Where do you get your ideas?

Braced for Love

Coming in March 2021

My little hometown began as a trading post. Founded by a man who was, as it turns out, a scoundrel. Nice, sort of historical sounding word scoundrel, huh? In truth the man was a liar, a cheat, an adultery, and just generally--when it came to the way he treated women--a rat fink.

But he did like moving west. He was an explorer and a bold man it seems. Probably a charmer, too. I've known about this guy for years. Why it occurred to me to write this book now is weird, it's been in my head but I've never considered it before. Strange.

Here’s how this scoundrel helped me to get an idea for my new series, which is coming book #1, Braced for Love, next March.

He was married back east, had children, and at some point, he ran off, headed west, abandoned his wife and children to explore the frontier. One version of this story is, his family thought he had died.

Instead, he got to Nebraska, as far as my hometown.

Here in Nebraska, he founded a trading post…and…this is true so far, not yet my story…he lied about his name. Claimed to have powerful connections back east, got married, had children and…ran off.

I got to see my granddaughter who lives far away.

My daughter who lives far away.

My mom who lives locked in a nursing home.

Yay!!!!

There is one version of this story that says he went to Omaha, and ran into someone who knew him from back east, one version of THIS version is, he ran into his first wife’s brother. Who thought he was dead.

The brother beat him nearly to death.

And THAT’S why he ran off. It’s not like he WANTED to abandon the woman he was married to. He is now married to two women. I'm not sure if this is true, but I like it.

Next he goes on west to Colorado and (do we really need a drumroll?) he helped found a town, got married, had children and...his story is lost from then on. Did he stay with wife #3 (remember he is married to all three of them at the same time)

But I'm assuming he ran off and who knows how many families he scattered across the west. I have a vivid imagination and I write fiction, oh, there could be many more.

So my series is inspired by the scoundrel but of course I make it much worse when, if you really look at what my town's founder did, it's honestly hard to be much worse. Still, my scoundrel managed it.

Three families, each with one son. Each abandoned...except...his third and last wife was the owner of a large ranch. Her first husband died and left her with a young daughter and a vast ranch. Her father neighbored with her and after she became a young widow, she moved home to her father and the two of them, with her daughter, ran the ranches as one.

Then along comes the scoundrel. He has to be a charming rogue, doesn't he? To convince these women to marry him?

So he marries her and turns out to be a lazy, shiftless bum. She and her father work the ranch and he comes and goes for years. He has a son with three wives now. (this is very diverged now from my towns founder…but playing what if is most of the fun of writing!!!)

Then Wife #3’s father dies, her children are grown and solid ranchers with her. They endure “Pa’s” visits until he goes away again.

Then Wife #3 dies and leaves the two adult children to divide the ranch as is spelled out in her will.

Except…she doesn’t own that ranch. By law, any property, money, valuables of a woman, immediately upon her marriage, becomes the property of her husband. No one even thought about this, except for the Scoundrel.

Things go on as usual until the scoundrel, Clovis Hunt dies. His will is read and UH-OH. He did NOT leave the ranch with a will in place matching his wife’s. No, he, as full owner of that ranch, both his wife’s and his wife’s grandfather’s, has left the ranch to his three sons.

Well, no one’s even heard he had two other sons. The daughter of Wife #3 is completely aced out of the will. The son of Wife #3 goes from half owner to one-third owner. And two surprise sons have been notified of an inheritance from their recently deceased father whom they thought had been dead for twenty years.

And those brothers come and all three brothers, plus the sister of Wife #3, hate each other. And then someone starts trying to kill them. They suspect each other, but they’re going to have to team up to survive.

Each brother has a story. Each brother has to fight to survive. Each brother finds the love of his life.

Brother’s in Arms. Coming in March 2021.

Brothers in Arms

Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he's inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin's supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life.

But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other's throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm.

Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can't help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin--and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody's dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?

Book #2 A Man with a Past coming in in July 2021

Book #3...no cover yet but soon...Love on the Range coming in November 2021