Showing posts with label Cowboys of Mineral Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cowboys of Mineral Springs. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

It’s May ... a Season I Love, but Also a Sad Season of Saying Goodbye ………. Delsora Lowe

It’s the middle of May, and the neighborhood has turned from dreary brown and muted green, as the grass moves from its lackluster winter color to bright green. Trees sprout new leaves, buried bulbs of perennials sprout green shoots, that will show floral colors in a few weeks. And as I write, my cardinals have been active in the area. I caught the female sitting on my deck railing.

Yes, spring comes late in Maine, compared to our southern neighbors. But spring also brings rain. We’ve had plenty in the month of May, including a few thunderstorms—not as usual at this time of year. But the climate has changed over the years, and more and more humidity moves into the northeast.

Remember the old adage…April showers bring May flowers? Well, here in the north it is now more like May showers bring June flowers. Yes, the lawn is littered with wild violets and the yellow of dandelions. Weeds? No! To me, as my grandmother taught me as a child, both “wild flowers” can be eaten and used in other ways. Dandelion wine from the petals, dandelion greens in place of sauteed spinach or arugula, violets sprinkled atop a salad or a special dessert, or as garnish on a nice meal out.

And a slew of acorns…and no, I don’t eat acorns. The squirrels in the fall certainly recognize a good feast when they see one. They fatten up in the fall, then they bury many acorns and pack away the rest in their own hiding places, as they slow down for the winter. Spring in my yard sees the squirrels gain back energy, as they run up and down the huge oak trunk, sprucing up their nests, and yes, digging up buried acorns. This always amazes me that they know right where they buried them the prior fall. Chipmunks also join the race for food in the spring.

But, alas, as I sit here writing about the new beginnings that the spring season seems to bestow on us, I also bring news about our Romancing the Genres blogposts. Sadly, the month of May marks the end of the RTG blog, and therefore the end of my blogs for RTG. I have been here every month for over six and a half years. I will miss this - writing about my world around me, and making new friends, plus greeting old friends who stopped by to visit.

😔😔😔

On a positive note, it frees up more time to work on my books. But on the sad side of that coin, I will miss the challenge of trying to think of “brilliant” commentary, from my point of view, to match the monthly themes. To me, writing about real life seems to use a slightly different part of my writer brain.

And, most of all, I’ll miss the interaction with all of you as I read and answered your comments. But I won’t be far away, as I will have at least one more book slated for publication this fall, and one most likely coming out later in 2025 or early in 2026—both in the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. And I have other books in the works.

👋

So here is to a fond farewell, as I wave goodbye from RTG. But I’ll see you soon somewhere down the road.

Amazon: (also in print)

Books2Read        

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition and a Thanksgiving story in the December 2 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 4 of the cowboy’s series, the Sheriff’s story, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025-2026.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Love and the Holidays - Writing Romances for the Holidays ... by Delsora Lowe

I love reading holiday books. And…I admit, I also love writing holiday books. The season is magical, especially when we have young children. Their eyes widen as they unwrap a present from Santa. They love decorating the tree and leaving out the milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. Sadly, my kids are grown, and not so sadly, they now have their own. But all three grandsons are beyond the age of pressing their noses against the window, scanning the sky for Santa.

This year, during my last-minute shopping for Thanksgiving, I came across the candy Advent calendar: a punch-out cardboard, holiday-scene, poster-sized box, where behind each door is a small piece of chocolate for each day in December. Every year I bought them for my young grandsons, one living in my state, and two living half-way across the country.  Until a few years ago, now that all three are in high school. This year, as I perused holiday candy at the grocery store, I spotted, the box sporting Santa. I ended up buying one for my fourteen-year-old grandson, despite knowing he was too old. But it made me feel good as a gramma. So, at Thanksgiving dinner, I prefaced that I had brought him a surprise—that I knew this present was for little kids, but still I couldn’t help buying it, since he loved them when he was little. I handed it to him, and the huge smile that came across his face was priceless. I got a big hug. So, moral, are any of us too old to still believe in the magic of Santa? I think not! 

And for those who celebrate other holidays at this time of year, I love reading about the traditions in those holiday books, too. I would love book recommendations in the comments section! 

All of the above are reasons why I love writing romantic holiday stories. I have memories of enchanted Christmas Eves as both a child and an adult. One such snowy scene I used in Snowbound Holiday, a book that I hope to release in 2024-25. I was visiting my daughter and her family in the Aspen area of Colorado. As we drove home, we found ourselves in the middle of a herd of Elk crossing the street, from one snow-covered field to another. We stopped so as not to hurt any elk or our car, as they soon wandered all around us. Under a full moon that glowed a soft light through tiny flakes of snow, and the shadowy outlines of elk, that to this easterner looked like reindeer, it was a real-life, magical scene I will never forget.

So, here’s to enjoying a good holiday romance.

Below I’ve featured the three holiday books I have written and released so far. 

The Holiday Hitchhiker

Two strangers, one snow-worthy vehicle, and a cozy cabin in a blizzard

Cole Peters is ready to escape the bustle of the wildlife management symposium and the overpopulated conference complex in Reno, and get back to his solitary, mountain cabin in the state park.

What he didn’t plan was a road trip with a stranger, clad in the most unnatural, fluorescent colors, who hops into his truck. With a blizzard approaching, how can he say no to a “hijacker” in tears?

Addy Adams had a rough night. Fired, no place to escape to, and a missing car service, how can she get to her parents for Christmas before the blizzard shuts down the roads? Now stranded on a highway, in a white out, with an accident up ahead, did she trust the right man?

Can two strangers find friendship and more, while stuck in a log cabin with a sweet and welcoming couple and their two kids who are super excited about the arrival of Santa? And will Cole and Addy make their way to their respective homes in time for Christmas? Or will they realize they were meant to celebrate together during the magical season?

Amazon (also in print)

Books2Read

 

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

Nat and Brad were in love once: the young starry-eyed kind of love. Then life got in the way.

Nat Thomas calls Mistletoe Falls, Vermont home where summers were magical, her aunt became the parent she needed, and high school love bloomed. Sixteen years later, that love lost, Nat returns home for a much-needed break. She's recruited to revitalize her aunt's picturesque inn. Will the boy who broke her heart be the man who rallies to save her home and capture her heart…for good?

Brad Matthews returns home to buy Green Mountain Sports, after years as an outdoor adventure guide. He's thrown into partnering an event to revive the town's inn and boost his business. Can he work with the woman who demolished his heart and ran with no explanation?

In a small town where everyone knows your business and interfering relatives revive snicker-doodling, the lost art of matchmaking, Nat and Brad may not stand a chance. Can the two find enough heart to forgive and accept love again?

Amazon (also in print)

Barnes & Noble (also in print)

                    Apple Books (also in print)

                 

 Come Dance With Me

Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?

Sam Johnson, a burned out, New York City iconic jazz pianist transplanted to small town Maine, finds himself and his muse again through a disparate group of committed teen musicians and their buttoned up, efficient, high school English teacher who is roped into advising the after-school jazz club.

Ashley Sullivan, an expert in classical music and teaching the bard, is out of her element when it comes to jazz or anything impromptu and desperately needs Sam’s help. What she doesn’t know is Sam has made it his mission before this gig ends to get Ashley to lighten up and enjoy the things in life she denies herself; music, friends, spontaneity, creativity, and yes, love.

When Sam works to rescue her from her childhood fears, Ashley runs the other direction. Can what is done out of love tear apart a relationship before it’s in full swing, or forever cement a love that is true?

Amazon

Books2Read


 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, and the novella, The Love Left Behind, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Recently released were two Christmas stories: The Inn on Gooseneck Lane and Holiday Hitchhiker.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page:
https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page:
https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page:
https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

PHOTOS:
Counting the Days:
countdown to christmas clipart - Clip Art Library (clipart-library.com)
Delsora Lowe Book Covers: cover designer, Covers by Karen

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Favorite AND Most Challenging First in Writing ... by Delsora Lowe


I have a first book ever written (2001), along with many written full manuscripts, still sitting under my bed. But my first book to be published was The Legacy of Parkers Point, released in 2016. My novella, published in an anthology (Welcome to Serenity Harbor), was part of a compilation of novellas by members of the Maine Romance Writers. As one of the project managers on this project, I learned a ton.

The excitement of publishing a first book is beyond description.


When the anthology ran its course in early 2017, and we all received back our rights, I was soon able to experience new excitement. I republished the novella as my first indie-published book. I did the soup to nuts work, same as we did on the anthology: re-editing with a professional editor, working with a cover artist and a formatter, and promoting my “first-born,” as I did the same for two more newly written novellas that would make up the series. The three books, published individually, came out as the Starlight Grille series over the months during the fall of 2017. And then the three were published as a collection with a new short story added in 2018. Scary but exciting, for sure!


The learnings from being one of the project managers on the anthology were expanded as I indie-published The Legacy of Parkers Point and the other two books in 2017. Each book I put out has its own excitement. But that first book—there are no words to describe the feeling.Following is a blog, originally published here on Romancing the Genres (and updated), about my experience as the co-manager of the anthology. The book that kicked off and catapulted me into published-author territory.

Working on an anthology is an entirely different beast. Think Beauty and the Beast. You start out with a quarrelsome, growly, domineering chunk of words that need to be tamed into one cohesive book.

Picture this: Beauty dreaming of finding her hero. Every August the Maine Romance Writers partake in a brainstorming retreat. Okay, so it’s like a huge slumber party. We arrive with sleeping bags and pillows and laptops and snacks (salty and savory) and wine. Did I mention laptops? Yes, we do work. We spend all day either brainstorming our next story in small groups, or sitting on the deck or down by the lake writing on our current work. We break every few hours to exchange writing tips, eat, or take a boat ride around the lake. Oh, and sip wine 😊

Two years ago, we sat on the deck, sated with food and talk and wine (just a little <WINK>,) with the sound of loons on the lake and the full moon arrowing a golden path across the lake and right up on the shoreline in front of us. The setting was one of those perfect end-of-summer evenings.

Our host suggested we might like to try writing an anthology. Within minutes we’d created a town, brainstormed names of the town, set a few guidelines, and we were off and running…

Or so we thought.


The reality is the work we did that night was Beauty’s fantasy. Then the Beast appeared. All the details of actually putting together an anthology. The writing was the easy part—Beauty’s fantasy. Managing a project, was the roaring and untamable Beast.


I am happy to say we did finally tame the beast, and named it Welcome to Serenity Harbor. Beauty and the Beast are now living happily ever after. But as with all good marriages or committed relationships, one must open their eyes, negotiate, persevere over the hurdles, and make a strong commitment to reach that Happily Ever After.

As one of two project managers, working with a group of six committee members and all the authors who were excited about the project, here are the things I learned: (caveat, not all anthologies revolve around a town, like ours did. Some have a theme. Some are made up of a group of authors and there are no rules around story content.)

The following are my suggestions from the experience of working on the anthology, but most of this can also relate to individual works

♥ Map out the project, and plot exactly what the project will look like.

·         Set rules, such as genre of anthology (ours was contemporary), length (we chose short novellas, 15 – 25K words).

·         Write a contract. Include costs, such as professional editor for each work, (authors absorbed that cost), due date of manuscript, anticipated release date, budget (cost of formatter, cover artist, and promotion, for which we shared cost), and production timeline.

·         Determine as a group, parameters around the theme (story bible,) such as name and details of town that all authors will set their story in, name of overall anthology, type of promotion, voting on book cover design, etc.

♥ Research

·         What anthologies are being sold now, how are they set up, etc.

·         Talk to other authors in anthologies to understand their process.

·         Find professionals, editors, formatters, cover artists, etc.

♥ Communicate

·         As a committee, agree on the process.

·         Communicate with all authors each step of the way.

·         Vote on any spending.

♥ Evaluate at the end. Our learnings included:

·         Make sure you factor in realistic expenses, such as copyediting and project manager costs up front.

·         Set deadlines and stick to them.

·         Hire a copy editor, and have one person, not an author related to the anthology, determine if the book fits the criteria and is edited properly

♥ Make it your own

·         One fun thing we did, was to insert the mention of a sheep into each story. Look at the back cover and you will see a rendering of a sheep that says “find me,” designed by one of our authors.

Although, as a group we bumbled our way through the process, for me it was an incredible experience of teamwork and learning about self-publishing. And although the Beast still growls once in a while, the Beast is also loving and tamed. And he and Beauty are living happily ever after.


Although the idea was conceived at our brainstorming retreat, the book is not a product of the Maine Romance Writers, but of a group of writers, some members from out of state, whose bond is through MRW.

Now that it has been several years since we took on this project, I can look back on the process with clarity. This project was indeed hard. One of the hardest things I’ve ever tried, starting from scratch, and learning along the way. Despite the intense undertaking, I learned so much and gained the confidence to go on and publish more books, and for that I am grateful.

 

The Rancher Needs a Wife


https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/




~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.


Beauty – Blue Dress: https://cdn.clipart.email/15667992f55f25a3ff416a014ad7a001_beautiful-woman-girl-icons-png-free-png-and-icons-downloads_1840-2400.png


Saturday, March 28, 2020

Celebrating the First Meet for Carter and Lynette ... by Delsora Lowe



I am not a plotter. As I sat down to write Carter’s story, I really had to think about the kind of woman who would be the most likely to NOT be his type. I already knew a lot about Carter, as he is the brother of Carla, the heroine in The Prince’s Son, book one of the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. Carter has a prominent role as a secondary character in book one.
Truthfully, I can’t explain how my mind works. Or how the image of Lynette Mercer popped into my head. I think the scene idea came first, placing Carter in an awkward position as the oldest, serious brother in a ranching family, who was tasked to do something totally out of his comfort zone. It is in this scene that Carter meets the woman who is different than his usual date and not what he envisioned as his perfect wife. He deems her totally wrong for him. Of course, now he can’t get her out of his mind.

I hope you enjoy finding Carter, the ultimate, serious rancher, being thrown into a world so feminine he’s a nervous wreck. And then to meet an angel so far out of the realm of his dreams of a perfect mate, well…read on.

Wanted: A Suitable Wife

Workaholic cowboy needs hardy woman to manage household and motley family.
“Girly” widows, with small children, who sell naughty lingerie need not apply.

 EXCERPT 
The Rancher Needs a Wife

First Meet

“Damn.” Carter Peters' heart slammed in his chest. He removed his Stetson and shoved his fingers through his hair. What did he think? Lacy and frilly things would jump out and tangle around him the second he stepped foot inside. Yet, he stood rooted to the sidewalk in front of the Pink Petunia and muttered another curse. Then looked up and down the street to make sure no one in town saw him.

He straightened. He could do this. Didn’t mean he couldn’t curse out his entire family while he did.

Why did he always end up drawing the short straw? What did he know about women’s lingerie? He should’ve insisted his sister come with him. But when he suggested it, Carla laughed. “On your own, buddy.”

At least his brothers could have helped. Or his middle brother’s wife. or his other brother’s on-again off-again girlfriend. Any of them could have done the birthday shopping. Jeez, even his youngest brother’s talent for picking out gifts for women beat his. But no, they all refused.

And why did they insist the gift be lingerie?

He tried to remember the order of the family deliberations. Of course, he’d had his head bent over a pile of bills when his three brothers and sister invaded the ranch office for the family meeting. Keeping track of their conversation hadn’t been a high priority. That is until he pulled the shortest straw and found out the duty of buying something frilly for his stepmother’s sixtieth birthday fell to him.

He had pulled his head out of the pile of paperwork and shoved his chair back to stand and argue, only to see his sister’s grin, wide and mimicking the evil Cheshire cat—the same grin she tormented him with their entire childhood. They were adults now. He vowed at the next family meeting to change the rules from drawing straws to reaching consensus.

Double damn. He’d lose either way.

He stared at the storefront.

Lingerie. And for his stepmother, no less. He was going to kill Carla and his brothers.

Every time he thought about lace and silk and satin, all he could think about was the scanty kind he liked to see on a woman. A shudder ripped through him. Not going there.

That jolted him back to the present dilemma.

Growling another damn, he internalized the rest of the litany of curse words buzzing through his head. He’d rot in hell before he bought his stepmother night clothes resembling anything one of his dates might wear. Not that he had many lately, but none of these dates ended with the showing of sexy underclothing.

Carter looked down either side of Silver Street’s sidewalks once more, thankfully quiet for an early August morning. He shoved against the shop door. The last thing he needed was to get caught walking in or out of the Pink Petunia.

And who in the blazin’ saddles would name a shop Pink Petunia?

Tiny panties, lacy bras, and silky nighties in pinks, purple, and other girlie colors spread out around him. In the middle sat an entire display of see-through black things—whatever they were called.

Totally out of your element here, buddy.

He’d bet his favorite stallion that Carla and his sister-in-law were behind the insane idea of lingerie. Why would a sixty-year old woman, especially Madge, want anything this frilly…or pink?

Gripping his Stetson, his fingers beat a nervous path around the rim. Other than soft music, silence cloaked the place.

Did anyone work here?

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Simple words uttered in the voice of an angel. Words that meant the cavalry had arrived. The cavalry that clearly had not grown up around here—not with that deep southern accent.

His gaze skimmed the beautiful and put-together woman. He was so out of his element. He, a ranch boy through and through. She, citified and sophisticated.

Carter turned away. His cheeks burned as he repeatedly tapped his Stetson against his leg, and scanned the shelves and racks in another section of the tidy and compact store. “Thank you, ma’am. Truth is I’m not sure what I’m after.”

“Maybe I can help? Can you describe your wife—how tall, weight? You know, so I can figure out her size.”

Wife?

He shook his head, a knot forming in his belly. He didn’t belong here. Maybe Hal down at the feed store would know what he should ask for—he was married, and his wife’s figure was about like Madge’s. Before he headed back to the ranch, he had feed to fetch and lumber to load. Then he could call up and order something.

Get his ass out of this frilly, feminine hellhole.

Carter glanced toward the door and tried to think of an escape line. But when he looked back into violet eyes, his tongue wound round like spooled fencing wire.

Her hand landed warm on his forearm, reminding him of why he stood in this shop filled with frilly feminine apparel. “Do you know her size?”

“My stepmother?”

She smiled. “Oh, your stepmother.”

The tug on his arm compelled him deeper into unknown territory. Cattle herds he understood. Lingerie? Surrounded by acres of the stuff—no.

He straightened. Get your act together, cowboy. “I’m picking up a birthday present.”

Her smile widened, reaching all the way to those miraculous eyes. “Not a wife, then.” Tiny specks of sunshine danced among the violet in her eyes. “Tell me about your mom, ah, step-mom.”

 AUTHOR BIO

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

 


 


https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/