A COWBOY CHRISTMAS--THE RODEO by Marisa Masterson

It's Christmas in July and the gate opens. Out comes a wildly bucking horse with the man determined to stay in the saddle. Six seconds, seven, eight! He stayed on the required eight seconds.







That's a common enough scene at a rodeo. Consider, though, how did we get our modern rodeo?

Small communities in Texas would come together to celebrate the Fourth of July. Bronc riding and showing off roping skills became a part of those celebrations. Cowboys from different ranches could compete to see who was the best.

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Wild west shows were very popular and featured some of what became a part of any rodeo. Cowboys signed on to show off their riding and roping skills. The public loved it.




The first rodeo recorded as awarding prizes was held in Pecos, Texas in 1883. The first one to charge admission is thought to be in Prescott, Arizona. Regardless of where these things happened, by the 1890, rodeos became annual events in many places.

With their popularity, a huge problem rose. Many of the large rodeos billed themselves as "World Championship Rodeo". Just imagine how many world champions there were in one year alone! This is one of the reasons that several rodeo committees formed the Rodeo Association of America in 1929. It was the start at trying to regulate the celebration and change the rodeo from a spectacle into the sport that it is today.

But why Christmas in July or Cowboy Christmas? I'm not sure. I do know that ten days in early July are packed with more rodeos than a person could hope to attend. It's definitely an exciting time. The contestants have the chance to win some serious money, though most spend more to be there than they win. Still, maybe the chance of winning the payout is why it's like Christmas to them.


Sadly, people couldn't head out to rodeos this year. Long standing traditions gave way to health and safety concerns, and the annual rodeo became one more victim in this terrible pandemic.

I hope that isn't a sign that Santa plans to stay home on December 24...

(I want to direct you to a fantastic article for more information on the background of rodeos--https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/llr01#.)

Here's my own spin on Christmas in July, available at a special pre-order price. Now, it's $.99, but the price goes up to $2.99 on July 31...

Pre-order today for the special price.

A hula dancer—seriously? And blonde to boot!

Why did someone send JT Kirkwood a hula dancer ornament? This was July, not even close to December and the season for a Christmas tree. The note promised that the dancer was real and waiting for him. No matter how ridiculous this seemed, JT looked at the ornament and felt compelled to find the woman mentioned in the note. Too bad his father’s accident prevents him from looking.

A luau—seriously? With their town of Oak Grove hit by layoffs, why did Bonnie Miller’s mother insist that they throw a city-wide party at the small strip mall that housed Bonnie’s restaurant. Still, her mother had fantastic insight into what the public wanted, so Bonnie went along with it. She even danced the hula for the crowd, and saw the man of her dreams watching.

Serenaded by Elvis, this couple easily falls in love. But is love at first sight enough to overcome the distance that separates the couple when JT has to return to his job in another town far from Oak Grove? He loves his home and job, but Bonnie is fiercely loyal to hers as well.

Mrs. Claus is discovering that not even the magic of a compelling ornament or the lyrical sounds of Elvis will be enough to bring about this couple’s happily ever. Which one will compromise? Will each say Aloha--meaning goodbye?

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.


 

Christmas in July!

It's been over two hundred years since we gained our independence here in the USA and I'm celebrating for the rest of the month just for the occasion.

I've written many different kinds of books but never one that featured the 4th of July. Since so many others are celebrating with Christmas in July events, I thought I'd do the same.

This year, all my Christmas romances are priced at .99cent for the month of July. A WILLOW CREEK CHRISTMAS is part of the USA TODAY Bestselling Willow Creek Series and one of my favorite books. The hero, Noah, isn't your typical romance hero. He's scarred  in more ways than one and it takes the love of a little girl at Christmas to break through his roughened exterior.

Grab your copy of A WILLOW CREEK CHRISTMAS for .99cent at the following links.

A Willow Creek Christmas
by Lily Graison

Historical Western Romance

Running from a life she no longer wanted… 
Widowed with two young children, Keri Hilam is desperate to escape her abusive brother in law, going so far as sneaking away in the dead of night in hopes of finding a better life. She never regrets leaving, not even when they find themselves stranded, starving, and alone. Fate brings them to Willow Creek, Montana, where they're rescued by an unlikely hero, an ex-confederate soldier who seems more monster than man. 


Hiding from a past he can't seem to forget… 
The war leaves Noah Lloyd scarred and bitter. When the girl he left behind broke his heart, he turned his back on the life he used to know, and sought refuge in a dusty little town that afforded him the solitude he wanted. Finding a woman and her kids hunkered down in an abandoned line shack in the middle of a blizzard is the last thing he needs. They're ragged, half starved and vulnerable, but he's determined to leave the trio in the care of the town marshal. 


Can a future together erase all the pain… 
But the innocence of a child at Christmas breaks through Noah's hard exterior and Keri's tender care allows him to see that life may be worth living. All he has to do is let go of his past and let this unlikely family love him. 

BUY THE EBOOK FROM:

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Kobo
Apple iBook Store

You can find more of my Christmas stories and buy links on my website.

About Lily Graison

USA TODAY  bestselling author Lily Graison writes historical western romances and dabbles in contemporary and paranormal romance. First published in 2005, Lily has written over a dozen romance novels that range from sweet to spicy.

She lives in Hickory, North Carolina with her husband, three high-strung Yorkies and more cats than she can count and is mother of two and grandmother of three. On occasion, she can be found at her sewing machine creating 1800’s period clothing or participating in civil war reenactments and area living history events. When not portraying a southern belle, you can find her at a nearby store feeding her obsession for all things resembling office supplies.

To see the dresses Lily has created, visit her Pinterest page.

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