Lady In Waiting by Melody Tyden

 Lady In Waiting is a grand story where the soon-to-be-married prince, Cassian, and princess, Cordelia, mix it up a bit the week before nuptials.  

Cordelia is promised to a gallant prince who does not show up to meet her and take her back to his kingdom.  Cordelia doesn't expect much from an arranged marriage, but he could at least show his face.  

Prince Cassian doesn't arrive at Cordelia's family castle for a reason.  It wasn't because he didn't want to meet her.  

In Cassian's stead, a group of trusted men bring Cordelia on the week-long travel.  Cordelia decides she would like to be someone else for the trip.  If she's not the princess, she doesn't have to behave as one.

Sean is in charge of Cordelia's travel.  Cordelia has brought her lady-in-waiting to pass the time with.  Sean is aware of the rules for Cordelia to arrive along with her virtue untouched, but there's no rule for a knight and a lady-in-waiting.  They can't seem to keep their eyes or hands off each other.  This is not exactly the romance that is supposed to blossom, but any happy couple is welcome.

The trip to Cassian's kingdom is met with many difficulties and marauders along the way, and the safety of the princess is in question.  Not only is their arrival to the castle challenging, but the result of the planned marriage has a shocking surprise!

Happy reading,

Dawn

WOO HOO…IT’S A RODEO!

 

Hey, gang.  How the hell are ya? Well, I certainly hope everyone out there is living their best life, having fun, and making life work for ya.  😊

Okay, so I’m gonna just cut to the chase here. The Butterscotch Martini Girls are working their proverbial (not actual) arses off promoting this big Cowboy Crush Kickstarter campaign we have going on. Trust me, it ain’t easy to keep a monster like this moving! 

Why? You ask.  

Well, let me ‘splain it to you, Lucy! The average number of tiers generally offered in a Kickstarter (according to internet sources) is 5.  We have 12!  And ours are so jam-packed with stuff that it’s spillin’ out the sides. That makes this a pretty large campaign with a lot of moving parts.   

Then…out of 62,255 Kickstarter publishing campaigns, only about 37% of them ever reached full funding. Yikes!  Glad we didn’t read that before we funded.  LOL 

So…bottom line…this is a complicated campaign with lots of rewards to find, prep, price, offer, order, create (in some cases), receive, assemble (in some cases), package, and ship. Then in between all of that, we have to build graphics, keep the campaign site updated, and…oh yeah…promote. 

And…we only gave ourselves 31 days to do it in…because we didn’t feel challenged enough.  LOL  (That was a joke…it really was just sheer stupidity on my part.)

All that said…we have a large and complicated campaign with lots of rewards to source, and (with any luck at all) a wagon load of products to acquire and ship after the fat lady sings and the Butterscotch Martini Girls drink. 

Where are we now?  Oh, I am sooo glad you asked. 

We are a couple hundred dollars over fully funded.  YAY! 

But what does that really mean? 

Well, what it means is that the project is no longer in “tentative” status.  It has met its minimum budget and will now become a reality. The question is…how much of a reality? 

Huh? 

Oops…sorry.  Didn’t mean to Kickstarter double-speak at ya. 

The term “funded” is sort of like a measuring stick that draws this invisible waterline around the project that says if you don’t go over this line, the project shuts down and no one pays a thing…basically, cancelled with no harm, no foul.  On the other hand, once a project hits this waterline, it is all systems “GO”…when the project closes, credit cards will be charged, product will be ordered and shipped, and eventually all backers will receive the goods identified in the tier they backed, along with any add-on items they may have purchased. It is literally the point of no-return. 

From the project sponsor’s perspective, the “funded” waterline is simply the bare minimum mark that must be achieved in order to provide the offered products without losing money. It is pretty much the break-even point. 

So…as I’m sure you have recognized by now…the objective is to EXCEED the “goal” by as much as you possibly can. Because this is the way we make money from all the work we put in and from the fabulous stories and merchandise we pulled together to make this project happen. 

Now that you understand the meaning of the Kickstarter “goal,” it should stand to reason that you now understand why we may be continuing to email and post to social media and (forgive me) blog sites more often about this campaign.  A helluva lot of work has gone into this project and we would not be doing our stories any justice if we didn’t work our (again) proverbial arses off to make it as successful as possible.  Successful projects are what enables us to do what we do and continue to provide our readers with stories they love for years to come.  If our businesses fail, we have failed our readers. 

It's as simple as that!                  

So be sure you head on over to the Cowboy Crush Kickstarter campaign and help us do justice to these stories and to the platform. If you find one of our tiers is something you cannot live without, we would be delighted to have you back it. 

And while you are there, check out the other publishing campaigns that are active, and back some of those as well because those authors are doing exactly the same thing we are—working hard to keep their businesses healthy so that wonderful stories continue to be told year after year. 

Yes, our project has achieved the first milestone and “funded”, but that’s just the beginning.  There are still miles to go and only 20 more days to do it in. So…back us, talk about us, share our social media posts…every little bit helps. And don’t forget that Christmas trees will be in the malls by…hmmm…next week, maybe. So put one (or ten) of these tiers on your Christmas list and watch the campaign page for some updates to come out over the next couple of weeks outlining some new offerings. 

What’s coming up, you ask? 

Well, I’m currently working with a vendor to design a box sleeve for the paperback
set.  It’s going to be gorgeous and if we get enough backers at the paperback level, we will be able to add some stretch goals for upgrades.  Uh-huh, uh-huh! 

And…I just finished a mock-up of the dust jacket that will be available with the hard cover version…which is going to be stunning, especially if you get it in the upgraded color version with the 5 original color cover images inserted into the book. 

Oh…anyone interested in vellum inserts?  We have some really gorgeous ones on the drawing board right now and are figuring out how to set them up as stretch goals. 

All that and the basics too?  Yep…all that along with HOT Cowboys, savvy heroines, shot glasses, martini glasses, flasks, coloring pages, a cowboy bear, and more HOT Cowboys.  And I haven’t even mentioned the stickers, coasters, add-on novels, printed bookmarks, leather bookmarks, book buddies in display cases…and have I mentioned HOT Cowboys?  Oh…and can you say, “Martini Recipes?” 

So…back a tier and sit back and watch for the new announcements to start rolling out. ‘Cuz this campaign is just fixin’ to get good.  

Well, that’s my story, exciting and expectant, and I’m stickin’ to it. Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna run this pony for all he’s worth—let’s Rock this Rodeo!

Yeah, Baby!

Love ya,  

Check it out here...

COWBOY CRUSH KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

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Texas, Here I Come!

             

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        So, the day job is busier than ever. So much so that I’ve concluded crazy/busy is the new normal. I’m a little tired and my brain is quite full but I’ve been given a reprieve of sorts. By the time you read this, I will be winging my way to Dallas.

Why Dallas?

Well, that’s where my son and his fiancé live and I’ve been invited to a ‘girls’ weekend’ with my future daughter-in-law! I’m so looking forward to this (that being said, I will need a vacation from this vacation). That lovely young woman has the few days I’ll be spending there filled chock full of fun things to do.

We’re going to the Fort Worth Stockyards. I’ve never been there but I’m told it’s a fantastic place to visit. I hear we can take a ride on a real stagecoach AND watch a cattle drive (yes, they do this twice a day down the main street)! How exciting! Now I can actually experience some of the things I write about. I plan to spend a great deal of time in the Cowgirl museum, too! 

What other fun things does she have planned? A tiki-bar boat ride on the lake, a slumber party with her bridesmaids (am I too old for a slumber party? I don’t think so), and shopping. Lots of shopping. Now we know I’m not the world’s best shopper, but I think it’ll be fun. Who knows? I might find something ‘cowgirly’ (which is a departure for me…yes, I live in Arizona and happily write about the wild west, but I’m a bit preppy/conservative in my dress).

I also arranged to have lunch with a dear friend who moved to that area and I’m so looking forward to that! Yes, we chat on the phone and we email but it’ll be great to see her in person! It's been a long time!

And that’s it for me. I gotta go pack!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

 Heather Morris brings us a true love story set in one of the most horrific times in the world's memorable history.  Morris interviews a Holocaust survivor, Lale Sokolov, near the end of his life.  Lale wants his story remembered and learned from. 

Lale is placed in the concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1942.  He speaks many languages, which promotes him to the position of tattooist.  He will be the one who uses permanent ink to number Hitler's prisoners in the camp.  

A new prisoner named Gita, puts her arm in front of Lale at the table the prisoners are herded to for labeling.   He immediately wants to know the fearful woman in front of him.  

With his limited extra privileges, he finds what "block" she's assigned and sneaks a treat to the guard in order to meet Gita.  

A deep love develops between the two.  Gita doesn't reveal her last name or details of her life, yet Lale knows he needs her love as she does his to survive the dark hell of the camp and beyond.  

Taking many risks, Lale uses his position to gather jewels and money from the deceased in trade for food for his fellow prisoners.  

It's not hard to find black moments in the tale from WWII, but it is difficult to imagine Lale and Gita surviving and finding each other after the official release of barely alive prisoners at the end of the war.  The strength of love has amazing results.

Happy reading,

Dawn  

C’MON…FOLLOW US!

Hey, ya'all.  How is everyone? I hope everyone out there is kicking ass and taking names, and that you're sittin' in a saddle that fits,   😊

 First, let me apologize for being MIA for a while.  I have had my head down, nose to the grindstone, working on a huge upcoming project for the Butterscotch Martini Girls.

 What? You say. 

 I’m so glad you asked!

 We are working on a big, exciting Kickstarter project.

 

What’s that?

Oh, baby!

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform designed to help creators bring projects to life, be it a fancy contraption, some spiffy invention, or a good tale that needs tellin’…and you know we got lots of tales that need tellin’.

How’s it work?

Well, I’m happy as hell you asked.

Here’s the way it goes…you hitch up your project, slap on a snazzy pitch, set a goal and a time limit, and let ‘er buck. Then you spread the word to everyone you know—like I’m doin’ now—and ask ‘em to go take a look and please “FOLLOW” your project.

Then those that truly love you (see what I did there?) will mosey on over to the Kickstarter site and take a spin through your project, checking out all the stuff in the back of the wagon. At this point, it doesn’t really matter if they actually want any of the stuff in your wagon…all that matters is that they love you (I’m not above milking it) and they want to help you do your best. So they do just like you asked and they hit the little FOLLOW button on the campaign site.

What does this do?

Ah…grasshoppah…what this does is it tells Kickstarter that you found this project interesting.  You like it, and you want to see what happens with it. If enough people do this, Kickstarter starts to take notice and says to himself, “Self, people like this project. Maybe we should too.”

Why do we want Kickstarter to like it?

Because Kickstarter is powerful and one of the tools in his saddlebag is social proof. He’s got access to LOTS of people looking for stories just like ours, and he has a whole platform full of great projects. So, he’s got to depend on social proof to help narrow the field down to the best. When he sees a project starting to rack up FOLLOWs like a duck eating June bugs, he sits up and takes notice. Then he gives the project just a little more love on the website as he watches to see what happens.

Well, what happens?

This is the point where the campaign launches and folks come from far and wide to toss in some coin, hoping to take ownership of some of the fabulous stuff they saw in the back of that wagon. They do this by becoming Backers…which is really just a fancy word for Buyers. They buy what is called a Tier. Ever been to an auction? Where they sell stuff in “lots”? Well, this is similar…the stuff on Kickstarter is set up with groups of merchandise in Tiers. But the backer doesn’t have to bid on it. They just “Back It”, which is a commitment to buy the set of products in this Tier on the day the campaign closes.

Wait…I mighta misspoke. Sometimes “backing” a tier is similar to “bidding”. That’s when there is a limit on the number of sets available in that tier…like a limited edition.  And, like an auction where there might be 3 of the same lot, and only 3 people can win. But with Kickstarter, you don’t have to be the highest bidder…only the earliest. It is first-come, first-served. So, that tells ya you are gonna want to be one of the first ones into a campaign to be sure you are one of the backers that will be getting that package in the mail.

Is that all there is?

Oh no…this is where it really starts to get fun. When Kickstarter begins to see folks lining up to back a project that has great stories to tell, then they start to bump them up in line…they get a spot in the newsletter a better spot on the website, and this kick-ass little banner that says, “Project We Love.”

And this is where you see the Butterscotch Martini Girls doing the happy dance! Because this is where we start to get a little more love from Kickstarter and all the folks who love to support new projects.

So, is that all?

Nope, not quite. Remember that goal the BMGs set way back in the beginning? Yeah, we gotta hit that. After all, if you can’t ride a bull, ya don’t get to participate in the rodeo. Same here—if you don’t hit your goal, they don’t want you making promises to your backers that you can’t deliver on.

Am I at risk of buying a ticket and getting stiffed?

Not at all, not ever, not on our watch! Kickstarter protects you from loss by not charging your credit card for the amount of your pledge until after they know the campaign has met their goal and has enough funding to make it happen. So…if the goal has been met, everyone’s credit card gets charged as soon as the project closes, which in our case would be on September 15, 2023.

That’s when the real work begins. Kickstarter clears all of the pledges, takes their very reasonable cut, and shoots the money over to us. We now have the coin to place orders for all of the product and merchandise we need to create all the stuff we promised you in those Tiers. It takes a couple of weeks before the stuff starts to roll in, and we then fill up our garages and extra bedrooms (hopefully) with boxes and pallets of stuff that we begin boxing and wrapping in preparation for pony expressing it out to ya.

 

But the fat lady does NOT sing (nor do the Butterscotch Martini Girls drink) until we ship out that very last package and the pony is running his heart out to get it across the desert and into your hands.

So…if you’ve got love in your heart for the BMGs, go hit the FOLLOW button and let’s make Kickstarter sit up and take notice.

And if you’ve got the gumption and a pocket full of cowboy spirit…or a “thing” for HOT Cowboys…be sure you watch for the notification that the campaign is live (hint…it might be Tuesday, August 15^th). Then ride on over to the campaign site and look at all the stuff we are putting together. I promise you will not find it easy to choose a tier.

We have got ebooks and paperbacks, hard covers with dust
jackets, and HOT Cowboys, not to mention shot glasses, martini glasses, flasks, coloring pages, HOT Cowboys, digital wallpaper, leather bookmarks, an adorable cowboy bear, and…did we mention…HOT Cowboys?

So, saddle up and let’s blaze this trail.

Cowboy Crush Kickstarter

Well, that’s my story, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial, and I’m stickin’ to it. Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna ride that pony real, real fast—and this rodeo’s just gettin’ started!

Yeah, Baby!

Love ya,  

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The Hunt Is On...

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, the hunt is on….for a pair of jeans. My problem? If they fit well in the waist, I end up with the baggiest butt you could ever imagine. If they fit well in the butt and thighs, well…they will eventually cut off my circulation! Or I can’t button them. (I am not the world's best shopper...I only get things when I need them, which may be part of my problem, too.)

Can’t tell you how many pairs of jeans I have tried on (and yes, I’ve giggled in the dressing room by what I see in the mirror) and I can’t tell you how many places I’ve gone. 

The boyfriend jean that everyone seems to love so well? Yeah, not happening. I look like a munchkin (short and round). The skinny leg jean? Again, not happening. I don’t like the way they feel at the knee and calf (picky, aren’t I?) and again, makes me look like…well…a munchkin. Oh, and they can’t be too expensive. I did find a pair at JC Penney but I wasn’t going to spend that much. I also stopped by one of my local Goodwill stores and they had lots of jeans; however, no place to try them on. I will not buy something I cannot try on first.

Jeans with a little spandex are okay, but again, finding a pair that don’t make it difficult to breath seems to be just out of my reach.

Jeans with holes already in them? Nope. I want to put those holes in them myself through regular wear and tear (and hopefully age).

I just want a pair of Levi’s or Wranglers that actually fit. It shouldn’t be so hard to find, right? You would be surprised though. Clothes nowadays are not aimed at my demographic (older, chunkier, a little conservative, and geared toward comfort). And ordering on line just doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried and been disappointed.

I am determined to find what I want though. Today, before I do my grocery shopping, I’m going to Old Navy. I’ve heard they’re having a great sale (yay!) and I’ve heard they have stuff for hard to fit (which is me). Hmmmm, maybe I’ll even find a sundress or two! Wouldn’t that be lovely? Wish me luck!  

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes

 A heroic historical fiction portrayed by two women decades removed.  Their stories intersect, yet they are both about the fight to live your own life and love the man who fits perfectly.

Privileged with an Ivy league education and family contacts for the perfect job, Inara Erickson finds herself in a struggle to do what she wants and what she should do according to her father.  A multinational position is held for her at the same time she inherits her aunt's rambling home in Washington.  

The home calls to her with memories of childhood and an artifact of Chinese origin buried under the stairs.  Her aunt's wish is to construct a B&B.  A B&B is Inara's passion.  She also contacts a professor, Daniel Chin, to research the finding.  

Daniel immediately is interested in the artifact.  Daniel is also immediately interested in Inara.

The history unfolds in the life of teenage Mei Lien around 1886 when the U.S. shamedly evicts, tortures, and kills Asians.  Her family is ousted from Seattle, and Mei Lien is the only survivor thanks to Joseph.  

The artifact is a leftover remnant of Mei Lien's struggle, life, and love of family.  

Daniel enlists his students to research the history of the item found and unveils the rough life of Mei Lien, the relation to his and Inara's life, and the troubles it causes in current day.

With a lot of understanding, discussion, and forgiveness, love comes in first.  Inara and Mei Lien's story is a tidal wave of emotions and wondering what will go wrong and what will go right.