WeWriWa: I'm Back in the Saddle Again

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Sunday, January 14, 2018

WeWriWa: I'm Back in the Saddle Again


Can one suffer withdrawal from not being at the keyboard for three weeks?! I thought I was experiencing the first twitches of it after not being able to sit in my office chair for any length of time after knee replacement. I'd gotten one of those bendy legged computer bed trays but trying to figure out how to get both sides positioned was too exhausting when my Kindle was loaded with books I'd promised myself I'd read. So lots of reading and Netflix binging ensued instead of increasing chapters on my WIP. One thing I did manage to accomplish was a goal list for 2018, and high on it is the reissuing of my award-winning Dana Ransom Western historicals from the '90s that I'd gotten the rights back to. Going through the first book, TEMPTATION'S TRAIL, got me all lathered up to go West again with my half-Apache tracker hero and his family. Here's a peek . . .


Bluntly, he told her, "Miss Duncan, where I'm going, every insect has a sting, every bush a thorn, every snake a fang, the sun is hot, the water's scarce, and the ride is so hard most sane men would refuse to make the trip."

"I'm not most men, Mr. Bass."

Having traded her fancy society clothes for a sensible split skirt and white cotton shirtwaist, glossy boots replacing kid shoes and the glorious twists of her hair braided back from the milky softness of her face and topped with a flat-brimmed hat, but even so, she looked no less feminine, no less fragile. She'd wilt within the hour and be begging for mercy by nightfall, and then he'd have to lose precious time bringing her back. 

Trying a different approach, he took a step closer so that in her boot heels, they were almost eye to eye, she, tall for a woman, built like a supple reed, easily bent, but not easily broken. "How do you know I won't take you out there where there's nothing but nothing and slit your throat?" he goaded, letting that sink in before adding with a whisper of menace, "or worse?"

Without so much as a blink, she smiled wryly at him. "If that was what you were planning, you'd hardly warn me of it ahead of time, would you? And then," she added with a bit more tartness, "you'd be losing out on the thousand dollars, and I hardly think a man would be willing to sacrifice that for me, so stop wasting time, Mr. Bass." 

His critical gaze lingered over the coltish sway of her hips as she walked toward the door, thinking about the courageous fire in her eyes, thinking she could be wrong . . . thinking way too damned much as he strode after her.


Having grown up in the great era of John Wayne and TV westerns - Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, How the West Was Won, Wanted Dead or Alive and Maverick, right up to the Magnificent Seven remake, Tarantino's Hateful Eight and Christian Bale's new adventure, to me, there's nothing like a steely-eyed hero with a grudge or a goal. Now the big decision . . . self-pub or look for a more traditional avenue?

So . . . how am I feeling now with my new bionic part? Up walking same day as surgery with a walker, walking on own two legs within three days at home without assist, climbing alternating stairs in six days (to the amazement of my PT guys!), graduated PT in less than two weeks instead of the recommended 6-7 weeks, driving and back to work full time in three weeks and stepping DOWN stairs (the hardest thing you can do with a new knee). Yeah, kinda like this . . .


Hope y'all have gotten off to a great start in this New Year. I sure have missed visiting with you! Can't wait to catch up.

Happy New Year, Happy Writing, and Happy Trails!



Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

33 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Diana. Not burning up the keys . . . yet, but getting there.

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  2. She has a lot of determination. Much like you by the sounds of it. :)

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  3. Great interaction. Like her feistiness. Tweeted.

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  4. Welcome back, glad to hear things are going so well with the knee. Enjoyed the excerpt, haven't read a western-themed romance for a long time. Loved all the details but yup, he's clearly overthinking things here!

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    1. Thanks, Jean. I haven't read one either, but writer pal Rosanne Bittner told me some of her fans were asking about Dana Ransom when she was at RT last year and that got me thinking . . .

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  5. I like this Western very much. So you had probs also. Be well , Nancy.

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    1. Thank yuo, Charmaine! Not so much problems as a time line for my good insurance going away at the end of 2017. Nothing like an astronomical deductible in the New Year to encourage one to get things taken care of ASAP!

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  6. You can definitely suffer from keyboard withdrawal--I get it after about three days. Glad your back. This new/old series sounds crazy fun. I loved those old westerns on TV. My favorite was Wild Wild West.

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    1. Jim West . . . oh, yum! I loved writing them. The second one of the series practically wrote itself in 3 weeks. I wish all my books were that obliging.

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  7. I love historical westerns and this sounds fabulous! She sounds like just the gal to tame this self-assured dude. Please let me know when this is available! Great snippet!

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    1. Thanks, Jenna! I'll definitely keep everyone posted.

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  8. Hahaha They're going to drive each other nuts. I love it!

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  9. Welcome back, Nancy! So glad that things are progressing nicely with your new knee. As for this excerpt...WOW. It's FANTASTIC! I mean, the opening line alone I read three times before moving on. I'm hooked!

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    1. Thank YOU, Julie! Just the encouragement I needed.

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  10. Great scene. Great opening line. I just hope she's not biting off more than she can comfortably chew.

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  11. I'm glad your bionic knee is working out.
    A fun start to your Western romance - I have fond memories of the old westerns.

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    1. Thanks, Aurora! I used to have shelves of them. Time to bring them back.

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  12. Welcome back! I'm hooked on this snippet. She's brave and he's reluctant (yet intrigued). Can't wait to read more!

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  13. That first sentence is just sooo Arizona. Nature isn't soft and cuddly.

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    1. Thanks, Ed. The ultimate compliment since at the time I wrote them, I'd never been on that side of the Mississippi! I'd never been out West until my first trip to AZ 6 years ago (other than to conferences and if you've seen one Marriott you've seen 'em all!). And I LOVE it!

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  14. Loved the scene and the banter. Drew me right in and I wanted more!

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  15. Love the thoughts going through his head as they banter. So glad your recovery is going well! My mom is having a knee replacement in a few weeks and I’m trying to regale her with all the success stories I can find.

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    1. Thanks, Christina! Tell her the secret is . . . ice. And to keep moving . . . carefully. And sleep!

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  16. So glad the bionic knee is working so well! And what a great excerpt, I got drawn right into it - I love historical westerns and like you have very fond memories of old TV series (I fell madly in love with Bronco Layne when I was about fourteen) Thanks also for the Gene Autry clip, so nostalgic!

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  17. I'm glad your knee is doing well. I totally enjoyed this scene. She sounds like a determined young woman.

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  18. Keep feeling better!

    I really admire this woman. She has guts!

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