A Family With the Cowboy

 When a single dad and his son's teacher clash, sparks fly and it's not only because his son is neglecting his chores to read.

 

A Family With the Cowboy

The Westons of Montana Book 1

by Elsa Winckler

Genre: Contemporary Small-Town Romance

 

Widowed rancher Hayden Weston knows what it means to be responsible for his siblings, his eight-year-old son, and the running of the huge family cattle ranch. Some even call him a stern and grumpy taskmaster and they’re not exactly wrong. So when Hayden discovers his son reading a storybook instead of doing chores, he calls on Luke’s teacher to talk about priorities.

School teacher Laura Anderson is new to Marietta, Montana, and has never—until now—been reprimanded for encouraging a child to read. It doesn’t help that sweet Luke’s father is the handsome cowboy with the amber eyes that she met in Grey’s Saloon, or that she’s wildly attracted to him.

Sparks keep flying as their paths keep crossing, but Hayden is determined not to give in to his incomprehensible need to have, hold, and protect Laura from any type of harm. He’s the one who’ll hurt her if he lets her stray too close. He’s not ready to admit his feelings or commit to sharing his life with her.

Even if love comes tumbling in.

 GUEST POST

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

North and South – Mrs. Gaskell

Emma – Jane Austen

Middlemarch – George Eliot

Portrait of a lady – Henry James

Midnight at the blackbird café – Heather Webber

Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese

Where the crawdads sing – Delia Owen

The Little Paris bookshop – Nina George

A year in Provence – Peter Mayle

What book do you think everyone should read?

Tolstoy’s War and Peace. I’m doing a slow read over on Substack with Simon Haisell and love every moment of it. What has struck me throughout the book is that people haven’t really changed or evolved. It’s a great book and one of those everyone should read at least once in their lives.

How long have you been writing?

Since 2008

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

I’m not much of a plotter, but I do like to think about my characters before I start writing – where do they come from? What are their quirks and flaws, their childhood wounds and how can they grow in the course of the story. What I’ve found though, is that no matter how much you plan, like someone you meet for the first time, it takes time to get to know your characters and sometimes they are not the person you thought they should be!

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

Doing research about a topic or setting is one of the best parts of writing for me. For this particular series, I read a lot about Montana ranching, about grazing, about cattle and about horses. I also had a wonderful time researching animal whisperers and empaths. J

Do you see writing as a career?

Oh, yes. I only started writing after I’ve retired. Our three kids are grown-up and living their own lives, the dogs we had, died, so now I only have my husband to keep happy!

What do you think about the current publishing market?

It has changed very quickly over the past decade, I think. Publishing your own book wasn’t even a possibility a few decades ago, now it seems more and more authors prefer to do it on their own. And of course, social media has probably changed the way of advertising for ever.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

Reading has always been my escape from the real world. I’ve read hundreds and thousands of romances but I also love cosy mysteries (Agatha Christie was a favorite while growing up) suspense, but nothing too vivid, please J And I love the classics. Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Mrs. Gaskell, Henry James, Virginia Wolf, George Eliot, to name a few. This year I’m doing a slow reading of Tolstoy’s War and Peace with Simon Haisell over at Substack and I’m really enjoying it.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

I can shut out background noise when I’m writing. I love music and sometimes have a song that inspires a story, but I don’t listen to music while I’m writing. If I’m really into the story, I don’t hear anything else but in the planning stages I prefer silence.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

I write one book at a time. When writing a series, like The Westons of Montana, I do think about the other stories and take notes that I’ll need for the rest of the series but I only concentrate on one story at a time.

 EXCERPT

Getting tingles down her back because a cowboy was looking at her was so not something she had time for right now. Squaring her shoulders, she opened the bathroom door. As she stepped out, she bumped into a solid body. Earthy tones of man and musk swirled around her. Immediately, all her senses jumped to attention.

“Sorry,” she muttered, and tried to escape, but the person in front of her wasn’t moving.

“Excuse me,” she tried again and, irritated, she pushed against him. Big mistake. Her hands landed on a warm, muscled torso. They both froze. She looked up. It was the same cowboy she’d caught staring at her minutes earlier.

Those whiskey-colored eyes didn’t blink. “You passing through town?” a deep voice rumbled.

She shook her head.

One side of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. “Pity.” His head dropped. “Something tells me you may not be so averse to sweaty cowboys as you think.”

Before she could catch her breath, he’d turned away and was walking through the swinging doors into the night.

Blinking, she steadied herself against the wall. Oh, my. If the first cowboy she met in town had this effect on her, it was a good thing she was living and working in town and

would hopefully not run into any on a daily basis.

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBXZ7DCT

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-family-with-the-cowboy-elsa-winckler/1146112349?ean=2940186103707

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-family-with-the-cowboy/id6596775402

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?_bbid=256916911&_bbreg=us&_bbtype=blog&id=6NUdEQAAQBAJ

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-family-with-the-cowboy-the-westons-of-montana-book-1-by-elsa-winckler

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217081469-a-family-with-the-cowboy

 

 

About the Author

I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my Honours studies, I was hooked for life. I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 47 years, 3 interesting and wonderful children and 4 beautiful grandchildren, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exciting and interesting one! I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.

 

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Author Links

Website: https://elsawinckler.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElsaWincklerRomanceAuthor

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elsaw1

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elsa-Winckler/author/B00FENHPMY

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6557709.Elsa_Winckler

           

 

Giveaway

$10 Amazon giftcard,

ebook of My Montana Valentine by Elsa Winckler

-1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Faeries Don’t Forgive

  When truths uncovered cannot be forgotten. Or forgiven.

 

Faeries Don’t Forgive

Heart of the Worlds Book 2

by TF Burke

Genre: YA Epic Fantasy

 Returning to Nonderu, the underworld court, to rescue her dad should have been simple after the malevolent soul-sucking Boggleman fell to his presumable demise. They just need to find a way in. And get past the Mockmen trolls.

Instead, Aunia is attacked by a fanatical soldier cult that seeks to kill or capture her. Plus, her unmanageable magic notifies deadly wererats of her location. It also hurls her into an evil sorceress’ study. If all this wasn’t enough, she’s fighting a different battle with Mathias, her pegasus-riding love. His insistence to keep her hidden is more infuriating than any of their enemies. It leaves her determined to kick anyone who says first love is easy.

Worst of all are the truths she’s uncovering. Truths that can’t be forgotten. Or forgiven.

 

EXCERPT

Chapter Seventeen

Clurichauns

 

What makes a man something worth admiring and when will you doubt his worth? — Queen Didianne, in the reign of the mad queen

 

A buzzing brushed Aunia’s skin like a hive of bees as she lurched in a mad attempt to keep her footing. The smell of woods, perfumes, and herbs had disappeared and in its place was the stench of waste, unfamiliar food, and burning metal.

A village-full of voices swirled within the buzzing . . . one pulled at her plaintively, though she couldn’t make out the words. Dust skated over Aunia’s feet as she appeared in a long boxed-in area surrounded by bulging timber buildings covered in faded paint and smeared pitch. And pressed within this area were more people than she had seen in her entire life.

“I said let the child go,” a gruff voice said from behind her.

Aunia swiveled.

An older man with a broken-nose, well-muscled and tall, like Oskan from her village, stood in front of two men in red cloaks.

“We don’t take orders from you, Mason,” the shorter of the two red-cloaked men said. He yanked a small boy towards him by the arm and the child’s sandy-haired head bounced off his chest.

“He’s hungry is all,” the broken-nose man said. “I’ll pay for him.”

“Bugger off,” the red cloak said.

Aunia stepped forward. “You can’t let a child go hungry.”

Several of the people glared at her.

“Shut your mouth, rover,” said a pillar-built woman with a messy bun, brown hair streaked in gray. She stood in front of a building with large windows and a swinging sign, which read ‘Forged Tankard.’ “Ain’t no food he stole.”

“Brana,” the broken-nosed man growled.

The woman rolled her eyes and pushed past him, holding up a small ring with two finger-length keys. “Missing these?”

The larger of the two red-cloaked men reached under his cloak patted his side, and his face turned red. “It’s the stocks for ye, boy.”

The boy dropped to the cobblestones and the shorter, red-cloaked man yanked him back one-handed. Held his other hand high to strike.

“Stop it,” Aunia yelled.

The larger of the red-cloaked men turned in her direction.

“Not the stocks.” A bearded man in a long-sleeved patchwork tunic, white powder streaks along his sleeves, stepped forward. “You’ve the boy’s mother in custody already. She was an unbraceleted faeblood. He’d be the same. You know it. It’s prison he should go.”

Faces pressed against the glass windows of the Forged Tankard’s tavern. Some folk stepped forward. Others melted back, including the broken-nosed man.

Aunia shook. Taya was indeed right of cities being dangerous. If this was how they treated small children . . . but what could she do? She was only one in a crowd.

“Stop,” she slid back, beseeching the broken-nose man. “You have to help. He’s just a boy.”

But the man slid into a narrow alleyway between the tavern and another building, and past a pig rooting in a pile of broken barrels, jugs, food scraps, and rags.

“She ain’t my mom,” the child screamed. “Not my real one. She picked me out of the garbage. I was just a slave to her.”

The taller, red-cloaked man yanked the child’s sleeve up. “Unbraceleted. You. Run to the Yanna’s forge. Grab a cuff. Now.”

“Don’t be thinking of calling on any magic,” the shorter, red-cloaked man said, bending to sneer those words in the child’s face.

“I’m . . . not a faeblood.” The child stopped his struggling and with his wrist in the guard’s grip, pointed in Aunia’s direction. “That’s the one you want. A real faeblood. Didn’t you see? She just skipped out of nowhere.”

The larger man straightened. “You. Rover.”

Aunia backed away, nearly colliding with a press of people guarding her back. Rover? But of course, she was wearing their garb. And by their expression and harsh tone, they did not like rovers.

“Don’t think you’re going anywhere,” one woman in a dark gray gown said.

 Faeblood . . . this is how the people saw Reina. “I’ve . . . I’m looking for flyers,” Aunia said. “I flew with them over the Grashbear. Mathias. Keston. Fallo. You’ve had to have seen them. This is Dalin, isn’t it?” 

The scowls of the people deepened. They shuffled closer. People in front of her and behind her, but the alleyway . . . could she flee with that pig in the way? Pig. She blinked. It had a quilted cloth saddle fastened around its girth with knotted cloth straps. And stitched cloth saddlebags hanging along the pig’s side. Who would be riding a pig?

[for a 700+ word excerpt use the verbiage above OR include the rest of the chapter for just under 1500 words]

 

“Look alive,” a raspy voice sounded.

Aunia squinted. Amongst the broken wooden boxes and broken jars, two little men, shin-high, drank from a clay jar over half the size they were. Clurichauns with their rosy, weathered faces. They were solitary beings generally. The last time she saw one was in Gaitha’s basement lapping up a bit of spilled apple brandy.

Someone, the taller red-cloak, grabbed Aunia’s upper arm and a raw thrill, like a sharp nail, rose through her throat. “Leave me be.” 

She yanked. He held her firm, his fingers pressing into her flesh like a vise.

The adrenaline spike landed against the pit of her stomach like a stone. Mygul. She sucked in a breath, squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to coax a pinching sensation in her temples. Nothing. Her mouth turned to dry paper. Did she even have her glowing blue globefire anymore? She hadn’t seen it since the Boggleman’s veil tendril lodged itself in her gut when she stood on Hebsolum’s palm. Did that mean Hebsolum had it? Hebsolum, the thief who took her mother’s amulet. The only good thing he had done was to help her cage the roiling blue storm cloud made of Edvaras’ magic . . . but her bit of magic . . . the one that caused mischief, made her an outcast, kept her safe. He must have taken it, too.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Prison. Was that where they were sending her? How would Mathias even find her? A soft mew escaped her and Aunia shook her head. She couldn’t show weakness. And there were clurichauns. Faeries often would help her. Would these?

She turned her head to the alleyway where the clurichauns swilled leftover booze from broken crockery. “Help me.”

One of the clurichauns looked her way, bright eyes going wide. “She sees us.” His voice, gravelly and sing-song, sounded over the clamor of human voices.

“She don’t.” The blonder of the two clapped the auburn one’s shoulder. “She do. Drat it. On our way, Sharpish.” He pointed to the pig.

“She be the one Mara made mention.”

“We can’t be making the Boggles mad now, can we, you know,” the blonde one said. “We go.” 

The Boggles? Did he mean the Boggleman? Aunia struggled against her restraint. “I want to, too.”

“Want to what?” the red-cloaked man sneered.

“Want you to let go,” Aunia said between her teeth. “You’re hurting me.”

The man tightened his grip. “I’m barely holding you.”

Aunia struggled toward the alleyway. Saying please would cause possible faery aid to disappear but what poem could she utter? Aunia groaned. “Help me now it’s good folk fashion. Aid to for those who seek compassion.”

“You call that a poem,” the blonde clurichaun said. He shook his head then made a running jump onto the pig’s back. His green pants contrasted with the wine-stained saddle. “Come on, brother.”

“Brandy. I’ll bring you brandy,” Aunia yelled.

“No one bribes the guard.” The stinging heat from his slap rang into her cheekbones. “Where’s that Davis? Cuff her good and she can blubber whatever nonsense with the other lobheads.

“Don’t know,” the shorter of the red-cloaked men said. He still clutched the boy’s arm. “But that face is sweet even with your handprint.”

“Ah, that’s done it,” Sharply said. “Dismount, Gargle. Now.”

Gargle patted the saddle. “There’s another tavern were—”

“Certain things don’t get done. Now off brother, lest you go for a ride.”

The two clurichauns glared at each other while some of the townsfolk shuffled aside and a thin man with iron cuffs jogged forward.

Gargle dismounted. “It’s on you if this is a bad decision.”

“I’m always the one you blame.” Sharply scooped up the neck of a broken bottle, drew his arm back and made a mighty throw at the pig’s backside. It hit with a thunk and the pig gave a squeal. People standing at the mouth of the alleyway fell back as the pig pelted straight for Aunia and the red-cloaked man.

“Doxy-churl,” the guardsmen swore. He staggered back, pulling Aunia with him out of the way but Aunia yanked with everything she had in the other direction. The man’s fingers slid over her upper arm painfully. There was the sharp rip of fabric. And then she was free.

Aunia ran.

 

 

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Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faeries-Dont-Forgive-Heart-Worlds-ebook/dp/B0D18DHBN7

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/faeries-don-t-forgive-heart-of-the-worlds-book-2-by-tf-burke

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211103455-faeries-don-t-forgive

 

 

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/l5jxwRlwR5I

 

Faeries Don’t Lie

Heart of the Worlds Book 1

 

Can Two Worlds Survive an Augury?

Releasing a Chandarion’s god-like magic into the world isn’t what sixteen-year-old Aunia, the village’s outcast, intends. She only wants to impress Mathias, a visiting seventeen-year-old pegasus flyer, who fiercely believes the choice—either Faery or Mortal world surviving—has come.

Her action calls forth the Boggleman, a soul-sucking ghoul, who abducts her dad, eats her faery friends, and sets Dagel demons on her isolated village. And worse.

The worlds of Ahnu-Endynia are full of faeries, pegasi flyers, myths, secrets, and themes of belonging, despite being misunderstood. And if you don't watch carefully . . . You might be pulled into the Betwixt. . . the space between the worlds.

 

 

**On Sale for Only .99cents!**

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Book Links:
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210304578-faeries-don-t-lie

 

 

Book trailer:

https://youtu.be/9k8JizXOM_0

 

 

About the Author 

TF Burke currently works with NYT David Farland’s Apex-Writers as an admin and marketing specialist, where she schedules industry leaders for weekly multi-Zoom calls, provides content for social posts, and hosts several writer-focused Zooms.

Her published works includes hundreds of newspaper articles, blog posts across various platforms, anthologies, including MURDERBUGS, the second volume of the Unhelpful Encyclopediam a collection of short stories in WHIRL OF THE FAE, and the first book of the Heart of the Worlds Series, FAERIES DON’T LIE.

When not writing or wearing other hats, she can be found with a sword and a dagger in her hands for medieval-style fencing tournaments and melees, something she’s been doing since 2010.

 

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Author Links

Website: https://tfburkeauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TFBurkeAuthor

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49098963.TF_Burke

 

 

 

Giveaway

Signed copies of both books + Swag! (US only),

$20 Amazon giftcard (WW)

-1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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The Archer’s Diary

 “The Archer’s Diary” shines in its masterful combination of medieval history with contemporary family drama and adventure.

 

The Archer’s Diary

Book 1

by Liam Cadoc

Genre: Historical Action, Adventure, Crime Thriller

 

THE LEGEND IS REAL

Since the 14th century, Robin Hood has proven to be one of the most enduring and versatile folk heroes. Medieval historians believed Robin lived during the 12th or 13th century but despite decades of intense research by contemporary scholars, solid evidence has never been found.

Until now.

Logan Daggett, son of Donald Daggett, well known CEO of one of Australia's largest international corporations, has his 21st birthday celebrations disrupted by a family tragedy, the revelation of his mother's decades-old secret—and a birthday gift of a collection of centuries-old family heirlooms. This series of events contrive to change the course of his life forever.

Accompanied by his two closest friends, the young Aussie sets out to uncover the truth behind the accident that irrevocably changed his life, and to research the authenticity of the priceless heirlooms, completely unaware of the adventure and dangers lurking around every corner.

During the course of their journey they uncover irrefutable evidence that causes further turmoil among the family, spark controversy among medieval scholars worldwide, and the potential of sparking upheaval to a country's history and creating conflict between two nations.

Liam Cadoc's stunning debut to historical fiction sweeps readers into a ruthless world where greed and corruption threaten to deprive a nation of historical riches and the world of the truth behind a legendary hero. This is Book 1 of a 2-book set.

 

**On Sale for 25% off at Smashwords with code PUHT7**

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Book Links:
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Archers-Diary-Liam-Cadoc-ebook/dp/B0876MF3KH

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-archers-diary/id1498649905

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Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/RAe-D4Oa228

 

About the Author

Cadoc endeavors to create a feasible balance of historical fact and fiction into his writing in order to meet his obligation, as an author, to his readers. To that end he spends a large part of his conceptual writing on researching the world in which the characters will inhabit. "I've always had a fascination with history, particularly the medieval period of England and the Arthurian Legend. Though my genre is historical fiction, I hope that my readers will come away with a better understanding and appreciation for how people survived and endured before the inception of the basic luxuries we take for granted each day.”

 

Retiring in 2016, he then spent 9 years working on THE ARCHER'S DIARY, his first historical fiction / modern thriller adventure novel. Most of that time was devoted to in-depth research.

 

He penned his first fiction while in high school and was quickly recognized by the English staff and his class for his vibrant imagination. He was also a talented artist and, after graduating, followed a 45+ year career as a graphic designer in the publishing industry compelling him to put aside writing for a number of years.

 

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Author Links

Website: https://liamcadoc.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVSmith.Author/

X: https://x.com/CadocLiam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liamcadoc

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Liam-Cadoc/author/B088Y9MRRV

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20205040.Liam_Cadoc

 

Giveaway

$30 Amazon

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