An unwritten law in the Old West remains true to this day: Never draw on someone who can out-shoot you.
 |
This deceptively sweet-looking woman
is a crack shot with a six-gun. |
Though none of the Prairie Roses is overly concerned about being gunned down by Tracy “Ozark Belle” Garrett, one thought remains in the back of our minds: She could, if she wanted to, plug every one of us. After all,
she and her husband, Ozark Shark, are members of the Cowboy Single Action Shooting Society. They’re quick, and they’re deadly.
Tracy is also an accomplished musician…but it’s the weapons thing that keeps us polite around these parts.
Aside from her prowess with six-guns and instruments, Tracy is a talented author of western historical romance and one of the original Prairie Roses. So far, she has contributed stories to
Wishing for a Cowboy,
Hearts and Spurs,
Lassoing a Bride, and
Lassoing a Groom. She possesses a remarkable ability to create settings and situations that make characters come alive.
Tracy’s most recent release is the novella
Her Christmas Wish. Originally published in the PRP anthology
Wishing for a Cowboy, the story twists the enduring star-crossed lovers plot, giving Romeo and Juliet the happy ending they deserved but were denied.
Her Christmas Wish
Parental disapproval separated Kathryn and Will as young adults, before they could marry. A decade later, widowed Kathryn mourns the loss of her youth while honoring her late husband’s dream by tending his stagecoach stop in the middle of nowhere. An unexpected reunion with the man she never forgot—and his explanation for his sudden disappearance on the eve of their elopement—leaves her confused and angry.
Tracy wove freshness onto a well-worn framework. Plausible situations, behaviors, and emotions create very real doubt the characters will work out their differences and find a happily-ever-after ending. They do, in a most sigh-worthy way.
In May, Tracy’s stories were included in the anthologies
Lassoing a Bride and
Lassoing a Groom. The two shorts are related, and that type of writing presents a challenge for any author. Tracy climbed the hill with aplomb, producing excellent romances overflowing with warmth.
“No Less Than Forever”
Doctor Franz Bittner is satisfied with his life as it is. He has a good practice in a place where he is respected, in spite of his German birth. He has good friends and enough income to provide him with a few comforts. A wife would only complicate things. Then a tiny blond stranger is pulled from the river and everything changes. With one smile she captures his attention—and steals his heart.
Rebekah Snow Redmann barely survived her abusive husband’s attack. Though she was given to him to pay her father’s debts, she’d rather die than go back. Then she ends up in the care of the handsome local doctor and he stitches up more than her wounds—he mends her soul. With him, she discovers everything that she believes she can never have...a love that will last forever.
“Wanted: The Sheriff”
Martha Bittner may be considered a spinster at twenty-seven, but she’s not planning to stay that way. For four years, she’s wanted the sheriff of River’s Bend, Missouri, to notice her as more than a friend and a really good cook. With the first annual spring dance only weeks away, Martha decides to announce her intentions—and declares the sheriff a wanted man.
Sheriff Matthew Tate always thought he was better off a bachelor. Growing up in Boston society, where marriage is a business transaction and wealth his greatest asset, he’s learned to distrust all women’s intentions. None of them even catch his eye anymore—until pretty Martha Bittner tells him exactly what she wants… and he wonders why he ever resisted capture.
Tracy’s story in the Valentine’s Day anthology
Hearts and Spurs is equally delightful.
“Coming Home”
Sometimes it takes two to make dreams come true.
When a man who believes he’ll never have a home and family…
Former U.S. Marshal Jericho Hawken should have been shepherding a wagon train to new territory, but he unwillingly left them vulnerable to a vicious raider. The murder of the settlers he was supposed to be guarding is the hardest thing he’s ever had to face…until he meets the sister of one of the settlers.
…finds a woman who has lost everything…
Instead of a joyous reunion with her brother, Maryland Henry has come to River’s Bend to take responsibility for her three orphaned nieces. Fired from her teaching position and with no other family on whom to rely, Mary believes Jericho Hawken is responsible for all her woes. Or is he what she’s been searching for all along?
It takes a lot of forgiveness and a few fireworks to realize that together their dreams can come true.
Before joining the Roses, Tracy published two western romances with Zebra Books. Both received excellent reviews.
More about Tracy, including links to everywhere she lurks online, is
here. Look her up and make friends. Trust us: Tracy is a sweetheart, but no one wants the Ozark Belle as an enemy.
To prove just how friendly she can be when not packing iron, Tracy will give a digital copy of Her Christmas Wish to two folks who are brave enough to leave a comment today. Please don’t forget to leave an email address!
As I sit writing this blog post, the snow has stopped, the
wind is rising and the temperature is dropping. This weather makes me long for
a fire, my fuzzy blanket and a big bowl of chili. So, in 
In “Her Christmas Wish” Katie makes Will’s favorite Irish
Christmas Cake. In the anthology, “Wishing for a Cowboy,” I included a recipe
for Old-Fashioned Pound Cake. And, trust me, it’s delicious! Hmm, maybe that’s
what I should make…
