Why does Stephenia McGee write about Cowboys?

 Horses! I like the cowboy genre mostly for the horses. To be honest, I didn't set out writing A Legacy of Lies as a cowboy romance. I knew Jim needed to escape his past. He needed a new life. I also wanted to give him something that would allow him to grow and teach him control and patience. Horses were the natural answer. So, I sent him to a Montana dude ranch to live out his childhood dream of working with horses and being like an old-time cowboy. The rest of the story grew from there. My next book doesn't have any cowboys, but horses have still managed to make their way into my story!

EXCERPT

Jim settled into the brushed leather of his ranching saddle. The saddle had a deep seat and the fenders turned the stirrups out perfectly. He was as comfortable here as most men were in a recliner in front of the television. He tried to keep his mind off Sarah's emerald eyes. No luck.

Focus on something else.

The deep indigos and golden streaks had faded from the sky, the sun now sat high enough over the white mountain peaks to start warming the air. A clear sky promised a peaceful day. It would be nice to spend the day--

What the...

A streak of color blurred past him. Ciervo lurched underneath him. Jim cursed under his breath, trying to steady his spooked mount. Up ahead he saw clods of soft earth flying up from behind galloping hooves. Panic set in.

Runaway horse.

Sarah.

Jim squeezed his legs as he leaned into the saddle and lowered his head. Ciervo dipped his haunches and rocketed forward. Within a stride his horse extended to a full gallop, his hooves barely hitting the ground. In mere seconds, they were gaining on the other horse. A sorrel.

Jim flung the reins around his body. The leather ends popped into Ciervo's thick hindquarters. The horse lowered his head and surged. Amazingly, the powerful buckskin found another gear. Jim's hat flew off, the leather strap catching hard against his neck. The wind buffeted his face. He squinted his eyes, leaned forward in the saddle, and gripped the reins with both hands. His body was now moving in rhythm with the horsepower beneath him.

Ciervo heaved in massive amounts of air. Pounding hooves and the horse's deep snorting breaths drowned the startled cries behind them. Ciervo's tail whipped through the air. Jim urged him on. Ten more feet. Five. He came even with the sorrel and reached for the reins, his fingers barely grazing the leather. He leaned further and Ciervo followed Jim's lead, nearly brushing against the other horse as the two animals raced across the valley. He reached out again and finally grabbed the runaway horse's rein.

"Hang on." Jim shouted above the deafening thunder of pounding hooves.

In one fluid motion, he planted his feet in the stirrups, rocked back in the saddle, and jerked Sarah's left rein down to his thigh. Sassy's head jerked, her neck curving until her muzzle met her shoulder. The mare's front feet planted into the soft earth, her massive weight tearing loose the grass underneath. As Sarah crashed into the saddle horn, a whoosh of air escaped her lips. Ciervo lowered his haunches and buried down to his hocks in the dirt. They came jerking to a halt. For a second no one moved. Jim let out his breath.

He looked at Sarah. She bent over the saddle horn, gasping for air. Her face splotchy red. When she caught her breath, she glared at him, her eyes nearly shooting daggers.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy?" Sarah yelled at him and snatched her rein from his hand. Jim's jaw dropped. He could only stare at her. He'd just risked his life to save hers and she yelled at him? His fingers tightened on his reins, clenching into tight fists.

He knew it. Nothing but trouble.

Stephenia McGee
www.StepheniaMcGee.com

www.facebook.com/StepheniaHMcGee

www.twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee

A Legacy of Lies, Christian Romantic suspense with a touch of the unexplained!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok

It is Western Week

This week I am hosting some of the great authors from Desert Breeze Publishing who write Western stories - cowboys, horses, contemporary or historical, to tempt those of you who love cowboys!

I have just returned from a trip to Wyoming and was reminded that cowboys have a rich history in the settling of the West in the U.S., and are very much alive and well in rodeo and cattle country.

Here is a preview of the authors and books featured this week:

Baer Truth - Book One, The Three Baers

One of them will be just right.

Abby Clark, vegetarian, punk rock singer gets kicked off the band tour bus in the middle of nowhere. With nothing but a talent for cooking and the singing voice of an angel, she manages to disturb a very cranky, cold-hearted bear, um, Baer.

Joe Baer, a sexy Wyoming beef rancher. He has a ranch mortgage that’s due, and a past that even he never suspected.

Snow, tractors, country superstars, an unforgettable rodeo, and a tornado named Abby, will bring these "baers" out of hibernation.
Sometimes you get to keep your boots,
Sometimes you got nothing left but your spurs,
And sometimes neither one is as important as staying true to your soul.

A Legacy of Lies

Sarah Sanders is so stressed-out at college that she’s having fainting spells. She’s behind on the rent and facing eviction. Dropping out of school feels inevitable. Needing a break, she accepts her boyfriend’s invitation to visit his parents’ ranch out west. But she finds much more in Montana than fresh air and mountain trails.

Ranch hand Jim Anderson has suffered from night terrors for over a year. But despite this secret struggle, his life at the ranch had been a welcomed escape from his past. Until those terrifying dark shadows started coming for him in the middle of the afternoon.

Brought together by an unseen hand, Sarah and Jim must travel across the country to unravel a web of deceit and uncover Jim’s long history of lies before the evidence is sealed away forever.

Place in the Heart Book One

Breaking Point

Mauranie Wells and her sister Tennyson are at odds. Mauranie is content with their Wells Double Bar ranch home and working on the progress of her fledgling horse business. Tennyson wants the town life social scene and pretty new gowns, not a dusty horse ranch. She spends as much time as possible in nearby Mescal Flats, and when she is home at the ranch, cowboys come to call on her.

Cowboy banker Stemson Arroyo Smith needs help. He rides into the Bar W on a day when the sisters are not speaking. He unknowingly escalates the tension by ignoring Tennyson to pull his horse up beside the corral where Mauranie is exercising a black colt.

The Cameron Sisters - Book One

Texas Promise

After two years, Jo King’s life as a widow abruptly ends when her husband returns home to Austin. Unable to understand her angry and bitter husband, she accepts a call from the New Mexico Territory to meet her dying birth father whom she knows nothing about. Her plan to escape her husband goes awry when he demands to travel with her.
Dalton King, believing lies his Texas Ranger partner tells him about Jo, seethes with hatred toward his wife. Now he must protect Jo from his partner’s twisted mind, while sorting out the truth. Jo’s bravery and loyalty convince him she’s innocent. But can they regain the love and respect they once shared?

The Cameron Sisters Book Two
Texas True

At a Governor's Ball in Austin, Texas, True Lee Cameron meets suave Sam Deleon. Before the night is out, she transforms from the coddled and protected younger sister to a woman in love. Reality crashes down when she accidentally learns her new husband has deceived her. Daring to disobey him, she follows Sam to the oilfields and determines to live wherever he does. Has she made a mistake? Will she give up and return home where she can make her own rules?

Dangerous  Ties  
Lillian's fiance convinces the townsfolk to exchange their gold for his worthless bank notes. When he disappears, every eye turns to Lillian. Even her cousin Carl insists she knows where the gold is. Carl is deeply indebted to Kingston, owner of the saloon and small town criminal. When Nick discovers Lillian she's strung up over a mine shaft and the rope is breaking. He saves her, tends to her wounds and teaches her to shoot. When his horse trading deal with Kingston goes bad, Lillian races to save Nick.

A Desperate Journey - American Title II Finalist

Available from Samhain Publishing!

All rights reserved - Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication.

copyright © 2008 Debra Parmley

All other books available at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-Modern-Cowboy/Categories.bok for Modern titles and http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-Historical--dsh--thru-19th-Century/Categories.bok for Historical titles.

The Monsters in this Book

Stephenia, I am fascinated by your book cover. It is gripping - the eyes over the scene that dominate the sky are frightening. What is the story?

The forboading eyes hidden in the clouds on the cover of my book represents the dark visions the hero, Jim, has throughout the story. His has waking nighmares of horrific monsters coming after him in the dead of night. In the shaddows and mist, a lone voice calls to him, telling him he must help before it is too late...

Here is an excerpt to flesh out the scene:
    It was cold.
    Too cold.
    The eerie silence of a moonless, starless night engulfed him.
    Jim shivered. It had been high noon only a few minutes ago. Had he fallen asleep? He
didn't remember being tired. He shook his head and tried to focus his groggy mind. He peered
around cautiously. Where was his horse?
    A rustling sound in the bushes startled him. His eyes darted to investigate.
    Nothing.
    No, wait. There it was again. Off to the left. His eyes strained, searching for the slightest
movement or shape. Something. Anything.
    Silence.
    He felt like a kid afraid of the dark.
    Get a hold of yourself, man.
    Fingers of fear teased along the back of his neck. The hairs stood on end. He shivered.
Where was that horse?
    "Ciervo!" His voice sounded weak even to his own ears. He tried again. Now he was
completely hoarse.
    Swallowing the panic rising from the pit of his stomach, he took a cautious step forward.
    He heard stirring in the woods behind him. Squirrels? He listened intently.
    The noise came again. No. Definitely not a squirrel. Something was pacing in the woods.
    Deliberate. Stalking. Jim's mouth went dry.
    Mountain lion.
    His heart raced and he looked desperately around, scanning the darkness. Blackness
blanketed the meadow. Jim hoped Ciervo hadn't wandered too far. He started to walk. Slowly.
Calculating. He couldn't tell in what direction he moved.
    His cell! He could use it as a light source. Jim's hand brushed at his hip. It wasn't there.
He frowned. It always stayed on his belt. He never left the ranch without it.
    Jim's eyes strained, but he could barely make out his surroundings. The farther he
walked, the darker it got. His breathing came in quick, rapid intakes.
    A shrill sound broke the silence. His heart leaped.
    "Ciervo?"
    Where was he? Was the mountain lion after him?
    Hoof beats. Thank goodness.
    They were pounding quicker than his rapidly drumming heart. A shadow appeared about
thirty feet in front of him.
    It wasn't his beloved horse. It looked like something galloping up from Hell.
The horrid creature ran wildly toward him. The cold air caused the hot breath to billow
from its nostrils like a smoking dragon.
    The monster's eyes looked like no earthly thing he had ever seen. The bulging orbs had a
luminescent shine that came from deep behind the pupils. In the pitch black they glowed like a
ghostly beacon.
    The horse-shaped beast lowered his head. The creature was preparing to slam into him.
Jim threw himself out of its path and landed sharply on his hip. His right thigh slammed into a
large, extruded boulder. Fire shot down his leg. Ignoring the pain, he jumped to his feet, eyes
probing the darkness for the crazed brute. The ghostly version of Ciervo had vanished.
    Despite the cold, he began to sweat. Jim felt eyes boring into him. Someone or
something watched him. He was exposed. Unprepared. His heart hammered in his chest. His body refused to move.
    Another sound. Different. It wasn't rustling limbs or bushes, and it certainly wasn't the
horse's wild hoof beats. It was quiet, like a soft whisper. Crying? No, calling out for something.
    He strained to catch the garbled words. The voice grew louder. More urgent. Still he
couldn't make out the woeful tone. Then, as if his brain finished translating some cryptic code,
the word became clear.
    "James!"
    Again. Louder this time. "James... James..." The voice rose and fell in the darkness. Its
eerie sound slithered into his ears.
    "Hello?" His voice echoed hoarsely. He held onto a feeble hope the voice came from
someone nearby lost in the dark along with him. No one here knew him by that name. He stood
holding his breath, listening.
    Suddenly, a freight train of frigid air knocked him backward. Terrified, he dared not to
move. The voice came again.
    "You must help. Soon it will be too late--"
     An insidious roar erupted around him. Hot, musty breath bathed Jim's face. He struggled
backward. He couldn't quite make out the figure standing over him. The silhouette was
enormous. Its shoulders spanned at least four feet. An odd-shaped head swayed from side-to-side.
    It growled.
    Paralyzed with fear, Jim lay helpless. The creature rose to stand upright. Seven. Eight feet
tall. Jim gasped for air. His feet tore into the soft ground, trying to gain footing. Desperately
trying to get away. The creature came crashing toward him.

Excerpt from A Legacy of Lies by Stephenia H. McGee

EXCERPT

Jim settled into the brushed leather of his ranching saddle. The saddle had a deep seat and the fenders turned the stirrups out perfectly. He was as comfortable here as most men were in a recliner in front of the television. He tried to keep his mind off Sarah's emerald eyes. No luck.

Focus on something else.

The deep indigos and golden streaks had faded from the sky, the sun now sat high enough over the white mountain peaks to start warming the air. A clear sky promised a peaceful day. It would be nice to spend the day--

What the...

A streak of color blurred past him. Ciervo lurched underneath him. Jim cursed under his breath, trying to steady his spooked mount. Up ahead he saw clods of soft earth flying up from behind galloping hooves. Panic set in.

Runaway horse.

Sarah.

Jim squeezed his legs as he leaned into the saddle and lowered his head. Ciervo dipped his haunches and rocketed forward. Within a stride his horse extended to a full gallop, his hooves barely hitting the ground. In mere seconds, they were gaining on the other horse. A sorrel.

Jim flung the reins around his body. The leather ends popped into Ciervo's thick hindquarters. The horse lowered his head and surged. Amazingly, the powerful buckskin found another gear. Jim's hat flew off, the leather strap catching hard against his neck. The wind buffeted his face. He squinted his eyes, leaned forward in the saddle, and gripped the reins with both hands. His body was now moving in rhythm with the horsepower beneath him.

Ciervo heaved in massive amounts of air. Pounding hooves and the horse's deep snorting breaths drowned the startled cries behind them. Ciervo's tail whipped through the air. Jim urged him on. Ten more feet. Five. He came even with the sorrel and reached for the reins, his fingers barely grazing the leather. He leaned further and Ciervo followed Jim's lead, nearly brushing against the other horse as the two animals raced across the valley. He reached out again and finally grabbed the runaway horse's rein.

"Hang on." Jim shouted above the deafening thunder of pounding hooves.

In one fluid motion, he planted his feet in the stirrups, rocked back in the saddle, and jerked Sarah's left rein down to his thigh. Sassy's head jerked, her neck curving until her muzzle met her shoulder. The mare's front feet planted into the soft earth, her massive weight tearing loose the grass underneath. As Sarah crashed into the saddle horn, a whoosh of air escaped her lips. Ciervo lowered his haunches and buried down to his hocks in the dirt. They came jerking to a halt. For a second no one moved. Jim let out his breath.

He looked at Sarah. She bent over the saddle horn, gasping for air. Her face splotchy red. When she caught her breath, she glared at him, her eyes nearly shooting daggers.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy?" Sarah yelled at him and snatched her rein from his hand. Jim's jaw dropped. He could only stare at her. He'd just risked his life to save hers and she yelled at him? His fingers tightened on his reins, clenching into tight fists.

He knew it. Nothing but trouble.

How about your dream house, Stephenia? Some more intimate questions!

If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?
In a lodge in the mountains. One of those houses that has an entire wall of windows looking out over the hills. My dream home would have several wood-burning fire places and lots of brick and stone. I’m not much on cold weather, though, so it would probably need to be somewhere like Tennessee or northern Georgia where there’s not snow for half the year!

Picture yourself as a store. Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?

I would be one of those one-stop-shop kind of places! I love so many things! There would certainly be lots of paint, brushes, canvas and smooth wood because I am also an artist. My store would be filled with horse items and children’s craft projects, things I need for being the Chairman at Spirit Horse Ministries. There would be lots of food, too. The good kind. Fancy ingredients and fresh produce to fill your basket for a night of gourmet cooking! Then, of course, my store, much like my house, would most likely be overrun with matchbox cars and Thomas the Train, evidence of the little feet that patter about.

What question would you love to answer that I didn't ask?

I’d love to share a little about Spirit Horse Ministries. We are still trying to start-up, but now that we have official 501(C)3 status and are a Mississippi non-profit organization, we are starting to get things rolling. SHM is designed to create a “hometown” for foster children, especially those that are older and are looking at leaving the system and entering a world where they are alone. We want to create a type of “Mayberry” for them. A place to come home too. We will also have afterschool and summer programs that focus on not only foster but handicap, at risk and underprivileged children as well. They will work with therapeutic horses, go fishing and learn important life skills like cooking and how to balance a checkbook. It’s a big dream. We are opening a country store to help raise funds by selling homemade and donated country items, and should have some day programs running this summer. We’ve been super busy, so our website is a little out of date, but if you want to know more you can go to www.spirithorseministries.org for more info. A portion of all my book sales goes to help the ministry.

What do you hope readers take away with them after reading your work?

I hope the reader will finish the last line and put the book away feeling that no matter how deeply they’ve been hurt, there is always hope. There is always a chance for healing. I hope they share a feeling of triumph for the healing and strength that the characters find along the way.

Download to your eReader and read right now! http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok

Stephenia H. McGee on the secret to writing with preschool boys!

Is this completely out of imagination, or are there elements of your real life experience in the plot/characters?

Most of the story is out of my imagination. However, during his time at the ranch, Jim Anderson learns the art of natural horsemanship. This is a way of teaching horses by essentially learning to “speak” their language. Training horses this way has been a large part of my life. Because of back issues, it is something I no longer do, but I worked as a “horse teacher” for several years. In the story, you’ll see the bond that Jim has with his horse. It is definitely something I drew out of my own life and my relationship with my mare, Fancy.

Do you have a schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

I wish there was a schedule! I am a very schedule-oriented person. But I think God has a sense of humor, because the more I try to make schedules, the less I’m able to follow them. My best bet is that on Wednesdays I have a babysitter come for six solid hours so I can have time away from my precious, but rambunctious, preschool boys. If I don’t have any doctor or other appointments best done without the kids, this is the time I shut off the phone and hide away to get some real writing done. When I can get several hours without interruption, the story really flows.

How about the people you share space with. Do they know not to bother you when you are writing, or are there constant interruptions?

Constant interruptions!  But what else can you expect from a two and four year old? They like to be with me, and sometimes that makes doing any writing difficult. Most of the time I work when they have rest time each afternoon. This only gives me about an hour and a half, but I can be more productive then than at any other time of the day. For the most part, though, writing is done on Wednesdays.

What does your husband think of your writing? Do you ever ask for advice? Editing?

My husband is a huge support. He is the one that gently (and sometimes not so gently) pushed me to follow my dream of writing a book. He has gone to writer’s conferences with me, and he is always the first person I bounce ideas off of. He is also my first editor, and reads through my first drafts helping me see when things don’t make sense or flow right. He has also become somewhat of a marketing director as well! He took it upon himself to find a few people to do reviews and write about my book in print magazines that will be coming out in the next few months.

Buy today at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok

Where can readers find you on line?

www.StepheniaMcGee.com

www.facebook.com/StepheniaHMcGee

www.twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee

StepheniaMcGee@yahoo.com

A Legacy of Lies by Stephenia H. McGee

Sarah Sanders is so stressed-out at college that she’s having fainting spells. She’s behind on the rent and facing eviction. Dropping out of school feels inevitable. Needing a break, she accepts her boyfriend’s invitation to visit his parents’ ranch out west. But she finds much more in Montana than fresh air and mountain trails.

Ranch hand Jim Anderson has suffered from night terrors for over a year. But despite this secret struggle, his life at the ranch had been a welcomed escape from his past. Until those terrifying dark shadows started coming for him in the middle of the afternoon.
Brought together by an unseen hand, Sarah and Jim must travel across the country to unravel a web of deceit and uncover Jim’s long history of lies before the evidence is sealed away forever.

---

EXCERPT
Jim settled into the brushed leather of his ranching saddle. The saddle had a deep seat and the fenders turned the stirrups out perfectly. He was as comfortable here as most men were in a recliner in front of the television. He tried to keep his mind off Sarah's emerald eyes. No luck.

Focus on something else.
The deep indigos and golden streaks had faded from the sky, the sun now sat high enough over the white mountain peaks to start warming the air. A clear sky promised a peaceful day. It would be nice to spend the day--
What the...
A streak of color blurred past him. Ciervo lurched underneath him. Jim cursed under his breath, trying to steady his spooked mount. Up ahead he saw clods of soft earth flying up from behind galloping hooves. Panic set in.

Runaway horse.

Sarah.

Jim squeezed his legs as he leaned into the saddle and lowered his head. Ciervo dipped his haunches and rocketed forward. Within a stride his horse extended to a full gallop, his hooves barely hitting the ground. In mere seconds, they were gaining on the other horse. A sorrel. 
Jim flung the reins around his body. The leather ends popped into Ciervo's thick hindquarters. The horse lowered his head and surged. Amazingly, the powerful buckskin found another gear. Jim's hat flew off, the leather strap catching hard against his neck. The wind buffeted his face. He squinted his eyes, leaned forward in the saddle, and gripped the reins with both hands. His body was now moving in rhythm with the horsepower beneath him.
Ciervo heaved in massive amounts of air. Pounding hooves and the horse's deep snorting breaths drowned the startled cries behind them. Ciervo's tail whipped through the air. Jim urged him on. Ten more feet. Five. He came even with the sorrel and reached for the reins, his fingers barely grazing the leather. He leaned further and Ciervo followed Jim's lead, nearly brushing against the other horse as the two animals raced across the valley. He reached out again and finally grabbed the runaway horse's rein.
"Hang on." Jim shouted above the deafening thunder of pounding hooves.
In one fluid motion, he planted his feet in the stirrups, rocked back in the saddle, and jerked Sarah's left rein down to his thigh. Sassy's head jerked, her neck curving until her muzzle met her shoulder. The mare's front feet planted into the soft earth, her massive weight tearing loose the grass underneath. As Sarah crashed into the saddle horn, a whoosh of air escaped her lips. Ciervo lowered his haunches and buried down to his hocks in the dirt. They came jerking to a halt. For a second no one moved. Jim let out his breath.
He looked at Sarah. She bent over the saddle horn, gasping for air. Her face splotchy red. When she caught her breath, she glared at him, her eyes nearly shooting daggers.
"What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy?" Sarah yelled at him and snatched her rein from his hand. Jim's jaw dropped. He could only stare at her. He'd just risked his life to save hers and she yelled at him? His fingers tightened on his reins, clenching into tight fists.
He knew it. Nothing but trouble.

New releases - check out these titles! Available now!

The March 15 releases from Desert Breeze Publishing are available TODAY! Be sure to get your download so you can read TODAY, too.

Aren't these covers gorgeous? We will be posting more about each book as the day goes on. Keep checking in!

 Thanks for celebrating with us!