Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

Time to hear something from the new “detour” in Traci’s future.

EXCERPT

“You handled that real well, McCord—real smooth. The woman must think you’re a Neanderthal idiot.” Scott McCord berated himself as he broke a bale of hay apart to divide among his horses. No doubt the woman was Traci Steele. She fit Cassie Travers’s description, hair as black as night falling below her shoulders, and tall.

She might only be a few inches shorter than him, and he was six-one even. And there weren’t a lot of single women in and out of Live Oak. It was a nice enough resort, but it wasn’t Club Med.

The Chicagoan was a looker, all right, very nicely proportioned. Yep, Traci Steele looked as attractive as Cassie had bragged her up to be.

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

We thought it was time for a little relief from Traci’s interminable detour. Think maybe the next detour is already in sight?

EXCERPT

The glistening adobe buildings with red tile roofs were no mirage—she had finally reached her destination. Pulling into a space near the resort office, she put the car into park, leaned back in her seat, flexed her fingers, and massaged her thighs.

She slid out of the car and stretched to her full height. Her long legs cramped, making her stumble and grab the car roof for support. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the car and offered a brief word of thanks to whoever had been guiding her across that horrific curvy road.

She opened her eyes; her heartbeat jumped. There some hundred feet away in the horse stable doorway stood a tall man dressed in a short-sleeved blue work shirt, with a brown Stetson pulled low over his brow. She’d have to be blind not to see that the well-muscled man appeared poured into his jeans. The cowboy pulled on his hat brim before turning on his heel to retreat into the shadows of the stable.

Not very friendly—so much for western hospitality.

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

…the rest of Traci’s encounter with the range bull, from Detour Ahead:

EXCERPT

The great beast came to a halt directly in front of her car and turned its head to stare at her. His eyes were enormous. Traci couldn’t think. She couldn’t react. She just sat numbly and gaped. Shaking his gigantic head, the bull ambled on across the road, and the cows followed.

Traci didn’t twitch a muscle for a full minute after the road was clear. Breathing shallowly, she shook her head at her white knuckles still gripping the steering wheel as if it was the last anchor to reality. Flexing her fingers, wetting her lips, she eased the car forward, cussing Cassie Travers more heatedly as she cautiously rounded each serpentine curve.

Why had she allowed her best friend to send her on this wild goose chase?

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

We’re still careening down the twisty detour with Traci Steele, from Detour Ahead. 

EXCERPT

A twenty mph curve loomed in front of her. She slowed, made the turn, and sped up again. How far could civilization be?

“Good God!” She screamed, slamming both feet on the brake pedal. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the largest animal she’d ever seen up close sauntering into the left-hand lane. He was huge. And he was obviously and enormously male. The mammoth range bull was followed closely by seven of his harem.

The great beast came to a halt directly in front of her car and turned its head to stare at her.

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

We’re still careening down the twisty detour with Traci Steele, from Detour Ahead. Will the sunshine bring her some relief?

EXCERPT

Brilliant sunshine suddenly broke through the clouds. “Yes,” she cried—how quickly things changed here! On a rare straightaway, she scrunched her shoulders forward and rotated her head, trying to ease tension and strain in her neck muscles.

She glanced quickly up the hillside and saw countless boulders dotting the landscape, making it look like nature’s private graveyard.

Her spirits sagged. It was no use. Even here she was never far from that gaping hole. Her father’s gravestone was already up—it had been there beside her mother’s, waiting to receive him since before she could remember. That had always bothered her. She remembered the first time she’d been old enough to read the words, her tiny hand held securely in his. She’d looked from his name on the stone, up into his face, and back at the stone again. Had he known, even then, he would never remarry?

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

Have you ever run into a detour? A few summers back, from our safe perch inside the North Rim Lodge, we watched in wonder as a magnificent thunderstorm powered its way across the Grand Canyon. The view was spectacular.

The next morning as we started out in our motor home, we were stopped by a deputy sheriff at the first junction and told the storm had caused a huge rock slide, closing the main route and forcing a hundred-mile detour. We thought about Traci as we picked our way slowly north and east to continue south.

Here’s another snippet from Traci’s detour…

EXCERPT

Traci took the right-hand turn. A small, paint-chipped sign read “Buteo Canyon Road.” Another stated “Open Range.” What did that mean?

Three miles farther the road climbed sharply. It twisted and wove its way through deep ravines and across a dried-up creek bed. A bright yellow sign proclaimed “Dip Subject to Flooding.” Easing closer, she looked up and down the ravine as far as she could see and then sped across. Safe, for the moment, anyway.

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of their writing on Sunday.  Be sure to visit other participants at http://www.wewriwa.com/  and read and comment on their #8sunday posts.

Spread the word: Twitter hashtag #8sunday

Welcome to the world of horse racing! For the next few weeks we’ll be featuring excerpts from Detour Ahead, Book Four in our Rider’s Up Series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and all four books are always available FREE at KU.

Danger, suspense, stunning race horses,
courageous heroines, and the
complicated men who love them!

Traci Steele may be the most damaged of the heroines in our four-book horse racing suspense series, Riders Up. If she was a real person, she could say “Me, too” – except she’s never told anyone, not even her best friend, Cassie.

EXCERPT

A lanky deputy sheriff leaned down to answer Traci’s unasked question. “Sorry ma’am, the road is closed—we had an oil tanker jackknife and roll on the slick pavement. This road likely won’t be reopened until sometime tomorrow.”

“I’m headed for Buteo, to the Live Oak Resort.”

“No problem, just stay on this route we’re sending traffic over.” The deputy gestured toward the narrow road to Traci’s right. “About a mile down that road you’ll have an option to come back to the main road you’re on now. Don’t take it. This detour is actually a short cut to Buteo, and the views can be spectacular. Just don’t try going too fast.”

BUY LINK

Always FREE to read at Kindle Unlimited
Available in print and e-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BLURB

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

REVIEWS

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick This is a story about letting go of your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi

You Gotta Read Reviews Rich in romance and suspense, this book had me mesmerized from the first page…a sensational job of combining just the right amount of suspense with a sauciness that leaves you longing for more. Val

Amazon Riveting mystery and love story in one great book Donna H. A Great story that shows that love can heal anything!” Amy B.

ABOUT OUR STORY

Detour Ahead was born on a vacation trip to southern California a few years back. Did we take the trip to write a book? Well, maybe. Mostly we wanted to escape the cold, windy, snowy, gray, all-too-short mid-January days in Minnesota’s north woods, where we then lived.

Southern California beckoned, and we found a time share we could trade for, not very far north of San Diego, in the foothills outside Ramona.

It was a brief taste of heaven. Warm, sunny, inviting, a horse stable and marvelous riding trails – and we had the place practically to ourselves. We never did figure out why such an upscale property in its beautiful setting wasn’t filled to the gills in mid January.

But Mr. Kraft, among other things, is a criminologist, and it took no time at all for a sinister plot to emerge: Maybe the property was being used to launder money; maybe someone wanted the resort to fail; maybe someone wanted to pick it up for a song and turn it into tract houses. What would they target?

We biked, went on trail rides (led by the easy-to-look at wrangler who ran the stables, and yes, even when married, it’s okay to look!), and explored the region. On one of our forays into the surrounding country we found a back road with a sign pointing to our resort town, so we took it – and Traci Steele’s detour was born. On her way to the (fictitious) resort where her friend Cassie has booked her for a month of badly needed R&R, she’s forced to take a detour in the pouring rain down a twisting mountain back road.

~ o ~ o ~ o

Be sure to stop by the rest of the Weekend Writing Warriors for some great excerpts!

http://www.wewriwa.com/