SISTERS by Tanya Hanson

I am so excited to be back in the corral here at Sweethearts of the West. Thanks for inviting me, cowgirls.

Anyway, anybody who knows me knows that reading Little Women when I was eight set my goal to be a writer. Someday, somehow.

And it’s all about a set of sisters. So with my new release, Sisters, out July 24, I simply must regale you with trivia about those March sisters and their stories. See how well you do. (Answers appear at the very end...no peeking now.)

1. Who is the oldest March sister:
a) Amy;
b) Jo;
c) Meg;
d) Beth.

2. Jo works for:
a) Aunt March;
b) The Boston Beacon;
c) the Weekly Volcano;
d) Mr. Laurence.

3.  When Amy burns Joe’s treasured manuscript (Horrors! No back-up or Dropbox...) what melts Jo’s fury?
a) Amy marries Laurie so Jo doesn’t have to.
b) Amy contracts scarlet fever.
c) Aunt March threatens to send Amy to art school in Paris.
d) Amy falls through the ice on a frozen pond.

4.  Beth becomes ill with:
a) consumption;
b) scarlet fever;
c) influenza;
d) appendicitis.

Little Women author Louisa May Alcott

5. Meg marries:
a) Ned Moffat;
b) John Brooke;
c) Friedrich Bhaer;
d) No, she doesn’t. She remains single.

6. Beth dies at age:
a) 19;
b) 18;
c) 17;
d) 16.

7. Originally a two-parter, the second half of Little Women (Part 2 today) was called:
a) Good Wives;
b) Army Wives (this was, after all, Civil War times.)
c) Little Children;
d) The Last March.

8. Aunt March’s home is called:
a) Fruitlands;
b) Orchard House;
c) Apple Farm;
d) Plumfield.

9. Meg’s children are officially christened:
a) Jack and Jill;
b) Jack and Daisy;
c) John and Jane;
d) John and Margaret.

10.  Little Women led to two sequels:
a) Little Men, and Little Children;
b) Joe’s Boys, and Meg’s Twins;
c) The Finale March, and The Final Chapter;
d) Little Men, and Jo’s Boys.

So, what’s with Sisters? Specially since I never had one. Well, when I answered the call to write a mail-order-bride story, hmmm, I wanted a new angle. So debutante Elspeth Maroney leaves her stinkin’, cheatin’ bridegroom at the altar. Problem solved except...prim and proper—and curious—Ellie has had a quickie indiscretion with Said Bridegroom and now, ahem. Needs a mail-order-husband just for a month.  Until she knows for sure she isn’t, you know. But if she is, then, she’s covered.

But her intended, handsome Colorado rancher Hezekiah wants a wife for life. Ellie’s conscience prickles and her heart flutters upon meeting the gorgeous cowboy. Read all about it in Her Hurry-up Husband.

Anyway, my editor (the talented, ever-patient and most excellent Cheryl Pierson) flat out said...Elspeth’s sister Judith has GOT to get away from their awful mama. Hence...(this is an important word in the story)...Judith has her own set of adventures and romance in Her Thief of Hearts. Beautiful socialite (her). Darling orphan and...An outlaw! Bad-boy “Black Ankles” holds up a speeding train, and she’s on it. Along with Elspeth’s spurned bridegroom! Oh no. Can her beloved Tremaine rescue her in time?

And now, both stories are releasing in one set. Isn’t the cover dreamy?  What fun, two-for-one.

(To make it more fun, Tremaine’s brother Ronnie has his own love story coming out at Christmas...)


Anyway, Sisters is joined by another two-fer by my friend Tracy Garrett. A River’s Bend Duo. I wanted to share it with you today.

Wanted: The Sheriff
Martha Bittner may be considered a spinster at twenty-seven, but she’s not planning to stay that way. For four years, she’s wanted the sheriff of River’s Bend, Missouri, to notice her as more than a friend and a really good cook. With the first annual spring dance only weeks away, Martha decides to announce her intentions — and declares the sheriff a wanted man.

Sheriff Matthew Tate always thought he was better off a bachelor. Growing up in Boston society, where marriage is a business transaction and wealth his greatest asset, he’s learned to distrust all women’s intentions. None of them even catch his eye anymore — until pretty Martha Bittner tells him exactly what she wants… and he wonders why he ever resisted capture.

No Less Than Forever
Doctor Franz Bittner is satisfied with his life as it is. He has a good practice in a place where he is respected, in spite of his German birth. He has good friends and enough income to provide him with a few comforts. A wife would only complicate things. Then a tiny blond stranger is pulled from the river and everything changes. With one smile she captures his attention—and steals his heart.

Rebekah Snow Redmann barely survived her abusive husband’s attack. Though she was given to him to pay her father’s debts, she’d rather die than go back. Then she ends up in the care of the handsome local doctor and he stitches up more than her wounds—he mends her soul. With him, she discovers everything that she believes she can never have...a love that will last forever.

Sisters and A River's Bend Duo are two of the twenty-one ebooks that are part of Prairie Rose Publications' Christmas in July event, which starts July 24. All of the stories are priced 99 cents or $1.99. Prairie Rose will be hosting a fandango on Facebook to celebrate the event. All of the authors who have books in the sale will be there, and I hope you'll join us, too. You can find more information about the party—including the nice prizes we'll be giving away—and sign up here.


All right. Here are the answers!
1-c; 2-a; 3-d; 4-b; 5-b; 6-a; 7-a; 8-d; 9-d; 10-d


A native Californian, Tanya Hanson lives on the central coast with her firefighter husband and considers their son and daughter the best thing she’s ever done. After a career teaching high school English, her life is blessed with a happy home, exciting travels, good health, and best of all--two little grandsons. Volunteering at the local horse rescue and recent trips to the Rockies of Colorado and Alberta prove the West is where she wants to write! Visit her at her website, TanyaHanson.com.