As a western writer, I spend a lot of time reading books about the time period.
Much has been written about bad men, but what about outlaw or bad women of the
west? From the beginning of time women, just like men have gone astray. In the
current book Iโm writing my heroine, who is a bounty hunter, is working as a
card dealer in a saloon to catch the man sheโs hunting.
The idea came from reading a book called
The Lady Was A Gambler: True
Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West by Chris Enss. The book
tells the tales of fifteen women who either gambled or were dealers at the
saloons or gambling halls. Interesting reading of how women were used to
distract men and help them lose their money.
Another book Iโve found very interesting for research is
The Bedside
Book of Bad Girls: Outlaw Women of the American West by Michael Rutter.
The story about Kate Bender at Benders Bloody Inn was one of the scariest tales
Iโve read. It made me think twice about stopping at a hotel for the night.
My latest read is a book called
Tough Towns: True Tales from the Gritty
Streets of the Old West by Robert Barr Smith. This book is about how
ordinary citizens took back their towns from the bad guys who invaded. I havenโt
finished this book yet, but so far itโs been interesting reading.
As an author this is where I garner the information for my men and women in my
stories. Where I learn about the small towns, the people who lived and worked
there. Nonfiction books on the west are invaluable to create your own world.
From the research Iโve done, there were no female bounty hunters in the west.
They are a figment of my imagination. But Iโve had so much fun writing my badass
girls. I like to write what I call are kick-ass heroines who are in bad
situations who find a way to rise to the top. My girls are ordinary women who
must overcome a difficult situation and in the process find true love. My heroes
are deserving men that fall for the love of a strong woman.
Writing is a tough profession not for the faint of heart, but itโs also fun. I
get to spend many hours of the day, playing in the world I create. Below is the
blurb from the latest book in my
Lipstick and Lead series. The third
book in the series,
DANGEROUS will be available February 13th. Currently, Iโm
writing Rubyโs story, Daring and have two other books plotted. After reading
The Lady Was A GamblerโฆI know there will be a seventh book in
this series and maybe moreโฆ
About DANGEROUS
The Hunt of a Lifetime Becomes a Journey of the Heart
Annabelle McKenzie stays at home and takes care of the farm and the bookkeeping
for their family bounty hunting business while her two sisters take all the
risks. Except that sheโs grown bored and longs for adventure. The chance to show
her sisters that sheโs just as capable of bringing a man to justice and
collecting a bounty as they are. When opportunity bumps into her at the bank,
she recklessly follows her prey out of town. Only she soon realizes sheโs chosen
the wrong man to hunt.
Beau Samuels has a dark secret that goes beyond the price on his head. And now
thereโs a wanted poster with his face plastered in every small Texas sheriffโs
office. As if things couldnโt get worse, now he has a novice in a skirt
brandishing a gun and determined to collect his reward. Could he get away from
the blonde spitfire with his heart intact?
When Annabelle unlocks the secrets to his heart and reveals the true man behind
the wanted poster, can she lay aside her scruples and allow herself to love an
outlaw?
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