One Shingle to Hang by DeAnn Smallwood - Spotlight and Giveaway

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Everyone knew Lil Wentfield would never marry. What man would want her? Granted she was a real beauty.

A woman with too much knowledge was at risk for insanity. Their fragile mind couldn’t handle it. That’s what Lil had been told when she went against convention and became an attorney. The 1800’s had fewer women lawyers than women doctors. Her pride knew no bounds when she hung her shingle—L.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.

Drew was a struggling cattle rancher, building a fledging Hereford empire. He was working toward that goal when he was accused of rustling and faced possible hanging. He needed a lawyer—a good one—a man. Chesterfield had one lawyer—a new one—L.M. Wentfield. He wasn’t prepared for a beautiful blonde with a sharp tongue and fiercely won independence.

Lil had no homemaking abilities. Her love was the law. And if the thoughts of the gray-eyed cowboy, who had the audacity to refuse her legal help stayed in her mind, she’d push them aside. She had nothing to offer a rancher . Even her wealth wouldn’t be considered an asset to a prideful man. And Drew Jackson was proud. So proud, he knew he couldn’t ask a woman of Lil’s stature to share his life—but he wanted to—from the moment he’d stolen that first kiss.

Enjoy an excerpt:

A loud knock broke into her thoughts. “Come in,” she called out.

Nothing happened, then another knock. “Please, come in,” she called again.

Getting no response, Lil came around her desk and, with some irritation at the interruption, jerked open the door, nearly toppling the tall man who held the doorknob on the other side. He muttered something under his breath, and tried to regain his balance only to bump into Lil, throwing her off stride. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if not for the man’s quick reaction. He grabbed Lil and, wrapping both arms around, pulled her to him. Then, in a parody of the two-step, he danced her to safety.

Lil felt herself falling, then rescued by two strong arms. Not only was she pulled up short, but she was wrapped tightly against a rock hard chest, her nose buried in the man’s damp shirt. A very pleasant smell greeted her nose. The scent of summer rain and witch hazel. She found the masculine odor intoxicating.

Neither moved. Then Lil raised her head and looked into a pair of dancing gray eyes. His arms never relaxed their grip; in fact, they seemed to tighten around her as his mouth twitched, then broke into a smile.

“Didn’t expect to end up with a beautiful woman in my arms. For a moment there, I expected to land on the rug, Ma’am. With you alongside me,” he added with a chuckle.

He loosened his grip and gently pushed her away from the warmth and safety of his chest. Lil stepped back, feeling as though she’d just had something precious taken from her. She realized her hands still gripped his arms. Like a hot potato, she dropped them and turned away from the man’s disturbing presence. Like a fox heading for her den, Lil scurried behind her desk and gratefully lowered her trembling body onto the waiting chair.

With the desk between them, she was once again in charge. “May I help you?” she asked coolly, hoping the tremble in her voice went unnoticed. “I called come in not once but twice.”

“Sorry, Ma’am. Guess I didn’t hear you. I was just fixing to open the door when you did just that. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Lil answered with no desire to elaborate. “I—I appreciate you catching me. Now,” she hurried away from that topic, “to repeat myself, how may I help you?”

He smiled, as if knowing her thoughts. Walking over to the desk, he removed his hat and stood with it in his hands. “I apologize for dripping on your floor, but it’s raining like hel—, uh, like heck out there.”

Lil tried not to look at how the ends of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She focused instead on his hair, black and shiny with rain drops glistening on the wavy strands not covered by his hat. She didn’t realize she was staring at him until he shifted from foot to foot.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes,” Lil answered, pulling herself back to reality.

“What I’m here for is to see L.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.” He pointed at the window, in the direction of the sign.

Lil nodded. “Yes,” she said again. At this rate, he’d think she only had a one word vocabulary.

The man tilted his head to one side. “Could you direct me to L. M. Wentfield, Ma’am?”

“Of course I can. How may I help you?”

Two small furrows appeared between the man’s eyes. He peered closer at her. Perhaps he needed to try another approach.

“Ma’am, could I speak with your husband?”

“There is no husband,” Lil said with a hint of asperity.

About the Author:

I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. I’m a native of Colorado, but I’ve lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for most of my books. My Western Historical Romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, Wyoming Heather and One Shingle To Hang. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ‘death’ series, Death Is A Habit, came out January 8, 2014. I am currently working on the third book in the ‘death’ series, Death Walks C Dock. I am also working on another Western Historical Romance, Montana Man. It features the characters readers came to know and love in Montana Star. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written.

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Unconquerable Callie by DeAnn Smallwood - Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. DeAnn will be awarding a $25 Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Five things you’d probably never guess about me
,br> I’m shy. You’d never know it because I force myself to be outgoing. Most everyone thinks I’m totally at ease in a crowd, outgoing, joking and talking. But deep inside, it’s taking a lot of effort.

I’m a junk eater. I love, love, love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’m a jelly maker, so I have a variety of home-canned jams and jellies. Just think, there’s only 4 Weight Watcher’s points in a PBJ. Yum! Now they are healthy, but I have to have my candy, too. And cookies, don’t let me go there.

I’m a runner. I really like running. I try to run at least three miles a day. Not much compared to others, but for me it’s okay. Now, if you saw me running, you might say I jog, that’s the nicest way to describe it. Other not so nice people say it’s a fast walk. But I call it running. I don’t like to walk. Running is a high for me.

I’m very patriotic. I watch NFL all season and stand with my hand across my heart during the National Anthem. This is in my home, in front of my chair, no matter who’s there. I can easily tear up when the flag goes by. And patriotic songs…love ‘em.

I’m always afraid my last book written might just indeed be my last book. What if I wake up some morning, and my imagination and ability to write has disappeared overnight? I don’t think there’s a chance of this happening. I have lots of books just waiting to be written. Writing is my passion and having my books published and read is a dream come true.

Callie Collins, a proud woman in the late 1800’s is a liar and a darned good one, a master of the dubious art. She is also a dreamer. Her greatest hope is to reach a new life in South Pass City Wyoming, where she can open a bakery and live an independent life. To be successful, she will need her greatest gifts of deception to date. As a woman alone, she has to prove to Seth McCalister, the wagon master, that she has the wherewithal (a wagon and a set of oxen), the stamina to survive months of drought, dust, hardships and even risk of death, and a mythical fiancé who waits at the end of the line.

McCallister is uneasy, but also mystified by the audacity and determination of the young woman. He allows her to join the train west. What he doesn’t realize is there is no fiancé. To make matters worse, Callie is in love with Seth McCallister, too. For the first time, the lies that have brought her so far in life threaten to keep her from her one, true love. McCallister is a man of strong character and Callie feels certain that once he realizes her deception, he’ll turn away, ashamed of his love and trust in her.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Callie was a liar. A darned good one. She didn’t set out to be one; it just happened and necessity demanded she perfect this dubious art.

She was twenty-two when she told her first lie. After that, it was like a pebble rolling downhill, starting slow, then gaining momentum.

The problem lay in remembering the embellishments. Just last week she’d named her imaginary fiancé Frank and, two days later, referred to him as Tom.

It wasn’t her fault she was reduced to lying. It wasn’t her fault she’d been born the weaker sex. Weaker, bah.

Wasn’t she a crack shot? If women were allowed to compete, she would out shoot any man around.

Wasn’t she an expert horsewoman? Granted, she had only ridden at Miss Whitman’s Riding Stable For Young Ladies, but how much harder could it be to ride on the open plains? A horse was a horse.

About the Author:I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. I’m a native of Colorado, but I’ve lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for most of my books. My historical romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, and Wyoming Heather. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. I have just contracted for another historical romance, One Shingle To Hang. It will be published fall of 2014. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ‘death’ series, Death Is A Habit, came out January 8th, this year. I am currently working on the third book in the ‘death’ series, Death Walks C Dock. I am also working on another historical romance, Montana Man. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written.
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Wyoming Heather by DeAnn Smallwood - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. DeAnn will award a $25 Barnes and Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so make sure to leave a comment today, and visit her other stops by clicking on her banner.

Thanks to DeAnn for answering all our prying questions.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

Actually, I write in two genre’s: Historical romance and suspense/thriller. I have to say, though, the historical romance is my favorite genre. I do enjoy writing the suspense/thriller because it makes me step out of my box/comfort zone. It’s harder for me to write these books, but I enjoy pitting my mind against the serial killers in both of my books. I’m writing a series of three in this genre. Death Crosses The Finish Line is out now and available on Amazon and SoulMate Publishing. Death Is A Habit will be out the first of 2014. To keep my suspense/thrillers separate from my historical romances, I write them under the pen name of D.M. Woods. I’m currently working on the third in this series, Death Walks C Dock.

Now to my historical romances. I don’t know if I chose this genre or it chose me. I think I must have lived in the 1800’s, settling the western frontier. The rugged west and the people call to me. I try to make my characters believable, strong, and compassionate. It’s a challenge not to slip into modern technology or language. Wyoming Heather is a book depicting the strength required of a woman facing life alone in the harsh Wyoming mountains.

What research is required?

I do quite a bit of research for my novels. When writing suspense/thrillers, I have to research weapons, poisons, and language and background. Writing the historical romances, I am constantly researching what was available during the 1800’s. You don’t want to put in something only to find it wasn’t invented or made until the 1900’s. In Wyoming Heather, I researched veterinary procedures and medicines, cattle drives from Cheyenne Wyoming, the orphan train, and skills needed to run a ranch. A lot of the time I don’t know what research will be required. I start writing and suddenly I want to include something that needs more background. I really like this part of my writing. It sets the mood for my books.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

I learned compassion. Heather is a strong woman…she has to be. She’s taking on a man’s role by running her ranch alone without a man by her side. She’s proud of her accomplishments, but she’s woman enough to recognize she’s lonely. Heather welcomes into her life children and animals, caring for them with love and compassion. She doesn’t stop there. She brings into her home Molly McVee, a lonely woman starved for a home. As I travel with Heather, facing her many challenges, I’m drawn into her ability to give freely of her love and understanding. I based my character on my granddaughter, Heather, who is also a lover and healer of animals.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Only a couple (wink). I like the door to my office closed while I’m writing. I also like absolute quiet. I think this is because I’m usually in another time era, living my story. I really resent it when I’m interrupted. It’s a jolt to have my door open or the phone ring and bring me back to present day, 2013. I never tell my plot or much about what I’m writing. I find that if I do this, I have less incentive to put it down on paper. It’s kinda like I’ve already told the story. I might share the title. Sometimes I write out on our patio when it’s warm and summery. Aren’t laptops great? I lost my beloved daughter dog, my little Yorkie, Jesse, a few years ago. Since then, you will find a Jesse in all of my books be it adult or child, man or woman. I dedicated my book, Tears In The Wind, to Jesse and all who have suffered through just such a loss.

Plotter or pantser?

Pantser. Oh, I write down a few sentences about what I might put in the story. Sometimes I even follow what I wrote. More often than not, what I think will fit doesn’t. I always have the title before I start the story. But like the yellow page ad says: I let my fingers do the walking. I love to see what flies from the end of them. I did read an article that encourages writers to be plotters. It was very interesting and someday I might try it. But I’m afraid that if I get too technical, I’ll lose what ability I have. Writing is a thrill for me. It brings me great joy. There’s nothing like seeing your book in print.

Look to your right-what’s sitting there?

My printer and a window that looks out onto our patio and garden spot. In the summer I can see birds eating at the feeder. And in the cold Colorado winter, I can look out and see them drinking out of the small wash tub of water we keep a heater in so it doesn’t freeze over. Now if you were to ask what I see behind me, I’d have to say my Yorkie son, Eli. I sit on the edge of my office chair, facing the computer, and Eli (all five pounds of him) jumps onto the back of the chair, curls up, and lays there while I write. If I pull a chair over to the window, and put a comfy pillow in it, Stormy, my four pound Yorkie daughter, will sit there. She looks out the window hoping to see a stray cat brave enough to dash through the back yard. They rarely do, but hey, it’s a chance.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

Yep. Two new books. As I mentioned above, I’m working on Death Walks C Dock. However, it has taken a back seat to another historical novel I’m writing, Montana Man. This story has taken me over. I’m totally in love with Jesse and Wisteria, my two main characters. Hopefully, I’ll have it completed in the next few months, ready to start the dreaded editing. I have to tell you I have many, many stories just waiting to be written. I write down the titles and a few paragraphs, hit save, then try to forget them while I concentrate on the one at hand.

Do you have a question for our readers?

This is great…I get to ask a question. Sure I do. Do you like books where the male character takes the lead or do you want the woman the focal point of the story? Do you like the hero and heroine to be handsome and beautiful? Do you like books to be a certain length? Oops, that’s more than one question. Sorry.

This has been fun. I hope I’ve given you some insight to me and my writing. Next to writing, my greatest pleasure is having my books read and enjoyed. Truly, I mean this!

Heather is a spirited, independent woman living alone on a ranch left to her by her parents. She is also a healer of animals, domestic and wild. A woman doing a man's work, running a ranch that everyone said couldn't be done, not in this untamed, vastly unsettled land, in the mid 1800's. The ranch had everything she needed except water. She stole that from a neighboring abandoned ranch watched over by a lonely cabin and a grave.

He rode alone, coming back after five years to an empty cabin, a run-down ranch, and a grave on a hill. A former Texas Ranger burnt out on life and afraid to love. Whip had spent five years hunting the man that took his wife's life and left him to die.

Whip and Heather meet in an explosive moment on the banks of the Powder River. Both lonely, both drawn to one another, and both stubbornly fighting the attraction.

Whip vowed he would take up his dream abandoned five years ago and make his beloved ranch profit and to put aside the sweet linger of all memories shared by him and his wife. The ranch would be a jealous mistress occupying his every thought and every minute. He had no time or desire for a woman much less a pair of runaways from The Orphan Train, stowaways in Whip’s wagon and onto the Powder River Ranch.

But fate heeds no one or no thing. The criminal from Whip’s past reemerges in the present. Now, Heather is in danger and Whip stand, once again on the cusp of loss. Fate shows a strong, willful woman, full of love and compassion, just what she’s been missing in her life. And it shows a calloused Texas Ranger that Heather and love does flourish on the Wyoming plains.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Her mouth was dry, her clothes filthy. She was wearing not only the dust of the land, but hair and blood from the calves she’d spent the morning branding. Hair, blood, and dust.

Some perfume, she thought with disdain. I’m a real lady.

I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. I’m a native of Colorado, but I lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for much of my material. My historical romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, and Wyoming Heather. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ‘death’ series, Death Is A Habit, will be out later this year. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written and enjoyed.

Buy site: http://www.amazon.com/Wyoming-Heather-ebook/dp/B00DCHAV2K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372562210&sr=1-1

facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/DeAnn-Smallwood-also-writing-as-DM-Woods/366637150050917

website link http://www.deannsmallwood.com/