SEVEN FACTS ABOUT THE WINGS OF THE WEST SERIES

By Kristy McCaffrey

I’m so pleased to be a guest today at Sweethearts of the West. A big thank you to Celia Yeary for allowing me to settle in beside the campfire and join you all. I recently released the 5^th book in my Wings of the West series—THE BLUEBIRD—and thought I’d share a few behind-the-scenes facts about each of the books in the collection.

~*~The character of Molly Hart from THE WREN (Book 1) was named after my paternal great-grandmother—Mary Agnes “Molly” O’Rourke Kearney, who emigrated from Ireland. ‘Hart’ is a family name on my mother’s side.

~*~Every time I worked on the scene in THE DOVE (Book 2) where Claire says goodbye to her mother, I cried.

~*~When I wrote an early draft of THE SPARROW (Book 3), which takes place in the Grand Canyon, I included notations that indicated which rapid the characters were at on the Colorado River for my own reference. Unfortunately, some of these rapid tags were never deleted and made it into the final book. (When I re-released a new edition, I finally got them all.)

~*~My inspiration for Tess’s storytelling abilities in THE BLACKBIRD (Book 4) was the amazing book Women Who Run With The Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, a Jungian psychologist.

~*~While writing THE BLUEBIRD (Book 5), I lost the file twice. The first time, the manuscript was two-thirds complete and I had no backup. It took a week before I could face the computer again and start the long process of rewriting the book. Luckily the second time I lost the file, I did have a backup. Needless to say, my file storage protocol has been completely changed.

~*~It has taken me 13 years to write this series, which includes 5 novels and 1 short novella.

~*~While each story stands alone with a love story and a happily-ever-after, there’s an overarching psychological theme that mirrors the development of the feminine psyche. THE WREN deals with finding one’s ‘home’ or place in the world. THE DOVE follows the healing of the body, while THE SPARROW is the inward journey into the wounds of the soul. THE BLACKBIRD examines the nurturing and self-love required on a daily basis to keep one’s self healthy, and THE BLUEBIRD is the celebration of life, the ability to embrace one’s destiny with confidence and go happily into the world to make your mark.

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Molly Rose Simms departs the Arizona Territory, eager for adventure, and travels to Colorado to visit her brother. Robert left two years ago to make his fortune in the booming silver town of Creede, and now Molly Rose hopes to convince him to accompany her to San Francisco, New York City, or even Europe. But Robert is nowhere to be found. All Molly Rose finds is his partner, a mysterious man known as The Jackal.

Jake McKenna has traveled the bustling streets of Istanbul, exotic ports in China, and the deserts of Morocco. His restless desire to explore has been the only constant in his life. When his search for the elusive and mythical Bluebird mining claim lands him a new partner, he must decide how far he’ll go to protect the stunning young woman who’s clearly in over her head. A home and hearth has never been on The Jackal’s agenda, but Molly Rose Simms is about to change his world in every conceivable way.

A sensuous historical western romance set in 1892 Colorado.

Excerpt

McKenna’s jet-black hair curled along the collar of his shirt, and a coal-colored stubble had sprouted on his strong jawline. When he shifted his gaze to her, his eyes put her in mind of molasses. Molly chewed on her lower lip and glanced away, lest McKenna catch her staring.

Shaking off her fascination, she asked, “How did you meet Robert?”

“In a poker game.”

Molly gasped. “Robert gambles?”

McKenna chuckled. “You’ve already been to a whorehouse. If you wanted to remain innocent, you shouldn’t have come to Creede.”

Her backside stiffened. “I’m not naïve to the ways of the world.”

Another grin lit his face. Her breath caught and her heart pounded more intensely. She honestly couldn’t look away. She’d read about people who possessed a charm that swayed the masses and opened doors with merely a glance, but she’d never met such a person.

What was the word she’d come across? Charisma, that was it. In this moment, the meaning became crystal clear.

“Whatever you say, Miss Simms. Why did you come to Creede?”

“To visit my brother, of course.”

“You came by yourself all the way from Tucson?”

“My folks believed that Robert would be here to meet me.”

He nodded, his amiable demeanor slipping a bit. She took a steadying breath to quiet the knot in her stomach that never quite receded. Please be all right, Robert.

“My folks thought that Robert would look after me,” she added, her voice muffled as rain continued to pound on the roof of the cabin. “But I assure you that I can look after myself.”

“I don’t doubt that. I’m at your service, nevertheless.”

“For what?”

“Protection.”

He held her gaze, and a frisson of awareness shot through her. She shifted her eyes to the stove. She hadn’t traveled all this way to fall for the first rugged buckaroo who crossed her path, charisma or not. She had more important things to do with her life first.

Copyright © 2016 K. McCaffrey LLC

Kristy is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of THE BLUEBIRD to one lucky commenter. Be sure to leave an email address.

Bio

Kristy McCaffrey has been writing since she was very young, but it wasn’t until she was a stay-at-home mom that she considered becoming published. She’s the author of several historical western romances, all set in the American southwest. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, two chocolate labs, and whichever of their four teenage children happen to be in residence. She loves to travel and frequently blogs about her adventures.

Connect with Kristy

Website: http://www.kristymccaffrey.com

Blog ~ Pathways:  http://www.kristymccaffrey.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristyMcCaffrey

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/McCaffreyKristy