HOW TO DATE A COWBOY

WELCOME, M K MCCLINTOCK,
my guest today and
AUTHOR of
GALLAGHER'S PRIDE

           

A PAPERBACK COPY OF
M K'S NOVEL WILL BE
GIVEN TO ONE VISITOR
WHO COMMENTS!
U.S. only

How to Date a Cowboy

By Brenna Gallagher

 I’d never met a cowboy until I ventured up Montana way. Back home in Scotland, I had little contact with gentlemen living a quiet country life as we did, but they were certainly different from these men. You wouldn’t catch them wearing those odd clothes and they wouldn’t dream of sleeping outside or carry a gun on their person. Yes, those cowboys certainly are interesting specimens and I’ll admit I’ve become rather fascinated by them.

The first one I ever met stood tall and proud and behaved as a true gentleman. Of course he was wearing those dusty clothes and that strange hat, but those deep dark eyes of his bore through to my soul. Those strong hands that could only be had from hard work were warm to the touch. His gruff demeanor couldn’t mask the heat in those eyes on that cold autumn day. I’ve learned a few things since that first encounter and I’m here to share my meager expertise, so listen carefully.

        *A lady must know that a true cowboy is charming and dangerous. He’s a little like the wild land on which he lives. It doesn’t take much more than a swish of skirts and a pretty face to get his attention, but he won’t be easy. If a lady wants to hold onto a cowboy, she must be strong and even a little stubborn. She has to show him that she has what it takes to survive in his world, but don’t worry ladies-he’ll make it worth your while.

 *A hard-working cowboy is independent, stubborn and even a little fierce. He’ll charm you just as easily as he charms a bull so you’ll want to keep him on his toes. Show him you’re not a lady to be trifled with. He won’t be able to control you, but he’ll certainly want to keep you.

 *He’ll rarely tell you what’s on his mind and doesn’t like sharing his emotional feelings. If you want to understand your man, let him come to you. Don’t push or prod because he’ll make for the range. If you want to rope him in, you’d better learn how to handle the lasso.

*Most importantly, a true cowboy is loyal to the death. Be warned ladies-he expects that same in return. Treat your cowboy well and he’ll move heaven and earth for you.

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 Gallagher’s Pride Blurb

She was on a quest for discovery.

He was on a quest for revenge.

Together they would discover a second chance.

 Brenna Cameron travels from Scotland after losing someone she loves in search of family she didn't know existed. Alone now in the world, Brenna makes an arduous journey following the trail of discovery to Briarwood, Montana. Here she meets Ethan Gallagher and the rest of the Gallagher clan. Only with their help is she able to discover lost family, heal old wounds and embark on a treacherous confrontation with a man who destroyed her family.

As head of the Gallagher clan, Ethan has more than enough to occupy his thoughts and time-he didn't need the complication of Brenna Cameron and he certainly didn't need the trouble that came with her. Ethan takes on the unwanted duty of self-appointed protector to the headstrong Scot, only to discover there is such a thing as second chances and more to life than revenge.

Excerpt
Are you out of your mind?” The words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them, but he had gone and truly shocked her.

“No actually I’m not. It’s your safety I’m thinking of,” replied Ethan, more to himself than her. He loosened the hold on her arm.

Brenna let out an exasperated sigh, something her mother had always tried to discourage, and said, “I do appreciate your kindness, Mr. Gallagher...”

“Ethan.”

“…Ethan, but I’m certainly not the type of woman to just go home with two men whether I know them or not. It would be highly inappropriate, not to mention stupid.”

“And you’re not stupid.”

“Not as far as I can tell,” Brenna said with fire in her eyes. She rarely ever took offense at what people said, too comfortable in her own skin to care, but this man riled her and he did it effortlessly.

Gallagher’s Pride is available in eBook and print.

About the Gallaghers: http://www.mkmcclintock.com/#%21books/vstc5=the-gallaghers                                    

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Gallaghers-Pride-First-Gallagher-Novels/dp/1456346814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327247860&sr=8-1

Amazon Kindle Link: http://www.amazon.com/Gallaghers-Pride-Gallagher-Series-ebook/dp/B006ZOSVFG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327248043&sr=8-2

Gallagher's Pride Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4VE6VFSf1LA

 Coming Next in the Montana Gallagher Series

Gallagher’s Hope – August 2012

MK McClintock-
Over the years McClintock traveled the country and visited magnificent Scotland. She dreams of a time when life was simpler, the land rougher and the journey more rewarding. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, McClintock still calls Montana home.

Website: http://www.mkmcclintock.com

Blog: http://mkmcclintock.blogspot.com

Author of the Montana Gallagher Series

An American Hero--Capt. Paul Pena



Paul Peña was born July 8, 1982, in San Antonio and grew up in San Marcos. He attended De Zavala and Bowie elementary schools and Lamar Middle School before enrolling at the San Marcos Academy for high school.

He was a member of the Junior ROTC at the San Marcos Baptist Academy where he was named "best all around student" by his school's National Honor Society chapter, and was voted most likely to succeed by his classmates. He created a disc golf course at the school for his Eagle Scout project.

Peña graduated from the San Marcos Baptist Academy in 2000 and entered the U.S. Military Academy as a member of the class of 2004. Following graduation, he attended Infantry Officers Basic Course, Basic Airborne School and Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga.

Peña's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf clusters, the Valorous Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge and the Ranger Tab. He had previously been awarded the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement or service during his previous deployments.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard called Peña a "recognized leader" among his peers. He further stated "Peña was a quiet professional; he always had a smile on his face and was admired by his soldiers".

Capt. Paul W. Peña, 27, of San Marcos, passed away Jan. 19, 2010 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

NOTE TO FRIENDS:

I had retired early from San Marcos Academy in 1991, years before Paul entered the school. However, I have stayed in close contact with a group of retired teachers whom I consider my best friends. That's the way the Academy works--lifetime associations and friendships are forged, and we never forget each other. Those who did know and teach Paul have always spoken highly of his character, his academic achievements, and his leadership abilities.

I wish I had known this student, but even so, he was "one of ours."

In Memorium:

Memorial Day, May 28, 2012

For those who sacrified all for the love of their country. 

~*~*~*~

Celia Yeary

Endings Are Important, Too...Aren't They?

Since January 1, I began keeping a list of every book I read. Already, my list is long. For my own private notes, I use a check mark for books I liked very much, a check mark plus for an outstanding read, and a question mark for books that bewildered me in some way, or did not have a good ending. Most of the books have check marks. Maybe ten have a plus sign, too. Very few have a question mark.

(If I read a book to the end, it's because I like the story. Those books I didn't like did not find the Have Read pile.)

Something about each story made an impression on me, which made me think about it after I read the last page. Notice I didn't say "a happy impression." Not all the books had the same kind of ending, but all the story lines were good. They held my attention. I turned the pages, anticipating the next scene. And…I remember how they ended.

Remember "Gone With the Wind?" Who could not remember the story and especially—the ending. "I'll worry about that later. After all. Tomorrow is another day." It did not end happily, at least for Scarlet and Rhett, but it left us hanging a little. What would Scarlet do? We felt certain she would survive and move on, so we weren't very distressed. What would Rhett do? Probably he would return to his old habits and continue being the rogue that he was—with a broken heart, of course. The ending gave us a rare opportunity to imagine the next phase of their lives.

What does a reader wait for at the end? Satisfaction is the key word. The novel must have an ending that satisfies the reader. If not, the reader most likely will not return to that particular author. Just what does "satisfy" mean?

Satisfy:
1. To answer or discharge a claim in full.
2. To make happy.
3. To pay what is due.
4. Convince.
5. To meet the requirements.

Surprised? A satisfactory ending does not always mean the same as "A Happy Ending." Nor does "a happy ending" hold the same meaning for everyone. For faithful romance authors and readers, a HEA is a requirement. Ninety percent of the books I read fall into this category. Even though I do read others that I know won't end happily, I look for some satisfaction for my protagonist—and myself.

~*~Did the author leave a glimmer of hope for happiness for my protagonist?
~*~Did the author make me believe wholeheartedly that the story was worth the time and emotional commitment I put into it?
~*~Did the author leave me with a lasting impression that her next book will be just as good?
~*~Did the author conclude the story with enough emotion to make me cry, laugh, or say "Yessss."

If none of these happen, you can bet I won't buy her next book.

**What was the last book you read that did not have a perfect HEA, but you liked it anyway?

What is the best kind of ending for you to recommend a book?

Thanks for visiting with me today—
Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
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How Physics Helped Me Become an Author



MY FIRST NOVEL

Remember all those math courses you were required to take for your high school diploma and/or your university degrees? How many times did you wonder, "What good is all this math? I'm not planning on becoming a mathematician, and besides...I have a calculator." The same was true with Physics. All right, I admit the science of physics might possibly help you as a human being with some Law of Physics that might pop up in your everyday life.

Physics, though, almost did me in. I was an Education major, with biology/science as a teaching field. I took all the biology courses I could, knowing that Physics was also on my Required Courses List for my degree. I could not graduate without it.

A PHYSICS PROFESSOR BUT NOT MINE

The first day of class for this horrendous subject rolled around all too soon. I entered the elevated lecture hall that held three hundred students. I spotted an empty seat five rows up. Excusing myself halfway down the row, I sat down, flipped the desktop over my lap, and placed my books and notebook there.

The year: 1968--I was 28 years old with preschoolers at home. And way out of my element.

Enter the professor, who looked to be about thirty years old and resembled a young Steve McQueen. Not very tall, blonde, cute, fit. He announced his name and said:

"I intend to be an astronaut one day, but in the meantime, I will teach you everything you need to know about physics. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will give my first lecture, complete with drawings on the chalkboard. Listen carefully--if you do not understand this elementary problem when I finish, pick up your books, walk out, and proceed to the registrar's office and drop this course. You cannot pass if you do not understand what I do today."

A VECTOR FIELD

So, he proceeded filling up the chalkboard with a lesson on Vectors. Remember Vectors? When he finished, several students began to pack up and walk out. I sat there perspiring, with my heart beating too hard, and very close to crying. I HAD to have this course to graduate.

He might as well have titled his lecture "MAN FROM MARS SPEAKS GOBBLEDY-GOOK TO EXPLAIN VECTORS."

Next to me, the blond young woman--probably twenty years old--actually did begin to weep. I said, "I guess you didn't understand the lecture."

"No," she said, wiping her eyes, "and I must have this course to graduate."

"Me, too," I confessed.

"Well, are you going to drop?"

Taking a deep breath, I said, "No. I'll try as hard as I can to pass. I don't even know enough math for this. But I can learn and work hard, and so, I'll give it a go."

"Will you help me? Be my lab partner?" she asked.

I suggested she might get some young engineering student as a partner--not someone like me who knows zip about this. But she wanted someone to feel secure, she said, so we sealed the deal.

To make a long story short, in the labs I developed a way to work backwards with the apparatuses we were manipulating. Don't ask me how I did it...but since I knew the problem and the desired outcome, instead of going from the beginning, I set up the outcome, then worked backwards. Another student--who was taking the course a second time--gave me some advice. He said, the lab professor is quite old, and tired, so when you write up your lab report, write as many pages as you can and include numerous drawings. He goes by volume, not so much content. Well, you should have seen my lab reports. I--and my little friend--made A's in lab. The lecture exams were another problem, but I did know enough to get by. With the lab grade averaged with my lecture grades, I came out with a C the first semester. I cried--well, I'd only made A's in my courses, and I never expected a C in anything. But realizing I was lucky, I worked harder the second semester and made a B. I thanked God for those grades.

Perhaps you get the point of my ramblings today. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I could write a story and get it published as a novel. Actually, the thought never occurred to me. However, after a few incidents in my life, I found myself writing and working hard to polish a manuscript enough to submit to an editor.

There were those unfortunate tries at submitting, but even though New York kept rejecting me and suggesting I get an agent, I continued on my set course of publication. By then I discovered electronic books and found an entire new world and way of accomplishing my goal.

I still thank The Wild Rose Press for my first published novels. They opened the door and believe me, I rushed in. Today, I marvel at the number of works published with Celia Yeary-Author on them. It's still a thrill, just as it was when I received my degree from Texas Tech University, claiming I had successfully completed ALL required courses.

Anything I can do, you can, too--that is, if the desire is there, in your heart and your mind.

What was your inspiration for forging ahead against all odds?

My Publishers:
The Wild Rose Press
Wings ePress
Whimsical Publications
Victory Tales Press (Western Trail Blazer)
Desert Breeze Publishing
Whiskey Creek Press
Willow Moon Publishing

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
 My Website
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Fictional Mothers

All my novels and short stories contain at least one mother, whether she is on stage or not. Why is this? Many novels I read also present at least one mother. But I have read many others that did not have a single mother character. It seems natural to me, because most of my stories tell about a couple and their families, and several comprise a series based on characters in the previous novel.

Mothers aren't always portrayed as the perfect, loving, nurturing type. In my first novel, All My Hopes and Dreams, the villain is the mother of the hero, and becomes the mother-in-law of my unsuspecting, perfectly groomed, proper heroine, Miss Cynthia Harrington. Wow, is she in for a surprise when she arrives hundreds of miles from her home across Texas with her new husband, Ricardo Romero. Immediately, she learns her mother-in-law Felicitas hates her entire being. Felicitas made a good evil mother, even making her husband and son miserable. But as in most of my books, I must find the good side of our dear Felicitas.

In Texas Promise, Jo is the product of a rape when her mother, Marilee, was only fifteen. Marilee was abandoned and isolated by her father, because he was ashamed of her pregnancy, even though she had been a victim. Marilee learned to be a good mother all by herself, because she, herself, had been raised by only her father. Marilee is the epitome of The Good Mother, protecting, nurturing, and loving her child, and Jo in return adores her mother. Even though she acted strong and capable, Marilee's heart and mind were scarred, causing her to feel unlovable and damaged. Buck Cameron, though, taught her to love not only herself, but him, as well.



2012 FINALIST IN EPIC's
ARIANA AWARDS 
for Most Beatiful Cover 

In my contemporary Texas novel, Crystal Lake Reunion, I include two mothers. The mothers are connected by two babies--one who died at birth, and one who grew into a beautiful, brilliant  young woman. The surviving daughter has no inkling that her life is not as it seems, and when she begins to ferret out the truth on her own, she learns no one has told her the truth, and her world begins to unravel. Who is her mother?

The story revolves around the women in the story, but a young doctor also plays a big part in the heroine's life, adding romance to the tale.
~*~*~*~
NOTE:
***For the Month of May, Crystal Lake Reunion is available on the Whiskey Creek Publishing website in electronic form for 99Cents.****  
BLURB:
Twenty-five-year-old Houston realtor, Dana Dawson, has no reason to believe her life is not as it seems. When Ruth Dawson, her mother, travels thirty miles to Crystal Lake for her twenty-fifth high school reunion, she becomes ill. Dr. Grant Adams summons Dana to the small town she has never seen. There Dana begins to unravel a secret about her past she did not know existed.

Dana keeps her suspicions to herself and remains in Crystal Lake when her mother goes home. During the next week, she becomes acquainted with the charming young doctor and elicits his help to discover her true birthplace. There she finds a shocking truth that not only changes her life, but also almost destroys her mother and another entire family.
~*~*~
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON KINDLE:
Prologue and part of 1st chapter:
http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Lake-Reunion-ebook/dp/B0056BC41G/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308922072&sr=1-13
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS:
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=883&zenid=b510de951c68d62fb3a3bfbe779acd47BARNES AND NOBLE NOOK BOOK:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Celia-Yeary?keyword=Celia+Yeary&store=book

Thank you!
Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
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Season of Frustration

It seems that more and more I'm reading and hearing an increased amount of frustration from authors. Maybe I notice this because, I, too, feel a kind of restlessness and weariness and even a bit of failure. Remember January? We were upbeat and optimistic, a new year had begun, and with it always brought thoughts of promise and success.

This feeling is familiar from my teaching years. It's MAY, for heaven's sake! School is winding down, coming to a close, and we can't wait to escape from our present situation. May always brings the same feelings I've described. During the school year, didn't we always believe as soon as that last bell rang we'd be free? And happy? And no longer frustrated?

Now that summer is near, we want to shake off the old cloak of fatigue and boredom.
But for us authors, we don't get a free summer to play, and swim, and hike, and vacation. Yes, we can do those things, and we should. But upon return, the same tasks as before are there. That's the life of an author. Take a break, but come back to where you were.

What shall we do about it? For starters, study all your books that are published. Just this much is a great accomplishment, so pat yourself on the back. Now study them and locate the main source of your disquiet. Which one needs the most attention? Which one is not selling as it should, or maybe just not at all? Choose that one to channel all your promotional energy on and decide what you can do. A new excerpt to post on the loops? A give-away contest? A fresh post for a guest blog? Some new unique gimmick concerning that book?

Are you stuck on a WIP? Look at it with a critical eye. Is it as good as you thought it might be? Or is it rather staid and mundane? Study it to determine if it's worth saving, or just a bunch of nonsense you could easily delete and get out of your hair.

Would you feel better if you began a new story? Well, by all means, do! That's the best way, in my opinion, to make yourself feel better. A new plot, a new direction, a new set of characters. Why, it's just like going on vacation.

Whatever you do, find some way to change your routine. You might even want to step away for a couple of weeks and just read and perhaps make notes for new ideas. Then when the vacation is over, return and get to work.

I'm in it with you all the way. This is how I feel sometimes, so I speak from experience. Just remember...You are a writer. Whether the world loves your work or not, you do...and in the end, that's all that matters.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
My Website
My Blog
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