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Friday, January 10, 2014

FIRE EYES AND WELCOME TO THE PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS BLOG by CHERYL PIERSON




Hey everyone! I wanted to introduce myself to fellow authors and readers in this post at our PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS blog and tell you a little about me and my how I started my "writing journey."

I was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, in 1957. I had two “way older” sisters (10 and 12 when I came along) and I was a Tomboy–with a capital “T” for sure! Although I loved Barbie, I’d much rather have been playing cowboys and Indians–probably why I chose to write western historical, for the most part. We moved to Seminole, OK, when I was six, and that's where I grew up. This picture was taken of Main Street AFTER it was paved with bricks. When we moved from there in 1974, these bricks were still there.


I finally got to go to a rodeo when I was about 9 with my cousin, and Larry Mahan was there! I was in love. After that, I wanted to be a barrel racer, thinking that would be a great way to get those handsome cowboys to notice me when I was older…of course, that was a huge pipe dream since my family was NOT into rodeoing at all. But my first “serious” little story I wrote in elementary school had a guy in it named “Larry” and girl named “Cherry” (original, huh?)

My dad was an oilfield hand–a chemical engineer, on call 24/7 for as long as I can remember. In this part of the world, that makes my family "oilfield trash and proud of it"! (Well, my mom would have taken great exception to that label, for sure!) Mom was the “June Cleaver” type, and both she and my dad were appalled when I told them I wanted to write books for a living. As they predicted, that dream had to be placed on hold for many years–enough time for me to marry and raise my two kids–with a myriad of “real jobs” (as others called them) in between.

My parents, Fred and ElWanda Moss, newlywed and ready to take on the world.


But I was writing all the time, every spare minute I got. I started out with an idea for a western romance, and the more I wrote, the bigger the story became, until I had a 1000 page manuscript! Of course, it’s still unsold (go figure!) but it’s the book of my heart–and I know each of you authors out there has written a book that holds that special place in your heart, as well. That was what I needed to “get me going.” Ideas flowed, and so did the words.

Although that first “tome” is still as yet unpublished, the third book I wrote, FIRE EYES, was first published with The Wild Rose Press in May 2009, and went on to become an EPIC Award finalist. Since then, that story has been re-released through WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER in 2012, and is enjoying a fabulous new JIMMY THOMAS cover (created by Karen M. Nutt) and a new lease on life, since I was able to add back in much of what had had to be cut before with TWRP.

I live in Oklahoma City with my “transplanted” (from West Virginia) husband, Gary, who is retired from the FAA. My daughter, Jessica, is 27 and works at an actors’ casting agency here. My son, Casey, is 24 and graduated with a bachelors’ degree in math and an associates’ degree in physics (and believe me, those math and science genes did not come from me!)He is an adjunct math professor at one of the community colleges here in Oklahoma City now. I teach writing classes for all ages, and have done lots of work with the Indian Education Program for one of the major school systems here in OK City. And I have a "granddog", Embry, who is a 200 pound Great Pyrenees and thinks he's a lapdog. He's now my "baby".



I’m offering a giveaway today for FIRE EYES. All you have to do is leave a comment. You can find all my releases from The Wild Rose Press, Western Trail Blazer, and Victory Tales Press as well as our own PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many other fine e-book and print booksellers.

Cheryl's Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson

Thanks to everyone who stopped by today to read. Please don’t forget to comment! I’ll leave you with a blurb and excerpt from Fire Eyes:

BLURB:


Marshal Kaed Turner is given a rare second chance at love with the mysterious woman the Choctaw call “Fire Eyes.” But can he quiet the ghosts from his past and protect the love that was stolen from him once before? There’s only one way: Kill outlaw Andrew Fallon, along with the murdering band of men he leads.

EXCERPT FROM FIRE EYES:



THE SET UP: Marshal Kaed Turner has been deposited on widow Jessica Monroe's front porch by a band of Choctaw Indians with orders from the chieftain: "Do not let him die." But can she save him? He's been severely beaten by a band of renegades that run the borderlands between Arkansas and Indian Territory. The last man they brought to her doorstep died. What will become of Marshal Turner? Can she save him?


The bath could be put off no longer. Kaed lay quietly, watching Jessica's nervousness.

"Jessi." When she looked at him, his bones liquefied. She wanted him. All question of how the night would end were answered as their eyes met and held over an achingly sweet moment.

Jessica sank her teeth into her lower lip, her fingers moving to the tiny row of buttons at the front of her day dress. She slowly began to work them open. "Kaed, would you, um, I mean, well, I need to get my bath now."

"I suppose that means I need to at least turn my head." His mouth was dry. It was hot in the cabin all of a sudden.

"Uh-huh." She kept right on unbuttoning the buttons, caught in his gaze. "And close your eyes."

Yeah, well it wouldn't matter if he did. He'd still see the picture she burned in his mind as she stood there opening those buttonholes.

Her fingers hesitated at the button just above the rich swell of her breasts. Kaed wet his lips, not turning his head or closing his eyes.

"Kaed?" Her voice was a husky whisper. That made him close his eyes. The sound of his name on her lips had him imagining doing all the things that a man did with a woman. All the things that were soon to come.

God. The heat was unbearable.

"Huh?" He slitted his still-swollen eyes open and saw she had released that button and moved down to the next one. He gritted his teeth.

"Turn…your…head." A teasing smile played about her mouth, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, what he was imagining.

Turning away would be a good thing right about now. If he could only persuade his neck to cooperate.
"Yeah. Okay." He turned his face toward the window. Sort of.

"I'm trusting you."

Kaed sighed, frustrated. "I know." It was the one thing she might've said that would have kept him true to his word, that part about trusting. He couldn't betray that. "I've gotta move slow. Hurts."

"Don't—" The dress whispered to the floor.

"I won't," he gritted, the words bitter in his mouth.

OH MY! I wonder what happens after that bath?
Please leave a comment. I love to hear from readers and other writers!




21 comments:

  1. Hot excerpt! ☺

    Wow, a thousand-page novel... makes me sweat just thinking about it. I always have a hard time reaching the four hundred for a 100k-word novel. Isn't it interesting how we work all those "real" jobs for years until we finally actually get to do what was our real job all along?

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    1. So true, Jacquie! And the whole time you're at your day job, you just can't wait to get home to write! LOL
      Cheryl

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  2. What an awesome picture of your parents!

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    1. Thanks, Troy. That was back when Mom was learning to "colorize" photos. I love that picture, but she always (being the perfectionist that she was) would say, "Well, I got the background too bright..."

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  3. Enjoyed the post. I can understand the first novel. Mine never got finished, house fire took hard copy as well as computer. Oh well. I keep trying but never finish. guess I need more work. Would love to get your books. I like your novels.

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    1. Oh, Connie, I hate to hear that about your first novel. I live in fear of mine getting obliterated somehow. I have it on my thumbdrive, but it's upstairs with my husband's stuff. I need to put it on another one and put it in my purse. Have you thought of starting with something shorter, that might get finished? The lengthy ones just seem to go on forever and aren't ever "ready" are they? Thanks for your kind words--I have you entered in the drawing, so check back sometime after 7:00 p.m. tonight to see if you won, and thanks for coming by today!
      Cheryl

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  4. Howdy, my friend. Fire Eyes is an absolute masterpiece. And I love the pic of your parents! Wishing you much success and love in 2014! xoxo

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    1. Tanya! Thanks so much--I'm glad you liked FIRE EYES so much. I love that pic of Mom and Dad, too. They got married in 1944, so they would have been around 22-23 in this picture.
      Cheryl

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  5. Hi Cheryl,
    Wonderful getting to know you more. I have "Fire Eyes" on my Kindle and now realize I'll need to get to it soon. The excerpt was great.

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    1. Thanks, Kristy! I hope you enjoy it. I was so glad to be able to add back in some of the things I had to take out the first time around.
      Cheryl

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  6. Cheryl, best of luck to Prairie Rose! Loved Fire Eyes (don't enter me of course, since I have it).

    Funny, that photo of your parents looks eerily similar to artwork my MIL did of her and her husband. Wish I could show you.

    Anyway, I look forward to your 1,000 page book someday coming out. ;-)

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    1. Loraine, "back in the day" they did all that colorizing of b&w pictures. My mom learned to do it, before color film was so common. I have several 8x10 photos she did the colorizing on--of course, it never did suit her--she was such a perfectionist, she'd always find something she wished she'd done differently.

      One of these days, I'm going to have a chance to work on that 1000 page book--POV is all over the place, like it was in the 70's when all that stuff wasn't such a big deal. Funny, I don't remember getting hung up on that when I read back then...LOL

      Thanks for coming by today, Loraine!
      Cheryl

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  7. I went to the local author day in Duncan 2012! I was the only one late and toting four kids LOL

    Love the looks of your book :-)

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    1. I keep saying one of these days I'm going to go down there and do the big author signing they have there and I want to go see their Chisholm Trail Museum, too. Oh, I remember those days ...but I only had 2 kids, not 4. My had is off to you, lady!
      Cheryl

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  8. Fire Eyes I truly enjoyed. Loved all the tidbits about your life. Oh by the way I've met Larry. Quite the charmer in his later years and still a flirt. Met his wife also. (They came by one of the places I work a couple of years ago and used to live near here) Doris

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    1. Oh, Doris, my little nine-year-old self is soooo jealous of you! LOL Let me tell you, my cousin and I were both just head over heels infatuated. We kept walking by him and sayin, "Hi!" He probably thought we were a couple of idiots. LOL I'm so glad you enjoyed Fire Eyes so much! Thanks so much for always being so supportive, Doris!
      Cheryl

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  9. I'm giving away TWO COPIES of FIRE EYES, and I want to thank everyone who stopped by and commented on our blog the last couple of days.

    My winners are SARA BARNARD and CONNIE! If you two will drop me a line at prairierosepublications@yahoo.com and send me your mailing addresses, I will get your books out to you this coming week!

    Thanks again, everyone, for making this blog a wonderful place to be! We've got lots more coming up!

    Cheryl

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  10. Great excerpt Cheryl, very evocative.

    Regards

    Margaret

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    1. Thank you, Margaret! I'm so glad to see you over here!

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  11. Your parents were a lot like mine, Cheryl. Mine wanted me to have a "real" job so I became a critical care nurse. But all the while, I was writing away until I finally sold my book to New Concepts Publishing. My parents endured the Great Depression and were conservative, practical and very traditional. Probably just like yours.
    Fire Eyes was the first book I ever read of yours. I fell in love with your writing style right off the bat.High Plains Drifter is also another favorite of mine.
    Thank you so much for putting together the Prairie Rose Publications company. I'm so happy to be a part of it. I know it's going to be a very successful endeavor. Wishing you all the very best.

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    1. Oh, yes, Sarah, you are so right. Our parents WERE a lot alike. Not risk-takers at all--do something sensible! LOL I did, but I wrote every minute, just like you.

      I'm so glad to hear you say how much you loved Fire Eyes. Time Plains Drifter is so different than Fire Eyes, and I've got sequels planned for both of them (someday!) I'm so thrilled that you joined us here at Prairie Rose Publications--I love all your stories, Sarah. The Wildings have just touched my heart so many times with each generation!
      Cheryl

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