#NewRelease: Robbing Banks, Stealing Hearts – and a #Giveaway

Sometimes things just happen.

When I sat down to write “The Worst Outlaw in the West” — the first of two stories that compose Robbing Banks, Stealing Hearts — I intended to write the kind of tale I typically write: granite-jawed, hardhearted, mean-as-a-snake SOB redeemed by a good woman’s love.

What I wrote was a romp about an inept bank robber and a bossy spinster who can’t get out of their own way, much less anybody else’s. Where did I go wrong?

I think I must’ve been hitting the sweet iced tea a little too hard. That stuff’ll bite you if you’re not careful.

Following Laredo (the alleged bank robber) and Prudence (the spinster) around was a lot of fun. I don’t usually write entirely from the seat of my pants, but those two refused to go anywhere near the rough outline I thought I’d be using. Sometimes all you can do is hang on for the ride.

I certainly never intended to write a related story, but the moment Laredo mentioned his older brother’s name, I was sunk. Tombstone. That’s not a name you can blithely sweep aside and go on about your business. Honest: The name came out of thin air, as did the plot for the story.

Seriously, though: When you’ve got a safecracking-challenged bank robber named Tombstone, how much plot do you need? Add a fake gypsy, a couple of stray ghosts… “Family Tradition” went everywhere except where I expected it to go, too.

Sometimes things just happen.

If you’re lucky, they work out pretty well. You’ll have to judge that for yourself.

Robbing Banks, Stealing Hearts is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and Apple’s iBooks.

Everyone should have a career at which they excel. At failing to commit crimes, nobody is better than Laredo and Tombstone Hawkins. Maybe they can bumble their way into love.

The Worst Outlaw in the West
Laredo Hawkins has one ambition: to redeem his family’s honor by pulling the first successful bank robbery in the Hawkins clan’s long, disappointing history. Spinster Prudence Barrett is desperate to save her family’s bank from her brother’s reckless investments. A chance encounter between the dime-novel bandit and the old maid may set the pair on a path to infamy…if either can find a map.

Family Tradition
Haunted by his kin’s tradition of spectacular failure, bank robber Tombstone Hawkins is honor-bound to prove his family tree produced at least one bad apple. When carnival fortuneteller Pansy Gilchrist tries to help, she accidentally summons a pair of dishonest-to-goodness ghosts. Getting into the spirit of a crime is one thing…but how do you get the spirits out?

I’ll give an E-BOOK of Robbing Banks, Stealing Hearts to one of today’s commenters. Here’s the question: Do you prefer “serious” romance or romantic comedy?