Just Call Me Oregon Paty by Paty Jager

An author friend who I critiqued with for years dubbed me Oregon Pat and put the character in one of her books. I think I would have made a good female outlaw turned good person. And I would have thrived in that time and place- old west, 1800s.

While I’m not a fan of housework, I do believe I would have been just fine had I lived in the late 1800s or early 1900s.  It was a time when life was a bit harsher, but a lot simpler.

I enjoy riding horses, working cattle, and even the baking. Drawing water from a well and using an outhouse are things I’ve had to do in this lifetime and can imagine it being an everyday occurrence that you wouldn’t even think twice about. Especially, since you wouldn’t know any different.

oil lamp

Growing up we lived rural, had our electricity go out often, had oil lamps filled and ready when it did. We used an outhouse, packed water up from the ditch, and used a wood cookstove and a wood stove for heat. We went out as a family and gathered wood in the fall to get us through the winter months. We had a large garden  and canned all the vegetables we needed to sustain us through the winter, by.

The clothes were hung on a clothesline outside until it was too cold to do so.

All the elements that go into a good historical western romance are things I would have been able to cope with as a woman in the wild west. I wouldn’t have made it in the city, being coddled. I would have had to have worked in a factory or cleaned houses. I wouldn’t have liked to sit around doing handwork and telling others who to run my house.

The thought of being out west, helping build a ranch and a family appeals to me. Hard work but very satisfying. I think had I lived 100-150 years ago, I would have fit in and thrived. It’s why I enjoy writing historical western romance. It gives me a chance to live in a time that women were blossoming into equal partners in the west and having more liberties.

If you’d like a glimpse at this time period through my eyes and those of my characters you can check out my Halsey Brothers Series, Letters of Fate trilogy, or my new Silver Dollar Saloon series.

They can all be found at my website: https://www.patyjager.net

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 37 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

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Missing Deadlines Craziness by Paty Jager

If you had told me four months ago I wouldn't be a raving lunatic about now, I would have laughed and said, "Yeah, right." At that point I had found myself falling farther and farther behind in my writing commitments. I'm a person who is always early for appointments and finishes things ahead of schedule.

Until the last year.

Life interrupted and the schedule I'd made out last fall for this year started to feel like an anchor around my neck because I wasn't getting projects done in the time I'd predicted. I had been asked to join a group of authors who were starting up their own "world" books. It sounded like fun and I came up with characters and helped populate their fictional town/community.

Before I started that book, I found out the book I'd put in a Kindle Worlds project was coming back to me. That was an added revision I hadn't planned on. But a joyful one! I loved this book and after putting it in the Kindle World I was sorry I'd let the rights go. I'd let peer pressure push me into doing the Kindle World. But Now that book, Isaac: Letters of Fate is mine, revised, and out there for everyone to purchase at all ebook venues and in print. 

The more I thought about all the projects ahead of me and how would I get them done on time, I had to step back and decide which were the most important. I decided to back out on the world project. It was the only thing I hadn't "started" writing and my fans wouldn't miss because they didn't know anything about it. Once I backed out of that, I didn't feel so rushed and didn't tighten up when I sat down to write knowing I had to get X amount of words done that day.

Writing became fun again!

And I'm happy to say, I am slowly getting back on track with my deadlines!

Isaac: Letters of Fate released in July and Lottie Mae: Silver Dollar Saloon released in August and the Dangerous Dance will release. I'll have one more Shandra Higheagle book release this year, Honeymoon Cadaver, then January 2019 will start the beginning of another mystery series release. Book one of that has been written and has received good words from the beta readers.
end of September or the first of October the next Shandra Higheagle mystery,

How is your summer going?  Did you get to spend as much time relaxing as you'd like or has it been hectic for you?

 

Life is Always Entertaining by Paty Jager

🎈🎉Happy Blog-o-versary, Genre-istas!🎈🎉

I've been with the blog since it stared and have enjoyed reading other writers take on writing and meeting new authors. Our blog queens have done an awesome job of keeping this blog current and relevant with fun guests and interesting subjects. Thanks, Judith and Sarah!

This month is about What's New About Me. Wow! A lot! Hard to know where to start...

I'll start with I have two books nominated for the RONE award. This award is given by the InD'Tale review magazine. A book has to have a 4 or better review to be nominate. Then it is up to fans to vote. The books with highest fan votes then goes to a panel of industry professionals who read the books and pick the winner of each category.  Brody:Letters of Fate the third book in the Letters of Fate series is in the Victorian historical category. The voting for it is the week of 8th-14th.  Reservation Revenge, book six in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series is a nominee in the mystery category. The voting for it is May 22nd-28th. This is the link to vote if you read the books and would like to vote. http://indtale.com/2017-rone-awards To vote you have to register, but they won't send you anything. The reason you register is to make sure you only vote once for a book. Keeps the voting honest.

The second thing that is new, I have Double Duplicity and Tarnished Remains, the first two books in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery Series, in audio book. I am working with Cincinnati radio newscaster Ann M. Thompson on the third book, Deadly Aim. I thought publishing this mystery was was a thrill. Hearing them come to life with Ann's voice is an even bigger thrill! This mystery series isn't your typical cozy. They are murder mystery, with a touch of paranormal, and a budding romance. Here is what Mysteries ETC says about the series: "Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read."

Third new thing, is my next historical western romance series. Ladies of the Silver Dollar Saloon. I've been researching and fleshing out characters for the series. Excited to start the first book this month. Sorry! I don't have any visuals for these yet. My cover designer is working on it.

And last, I'm attending Wild Deadwood Reads June 9th & 10th. This is an awesome event where the 50+ authors are sponsoring local events Friday and Saturday as well as having a book signing. Readers can sign up to join any of the events. I'm one of the sponsors for the Friday bus to take us to the Black Hills 1880 train ride. On the bus ride, we'll play games and interact with the readers. That night I'm one of the sponsors for a section at the PBR Rodeo. We'll doing a bar hop after the rodeo. Saturday is the signing from 10 am-3pm. I'm excited to not only attend the event but to see this area. It's always been a place I've wanted to visit.

That's all the new writing things happening with me. I'm in charge of my mother's family reunion the week after I return from South Dakota.  I'll let you know how all of that went on my post here in July.

What do you have going on that is new and exciting? 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 30+ novels, novellas, and short stories of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Tiny Living by Paty Jager

When my husband and I moved to our “semi-retirement” property, we had to downsize for a while. We stored all of the furniture we didn’t sell in a 12 foot by 12 foot “tack room” we’d built.  Our living quarters for 8 months while we built a house was 10 feet by 16 feet.  We had a queen size bed, a small counter with a microwave, and I set up a 2 foot by 4 foot table for us to use to eat on and I could use to write on. We had stacking patio chairs we used indoors and out and a small deck with a table, chairs, and a BBQ. 

 

We had built a small room onto the cabin for a shower and washtub. We used an outhouse for the other plumbing.  I either took our laundry to town or used the washer at the empty house owned by the people employing my husband to manage their alfalfa fields. I would bring the wet clothes back to the cabin and hang them from drying racks my mother-in-law brought me from the Netherlands years ago.

For cooking, I used the microwave, an electric skillet, crockpot, and the BBQ. I learned how to bake in the BBQ and made a couple of cakes that way. 

Living tiny for those 8 months taught me that I could live without things that before I thought I needed. We were cozy but by the end of the 8 months my hubby was ready to move into the house. The limited space for him to do his bookwork and me to do my writing bothered him

. 

When we moved into the house, I actually took a whole pickup load of things to the thrift store.  I only have in the house the things I love or are useful.  It makes cleaning and living a whole lot simpler. 

Have you ever had to live in a tiny space without all the things you’re used to?

One of the things I enjoy most about where we live is discovering new history about my home state. I’ve written two historical western romance books using my new community as the setting. My recent release, Brody: Letters of Fate, takes place over the hill from our place and incorporates haying in the late 1800’s and a place that we have discovered and take our visitors to: Malheur Cave. It is a 3000 ft long cave with a 1000 ft  long lake in it.

To learn when my new releases come out and how you can read my books for free join Paty’s Posse.

Historical western filled with steamy romance and the rawness of a growing country.

Brody: Letters of Fate

Historical western filled with steamy romance and the rawness of a growing country.

A letter from a grandfather he’s never met has Brody Yates escorted across the country to work on a ranch rather than entering prison. But his arrival in Oregon proves prison may have been the lesser of two evils. A revenge driven criminal, the high desert, and his grandfather’s beautiful ward may prove more dangerous than anything he’s faced on the New York docks. 

Lilah Wells is committed to helping others: the judge who’d taken her in years ago, the neighboring children, and the ranch residents, which now includes the judge’s handsome wayward grandson. And it all gets more complicated when her heart starts ruling her actions. 

Amazon / Nook / Kobo / Apple / Windtree Press 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 25+ novels and over a dozen novellas and short stories of murder mystery, western historical romance, and action adventure. She has a RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for her Action Adventure and received the EPPIE Award for Best Contemporary Romance.  This is what reviewers says about her Letters of Fate Series: “What a refreshing and well written love story of fate and hope! Very well written but sometimes sizzling love scenes!”

All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter