Once
upon a time a little girl loved horses, westerns…and cowboys. The fascination
started when she and her dad watched Saturday afternoon movies with heroes like
Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Lone Ranger. In those days, a lot of westerns
filled the airwaves on TV, and as she grew older, the girl graduated to
Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and the Virginian, where cowboy heroes and their horses were
larger than life. Eventually, the girl grew up and read romance novels with—you
guessed it—cowboy heroes, buying into the whole cowboy myth that has been a big
part of American entertainment. Writing her own cowboy hero story just seemed a
logical next step. And so, she did.
Chance’s Return, was my first published
novel. Ex-rodeo champ Chance McCord is the epitome of the handsome, reckless, cowboy-rounder,
but in spite of my very best efforts, his story has had its setbacks over the
years. Suffice it to say, the history of my book would fill a book. The first
publisher canceled their romance line before my book made it into print. The
second publisher went bankrupt and the rights, along with the rights of all
their authors’ works, were held as part of the company’s assets. When rights
were finally returned to me, I submitted the story to the Wild Rose Press. This
time the book was published and enjoyed a short success with some nice reviews,
although the inspirational line of romances they published broke off into its
own company. Years passed; Chance’s Return languished and my writing went in a
different direction. The day came when I decided to ask for my rights back. I’d
written a sequel and wanted to see both books published together but not as inspirational.
I
spent months rewriting the book, even through hand surgery, making the story
quite different from the original version, although my cowboy hero remained the
same handsome rodeo guy. He came with a whole host of problems, though, as did
Casey Girard, the pretty widow who catches his eye and wins his heart. As their
love story blooms in the shadow of the Grand Tetons of Wyoming, Chance and
Casey find that love the second time around is indeed sweet, if fraught with
its own set of problems.
I’m
pleased to announce Chance’s Return was accepted once again by The Wild
Rose Press and released on April 16, 2025. I’m even more excited
that the sequel Tetons by Morning is also contracted by TWRP. A third
book, Fire in the Heart, will follow at a future date. I call my trilogy
of western contemporary romances The North Star Legacy, after the McCord
family’s ranch, the North Star. The books are full of family drama, people
learning to live with and rise above past mistakes and tragedies, and of course,
romance. I’m hoping this time around, Chance’s Return will have its
chance to find a new audience who will want to read more about my cowboy hero,
the McCord family, and the woman who changes their lives.
Casey came to Wyoming to heal her heart. Chance returned to face the past. Love blooms like the summer lupine in the valley, but will their pasts keep them apart?
https://wildrosepress.com/product/chances-return/
