Monday, December 19, 2016

A Few Of My Favorite Things

By Kristy McCaffrey

As 2016 comes to a close, it's natural to think about the hardships we've endured, but I thought I'd share some of my favorite things. Not to sound cliche, but an 'attitude of gratitude' can move mountains, big and small.

1. Eggnog. Creamy, sweet...in short, the perfect beverage.


2. Space Opera Novels.

3. Catalog Shopping.

4. Family Feud. It airs when we eat dinner. The husband and I get quite involved.


5. Great White Sharks.

6. My husband's sense of humor.

7. Going to yoga class with my dad.


8. Achieving my Goodreads reading goal.

9. Running in the desert.

10. Popcorn at the movies.


11. Instagram. My favorite app. Ever.

12. The week after coloring my hair - no gray.

13. The bird feeder outside my home office window - visited by sparrows, rock wrens, finches, mourning doves, gilded flickers, and a gorgeous pair of red cardinals.

14. Autumn squash soup sprinkled with pumpkin seeds.


15. David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - making a difference by saving one orphaned baby elephant at a time.


16. Apple and cinnamon air freshener.

17. Jumble puzzles.

18. Blueberry pie.


19. Hearing 'Sleigh Ride' on the radio.

20. Having all my children at home at the same time.


Happy Holidays to you and yours!!

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Connect with Kristy

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Guest Post: Author Paty Jager

Please welcome author Paty Jager to my blog!!

Kristy, thank you for having me here today. 

I'm Paty Jager, a hardcore Oregonian who enjoys living and writing the western lifestyle. I recently re-released my second contemporary western romance, Bridled Heart. While it can't be slated as the book of my heart, it is a story that I felt compelled to write. One reviewer said it should come with a warning even though it isn't graphic. The warning is because this book is about one woman's strength and belief in herself to overcome childhood sexual abuse.

I didn’t write this story as a downer in any way. I wrote it to give women who have had a similar experience in their life to know they can make a change and they can be happy.

This story is upbeat and leads the heroine, Gina Montgomery, on one more self-discovery. That she can have a normal life after all she's been through. And the kicker—it's with a rodeo cowboy of all people. Having a stereotypical image of cowboys, she comes to learn that people can't be put into categories and you never know who can come along and change your look on life.



Gina is a stickler for rules. Ones she makes for herself. Holt Reynolds, bareback bronc rider, is all about knowing when the rules should be broken. He realizes there is something special about Gina and also a sadness he was too busy to see in his suicidal sister.

The most fun I had writing this book was interviewing four-time PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote and his wife Kate. They have a wonderful family and were very open and forthright in answering my questions about the rodeo lifestyle. 

Do you like reading romance books about sensitive subjects?

Here is the blurb and excerpt for Bridled Heart.

ER nurse, Gina Montgomery, uses a self-imposed vow of celibacy to keep from getting too close to anyone. Music saved her from an abusive past. But that same solace compromises her solitary life when her piano playing draws the attention of a handsome bareback rider. 

Holt Reynolds let his sister down when she needed him most. Seeing similarities between his sister and Gina, he can’t get visions of the woman or her poignant music out of his mind. He vows to find a way to free her of her past and prays it doesn’t resurface and destroy their chance at happiness.


Excerpt

 “I’m between jobs. I always take several weeks off to help with the fundraiser.”
“Why this event?” He laced his fingers together, resting his hands in front of him. His coffee-colored gaze held admiration.
Gina dropped her gaze and picked at her napkin. His interest was flattering, and he hadn’t attended the event just to inflate his image. If that had been his agenda, he would have stayed to be photographed with the person who purchased his art.  She peered into his smiling face. He waited so patiently for her to answer. By this time, most men had given up on her and moved on to someone else. She searched his eyes, surprised to find genuine interest. 
She took a deep breath and hoped she wasn’t going to regret divulging more. “I see so many children in the ER rooms who…” She turned her head and chewed on her cuticle. When they arrived needing her care, she put aside her emotions and did the job, but afterward, she always broke down. She knew how it felt to grow up feeling different. How could a parent do that to a child?
He placed his hand over her other one on the table. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I can see their plight affects you.” He squeezed. “I could tell when you were playing the piano, your heart is filled with sorrow.”
Gina stared into his eyes. The sincerity of his words and the acceptance of her pain, even though he thought it was all for others made her want to weep. She hadn’t had anyone care about her in so long, she didn’t know how to act.
Jerking her hand out from under his, she stood. “I have to go.”
“Wait.” He snagged her hand as she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair. “Do you have a phone number?”
He held her firm but gentle. Warmth spiraled up her arm and settled in her chest. Why didn’t she feel frightened or invaded by this man? She shook her head. She didn’t want to see him again. If she did, it would be hard to remain faithful to her vow. He’d started to seep into the empty cracks created over the years.
Holt took her coat and helped her into it. He didn’t know why she’d jumped like a scared rabbit, but he’d let her go, and could only hope she’d contact him when she was ready.
“Don’t move.” He peered in her eyes to make sure she wouldn’t bolt, then grabbed a pen and napkin from the counter to scribble on.
“Here’s my cell. I have it on and with me all the time except when I ride.” He tucked the paper into her pocket. “Call me. Anytime. For whatever reason.”
She stared into his eyes before turning and disappearing out the door. Fear sliced through him. The hurt and confusion in her eyes tugged at his heart. He’d witnessed that same thing in another pair of brown eyes and regretted not taking the time to ask questions. His gut told him Gina was a lot like Sherrie.
He didn’t do right by his sister, but, somehow, he’d do right this time.



The ebook is $0.99 until Dec. 10th

Amazon / Nook / Apple / Kobo  


Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 25+ novels and over a dozen novellas and short stories of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. She has a RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for her Action Adventure and received the EPPIE Award for Best Contemporary Western Romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

blog / websiteFacebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest

Monday, December 5, 2016

NaNoWriMo

By Kristy McCaffrey


NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Each November, writers everywhere attempt to write a novel in 30 days. To ‘win’, you must write 50,000 words. This is approximately the length of a long novella. My books tend to run between 70,000 and 85,000 words, so this endeavor doesn’t yield a complete novel for me, however, I’ve always made an effort to get to THE END by skipping scenes and lengthy descriptions along the way.

I’ve just completed my second NaNo and I’m happy to report that I met the goal of 50K. But it wasn’t easy. NaNo never is. That’s the point. It pushes a writer to their creative limits and beyond.


To reach 50K in 30 days, a writer must punch out 1667 words per day. Since there’s a U.S. holiday smack-dab in November (Thanksgiving), I set a goal of 2000 words per day. This would give me some cushion and allow me to take a few days off while I had a house filled with family. It also provided a buffer for those days when the words just weren’t flowing, as well as the unexpected event (mid-November my husband and I had to transfer our youngest daughter rather abruptly from boarding school, throwing a stressful wrench into my schedule).


NaNo teaches discipline. For me, writing 2000 words (4 single-spaced, typed pages) often takes several hours. And some days, it was so bleepin’ hard. I knew my story, I knew the main characters (well, kinda), and I knew the pathos I was searching for, but writing them down is always something entirely different. Scenes veer off-course and characters behave differently than imagined, and because of the pace of NaNo there’s no time to breathe. No editing, no languishing in research books searching for ideas to spark my ideas. In some ways, it’s a bulldozer approach. But it is effective.


I now have a beautiful, somewhat messy, first draft. Even better, I know my hero and heroine in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I’ve been in the trenches with them. I’ve found their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Now, I can revise and use these to the advantage of the story. But there’s also a slew of inconsistent plot points, repetition, characters who serve no purpose at all, and what I call ‘pivoting’, when I made a major change mid-story but didn’t go back to fix the earlier parts—I moved forward as if I’d already changed them. If anyone was to read this first draft, they would surely say: What were you thinking? But this process is highly productive, which is why so many writers participate each year, logging into our accounts each day to post our progress, reading motivating messages from big-time authors, and tracking the momentum of our writing buddies. NaNo brings out our competitive nature and that’s not a bad thing. It’s the Ironman event for writers.

The manuscript I produced isn’t my usual stuff. With the conclusion of my Wings of the West series this year, I decided to take a break from historical western romances and write something else I love—women exploring the world. Tentatively titled DEEP BLUE, this first book in a new series is a contemporary romance set against the backdrop of great white shark research. My heroine, Grace, is a marine biologist who likes to get up close and personal with her subjects. The hero, Alec, is hired to film a documentary about her, to aid Grace in her quest to provide conservation measures for the sharks, but he’s also haunted by a previous expedition that went horribly wrong. His growing feelings for Grace leave him conflicted about how far to push the boundaries between humans and the great whites that inhabit the waters around Guadalupe Island in Baja California.


It’s my hope to have a revised manuscript completed in the next several weeks and release it in the spring of 2017, if all goes well. Thanks to NaNo, the most challenging part is complete—the first draft. Facing the unknown abyss of a story can be disconcerting. NaNo forces a writer into those murky depths. It’s true—creative undertakings can be frightening and writers often develop sly little evasion mechanisms to avoid facing a blank page and the daunting task of writing an entire book. But there’s no magic formula—it’s all in the baby steps and steady progress, and NaNo provides that in a very compressed and intense atmosphere.


Are you a writer? Wanna give NaNo a try? Check out their website and finish your book at last.

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Connect with Kristy

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Turkey Trot Blog Hop

By Kristy McCaffrey

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday season here in the U.S., my thoughts always turn to one thing. Okay, yes, it's pumpkin pie but the other thought is how much I look forward to sneaking away from the crowd of family and friends and losing myself in a book.


I did this as a child and I admit the impulse is still there as an adult. Back in my youth, I would clutch my latest Nancy Drew book close, but these days I'm fortunate to have my kindle handy. It's always filled with an exciting adventure, whether it be a romance or a sci-fi yarn or a thrilling young adult dystopian fantasy.


I remember going to my grandmother's house with a book in hand, just in case I found a bit of down time, and I usually did.


So what are you reading this holiday? Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming, so it only makes sense to stock up on some great reads.


Nothing makes it easier to tune out your family than a good book. :-)


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To get you started, check out this blog hop!!
Leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card and an autographed copy of
ALICE: Bride of Rhode Island.
(International winners will receive an ebook instead of a paperback.)
You'll also be automatically entered in the Grand Prize giveaway -- a $50 Amazon gift card.
Visit the other blogs for a chance to win more prizes and gain additional entries for the grand prize.
All winners will be chosen on Friday, November 25. Please leave an email in your comment so that you can be contacted in the event that you win.

Find all the Turkey Trot Blog Hop info here.

Visit all the participating blogs:



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ALICE is on sale for only 99 cents!!

Kindle


Alice: Bride of Rhode Island is thirteenth in the unprecedented 50-book American Mail-Order Brides series.

Fleeing her stepfather and an arranged marriage in Newport, Alice Endicott finds work as a seamstress at the Brown Textile Mill near Boston. When a devastating fire destroys the factory, she and all the girls face dire unemployment circumstances. But hope arrives when their manager, Roberta McDaniel, shares the Grooms’ Gazette with them. Each woman will choose a husband and become a mail-order bride. As Alice’s friends—Lottie, Leora, Judith, Beth, Lessie and Josie—embrace the idea, she too becomes caught up in the excitement of a grand new adventure.

When fisherman Frank Martel contacts her, Alice can’t pass up the opportunity to return to Rhode Island despite her stepfather’s presence. Upon arriving at the train station in Tiverton, however, Frank neglects to meet her.

James Martel is shocked to find a woman at the rail depot claiming to be his brother’s fiancée. Even more surprising is her connection to a man who ruined James’ father years before. When Frank confesses that he can no longer wed Alice, James steps forward to fill the role since the beautiful young woman holds the key to avenging the Martel name.

Can Alice convince her new husband that their marriage is worth saving once she discovers his subterfuge? And will James learn that love is more important than revenge?

A sweet romance set in 1890 America.

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Connect with Kristy



Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Guest Post ~ Romance Author Shanna Hatfield

I'm pleased to welcome romance author Shanna Hatfield to my blog today. Take it away, Shanna.


Hardman History

Hardman community center 

Thank you for hosting me today, Kristy!

When I decided to write a Victorian Christmas story, I wanted to use a real town from the 1800s. After doing a little research, I settled on Hardman, Oregon. Located in Eastern Oregon, about twenty miles from present-day Heppner, Hardman is now a ghost town. Around twenty to thirty residents still call Hardman home, but for those driving through the town, there isn’t much left from the days when it was a thriving community. I used details from Ghost Town Gallery for my research about Hardman and to create the Hardman Holidays series. Although the stories are works of fiction and most of the town exists only in my active imagination, the town did boast a skating rink, four churches, a school, and newspaper office in the 1880s. John F. Royse, reportedly one of the most successful farmers in the area, and his brother, were said to be the first permanent settlers in the Hardman country.

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Originally named Dairyville, the town was popular as a freighting center and saw promising growth in its early days. Dairyville became known as Raw Dog, while a mile away a rival settlement sprang up, known as Yellow Dog. Stagecoaches and wagon trains traveling north and south through eastern Oregon and Washington found a convenient stopping point in both Raw Dog and Yellow Dog. The rivalry between the two locations escalated as they competed over which town would secure the stagecoach depot for the area. When Raw Dog received a permanent stagecoach station, the two towns became one, known as Dogtown. The town’s name changed to Hardman in 1881 when David N. Hardman, an old pioneer farmer, moved to town and brought the post office with him, by consent of the government, which he previously operated from his farm. The town took the name of the post office and became generally known as Hardman. It was rumored the railroad would go through Hardman in the late 1880s. When it was routed through Heppner instead, it was a devastating blow to the community, effectively stunting future growth of the town. By the 1920s, trucks replaced horses, mail routes changed and Hardman began its decline. The last business in Hardman closed in 1968.

Visit Hardman as I see it in my imagination through the holiday series: The Christmas Bargain, The Christmas Token, The Christmas Calamity, The Christmas Vow, and the new release The Christmas Quandary!

christmas-quandary


Holiday surprises await two lonely hearts in Hardman…


CQ Cover PB 2.png

Tom Grove just needs to survive a month at home while he recovers from a work injury. How bad can it be to return to Hardman for the holiday season? He arrives to discover his middle-aged parents acting like newlyweds, the school in need of a teacher, and the girl of his dreams already engaged. 
After the loss of her parents and her fiancé abandoning her to spend a year abroad, Lila Granger desires a change of scenery. She leaves her home in New York to spend a few months with relatives in Hardman, Oregon. The idea of stepping off the train into a place that gives her a true sense of coming home never entered her mind. Neither did the notion of falling in love with a man who clearly can’t wait to get away from the small town. The Christmas Quandary is a sweet Victorian romance, full of laughter and heartwarming moments, perfect for a holiday read. Available on Amazon!

Background With Snowflakes

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party, Thursday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PT). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more (giveaways will stay open until the following morning)! Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasFB3

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card fill out this form. Winner will be randomly drawn and announced Nov. 14. http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes3

About Shanna Hatfield

Shanna Hatfield 2Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with characters that seem incredibly real. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. This USA Today bestselling author is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, and Pioneer Hearts. Find Shanna’s books at: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online: ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter Make sure you sign up for her Newsletter to get the latest on new releases and exclusive giveaways!

Monday, October 31, 2016

Release Day ~ The Bluebird ~ @McCaffreyKristy ~ #romance

By Kristy McCaffrey

I'm thrilled to announce THE BLUEBIRD, Wings of the West Book 5, is now available.


FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Can be read as a standalone.

Molly Rose Simms departs the Arizona Territory, eager for adventure, and travels to Colorado to visit her brother. Robert left two years ago to make his fortune in the booming silver town of Creede, and now Molly Rose hopes to convince him to accompany her to San Francisco, New York City, or even Europe. But Robert is nowhere to be found. All Molly Rose finds is his partner, a mysterious man known as The Jackal.

Jake McKenna has traveled the bustling streets of Istanbul, exotic ports in China, and the deserts of Morocco. His restless desire to explore has been the only constant in his life. When his search for the elusive and mythical Bluebird mining claim lands him a new partner, he must decide how far he’ll go to protect the stunning young woman who’s clearly in over her head. A home and hearth has never been on The Jackal’s agenda, but Molly Rose Simms is about to change his world in every conceivable way.

A sensuous historical western romance set in 1892 Colorado.


Excerpt

“Aren’t you cold?”

Molly jumped at the sound of Jake’s voice, holding the goblet away from her gown so the fluid didn’t spill. “A little.”

He strode toward her, removed his jacket, then placed it onto her shoulders.

Immediately she was engulfed in McKenna’s smell—musky and wild and distinctive. “Thank you.” A wave of longing swept through her, primal and fierce. It was as if she were a coyote who’d just caught the scent of her mate…or a jackal.

He sat beside her although the post holding the railing divided them. His white shirt all but glowed in the dark night that embraced them. He loosened his tie and undid the top button.

Molly watched from the corner of her eye, trying not to stare.

How could she even consider some boy named Carl when she’d already met a man like Jake?

She took another gulp of wine and stared straight ahead. Had Esme spoken the truth? Was Jake courting her?

“Go easy,” Jake said, his voice a caress in the night air.

“Why?”

“Because you’ll regret it tomorrow.”

She considered his advice then stared at the corral. “Did you tell Esme Patterson that you kissed me?”

“No. Is she spreading rumors?”

His voice sounded amused, which emboldened Molly to move forward. Or was it the alcohol? “There seems to be talk that you…and I…that we…”

She glanced at him, and his tenacious gaze caught her attention. She couldn’t look away.

“That we what?” His voice, deep and hypnotic, washed over her like a warm rainstorm.

She shook her head, suddenly bashful. “Never mind.” She was being silly. Jake McKenna wasn’t courting her. She needed to remember his reputation. Swallowing another sip of wine, she forged ahead. “You apparently have the distinction of being a scamp around these parts. I was cautioned to avoid you, by more than one woman, I should add.”

“I’m a what? A scamp? That’s a new one.” Shaking his head, he chuckled. “What do you think, Molly Rose?”

“I don’t think anything. I don’t know you.”

“Don’t you?”

Confused, she reiterated, “No, I don’t. Isn’t that what I just said?” Her muddled thoughts swirled in her head. Damn the wine.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, you know.”

“I’m not.”

He grinned. “I spent some time in Istanbul, and while I was there, I studied a poet and philosopher named Rumi. He was a great observer of life, of how important the smallest thing can be. What you seek is seeking you.”

She watched him, perplexed.

“Maybe we’ve been searching for each other,” he added.

She laughed, but it was more of a snort. Embarrassed, she straightened, trying to sound indifferent as she asked, “Is this how you sweet-talk women?”

“No. Just you.”

“I think I’ve had too much to drink.”

He reached over and took the goblet from her. His fingers brushed hers, sending a shiver through her, and, for a moment, she thought he might kiss her again. Did she just swoon toward him?

As he downed the remainder of the liquid, she stared at his mouth. “How did you get away from Winston?”

“I’m The Jackal.”

A smile stretched clear across her face before she could rein it in. “You’re full of bluster, just like every other man.”

His expression sobered. “And how many men have you known?”

“Some. A few.” She nodded. “Some. Beatrice Perkins has me all but engaged to her son Carl.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. He tensed and turned his face from her. She didn’t like it. Had she offended him? She lifted her hand to touch his arm, but when he swung his gaze back to her, she hid the gesture by pretending to swat at a nonexistent fly.

“I want to check out the Chigger. Since you’re my partner, do you want to come?”

She giggled. Heavens, she needed to curb her drinking. “How scandalous. You’d really let me go with you?” Don’t sound so eager, Molly. Act like a woman. She sought to compose herself.

“Yes. You can stay with Ivan and Pearl Krupin. They have a place in the hills.”

“Where will you be?”

“I’ll use the Krupin’s place as a base to go scouting. I’ll see you every night.”

“Can I scout with you? Will you teach me?”

He nodded, his gaze softening. “Yes, I’ll teach you.”

Molly had the oddest feeling that they spoke of more than just prospecting. “Should I tell Robert?” she asked softly.

He hesitated. “Probably. He’ll worry if you don’t.”

“You think he’ll stop me?”

“I think you’re his sister, and he loves you very much. He’ll always have a need to keep you safe and sound.”

She considered the situation. “How long would we be gone?”

“Not more than a few days.”

“Alright. When do we leave?”

“I can get horses and supplies together tonight,” he said. “But I’m not sure how to get you out of this house.”

Archie came to mind. “I think I might have a way. I’ll meet you at the dip in the road beyond the entrance to the ranch.”

“When?”

“Before sunup,” she answered.

He nodded. “Should I ask how?”

“No.”

Jake’s body exuded warmth and Molly swayed. He was a heady combination of rugged male physique—broad shoulders, rolled sleeves revealing muscled forearms, a freshly-shaved chiseled jaw. She had to force herself not to reach out and touch the smooth skin of his cheek.

“You’re not that irresistible.” Had she just uttered the words aloud?

He grinned. “Are you sure about that?”

No. I’m not sure at all. “Why did you kiss me in the tunnel?”

The amusement left his eyes, replaced by a penetrating gaze that awakened an ancient feminine part of herself, always present but never acknowledged. Until now. Until Jake. The Jackal.

“Because I wanted to.”

Copyright © 2016 K. McCaffrey LLC

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I'm pleased to share that all the books in my Wings series are now available in print.


I'm giving away two autographed sets of the series at my Facebook page. Be sure to enter!! If you'd like an autographed set at a reduced price, contact me directly at kristy@kristymccaffrey.com.

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Connect with Kristy

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Nicholas C. Creede

By Kristy McCaffrey

The mining town of Creede—located in southeastern Colorado—was named after Nicholas Creede.

Nicholas Creede

The early life of Creede is cloaked in mystery. His given name was William H. Harvey and according to one story he was born on a farm near Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1841. His father died when he was four and he was forced to support himself at age twelve. Another version states that he was born in 1848 and lived with his family in Iowa until he was eight. In a moment of despair, he changed his name when the girl he loved jilted him for his brother. Another tale asserts he changed his name in 1886 or 1887 while living in Julesberg, Colorado, due to trouble with Indians.

In the 1860’s, Creede enlisted in the famous Pawnee Scouts—Pawnee Indian braves led by white officers—who rode across the plains of Nebraska guarding wagon trains and defending settlers against hostile Cheyenne and Sioux warriors. Creede was quickly made a first lieutenant and fought Indians for seven years in Nebraska and Dakota. He was known as a great ‘war chief’ and became fluent in the Pawnee language. It was during this time that Creede saw the mining activities in the Black Hills and became enamored of the hunt for silver and gold.

During the 1870’s, he left the Pawnee Scouts and began prospecting in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California, achieving modest success with several claims. In August 1889, Creede and his partners—E.R. Naylor and G.L. Smith—were prospecting on Campbell Mountain (in the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado) when they located the Holy Moses claim. The mining boom of the Creede District began in the fall of 1890 when word spread that the Holy Moses had been sold for $70,000 to Denver investors.

Creede, Colorado 1892

Creede later located the Amethyst vein and the subsequent mines included the Bachelor, the Annie Rooney, the Sunnyside, and the Commodore. Creede’s share of the Amethyst mining operation was well over a million dollars. Not long after the discovery, the camp in the area (known as Jimtown) was renamed to Creede.

Creede eventually married but it wasn’t a happy union. While in the midst of divorce proceedings he died of an accidental morphine overdose on July 12, 1897.

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~ Coming October 31 ~

The Bluebird
Wings of the West: Book Five
Now available for pre-order at a special limited release price of 99 cents.

The Bluebird will be FREE in the Kindle Unlimited program.

Molly Rose Simms departs the Arizona Territory, eager for adventure, and travels to Colorado to visit her brother. Robert left two years ago to make his fortune in the booming silver town of Creede, and now Molly Rose hopes to convince him to accompany her to San Francisco, New York City, or even Europe. But Robert is nowhere to be found. All Molly Rose finds is his partner, a mysterious man known as The Jackal.


Jake McKenna has traveled the bustling streets of Istanbul, exotic ports in China, and the deserts of Morocco. His restless desire to explore has been the only constant in his life. When his search for the elusive and mythical Bluebird mining claim lands him a new partner, he must decide how far he’ll go to protect the stunning young woman who’s clearly in over her head. A home and hearth has never been on The Jackal’s agenda, but Molly Rose Simms is about to change his world in every conceivable way.

***********************************



~ Special Promotion ~
Download THE BLACKBIRD FREE October 20-24th!!


Haunted by a deadly attack, Tess Carlisle turns to bounty hunter Cale Walker to find her missing padre. But in the land of the Apache, can he free her heart?

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Connect with Kristy

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Twenty Questions for @McCaffreyKristy

Recently on Facebook, a 'Twenty Question' game was going around for authors, so I thought I'd post my contribution here on my blog.

1.) What is your Author name?
      Kristy McCaffrey

2.) What is the first book you ever published?
      The Wren

Original Cover
Updated Cover

3.) What is your publiversary?
2003 (I think it was June, I can’t remember now).

4.) What is your favorite book you've written thus far?
      The Wren (because it was my first).

5.) What book took you the longest to write?
      The Sparrow


Original Cover
Updated Cover

6.) How long did it take you?
      About 6 years, although I stopped writing for a bit.

7.) What kind of music (if any) do you listen to while you write?
      I make playlists on my iPod for each book. I listen to a lot of 70’s music (Chicago, Fleetwood Mac, Boston). I also use soundtracks (favorites are The Quick and the Dead, Bad Girls, Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Anchorman 2).

8.) Who is your favorite character from any of your books?
I love all of them but I do have a special fondness for Molly Hart from ‘The Wren’.

9.) What are you currently working on?
I’m writing the first book in a new contemporary adventure romance series I hope to launch next spring. The first book is titled DEEP BLUE and features a marine biologist studying great white sharks in Baja, Mexico and a hunky underwater filmmaker who is making a documentary about her.

10.) Do you have anything you snack on while you write?
      I chew a lot of sugar-free gum.

11.) What is a favorite quote or line from one of your books?
     That’s a difficult question. I’ve recently been pulling one-liners from my books to post on Twitter, so here’s one from ‘The Blackbird’.

His lips tenderly met hers, and with it a león de montaña gentled a frightened blackbird.




12.) Are you a self-published or a traditional published author?
      I’m self-published but I also work with a small publisher on various projects.

13.) What is your writing inspiration?
      I love storytelling, so I’m constantly soaking up narratives by reading and watching movies and television series.

14.) What genre do you write?
Historical western romance, but soon to include contemporary adventure.

15.) Do you have any writing rituals?
      I find it very difficult to write in the morning so I do business matters then. I write in the afternoons. It frequently ruins dinner for my husband LOL.

16.) Do you have a specific place you write?
      I write at my desk.

17.) Do you have any advice for inspiring writers?
      Learn the craft but nurture your intuitive abilities. A good story is always about emotion and less about perfect writing skills.          

18.) What are your writing goals?
      To produce entertaining stories.

19.) What authors inspire you and your writing?
      There are too many to list here. I’m part of a very supportive network of women who write western romances and I’ve learned much from them.

20.) What will be your next release?
      The Bluebird on October 31, 2016.