Thank you Again!

A Touch of Texas Irish also won Book of the Month at InD'tale Creme Da La Cover Contest. It wouldn't have been possible without your votes. So again...Thank you!

Here is a excerpt:

Fort Stockton, Texas

"Pa, Pa, please take me with you. I'll be good. I promise." Sam Walker managed to reach the buckboard dragging his five-year-old son, wrapped around his leg, along with each step. He tossed his travel bag into the back and reached down to pick up his son.

Tad's arms locked around Sam's throat, choking him. The little tadpole was strong for his age. Sam pried one arm loose and held it down so he could look him in the eye. "Now, son, you know I can't. I have meetings to attend, and who'd look after you during the day?"

The boy pushed out his lower lip, dropped his head, but cast his beautiful blue eyes up. They were so much like Jane's. Sam's heart wrenched every time Tad swung them his way, especially when wanting something. "I'm big, Pa. I can take care of myself."

Sam ruffled the boy's blond hair. "I know you are son, but the hotel won't allow it." He widened his eyes and feigned an expression of horror. "Why, they might put me in jail."

Tad's eyes rounded. "Really?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but they could. That's what I'd do to a man if he left his little boy alone all day."

Tad released a heavy sigh and hung his head. "All right. I sure don't want you to get in trouble."

Sam chucked him on the chin. "Anyway, I need time to find a surprise for you in Boston. How could I shop with you underfoot?"

Tad's mouth gaped. "A...A surprise for...me?"

Sam swallowed his chuckle. "You are going to behave for Aunt Ruth, right?"

"Yes, sir. And I'll do my chores and take a bath, too."

Sam set him on his feet. "All right then. That settles it." He leaned down and whispered in Tad's ear. "I think Aunt Ruth needs a surprise too. Don't tell—."

Before he could finish, Tad was running and yelled, "Aunt Rufe, guess what?" Sam guffawed. So much for surprises. Ruth smiled and waved. Her pretty face held something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Was it sadness? Maybe, but he didn't think so. The woman had become a thorn in his side of late with her attempts to draw him into a romantic relationship. He stared at the young woman. All Sam wanted from a relationship at this point was friendship, and she'd begun to care for him beyond that. Though her strength kept him going after Jane and their infant died, when he returned, he needed to distance himself from her.

Thanks for reading!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

Thank you all!

Who voted for my cover in the contest. We won!!! And the prize is an one-quarter page ad in Indtel's Magazine. I'm thrilled. So again, thank you!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com

Asking for a Favor.

My The Wild Rose Press Release A Touch of Texas Irish is up for he Creme dé la Cover contest at InD'tale. Your vote would be much appreciated. Here is the link.

http://indtale.com/polls/creme-de-la-cover-contest 

Thanks in advance!

Linda LaRoque

www.lindalaroque.com

RVing Life—The Shower from Hell

Don't get me wrong. I love RVing but there are a few things I'd rather do at home. One is taking a shower. I guess in one of those big Class A buses, it would be fine, but in our little class B, it's a chore. First, there is barely enough room to turn around in the bathroom and adjusting the water with the sprayer head isn't the easiest of chores. But, when you're washing your hair and the gray water tank is full and backing up in the stall, you've got a problem.

So, I holler for Larry. With flashlight in hand he heads outside to empty the gray water. Meanwhile, I'm afraid to turn on the water, shampoo is running into my eyes and burning, and I don't have anything to wipe my eyes with. So, I grab the little hand towel and smear the soap over my face making matters worse. I am one unhappy camper. Finally the gray water is emptying from the shower floor, and I can resume my shower.

Lesson learned—never get in the shower without checking the gray water level first. Beings we're a small RV, our gray water holding tank is only 12-15 gallons.

FYI—we have three tanks—one for fresh water, one for gray water, and one for black water.  Please note, the black doesn't mix with the gray. If it does, you've got real problems.

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love for you to leave a comment about your camping experiences

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda LaRoque

www.lindalaroque.com

Two professional reviews for A Touch of Texas Irish

I'm excited about these reviews from Night Own Reviews and Long and Short Reviews.

• 4½ Stars by Night Owl Reviews

• Author: Linda LaRoque
• Review by: Bemiown
• Genre: Romance
• Tags: 
  • * Rom: Historical
  • Western
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

"The pace is steady and it allows the reader to think about what the

 characters should do, according to the reader's thinking. That's 

what was so good about the book. You get to decide along the way,

what you think should happen and as you turn the pages, you find 

out if you're right. That place in your heart for Sam and Aileen 

gives an emotional air to the book. Grab a copy and find out what 

happens in Aileen's and Sam's marriage."

 by Long and Short Reviews
A Touch of Texas Irish by Linda LaRoque
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (217 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars

Reviewed by Camellia

A death, a dreadful demand, and a deceptive departure took Aileen Lynch from her home in misty, green Ireland to the arid Fort Stockton area of Texas.

The reader is swept along with the emotional and physical turmoil of eighteen year old Aileen Lynch as she, with the help of the lawyer who controls her money, avoids marrying or being mistress to Brian MacAuley, the man her “Da” owes gambling debts to. She goes to America to stay with the lawyer’s relatives. Here she meets the widower Dr. Samuel Walker from Texas.

Her new life begins in what is to be a “marriage of convenience” to protect her and to give Walker’s young son Tad a mother. Good reading finding out how this works out. As Aileen works to win over Tad and to make a home that feels like it is hers, she has an adversary in Ruth, a relative of Samuel’s deceased wife, who had planned to be Samuel’s wife.

The gentle love story that threads its way through all the day to day activities is predictable but still a joy to read. The twists and turns of events and the shocking climax makes for “gotta finish this” kind of reading. There is a shocker that brackets the total story that stands out – if would be a spoiler if I told!

Linda La Roque’s smooth, straight-forward writing style is a pleasure to read. The research is thorough for the modes of travel in the late nineteenth century, for the attitudes of the people about the Irish, and many other details that make A Touch of Texas Irish seem real.

Enjoyable Reading!

Thanks for Reading. I hope you'll pick up a copy.

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

Journey of the Heart is on sale for $.99. Get your copy now!

An anthology of 8 sweet romances revolving around different modes of travel set in the old west .

http://amzn.to/2n8A1Gv

We hope you'll leave us a review and let us know what you liked and disliked about our novellas. We love to hear from readers and your thoughts help us make our stories better.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

Back to RV-ing Again

When our children were younger, we bought a very small travel trailer and enjoyed it for several years. Once we had 5 people sleeping in it. The dinette made a great place to sit our son's port-a-crib, the gaucho folded out into a double bed and my mother and I slept there, and our daughter and her daddy slept on the fold down bed. It was tight but we managed. It had a closet for a port-a-potty and a small kitchen complete with oven.

After a few years, we graduated to a 21 foot trailer with a bathroom with tub, a kitchen, a booth, and two divans or as we called them gauchos, facing each other. A fold up table ran down between them and was nice to have company in. When we moved to Brownwood, we didn't have a place to park it so sold it. A few years later we bought a class C motor home with our neighbors and shared taking it out on trips.

Now, here we are in our 70s and the bug has bitten again, or I should say, it bit my husband. I know I'll enjoy it too, though. Our first night in it was spent at the dealership to learn all the ins and outs of our new Roadtrek Zion, a class B RV. It's a good thing we spent the night as there was so much to learn.

Here is our new baby.

As you can see, it's small, smaller than I wanted, but hopefully we'll learn to make do in the limited space. It is easy to park, especially in our driveway.

 The two gauchos will make down into 2 twin beds or a King size bed. A table fits about where I'm sitting. It has a nice size refrigerator and a tiny bathroom.

 

                                                                                                                                                      When taking a shower, you must be fast as there is no ventilation in the small space. To dry off, you have to step out into the shared space. So, it's important to have all the shades closed. 😀 Actually, I'm sure it's possible to dry off inside.

Though it's small, it has everything you need—heat, air, holding tanks, and it even has a generator under the hood.
And I love the awning.

To give you a little perspective on the size as compared to the class A motor homes, here we are sitting between a couple.






I hope you'll check back on occasion. I'm sure I'll be documenting our travels. We're going to Alpine and Big Bend country next month.


Happy Trails and Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

Winners of A Touch of Texas Irish contest

Laura Moreno is the winner of this beautiful bracelet. Congratulations, Laura!

Five additional winners won E-books of their choice from my book list. Congratulations, ladies!

Ann Westbrook

Lynn Dean

BJ Gaskill

Desiree Brugman

Kimberly Coover

My next book with the working title of A Careless Flirtation will be finished this summer. I'll be having another contest then.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com

One day left to enter James Avery Bracelet Contest

Midnight tomorrow night is the deadline to enter. Email me at Linda@lindalaroque.com and put Enter Me in the subject line.

Or, use the form to the right of the page to sign up for my newsletter. It will also get you in the contest.

I won't be able to announce the winner until April 2nd as I'll be out of town.

Good luck!

Linda

A TOUCH OF TEXAS IRISH is out! Visit me on GET LOST IN A BOOK

Hello Readers,

I'm thrilled to announce that A Touch of Texas Irish is now available in both print and ebook at The Wild Rose Press (it's on sale for $2.50) and Amazon.

Don't forget the contest for the James Avery bracelet. See previous blog posts for information.

Today I'm a guest on Get Lost in a Story. Hop on over. Aileen, my Irish heroine is answering the interview questions. Please join me where I'm giving away 5 digital copies of When the Ocotillo Bloom.

Blurb:

Heiress Aileen Lynch has just lost her mother to cancer, but her spendthrift stepfather insists she must cancel his gambling debts by marrying his disreputable associate. Fleeing Ireland with the help of her mother’s lawyer, she lands in Boston to stay with friends and is attracted to one of their visitors. Doctor Samuel Walker is in town to attend a medical conference. When he meets the lovely young Irishwoman he is quite taken with her and, at his colleague's entreaty, marries her and takes her home to Texas with him to keep her safe. Sam rationalizes that he doesn’t need a wife but he does need a mother for his son. While Aileen strives to earn Sam’s affection, he vows never to risk Aileen’s safety or his heart—he’ll not father a child and watch Aileen die in childbirth as his first wife did. And falling in love is not in his plans.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you'll pick up a copy of A Touch of Texas Irish and I'll be extremely grateful if you'd leave a an honest review when you finish.

Many thanks,

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com

Contest in Full Swing for a James Avery Charm Bracelet and Charm

Deadline for entering  is Friday, March 31, 2017. Winner must live in the US or Canada. If you live across the pond and win, you'll receive a bundle of five ebooks including A Touch of Texas Irish.




Grand prize is the charm bracelet. Secondary prizes are digital copies of A Touch of Texas Irish to 5 additional winners.

To enter, sign up for my newsletter (see form to right) OR email me linda@lindalaroque.com and ask to be enrolled/entered.

IF you already receive my newsletter, email me and ask to be entered in the contest, and I'll add you straight away.

I'm thrilled with this new book and hope readers like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. An Irish lass, fresh off the boat from Ireland, in far west Texas married to a retired military doctor determined to not love again.

Here's a short excerpt:

"Tad, would you like to give the blessing this morning?"

"Do I hav-ta?

"Yes, son, you do."

He folded his hands on the table and squeezed his eyes tight. "Thanks for Rosa's good cooking, Lord, and for my Pa and Aunt Ruth and...Aileen." He forced one eyelid up, stabbed Aileen with his stare, and expelled a deep sigh. "I don't want no step-mother...but since I gots one, I'll try to be nice. Please watch over my Ma and baby sister up there in heaven. And if you gots time, please send me a dog. Amen."

"Amen." Sam's rumbling voice drowned out the two women's. "That was very nice, Tad." His voice was steady, but he held in his laughter. "You're wanting a dog, huh?"

Tad wiped the milk mustache from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Yes, sir, Pa. I'm big enough to take care of one."

"Hmm, I'll give it some thought, " he said. "Aileen, your china looks right at home there on the sideboard."

"Ach, yes. I'm so pleased with it, I could bust."

A Touch of Texas Irish will be available on March 8, 2017. It is available for pre-order now. I hope you'll pick up a copy and leave me a short review when you finish. Your opinion means a great deal.

Don't forget to enter the contest and feel free to share this post with your friends.

Thanks for stopping by and happy ready and writing!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

A New Western Historical Anthology—Journey of the Heart

I'm pleased to share my new release, Journey of the Heart, an anthology with seven other authors—Jacqui Nelson, Anne Carrole, Stacey Marvin Coverstone, Debora Dennis, Tanya Hanson, Linda Smith LaRoque, Melissa Lynne Blue & Karen J. Hasley.

It is available now.

- Kindle US: amzn.com/B01MUX2M8F 
- Kindle UK: amzn.co.uk/dp/B01MUX2M8F 
- Kindle Canada: amazon.ca/dp/B01MUX2M8F 
- Kindle Australia: amazon.com.au/dp/B01MUX2M8F
- Print: amazon.com/dp/1542981484

Blurb:

From the Texas plains to the Canadian wilderness, up Missouri’s Big Muddy to Montana Territory, and from the California mountains to Colorado’s cattle country... JOURNEY OF THE HEART is a collection of eight sigh-worthy romances, all revolving around modes of transportation in the Old West. 

Award-winning and best-selling authors Melissa Lynne Blue, Anne Carrole, Stacey Coverstone, Debora Dennis, Tanya Hanson, Karen J. Hasley, Linda LaRoque, and Jacqui Nelson invite you to travel along on romantic adventures that will have you falling in love with the gamblers, marshals, ranchers, doctors, riverboat captains, rangers, preachermen, and warriors of the Wild West. 

Whether on a paddleboat or train, stagecoach or horse, buggy or bicycle, the journey to love for these rugged men and their feisty, independent ladies will delight fans of historical western romance.

All stories are rated Sweet.

My story is titled Quixie on the Draw. Quixie O'Connor boards the stage for San Antonio to look for her younger brother, but ends up with a hodgepodge of people and a quandary of problems. Tough, she manages to complete her assignment, but her mother is not pleased with her methods.

Excerpt:

Drat Jamie's hide. As his older sister, she'd dusted his britches often enough when he was a tyke. Now their mother expected Quixie to drag him home by the ear if necessary. Of course, if his job was an appropriate one, she was to check his lodgings and make sure the company he kept wasn't a bad influence. Quixie wondered what kind of job he could have to be able to send home ten dollars a month.

Oddly enough, Ma wasn't worried about Quixie's safety going off alone on this trip. In a sense, her mother's lack of concern hurt.

Thank you for stopping by and I'd be pleased if you'd leave a comment. Please sign up for my newsletter to be eligible for the drawing for the James Avery Charm bracelet for my March release A Touch of Texas Irish. The form is located in the right column of his page.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com