopil from earthlycharms.com and once again, Su did a wonderful job. I love the cover for Jake’s Orphans! The girl on the cover is definitely Maisy, my heroine. When the manuscript was returned from the third critique partner, she offered a couple of truly great suggestions. Of course, more revisions followed in the form of two new scenes. Then off the manuscript went to my copyeditor, followed by corrections, final read through, and the usual formatting, etc.
Now, ta-da! The e-book and print version are here. With a handsome, kind-hearted hero and a fun-loving heroine, precocious children, and adorable critters, how can you not be entertained? You will definitely have a few laughs, catch yourself smiling, and perhaps shed a tear or two. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I loved writing it.
Maisy Mitchell feels out of place when unexpectedly employed on a Montana cattle ranch. She fears her handsome new employer will send her packing if he discovers her shameful past, or if she falls short in completing her ranch duties.
Jake Gibson looks forward to life returning to normal with the hired girl in charge of the housework. Until it becomes apparent Maisy knows nothing about ranching. He’s spending too much time teaching the beautiful redhead when he should be proving himself to his father. Jake reluctantly agrees to Maisy caring for the stray she picks up in town, unaware of the havoc on the horizon when his father offers a suggestion neither of them saw coming.
Could inexperience or stubbornness result in Maisy finding herself forced off the ranch? Or can Jake and Maisy resolve their differences while discovering a common purpose leading to a future together?
Here’s the Amazon link https://amzn.to/43MFY0T
Happy reading!
