Who Is Your Favorite Bad Guy?

One of my favorite movies is Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans from 1992, based on the 1826 novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The story captivates me with its internal and external conflict, historical setting, and romance of course. But quintessential antagonist, Magua (played by Native

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Ever Feel You Have Too Much to Do?

Lucy Powell is a young widow with a hard summer ahead of her in my soon-to-release novella, The Columbine Bride. How soon, you might ask? Tomorrow! That’s right. July 14, 2015, Old West Summer Brides, book 3 in Barbour’s limited print collection of The 12 Brides of

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Grateful for Dependency

The Fourth of July always leaves me grateful for the freedoms of this country, and especially for those who fought and died to secure those freedoms. But I’m also grateful that I don’t have to live independently—totally alone, counting only upon myself for everything. Thank God for

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10 Favorite quotes from Will Rogers

I have always admired the wit and wisdom of humorist, author, and actor Will Rogers—the cowboy philosopher from Oklahoma. He was also pretty handy with a rope and you can see a sampling of his work on this 3-minute video: Watch here. When I heard about the

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4 things I Learned While Driving a Tractor

We’ve all heard it: “Train up a child in the way he should go.” It’s more of a principle than a promise, a good one to live by. My dad taught me how to drive a tractor when I was about 10, and his instruction included the

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Don’t bust your mug in the Mutton Bustin’

How far can you ride a sheep? Over the weekend, I attended the Top of the World Rodeo in Cripple Creek, Colorado, to watch our bullfighter son Jake save a few lives during the bull riding. He also chased a few sheep. Back in the 1800s, cattlemen

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On What Do You Stand?

In preparation for Memorial Day at our house this year, I planted pansies and petunias in the back yard and stretched deer netting over the columbines and roses in the front to discourage nocturnal grazers. I also bought new lawn chairs. After setting everything up, I decided

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