Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Book Tour for Wyoming Heather by DeAnn Smallwood (GIVEAWAY)


Today I'm bringing you a new-to-me author and her entertaining historical read, Wyoming Heather by DeAnn Smallwood.  Keep reading to learn about what women went through during these earlier times along with getting a tantalizing taste of it too.  Make sure to leave a comment telling us what you'd hate about living back then for the chance to win a $25 BN GC!

Wyoming Heather is set in the untamed Wyoming west, mid 1800’s. Heather is a strong woman trying to
maintain a ranch left to her by her parents.  The reality is she’s alone, totally alone doing a man’s job.
During this time period, women had very few avenues open to earn a living. They could be shopkeepers, take in laundry, cook, bake, or teach school. But, being the ‘weaker’ sex, it was highly unlikely a woman would take on the overwhelming job of ranching. Heather does just that. She doesn’t hesitate to throw and brand a calf, using her horse as her partner. She runs the risk of being hurt with no one being there to hear a cry for help. In the first few years of ranching by herself, Heather comes across many obstacles that she has no idea how to handle.   Here’s an excerpt from Wyoming Heather showing how Heather reacts to one of her first encounters............
A memory of one of her first “challenges” had surfaced. She went back to the window, cup in hand, and looked out. This time she wasn’t seeing the new hay field, she was remembering this particularly challenging problem, one that had reduced her to tears and left her doubting her ability to exist in a man’s world.
Thinking back now, she could laugh at the situation. Laugh and wonder why it had presented itself as such a catastrophe. In the whole scheme of things, it was a minor incident certainly not worthy of the heavy darkness of spirit it produced. If she had known then that there would be others much more demanding of her ability and wisdom, others much more threatening, she wondered if she would have gone on.
Yes, she would have. Even in retrospect, the thought made her back straighten and her chin tilt up. Of course, she would have gone on. There was never any question of that. She had gone on to meet each day’s challenge, and she would continue to do so. And the challenge of being so alone, well, she would meet that one too.
Then there’s the loneliness. No one to share a problem with. No one to ask for help or advice. No one to cuddle with on a cold winter night. And what about friends? Other women rarely understood her independence. They relied on their husbands for everything and to put it simply, thought Heather an oddity. Men wanted to tame a strong woman alone.
Even Whip Johnson.  Here’s an example from this story:
A low growl and a few choice words rent the air. “If you were mine…”
“Aaah, but there’s the difference, Mr. Johnson. “I’m not yours.”
Heather did sell milk and eggs whenever she had them and could get them to the general store. But a woman alone had to rely on herself to provide food and shelter and to store enough to get her and any animals through the winter.
When Whip and Heather first meet on the banks of the Powder River, Whip reacts much like any man would when encountering such a feisty, independent woman.
“Who are you, lady? You dress like a man, you talk like a man, and if you just hadn’t had a bath in that river, I’d bet you’d smell like a man.”
If I had to use one word to describe the reality of being a woman alone during this time period, I’d use the word strong for that’s what she had to be. Strong enough to meet all the challenges of working and living alone. Strong enough to endure the loneliness. Strong enough to do the manual labor and smart enough to find ways of making it easier. Strong to hold her head high no matter the whispers. But most of all, strong enough to reach for love and blend it and the man’s strength with hers.

Heather is a spirited, independent woman living alone on a ranch left to her by her parents. She is also a healer of animals, domestic and wild. A woman doing a man's work, running a ranch that everyone said couldn't be done, not in this untamed, vastly unsettled land, in the mid 1800's. The ranch had everything she needed except water. She stole that from a neighboring abandoned ranch watched over by a lonely cabin and a grave.
He rode alone, coming back after five years to an empty cabin, a run-down ranch, and a grave on a hill. A former Texas Ranger burnt out on life and afraid to love. Whip had spent five years hunting the man that took his wife's life and left him to die.
Whip and Heather meet in an explosive moment on the banks of the Powder River. Both lonely, both drawn to one another, and both stubbornly fighting the attraction.
Whip vowed he would take up his dream abandoned five years ago and make his beloved ranch profit and to put aside the sweet linger of all memories shared by him and his wife. The ranch would be a jealous mistress occupying his every thought and every minute. He had no time or desire for a woman much less a pair of runaways from The Orphan Train, stowaways in Whip’s wagon and onto the Powder River Ranch.
But fate heeds no one or no thing. The criminal from Whip’s past reemerges in the present. Now, Heather is in danger and Whip stand, once again on the cusp of loss. Fate shows a strong, willful woman, full of love and compassion, just what she’s been missing in her life. And it shows a calloused Texas Ranger that Heather and love does flourish on the Wyoming plains.

EXCERPT:

Her mouth was dry, her clothes filthy. She was wearing not only the dust of the land, but hair and blood from the calves she’d spent the morning branding. Hair, blood, and dust.
Some perfume, she thought with disdain. I’m a real lady.

BUY AT AMAZON here.

AUTHOR INFO:

I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. I’m a native of Colorado, but I lived several years in Wyoming and Montana.  I draw from these beautiful states for much of my material. My historical romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, and Wyoming Heather.  Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ‘death’ series, Death Is A Habit, will be out later this year. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written and enjoyed.

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/DeAnn-Smallwood-also-writing-as-DM-Woods/366637150050917

**********GIVEAWAY**********

DeAnn will be awarding a $25 BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

-To be entered, LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING US WHAT YOU'D HATE ABOUT LIVING IN THIS PAST WESTERN HISTORICAL PERIOD, along with your email addy (no email=no entry).
-Winners will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.
-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 2/19!

24 comments:

  1. Good morning and thank you so much for hosting me. I'll be keeping a close watch on this site. I'm anxious to hear from readers. Thanks again!

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    1. Thank YOU for stopping by DeAnn and I too look forward to reader's comments.

      The Scarf Princess

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  2. I think I would hate not having a flush toilet. lol

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  3. Me, too. But I have to admire the women back then. They were strong, worked hard, and met challenges thrown at them by the harsh land. Still...we are strong, work hard, and meet challenges, just a different nature. I hope you like WYOMING HEATHER, it's one of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. I don't like the outdoors so to live back then would be really miserable for me, but I would really miss all the books. Thanks for sharing the excerpt and the giveaway. Sounds like a great book. evamillien at gmail dot com

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    1. Eva, nice to hear from you. I'd hate to live without books, too. I hope you like WYOMING HEATHER. Living in Colorado, Wyoming, & Montana, you have a lot of outdoors.

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  5. Interesting premise

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thanks for checking in. Heather and Whip are two of my favorite characters. Tough people for a tough country.

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  6. I can tell you what I'd hate about it...On my honeymoon, 25 years ago, my hubby took me to the Smoky Mountains. I was and am definitely a city girl. When we hiked up to one of the waterfalls and my hubby suggested we might camp on a future trip, I made it clear that if I'm hiking up a mountain, there'd better be a hot shower, indoor plumbing, and a luxurious bed when I get to the top. And a hot tub would be nice, too. Clearly, I'm not sure I could manage not having indoor plumbing and a hot shower.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    1. I can relate to your experience. My first camping trip I made my husband carry a wash tub so I could have a bath. He heated water on a campfire, I have to say, I did get tougher. Roughing it is okay, but I much prefer camping in my Scamp camp trailer. It's little but has a shower, AC, hot water, refrigerator & plumbing. Yahoo! I hope you like WYOMING HEATHER. She's definitely an outdoor girl. Thanks so much for commenting.

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  7. I WOULD MISS RUNNING WATER AND OUR MODERN HEATING SYSTEM. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND TOUR! THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com

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    1. Thanks for your comments. I'd miss running water, too. But, I'd especially miss the heating system.

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  8. I would miss running water and heating and cooling and all the new technology.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Natasha, thanks for tapping in. I'll be sure to put your name in the hat.

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  9. I would think any person from a modern time would miss the amenities that we all take for granted, running water, plumbing, trash pick up, electricity, air conditioning >.<

    Kassandra
    sionedkla@gmail.com

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    1. Hi, when you think about it...we do tend to take these things for granted. AC is nice, huh? Thanks for your comments.

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  10. The biggest problem would be indoor plumbing. That's why I don't do camping (lol). wcraig5432@yahoo.com

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  11. It's hard to hide in the woods. I'm always afraid I'll bare my backside in poison ivy. Nice to hear from you!

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  12. To everyone that commented, thank you. And a special thanks again to my host. So nice to be on your blog!

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  13. Modern plumbing would be great but mostly I would miss my gourmet kitchen - oven, stove, sub-zero fridge, dishwasher...I'm so spoiled. I can't even imagine how difficult cooking over a campstove or fireplace had to have been.

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    1. I keep forgetting lol: here is my email: lgrant1@san.rr.com

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  14. I love the idea of living in this period - but not having an indoor bathroom and running hot water would kill me. jenlessad@gmail.com

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  15. Umm, hot water and a good first aid kit would be at the top of my list. Oh, and decent cookware lol
    ilookfamous@yahoo.com

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