Author Spotlight week - Excerpt from West of Heaven

Hi all - enjoy this excerpt from Barbara Scott's upcoming novel, "West of Heaven." The novel will be released on 15 APR. Leave a comment and Barbara will chose 2 lucky posters to win either a PDF of "West of Heaven" or "Listen With Your Heart." (poster's choice) Also, comment on one of Barbara's other posts this week and your name will also go in the hat for the drawing to win her novels. Winners will be announced here - on this post on Monday, 28 MON. Please leave an email in your comment so it will be easier to get ahold of you.

Read. Enjoy. Leave a comment.
Smiles
Steph




Tom brought up a hardy mousey brown horse that should suit her. He had a sleekness to him and a wise look. He stood solid while Jean Luc saddled him. Marcella came up to take his reins, stroking the horse's nose and talking to him in soft reassuring tones.

"Does this one have a name, Tom?" Marcella asked.

"Redemption they called him."

"Redemption." From her mouth, the name whispered through the morning air like a word of endearment. The critter ate it up like sugar lumps.

"You got a way with horses." Jean Luc pulled the cinches tight. "Sweet-talking might be all you need to keep you seated. Maybe he won't buck at all. He ain't puttin' up a fight now, but, just in case, try to sit back and catch his rhythm and ride with it."

"Until I land in the dirt with the best of them." She whispered something else to the horse as Jean Luc came around to give her a leg up.

"Have a good ride." He stepped back to clear the way.

Marcella steered Redemption toward the center of the corral, taking an easy pace, showing a confidence that let the horse know he was in good hands. He responded with a cooperation that thrilled Jean Luc. They walked the boundary of the corral without a bump or a bother. A mumble of appreciation rippled through the townsfolk who'd been attracted by the unusual Sunday morning goings-on.

When she looked up, Jean Luc signaled his encouragement by snatching off his hat and waving it in the air. Ezra and Tom nodded enthusiastically. She urged Redemption into a post trot, raising herself in her stirrups so she was half-sitting and half standing, her body bobbing up and down in perfect rhythm to the horse's gait. On this go round she beamed at Polly's barely contained excitement and at Glory with her hands on her hips, no doubt puzzling out why she hadn't drawn Marcella's horse instead of the one she'd chosen.

In truth, Jean Luc suspected it was Tom's horse sense that had reserved this mount for her. Not too shy to show off, Marcella directed Redemption into some quick turns and stops before taking him one more time around. She brought him to a smooth stop in front of Jean Luc and dismounted.

Tilting back her hat, Marcella took off her bandana and used it to dab at the sweat on her brow. "I don't know, Jean Luc, do you really think I had to change clothes for that ride?"

Jean Luc rubbed his chin. "Well, how else do you think that horse knew you meant business? Now, ready for some breakfast? Or should we start right in on ropin' and tyin'?"

Author Spotlight Week - Barbara Scott talks about her love for westerns

I think if I followed the advice to "write what you know" none of my books would ever be written. West of Heaven is my first historical Western romance, and I had fun writing it. Certain conventions of this genre make it very appealing. Who can resist the iconic cowboy, the girl who tames him, the vivid settings, and the colorful secondary characters filling the background of most Westerns? All of these combine with classic stories of white hat vs. black to make this genre attract devoted followers.

Historicals of many eras appeal to me. My first book for Desert Breeze was an historical, Listen With Your Heart. It was also set in 1871, but started at the Chicago Fire and moved east to New York, Connecticut, and eventually Ireland. I've written a Civil War ghost story trilogy and a YA historical set during the pre Civil War Kansas-Missouri border wars. I love the research involved. Usually something I come across researching one book is the spark for the next. I guess the consistency is the American focus.

The opportunity to go larger than life with characters is more acceptable in historicals than contemporaries. (Where would a swashbuckler fit in the twenty-first century?) I am very much a character focused writer. If I can redeem a disgraced trail boss who is also a murder suspect, or take a bunch of fallen women and send them on a cattle drive I'm happy.

One of the difficulties with Westerns is their familiarity. With a cattle trail book, you have to expect the difficult river crossings, the stampede, campfire talk, and rustlers. Making these fresh and memorable in West of Heaven was my goal, made easier by the cowgirls that make up the outfit.

I love reading and writing historicals, but I can't help but dabble in contemporary romance as well. In fact, my October book from Desert Breeze, Talk of the Town, will be a contemporary.

Author Spotlight week - Q&A with Barbara Scott

STEPH: I don't know much about West of Heaven. What's it about?

BARBARA: West of Heaven is a Western romance set on the cattle trail. Assumed orphan, Marcella McGovern comes to Texas for the reading of the will of her unknown benefactress, Sophie Castleman. To her shock, she discovers that not only was the woman her mother, but the owner of the local house of ill repute, Sophie was killed along with Marcella's secret father, a cattle baron.. Marcella inherits the bawdy house and all her father's marketable cattle. When her father's widow issues the ultimatum to take the cattle or pay an outrageous price for their keep, Marcella turns to disgraced trail boss Jean Luc Desloge and Sophie's unemployed "ladies" for help.

STEPH: Where did the inspiration for the novel come from?

BARBARA: The characters inspired the story. Jean Luc (Lucky) came to me while I was writing Listen With Your Heart. He was a cowboy so I had to write a Western for him. Marcella and Sophie's girls are based in the work life I had. No, I did not work in a bawdy house, but I did work with mostly female middle school educators. I thought it would be fun to cast that teamwork and spirit in a totally foreign environment.

STEPH: Where is it set? How important is the setting to the novel?

BARBARA: West of Heaven starts in the fictional south Texas town of Onion Creek where cattle is king. It them tales the cattle trail north to Abilene, Kansas. The year is 1871, the year which marked the peak traffic of the historic cattle trail, The setting dictates the plots progression, but it's what happens between departure and destination that's all important.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research?

BARBARA: I enjoy researching so it was no burden, but, yes, I had to start from scratch on this one, I've never lived in the West, never been near a longhorn, and I've seen one rodeo in my life. The last time I was on a horse was in Girl Scouts. Consequently, I had to research everything for cowboy clothes to grub, to horse terminology. I tend to research before and during a project. This time I researched up to the copy edit. A question asked by this final editor lead t a discovery that changed a big scene near the end of the book.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

BARBARA This book was written in bits and pieces, but the last two-thirds was written in three months.

STEPH: Cast the movie. Who are the leads?

BARBARA: I love casting my books as movies. My problem is the actors keep getting older. The longer the book takes to write and get published, the more often you have recast the roles. At this point, I see Jason Ritter as Jean Luc, Marcella could be played by Alexis Bledell, Rose McGowan could be Polly, and I see Sara Rue as Queenie. I'd cast Eriq LaSalle as Jasper and Nate Corddry as Charles.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?


BARBARA: I used to have a spare bedroom to myself, but we moved and my space is now part of the family room., I had to cut back half my book shelves, so I had to donate a ton of books . I'm down one set of file drawers which has made me think twice about what I keep. Working in the family room, I'm less isolated, but I've always been able to work with distractions. I think that ability comes from growing up in split grade classrooms where you never worked in complete silence

STEPH:. Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

BARBARA: I read ebooks my iPhone and computer.

STEPH: What was the last book you read?

BARBARA: Strangely enough, it was Moby Dick. I'm toying with the idea of writing a book called Ahab's Daughter.

STEPH: For Fun: What country would you like to visit that you haven't all ready?

BARBARA: I have to pick Ireland. Both sides of my family have roots there. I researched locales for Listen With Your Heart that I would love to see in person.


****

Barbara's book, West of Heaven, will be avail from Desert Breeze on 15 April. Here's a link:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-150/Barbara-Scott-West-of/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight Week - Celia Yeary shares her passion for Westerns

Romance? Didn’t read it. None, zip, nada. Too trite, I’d heard—the novels always ended the same way—happily-ever-after. Same plot, boy meets girl, they fall in love, have a falling-out, make-up, get married. “What’s wrong with that?” I asked a cynical friend who only read literary works.

Then, one day in 1990, I visited a used-book store and bought a paperback by Janet Dailey titled
This Calder Range. I couldn’t put it down. Remember, I love Westerns, and this even had a HEA. I fell in love. I searched the used-book stores and eventually the library until I’d found and read all ten in the Calder series. Her latest, I believe, was released a couple of years ago. From there, I discovered LaVyrle Spencer, a master of romance writing, Dorothy Garlock, Maggie Osborne, Linda Lael Miller, and Jodi Thomas—plus many more. I still search for new authors who write exciting, satisfying Western Romance.

In 2004, I sat down and began to write a story. And yes, it was a Western romance—a historical. Probably I’ll never be in the same category with my favorite authors, but each one has been an inspiration and a benchmark for me.

Why do I write the West? I find it difficult to put into words.
The Last Frontier, perhaps? That’s the name for space exploration and Star Wars.
Romance in Sweeping Vistas with a love story set in a different time, perhaps? That’s how we describe novels set in early Scotland.

The Era of the Strong, Silent type who always gets the girl while he brings justice in full measure, perhaps? That’s how we describe Indiana Jones adventures.


See? I cannot exactly describe my feeling when I begin a new Western Historical novel, either reading one or writing one. Oh! Now I know Why I Write the West! It’s like falling in love.


Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com
http://www.celiayeary.com
New Releases
Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing
Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Celia Yeary

I'd like to welcome author Celia Yeary to the blog day. Celia is a dear friend from the Book Spa and I'm tickled pink to have her here today.

STEPH: I don't know much about Texas Promise. Can you tell us a little about the story?

CELIA: It’s the first in a two-book series called “The Cameron Sisters,” which developed from the first novel about their father Jeffrey “Buck” Cameron and their mother, Marilee Weston, titled TEXAS BLUE. In the end of that first novel, there were two daughters—Josie and True. So, I wrote a novel for each of the sisters and the two became The Cameron Sisters: Books I and II.
TEXAS PROMISE tells the story of the older daughter Josephine Cameron who married her childhood sweetheart, Dalton King. But as adults, they don’t get along as well as they did as children, resulting in Dalton leaving after three weeks to join the Texas Rangers. The plot is complicated when he is presumed dead, but returns just as Jo is packing to leave for the New Mexico Territory to meet her birth father.

STEPH: What was in the inspiration for the story?

CELIA: I wanted Jo to meet her wicked birth father, but I needed a way for her to get from Austin, Texas to the wilds of the New Mexico Territory to do so. Also important was for her to marry Dalton, so I made him a Texas Ranger so he could lead her to her father and protect her at the same time. The rigorous journey gave me the opportunity for Jo and Dalton to become reunited and fall in love, for real this time, instead of childhood love.

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

CELIA: About six years. I’m still considered a newbie, I guess, but I’m a fast learner and very motivated when I learn something new. I never wrote a thing in my life before 2004.

STEPH: How do you create your characters? Do you cast them? If so, who are the leads?

CELIA: This question always stumps me. The characters just appear. I can’t explain “creating” them, can you? Sometimes I do cast characters, but not often, and if I do, I don’t remember the actor I used. Dalton is tall, dark, a little somber (unlike his sunny personality as a child), a good man who wants to do the right thing. Jo was an isolated child, which made her a little timid of the outside world. But when she did break out, she blossomed into a courageous, bold, independent woman.

STEPH: What attracts you to writing westerns?

CELIA: So many possibilities to write a story! I can include danger, adventure, hardships, Western vistas, horses, and a way of life that made our country great.

STEPH: How did the story find a home with Desert Breeze?

CELIA: Finding a publisher with an open mind to a two-book series ready to go isn’t as easy as you’d think. I heard “let’s do the first one, then we’ll see about the second one.” I could have gone that way, but I held on to them, and just as I wouldn’t separate sisters, I couldn’t take the chance I might not get the second one with the same publisher. But Desert Breeze stated in the guidelines the exact words I looked for—that they were interested in series, especially if they were fully developed. Yessss!

STEPH: Do you have any hobbies you'd like to share with us?

CELIA: Reading and writing—now—takes up much of my time. Before writing, I learned how to play golf at age 40, and played hard and fast for years. I had to give that up for various reasons, and I cast about looking for something else. In my younger adult years, I did crewel embroidery and created some very pretty things, mostly as gifts. When I tired of that, I made wreaths—for gifts. When I wore that one out, I painted t-shirts—to give away. After that, I made scrapbooks—as gifts! In between all that, I earned two degrees and taught high school biology.

SETPH: What's your favorite place to visit in Texas? A festival? A town? the coast?

CELIA: I have visited all over Texas, and lived in almost every corner. My favorite is Big Bend National Park, and the towns close by—Alpine, Marfa, and Marathon. Very interesting and unique and wild.

STEPH: Fun question: If you were a NASCAR driver, who would you want to sponsor your car?

CELIA: American Airlines and maybe they’d let me always fly First-Class and Free!

Featured September Release - Texas Promise by Celia Yeary

ABOUT THE BOOK:

After two years, Jo King’s life as a widow abruptly ends when her husband returns home to Austin. Unable to understand her angry and bitter husband, she accepts a call from the New Mexico Territory to meet her dying birth father whom she knows nothing about. Her plan to escape her husband goes awry when he demands to travel with her.

Dalton King, believing lies his Texas Ranger partner tells him about Jo, seethes with hatred toward his wife. Now he must protect Jo from his partner’s twisted mind, while sorting out the truth. Jo’s bravery and loyalty convince him she’s innocent. But can they regain the love and respect they once shared?

EXCERPT:

"You're going? Tell me you're not making this trip. Who's going with you? Surely you're traveling with someone." His voice rose once more.

Now, she really did fly off the handle. There was no reasoning with him, no normal conversation. All he could do was accuse, question, and demand. Well, she'd had enough. She slammed out the back door into the twilight.

In instant motion, Dalton slammed out right after her.

"You come back here and answer me!"

She whirled around and leaned from the waist. Pointing a finger at him, she said, "You... you can go to... perdition!"

He came close, spread his legs, and hooked his fingers on his hips. Thrusting his head toward her, he said, "What? I've never heard you talk like that. And the word is 'hell,' lady, 'hell!' Say it! Tell me to go to hell!"

"You... you can go to... hell! There, I said it! That's the only place for you now! It's certainly not with me! You... you abandoned me! And, and you humiliated me! Furthermore... you--" The tears bubbled up from the crack in her heart, spilled over, down her cheeks, and into the corner of her mouth. Sobbing and shaking, she made one last attempt at getting her point across. "I... I h-hateyou!"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Celia Yeary is a eighth-generation Texan, and her life revolves around family and friend --- and writing. San Marcos has been her home for thirty-five years. She has written three romance novels for a small press, essays for Texas Co-op Power magazine, and several different topics for her weekly blog. She also writes women's fiction and hopes a publisher comes along who likes these stories, too.

The author is a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State, mother of two, grandmother of three, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university as retired faculty.

Desert Breeze congratulates Celia on her latest release!

Author Spotlight Week - Barri Byran shares her favorite movie

You would think because of my love for all things western, that my favorite movie is a western. Think again. Then you might suppose that I have fallen under the spell of the magic of one of those new films with all its enchantment of animation and graphics. Wrong again. Have I been captured by one of those scary vampire movies with shape shifters and creatures of the night? The answer again is no. My favorite movie is one I first saw back in 1943 when I was sixteen years old. Its title is Now, Voyager and it stars Bette Davis and Paul Henreid. Why am I so enamored of this film? I don't know. Maybe it's the plot. The story revolves around Charlotte Vale, a middle-aged repressed spinster who is completely dominated by her over-bearing, demanding mother. As the story unfolds she struggles to become independent of her mother. It's not an easy transition but she finally blossoms into a strong, confident woman. Then she falls in love with a married man. On second thought, the plot is trite and at times, contrived. As plots go it's about as ordinary as plots can get.

Maybe it's the characters. A middle-aged ugly duckling that changes into a self-confident swan and a married man who falls in love with the swan and is too weak to breaks the bonds of an unhappy marriage so he can be with her? Neither of these characters possesses the sterling qualities I would say portray a hero or a heroine. It couldn't be the characters.
It must be the ending. I'm a sucker for happy endings. But the ending isn't exactly happy. I'd say it's more like satisfying. I'm back to square one. My favorite movie of all time is Now, Voyager. I'm danged if I know why.

My Passion for Westerns by Barri Bryan

Spotlight week continues with author Barri Bryan who talks about her passion for Westerns.

I grew up during the Great Depression. My family was poor, even by 1930's standards. However, once a week my mother managed to find twenty cents for my brother and me to go to the movies. Yes, back then it cost a whopping ten cents for a child to go to a movie. Each Saturday that thin dime bought my ticket to a world of imagination and dreams. That world was replete with dastardly, devious villains, fair young maidens in distress, and best of all, strong and stalwart cowboy heroes.
I can't remember a time when I wasn't attracted to stories about the old west.

My dad was a great story teller. In the evenings after he came home from work and we'd had our evening meal, he would spin yarns -- facts that, I suspect now, were laced with liberal amounts of fantasy -- about 'the ole west.' He told of things he remembered. He's worked during his teens as a cowboy on a ranch in West Texas. He'd once gone on a cattle drive, of sorts. He also passed on stories he'd heard. His uncle, who was a barber, once shaved Frank James. That seems to me now, to be a dubious achievement at best; but Dad thought it to be quite an honor. His ranch foreman had once witnessed, first-hand, a battle-to-the-death gun fight. I learned, over the years, to take my dad's stories with a grain of salt, but they always fascinated me.

So, you see, my heroes have always been cowboys. When I began to write, I wrote about, what else but stories that reflect my love of romance and happy endings, and my passion for the Wild West and cowboys.

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Barri Bryan

Welcome to Author Spotlight Week - This week we're here with Barry Bryan, the Author of "Bridget's Secret." Barri shares her thoughts on writing, her latest release, and her favorites with you. Enjoy! Kicking off the week is a Q&A with Barri.
Smiles
Steph


STEPH: - What was the inspiration behind your story, "Bridget's Secret?"

BARRI: I got my inspiration for Bridget's Secret for a story my dad loved to tell my brother and me when we were growing up. When he was a teenager, in the early 1920's, Dad lived with his family, in a half-dug-out on a bald prairie near the Texas - New Mexico border. One of his many colorful acquaintances was a young man named Henry. It seemed that Henry did well as a farmer, but he had on success whatsoever with 'the wimmen'. When Henry heard that girls who lived in the nearby orphan's asylum had to leave the home when they were eighteen, he hit on the idea of 'courting' one of them. He went to the home and found three girls who had just turned eighteen.

Henry's knowledge of courting procedure must have been non existent. He saw the girls, chose one, and asked to speak to her alone. His request was granted -- kind of. The moment he had her away from the other girls and in the presence of a chaperone, he asked her to marry him. And to quote my dad, "Believe it or not she said yes."

The girl's name was Amy. Dad always insisted that Amy and Henry, married, had 'a passel of kids' and lived happily ever after.

One morning long after I was an adult, I began to think about what it must have been like for a young man to be obliged to get his bride from an orphanage... From there my imagination took over and I soon had the skeleton of a plot for Bridget's Secret.


STEPH - I don't know much about the book. Can you tell us a little about it?

BARRI: I'd be happy to. Lucky Livingston is a devil-may-care cowboy who is out to settle an old score with Eddie Bruce, the man who, several years before, stopped his mother on a lonely stretch of road, molested her, and killed her. Eddie was not convicted of this crime; however, he went to jail for other crimes. Now Eddie has broken out of prison and is on the loose again.
Lucky intends to find Eddie and avenge his mother's death. When his brother Zeke tells him that he has a plan that will bring Eddie Bruce to him, Lucky is willing to listen and then to take part in a scheme that seems doubtful and a little crazy.

For the last eight years Bridget McGuire and her two younger brothers have lived at Miss Myra's Orphan Asylum. They were sent there when their father, Black Jack McGuire, was murdered. Before his untimely death Black Jack was involved in a scheme to steal a large sum of money from Eddie Bruce, who had stolen that money from a local bank. Eddie Bruce was captured and sent to prison. Black Jack was killed, and the money disappeared. Most of the locals believe Bridget knows where that money is hidden. Bridget knows that Eddie Bruce will come looking for her now that he's out of jail. She will do anything to keep herself and her brothers from harm’s way. That includes marrying a man who is a complete stranger if he offers her protection.

Add to this already volatile mixture a dangerous outlaw and a marauding band of Ku Klux Clansmen, stir in three inept matchmakers and one dishonest deputy sheriff and you have the ingredients for an exciting tale and a romantic love story.

STEPH: - Is a historical or contemporary Western?

BARRI Bridget's Secret is a modern historical romance. It is set in 1922.

STEPH: - How long have you been writing?

BARRI: I've been writing short stories and poetry since I was a child. I began to think of seriously pursuing a writing career in 1990 when I took an early retirement from teaching to care for my elderly parents.



STEPH - What attracts you to writing westerns?

BARRI: I love the drama and the excitement of the myth of the American West. I like the bawdy atmosphere and limitless possibilities of an open frontier. I am captivated by the colorful characters that lived during that time. I like the innovativeness and the bravery its heroes. I even like the scoundrels and desperadoes who peopled that legendary world.

STEPH: - Have you written any other genres?

BARRI: Yes, I have. I have some contemporary romances and some 'modernized' fairy tales. I also have four books of poetry. I have written one how-to book about creative writing. I have written stories that are published in anthologies and a book of three short stories.

STEPH - Do you have any hobbies you'd like to share?

BARRI: I love to do handwork. I like to knit. Each year I spend much of my spare time during the year making a watch cap for each of my grandchildren for Christmas. At first that wasn't a big task. Now it's quite an undertaking since I also have great grandchildren and grandchildren I acquired when my children married spouses who had children.

I also like to crochet, embroidery, and piece and make quilts. I am an avid reader and enjoy reading romances and mysteries. I love listening to music. I'm a big country music fan.

STEPH: - What's the last movie you saw?

BARRI: I find that today's movies are either too gory or too explicit for my tastes. I do like old movies. The last movie I saw was on TV. The title was San Francisco. It starred Clarke Gable, Jeanette McDonald, and Spencer Tracy.

STEPH - What was the last book you read?

BARRI: The last book I read was Big Girl by Danielle Steele.

Thanks Barri for being here today. We'll see you tomorrow about genre writing!
Smiles
Steph

Featured Dec 09 Release - Christmas Stranger

ABOUT THE STORY:
Melinda Jane Frazier, postmistress and farmer in Primrose, Missouri, accepts her single state. But her quiet existence changes overnight when strangers arrive during a blizzard. She hefts Papa's old rifle from the gun rack, cocks it and cracks the door open.

She opens her home to Zeke, a widower, and his young son Timothy. They fill her heart with unexpected Christmas cheer. Though Zeke insists he’s a drifter, Melinda begins to hope he’ll change. How can she bear to return to the lonely life she knew before Zeke drifted to her door?


EXCERPT:
Timothy danced around the room. "I've got something for you. Wait here." He zipped into his room and returned, hands held behind his back. He handed her a card. "I wanted to give you flowers, but there weren't any — so I drew some."

A line of purple flowers staggered across the card. Under the blossoms, he'd printed I love you. Timothy.

Tears pooled in Melinda's eyes and she hugged him. She looked around to see Zeke's reaction, but he'd left the room. Maybe the moment was too sentimental for him. Or maybe she read too much of the Bible to suit him.

"Do you like it?" Timothy's eyes were bright, eager.

"Oh, thank you, Timothy. I love it." She wiped her sleeve across her eyes. "I have something for you, too, and for your pa." She heard the door close and saw Zeke walk back inside, with his hands behind his back. Thank goodness he wasn't upset by the Christmas spirit. What was he up to?

"Timothy, stop jumping around and come sit down. I've got something for you," Zeke said. He handed Timothy a box. When he opened it, Zeke started mooing and hee-hawing and making every different animal noise he could think of.

"Oh, Miss Melinda, look! Pa made 'em out of wood." Timothy's eyes shone with wonder. He jumped up and hugged Zeke. "Thanks, Pa. They're better than anything." He started marching them across the floor. "Here's Hotey and Bob and Becky and Brownie and Tiger. I love 'em, Pa!" Melinda pulled out two paper-wrapped packages. She handed one to each of them. "Just something I knitted," she said.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marion Kelley Bullock attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and attends their conferences.

Her articles, short stories, essays, and devotionals have appeared in Open Windows, Guideposts, Home Life, Church Administration, Mature Years, The Lookout, the Church Musician, Preserving Christian Homes, Living with Preschoolers, and other publications. She authored The Story of First Baptist Church Past and Present, (Olney, Texas). She also wrote Sunday school curriculum materials for preschool teachers and children, for several years.

She is a Christian and the wife of John W. Bullock, a semi-retired minister of music. They have three grown children and reared a grandson, now twenty-four. Their family is active in church and community, and Marion teaches adults in the Sunday school, is the pianist, and sings in the worship group.

Marion has worked at a variety of jobs, including church secretary, school nurse's assistant, Realtor, nursing home activity director, savings and loan clerk, and supervisor of preschool work in churches.

Aside from writing, Mrs. Bullock enjoys reading, painting, working crossword puzzles, playing musical instruments, and song writing. She and her husband love to travel.

Books by Marion Kelley Bullock at Desert Breeze Publishing:
Secrets of Old Santa Fe - July 2009
Christmas Stranger - December 2009

REVIEWS FOR CHRISTMAS STRANGER:
NIGHT OWL REVIEWS: 4.25
FALLEN ANGELS : 5
COFFEE TIME ROMANCE: 4