Countdown to Bellingham.

I'm counting the days until the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

Both Guarded Herts and Outlaw's Redemption made the Finals!

 

   The conference in Bellingham, Washington is such a great experience. I haven't been able to go for the past three years and I'm so excited to go this year. There are so many great authors there and it will be great to see them again. I'm anxious to meet (in person) several new author friends I've made over the past couple years. 

   The last weekend of April can't get here soon enough!

   It will be the first trip I've taken in three years and am looking forward to the road trip to Washington. I have a list of things to stop and see along the way and get some book research done as well. Lots of new book ideas floating around in my noggin.  I'm still working on book 3 of the Rimrock Series, but progress has been slow. I'm hoping to get Wild Love book 4 finished this year as well.

  

2023 off to a great start

 So far 2023 has been good to me in the author department.

Guarded Hearts won the Best Indie Book Award for Historical Romance and was an honorable mention in the Book Fest Awards.

The Wild Love Series has been so much fun to write, and I love all the characters. There are many books to come in the series and I can't wait to share the stories with you. Each book in the series is a stand-alone, but the characters in one book will appear in another book. So to get a better feel for the characters, reading them in order helps but isn't necessary. 

Outlaw's Redemption and Guarded Hearts have made the semi-finals in the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Guarded Hearts is up for the Laramie Award. It made the long list for Paranormal and we'll see if it advances. Outlaw's Redemption won the Laramie Award last year and is in the running for the Chatelaine Award. We will see if they advance to the Finals.

I'm honored to be a semi-finalist! There are a lot of books entered in this contest and to get this far is awesome. I know many of the authors on these lists and have read their books. To be among them is an achievement.

I'm also making good progress on the next Rimrock Book. Book three is about Clu Bodine and Aleena Richardson. If you've read Promise of Spring, you are familiar with the characters. Clu is the mayor and operates the local freighting company. A man with inner struggles that cause him to drink too much but hiring Aleena to work for him is slowly healing him. Orphaned Aleena comes to work at the fright office and over time becomes Clu's housekeeper as well. She has loved him for years, but he only sees her as the kid he hired to keep her off the streets. Events lead them to love and to St. Louis. His family is in danger and the family business is in jeopardy. With Aleena by his side, he knows he can face any challenge. Aleena will do whatever is takes to save the family she has always longed for.

Check out my website for all book links to your favorite e-book platform. Print books available at Amazon and LuLu.

Upcoming events

                    Book signing in Hulett, Wyoming at the Library in March  (more info to come)

                    Heading to Bellingham, Washington in April for the Chanticleer International Book Award conference. Always such a great time.

NaNoWriMo time is here and a new book will be born!

 November is National Novel Writing Month.

The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I have yet to succeed at this. It seems when November comes, I have ultimate writers block! I'm going to give it a try again this year. My plan is to write a Wild Love Series novella. I have two of them planned and with any luck I'll get one finished.

The first Novella will be about Bryan McNeal and Tessa Allen. If the last names sound familiar, they should. Both names were featured in Outlaw's Redemption. McNeal was part of the outlaw gang that murdered the Allen family and burned the farm to the ground.

I didn't plan on writing a book about McNeal, he was a brief character in Outlaw's Redemption. But he was given a chance to get away from the outlaw ways and start a new life. Seemed fair to me because he was a decent kid that got mixed up with the wrong people. 

And then......  My little brain suddenly wondered, "What happened to him?" And a book idea was born.

McNeal, now a bounty hunter, returns to Rimrock to make peace with the past. He was there during the murder of the Allen family and it has haunted him for the past five years. What he doesn't know is that Tessa, the oldest Allen daughter, was away at school when her family was murdered. She has now returned to work her family's farm.

Guilt from past events and the need to protect her, cause McNeal to stay and work the farm with her. A ruthless rancher wants her land and McNeal knows he will have to stay and fight for her. What he didn't expect, was to fall in love with her. Can he be with her every day and not confess the truth of what happened to her family? Will she hate him and force him to leave the farm?

You can get Outlaw's Redemption and get to know Bryan McNeal if you haven't already.

Available at all E-Book stores. Print copies at Amazon and Lulu

Links available at my website    Wild Love Series | TK Conklin-Author

A promise made to a dying man brought Boone Cain to the town of Rimrock. Four years of war had left scars on his body and soul and years of drifting had turned him into a dangerous gunman. He had been prepared for a lot in fulfilling his promise, but he hadn’t been prepared for Leslie Barkley. She melted the ice surrounding his heart and his need for her could make keeping his promise extremely difficult. Getting involved with her was something he couldn’t let happen, but his need for her could win and put her in danger. Leslie’s gift of premonitions had not warned her about the gunman that came to her boardinghouse looking for a place to stay. Nor had it warned her of the trouble that would follow this handsome, haunted man. Though Leslie had never met Boone before, he is familiar to her. A past premonition? This secretive gunman is connected to her in a way she never imagined and the truth will test her feelings for him. Can they put the past to rest and live the lives they were destined for?

Series Starter Sale!!!

 

Promise of Tomorrow (Book 1 of the Rimrock Series) and Outlaw's Redemption (Book 1 of the Wild Love Series) are on sale for .99 until the end of August!

Promise of Tomorrow

She needed a fresh start...

Kidnapped by a ruthless man, Shyfawn Tucker has given up all hope of ever being free. Luck turns in her favor and she begins anew in a place she least expects - working as a cook and housekeeper for the rancher who reluctantly helped in rescuing her. Determined to make the best of the situation, until she is able to move on, Shyfawn finds that she loves her new life. But when the time comes will she be able to leave him? She's finally found happiness and passion in his gentle hands and heated kisses.

He didn't want a house keeper...

When Matthew Reeves went on a mission to help rescue a saloon girl, he never expected to suddenly find her in his employment. This beautiful, sassy and very desirable woman is the last person he needs on his ranch. She proves to him that she's nothing like he expected. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his ranch is exactly where she belongs. He's finally found the woman he can't live without. When their new found happiness is threatened, Matthew will do anything to keep them together.

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Outlaw's Redemption

A promise made to a dying man brought Boone Cain to the town of Rimrock. Four years of war had left scars on his body and soul and years of drifting had turned him into a dangerous gunman. He had been prepared for a lot in fulfilling his promise, but he hadn't been prepared for Leslie Barkley. She melted the ice surrounding his heart and his need for her could make keeping his promise extremely difficult. Getting involved with her was something he couldn't let happen, but his need for her could win and put her in danger.

Leslie's gift of premonitions had not warned her about the gunman that came to her boardinghouse looking for a place to stay. Nor had it warned her of the trouble that would follow this handsome, haunted man. Though Leslie had never met Boone before, he is familiar to her. A past premonition? This secretive gunman is connected to her in a way she never imagined and the truth will test her feelings for him.

Can they put the past to rest and live the lives they were destined for?

Apple Books

Nook

Kobo

Smashwords

Books2Read

The books that inspired me to be a writer.

Once upon a time.....

 

That is how it all begins. We first fall in love with fairy tales and happily ever after. Our love for story telling grows into "it was a dark and stormy night". 

From fairy tales we branch out to our favorite genre. Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, and more. I fell in love with romance. Western romance specifically.

   The very first romance book I read was Apachee Caress when I was about 12. Took it from my mom's shelf (she said I was too young to read romance books) and snuck to my room to read it. Loved it. And I read the rest of Georgina Genty's Panorama of the West Series. This was where my love for romance books began. Each story was great on its own but I loved the way the author wove the characters from other books into new stories. I liked reading about the familiar characters and getting a glimpse of their continued story in a small way.

Then came Betty Brooks. I loved her books as well and read them all. (Exept one that I am searching for) Again I loved that her books connected together by the characters.

Then I discovered Victotia Thompson and Jodi Thomas. And my own desire to write took over. I was passionate about telling stories of strong people in the Wild West.

 

   What I loved most about these authors and the way they wrote their books is that they all tie together in some way. Characters from other books appear throughout the series. Each title is a stand alone but reading them in order gives the sense of knowing the characters on a deeper level. Several authors added Paranormal elements to their books and I loved it. My books all tie together and many have paranormal elements.

    These amazing authors were my inspiration to start my own writing.

    I've read many, many books since those teenage years, but those books published over 30 years ago are still my favorite ones. I have every book of every series (except that one elusive Betty Brooks book) on my shelves in my office. A constant reminder of my original inspiration. 

      Outlaw’s Redemption is the first book in the Wild Love Series. The second generation of my Rimrock characters. The families of the Rimrock Series span three generations so far. I love the familiarity of the characters I’ve spent the last 25ish years writing about.

Award Winner!!

 So happy to announce that Outlaw's Redemption has won another award. First in Category for Western Romance and a finalist for Paranormal Romance! A big thanks to Chanticleer International Book Awards for this honor.

  Writing a book is a long process that takes so much time and effort. Hours of slaving away over the computers. Never ending editing. Cover art. Uploading and distributing your work. Getting an award for that hard work is very rewarding. It's nice to get recognition for what you've done.

   The best recognition is from the readers. It makes me happy to have people enjoy my work and want more. I'm not sure what is next in the town of Rimrock. A third Rimrock Series book or a fourth Wild Love Series book.

   The next Rimrock book will be about Clu and Aleena. You were introduced to them in Promise of Spring. Clu is the Mayor and owner of the freighting company in Rimrock. A tragedy in his past left scars on his heart. Aleena is an orphan looking to make her way in life. After witnessing the murder of her family, she is taken in by a mountain man until his death. Clu hires her to cook and clean, as well as help in the freight office. Aleena helps heal Clu's heart and he gives her a sense of family.  When an accident kills his father and wounds his brother, Clu and Aleena head for St. Louis to help with the family business of freighting up and down the Mississippi River on a steam ship. They arrive to discover it was no accident that had killed Clu's father. No only is his brother's life still in danger, but now he has become a target.

  The next Wild Love book will be about Kade and Brenna. You briefly met Kade (Aleena and Clu's son) in Threads of Passion. Doing a favor for a friend, Kade has to get to St. Louis and back to Rimrock without getting killed. With hired killers chasing him the entire way, Kade needs to change his identity. Brenna longs for a better life than working in the laundry. When she catches a scrubby mountain man stealing clothes she finds herself with two choices. Go with him and pose as his wife and receive enough money to start her new life, or stay stuck in her current life. Brenna agrees and finds herself in more danger than she had bargained for. But Brenna learns that Kade isn't the mountain man she had him pegged for. And she isn't the lowly laundry maid he took her to be.

Ready for Summer!

 

 

Summer is right around the corner, and I am ready for it! Getting away into the mountains is my favorite part of summer. Up in the crisp fresh air, no phone service, and endless adventures. It is also where I like to go to rejuvenate and relax. Taking time to recharge is something all of us need to do from time to time.

Spending months slaving away in front of the computer to finish and publish a book can be exhausting. But working hard doing something I love is rewarding and thrilling. Seeing that hard work getting recognition is the best feeling. But taking a break and having time for yourself is a must. Life gets busy and finding time for yourself can be hard. For me, time in the mountains is just what I need for a life reset. 

Outlaw's Redemption

 Living at the base of the Big Horn Mountains gives me endless opportunities to go up and play or relax. Just a day drive over the mountain to Tensleep and back is relaxing and wonderful. After getting through Wyoming's unpredictable winter and going through the moody spring weather, I'm ready for summer and time in the mountains.

 

Those lucky times when I get to see the local wildlife

is always a giant bonus.

We have upgraded to Glamping!  Growing up, we loved to sleep outside under the stars. Summertime in a ranch house with no air conditioning, it gets hot. We spent most of the summer sleeping outside on ancient bedsprings. Then we upgraded to tents! Hunting camp with dad's big canvas tent was always so much fun. Warm and snug inside with the stove on a cold mountain day. Now I've become what I used to make fun of, a camper trailer camper. Going from a leaky 1977 camper to a new 2021 camper is so nice. Comfort but we still get to be out with nature enjoying the mountains.

Though I still make time to write while I'm relaxing in front of the campfire or sitting on top of the mountain with an amazing view before me. I always take a notebook and a handful of pens with me when I go to the mountains to hide from the hectic world. 

In Promise of Spring True Tucker gets lost in the mountains. After saving the life of a little girl, a blizzard strands True in a cabin with the girl and her handsome father. Adventure, excitement, and love find True as she spends time in the mountains with the dashing man and his adorable daughter. But when it's time for her to return to her normal life, will she stay with the man she loves or choose the life she is accustomed to?

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