Does a Wedding Make a Marriage?

With the release of our second boxed set, Weddings on Main Street, I’ve thought a lot about weddings. In my story, What a Cowgirl Wants, Mandy Wagner has always dreamed of a fairy tale wedding. Unfortunately, she’s operating on a pauper’s budget.

When my oldest son got married, they went all out. Big wedding with a big budget, held on an outdoor patio at the Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica overlooking the Pacific ocean. It was beautiful. The wedding and reception cost more than I made that year.

When I got married many years ago, I was wearing blue jeans and sneakers. Still wearing our coats, we got married in an empty book room at the county courthouse. The woman who officiated couldn’t even pronounce matrimony. There was no reception, no pictures, no wedding showers, no fanfare whatsoever. I didn’t even have a bouquet. Forty-one years later, we’re still married. Do I regret not having a wedding? Yes, every day.

I regret denying my father the chance to walk his only child down the aisle.  I regret denying my mother the chance to help plan a wedding. I regret not having any pictures to look at. I don’t, however, regret not putting my parents in debt to finance a wedding. And in the overall scheme of things, we’re still just as married as we would be if we’d gotten married in a church.

My youngest son is getting married October 2015. Once again, I get to live vicariously through my kids, though this son is much more frugal than his brother and I know he won’t go into debt to finance it. Like Mandy and Blake, he and his fiancee will have a beautiful wedding that they plan themselves, and they’ll do most of the work. Even though the wedding is more than a year away, I’m already excited to hear their plans.

What was your wedding experience? Big wedding? Eloped? A small ceremony on a budget? Tell us your wedding story.

What a Cowgirl Wants

My contribution to the Weddings on Main Street is a novella that ties in to my Lone Star Cowboys series. I thought the series was finished with my latest release, Behind a Texas Badge, but my fans were so sorry to see the series end, and they had a couple of questions they still wanted answers to, so I got the idea of doing this novella for the next couple in the series who were due to be married–Blake and Mandy.

Mandy has always dreamed of having a fairy-tale wedding. Unfortunately, she has a limited budget. Her friends pitch in to help her, but problems crop up that she doesn’t expect. Should she postpone the wedding or lower her expectations?

I’ve tried to make this novella as stand alone as possible. Though fans of the series will obviously get the most out of it, I think anyone can pick it up and figure out fairly quickly who is who. I hope it strikes a chord with brides, soon-to-be-brides, and those who have been there, done that, and know what it’s like.

No bridezillas in this story because Mandy is not that type. She handles everything tossed her way, though she worries about how it will all turn out. Come see how she deals with the frustrations of planning a wedding on a shoestring when what she really wants is the royal treatment.

If you’d like to read Mandy and Blake’s story of how they met and fell in love, you can find it in Between Lonesome and Texas.

When you’re stuck somewhere between Lonesome and Texas, which way do you turn? In one direction lies freedom. In the other, love. Or is there a way to have both?

 

One Mind

It never ceases to amaze me how creative types seem to operate from a hive mind sometimes. When one is zipping right along on their books, so is everyone else. When one is struggling for every word that hits the page, so are many others.

And when one writes the end, dozens of others follow with, “Me, too!”

Okay, maybe we just draw people to us who are in the same boat, but it seems like this latest book was one of the most difficult for me to write, and it took a lot longer than it should have. I’m hearing the same from many, many authors. Was it the long, dark, gloomy winter? Did the sudden burst of sunlight spur us on to the finish line?

Or do we really operate as a kind of collective?

I’m seeing authors all around me moaning about the lack of ideas suddenly. I’m right there with them. While my mind is usually teeming with them, right now it’s being stubbornly silent. But I know when I sit down to type, the words will be there, waiting for me.

Just as soon as I finish my taxes, that is. Hmmm, maybe that’s what sent our muses into hiding. The knowledge that as soon as the book was finished, it was tax prep time. I understand. I’d hide too, if I could. But the sun will be out again tomorrow, I’ll get back to spreadsheets and receipts and my favorite online tax prep program. And then I’ll put it all behind me and get back to work–this time on something special for the Authors of Main Street if I can pull off a miracle and get it done in time.

In the meantime, I have a brand spanking new release, only a couple of hours old. Book 6 in the Lone Star Cowboys series, Behind a Texas Badge. It deals with some serious stuff, but as always, it ends with hope. Check it out on Amazon.

Shelby Campbell has a secret she’s kept from her friends and her newly found family. She’s a victim of domestic abuse, hiding from her psychopathic ex-husband. She hopes to leave her past–and her ex–behind when she moves to Morris Springs and changes her name. She thinks she’s left no trail for him to follow, but she quickly discovers her ex is more resourceful than she gave him credit for. 

Tommy Bell is the sheriff of Morris Springs and it’s his job to keep Shelby safe. He has no idea how determined her ex-husband is to make sure that if he can’t have Shelby, no one can. When Shelby leaves the protection of the Triple S to save her son, Tommy has to find her, before it’s too late. 

Happy Reading!

Tori

Characters That Cook

My newest release, Between Lonesome and Texas, is the 5th book in the Lone Star Cowboys series. My heroine, Mandy, has appeared in several of the previous books, first as a waitress at the local diner, and later as the cook at the Triple S ranch.

Unlike me, Mandy loves to cook. I can cook, but I don’t really enjoy it. Take me out to a restaurant and I’m a happy camper. Unfortunately, the hubby doesn’t like eating out. But because he loves me, he takes me out a couple of times a month. The rest of the time, I cook.

For Mandy, though, cooking is an expression of her soul. It’s how she shows people she cares about them. It’s also how she earns the money to try to make up for a terrible mistake she made as a teenager.

I’m not sure if Blake fell in love with Mandy or her cooking first. After a decade on the rodeo circuit, eating from food trucks and fast food joints, he thinks there just might be something to that old saying about the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But despite the fact that life on the road is a lonely one, he can’t imagine giving up his freedom for the chains of commitment.

In all of my books, a slice of real life creeps in. In this case, it’s in the form of a couple of family-favorite recipes. You can find them both at the end of the book. A hint: they are both desserts that will make the man in your life think you’ve slaved for hours in the kitchen, but are actually very easy to make.

So how do you feel about cooking? Love it? Hate it? Consider it something you just gotta do?

Check out Between Lonesome and Texas today, and let us know if you tried one of the recipes.

      When you’re stuck somewhere between Lonesome and Texas, which way do you turn? In one direction lies freedom. In the other, love. Or is there a way to have both?

Love is in the Air

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, which should be a happy day for those in love. But what about those don’t have a special someone, or have lost that someone? For them, Valentine’s Day can be especially depressing. I, for one, am not a fan of what I call Hallmark holidays. Being a romantic at heart, I used to build up all kinds of expectations that my husband, being the down-to-earth, practical sort, could never meet.

I’ve learned to pare down those expectations to a bag of Hershey’s Nuggets and maybe lunch out. I’ve learned to stay off of Facebook until posts of beautiful flowers, fancy jewelry, and romantic dinners have faded away. And I’ve learned to pour my craving for romance into my writing instead of taking it out on my poor hubby, who has no clue what he did wrong.

We’ve been married 40 years now, and I love him and he loves me. He just doesn’t believe in spending our life savings on a day made popular by television commercials and the greeting card and candy businesses. And I’d probably shoot him if he did. LOL. Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don’t. He’d rather build me a garden than buy flowers that will die in a week. He’d rather grill steaks and eat dinner at home than spend a day’s wages to eat out. And he’d much rather watch a movie on TV than go out and spend $20 to watch one at the movie theater.

So I write heroes who are a little more clued in than my hubby, heroes who understand, at least by the end, how much a woman’s heart craves feeling special. They may not start out that way at the beginning of the book, but somewhere along the line, they learn that love is the most important thing in life and they figure out what their very special woman wants. It’s also why I read romance. It gives me a few hours to put myself in that heroine’s shoes, to feel like the most desired woman in the world.

I don’t think I’m alone. Yes, there are some men out there who are incredibly romantic, but the norm is more likely that most are like mine. It’s just another day. They stress out, knowing they should do something, but really have no idea what and so they do nothing or fall back on the same candy and card year after year.

So for those of you who don’t have a special someone this year, remember. We’re all in this together. I’m not getting diamonds and roses, either. I won’t be jetting off to Paris or eating at a five star restaurant. I’ll probably have my nose buried in a good book at some point during the day, lost in the fantasy of a hot hero who wants nothing more than to make me feel like a million dollars.

I did do something for myself this year. I finished my latest book and got it out in time for Valentine’s Day, so someone, somewhere, who needs a lift and needs to feel special can lose themselves between the pages of The Bluest Eyes in Texas and enjoy the fantasy of a hot cowboy falling in love with them and sweeping them off their feet.

Bull rider Cooper Saunders has a shot at the PBR championship until a bull not only shatters his body and puts him in danger of never walking again, but it also tramples his spirit. Cooper is ready to give up on life, not wanting to be a burden on others, until his neighbors in Morris Springs, Texas, show him how much he has to live for.

Physical therapist Nancy Phillips is not about to let Cooper give up, not after she worked so hard to get him back in shape for the finals. Now she must not only help him find the will to live, but also give him the motivation to get out of that wheelchair. With the help of newly-orphaned Becky McCallum and Nancy’s friends in Morris Springs, Nancy shows Cooper how much he still has to offer, to his family, the community, and to her.

The Bluest Eyes in Texas is Book Three in the Lone Star Cowboys series, with return appearances by many of the characters from Blame it on Texas and Blue Moon over Texas.

What I Love About Cowboys

I love writing about cowboys. Why? Because cowboys live by a code of honor. They are raised to work hard, be polite, and to take care of their families. Sure, there are those that call themselves cowboys who don’t adhere to the cowboy code, but to me they aren’t the real thing.

Jake Reilly                                        Blue Moon over Texas

I was born in Lubbock, Texas. My parents grew up picking cotton, working in the fields from dawn to dusk on the days they weren’t in school. It was a hard life, but my grandparents were no nonsense people who worked hard themselves and taught their children well. My dad gave me an example to look up to and a yardstick by which I could measure any future potential husbands. He was a gentleman, a good provider, and a strong but quiet man who loved his family though he rarely actually said so.

When I met my husband, I saw those same strong, quiet qualities in him and I was instantly hooked. That’s how it is for my heroines, too. They see what they want and they’ll fight–sometimes themselves–to get it. They want a man who has values, a man who knows God is an important part of his life though he doesn’t speak of it often. They want a man who will love them, and only them, for the rest of their lives. A man who won’t be tempted to stray, or to leave them alone for any reason other than death.

In my Lone Star Cowboys series, I tried to infuse my heroes with the cowboy code, to make them men any woman would be proud to call their own. They work hard, they live by the code, and they would die to protect their families. They’re quick to offer a helping hand to their neighbors while reluctant to be on the receiving end. It would never occur to them to live off a government handout. That just isn’t done.

They are kind to kids and animals, and would never raise a hand in anger unless to someone trying to hurt someone they love. They know how to ride a horse and shoot a gun, pull a calf or build a barn. They are strong enough to fight a brush fire, smart enough to manage a ranch, and inventive enough to figure out how to earn a living miles from the nearest town.

And after thinking about these things, I realize these are qualities I saw in my father and uncles, and ones I see in my husband and my cousins. (At least the ones who still live on and work the land.) No, they aren’t perfect, but they are honorable men and to me that makes them worthy of being called a cowboy.

I’ve never been particularly attracted to a man in a suit. Give me a pair of snug Wranglers, some dusty boots, and a hand-tooled leather belt any day.

So what kind of man attracts you? Do you find that you read books about those kinds of men? If you’re a writer, do you tend to write about a certain type of hero? Cowboy or tycoon? Which would you choose?

In my upcoming release, The Bluest Eyes in Texas, I continue the Lone Star Cowboys series with Nancy (Megan and Carol’s friend) and Cooper Saunders, a professional bull rider who is being forced into retirement due to injuries. The rodeo is all Cooper has known since he was in high school and he’s feeling a bit lost. Nancy helps him find his way and gives him a reason to keep going. And together they help a critically injured little girl get back on her feet.  Look for The Bluest Eyes in Texas sometime in February. You can check out my book list at http://amzn.com/e/B004FVIOG2 .

Cooper Saunders                            The Bluest Eyes in Texas