Author B.J. Daniels

Falling in love with characters

2012-01-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

You might assume that every writer loves her characters. I've fallen in love with mine, but not before I've written the book -- and by then I usually love my bad guys as much as my heroes and heroines.

When I started the Chisholm Cattle Company series though, I didn't much care for any of the Chisholms -- because I was still in love with the Winchesters. I thought I would never write another family that I liked as well.

I'm here to tell you that I was wrong. It took a while before I fell for the Chisholms. I don't think I really fell until the last book. By then, I was invested in their lives.

By the time I wrote CORRALLED (it comes out in March after too long a wait, I know), I was loving the Chisholms. (Ignore the "check to LOOk inside unless you go to Amazon.com )

I didn't realize how badly I'd fallen though until two nights ago when I read the final draft and last book in the Chisholm series: WRANGLED (It comes out in June). I hadn't seen the book in months. I'd been working on a larger book for HQN (UNFORGIVEN comes out in August from Harlequin). So it was like reading a brand new book for me.

You won't ever hear me say any of my books are great. I know a lot of authors do say that about their books, but I don't feel comfortable doing that even when I like a book a lot. I figure how good the book is is up to the reader -- not me. I'm too biased.

But I was breathless reading the last 100 pages of WRANGLED. For the last 20 pages I was in tears. (I usually cry at the end of my books. Just not this much.) Yep, I was completely hooked and sad to see the Chisholms stories end.

Often when I finish a book, I can't tell if the tears (if I don't cry at the end, why would a reader?) are those of exhaustion or emotion for the story. So it is nice to get that last line edit and be breathless and in tears. I can send the manuscript off now and get on another one. My job is done. The Chisholm Cattle Company story has been told.

I just can't wait for you to read the last two Chisholm stories and tell me what you think. That, after all, is the true test.

Hello new year!

2012-01-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about 2012. I love new years, new beginnings, a clean slate. I have lots of plans this year. Lots of resolutions and plenty of books to write.

I'm enjoying writing JUSTICE AT CARDWELL RANCH (it comes out in Oct.) It's the sequel to CRIME SCENE AT CARDWELL RANCH. I love the heroine. It is someone from the first book. Clue: she was a deputy with Hud Savage. I want the hero to be a surprise but he was also in the first book.

Meanwhile, ICE LAKE is out this week with my Intrigue buddies Julie Miller and Delores Fossen -- three stories. Then in March, the long-awaited continuing Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company fifth book in the mini series: CORRALLED. The Chisholms story ends in June with WRANGLED.

In August, my first HQN, a 90,000-word single-title book, UNFORGIVEN, comes out. I'm excited about it. It has a fun bunch of unusual characters who live in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains in southern Montana. With luck, it's the first of an on-going series.

Then JUSTICE AT CARDWELL RANCH in October. So that's what's happening as far as books for 2012.

Meanwhile, I have some personal resolutions. This is going to be the year that I am actually going to do them!

So what do you have planned for 2012?

The best gift ever

2011-12-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked what was the best gift I have ever received or given.

It was hard to chose since I've been blessed with so much. I guess it depends on what you consider a "gift."

By far the best gift I ever received was my daughter. I remember the day she was born. I was hoping for a little girl. I got my wish. But I had no idea what an amazing young woman she would grow into. She is a constant gift, thoughtful and loving and always ready to lend an ear or a hand.

When she graduated from college, my present to her was a trip to Hawaii. It ended up being a wonderful present for me as well, getting to spend that time with her in such a beautiful place. I could never give her anything as wonderful as she has given me.

Yesterday my stepdaughter called with an early Christmas present. She is expecting. We are delighted that our lives will be blessed with another grandchild.

During this gift giving season, I can't help but look at all the gifts I've already received. A husband who makes me laugh and keeps me grounded, a wonderful daughter, two beautiful stepdaughters and now a sixth grandchild.

There are so many gifts in life that we never expect and those are the truly good ones.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! May your gifts be the good ones.

When is a story finished?

2011-12-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

It's amazing all of the changes that come to mind -- the moment I mail off my manuscript.

Just before Thanksgiving, I mailed off an over 90,000-word manuscript. I'd worked on this for months, rewritten, edited over and over and over again.

But there must be something about dropping it in the mail that makes the plot suddenly become clear. I wanted to chase down the mail truck and hijack my manuscript.

However, since I've been here before, I jotted down notes as the changes came to me. It was the first time I saw the whole book and could see the holes as if I'd fired a shotgun through all 432 pages.

So I'm in rewrite/edit mode. It's not a bad place to be. I know this book. I know these characters. I know what I have to do. Fortunately, my wonderful agent and editor have also given me input.

I've learned a lot over the years and the almost 60 books I've written and had published -- although a lot of days I feel like a beginner. But the one thing I am sure of is if a reader doesn't see the same character I do, then I didn't get that character on the page. If I have to explain my plot or my character's motivation, then I didn't do my job.

I've also learned that input only makes a book better. This one has been read by four readers so far, one an agent and two editors. The fourth, an avid reader who assured me that the story is there. (You need one person who reads your manuscript and loves it. Preferably not a relative.)

Now comes a couple of large things and a bunch of little things before the book goes to production and ends up in print. I've seen the cover. It is beautiful. I'm getting excited -- just as I do with every story that through trial and error becomes a book.

In the meantime, it is December in Montana. This photo was from last year but it is snowing right now!

What makes a good cover

2011-12-08T20:32:00.001-08:00

As a writer, one of the moments we wait for anxiously is when we finally see the cover of our latest book.

It's with crossed fingers that we wait and hope.

Everyone has heard the horror stories of a really bad cover. Characters who look nothing like the ones inside the book, ugly heroes and heroines, oddities like a cover character with too many limbs. Some covers have a background that has nothing to do with our stories. Eye and hair colors are often wrong, along with clothing. I overheard one author talking about a cover with cactus. Unfortunately her story was set in the far north.

So when you get a good cover, it is with a sense of relief and gratitude to the designers. As writers we fill out detailed instructions for covers. After that, it is in the hands of the publisher. Like titles, we often have little control.

I'm more than a little delighted with my March cover. CORRALLED is the continuation of the Chisholm Cattle Company series set in Whitehorse, Montana. It is book #5 with the final book of the series, #6 WRANGLED coming out in June.

Logan Chisholm loves adventure. He's at home on a Harley as he is on a horse. He finds himself in the Flathead Lake Valley when he hears country western music playing at a local bar. The moment he steps into the bar, his life is destined to change.

Capturing Logan wasn't an easy task, but the cover designer did a great job. I fell in love with him all over again. :)

Is it a book?

2011-11-28T21:08:00.001-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving, I finished my book. I was too exhausted from months of writing to do anything more with it than drop it off with a couple of trusted readers.

This week, I began reading it for the who-knows-how-manyeth times. After letting it sit for four days, it was interesting to read it. When I finish a book, I never know if it is any good or not. I have no confidence that it is.

I'm 200 pages in. It is such a relief to like this book. There are scenes that I actually love. Scenes that make me smile. Not because I wrote them, but because the characters came alive and are now living, breathing beings that I feel I had nothing to do with creating. I like them because they are so much better than anything I could have dreamed up.

I again remember why I do this. All the hours, the eight pounds I gained, the aching back, the worry and stress, and the rotten cold I've come down with. It all seems worth it because I think it's a book, a real honest to goodness book.

I've heard from one of my readers. The other one will be checking in this week. But ultimately it will be the editor who decides if I've written a book worth marketing.

Most of the time at this stage, my attitude is: If I like the book, then that's all that matters. But this book is different. It's almost 100,000 words. That's a lot of words. And I haven't ever done anything like this before. So I guess I'm a little nervous.

Tomorrow I will finish reading it. I had to quit tonight because the cold medicine is working. By tomorrow night, I'll know if it's all there, if it works.

Then hopefully I can send it off to my editor. I sent the first 200 pages to my agent already. After tomorrow, I wait and hope for the best. I like these characters a lot. I want to see them get what they deserve -- to really live beyond the computer folder where they now live. I'm rooting for them.

For so long, I haven't let myself think about holding this book in my hand. But now I can't wait.

If I've done my job, UNFORGIVEN will hit the shelves in August.

Giving thanks

2011-11-21T22:04:00.001-08:00

I took a class once that reminded us to write down three things that had happened that day to be thankful for before we went to bed each night.

What a wonderful idea. I did it for at least the length of the class. I need to start doing it again. It's a great way to end a day -- thinking of the good things that I had to be thankful for that day instead of worrying about what I had to get done the next day, or regretting something I ate or didn't clean, or chastising myself for not making it to the gym -- again.

I think it's too bad that every day isn't Thanksgiving. (Except for the part where we need to cook for two days, eat for fifteen minutes and then spend hours cleaning up and trying to find space in the fridge for all the extra food.)

I know, Thanksgiving isn't just about food. (Tell that to the turkey.) All kidding aside, I know that it's a day best spent with family and friends. It's about sharing and about taking the time to give thanks for each other. It's just too bad that it takes a holiday for us to often make the time to do that.

I often put off that very thing. We always think those people will be there when we have more time to visit. Often they aren't. There have been several people I meant to spend more time with and suddenly they were gone.

We will be spending the day with my stepdaughter and step son-in-law and the grand babies. There is nothing I enjoy more than being with them so I'm thankful that the roads are supposed to clear so we can make the trip.

The next day I will drag my poor husband to several stores on Black Friday because we'll be near stores and Christmas is coming. He will be thankful when it is over and we get to drive home again.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I am reminding myself to take time to be thankful for the people in my life, to make more time for them and to start counting my blessings each night again. Could lead to some sweet dreams, don't you think?

I hope each of you count your blessings this Thanksgiving Day and that they are many.

I'm thankful for each of you.

Finishing the dang book

2011-11-14T21:06:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you. I'm in the process of finishing the longest book I have ever written. It's not the length though that is the problem. Finishing any book is so darned hard.

So much about writing is fun, almost easy. But finishing one sucks. That's the truth. I think that is why a lot of people never finish their books. Some people are smart enough not to even start a book because they already suspect that finishing it will be no fun at all.

I have been living with my latest book for months now. I go to bed thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. I spend the day thinking about it even when I'm not chained to my desk writing it.

The book takes on a life of its own. The book also takes over my life. It owns me. Spending that much time together, I grow to love it -- and hate it. Some mornings I don't want to open my eyes because I know it's waiting for me. But even with my eyes closed I start thinking about it so I might as well get up and get at it.

That is the reality that I live with. I used to have slightly hysterical breakdowns when I was on deadline because I was exhausted, worried about the book, happy about the book, sick about the book. I would cry and explain when my husband asked what was wrong with me, "I'm on deadline!" as if that covered it all.

One day he looked at me and said, "But you're always on deadline."

I realized he was right. When I finish a book, I can't wait to start another. I quit crying. I quit having breakdowns. It would just waste time. "I'm on deadline!"

So I keep living with this book, loving and hating it, watching it develop and grow, seeing its possibilities and yearning for it to be the best thing I've written. It's frustrating, mentally and physically exhausting, and ultimately nothing short of a miracle -- if I get it finished let alone that it turns out the way I hope it will.

So that's where I am right now. If everything works out, UNFORGIVEN, will come out in August. By then I will have moved on and written not just JUSTICE AT CARDWELL RANCH, but I will have finished yet another book that I don't even know right now what it will be about.

My husband was right. "I'm always on deadline." It's the life I've chosen and even though right now I wonder why, by the end of the month I will have finished this book. Because I refuse to let it beat me. Sometimes just plain old stubbornness is what I depend on to get me to the end. That and the reminder that I love writing.

I love writing. I love writing. I love writing.

Wish me luck.

I lost a favorite fan

2011-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

The news took me hard. One of my favorite fans passed away in October.

We had gotten to know each other via email and Facebook. He was always cheerful, offering a kind word as well as support. He read my books and he and his wife tried my recipes. I tried theirs. We discussed our families and how we ended up where we were.

When I started writing, I thought seeing my words in print would be the coolest thing that could happen to me. Over the years. I've learned that the real blessing is the people I have met along the way. I never imagined the long distance friendships that would be forged with both other writers and readers. I get such a kick out of seeing my friends bonding with my fans and vice versa. It warms my heart.

My readers are so wonderful. When I'm having a bad day, one of them is bound to make me smile. They make my writing life easier, getting me through deadlines, long days at the computer and those times when I doubt myself and my latest plot and question why I do this.

I don't get to thank them very often or tell them how much I appreciate them. But every day when I sit down to write, I'm thinking of my fans. Ed was a favorite. He always brightened my day. I'm going to miss him.

Meet husband and wife writing team Aimee and David Thurlo

2011-10-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ever imagined writing a book with your husband? Aimee and David Thurlo have made a career out of writing mysteries together set in Navajo country. How do they do it? I interviewed them to find out.

Tell us about your latest books:

Black Thunder is a mystery set on the Navajo Nation, and it's one of our personal favorites. In this book danger lies buried deep in a remote area of New Mexico near a steep sided outcrop called the Hogback. Vigilantes cry out for justice, but their interference only blocks the search for a possible serial killer who may soon strike again. At the same time Ella’s ability to concentrate is battered by worries about her teenage daughter, who has been skipping school, and her mother, who is cooking up a storm, a sure sign that trouble is brewing in the household.

Black Thunder has received glowing reviews! Publisher Weekly said "an insightful portrait of a native culture still evolving between tradition and modernity."

Booklist, the Journal of the American Library Association called Ella Clah a "compelling character", and added that Black Thunder "should keep readers on their toes until the final pages."

We also have a brand new romantic suspense this November first - Winter Hawk's Legend.

Romantic Times has given it four and a half stars, which means "in a class by itself" and said, "Thurlo's tale [is] a read- with-the-lights-on story."

In this suspenseful tale Holly Gates must hide out with Daniel Hawk, a fearless security expert sworn to protect her. She finds herself falling in love with him though, unlike her, he craves no home or family - just the same freedom as the great hawk. This is a story about the power of family, of hope, and the courage to defy the odds.

Genre Go Round Reviews said: "Winter Hawk's Legend is a superb Native American mystery starring a woman in peril who has no concept as to who wants her dead or her unknown adversary's motive. Thus readers have an innocent doing an innocent thing leading to her danger, mindful of Alfred Hitchcock. Readers will relish team Thurlo's enchanting New Mexico thriller."

I have to admit, being compared to Hitchcock made our year!!

How is it that you began writing about the Navajo Nation?

My husband David was raised on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock. His father worked for the Bureau of Mines at the Navajo Helium Plant, where helium was extracted from natural gas, and his family lived near the Kerr-McGee uranium mill. Later, like many places on the Rez, David’s home and entire neighborhood were found to be hot beds of radioactive contamination and were subsequently demolished and buried.

David is a graduate of Shiprock High School on the Rez and the University of New Mexico.

Your books have been compared to Tony Hillerman’s. Were you a fan ? Did you ever meet him?

Tony was one of the nicest human beings one could ever hope to meet. He lived in the same area of town as we do, and was truly a class act. I remember one of my first conversations with him. We'd just finished our first mystery set on the Navajo Nation. Tony asked me to send it to him. I hemmed and hawed and finally said, "Well, Tony, it's not exactly a mystery. It's got lots of romance in it."

His answer -- "What? You think I only read Hemingway?"

As I said, Tony was one in a million.

You write with your husband. Most of us can’t imagine how that works.

I take it for granted, but it wasn't until recently that I realized that this was a point of interest. I wrote a blog about it a few days ago - my first. I've never blogged before. It's titled Writing as Partners.

http://adthurlo.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/working-as-a-team/

How would you describe your books?

They're a blend of high action (what David does best) and characterization (what I like best.) To me the story is always about the people in it.

There's something I should point out here. Although we deal with another culture our goal has never been to instruct. It's to entertain. Of course if along the way people learn a bit more about another culture, then that's good too. I find that beneath the skin, we're all remarkably alike - we laugh, we cry, we have hopes and dreams.

Talk about romance, I understand when you met your husband it was love at first sight. You were married three weeks later. It sounds like you are both romantics. How does that end up in your books?

David and I knew each other less than three weeks when we got married. From that first moment I knew in my heart that he was for me, and I've never looked back. I don't think love is about logic - it's about intuition, about trust, and mostly about hope. David is one of the gentlest men I've ever known and that drew me to him. Over the years our relationship has grown, and if anything, we're even closer.

A friend of mine once said that David is the rock that keeps me from going over the edge. I'm emotional, he's calm; I go with my feelings, he thinks things through; I take everything personally, he can stand back and see the overview. We fit into each other perfectly. In our writing, it's the same. We can write with one voice because, together, the two of us make one perfect writer.

Together the two of you write three different mystery series? How do you balance work and life with you both writing?

That's the hardest of all - balance. As any author will tell you, writing can be all consuming. Yet we've learned that doesn't serve us or our readers. We need down time. One of the things we love to do is go for long walks with our three dogs along the bosque, the wooded area beside the Rio Grande.

Another thing we both absolutely love is eating tons of popcorn while watching football. Sundays nights are sacred. We turn off the phone, get that microwave fired up, and enjoy the game!

What is your writing process like?

The process of creating a book has incredible highs and lows. Though our team has been very successful, our collaboration isn’t always smooth. The very fact that there are two of us working on the same words, pages, and story almost guarantees that there’ll be disagreements somewhere along the way. Since our first priority is the novel we’re working hard to create, we’ve agreed to settle those issues in a manner we believe is most beneficial to the work. If it’s an emotional or characterization problem, I have the last word, but David’s opinion takes precedent on any aspect of the plot or the actions scenes.

Where do you get your ideas?

In the most inconvenient locations where there's never a pen or pencil in sight. For some reason if we sit in front of the computer waiting for the plot to materialize we get zip. We invariably get our best ideas somewhere like the frozen food aisle of the grocery store, or in the shower, or late at night. We now both keep pen, paper, and flashlights by our nightstands.

Anything you would like to tell your readers?

You make it possible for us to do the work we love. If we could, we'd come over and grill green chile cheeseburgers for you every weekend. Thanks so very much for all the support you've given us and for all your wonderful letters. We answer each and every one personally and will continue to do so. Come and join us on Facebook, too. We can always stay in touch there.

Everything you always wanted to know about the law for crime writers and readers

2011-10-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

At the Flathead writers conference this year, I ran into an old friend, Leslie Budewitz, who has a great new book out for anyone writing about criminal law or readers curious about the ins and outs of crime.

It's called Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately about Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedures. And who knows what a writer needs better than a mystery writer and attorney at law.

I bought the book right away, amazed at how much information was in it. I was so excited, I just had to share it. So below is the interview I did with Leslie about the book.

On your cover it says you are a mystery writing lawyer. How long have you been a lawyer? A writer?

Astonishing to think I've been practicing 27 years, first in Washington State and since 1992, back in my home state of Montana. These days, I work part-time, although what that means varies week to week, based on the workload. I started writing in the late 1990s. I was driving a lot--as we Montanans do--and listening to books on tape as I wound through the back roads and small towns. The library's collection of audio books was heavy on mystery--Sue Grafton, Elizabeth Peters, Tony Hillerman--so no surprise that when fiction emerged, it came out as mystery!

This book has been described as a mystery writer’s bible. Why did you write this book?

As a lawyer who writes fiction, I've been answering other writers' questions about using the law in their fiction for years. And I've been bothered by simply, avoidable mistakes about the law in novels and movies. Readers and viewers want to know that they are getting a realistic picture of the world portrayed on the page and screen, while also being entertained. I wrote this book to answer the most common questions and address recurrent problems, to help writers use the law accurately while telling a good story, and to give writers ideas on using legal issues to develop plots and subplots, backstory, character, and setting.

Who will benefit most from this book?

A legal thread runs through the fictional world. So any writer whose plot involves the law or criminal investigation, or who writes about a lawyer, judge, or police officer, will benefit. That includes mystery and crime writers, of course, but also writers of thrillers, suspense, romantic suspense--basically any genre, and any format, including novels, short stories, screenplays, and TV scripts. I also hope readers who don't write but want to know more about how the law really works will find it interesting. I've included examples from books, TV, and movies, and from real cases, including some of my own.

What judicial mistakes do you see in fictional books, movies and TV that you want to help authors avoid?

A few of the most common: Mistakes in terminology, like calling all prosecutors "the DA," because that's what they're called on Law & Order. Assuming law enforcement officers need a warrant to make an arrest. Not knowing when a Miranda warning is needed--and when it isn't. Allowing lawyers--or their clients--to argue with the judge. Introducing new evidence on appeal. I could go on. ...

I notice the chapters are broken down, such as “My bad guy kidnaps a banker in one state, holds him hostage in another, then kills him. Where should he be prosecuted?” How did you decide on this style?

Writers have been asking me questions for years, so it seemed the natural choice. I also thought it would give writers an easy, practical understanding of the issues addressed, and some ideas on how they can use the information to deepen their characterization, enhance setting, and complicate their plots--in a good way!

In each chapter, you give tips to the reader. I got so many ideas for books just reading through them. Was that your intention?

Thanks--and you betcha!

I love that you use actual cases as well as fiction, movies and TV to answer writers’ questions on 160 separate topics and show writers how to use them. How long did it take you to write this book?

27 years--30 if you count law school! Like most nonfiction, the book sold based on a proposal, which included a table of contents identifying the topics. Of course, some changed during the writing. That took about six months, working around the day job.

At the back you have website links for those who want to know more about a given topic. I’m amazed by how much you covered in this book.

There's a lot of great information available, but sometimes it's hard for people who aren't experts to know where to find the most reliable information. So glad you like the book. Thanks, BJ, for the chance to talk with you and your readers!

Books, Crooks & Counselors is published by Quill Driver Books. It's available as a trade paperback or ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore. Links to retailers can be found on www.LawandFiction.com

What's coming up?

2011-10-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to have some books out for a while, but I wanted to update what is happening with future writing projects. Yes, I am working!!

January: ICE LAKE is an anthology includes three 100-page stories by myself and my fellow Intrigue writers and friends Julie Miller and Delores Fossen.

March: CORRALLED, the next book in the Chisholm Cattle Company is out in March. (Because of scheduling, the last two books of the Chisholm Cattle Company will be coming out in March CORRALLED and June WRANGLED.)

April watch for MYSTERY AT LAST CHANCE RANCH as part of the book TOUGH ENOUGH.

June will see the last book in the Chisholm Cattle Company come out: WRANGLED.

August: My first single title book will hit the shelves: UNFORGIVEN. It's set in Montana, of course, and will be much like my Intrigues, only more of everything. :)

October: If you have read CRIME SCENE AT CARDWELL RANCH, then you might be one of the readers who asked for a sequel to find out what happened to the rest of the family. That sequel JUSTICE AT CARDWELL RANCH hits the shelves in October.

What a writer's conference can do for you

2011-10-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

I just spent two very full days at the FLATHEAD RIVER WRITERS CONFERENCE offered by the Authors of the Flathead in Kalispell, Montana. It was a wonderfully organized conference with a great line-up of professionals who shared their craft with more than a hundred writers.

Bestseller memoirist Laura Munson inspired us with her story of success. Kathi Appelt, poet, author and educator, told us how to write for children and young adults. Agents Katharine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literacy Agency and Agent Deborah Levine Herman talked about the literary marketplace, e-media guru Jane Friedman explained social media and playwright Lavonne Mueller gave us insight into playwriting. I talked about writing and got attendees to write the beginning of their books six different ways.

It was an amazing weekend in so many ways. There is nothing like being with other writers. I saw old friends, met fascinating authors and delightful inspiring writers. We talked writing until we were exhausted. It was wonderful!

But I have never been to a writers conference that I haven't learned something. At this one, I had a first. Lavonne Mueller got me to write a 10-minute play. Not only that, she had actors come in and ... you guessed it, act out our plays.

When she said she was going to have us write a play in twenty minutes, I thought, right. I'd never written a play. Didn't have a clue. But first she read us a fun short play, then told us to write one that featured one character. That character was making a plea to an unseen character.

It was so fun to see my words interpreted by an actor, another first! I thank Lavonne for encouraging me to climb out on that limb and stretch myself. I think everyone in her class had as much fun as I did and the plays were absolutely amazing. It is always so interesting to see the variety you get with a room full of writers.

There is nothing like spending a weekend with a bunch of enthusiastic writers. I always feel an immediate bond with anyone who loves writing. And as big as Montana is, it becomes very small at times. I couldn't believe how many people had some tie to the small isolated practically-unknown town in Montana were I now live.

As writers we spend a lot of time alone with only our fictional characters. So getting out with other writers is definitely a treat. The truth is, you can't shut us up.

So tomorrow I head home after a stop at Target, Costco and Walmart (hey, I'm in the big city, have to take advantage). I'm inspired now though and can't wait to get back to writing.

But I had a wonderful time! Thank you Authors of the Flathead. To learn more about them and their tremendous conference, go to www.authorsoftheflathead.com

What inspires you?

2011-09-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

As a writer, I occasionally need a break. Sometimes that means leaving my office and going home to sit on the porch and write. Other times, it takes going more than the three blocks to the house.

I've found that driving is a great time to plot. So, often I will hop in the FJ and head anywhere. It's 65 miles to the quilt shop in Glasgow -- a good distance for plotting. Or 90 miles to Havre and the closest Walmart if I'm stuck and really need to sort out my book.

Tomorrow I'm heading west toward Glacier Park for the Flathead Writers conference. When I was asked to be one of the presenters, I was delighted. It's a beautiful time of the year to be on the road and it's five hours of plotting time.

There is something about driving that sets my mind free. I can figure out problems. Or I can just think about the rest of my book. Driving inspires me, especially when I'm driving through Montana where my books are set. The trees and bushes are turning color, the prairie has dried to a pale yellow and the creeks and rivers are running clear. It's a wonderful time to drive across the state.

Last time I was in Glacier Park I saw a mountain goat balanced on a rock ledge. I almost always see eagles, hawks, antelope and deer. The highway is two-lane across the top of the state called the Hi-Line. Along the way, I can let ideas run wild. If my characters get to talking to me though, I'll pull over in a wide spot, grab my AlphaSmart and write down a scene or two.

Along with the drive, I'm looking forward to being around other writers. There is nothing more inspiring than that. So I will get some writing done because I won't be able to help myself. All that inspiration will have me itching to get back to my book. Those characters never let me get too far away from them.

Hope this fall is inspiring you.

The return of the McCall family

2011-09-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

Another double book featuring the McCalls of Montana mini series is now out. DOUBLE TARGET features two books: Cowboy Accomplice and Shotgun Surrender.

In Cowboy Accomplice, heroine Regina Holland comes to Montana in search of....the perfect cowboy backside for a national blue jean commercial to save her ailing company. She finds that ideal behind in the form of J.T. McCall. There is just one problem. J.T. wants nothing to do with a commercial -- or this woman who is clearly like a fish out of water in Montana.

As J.T. heads for the mountains with a herd of cattle, Regina finds out that J.T. is in need of a cook for his cattle camp. Although the last thing Regina knows how to do is cook, she worms her way into the job by charming J.T.'s ranch manager and finds herself the only female in the mountains with not only a bunch of cowhands -- but a killer.

In Shotgun Surrender, tomboy Dusty McCall trades her cowboy boots for high heels, deterined to prove she is all woman. Unfortunately she sets her sights on the wrong cowboy. Fortunately for her, she has a friend in rancher Ty Coltrane. The problem is, he has to win Dusty's affections before things turn deadly. Dusty is in over her head and Ty will do anything to save her.

DOUBLE TARGET follows DOUBLE PLAY that also featured two McCalls of Montana stories. DOUBLE TARGET is available at bookstores along with Walmart and Kmart, but only for a short time.

Interview of fellow writer and friend Debra Webb

2011-09-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

As you probably all know, Debra Webb is famous for her Colby Agency series at Harlequin Intrigue as well as her mainstream books and her latest release: DIRTY

I asked her to share behind the scene details about the book and the sassy, sexy and strong heroine Jackie Mercer.

Where did you get the idea for DIRTY? Was this something that's been brewing for a while?

Actually I wrote DIRTY in 2004. I had turned that mid-forty mark and it occurred to me that all the heroines I was writing were in their 20's and 30's. It seemed that few books featured heroines 45 and beyond. This was well before the debut of Desperate Housewives, The Closer, Body of Proof and Cougar Town. So I decided to do something about it!

Jackie is a spunky, sassy, capable woman. How much are you like her?

I like to think I'm a lot like her. I've never let a scary climb prevent me from scaling a ladder to patch a leaky roof or to paint a three-story stairwell! I'm fiercely loyal to friends and family and I never say die!

It seems Jackie has met her match with hero Derrick Dawson. How important was it to team her with a man that could be her equal?

Extremely important! Sometimes a strong, independent woman can miss out on certain aspects of life without an equally strong, independent companion to slow her down!

Jackie has a great relationship with her female friends.

Very much so. Deep friendship is a strong healer. We all need good friends.

The book was originally released digitally, but I understand it is now out in paperback as well?

It is. The tradepaper version went on sale in July!

How would you describe DIRTY?

Real life with a kick!

The book is a lot sexier and hotter than your Harlequin Intrigues. Have readers been supportive?

Oh yes! Sometimes folks confuse sexy with sex. There is very little sex in DIRTY. In fact there isn't a single consumated sex scene on page anywhere in the book, yet the chemistry between Jackie and Dawson is very sexy!

When will we be seeing another Jackie Mercer book?

My goal is spring 2012, no earlier than Valentine's Day, no later than June. There will also be a short story featuring Jackie in the Thriller 3 anthology coming in June! I'm very excited about sharing a book cover with Sandra Brown and too many other phenomenal authors to name!

What makes Jackie unique?

She's a real woman with real woman worries and flaws. I think, in fiction, that makes her very unique.

Where can readers get a copy of the book?

Anywhere online! Amazon. BN.com. Smashwords, Diesel, Sony, itunes!

What are you working on now?

I'm working on a Colby Agency trilogy for summer 2012 from Harlequin Intrigue. This trilogy will feature the 50th book in the Colby Agency series!

What can readers expect to see in the future?

More Colbys! More Jackie Mercer! And a new thriller series that I believe will please my mainstream suspense readers! More about that to come!

How much of your Southern upbringing ends up in your books?

Lots! I work hard to create characters with that never-give-up attitude my parents instilled in me as well as the closeness and love of family.

Since you wrote your first book at nine, have you always known you would be a writer? If you weren't an author, what would you be?

I've always wanted to be published but didn't know how to make it happen. The stories I wrote between the ages of 9 and 17 were mostly short stories and screen plays. It wasn't until I hit my mid-thirties that I took the plunge and wrote that first full-length novel. In between I spent most of my work time as an administrative assistant or secretary working for the military and then NASA.

What is a normal day like for you?

It's very different now since my injury. I have to work around hours of physical therapy every day. (For those of you who haven't heard, Debra injured her arm in a fall. Not that anything can stop her from what she loves.)

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Keep writing. Finish a project, send it out, and move on to the next one! The best way to become a great storyteller is to keep exercising that muscle!

As the mother of two, how have your daughters helped with your writing?

They are amazing! They've served as researchers, proofreaders, you name it! My younger daughter even played a murder victim once for a photo shoot related to one of my books! But my number one partner is my husband. We do this together!

I know you have a very supportive husband. How important is that to being the prolific writer you are?

Immensely! He is 100% my partner in my work and he takes care of most everything else! He's awesome!

Thank you Debra Webb. Anyone who reads your books or gets the wonderful opportunity to meet you, knows what a dedicated writer you are and a delightful person to be around. I appreciate your time. Keep writing! We love your stories!

Play and Work

2011-08-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

I just spent an amazing weekend on the lake. I love being on the water but I'd forgotten how much I need it.

One of the hardest things about being a writer is finding a healthy balance. When you have a lot of deadlines, books lined up for a couple of years in front of you, you have a tendency to forget about play.

I've learned that writing everyday makes my life -- and the book -- easier. If you take a few days off from writing, it is harder to get back into the characters and plot. You have to remember where you were and what you were thinking. Long ago I was given the advice to leave the book in the middle of a sentence or at least in the middle of a scene so it was easier to get back into it the next day.

I've found this to be great advice. But it is also important to take time away from writing and have FUN. At the lake this weekend, I waterskied and rode on a float called Big Mable with my grandchildren. We did a lot of laughing and swimming and racing around in the boat. We all got sunburned and tired but the day was incredible.

And it did me a world of good. Monday morning I couldn't wait to get back to writing. I felt rejuvenated.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that I need to just have fun. The exercise doesn't hurt either. Finding that balance is always a struggle. But a wonderful weekend on the lake is a good reminder.

Summer is winding down

2011-08-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm always sad to see summer go. Not the heat, but that vacation feeling. I especially feel it when I'm in one of Montana's tourist towns. You notice a lot of out-of-state license plates and people have that tourist look that I love.

We recently went to Canyon Ferry Lake with our boat. It felt so summer-like because of all the people camping, swimming, riding around in boats. I spent many summers of my youth on a lake doing those same things.

Now my granddaughters are here for a week and we will be spending days on the lake, swimming, racing around in the boat and catching the last of summer. I bought something called Big Mabel to pull behind the boat and can't wait to get it out of the box. Tubing is always great fun and I'm looking forward to it. I used to waterski for miles in the summer. My parents were the original snowbirds so I also waterskied winters down south.

I think summers are especially poignant in Montana because they are so short. Usually it is a wonderful time because it gets warm during the day, then cools down at night. Perfect temperatures.

Then all of sudden you notice that it's getting colder at night, dropping to the 40s. The leaves begin to turn on the cottonwoods and aspens and before you know it, you have to grab a jacket, then a coat because you wake up to snow.

The hardest part is losing the color green. We have white for way too many months on end.

So it is always sad to see summer waning. But at least for another week, we will swim and boat and get dragged all over the lake on a Big Mabel. We already have memories from other summers with the grandkids. We'll add this one to the collection.

Hope you are all enjoying the last of yours. Tomorrow we unbox Big Mabel. This going to be fun!

Peach/Pepper Jam recipe

2011-08-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

I just put up two batches of peach/pepper jam. For those of you who requested the recipe, here it is. This jam is great on crackers and cream cheese. It makes a great Christmas treat for neighbors and friends. And it is wonderful on grilled chicken. I know you will find many more uses for it. Be sure and let me know.

Peach Pepper Jam
3 lbs of ripe peaches (about 9 medium enough to make 6 cups)
6 cups sugar (divided)
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finally chopped jalapenos or hot red chili peppers (I used fresh jalapenos)
1 cup white vinegar

Peel peaches (dip in a pan of hot water and the skins come right off), cut up so you have 6 cups. (I leave some large chunks in mine)
Sprinkle with 3 cups sugar and let stand overnight if possible, but you don't have to. Stir the fruit and put in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at slow steady boil for 15 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients (3 cups sugar, peppers and vinegar). Bring to boil, reduce temperature and cook at slow steady boil for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Skim (if you put in a teaspoon of butter, it cuts down on the need to skim). Put in hot jars. Top with hot lids, screw down and turn upside down on a clean dish towel. When jam cools, the lids should have sealed.

Cupid and the Cowboy and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

What I love most about writing is the surprises. When I first began writing, it was short stories. The ideas came from country western songs, commercials or a title that just popped into my head.

That is the wonderful thing about short stories, they can begin with hardly anything and grow from there.

That is how my short story Cupid's Arrow began. It was Valentine's Day and suddenly I saw this cowboy sitting at the bar. He was down on his luck and just when he thought things couldn't get any worse...he saw Cupid.

He tries to stop the chubby cherub knowing Cupid is wasting an arrow shooting his former girlfriend -- the cowgirl singing the blues up on stage. But Cupid ignores him and ends up sitting on the rim of his beer, kicking up the foam -- and piercing the songstress with two of his pointed arrows.

I had a lot of fun with the story. Okay, maybe too much fun. But that is what is so wonderful about writing. You get to have fun.

I feel the same way about baking. So I want to share my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe compliments of the back of a bag of Gold Medal floor. These are crisp and buttery and the batch makes a bunch! Which is good. They disappear fast.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bag (24 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls or use a small ice cream like scoop. Bake 11 to 13 minutes until light brown. Centers will be soft. Cool 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Judging a book by its cover

2011-08-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

There has been an interesting discussion going on about what makes readers by certain ebooks. Why, authors ask, do some digital books sell better than overs?

It's a mystery. Is it the taglines (that list of words that tell the reader what type of book it is)? Or is it the title?

Or is it simply the cover?

My ebook covers are done by my talented, wonderful professional designer Danielle Ness at Crossroads Creative. She made the covers of my short story ebooks alike so readers would recognize them all as short stories -- not novels.

Each ebook has 3 short stories, one long and two short. I picked my favorites. I love all of the stories.

So why it is that some of them sell so much better than others?

Because this is so new to all of us, we are trying to figure out the best way to let readers know what they are getting when they buy one of our ebooks.

If you have a theory, please share it. I look forward to hearing from you!

Fan takes me on trip down memory lane

2011-08-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

I got a call earlier today from a woman in town who had a friend passing through town with a bagful of my books. Would I consider coming down to her office and meeting my fan and signing a few books?

Of course. The fan and her granddaughter were delightful. The bag of books was huge. As it turned out, the fan had collected everything I have written!

I took the books back to my air-conditioned office, got myself a Coke Zero out of my fridge and began to go through the bag.

What a wonderful trip down memory lane. It was fun to see my very first book, ODD MAN OUT, and remember writing it. I started out setting my books in different parts of Montana so I was taken from Lewis and Clark Caverns near Three Forks to Flathead and Canyon Ferry lakes and the Gallatin Canyon.

Whenever I pick up one of my older books, I am reminded of where I was in my life when I wrote it. I smiled a lot as I signed book after book. It was fun to revisit those characters. The trip took me back to Texas where I was born and on a side trip to Florida for the several books I've set there.

But my favorites of course are set here in Montana. It was good to see many of the families I've written about. It's always fun to see CRIME SCENE AT CARDWELL RANCH, especially now that I will be writing a sequel set to come out October 2012.

One of the most "out-there" series was set in Oregon about Bigfoot sightings. I had to laugh when I remembered how worried my editor was that Bigfoot would show up in one of the books before the series was over.

Some of the series I did with other writers were fun to see again. I made some very good friends by doing those series.

I seldom look back at the books I've done. I'm too busy writing new ones. So it was a treat to remember where it all began and see the journey. Thank you fan Beverly for reminding how far I've come since that first book. Not that there weren't trials and tribulations along the way. Lots of fear that there wasn't another book in me. Lots of long hours and blurry-eyed deadlines.

Signing all those books was a fun way to spend part of a summer afternoon. Now it's back to writing the next book that hopefully some fan will bring me one day to sign many years from now.

Weather is always a topic in Montana

2011-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

What a weird summer we have all had. Too hot in most of the country. Too cold and rainy in other parts.

We had a couple of weeks of hot, but recently it cooled down. A sure sign that fall is coming early.

One thing that everyone in Montana talks about is the weather. Last winter we got more snow than anyone can remember. Even the old timers said they'd seen nothing like it.

After that of course we had a late spring. Because of all the snow, we needed a new roof. But to put the new roof on we needed at least four no-rainy days in a row to do it. Good luck with that this spring.

So it wasn't until July before work began on the roof. And even then we had some huge storms roll through with lots of rain and even golf-ball sized hail. The roof finally got done about a week ago. Good timing since the word on the street is: Early Fall.

The other word on the street from people who say they know is: Another Bad Winter.

It is fun to hear the predictions. It got down to 50 degrees last night. We woke up to a rather cold morning. The morning before we went to the lake and needed jackets. This could be like other years when we had a snowfall in August.

I love writing about Montana because weather is like another character. It's smart to know what the weather is going to do here. In the winter, a blizzard can blow in and if you get trapped out in it, you're toast. Spring storms can catch you down one of the muddy roads that become impassible. Summers are usually pretty safe except for the amazing thunderstorms that blow through.

What I love is how dramatic and beautiful the storms are where I live. You can see them coming across the prairie. They are spectacular.

I hope you all had at least a little good weather this summer and that the heat stops for you poor people from my birth state: Texas.

Reaching 1,000 sales and other news

2011-07-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that it looks as if the seven short story ebooks I have up on Amazon.com will hit 1,000 by the end of the month for July.

That is astounding to me. I wanted to share my short stories but I had no idea they would be so warmly received. I thank you all.

I also heard today that my very first book, ODD MAN OUT, is being re-released in April . It will be coming out along with books by Jayne Krentz and Lindsay McKenna. I'm so excited to see my book come out with such wonderful writers as these. The title of this 3-book edition is: Tough Enough.

I regret there will be a dry spell between my books after STAMPEDED comes out Aug. 1. The last two of the Chisholm books will be out March and June.

But until then, I will have an anthology, ICE LAKE, out in January with my fellow Intrigue writers Delores Fossen and Julie Miller. Next year my books will be closer together.

Thank you all for your wonderful support. I am blessed that I get to do this.

If you live in the US and haven't signed up to receive a postcard announcing when I have books coming, send me your snail mail address to bjdaniels@mtintouch.net

Refrigerator dill pickles recipe

2011-07-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

My husband planted a huge garden this year with 10 cucumber plants. I wanted to make some pickles. The problem is that the cukes come in at about a dozen at a time. So I decided the best thing I could do was make some refrigerator pickles.

I went on line and read through dozens of recipes finally deciding on one.

Now a week later, I have dill pickles ready. We tried the first one today. WOW. They are delicious!!

So for anyone who wants to make some dill pickles but isn't interested in getting into the whole canning thing with jars and lids and water baths, then these are your kind of pickles.

All you need are some small cucumbers. If you don't have a garden, you can usually buy everything you need (cukes, dill) at a farmer's market. The pickles make in your refrigerator and you can eat them as soon as they turn an olive green and look like dill pickles. :)

Here's the recipe:
Slice your cucumbers. I did mine as spears, cutting the cukes the long way into quarters. If you want them for hamburgers, then slice them the other way. Put them in the brine in the refrigerator and wait about a week.

The brine:
2 cups of white vinegar
1/2 cup canning salt (sold at grocery stores)
1/2 cup sugar
dill (I used fresh from the garden. I like a lot so I put in about 5 sprigs along with the stems)
garlic (I like a lot so I put in 6 cloves or one large bunch peeled)
onion (I like to slice a white onion thin)
*I put a dried hot pepper in mine because I like my pickles a little hot.

The recipe suggests you make this in a gallon jar (I used quarter jars because I had them)
I filled the jars with cukes and onions (layering) then I filled the jar a little over half full with brine and topped it off with water. If you make a gallon, you fill with cucumbers, add all the brine, then fill the rest of the jar with water and shake. The recipe suggests shaking the jar once in a while during the week.

Hope you enjoy your dill pickles. They keep well in the fridge and are delicious!!

Win a Kindle and stories from Intrigue Writers

2011-07-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

We got together recently and decided to give one winner a free Kindle loaded with out digital stories.

To get a chance to win, go to: www.prizesforreaders.com

Check out some of the many digital stories Intrigue authors are offering as well as commenting so you have a chance to win the Kindle.

Check out Harlequin Thursday!

2011-07-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

I am blogging tomorrow, Thursday, July 14th at eHarlequin. Come say hello at:
http://harlequinblog.com/2011/07/thats-why-you-need-a-good-cowboy

Harlequin is celebrating cowboys this week with some of your favorite authors.

Summer reading: paper or plastic?

2011-07-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

I recently did a poll on eHarlequin's Intrigue blog and asked readers if they were reading paper books or were using eReaders and going digital.

Isn't it wonderful to have so many options when it comes to reading. I got an iPad for Christmas and of course bought some digital books for it. I've read about 5 books digitally. I love using it at night when I don't need to turn on a light and keep my husband up.

But I have to admit, I miss the smell and feel of paper. I also miss the cover and being able to thumb ahead to see where the chapter ends. I know you can do that digitally but it's not the same.

However, I love that I have the option of publishing digitally now. I've put some short stories up under B.J. Daniels. I like the idea of writing anything I want and offering it to readers. At this point, that would only be short stories. I'm too busy writing for Harlequin to write anything else right now.

But I am curious how everyone feels about digital vs. paper and what you're reading on this summer. So what are you reading on? Are you reading more because of digital?

Life after the conference

2011-07-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from New York City and Romance Writers of America 2011 conference. I'm still tired, still reeling from all the amazing things that happened -- and trying to get back to normal.

Normal is my work: writing. I wrote for the first time last night after days of being involved in the "business of writing." There is a huge difference between writing and the business of writing. It's that right brain, left brain thing. Talking about writing, agents, sell-throughs, contracts and print runs is interesting. But it has nothing to do with what I consider my real life.

My real life is writing: solitary, frustrating, wonderful hours spent telling stories through the keys of my computer.

As much fun as it is to see my writer friends, make new friends, learn and share with other writers, I always can't wait to get home and write.

I know. You must think I'm crazy. So many writers and aspiring writers live for the glitz and glamour of the conferences, rubbing elbows with editors, publishers, agents and bestsellers, dressing up for balls and parties. It's fun. For a while. But it's not real life.

Fortunately, I love my real life and that means gladly putting away the dress clothes and getting back to work. But it's more than that. Conferences are exhausting. They can leave you exhilerated or depressed. It is hard not to compare yourself to everyone else. Even when you are doing well, another author is doing better and that will always be the case on some level.

I've learned to not take any of it too seriously. It can put too much pressure on you or worse, discourage you from writing at all. To do your best writing you have to have confidence that you can do this. The last thing you need is a bunch of editors from all the workshops you saw sitting on your shoulder making you afraid to write for fear of doing it wrong. Fear of success is just as paralyzing as fear of failure.

Don't get me wrong. Conferences are great. They can be a lot of fun. You make great friends. There is nothing better than feeling that bond among other writers, editors, publishers. It's exciting. It can make you feel as if anything is possible. It is.

But don't mistake all of that for any more than it is. Going to a conference doesn't make you a writer and it never will. When you get home, you have to write.

Ending the book, the mini-series

2011-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've ended a lot of books. There's a point where the writing is easy. Where you can't seem to type fast enough. You're on a race to the moment when the heroine is saved and she and the hero live happily ever after.

I love writing that part. Usually I have at least a few characters racing to save the heroine. It's a breathless kind of writing that's fun.

Figuring out how to end the book is much tougher. Usually, if I've laid the groundwork, the ending is just waiting for me to get there.

Sometimes though, I'm racing toward it and suddenly I come to a screeching halt. What happens next? I know where I need to get. But getting there is the problem.

There is also the problem of not having every book ending be the same. But how do you make a "Rescue Scene" all that unique? Especially after you've done it almost 60 times already?

Also, none of my heroines are going to stand back and wait to be rescued. But I have to leave a little something for the hero to do once he gets there. :)

Writing the ending isn't any tougher than the rest of the book. Every part has its own unique difficulties. The nice thing is that by the end, I know the characters. I know they are capable and smart and determined and would die fighting to be with the person they love.

But it is always sad to finish another family series. After the Winchesters, I thought I couldn't fall as deeply in love with another family. I was wrong. The Chisholms have stolen my heart and now I have to say goodbye to them and move on.

It's not easy writing The End after living with these characters for so long.

Fortunately, there is always another series waiting in the wings, the characters calling me to tell their stories. While I am about to say goodbye to the Chisholms of Chisholm Cattle Company, I'm getting excited to meet my next fictional family.

In the meantime, I get to see each of the Chisholm books hit the shelves and get to remember the struggles and joy of writing them.

The next book in the Whitehorse, Montana: Chisholm Cattle Company book is RUSTLED (July). BRANDED (May) and LASSOED (June) are already out. The rest, STAMPEDED, CORRALLED and RUSTLED follow in August, March, June.

When characters take over

2011-06-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have often told a story in my writing classes about the time I was writing a short story and my character began to limp.

I remembered being annoyed. I backed up my cursor and deleted the limping part. But not long after that the hero began to limp again. That time, I just left it, figuring I'd go back later and fix it.

I can laugh about it now since that was the first time that one of my characters tried to tell me he knew more about his story than I did.

It wasn't until the end of that story, that I found out why my hero limped. Needless to say, I didn't try to change it. By then, I knew that his limp was part of his past -- and his story.

From then on I trusted my characters. I might not like where they take me sometimes, but I go with them because I've learned that it isn't until the characters become real that the story takes off.

That limping hero is featured in my latest ebook of short stories: THUNDERSTRUCK. His story and two others are in the ebook now at Amazon. Soon to be at Smashwords for Nooks and Apple ereaders.

What I love about the short story ebooks (99 cents) is that this was my learning grounds. I began my career writing these stories. These characters taught me. I suppose that is why they are so special to me. They were my first.

In my writing classes, I advise aspiring writers to write. But I also recommend knocking the editor off your shoulder. Often when we write, we feel someone sitting on our shoulder telling us not to type this or that. You can't think about what your mother will say or your husband or your best friend. You just have to write and let the characters tell their story as honestly as possible.

Writing can definitely be freeing. Another story that makes me smile is CUPID'S ARROW since even when I read that story before re-releasing it, I chuckled at where I'd let my imagination go. I liked that young writer I'd been. I remembered the fun I'd had with that story and wondering if I was crazy to keep writing it. :)

I began writing about strong women and horses in TAKING CHANCES. When I was a newspaper reporter and had to cover a grass fire outside of town and came home and wrote BURNING MEMORIES, I was so shocked by the speed with which a fire moved.

I hope you enjoy the stories.

More short story "ebooks" now available on Amazon for 99 cents

2011-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to announce that five more of a my short story "ebooks" are now available at Amazon. They will also be available through Smashwords soon for Nook and Apple ereaders.

I tried to put together 3 short stories, one long and two short, that I thought readers might enjoy. All of the stories are favorites that were published over the years.

My daughter, a graphic designer at Crossroads Creative, designed all of the covers. I love them all. The most challenging one was for my short story ebook, CUPID'S ARROW. I explained that I needed Cupid to be sitting on the edge of a beer glass.

As I've said, it is fun for me to see these short stories in print (digitally) again and make them available to my readers. I started my writing career with short stories. I think you can see how it all started since I wrote about a lot of the same themes that have ended up in my books.

I hope you enjoy them. I wanted to make them fast inexpensive reads for the summer. Be sure and let me know what you think. These are my favorites.

The ebook short stories are: DESPERADO, TAKING CHANCES, BURNING MEMORIES, CUPID'S ARROW and THUNDERSTRUCK.

Upcoming books

2011-06-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted that two of my books, COWBOY ACCOMPLICE and SHOTGUN SURRENDER, are going to be published under the title: DOUBLE TARGET in August.

Along with that, the Whitehorse, Montana: Chisholm Cattle Company series continues. Those books include: BRANDED (May), LASSOED (June), RUSTLED (July), STAMPEDED (August), CORRALED (May), WRANGLED (June 2012)

Also I have two sets of short stories now available as ebooks: DANCE WITH ME and THE SNOW WOMAN. Check these out at Smashwords or Amazon. Both will soon be available for Nooks. Watch for more short stories coming within the next few weeks!!

The story continues....

2011-06-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've heard writers say that a book wrote itself. I've also heard writers say books just don't write themselves.

Maybe. I've found that some books seem to have a life of their own and just take off. Others are like pulling teeth.

When I started writing Billie Rae's story, it was as if I couldn't type fast enough. The moment I met her that night on page one, I wondered how she was going to get out of this mess. Fortunately Billie Rae figured it out for herself and I got to come along for the ride.

Lassoed also has one of my favorite villains. Duane was enormously fun to write. I love villains who just want their own way and believe they should. Look out anyone who gets in their way.

It was fun also to continue the story of Emma and Hoyt Chisholm, definitely a love story. I'm a firm believer that love isn't just for the young, but the young-at-heart as well. :)

I hope you enjoy Lassoed. The rest of the series continues...July, August, March and June.

Writing On The Run

2011-05-31T13:03:00.001-07:00

It has been a wild few weeks. I am trying to finish the last book WRANGLED (#6) of the Whitehorse Chisholm Cattle Company series. Not easy when you're on the road.

I just returned from Book Expo America in New York City. That was a fun experience and I'm glad I went, but flying out of Montana isn't for the faint of heart.

I had to drive 3 hours just to get to the Billings airport. It had been raining when I left and hadn't stopped.

When I flew back into Billings, the largest city in the state, the road north was closed due to all the flooding. I'd worried that might be the case.

I called my husband. He checked the roads in Montana and called me back to say I was going to have to go at least an hour and a half out of my way to get home.

I headed for Big Timber. But when I got there, I found out that the Interstate from Livingston to Big Timber was closed and all the traffic was being rerouted through Harlowton -- the direction I was headed.

We in Montana think a dozen cars on the highway is a whole lot of traffic. I have never seen so much traffic on a two-lane road as I saw coming down the highwway from Harlowton. It was bumper to bumper. Add to that gale-force winds, two semi truck wrecks and I knew I wasn't going to make it home. At least not that night.

I ended up in a Super 8 in Lewistown, Montana.

Meanwhile, I still had a book due and I wanted nothing more than to get back home to my husband and my own bed.

I made it after another two-hour drive the next morning. It was quite an ordeal. Part of the road near the Missouri Breaks was single lane only because half the road had caved off. There was flooding everywhere.

Leaving home is never easy -- especially when you live in a remote part of Montana. I have to fly again at the end of June to attend Romance Writers of America back in New York City. I know, I think I'm crazy too.

But after that, I will be home for a while fortunately. I have books to write and it's hard to do on the road. I didn't get a lot of writing done on my trip, but I always manage some.

Now I just need to work harder to meet my deadlines.

Meanwhile, the weatherman is calling for more rain. At least where we live our heads are above water so far.

My short stories are up digitally on Smashwords and Amazon!!!

2011-05-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased to announce that some of my favorite short stories are now up on Smashwords. Check it out at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bjdaniels

They are also now available at Amazon so these stories can be read on all ereaders as well as on your computer.

I sold my first short story to Woman's World in 1987. Back then, the romance stories ran about 23 pages. The mysteries were about 6 pages. I have wanted to do something more with those stories. They are all a lot like what I write now. That's why WW editors were always telling me to tone down the adventure. :)

Each features three stories and sells for 99 cents. The title of the other one up now is The Snow Woman, another favorite. These will also be available at Amazon in the next few weeks.

I would love to hear what you think as I would like to put up more if you like them.

Readers respond! Here are the winners!!

2011-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

I had such a great response that I have decided to mail the following readers a signed book. If you responded to my question this week or contacted me about my books and see your name below, you are a winner:

Karen Hutton
Betty Ivy
Donna
Cheryl
Caroline
Laura Beth
Misty
Risa
Pat Cooper
Dee Ann
Julie Ann
Sara Ann
Valri
Dhassin157
Alexa
Carole
Nocows0
Nancy
Mom26
Ellen (I'll send you another book than a Whitehorse one)

All you have to do is send me your snail mail address and I'll get you a book in the mail,
Thanks again. Send addresses to: bjdaniels@mtintouch.net
BJ

Whitehorse: A Dangerous Place to Live

2011-05-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh the other day when I read several reviews of my first book of the new Whitehorse series: Chisholm Cattle Company: BRANDED.

The reviewer said that if she lived in Whitehorse, Montana, she would move!

She brought up an interesting problem with writing a lot of books set in the same area. When do I leave Whitehorse?

Another reviewer was bummed that I hadn't mentioned many of the characters I've written about since I started the series..36 books ago?

I try to weave some of the old Whitehorse characters into my stories, but too many characters slow down the pacing. Also new readers don't know those old characters so have no interest in what they're doing now.

For those of you who tell me you love Whitehorse. there is at least six more: Chisholm Cattle Company. But what about after the six Chisholm brothers solve their mysteries and find love??

Is it time to leave Whitehorse, Montana? Help me decide. Just add your vote in the comments below. To make it worth your while, I will be giving away a dozen signed books from the Whitehorse series.

So more Whitehorse stories? Or are you ready for another dangerous town in Montana?

The over-arcing mystery: gotta have faith

2011-04-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Writing for me is an act of faith. I begin every series having faith everything will work out since I have no idea where I'm going with the books. Fortunately, sometimes I get lucky.

On the heels of my Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series, I had to give life to a new family: the Chisholms. It is always hard for me to leave a family I have fallen in love with. Often I don't find the new family very interesting.

But I have learned to begin with the question: What is it about this family that makes them worth writing about? It has to be something interesting for me. If it means killing a few people, so be it. Once I find that family secret, it usually gives me what is known as my over-arcing mystery.

Beginning a six-book series with a new family is slow at first. Each book gives me another piece of that over-arcing mystery puzzle. It would be nice if I got the whole thing in a flash of brilliance, but that's not the way it works apparently.

I did recently have a flash of sorts though. I was sitting by a swimming pool at the Romantic Times convention. It was too cold to be by the pool, which could explain why I was sitting there alone. But I had on my wet swimsuit as I had been in the water. There was sunshine even though it was 60 degrees. I thought the sunshine would help. I was determined to figure out the rest of the Chisholm series since I was on the last book.

I had my eyes closed, shivering, going over what I had written in my head, wondering if this would be the time that my seat-of-the-pants writing method let me down when... WHAM! It came to me like a bolt of lightning.

I shot straight up in my lounge chair, eyes flying open, and started laughing. I wanted to dance around the pool but a half dozen glass office buildings including the convention hotel overlook the pool. If it hadn't been so cold, I still might have danced. It was that exciting. I saw the last piece of the puzzle, the piece that pulled the six-book series together.

It was such an amazing thing. I suspect my subconsicous has known all along where these books were going and how they end -- and was holding out on me. Or maybe my subconscious knows I can handle only so much information at a time and gives it to me on a need-to-know basis.

Doesn't matter. I love it when the light bulb comes on like that. It gives me goosebumps. I'm pretty sure this is why I love writing. I love to be surprised.

I mailed off book five of the Chisholm Cattle Company story today and am about a hundred pages into the final book of the series. I know how the over-arcing mystery comes together. I don't however know much about the 6th book mystery yet. But I really like these characters and I'm excited to see what happens.

Gotta have faith that the answer will come when I need it.

The first book in the Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company series begins next week with BRANDED.. followed by the rest of the series June, July, August, March and June.

Re-releases: Remembering Favorite Books

2011-04-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

It is fun to see Harlequin putting some of my formerly released books into print again as "Doubles," two books in one. Both are McCall family books.

When Double Play came out this month, I received my complimentary copies and was surprised. What a kick to open the book and see two old favorites.

What was even more of a kick was that I didn't remember how either book ended. I know writers who can quote from their books. They know them that well.

Not me. I remember writing them, remember the trials and tribulations and often where I was and what was going on in my life when I was writing the book.

So when I opened Double Play and saw that the books were Ambushed! and High-Caliber Cowboy I started rereading them, trying to remember how they ended. :)

It is fun to read something I wrote long enough ago that I can't remember. I'd forgotten how much I'd enjoyed both stories. I love old mysteries (Ambushed) and scary empty insane asylums (High-Caliber Cowboy).

When I saw that Harlequin will be re-releasing Shotgun Surrender and Cowboy Accomplice, two more McCall books, I was delighted. They are calling the two-book reprint: DOUBLE TARGET.

I will never forget the day I came up with the idea for Cowboy Accomplice. I called it my "butt book." The concept was: what if the heroine came to Montana looking for the perfect cowboy posterior for an advertising campaign for her jean company.

As you might imagine, I had a ball writing that book. Do I need to tell you that when she finds the perfect cowboy behind, the cowboy connected to it isn't interested? So what does she do? She hires on as the camp cook. Of course, she can't cook and there is a killer loose in the mountains. Some books are just too fun.

So it has been great to see these books hit print again. If you are looking for my former books and want them in print don't miss DOUBLE PLAY out now and DOUBLE TARGET coming in August.

And if you don't know if a book is new or a reprint, always check just inside the cover to where it says what year the book came out. I don't want you buying a book you already have.

Happy reading,
BJ

It doesn't take much to make me happy

2011-04-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

In the midst of writing and editing, there is nothing more fun that to realize I have a book coming out. Sometimes I forget because I am so intent on the next book.

The reminder this time came in a small manilla padded envelope from Harlequin. Inside was my new cover.

Seriously, it doesn't take much to make me happy. I'm just thrilled to be published. But everyone once in a while something happens that just tickles me.

My new cover bowled me over. I had heard that marketing was giving me a whole different look for my Intrigues. When I saw BRANDED for the first time, I started giggling with delight.

I couldn't help it. I loved the font and the cowboy on the cover wasn't half bad either. But after getting excited about my new look, I realized not only was my name bigger than the title -- it was in raised gold letters.

Years ago, as an aspiring author, I was told by several published writers how I would know when I had "made it."

There was the: "Once you sell your first book, you'll have it made." Not true, but it sounded good at the time. Once you had sold some books, there was: Once your name is bigger than the title on your cover. Raised letters were another.

I really doubted that something like raised letters could be that exciting.

I was wrong. I had no idea how much fun it would be to run my fingers over them. :)

I've been in the writing business long enough to know that I'll never have it "made." There will always be another indicator like a cut-out foil cover or the New York Times Bestseller List or enough money from writing to buy an island. It's nice to have goals, but it is also nice to appreciate where you are right now.

My mother used to have an expression that comes to mind when I look at the cover of BRANDED and pinch myself.

"I've got it made in the shade with a pitcher of lemonade," she used to say. Yep, that's me right now.

But then I thought it couldn't get any better when I sold my first short story.

Out in May, BRANDED is the first of six books in the Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company series. Watch for the others in June, July, August, March and June.

What do you like to read?

2011-03-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been asked that in almost every interview. It is always hard for me to list the authors I read. I read all the time. I think you have to be a reader to be a writer. And I like reading a lot of different genres, both literary and commercial. It is so fun for me to curl up with a new book. I'm always excited and full of expectation that I am going to love the book. Being a writer, I hate it when I am unable to suspend my disbelief. I want to be completely caught up in the story. The most exciting thing for me is if the author surprises me and I have no idea how the story is going to end. That doesn't happen often. Unfortunately, I can often see how the magic is done because I have pulled some of the same tricks myself. Nothing is more disappointing than seeing the author behind the curtain pulling the strings. But I love those authors who surprise me. Nothing is more fun. During my month way from writing I read a lot of books. Because I enjoyed some of them so much I wanted to pass on the titles and authors' names. That is also part of the fun of reading -- sharing a good book with someone you know will enjoy it. So here are the books that I read that I think you might like. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (This book has been compared to Dickens. It is set in the 1800s in New England.) The Girl I Used to Be by David Cristofano (This one has a nice twist and actually makes you think about the theme.) The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (If you haven't read a Flavia de Luce mystery, I highly recommend it. The first book in the series is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. These are fun books that are a treat to read.) Dark, No Stars by Stephen King (These are long, short stories and very dark. I listened to it on CD. Great interview of King at end.) Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (Fun to read about another time and place) This Body of Death by Elizabeth George (Almost 1,000 pages, but worth it) The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (I loved all the history and can't wait for the rest of the series) Now I am reading Michael Koryta's So Cold the River. So what are you reading?

Where to get missed Whitehorse books

2011-03-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

I am always delighted when a new reader contacts me wondering where to find my other books. Unfortunately they are like bananas and only on the shelves for a very short few weeks when they come out. Most, fortunately, sell out.

But there is good news. Harlequin is reprinting many of them. This month, AMBUSHED and HIGH CALIBER COWBOY have been packaged together under the title DOUBLE PLAY. So if those are books that you missed, you can pick one up at your local bookstore this week.

Otherwise, books are still available at Amazon.com and more recent ones can be purchased from eHarlequin.com

Thank you for your interest in past books. Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company begins in May with BRANDED, followed by LASSOED in June, RUSTLED in July and STAMPEDED in August and two more the first part of 2012.

It is time read some books

2011-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Every year I take off some time from writing to read. I read all year, picking up a variety of different books and authors to read other peoples' stories. But I don't get to read as much as I want -- except once a year when I read for a month straight.

Reading is an important part of being a writer. I'm a firm believer that it is good to read a whole lot of different types of books -- and not just books in the same genre as what I write. In fact, I read very little romantic suspense. I guess it is like owning a pizza parlor. You probably don't want to go home that night and have pizza. I also want to do my own thing without be influenced by what other writers are doing.

I pretend that this is all part of my work, since writers need to read. But the truth is...I love reading. So this is really a vacation from writing.

One of the things I am always asked is who I read. It is really hard to list my favorite authors. There are a handful of authors that I can't wait for their next book to come out. Some favorites are: Nancy Pickard, Laura Lippman, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, Sue Grafton. But there is so many others.

I have a pile to take with me for my break from writing, anxious to read my favorites and excited to find new authors to love.

There is nothing more wonderful than to lose myself for hours in a good book.

Hope you're enjoying reading. See you in a month!

The Magic of Writing: Plotting

2011-02-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

Writing to me is like invisible ink.

I have to put a lot of words on paper before I can see the story. It stays a mystery to me until all of a sudden, the story appears clear for the first time since I started the book.

I love that part. It feels magical, but of course it's not. I have been living with these characters for some time so it makes sense that the story will become clear to me at some point. Every time I write, I learn something new about the characters and the situation they are in, which eventually equals: the plot.

I learned a long time ago to be aware of my strengths -- and my weaknesses -- when it comes to writing. If you're a writer, ask yourself: What do I do well? Be honest. If you need help, ask someone who has read your work. Not your mother, someone who doesn't have to love you.

Then ask yourself what you think are your weaknesses. I find this part a little harder. Often we know what we do well because someone has already told us. "You write such interesting characters" or "I love your descriptions" or "Your dialogue is so good."

But your weaknesses?

Mine is plotting. I call it plodding for a good reason. It takes a long time for me to figure out what my stories are about -- even with the wonderful help of my characters.

When I suddenly see it, I get goosebumps. All this insight seems to come out of thin air. Poof. Everything miraculously makes sense. I have magically laid groundwork for a plot I swear I never saw coming. What else can you call it but magic?

Before this miracle happens though, the book feels like work. That is where I am right now. I've been to this point now over 50 times in more than 50 books. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I know that everything will work itself out, that suddenly the story will appear like magic ink words dipped in lemon juice.

But right now, it sucks. I find myself talking back to my characters. "Excuse me, where is the suspense?" "That is all well and good, but I'm not feeling a story here." "Does anyone know what's going to happen next?" Silence.

Worse, my characters seem more interested in falling in love than anything else.

When you are writing romantic suspense, you have to keep the romance part and the suspense part cooking along hand in hand. I've read some great books where the characters are funny and fun and about half way through the book I realize nothing "suspenseful" has happened.

It's the reason romantic suspense is considered hard to write. It is also the reason that every romantic suspense you pick up can vary in the degree of romance vs suspense.

I started out well and was doing fine until Chapter Six when I asked my characters: "Where are the bad guys?"

You can have conflict without bad guys but ultimately if you're going to have bad guys you don't want them appearing really late in your book. Ideally, we meet the bad guys pretty early on so we can get a look at them and start deciding which one is our "really bad guy." It's cheating to bring them in late and out of the blue.

It's an easy fix since this is just the rough draft of this book. I just need to introduce a bad guy, have that bad guy show up in some interesting way in my story. I will need at least three characters who could be the "really bad guy." I need red herrings, characters who look guilty but aren't as guilty as they look.

Now that I've realized what isn't working, it has set me on a new path, which is very exciting. Now I can't wait to get back to my story.

This is why I don't see plotting as linear -- a straight shot to The End. I see it as a winding road with lots of bumps and short side trips, twist and turns, surprises and disappointments. Plotting is a journey, often a painful one for the characters -- and the author.

So good luck with your writing journey. Don't get discouraged. If you get stopped, take the time to look at where you've been and what might be missing that will add conflict and interest to your story.

Writing tips: Setting up characters for success

2011-01-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

I remember years ago hearing Elmore Leonard speak about how he picks his characters. He said he auditions them. Not all of them make the cut. The ones that do have got to be entertaining enough to keep his attention -- and add to the plot.

So what does your character need to have to make your book?

Give him the tools he needs. If one of your characters has to solve a murder, it helps to give that character some strengths that will aid him. If he needs to fight off three guys in a dark alley, again, it helps if he has a fighting chance. What in the character's background will help him succeed?

I also like to give all of my characters a secret. It doesn't have to be a huge secret, but when you think about it, everyone has something that they want to hide, right? Especially with suspects in a murder mystery, it helps to give each a reason for wanting to see the victim dead -- and a secret that your hero can uncover.

That's the other thing about your characters. They need a job during your story. Maybe they don't have to solve a murder, but they need something to do, something that propels your story forward. So how does your character spend his days? The best way to find out is drop in on him when he least expects it. Like right now. What is your character doing?

Linking characters: the more connections, the more interesting the story. Your characters are going to cross paths. They need more than just one connection. How else could they be connected? Do they share a past? Do they know some of the same people? Share some of the same experiences? This adds depth to your story.

Characters must have conflict. That doesn't mean they have to be arguing all the time. I like undercurrents of conflict. Characters lie, cheat, steal and murder. They have things going on that as a reader we don't know about. They keep secrets from other characters. They don't get along with everyone. They have agendas and motives and flaws. What is going wrong in their lives? Who is responsible?

Characters are so much more than what they look like, what they do for a living, where they live and what they drive. Ask yourself this. Who is your character? What is your character not telling you? What does he fear? What would destroy this character if it came out? What makes this character cry? What happened in this character's childhood that changed his life? What about this character would frighten you? Who is this character closest to? What is this character's greatest loss? What is loveable about this character, but no one else knows?

Look for something in this character's past that made him what he is today. We are all our experiences. That's what makes each of us unique and that is why none of us write the same book. Look at your characters as real people who have lived and loved and lost. How did they get to where they are? And how will that change their futures?

Let your characters live. Drop in on them in the middle of the character's latest crisis. Jump start your story with a character that captures our imaginations. And keep the conflict coming so we can root for your character as we watch the ups and downs until The End.

Writing: Finding the story through the characters

2011-01-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

I've said before that this is my favorite part. I love meeting the characters and getting to know them. But it isn't always easy to get started -- especially when you don't know where you're going.

A seat-of-the-pants writer, I just start writing. This means jumping right in to wherever my characters happen to be at that moment. In my latest book my hero I realize is riding his Harley past a country-western bar when he hears the music and is drawn inside. Guess who's in there? Uh huh, the heroine.

Now the two of them, depending on what they do next, will lead me to The End. At least that is the plan. One of the problems with this kind of writing is that there are times that the only person who needs this information is the writer. That's right, these scenes can get tossed out later if they turn out not to be compelling enough -- or if later I realize where the book really begins because of what I've learned about the characters. Usually that doesn't happen because I know I'm writing romantic suspense so I have to start the book with some kind of conflict.

That conflict most of the time involves either the hero or heroine in some kind of trouble, which they have to get themselves out of. It sounds simple huh. So why isn't it?

I am about 70 pages in and find myself stopped cold. I have the hero and heroine together. My idea was a twist on Cinderella. The mystery woman who disappears. This time it's at a country western bar in Montana. Of course, he will go after her, even though he has no idea what he is getting into.

There is always a point in every book where I get stumped for a while. The harder I try to figure it out, the harder it seems to elude me. Sometimes I have to take a break from it. The characters won't leave me alone for long and hopefully they will help me figure it out.

The problem I'm having is with my heroine. One of the secrets of my way of writing is that I have to be in love with these characters. If you've read my books, you know I love strong heroines. I'm not sure about this one. Part of the problem is that she is nothing like me. I'm not someone who sticks my head in the sand to avoid problems. I'm more of a head-on, do or die, kind of person. My heroines aren't me. But I like them to be women who are better than me, tougher than me, braver than me, more lovable than me and of course more beautiful, smarter, sexier, etc.

A heroine that runs away? Hmmm. But there is something about this heroine that I am intrigued with. So I will keep writing and see what happens with her. I have a feeling that she will surprise me.

Meanwhile, there is the plot. Yes, there is one, somewhere. I have a vague idea of what it might be but I'm hoping I'm surprised.

The one thing I have learned after more than 50 books is that one way to get out of a slump is to write my way out of it and let the characters lead the way. Sometimes that doesn't work and I have to take a break. But often it works like magic.

I'm not sure what it is about putting words down, but even as I write this I'm thinking about the problem and amazingly something comes to me. What if.....

That's all it takes. I have an idea, one that makes me much happier about this book and my heroine. I just got a glimpse of her past -- one that ties her to Whitehorse, Montana -- and more conflict for my plot. I'm starting to like her more all the time.

This obviously isn't how everyone writes books. At some point we all have to figure out what we're writing about. This is just the way I do it.

Off to write....

Where the book begins...

2011-01-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

All books begin with an idea. Anything can spur it. A song, a commercial on television, a newspaper article, a conversation with just about anybody. Even an overheard comment.

I'm always looking for something different that I haven't done before. I try to surprise my readers but I also need something fun that I will enjoy writing. I have come up with ideas that quickly bore me. Those get tossed.

Of course it takes more than one idea. But you have to start somewhere. So here is how it works. Book one in the Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company Branded. I had this idea. What if some girl from grade school came back to town as the new deputy. What if when you were kids you liked her but your way of trying to get her attention was to tease her, put frogs down her neck, you get the idea. What if that girl hasn't forgotten the way you treated her? Not the frogs, but junior high when you quit trying to get her attention and began to "date" some other girl. So my heroine got her heartbroken and she never forgot my hero.

So we have conflict but we need more. What brings them together again? There is nothing like a murder to bring people together. I love old murders. So I tie our hero to it as a suspect and bring in our heroine deputy to solve it. That's oversimplified. Of course there is much more going on. But it was a place to start.

In book two of the series, Lassoed, I wanted to do something entirely different. I saw the opening scene. A woman running for her life on a hot summer night the July 4th weekend. I liked it and kept writing. I had built in conflict but had to up the stakes of course. What could make a woman run instead of going to the police? What could put her in such a bad place that she has only one terrible option?

Book three: How far would you go to get justice?
Book four: Again I saw the first scene with my heroine. It gave me chills. Now all I needed was a haunted house and a gutsy heroine who would do anything to save her younger brother from whatever was going on in that house, which meant lots of suspects (all alive.)

The book I'm working on now, the 5th book in the series, began with this thought: what if you wanted to begin your life over again and put this life behind you? That brings up all kinds of questions. How would you go about it? Why would you? What in your past would you want to put behind you? How did you get to this point in your life? Where would you go to start over? Would you plan? Or would it be impulsive?

Book six in the series will be about an Internet date. At least that's how it begins. We had a guest recently who had met his future wife via the Internet so that is where that idea came from. But of course I had to tweek it. What if the date that shows up at the hero's house isn't one he made? What if he's being set-up for something? That's as far as I've gotten so far but it's a start.

It takes a lot of ideas to write a book but the first one is the one that sets the book on its journey. Pick one that you think will be fun to write -- and lead to more ideas.

Next week, I'll talk about the next step: bringing the characters to life.

Writing is a journey and sometimes it is actually fun

2011-01-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

First let me say, there are days when I don't want to get out of bed and face the computer. The last thing I want to do those days is write. At times like that, I don't know where the story is going and just thinking about it gives me a headache.

But the difference between authors and writers is that authors get up and face the computer and they keep facing it until the book is finished.

Fortunately, those bad days pass and the writing, while it might not get easier, gets more fun.

And that is where I am now: the fun part.

I've been working on book four of the Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company 6-book series and I am racing toward the end.

I'm at the point where most of the book is done -- except for the very end. The way I write, I need most of the book completed before I write the end. I've set up all my suspects, I know the bad guys motives and now it is time to unveil my villain, save my heroine and hero, and let them all live happily ever after.

Then it is a matter of editing it a couple of times, rereading the entire book, making any changes and finally sending it off.

It's been a long time coming. I've been living with this book and these characters for a while. I wake up to them every day. I feel like I know them and that is probably why I'm having so much fun writing the book at this point. I'm into the characters and the story.

I've done this so many times before, over 50, and yet it always amazes me when a book comes together. It is such a journey, often painful, definitely intense.

But this journey is about to come to an end. I will mail the manuscript off to my editor and start the next one.

I'm excited about getting to know the characters in my next book. I love brainstorming ideas and coming up with conflicts along with the characters. The first part of the writing will be fun because there are no wrong keystrokes. At some point, I will hate facing the computer. I won't know what's going on. I'll be terrified that I will never finish this book. But I will sit down in front of the computer and I will finish another book and eventually love doing it.

I will be blogging over the next month about how I begin a book -- from the initial idea to the finished manuscript so stay tuned!

I love a new year

2010-12-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

There are two times a year I regroup. One is after Labor Day because that was always the start of a new year at school -- and a new beginning.

The other is January 1st -- the true start of a new year.

There is something about new beginnings that appeals to me. This year I am especially blessed and looking forward to a number of new challenges and exciting opportunities which I will tell you about soon.

In the meantime, I am writing more Whitehorse, Montana books. The Chisholm Cattle Company 6-book series begins in May. For the first time the books will run: May, June, July and August. Whew. The last two books of that series will run the first part of 2012.

I'm also writing several shorter pieces for anthologies. The first one with writers Delores Fossen and Julie Miller (Intrigue pals) will be out Jan. 2012. It is called Ice Lake and set in Montana.

Right now though I am cleaning my office and writing the Chisholm books. I will make a list of new year's resolutions, some that have been on that list many times before. :) I am such an optimist, I really believe this might be the year to achieve those goals. You never know.

I hope you are all looking forward to the new year and have a lot of fun things planned. I wish you the very best in 2011!!

It is a wonderful life

2010-11-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning, looked out the window and everything was white. It had snowed off and on for the last couple of weeks, dumping over a foot of snow.

But this morning was different. Fog had rolled in the night before and as it got cold, it clung to everything, turning the world outside a feathery icy white. It was beautiful and magical.

Living in Montana, I often don't know what kind of weather I'm going to be waking to. This time of year there is a good chance to find the world outside cold and white. It takes an attitude of adventure not to stay in bed and pull the down comforter over my head.

This morning though was one of those mornings that could only be seen as a gift. Just like those warm fall days far into November. Each is a blessing because only a fool doesn't know what is coming that late in the season.

I wake up each morning with great expectations. Some days exceed all expectations and make me thankful that I got up to see it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T15:17:00.000-08:00

This is always a day when I can't help but think about everything I have to be thankful for. The list is very long -- especially this year.

For most people Thanksgiving is about family. We had planned to be with our grandchildren but this early winter storm had made the roads too dangerous.

I have little family of my own left. My father died of Alzheimers in his seventies. The day before Thanksgiving I got a call from my mother's doctor to tell me she was dying and it was time to call in Hospice. My mother has dementia and hasn't known who I am for more than ten years, but the news devastated me. I have often felt as if she died years ago and thought her passing would be a relief. I was wrong.

A call to the nursing home though reassured me that my mother was declining but that her death was not imminent. I was relieved. The roads will clear and open and I will be able to see her at least once more.

I have only one sibling, my younger brother. He has been struggling with alcohol and drugs for years and had disappeared from my life four years ago. But this morning, he called out of the blue to say he was sorry for staying out of touch for so long and that he'd missed me. I'd missed him too and had worried about him always. It was wonderful to hear his voice. I'd missed that.

My husband and I shared Thanksgiving dinner at friends on this very cold wintery day, feeling blessed and thankful for the people in our lives, knowing how fragile these connections are. We couldn't be with family but they were in our hearts.

Hope you all had a joyful Thanksgiving and have many things to be thankful for this day.
BJ

I wish my dad was alive to see this

2010-11-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to be cool. To be blase. No big deal.

Sorry, but it is still a really big deal. Last week, High Caliber Christmas made the USAToday bestseller list after winning RT's Seal of Excellence Award.

It was way cool -- and totally unexpected. The RT award came out of nowhere. I was blown away and so honored since about the time I found out I'd been nominated -- I heard that I had won against some stiff competition.

I'd been warned that my last three books in the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series probably wouldn't make the USA Today bestseller list. Too much competition from the big boys: Grisham, Patterson, Roberts, you know the guys.

So when I saw my name on the list, my heart started pounding. I stared and stared at it, disbelieving.

And then I burst into tears.

I know, pretty silly. But I couldn't help wishing that my father had lived to see this. My dad was a bricklayer by trade. He had a fifth grade education. My mom made it to the eighth grade. There weren't books in our house. Neither of my parents were readers. I wasn't much of a reader either until I was a junior in high school.

So you can imagine what my dad said when I told him I wanted to be a writer. I'd never met a writer, knew nothing about the business and had no idea if I could actually sell anything let alone support myself writing.

I'm so glad my dad lived long enough to see me get published. He loved giving away my books and telling everyone that his daughter wrote them. He even read them. He would have gotten a real kick out of what has been happening to me lately.

But he wouldn't have been surprised. After all, he was the one who always told me I could do anything I set my mind to.

Thanks Dad, this is for you!

High Caliber Christmas a top pick!

2010-11-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

There is nothing cooler than when you write a book, love it, think it might be your best yet, and someone agrees with you.

High Caliber Christmas got a great review from Romantic Times magazine and was chosen as the reviewer's Top Pick!

Then just this week I found out that the book was also nominated for RT's Seal of Excellence. It also made #2 on Borders bestseller list last week.

As pathetic as it sounds, as writers, we need that kind of positive feedback. We spend our days in front of a computer screen talking only to ourselves or to our pretend friends -- our characters. It's easy to see how you could lose your perspective. Or your mind.

You mail off your book and think: Was that book good? Or was it awful? You honestly can't tell sometimes.

Other times, you think it's good, it's your favorite and you hold your breath to see what a reviewer or reader has to say about it. They don't always agree with you. But when they do you get to breathe a sigh of relief.

High Caliber Christmas is one of those books. And yes, I more than sighed. I did a little jig. I was right. As writers, we have to get it right once in a while.

Thanks everyone for putting it at No. 2 on the Borders list last week. Couldn't do any of this without all of you!

I hate it when a writer underestimates me

2010-11-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love nothing better than curling up with a good book. But when you spend the day plotting your own books, it is hard to find a book that surprises you.

I hate that. I love books and movies where I haven't a clue how it is going to end. Unfortunately, they are hard to find.

It's like being a magician or even a magician's assistant. You know how the guy on stage does the trick. You can see behind the curtain.

I recently read a book by an author I love. I was so disappointed toward the end. She underestimated her reader. It was so obvious where the bad guy was. It was obvious even if she hadn't given us a half dozen clues leading up to it.

Readers are smart. I've learned that the hard way. They are difficult to fool and, like me, they love being fooled. Not cheated though. You can't withhold clues. You just have to use a slight of hand, distract the reader, make him think it isn't a clue.

I felt bad about being disappointed in one of my favorite authors. I cut her some slack. I know how hard this is. But I expected better of her. I hope no one told her she needed to put in more clues. That would have been bad advice.

Sometimes we get bad advice from friends, relatives, editors. We have to fight it. We have to give more credit to our readers. They've gotten good, really good, at seeing behind the curtain. They know our tricks. We have to be better than they are. They demand it.

And I'm one of them.

Where do you get your ideas?

2010-11-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I looked up my first real boyfriend on the Internet. I sent him a note. He wrote back. We were both now happily married and grandparents, but it was nice hearing about his life. The End.

But when you're a writer...just about anything gives you an idea for a book. I was thinking that contacting an old boyfriend could be...dangerous. What if his wife is crazy jealous? Worse, just plain crazy?

Not a bad idea as a jumping off place for a book, but the other thing about being a writer is that often those ideas morph into something just a little different.

This one morphed into...HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS, my book that comes out this week.

It all starts with What If...

What if you're just a guy sitting in an airport waiting for your flight to Montana when a woman comes up to you and says you look like her recently deceased husband and wonders if you might be related?

Sound like quite a leap from my original idea? It's not really. What made the first idea scary was the unknown. A stranger basically coming after you for some innocent thing you did. What if that reason isn't even your fault?

What if a total stranger comes after you simply because you remind that person of a deceased spouse?

HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS has to be one of my favorite books on so many levels. It scared me and I do this for a living. Also I loved my hero. He is wounded in a lot of ways. But I think the character I loved the most was the heroine. I want to be her when I grow up.

And I loved my villain, but then I usually do. There are lots of twists and turns and hopefully surprises. There is one spot in the book that gave me goosebumps and I had to get up and make sure my office door was locked.

It was one of those amazing books that I swear wrote itself. It's books like this that keeps me writing.

If you're serious about writing...

2010-10-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

As a college friend of mine who wanted to be a writer but didn't says: Writers write.

I recently saw something on one of the writers loops about a web application called WRITE OR DIE. A lot of us write because we feel like we will die if we don't.

This Write or Die is a whole new ballgame. It uses psychology to get you to write. "The idea is to instill the would-be writer with a fear of not writing."

It does this in 3 different ways: First is the gentle mode. If you stop typing words into your computer, a box will pop up and remind you what you are supposed to be doing.

The second is what is called "normal" mode: If you persist in avoiding writing, an unpleasant sound is emitted and it won't stop until you write.

The third is called Kamikaze mode. If you don't type, then everything you have written will disappear.

Seriously? Why not just use a cattle prod?

I'm sorry, but if it is that hard for a person who wants to be a writer to actually write, then something is very wrong and that is: This person is not a writer.

It just shouldn't be that hard for a person with a story to tell to type it into the computer as a rough draft. And if it is fear that is holding you back, then I don't think this program is for you. Sometimes you have to stop for a moment to think. What could be worse than if you stop typing and everything you have just written is gone?

What is missing here is the joy of creating. I write because I like to tell stories. I don't have to be forced to do this. Sure there are days I would rather do something else. But most days, I want to write. I am always thinking about my stories even if I'm not at the computer.

To be fair, I can understand how something like this might work for the writer who is constantly editing his/her work. But buy an AlphaSmart. They have only 4 lines. It is for creating. You can take it anywhere. It runs on 3 little batteries. It automatically saves whatever you write and it boots right up every time. And it's cheaper than a laptop but a long shot.

I use mine all the time to just create and maybe this is what some writers need so they can get the words down without editing the devil out of them. November is coming, the month that a lot of people try to write an entire book in 30 days. I think it can be done. But if it takes a gun to your head, you might want to find something else to do in November.

However, if you have a story to tell and you can't wait to get it down, then go for it. Write. It should be something joyous and creative. Something you're dying to do. Not a case of write or die. Writers write. Just my humble opinion.

There is nothing more fun than finishing a book

2010-10-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

It is always emotional. Probably because I am so exhausted. But when I finish a book, I just want to flop down on my desk and sleep. Or cry.

Writing a book takes a lot out of you. I know I sound like I'm whining, I am. My husband does a lot of physical labor. He is often remodeling something on our old house. Or out hiking in the woods for hours hunting for our next steaks.

So come on, how hard can it be to sit in front of a computer (for days) and type. My mother used to type on an old manual Royal typewriter. She could type 90 words a minute. I know because I saw her test results from when she worked during WWII for the government.

Typing nowadays on the latest cute little keyboards isn't tough. I remember electric typewriters and White Out. Weren't those the days.

But while it ain't physical labor, writing books is mentally exhausting and a pain as well.

However...when I get to the spot where I get to type THE END, I get all teary-eyed before I flop over on my desk. There is a lot of satisfaction in completing a book. Knowing that you brought to life a bunch of characters who would other wise never have existed. That is pretty fun.

Mailing the book off to my editor is even more fun. Meeting my deadline, well, that's usually nothing short of amazing.

But now it is time to put those characters behind me. Time to move on. But first, I need to find my desk under the piles of who knows what, do all the things I promised people for the last few months, pay bills and just breathe. It takes a day or two to come back from finishing a book before you can dive into the next one.

I've learned a trick though. Start the next one before you reach THE END of the last one. It makes it much easier if you aren't starting from scratch.

The first and second books of Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company, BRANDED and LASSOED are off with my editor. Now comes number three which I'm hoping will be called CATTLEMAN. Right now it is CATTLE BOSS.

I can hear those characters calling to me. Give me a minute to clean my office and enjoy finishing the last book, then I'll be right with you.

The Magic of Writing: It's forgetting the bad days

2010-10-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

I wrote all day today. My hands actually got tired from typing. The tips of my fingers are sore. And my head hurts. Not to mention what I've been sitting on all day.

What's amazing is that this is an average day at this point in the book. I'm editing my way toward the end for the eighth or ninth time.

The book has become this mountain of words that I have to climb every day. It seems impossible that I will ever reach the summit, that I will ever finish this book. It's like climbing in quicksand.

These kinds of days it slips my mind that I love writing or why.

But what is amazing is that in a few days I will not only reach the summit, I will reach The End. I will finish the book, edit the last chapter or two. Edit them again. Then read the whole manuscript all the way through one more time as I print it out to send to my editor.

That's not the amazing part though since... heck, I'm a writer. The amazing part is that I won't remember how terrible it was. I won't remember the long, grueling hours, the headaches, the frustration, the moments of panic and lack of inspiration or all the work that went into finishing the darned book.

I'll send it off and start writing my next story all excited about another book. And at some point, usually at about chapter 12 I'll go through all this again, the long arduous days, the pain and frustration, the self-doubts, the times when I can't remember why I do this.

But then I'll finish the book and start another one. After all, I'm a writer. What else am I going to do?

Winchester Ranch series continues

2010-10-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Boots and Bullets comes out this week and I find I'm a little sentimental about seeing it on the shelves.

I know it sounds silly but it's nice to check back in with the Winchesters. Months ago, I had to let the Winchesters go and move on to my next Whitehorse ranch family. You know how it is in that town, more murder and mayhem than one family can handle.

So seeing the Cyrus Winchester book out, I get to go back in time and see what Pepper Winchester is up to.

I know it seems like I should know what they're up to since I wrote the books. But once you move on to the next book, you put it all behind you and fall in love with the next family.

I'm now involved with the Chisholm Cattle Company and the Chisholm ranch family and all their problems. This probably won't surprise you, but they have a lot of problems! Bodies are turning up everywhere.

So it will be fun to see the Winchesters on the shelves for the next three months. It's almost like stopping by the ranch for a visit. And you know how dangerous that can be.

Signing Winchester Ranch books in Billings

2010-10-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

I will be signing my latest book in the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series: Boots and Bullets, Saturday, Oct. 9, at Barnes and Noble from 1 to 4 p.m.

I will also be signing the first three books in that series including: Gun-Shy Bride, Hitched! and Twelve-Gauge Guardian.

If you are in the area, come by and say hello.

Going the distance in Montana

2010-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

We got the call last night. Some friends of ours had just made a big batch of donuts. The moment my husband hung up, he said, "We've got to go get them while they're fresh. You can write on the way."

So this morning, I grabbed my AlphaSmart and off we went bright and early for a 90-mile trip to pick up donuts.

To most people driving 90 miles to the middle of nowhere and back for donuts sounds crazy. But then most people live within a rock's throw of a Dunkin Donut or at least a grocery store that sells donuts.

I have to admit, these donuts aren't like anything you've ever tasted though so driving that far to get them while they were still fresh didn't seem that nuts to me. But then again, my father used to drive miles even in the middle of winter just to get a piece of homemade pie at a place in the Gallatin Canyon called Almart's. Alma always saved him a piece of chocolate or banana cream.

In Montana we are used to driving long distances if we want to go anywhere. We're three hours away from the closest Target, five hours away from my favorite Costco. If we want to catch a plane, that's three hours as well. If we need a Walmart fix, we can get to a small one in an hour and a half. A quilt store or a McDonalds? An hour one way.

We picked up the donuts, had coffee and a nice visit, and were home by 10:30 a.m. On the drive, I wrote some and figured out a couple of key points in the book I'm working on. Needless to say, I've learned to write while my husband drives.

I've always loved driving, which is good considering where I live. And I do some of my best plotting on the road. The roads are two-lane and the country wide open with lots of sky. It's the perfect place to plot the second book in my Chisholm Cattle Company series coming out next June -- and the donuts were well worth the drive.

Letting your muse run wild

2010-09-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm a firm believer in writing every day.

That doesn't mean that the writing goes well everyday though. On those days, I have to get creative -- not just at the computer.

So I head for the hills -- literally. I get in the car and I drive. It is amazing to me what driving does when I'm stuck on a plot. I'm fortunate that I live in the middle of nowhere. So if I head for the next closest town, that's at least an hour's drive one way -- and that gives me lots of time to think and plot.

Another trick I've learned is to move my office. I have written some of my favorite scenes out in the wild.

Today I sat in the pickup on the edge of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere with the window down. I had an incredible view of the Little Rockies, the Bear's Paw mountains and the Larb Hills and miles and miles of open prairie. The Montana big sky was an amazing blue. It was warm, the country still green. I wrote 13 pages of my next novel in less than two hours sitting there.

A lot of writing is learning what works for you. Everyone has days they just don't want to write. Sometimes it is good to take the day off and watch football with your husband. Other times it means a change of scenery to let the muse off the leash and run wild for a while.

Reviews: the good, the bad and the ugly

2010-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

I read my book reviews. I know authors who don't. True, a bad one can put a damper on a good day. Or a review can make my day.

The other day I noticed that I had 75 reviews on my book CRIME SCENE AT CARDWELL RANCH. I decided to read them. The good ones were wonderful, heart-warming, reassuring. But it was the bad ones that I read to my husband and had the two of us practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

Reviewers can be so ugly -- so ugly that they are funny. One teen reviewer said my book was the waste of a good tree. She had a lot more to say. By the end, we had a pretty good idea she didn't like the book.

The thing is, I don't expect everyone to like my books. There are some books I don't like either. The difference is, I don't read them. With CRIME SCENE, the book was free -- not that a few of the readers cut me any slack because of that. So even if the price is right, some reviewers still are going to hate your book (some were upset because they wanted it to be a romance, others because they wanted it to be a mystery. Neither liked that it was both.) So they headed straight to Amazon to tell the world.

I appreciate the fact that every reader has that opportunity. I would be very suspicous if all the reviews were wonderful.

Today I received my Romantic Times magazine. It is always with trepidation that I open it to see the review of an upcoming book of mine. RTmagazine is the romance bible. It is always nice to get a good review from them. It's even better to get a great review -- or at least a line you can use on your webpage.

My November book, HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS, part of the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series (the next 3 books are Winchester Ranch Reloaded), was a Top Pick! and received 4 1/2 stars. If you aren't a follower of RT magazine, a top pick is good. I've never had one before I don't believe, so it was exciting. 4 1/2 stars is good too since that is about the highest you can get.

My first book, ODD MAN OUT, got 4 1/2 stars. Back then I'd never heard of RT magazine so I thought it was 4 1/2 out of 10. I was much happier when I found out 4 1/2 was good.

I've gotten more 4 1/2s, I get a lot of 4s, some 3s. But I have learned that you can't please the reviewer every time. Sometimes a book I love won't get 4 1/2 stars and I'm disappointed and a little worried that I'm not the best judge of my work, which is probably true.

But with HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS it is a book I really like and one my editor really liked so getting Top Pick! and 4 1/2 stars reassures me that we aren't delusional.

I think reviews are fun to read. I like the good ones best, but some of the bad ones are much funnier. As a writer you never want to lose your sense of humor or think you're ever going to write something that everyone loves. That really is delusional.

Book signing next month in Billings

2010-09-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar -- that is if you are within driving distance of Billings, Montana next month. I am going to be signing my latest books -- including BOOTS AND BULLETS -- at Barnes and Noble Saturday, Oct. 9, from 1 to 4 p.m.

This is the first time I have signed books in Billings in years so I'm excited. It's always fun to get out and see people. Writing six books a year, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer hanging out with my pretend characters. I definitely should get out more. :)

I'm going to Billings as part of the 8th annual High Plains BookFest that will be exploring murder, mystery and mayhem this year. The 4-day event is offered by the Parmly Billings Library and will bring a variety of authors to town.

I will be on a "Women of Mystery" panel Friday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Western Heritage Center in Billings. Writers include Margaret Coel, Barbara Graham and Sarie Mackay. Most of the events are free.

It's especially exciting for me to be doing a signing in Billings will my book BOOTS AND BULLETS out that week. The fictional Winchester family is one of the most interesting ones I've written about because of matriarch Pepper Winchester. Her family stories continue October, November (HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS) and December (WINCHESTER CHRISTMAS WEDDING.)

So if you are anywhere near Billings, please stop by. I would love to see you,

Writer's block: Fact or Fiction?

2010-09-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

I think most writers live in fear of writer's block. I know I do and I'm not even sure I believe in writer's block.

Is it when you start a book and get stuck? Heck, that happens to me every book.

Or is it in the middle when the writing comes to a dead stop and you haven't a clue how to get to the end? Yep, every book.

Or is it when you're sitting in front of a blank screen trying to come up with a book idea?

Maybe I don't understand writer's block. I know I can go for days when the writing just doesn't want to come to me and then it is like the sun comes out and suddenly I can't type the words fast enough.

To me it always seems to be a case of not knowing my characters well enough. I swear I have to live with them for a while before I can write their story. They live in my head, kind of hanging out, waiting patiently, sometimes impatiently, just annoying me and being a pain in the neck.

Sometimes I can't think of a book idea. The problem is often that I am trying too hard. When you're writing six books a year, you need to come up with a lot of ideas so I don't think it is unusual not to come up with a fresh, new idea instantly. Or ever, for that matter. :)

Now the middle of book is a little different. Getting stuck there is pretty typical, I think. It's where most writers run out of steam. I start questioning myself and the book at some point just past the middle. Often if I start at the beginning and reread what I've written, I can figure out what is bothering me.

Sometimes though I have to take a few days away from it where I grumble and complain and have to put up with those pesky characters waiting again in the wings and the sound of my deadline looming.

I've heard of writers who get writer's block though and don't write for years -- if ever again. Now that would be frightening. I often wonder though if it isn't just fear. Or an excuse so they don't have to put themselves through all this. Not that I blame them. If they can quit, more power to them.

With some writers, it's a tragedy that stops the words. I feel for them. When my father was dying of Alzheimers, writing saved me. I could lose myself in the stories. It was the only place I could get away from the pain. I feel fortunate that it worked that way for me.

With a pill for everything under the sun now available and advertised on television during most commercials, I would imagine there will soon be a pill for writer's block. Can't you just imagine what the side effects would be though: night and day terrors, hallucinations, bouts of split personality disorder and other worlds syndrome, character possession, computer key diarrea and restless fingers syndrome.

I know writer's block is no laughing matter. My husband can always tell when I'm stuck because I become cranky. That's my word. His might be stronger.

It is a terrible, frighting thing for a writer to not be able to write. And such a blessing when the floodgates open and the words return with a rush. I am thankful for every word I'm given. There is nothing like seeing the pages begin to stack up and the characters come to life on the page.

It's a gift and one I take very seriously. May you always find the words....

Getting together with authors

2010-09-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

I spent a recent evening in Big Timber, Montana in the company of authors. I can't think of a more fun way to spend a September evening.

While it is always fun to be around other writers, this was especially interesting because of the wide variety of us. There were fiction and non-fiction writers, famous and relatively unknowns, literary and commercial.

We heard stories about how each got their start, how they struggled, when they got the news. All of the stories were amusing and heartwarming and familiar.

No matter how famous an author, we all have a lot in common. We all have struggled, some more than others. We all have doubts. We all have to write. Some of us write more than others. Some have only written one book and may never write another. Some of us can't wait to get on with the next one. Some write to eat. Some write just because they're born storytellers and they can't pass up telling a good story.

I was born into a family of storytellers. I'm sure that's where my need to write comes from. Writing for Harlequin Intrigue, I get to tell a lot of stories. Other writers tell fewer stories. One author has been working on a book for ten years, a fascinating true story he is chasing.

I loved hearing all of their stories. There is nothing like putting a bunch of writers together.

My favorite though is my friend Gwen Petersen, an 82-year-old cowboy poet, novelist, columnist, performer, arts organizer who has more energy than the law allows. She is my heroine. She's been on Johnny Carson and nothing slows her down. When she isn't taking guitar lessons or putting together some performance or another, she is buying a motorcycle with a sidecar and learning to ride it for a story idea she has.

There are people in our lives who inspire us. Gwen is unforgettable and one of the most talented people I know. She had everyone laughing hard at the gathering with her poetry and her stories -- and she was still insistent on a drink afterwards when I was more inclined to hit the hay. But I went for the drink. I'm no fool. I can sleep any time. It isn't every day that I get to spend time with someone who is a true inspiration.

Creative canning isn't writing but it's close

2010-08-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

I spent Saturday making jam. It took a little work since it is peach-pepper jam that requires peeling and chopping. But it is yummy with cream cheese and crackers and a popular treat that I give away at Christmastime.

Fourteen half pints later, I'm done. I've also put up 21 pints of pickles. We opened a jar of the bread and butters. They were a hit. If you've never had homemade bread and butter pickles, let me tell you, you'll never want store-bought again. Same with store-bought jam.

I will put up some homemade salsa before the garden season is over since my husband grew about 50 tomato plants this year. The garden has been a lot of fun. We love eating food that was picked just minutes ago -- everything from potatoes, onions and corn to squash, green beans, cantalope, peas, carrots, chile peppers and cucumbers.

True, it takes some work, some organization and a little know-how to put up the things we grow, but the end results are so worth it.

If you're new to putting up produce, I suggest starting by making jam. It is easy and fun. Plus you get to admire what you've done when you're through. Not to mention, eat it. Just as sewing, knitting and crocheting are coming back, so is canning.

For me, I love canning because you get to be creative and there is instant gratification -- unlike writing books. Not to mention it is a lot prettier that manuscript pages and tastier.

Not that canning can take the place of writing. Nothing can do that. But canning is up there near the top. If you haven't tried it, check out a Blue Ball canning book next time you're at Wal-Mart. Jars are cheap and can be used again. And the treats you make also make nice gifts.

Let's hear it for homemade!

When a plan comes together

2010-08-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, every Sunday at 5 p.m. we sat down as a family and watched Maverick on TV.

Yes, Dad also took us to every Western that came out on the big screen as well. But Maverick was a family favorite. I had a terrible crush on Bret and loved the shows when he was the star. I remember him sitting on a porch rocking and whittling and saying, "I love it when a plan comes together."

And the plans always did for Bret Maverick.

With writing that isn't always the case. While there are still three Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch (Reloaded) books coming out Oct, Nov and Dec. I am busy working on the next 6-book Whitehorse series.

After the Winchesters, I wanted the Chisholms of Chisholm Cattle Company to be more normal. Well, as normal as any of my characters can be.

At first they seemed nicely normal. I should have known that wasn't the case, after all, this is me writing them. I love it when my characters surprise me. Of course they all have secrets. When you start with that assumption, fun things happen.

Recently I found out that the first four books will come out one after another in 2011: May, June, July and August with the last two out the first part of 2012. That probably seems like a long time away to you. Not so to me who needed to figure out a few things.

And that is when a plan came together and I thought of Bret Maverick.

While I won't be sitting around rockin' and whittlin'--I'll be writin'--I now have a plan. The poor Chisholms, who at first seemed like such a nice family, had a lot more secrets than I ever expected.

The trick now is revealing those secrets over the six books. Not that there won't be more surprises as I go along. It wouldn't be any fun if I knew everything before I started, now would it? But it doesn't hurt to have a clue how you're going to get out of this mess, right?

Me and Bret, we got us plan.

A Forever Love begins today at eHarlequin

2010-08-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Pepper Winchester's story begins today as the Daily Read at eHarlequin. A Forever Love finds Pepper, from the Winchester Ranch series, at sixteen. She is traveling with the carnival with her father when she meets Hunt McCormick, the man she will love her entire life.

Their first meeting though puts them both in danger and it only gets worse, of course.

It was fun to check in with Pepper at that early age. It gave me insight into the woman she would become. I knew she had a tangled past and hadn't had an easy life.

But I also knew that when she loved, she would love with all her heart. I also knew that she must have been a strong, determined woman even from an early age.

I fell in love with Pepper as I wrote the six books in the Winchester Ranch series. In Gun-Shy Bride she was merely a shadowy mysterious figure.

As I got to know Pepper, I found myself fascinated by her. She wasn't exactly loveable. :) But she was one of those characters I love to get to know as I write these books. The Pepper Winchesters make writing fun.

I hope you enjoy the Daily Read. It is free at eHarlequin. You will find it at the bottom of the home page.

The rest of Pepper's story continues with Boots and Bullets in October followed by High Caliber Christmas in November and the Winchester Christmas Wedding in December.

Writing through the problems

2010-08-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Each writer has her own process. Mine is a pain in the neck. I would love to tell you what my books are about before I start them. But unfortunately I don't have a clue.

I have writer friends who sit and think about their plots until they figure them out. I could sit and think until I was blue in the face and still not know.

I spent time with those friends last week at the Romance Writers of America national conference in Orlando. We had a great time together, but every time I see them I am more aware of how different the process is for every writer.

The only way I can work is by actually sitting down and writing. It makes coming up with a book proposal a little difficult as you might well imagine. One of the friends takes forever to even write a proposal because she is determined to have the perfect word. Just shoot me now.

Writers have a lot in common, including getting stuck on their books even if they are a plotter vs a pantser (writing by the seat of your pants).

Recently I was stuck on my latest series for Intrigue called Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company. The first three books come out next year. I had an idea when I started but quite frankly it sucked.

When stuck on a plot my first thought is: Who can I kill? This isn't a bad thought. Killing off characters can be fun -- and make the story more interesting, depending on the characters and ultimately my reason for doing them in.

But I was still not happy with what I'd come up with. There was so much I didn't know.

Introducing interesting characters is another way of getting unstuck. I'd come up with one I really liked and thought I knew her motive for what she was doing in my story. I was wrong.

Today I was writing the character when I got goosebumps. I had gotten one of those rare and wonderful glimpses into a character that made everything start falling into place. I finally had a story I could get into.

I would never have come up with it though if I hadn't been writing. That character revealed the hidden piece of the puzzle only because I had given her voice.

This is what makes writing so fun for me -- and so frustrating. If I hadn't worked my way through the book this far, this great piece wouldn't have fallen into my lap and the story wouldn't have been half as much fun.

I know it seems like a crazy way to write. But more and more I realize it is my way to write and I have to trust my process. My friend the plotter who always needs the perfect word says she hates writing. I love it. So go figure.

Patience and experience have taught me that the story is waiting at my fingertips. I just have to hit the right keys. Then again, I guess that is true of any writer, isn't it? It's letting yourself believe that's the real key and trusting that the characters always know more than we do.

Watch for the last three books of the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch and Winchester Ranch Reloaded series coming Oct. BOOTS AND BULLETS, Nov. HIGH CALIBER CHRISTMAS and Dec. WINCHESTER CHRISTMAS WEDDING.

And don't forget to watch for Pepper Winchester's story on eHarlequin's Daily Read soon. Her story reveals a lot about her character so you won't want to miss that.

Also if you live in the US and don't belong to the Intrigue book club and would like to get a postcard when I have a book coming out, just send me your snail mail address to: bjdaniels@mtintouch.net

I always love to hear from you,
BJ

Writing is sometimes like making pickles

2010-07-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

The cucumbers were growing like crazy in the garden and I had a book to write.

Stuck on the book, I decided to make pickles.

Wash, chunk, soak in salt for an hour. Then rinse, fill hot jars, cover with hot brine. Don't forget the garlic and the jalapenos. Seal, water bath for 10 minutes, remove the jars and turn upside down on a clean towel out of a draft.

Then wait six weeks.

Like writing, pickles take time and patience and in the end, you can't be sure that what you've created is going to be good. It takes more than faith and the right ingredients.

Often writing is one step forward and two steps back. While you think you have a good idea, part way through the book, you realize it isn't a strong enough idea. Something is missing. Like an ingredient in the pickles.

The recipe for the hot pickles didn't call for dill. I'm not so sure now that I shouldn't have added some. Too late for those jars. But maybe the next ones.

As for the book, I'm doing some rethinking. It's a case of asking myself: What if... What if things are completely different than what you planned? I think of it as taking everything, putting it in a big bag and shaking it all up to see what happens when we look at it again.

Sometimes that's what it takes. I recently taught an online class about writing. I noticed that some writers, once they put it down on paper, can't let go of it. Suddenly it is written in concrete. They are terrified to change their original idea.

I think this is a mistake. We should never be afraid of starting over. Rethinking. Changes recipes.

Next batch of cukes I will add dill. Why not?

And this book? Well, my original idea isn't working out. This morning on the walk to and from my office I threw it all up in the air. It came down in some more interesting ways. I'll have to give those some thought. But already I'm liking them a lot better.

We'll see in a year when the new series, Chisholm Cattle Company, comes out in print -- and in a couple of months when the next batch of pickles with dill come out.

In the meantime, Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch Reloaded (the last three of the six-book series) will be ready to open Oct., Nov. and Dec. It is always fun to see how they turned out.

What could make me do something I hate?

2010-07-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

I hate to fly. Also it's a pain since I have to drive three hours to catch a plane. So is it any wonder that it takes a lot for me to leave Montana via the air.

But next week I'm driving to Billings, catching a flight to Orlando via Denver and a three-hour layover, to go to the national RWA conference. That's Romance Writers of America.

For a lot of people flying out of their major airport is no big deal. Actually, they get great deals. Not so with flying out of Montana. There are no deals. There are no straight flights except to Denver, Salt Lake or Minneapolis.

Money and time aside, I have this thing about flying. It isn't that I'm afraid the plane will crash. There have been a few times I wish the plane would just crash and get it over with. You see I get air sick if the ride is bumpy. Turbulence is a four-letter word for me.

So what makes me shell out hard-earned bucks to do something I hate?

Writing and writers.

In Orlando I am going to see some of the good friends I have made writing. There will be parties and late-night talks and everything writing. It will be exhausting. There will be days when I won't want to ever write again. It will be exactly what I need.

For a long while I've been hearing about how bad the publishing industry is doing, that there is no hope. I don't believe that. And I'm betting that those more than two thousand writers and aspiring writers believe they can still get published. Heck, that if they get lucky, they might even write a NYTbestseller.

And that is what makes the plane ticket, the plane ride, the pain of flying out of Montana worth it. Being around writer friends. Getting dressed up and going to parties. Taking some time off work to be around people I haven't made up. All that is fun and I love it.

But what I need renewed is my belief that no matter how bad the publishing market, amazing, wonderful things can still happen if you write what you love. The conference will be filled with people like me who just want to write.

So it's off to Florida flying, I hope, the friendly skies to renew my belief that there is still hope for good books -- and in turn, hope for writers who just want to tell their stories.

If you're one of them, say hello in Orlando!!

Nothing like a research trip

2010-07-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

The trip to Ft. Benton was great fun. It really got my mind to going. Plus it was a beautiful day in Montana in the summer! And there is nothing finer.

Here are a few of the photographs of the river, the ferry and the crossing. The woman who runs the ferry at Virgelle told me the ferry there has been running for just short of 100 years.

Research: I wouldn't write without it.

2010-07-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

I love doing research for my books. I've traveled into the Blue Mountains of Oregon in search of Bigfoot, had my fortune told in Salem, Massachusetts studying witches and clairvoyants, and gone deep into caves looking for the perfect place to hide a body.

The research isn't just fun. Going to the location of a book makes a book authentic. It also gives me ideas.

Tomorrow I will travel to Montana's oldest town, once a great port on the Missouri River, Fort Benton. It is going to be the setting for my fictional town of Walker's Landing and a series I am working on.

I've already done research via the Internet. But there is nothing like going there. I will be taking a small ferry across the Missouri River so I can see some of the unique geology of the area. I'll visit the museum, take photos, see what history I can uncover and just get a feel for my setting.

My town of Walker's Landing though will be fictional. I'll borrow some history, geography and geology of Fort Benton, but everything else will be of my own making. That is what I have done with my fictional town of Whitehorse for my Intrigues. I use the area I live in, but Whitehorse isn't the town where I live.

That is what is fun about fictional towns. Need a building here? No problem. Need a cliff? Poof. How about a haunted house on the edge of town? You got it.

Once I get a feel for Walker's Landing it will become more real to me that the real town I used for my research. I once moved Yellowstone Park over a few hundred yards in a book. I put it back when I was done, but whenever I top Fir Ridge, I'm always surprised that it doesn't look like I had it in the book.

I've already started to populate Walker's Landing. I don't know half the residents' secrets, but I can't wait to learn them. I have a bad feeling there are a lot of murders in my fictional town. I can only hope.

So I'm off tomorrow to explore and look for fun places to kill characters. It's a living.

Teaching online class on beginnings

2010-07-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, I am teaching an online class beginning July 12.

The class has been a favorite since it is hands-on. Participants write the first paragraph of their book six different ways to figure out which works best.

The whole idea is to come up with a beginning that grabs an editor -- but also the reader who picks up your book at the store, reads a little -- and doesn't put it back down.

I'm teaching the class, Where to Begin - Six Sure Fired Ways to Begin Your Book, through www.SavvyAuthors.com

So stop by. The cost is $10 for Savvy Author members and $15 otherwise. I will read each participant's beginnings each day and comment.

The nice thing about the class is that it doesn't take a lot of time out of your busy schedules but it is fun and gets you thinking -- as well as writing.

Hope to see any interested writers there,

And suddenly it is July

2010-07-04T15:59:00.001-07:00

I hate how fast summer is going. But today is beautiful -- not too hot, not too cold, just right. There is a nice breeze that blows the curtains in and someone is mowing their lawn in the distance and I can smell fresh-cut grass. It's a perfect afternoon to take a nap before gearing up for the fireworks tonight!

Unfortunately I promised my agent a couple of chapters and a short synopsis of a couple more books in the series I'm proposing. But it is hard to work today on Independence Day late in the afternoon. I'm tired from a trip we made to Glacier Park to see my husband's cousin and his wife. At least that is my excuse.

My husband said recently that summer goes fast after the 4th of July. It better not. We haven't had much yet and I need to spend more time out on the lake. I need to swim more. I also need to just sit on the porch more before it snows here.

I haven't sat on the porch and just read a good book. I've been too busy. But in August I turn off the TV in the evenings and just read. There is usually nothing good on TV in August anyway. It is really freeing to just sit and read without any distractions. (I send my distraction to watch TV upstairs.)

In September, I feel like a kid again and am ready to get back to work as if I was still going to school. I love when all the school supplies come on sale. A good time to pick up new pens, a notebook to keep in the car to write down ideas, new paper for that next book.

October comes with the release of the next Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch (Reloaded), Boots and Bullets. As you can see, it got a special cover. November is High Caliber Christmas and December finishes the Winchesters with Winchester Ranch Wedding.

I mark the seasons by the weather, books hitting the shelves and my husband's garden and what is ripe and for how long into fall.

But unlike him, I see the 4th of July as the beginning of summer. I intend to get the most out of every day. Living in Montana I've learned to appreciate the amazing days like today. Soon I will be missing leaves and warmth and today will only be a dream.

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy it!

Where is summer?

2010-06-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy spring in Montana. I heard it snowed just to the west of us. It was so cold two days ago we turned the furnace back on -- and it's almost July.

This happens ever so many years. It just keeps raining, snowing and storming all through June. Which makes for an extremely short summer. I wouldn't be surprised if we get our first snowstorm in August. It's happened.

Years ago we had a fun snowball fight on Fourth of July in West Yellowstone. One middle of June not that long ago we got 13 inches of snow in Bozeman. Extremes come with the state.

Now what will probably happen is that the weather will suddenly turn HOT. It's enough to give you whiplash. In Montana it really is a case of waiting five minutes and the weather will change.

Spring and summer are my favorite months of the year so this year I got ripped. I'm going to try to make the best of it. But it isn't looking good.

There are a couple of good things about these kinds of spring/summers. When it isn't raining or threatening to snow, we can play tennis and the temperature is nice and cool. The other good thing is that I tend to write more. What else is there to do when the wind is blowing with 60 mile an hour gusts and it is rain/sleeting sideways?

I heard one woman at the post office say she had to wear her long underwear recently to watch her granddaughter play soccer. Now that's tough.

Hope you're enjoying the beginning of summer and making the best of whatever kind of weather you're getting! Me, I'm going to kick up the heat and write since it is supposed to hail tomorrow.

Whew, this is going to kill me

2010-06-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

I swore I wasn't going to stress. I was just going to enjoy whatever happened along this crazy ride that began when I decided I was going to be a writer.

So much of the journey I never saw coming. I suppose every writer dreams of a New York Times bestseller. Frankly, I never did. Are you kidding? Maybe that's why this bestseller list stuff has been such a surprise -- and so much fun.

I also swore I wasn't going to worry about book three of the Winchester Ranch series making the USAToday bestseller list. It was enough that two of them made it.

Yeah, right. So for the past couple of weeks I've had trouble breathing. Today I spoke to my editor. She was holding her breath too. Can you do it again?

When the USAToday bestseller list finally came out this afternoon, I was shaking as I called it up. Forget breathing. I started at the bottom, thinking if I had a chance it was closer to the bottom nearer 150. By the time I reach 75 I thought, "Shoot, it's not here."

Then I saw #72 and breathed. There it was: Twelve-Gauge Guardian right there between two of my favorite authors: Stephen King and Pat Conroy. It gave me chills. Never in my life did I expect to see one of my books on a list that included such writing greats -- let alone sitting right between the two of them.

Fortunately, I don't have another book out until October. I intend to do have a lot of missed breathing between now and then. I will only be searching bestsellers lists for my friends' names. I won't be stressing because I'll just be doing what I should have been doing all along -- writing.

So thank you all for your support and encouragement. You made my day! Heck, my year!!

New characters calling

2010-06-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's time to shift gears and put my last series behind me and get to work on the next one.

I finished my short story about Pepper Winchester's first love for eHarlequin. It begins Aug. 15 with the fourth book in the Winchester Ranch series, Boots and Bullets, coming out early (Sept. 1 if you buy it from the site). Otherwise it is an October release. It is followed by two more Winchesters in November and December.

Officially, that's all the writing to be done on the Winchester Ranch series. So my part is done. Which means it is time to write the first book in the new Whitehorse, Montana series so when you finish the Winchester Ranch series there will be another B.J. Daniels' book in the pipeline.

The next series is called Whitehorse: Chisholm Cattle Company. The ranch is north of Whitehorse and the story is about six rather unusual brothers, their father and their very special stepmother. I'm excited about it and looking forward to getting involved with the Chisholms and their troubles.

Not that it is easy to leave the Winchesters. I got to know them intimately. But while I fell in love with the Winchesters, I know I will fall just as deeply in love with the Chisholms. Like any love affair, it takes getting to know each other.

True, right now it feels like cheating on the Winchester men. But a girl has to know when to move on. And if I don't, there won't be any more books after the Winchester series.

So Monday morning I'll be spending some quality time with my next man, Colton Chisholm and immersing myself in Chisholm troubles and in 2011, I hope we'll both be happy that I did.

Sometimes you just have to paint

2010-06-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

The one thing I have learned about being self-employed is that you have to be careful that you aren't finding excuses not to work. Sometimes I find myself cleaning the house and I realize I am just stalling because I don't want to face a tough scene.

The other day I was sitting in the living room after my husband put in three brand-new windows and I realized I hated the color we'd painted it five years before. I don't think I ever liked sage green. I think it was my husband's idea and I went along with it. He swears he never liked the color either. Must have been something in the air the day we decided to paint it sage green.

Not that it matters. The one thing we agreed on now was that we hated it. Hated it enough that we were willing to repaint. When you have 9 1/2 foot ceilings, that means a lot of painting -- and paint. We decided we could do it in two days, if we really went after it.

I decided I wasn't procrastinating -- if I wrote Friday morning and then spent the afternoon and one weekend painting. So I bought the paint. I went with a soft gray that I think looks darned good with the white trim of the new windows and the white around the fireplace.

It will need another coat in the morning, the white trim touched up and then we're done. I think sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and do something that is physically exhausting. Painting is one of those things that at least you get to enjoy the outcome.

But in another five years, I can see us wondering whose idea it was to paint the living room a soft gray. I probably won't remember it was me. But then my husband won't probably remember either -- so I'll tell him it was him. :) He won't care. I think he likes to paint.

Don't forget: it's about the writing

2010-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

I know you must be sick of hearing about bestseller lists. I know I am.

But bestseller lists are an indication of how a book is doing and this morning I was excited to see that my latest book, Twelve-Gauge Guardian, is #2 on Borders bestseller list for series.

That is cool since I've never hit as high as #2 before -- and because the book wasn't supposed to be out until June 8. Not sure how that happened. But I'll take it.

It is thrilling to see one of my titles on any list -- especially top tens. I hope I always get a kick out of it . I know I will never take it for granted.

I can promise you that while all this is fun, it won't change the way I write. I want to keep giving you the best books I can. Trust me, I don't take any of this bestseller stuff too seriously. I'm just thinking about making the next book even better.

A Recipe for Love is out

2010-06-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

My short story in Woman's World magazine is out today. I still get a kick out of writing short stories -- and seeing them in print. Especially in Woman's World since that is where my first fiction was printed back in 1987.

That was still the most exciting sale I've ever made -- I'm sure because it was my first. Even my first book sale though didn't equal that one.

When you spend most of your life (at that time :) dreaming of writing and then to have something published, well, there is nothing quite like it. I naively believed that once I sold something, the world was my oyster, so to speak.

I went on to sell more short stories to WW, but I think I've had as many rejected. But in a way that gives me hope. I like to think that it isn't a name that sells a story -- but the story. That means that we're only getting the best reads.

I like A Recipe For Love because it reminds me of my mother. Just the other day I was going through a pile of her recipe cards. She used to type them on an old manual Royal typewriter and make comments about who liked it, when she cooked the dish and where she got the recipe.

I think of the recipes as her legacy. I have passed them on to my daughter and stepdaughters. The "Johnson" recipe for baked beans is a classic just as is my mother's underdone brownies and my Grandpa Jabe's barbecue sauce.

So it is nice to see a short story that resonates with my family history. It's that history, I believe, that got me writing in the first place.

Speaking of my family history...if you haven't seen my new website, stop by www.bjdaniels.com and check out the old photos.

Dreamin' up stories

2010-05-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I've always had stories in my head as far back as I can remember. With one exception. After I finish a book I'm so emotionally exhausted that there is nothing there for a few days. The stories are silent. I just have to wait for them to come back. The best thing I can do is something else.

Having finished the sixth book in the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series, I took a few days to clean my office. I was anxious to come up with some ideas for larger books, but there were no stories. I have learned to wait because it is a waste of time to try to force it.

But I can't go many days without writing. I know the stories are back when I find myself writing in my sleep. I wake up and realize the stories are percalating again and it's time to get back writing.

The last few mornings I've awakened after a frustrating night of writing. Sometimes the ideas I come up with in my sleep are pretty good. Often the light of day destroys whatever made me think the idea was good. But it doesn't matter if the night stories or good or bad. It's just a good sign.

It means that the stories are back. Now I'm anxious to get to the computer and back to work. I have no idea where the stories come from. It's just nice to have them back.

Between books: You call this a break?

2010-05-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

I love when I finish a book. I get to clean my desk. I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but things have piled up. When I'm on a book, I tend to let everything else slide -- that's how books get finished. You have to put on blinders -- let the housework go, the bills stack up, the groceries run down.

So as soon as the book is done, I tackle the desk. Amazing how dusty it gets, not to mention the piles of paper. I love starting a new book with a clean desk -- and a clean slate.

I bought a new computer and it has been sitting in the box for several weeks while I finished the book. So today I broke it out -- almost too late. My old computer just quit. I panicked, thinking of everything that was still on my computer. Fortunately it was a false alarm.

But it sure made me realize how much I keep on my computer -- and how awful it would be to lose it. That's the problem with a new computer. So much to move. Which I need to find out how to do tomorrow since I've moving everything from a PC to my new Mac.

Yes, I've gone MAC. I've been assured that I will never want to go back. I hope so. It was a little sad saying goodbye to my old PC. It's been wonderful for many years.

Once the desk is clean, the computer up and running, it's time to write again. Stories are a callin'.

In the meantime, I get to see the Winchester Ranch books I worked so hard on come out. Twelve-Gauge Guardian will hit the shelves next week. Then things calm down until Oct when Boots and Bullets comes out, followed in November by High Caliber Christmas and the Winchester Ranch Wedding in December.

By then, I will be deep in other stories, but glad to see some old friends as the books come out.

Don't forget to watch for Pepper's short story at eHarlequin's Daily Read in August!

It is so fun after ten years to have a new website

2010-05-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

I loved my old website. That is probably why I didn't care about a new website for ten years.

But if I was going to get a new one, I wanted it to represent me, my life experiences and the reason I became a writer. A lot for a website to do when you think about it.

But Danielle and Travis Ness of Crossroads Creative took my thoughts on what I would like and created my new webpage with photographs of my past that expressed my love for my family -- and Montana.

It's all those camping trips, hunting camps, hikes from our cabin to Lava Lake and hours spent making up stories in wild places that led me to where I am now. The stories were always in my head, but having all this wide-open spaces sparked a setting that continues to intrigue me.

I'm glad I can share some of those photos with my readers -- as well as provide an easy way to find out about both my new books and my old.

Hitched made #63 on USA Today List

2010-05-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's happened again. Which I hope means it wasn't a fluke the first time. The second book in the Whitehorse, Montana: Winchester Ranch series, Hitched!, made the list.

While exciting, it doesn't mean anymore than it did the first time. As my friend April said, I already thought you were a bestseller. Readers don't know and don't care.

Editors like it. Publishers think it is cool. And writers...well we love it because it makes us think we're doing something right. So it is all good.

Thank you all for coming to the Winchester Ranch with me!

Big Sigh of Relief and a Big Thank You to All of You

2010-05-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my latest book, Hitched!, made Borders bestseller list for series at #4, the highest I've ever hit -- and (I'm told) a record for Intrigues.

Sometimes it is hard to catch my breath. I can still remember when I'd never sold anything, never seen my name in print and had only dreamed of being a writer. This is so exciting. I just want to savor every minute of it.

And thank all of you, my wonderful readers. This is your doing!!! You are the best!

Putting a lid on expectations

2010-05-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

When I first started writing, I had a rule. I didn't worry about how my books sold.

My editor was surprised that I never called to find out how a book was doing. I didn't want to know. If it was doing badly, knowing that wasn't going to help me write the next one.

Instead I concentrated on the next book and just hoped for the best. I didn't even know how to find out on my own how my books were doing. I hadn't been introduced to Bookspan, Borders Top Ten, USAToday Bestseller Lists or Amazon's top 100.

Ignorance was bliss. The first time I made a list, my editor said she hoped I wouldn't become one of "those" authors who were always calling to see how they were doing. I promised that wasn't going to happen.

Then I made Borders list. I had to ask someone how to find the darned list so I could see for myself if it was true. Once I did, there was no going back. The problem is now I feel like every book should make that list. The last seven have. I'm like a gambler who keeps throwing the dice, wondering how far I can go before my luck runs out.

Well, as you can imagine it's much worse now that the first book in the Whitehorse, Montana: Winchester Ranch series, Gun-Shy Bride, made #60 on the USAToday bestseller list. That's #60 out of all books. It was the first Intrigue to make the top 150 and had apparently gone higheer than any category book. The first thing I told my editor was, "I hope you don't expect me to do that again."

But now I have expectations -- and I know how to find both of those lists. So the Genie is out of the bottle. I can't seem to get it back in.

Hitched! comes out this week. It is going to be so hard not to look. Worse, not to be disappointed if I don't make at least one of the lists.

Ah to go back to those days of total ignorance when I just wrote and hoped for the best.

What if success is only a marshmallow away?

2010-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to predict success at the age of four? How about based on a marshmallow?

Some researchers thought so back in the 1960s and 70s. They ran tests on a group of 4-year-olds, then followed up on them to see how they turned out. It was called the Marshmallow Test.

The tests involved sitting a 4-year-old down with a bell and one marshmallow on a small plate. The child was told the rules: The researcher was going to leave the room. If the child wanted to eat the marshmallow, he was to ring the bell and the researcher would return.

But if the child didn't ring the bell or eat the marshmallow until the researcher returned 20 minutes later, he would get TWO marshmallows.

The researchers followed up years later and found that the 4-year-olds who waited for the researcher -- and the second marshmallow -- tended to be better adjusted, had better lives and relationships, and averaged 210 points higher on their SATs than the ones who couldn't wait.
They were also better adjusted and more dependable.

The results apparently show that those individuals who are focused and have self control can achieve more in life. It's called deferred gratification, this ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. Apparently it is considered a personality trait.

Who knew?

Researchers who ran the Marshmallow Test.

It made me wonder what I would have done. Like the kids in the test, I like marshmallows.

So is it possible to be successful if we just can't wait for the things we want? Does impatience thwart our efforts? What if we can't stick with something long enough to succeed? And at what point do you consider yourself a success?

I look at my writing journey. It started back in the 1980s when I quit a good job to write. It was impulsive and financially dumb. From stringing for the local newspaper to joining the staff to writing short stories then novels, it seems to have been a series of steps toward what I wanted to do with my life.

Those steps though came after taking a lot of missteps (what was the deal with the belly dancing lessons?), leaving a lot of projects unfinished (macrame for one) and forgetting for a lot of years that I was going to be a writer when I grew up (suddenly I was old enough to be a grownup).

Now something has happened that I hadn't planned, definitely didn't see coming. Last night I learned that my latest book, Gun-Shy Bride was ranked #60 last week on the USAToday bestseller list. The list includes the top 150 books available last week. I was blown away. It is the first time an Intrigue has made the list and certainly my first time to see my name on that list.

Which is cool. So can I now say I've succeeded? The problem is, ultimately it hasn't changed my life. I still have a book due June 1 that I have to get done and a lot of other books I want to write. While I didn't see this coming, it feels like just another step on my journey toward...success, whatever that is. Hopefully I will know when I get there.

So would I have waited or eaten the marshmallow? Or is it possible to overcome those moments of weaknesses and still succeed?

That moment when it all comes together

2010-04-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

I've been threatening to write a more mainstream "big" book for years. My friends are all sick of hearing out it. You probably are too.

But I have news for you. I'm really going to do it.

I've had this idea for a long time. It was one reason I signed up for Donald Maas' week-long intensive workshop, Writing the Break Out Novel.

When he says "intense" he is isn't kidding. It's a great workshop. But the problem with a lot of workshops is that you're either not ready for what is being offered and can't really use it -- or it is stuff you've heard too many times before and come away feeling let down.

But when a workshop hits you at just the right time there can be an "ah-ha!" moment that is worth every dime you paid for the workshop.

My ah-ha moment came this morning. I'd had a small one the night before. Last night's felt like a light coming on. It was an So-that's-how-that-works kind of moment. That alone would have made the workshop worth it since writing is about always being open to learning to do the craft better.

But this morning's was a flash of brilliant light that gave me goosebumps. Suddenly the book I'd been thinking about didn't just come together -- it soared. It had....drum roll please...a theme.

No gagging. Theme isn't always bad. In this case it was like a blow to the head. Of course. All the pieces fell into place and I could see the whole picture. I told Don at lunch about my revelation and he agreed it was good and suggested ways to strengthen it.

The reason this is so amazing for me is that I never know what my books are REALLY about. Sure there is usually a murder, a love affair, a good guy, good girl and bad guy or girl. But often there is more that sneaks in and makes the book better than I had planned. It's called subtext, apparently.

It's that little something extra that makes a book sing a solo instead of just being part of a chorus of books.

The other thing is that this particular theme reflects my life. Spooky huh. But not necessarily strange since I am the author. Still it took me by surprise at first. Then it made perfect sense.

I can see huge portions of this book I'm going to write. Since I'm not a plotter by nature, that kind of scares me. It won't be a book until I write that first line, until I really get to know these characters, until I'm so deep in this story that I live and breathe it. Only then will I know if I really have a book.

But I'm excited. I've had a peek into what it could be. Now comes the hard part: writing it knowing its potential. Is that you Self Doubt? Not listening.

The common denominator: stories

2010-04-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

This week I am in Hood River, Oregon at a writer's workshop. It is beautiful here, very green and spring-like, and there are writers everywhere.

It is so exciting to be around other writers. An enthusiasm for writing and reading good books makes us instantly connect. Everyone is talking about the process and what brought them here to learn more.

I'm always inspired by other writers. We understand each other and we all have stories we desperately want to tell in a book. We share the struggles well as the successes.

It really got me thinking about how important storytelling is. I come from a family of storytellers. I'm sure that's probably why I'm a writer.

But there has to be more to it, this need to create worlds and populate them with characters.

Last night when I called home, my husband told me that I'd sold another short story to Woman's World, the place my very first fiction appeared back in 1987. Nothing will ever top that first sale. And while I certainly make more money writing books than short stories, I still love to write short occasionally.

I guess it's the challenge of telling a story in so few words. It can't be the rejection (WW is a tough market and I certainly don't hit them with the right story that often.)

Someone asked me recently why I continue to write short stories. Don't I have enough to do writing six books a year?

True enough. But sometimes a story pops into my head and I just have to tell someone. Imagine what our world would be like if we all kept our stories to ourselves.

Happy spring!!!

My new mini-series begins next week!

2010-04-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm always happy when I have a new book come out, but this time is especially exciting. The first book in the Whitehorse, Montana: Winchester Ranch series, Gun-Shy Bride, introduces my favorite heroine: McCall Winchester.

McCall is a sheriff's deputy. Her life hasn't been easy. She never knew her father -- or the rest of her family for that matter. It's just been her and her mother. That is until she gets a call. Some human bones have been found in sight of the Winchester Ranch lodge -- a place she has never been.

The discovery sets McCall on a deadly path. She finally gets to meet the grandmother who has always denied her existence and begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the father see never knew.

Meanwhile the boy who broke McCall's heart in high school is back in town. Luke Crawford, all grown-up and handsome, is now a game warden on the trail of poachers -- and determined to win back the only woman he's ever loved.

Of course there is danger and twists and turns and romance and even more mystery. Once you meet McCall's grandmother, the matriarch of the Winchester family, you will know why it will take five more books to reveal all the mysteries about this dysfunctional family.

The series runs April, May, June, Oct., Nov. and Dec. It will end with McCall's Christmas wedding -- and fireworks, of course.

I hope you like McCall as much as I do and join me for the rest of the Winchester family. See you in Whitehorse!

Home Sweet Home

2010-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like stepping through the door of your home after weeks away. It always feels so roomy after living in a tent or a motel room or a guest room for weeks.

I'm surprised at the small things that I've missed. My electric toothbrush. My chair. My office. My routine. My bed. Oh yes, my very own bed. My husband and I have been sleeping on strange beds for weeks. Of all of them, I liked our blow-up queen-sized bed the best. One motel bed was so hard I made my husband get our inflatable!

Then there are the big things I missed. Our dogs. Our friends. Our family (we have a new grandbaby to visit!)

The end of February I couldn't wait to get packed. Now I can't wait to get unpacked. I can't wait to pick up my basket full of mail tomorrow. (We got in too late today to pick it up.) I've gone through my messages and dealt with most of my emails. Tomorrow I'll spend the day in the office. I can't wait to get back on my latest book.

I know it sounds as if I am set in my ways. Maybe I am. I love my life. My real life as well as my vacation once a year life.

I am excited about the future, rested, read (I consumed a bunch of books on the trip) and ready. It is so nice to be home!

I'm about ready to get back to work

2010-03-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

It's been three weeks. That's about as long as I can go without working. And I confess I've cheated a few times during my break from writing. It wasn't my fault. I saw a scene and just had to write it down.

We've been camped in Florida at this great place with palm trees and gulf and on a walk the characters in a future book showed up. It was out of the blue but I loved seeing them. I'd missed my characters and wondered what they'd been up to in my absence.

I have tried not to work. I've been reading book after book. It's been wonderful. But now I'm getting antsy. I can't take it much longer. I'm going to have to get back to work.

I've had a great time. I'm tired and sunburned and have a bunch of great memories. My daughter surprised me and showed up at the campground with her husband all the way from Seattle for a few days of sitting around a campfire. It was wonderful.

It even got hot, finally, down here. It hit 80 today and the wind wasn't blowing or raining.

Next week, we make the trek across the US back to Montana. I always get excited when we cross the border. There really is no place like home.

So I'll keep reading, keep soaking up the sun and trying hard to enjoy my break from writing but it won't be easy especially with my new Whitehorse mini series, Winchester Ranch, coming out the first part of April. Gun-Shy Bride introduces my favorite heroine McCall Winchester. (When I get home I'll be working on book six of that series where McCall is supposed to marry her high school sweetheart in a wedding at Winchester Ranch. With the Winchesters, anything can happen.)

I'll be back to Whitehorse soon....

Re-energizing means curling up with a book

2010-02-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Once a year I need to recharge my batteries. While I read all year long, I never get enough time to read all the books I want to.

So for the month of March, I do something completely different than write 24/7. I read. I daydream. I play. I fish. I lie in the sun. I travel. I try to beat my husband at tennis. I regroup.

I love writing and enjoy my work so much that I can write every day most of the year. I can work holidays and not even whine. Well, most of the time.

But come March, all bets are off. I need a break.

So I'm off to travel across the country for 5 weeks. It is hard not to write the first few days since usually the trip is boring because there is nothing much to see besides snow -- something I've seen enough of this winter.

But once I see bare ground and the temperature gets above freezing, I will put my computer away and start enjoying the scenery -- and read. I can't wait.

I like to read big fat books. A couple of years ago it was Pillars of the Earth. I loved that book. This year it is Texas by James Michener. I was born in Texas and somehow missed reading this Michener book. But I have a bunch of others I plan to read as well. It won't be that long before I will be curled up in a lawn chair with the Gulf of Mexico glistening in the sun nearby and a book clutched in my hands.

There are some things that every writer needs to do. Write is the obvious one. But reading is just as important. So is daydreaming and taking time off.

So I'm off on an adventure. I'll be home in time to see the first of my new Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch come out in April. Then it will be time to get back writing. By then I will be excited about the coming year and the books I can't wait to write.

Hope you get some time off this spring to recharge as well and get to curl up with a good book. You deserve it!

Think spring,
BJ

Continuing education

2010-02-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

The other day I mentioned to my grandchildren that I was going to a week-long writing workshop in April.

The oldest, a very bright nine-year-old, said, "Why? You already know how to write."

"I want to write better," I said.

For someone who hasn't been using the alphabet that long, it must sound silly. But it makes perfect sense to me. All professions have continuing education. Writing is no different.

I'm excited about the workshop because I'm taking a manuscript that is completely different from what I write now. And because of that, it is also scary. Whenever you put anything on paper, you're putting yourself out there. The more honest you write, the more of you ends up coming out.

So far I've had my two favorite critics read what I am taking to the class -- my husband and daughter. Believe it or not, they are my toughests critics.

I have to submit the first 50 pages of my manuscript for the class to be critiqued and the first 15 pages to be gone over by an editor. I debated between two manuscripts which to send to the class.

One, was something like I write now only on a bigger scale. The second was nothing like what I write now. The first felt safe. I knew my way around that plot since I've been doing this for a while. The second manuscript was scary because it's in first person, set in 1959 and is the story of a 12-year-old girl.

Both my critics said I had to go with the second manuscript.

I know they're right because the whole idea of this week-long intensive workshop is to learn to write stronger, better books. To push myself beyond my current limits. To learn.

Every year I try to attend at least one several-day workshop and read at least one writing book. I also read books by authors I admire and watch movies that I hope the plots will inspire me to write better. I'm always learning. When I read a good short story or book that surprises me, I get excited about writing.

None of us want to be mediocre. But it's hard to keep writing the same type of books. I have to constantly keep pushing myself to make each book as unique as I can.

So in April, it is off to school. No matter how the workshop goes, I know I will learn. When you think about it, writing is a lot like life -- continuing education.

When am I going to learn?

2010-02-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

Last blog I said I had a short story coming out this Friday in Woman's World. Am I ever going to learn not to say my story is coming out until it does.

Apparently they move stories around without notice. So...sometime I have a story coming out. :)

Meanwhile, my husband and I spent a day recently at the Museum of the Rockies with our three grandchildren looking at dinosaur bones. It was very fun especially since some of the dinosaurs were found up here in the area where I live -- and there is nothign like seeing the kids get excited and interested in dinosaurs.

What else is new? I'm sick of winter. It is all white and cold and part of the country has been getting really nice weather and I don't live in that part of the country.

Back home now, planning to get some writing done since it supposed to snow all weekend.

A love story

2010-02-09T16:53:00.001-08:00

Two days before my husband and I were to celebrate our 13th anniversary he lost his wedding ring. He was devastated because he lost it out in the snow but didn't realize it until it had snowed even more. By the time he noticed it was gone, it was too dark to go look for it.

We both had our doubts that we would be able to find it especially when we returned to the spot where he thought he must have lost it only to find that the snow had been disturbed by birds and animals that had tromped through.

But two Christmas's ago, my husband had gotten me a metal detector. (Yes, I actually had asked for one.)

We took it and went in search of his ring. At first, no luck. Then the metal detector made a sound. We began to dig in the foot of snow.

And suddenly, there it was! My husband put it back on and hugged me.

I was a little surprised how upset he'd been when he'd lost it. I know it had some sentimental value but it is just a little gold band that he hadn't worn that long.

My husband had never worn a ring of any kind, not during his first marriage or when we got married. He didn't like rings. But as we were nearing our tenth anniversary three years ago, he said he wanted a wedding ring. I was touched that for sentimental reasons he had changed his mind.

We bought him one that matched mine and he has worn it ever since. The ring has become a symbol for both of us of his love for me. If I get irritated with him, all I have to do is look at the ring on his finger and I find myself smiling.

So that little band of gold means a lot to both us. He's happy to have it back on his finger and I'm happy that he is my husband. It's just a little love story.

Speaking of love stories... I have a short story in Woman's World magazine out this Friday.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Lovin' my new series covers

2010-02-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

I couldn't be happier with my new covers. With covers, you just never know. The way it works is that you fill out some forms giving the art department three scenes that you think might work well on the cover. That doesn't mean that any of your ideas will make the cover.

But I feel like I lucked out. I wanted my heroine Deputy McCall Winchester on the cover since the first book in the Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series (April) is hers.

The second book, Hitched!, is Jack's and Josey's story.

So you can imagine how happy I was to see Jack and Josey on the cover!

I have my fingers crossed that the next four books in the series will have covers I love too.

I have been writing the Winchesters stories for some time now and have fallen in love with them. I hope you do too.

The first book, Gun-Shy Bride, comes out in April followed by Hitched! in May and Boots and Bullets in June.

Then the next three: Twelve Gauge Guardian comes out in October followed by High Caliber Christmas in November and Winchester Christmas Wedding (McCall's big wedding at the ranch) in December.

It's been fun to spend a year with the Winchesters at the ranch. True there have been a lot of mysteries, a pretty high percentage of murders now that I think about it :) and lots of secrets. This is a family with plenty of skeletons in their closets.

So come spring, stop by Winchester Ranch. I think you'll like it.