Wednesday, September 19, 2018

It's Only Make Believe #blogabookscene #PrairieRosePub.

IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE by Sarah J. McNeal
Vintage Western Romance
Fire Star Press/ Prairie Rose Publications

September's Theme: Creatures and Critters



Excerpt:


A loud slap echoed through the house. June’s hand stung as she placed it back in the pocket of her dressing gown, part of her vast trousseau paid for by her parents.
Kit stepped back and rubbed his reddened cheek with his left hand while Snort, Kit’s dog, barked. June couldn’t help but notice the flash of his golden wedding band in the light of the dressing room. Her heart clenched at the sight of it. They’d been married only a few hours and now this…
“Hush that barking, Snort.” The dog quieted, but kept a sharp eye on June just in case. Kit glanced from the dog to June. “What the hell was that for, June? Did I do something wrong by trying to kiss my wife?”
“You bet you did. I thought you loved me and now…” She wasn’t quite sure how to say it to him now that she knew the truth. Honestly, she could barely believe what she had overheard at their wedding reception. How could she explain to him what she heard and express the doubts she had about his love because of it? Well, best to find a way because it seemed quite evident to her that he wasn’t about to leave her be until she did.
“You’d best tell me what this is all about, June, because I’m beginning to have doubts about your sanity and beginning to wonder about my own.” He cocked his head and narrowed his blue eyes at her.  If this is one of your cockamamie jokes, it isn’t funny—and please don’t tell me you married me just to spite your parents. I’m fairly certain your mother doesn’t think I’m good enough for you. She’s only spoken to me about four times in all the years I’ve known you. It’s a little late for second thoughts, June.” Snort began to pace between June and Kit as if to decide whose side he should take.


October's Theme: Autumn
Stay tuned...


Friday, September 07, 2018

I DREAM OF YOU #blogabookscene #fFireStarPress #PrairieRosePub #TheLastWilding


Blog-a-Book-Scene is a monthly themed blogging endeavor from a group of authors who love to share excerpts from their stories. Find us on Twitter with the hashtag #blogabookscene and #PrairieRosePub and #FireStarPress

September Theme: Critters

Here is my critter excerpt:

Kyle knew he wasn’t going to get out of there without taking a puppy so he knelt by the box and thought which one might suit him and he hoped Mia might like the dog, too. Without a doubt, Kyle believed he could tell a great deal about a person by the way they treated animals.

 He missed his dog, Wichahpi which was Lakota for “Star.” Rob had given him the dog years ago after he rescued her from two desperate men known for their cruelty. She had been a great dog and Kyle had loved her dearly. He gave her a Lakota burial to honor her and all she meant to him, but he thought he could never love another dog that way again. Deep inside, Kyle knew it was time to open his heart to another animal companion. Though he could never replace Wichahpi, surely he could find a puppy that would be a treasure to him even if it was in a different way.

Closing his eyes, Kyle placed his hand over the box of puppies and imagined just the right puppy for him would come up to lick his hand to tell him, “Hey this is me. I am the one you want and need. I am the one that will love you.” A few moments later, a puppy licked his hand and, when Kyle opened his eyes, he saw it was the little auburn female with a patch of white under her chin and pointed ears. She barked in her puppy voice to show him she liked him. He named her Shappa which was Lakota for “Red Thunder.”

“Ah, I see you’ve chosen the sweetest of the litter,” Joey said when he returned to the clinic.

Kyle sat on the floor next to the box holding Shappa in his hands. He grinned. “Actually, she chose me. I think she’s going to grow bigger than her mama. Look at these big paws.”



October’s Theme: Autumn

 
Diverse stories filled with heart



Thursday, September 06, 2018

I DREAM OF YOU by Sarah J. McNeal #TheLastWilding







For years I have written about the Wilding family in the fictional town of Hazard, Wyoming. The saga began in a time travel story with Joe Wilding and his adopted, part Lakota, brother, Banjo. I loved them so much I began to write about their children, and then their grandchildren. They were my family and my friends. I cannot see pictures of Wyoming or hear about the state without thinking of my Wildings.

I enjoyed having the Wildings help each other out of tough situations. Through these stories they counseled one another and shared their hopes, dreams, and burdens. They supported each other and fought for each other. And they had no problem speaking their mind when they thought a family member was about to derail.

And now I have come to the last Wilding story with their part Lakota cousin, Kyle Red Sky. He is the wisest of the Wilding clan and he has a special Lakota gift. I have written Kyle into several previous stories in which he has lent a hand to another Wilding in trouble. He has given wise counsel to his cousins on occasion, and he has warned them when he knew, in his mystical way, that trouble was coming.

And now, for my final Wilding, I am telling Kyle’s story. Of all the Wildings, Kyle is the most deserving of happiness. To make this last book special I have included scenes here and there in which each of the Wilding clan from previous stories shows up. I included Joe and Lola Wilding who are now the elders of the tribe. I wanted to let them all say goodbye. Kyle has always been dear to my heart and it was my desire to show his depth of character in this last story. I hope I succeeded.



I Dream of You
By Sarah J. McNeal
Fire Star Press, imprint of Prairie Rose Publications
A Dream…A Kiss… And Deadly Secrets
Blurb:
Kyle Red Sky dreamed of the woman with fire in her hair, but when she comes to town, something dark and dangerous follows her. He wants to help her, but she is reclusive, avoids men, and the scarf she always wears around her neck tells him she harbors a dark secret.
Mia Beckett is a survivor. Finally, she has found sanctuary in a small western town far from danger where no one knows her or her past and she intends to keep it that way. But she can’t forget the man she saw once in a dream who told her the paths they walked were destined to meet. However, when she meets Kyle Red Sky and realizes he is the man from her dream, she knows, if the dream becomes a reality, he may die.

Excerpt:
Kyle kicked open the door of his mother’s former dress shop despite the sign that read, No Men Allowed. The raging fire upstairs in the private quarters made this an emergency, certainly enough to ignore that sign. Smoke began to fill the shop as he raced up the stairs calling out the name of the new shop owner. “Miss Beckett! Miss Mia Beckett, where are you?”
As he reached the landing of the second floor, he heard someone cough nearby. With the wet blanket wrapped around him he rushed toward the direction of the cough until he found the woman lying on the floor almost unconscious from smoke inhalation. As soon as he removed the wet blanket he wore and wrapped her in its protective layer, he scooped her up in his arms to carry her away from the flames and smoke. The scarf she wore fell away from her neck and her head lolled back against his chest to reveal a thin, straight scar that ran all the way across her throat from her left ear to her right. It wasn’t an old scar, most likely no more than two or three months in the past. She attempted to raise a hand as if to cover her throat and replace the silk scarf. He’d always seen her wear a scarf of some description or another around her neck since her arrival in town. Now he knew all those scarves were not her unique sense of fashion, but her desire to hide the scar. She was a woman attempting to keep a secret.
In a whisper he could barely hear, she said, “Please, don’t let them see.” And then she fell unconscious.
“You have my word.” He knew there was little chance she could hear his promise, but it didn’t matter.
Buy Link: Paperback       Kindle





Sarah J. McNeal is a multi-published author who writes diverse stories filled with heart. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, Fire Star Press, and Sundown Press. She welcomes you to her website and social media: