New Release!

Have you read Angel yet? It’s book 2 in a brand new, multi-author, Christmas Brides Series.

Fleeing an overbearing uncle who promised her hand to a man old enough to be her grandfather, Angel Bishop left Savannah and headed west with her sisters as a mail-order bride and didn’t look back. When she arrived in the town of Angel Creek where her groom is supposed to meet her, she’s surprised to find another man has come to collect her, a man so handsome she can’t get him out of her mind.
 
Garrett Carter didn’t have a problem doing anyone a favor but when sheriff Harold Tate asked him to pick up his bride and bring her to town, he should have refused. He’d never believed in love at first sight but one look at Angel Bishop and he was smitten. With Harold out of town, Angel depends on him for nearly everything and as Christmas draws near, he’s not sure how he’ll ever let her go. Did those shy looks she gave him mean she felt the same? And if so…what would the townsfolk think if he stole another man’s bride?
 

 

It’s finally here!

It’s a bittersweet thing seeing as this is the LAST Willow Creek book,
but REBEL HEARTS is now live.

Sophie Hilam craved adventure, but ending up riding with a gang of bandits wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Nor was falling for one of them. Jackson Shaw was the type of man her parents would hate, but her rebel heart was drawn to him regardless of the fact he was a no-good, rotten scoundrel.

Jackson Shaw lived each day as if it was his last because it very well could be. When he meets a beauty he can’t stop thinking about, fate throws him the chance of a lifetime and he isn’t going to waste it, but when his past comes back to haunt him, and the gang he’s trying to outrun catches up with him, it’s up to him to save the woman of his dreams. His only hope is she forgives him when she finds out who he really is.

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New Release!

Running to escape a life of servitude may have taken her out of a bad situation but being a Native woman means she can never escape the way people see her. The prejudice Morning Dove faces is a daily reminder that she doesn’t really belong with these people but one man makes her forget she’s an outsider. Looking at him, she longs for things she never thought to have and all she has to do is reach out and grab them … if she could only get over her fear of speaking to him. Ben Atwater has more problems than any one man should and most of them he brought on by himself. The only bright spot in his life is a pretty Native girl who will barely look at him. Morning Dove is an enigma he wants to explore but his past has tainted his future. Will a woman like her want a man as miserable as him? And if so, can he keep her once he has her in his arms?

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Introducing L. R. Graison

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you’ve probably seen some of my books disappearing from retail sites. The reason for this was…I just didn’t think those werewolves and rock stars sit well next to my cowboys. The books were all older and they looked out of place so…I removed them, which I really hated to do because I Love Those books! They might have been written years ago but saying goodbye to them hurt my heart.

When I wrote the new SciFi Romances, I noticed the same thing…they just didn’t look right sitting next to my cowboys but I wasn’t ready to pull the plug on those. They were still ‘new’ enough taking them down seemed foolish so I did the next best thing.

I created a new Pen Name.

L. R. Graison will be the name I use to release any future ‘non cowboy’ books. The Prison Moon sci-fi romance books have been moved (the name change already appears on these books and are available on the L. R. Graison Amazon page) and in 2021, I will be rebranding and re-releasing my Night Breeds paranormal romance series (which I really hope to get back to one day. Sabriel is screaming for his story!) and the Wicked Series, my contemporary rock star romances.

I’ve set up a new Newsletter list for L. R. Graison books. I know I have a few ‘sci-fi’ readers who may not care about the cowboy books and I’m sure there are Willow Creek fans who would rather not hear about my alien warlords and the dragon shifters on Prison Moon One so now, you can chose which Newsletter list to be on.

If you subscribe to my Newsletter and like the ‘Lily’ historicals, then you don’t have to do anything at all. You’ll still receive news when a new histrocial is released. If you want to hear about those ‘other’ books as well (and hear about any future releases I may have in those genres) then the L. R. Graison Newsletter list is where you want to be. Just click the link below to subscribe to that list. I won’t be mentioning those books on the ‘Lily Graison Newsletter‘ anymore.

 

Get A Soft Kiss In Spring Now!

Rose Campbell is happy being the town spinster, so when her grandfather sends off for not one, but four mail-order grooms, she’s forced to turn to the man she loves to hate in order to get rid of them.

Graham Hart has spent years in a verbal battle with Rose so when she asks for his help, he jumps at the chance to finally get the upper hand. But one soft kiss changes everything and life as they knew it may never be the same again.   

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A Soft Kiss in Winter is Now Availabe At All eBook Retailers!

One of the requirements for putting a book into Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program is it has to stay for  90 days. Once its up, you can pull it out but….you have to remember to ‘un-tick’ the box saying ‘stay in Kindle Unlimited’ or…it rolls over and it stuck for another 90 days. You have no idea how many times I kept forgetting to do that! The book is now wide for those of you who were waiting for it to come out. The buy links are below. 

 

Running away from home to marry the man she thought was the love of her life should have been the happy ending Victoria Stanford expected it to be, but things rarely work out as one plans. When her husband suddenly dies and leaves her stranded in the middle of nowhere, alone and scared, she thinks she’s saved when she sees three men headed her way. Relief turns to fear when she realizes they weren’t the type of men a single woman should trust. When they chase up the side of a mountain and overtake her, she does the only thing she can. She screams and hopes they kill her quickly.

Gideon Hart has spent the last six years roaming the mountain after tragedy changed his life forever. Since then, he’s never encountered another living soul other than his brother—until now. The scream he hears echoing through the trees brings back memories he’s been trying to forget. When he finds a woman being attacked, he does what he has to in order to ensure her safety. Getting her to town should be his only concern but the trek across the mountain with Victoria causes his world to shift and for feelings, he’s denied himself for too long to surface. He doesn’t deserve to be loved. With a past like his, no one would love him once they found out what he’d done. Getting Victoria to Silver Falls is the only way to save them both but as the nights grow longer and winter settles in over the mountain, one soft kiss may change both their lives.

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Willow Creek Make-Over

 

Some of you may have seen the new covers I’m having made for the Willow Creek series and for those who haven’t, surprise! The series is getting a facelift and I’m still excited every time I see a new cover.

The Lawman came out way back in November 2011. Hard to beleive its been seven years since I took a notion to write a book in a genre I loved to read. I had no clue if I would be sucessful writing them and at the time, I didn’t really care. I just enjoyed the genre and took a leap. And here we are, eight novels later. 

The rebrand started with Nightingale. I hired a cover artist to make the cover for me as they were time consuming for me to do and–I’m a writer, not a cover artist. When I received the cover, I loved it so much I decided to have them all rebranded to match. Below are those last four novels, all with new covers.

   

   

This month, I’m starting on the first four books – the Avery brothers. The Lawman was first and I received the cover today.

One thing I wanted to do with these, was keep them as close to the orignals as I could so no one would mistake them for differnt (new) books. I’ve grown fond of the couples on the front of the books which made it hard to repleace them on His Brother’s Wife and A Willow Creek Christmas. The photos I had used just didn’t work with this new design so they had to be changed but — I’m in no way disappointed. They are super sexy now!

The Outlaw will get its make-over in January, with the last two coming in February and March and I can’t wait to have them all done and sitting on my shelf. Clarise, over at CT Cover Creations is doing such an amazing job with these. If you’re in need of a cover artist, head over and check out her stuff.

So — tell me what you think. Are you liking the new covers? Or did you prefer the old ones better?

The 129th (Old) Soldiers Reunion

1889 Civil War Veterans in Catawba County, NC

The 1889 Civil War veterans gathering to collect their pensions.

 

In the town I grew up in, there is a yearly event that everyone looks forward to and this week marks the 129th Soldiers Reunion Week. The Soldiers Reunion is (credited as) the longest-running patriotic celebration in the United States not based on an official holiday. The tradition began in the county seat town (Newton, NC in Catawba County) on July 4, 1889, when Civil War veterans answered a statewide call for recognition of their wartime service and to register for pensions. The gathering, then on Court Square, led to annual veterans’ reunions, starting the popular patriotic event then called Old Soldiers Reunion.

The Catawba County Museum of History – which is located in the downtown 1924 courthouse – displays a patriotic exhibit of historic military displays all week and is free to the public. Events around town include a Classic Car Show on Courthouse Square on Sunday, outdoor concerts with street dances on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, a ‘patriotic’ baby parade, and a “Pet Mania” dog show. Then on Thursday, Reunion Day, downtown surrounding the 1924 circa courthouse, craft vendors, artists, craftsmen and food trucks line up around the square. A memorial service is held at 10 a.m. honoring veterans & members of patriotic organizations in the county who have died during the past year is followed by a Jazz concert and a fish fry at the American Legion for the counties veterans….then the fun begins!

4:00 p.m. marks the start of the mile-long parade around town, which gets bigger every year (last time I went it was over an hour and a half long). 8,000 – 10,000 people show up for the parade and if that wasn’t enough, afterward, there’s a seniors dance and more music. The week is finished with the (29th annual) Southern Biscuit Soldiers Reunion 5K Run/Walk and on Sunday, the Soldiers Reunion Centry Bike Race will take place. 

It’s a full week of fun and as a teen, I never missed a day of it. Now, as I’m older, I skip out on a lot of it, even the parade. Sitting in the 90+ degree heat isn’t my idea of a good time anymore but for thousands today, it’ll be the place to be!

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As a side note, my great-great-grandfather, Reuben Travis, fought in the civil war and lost his right arm. I found the following information about him on Ancestry.com where his military record lists his name as “Reuben D Traffensteadt.” (Not sure what year it was changed to Travis.)

 

Reuben and Polly “Traddensteadt” Travis

TRAFFENSTEADT, REUBEN D., Private
Born in Catawba County, NC where he resided as a farmer prior to enlisting in Catawba County on July 4, 1862, for the (civil) war. Wounded in the right arm at Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862. Right arm amputated. Hospitalized at Richmond, Virginia, where he was discharged on February 13, 1863, by reason of disability. Discharge certificate gives his age as 31.

Reuben was my paternal grandmother’s, grandfather. He was born April 15, 1829, Coincidentally, “my” birthday is April 15th as well–139 years apart. How neat is that?!