Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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Book Release (And a Giveaway!)

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The Heart of a Cowboy, the second book in my Colorado Cowboys series, is releasing on Tuesday! And there’s still time to take advantage of the fabulous pre-order special through Baker Book House (40% off and free shipping!): https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/277334

If you enjoy traveling-west-by-covered-wagons stories, then this book will be right up your alley! The McQuaid family, led by their brother Flynn, is traveling west to Colorado over the Santa Fe Trail. And as you know, during the months-long journey, travelers faced many dangers.

Of course, in the early plotting stages of this book, I rubbed my hands together gleefully and chuckled maniacally over the fact that I would have a plethora of dangers to throw at my characters. Let me tell you, having so many hardships inherent to the story is sort of like a writer’s dream come true!

In The Heart of a Cowboy I managed to include a near-river drowning, lost livestock, lost people, vicious storms, threats from Confederate Irregulars, danger from rattlesnakes, hot and dry weather, lack of water for both people and livestock, and much, much more!

In fact, the story starts off right in the middle of a river crossing with the heroine falling out the back of her covered wagon and being swept away by the swollen waters of the Neosho River on the Santa Fe Trail.

Here are the first few paragraphs to show you that from the moment you pick up the book, you’ll be plunged right into journey west!

She was going to drown.

The Neosho River wrapped its cold fingers around Linnea Newberry and pulled her down. Frantically she fought the raging current. But muddy water rushed against her face, filling her mouth and nose, making it impossible to breathe.

Above the roaring water, shouts and calls trailed after her. Her grandfather’s anxious voice was the loudest of them all.

She tried to kick and propel herself toward the riverbank, but her heavy muslin skirt, combined with her petticoat and bloomers underneath, tangled around her legs and trapped her like manacles.

If you’d like a chance to WIN a copy of The Heart of a Cowboy, then enter the Rafflecopter form below. I’m giving away TWO paperback copies! (Sorry, U.S. mailing addresses only.)

What about YOU? What do you like best about going-west stories?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Jody Hedlund

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Award-winning author Jody Hedlund makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and five children. When she's not busy with her family, she loves to read and consume large amounts of chocolate and coffee.
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Comments

  1. I haven’t read any books in this series but have read other books by Jody. My Dad grew up on his parent’s ranch in MT. He had to work with the cattle while there. There is still a Kibler family ranch near Sand Springs, MT west of Jordan. I believe they still use my grandpa’s brand. I like historical fiction and would like to read this book.

  2. I find stories about going west fascinating because the people were brave and faced so many hardships. I enjoy reading about that time period.

  3. Nothing like being dropped in the deep end! What a splendid hook! I do enjoy reading going-West stories. Folks could take only this much with them, and even then, a lot of things had to be abandoned along the way. What remained was worth keeping, and often it was found within the person.

  6. Love the way they show folks overcoming obstacles but never giving up. It’s adventure at it’s best.

  11. I was born in Kansas and have family in Colorado, so it’s always fun to see our neck of the woods represented in books.

  13. I like “going-west stories” because of the adventure, the thrill of the start of something new, and I love the history of my country.

  17. I love going west stories because the characters are always changed by the experience. Plus I love reading about a time when the land wasn’t so settled or populated as it is now.

  18. I like the history of it. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to go into the unknown.

    Congratulations on your new book release!

  19. History was always one of my favorite subjects and the western states, particularly the national parks, were my Dad’s favorite place for family vacations. Always look forward to your new releases!

  20. I like reading going west stories because I grew up reading little house on the prairie…so these kinds of books remind me of my childhood🙃

  21. I love “exploring” the environment. I’ve been to Colorado, but going in museums and driving up a mountain are what you do today and much safer than what you’d encounter more than a century ago. I also enjoy what I call “danger that’s not actually danger”–cougars, tornadoes, fires and more that I know won’t do anything to me since they’re just in a book, yet seem so alive that I feel them there.

  22. I love this western series. There’s something about reading of ranches trying to get by and all the hard working that goes into it when the weather gets bad. But I especially love how close a family are through all of their hardships. I’m so excited to read this next book in the series!

  23. I like learning American history of those who went west. And it’s hard to explain, but it’s just such a fun era to read about!

  25. I enjoy the raw history when I read about those who traveled West in the wagon trains. The dangers they faced combined with the exciting adventure of the journey is a powerful thing. I’m amazed at the resilience of those pioneers!

  27. I love that the lifewas simpler and the little things were big things. The pace was also much slower

  28. My dad was a huge western fan….from books, to movies, to TV shows to music….so I would say my love for all things western started because of him 🙂 What I like best? That’s hard to choose because I love it all!

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy of “The Heart of a Cowboy”! I read “A Cowboy for Keeps” so I am excited for this one.

  29. I have enjoyed reading your book. Thank you for the chance for a copy of the second book of your series.

  32. I like the adventure aspect, the wildness of the west back before it was settled. I find it so interesting and fascinating to think of all those people left behind and all they endured to settle the west.

  35. Just going back and imagining how brave these people were. Thank you for sharing.

  38. I enjoy reading about the courage of those who have gone west to begin a new life. Handsome cowboys and beautiful scenery is a plus.

  39. I always liked to see how each person would rise to meet the unusual challenges of the trail and all its dangers. Men and women stepped up to do extraordinary things because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t survive.

  40. I haven’t read any of the books in the series yet, because I wait until I can read the whole series before I read books recently. I love cowboy and ranch stories. Just the lifestyle even fiction is something I enjoy reading about. I am looking forward to reading this series! 😍

  41. There’s just something about the west that speaks to me of wide-open possibilities!

  42. The first book in this series is on my TBR, hopefully to be read soon. I just listened to Come Back to Me last month and CANNOT WAIT for the next one in that series!! ❤

  43. KI love being drawn in by the stories. Great way to spend quiet time. Thank you,

  45. I love the strong character of the people who endured such danger and hardships to begin a new life in the west. I used to wish I could have gone on a wagon train but I’m too old to think about such an adventure now!

  49. I used to wish I was born during that time period. Of course, that was before I learned how hard it was to survive back then…mostly thru reading books! I love learning about how they not only survived but thrived!

  50. I love reading stories about people going west. I’m amazed at what they would go through to get to the destination. The expansion of the United States into the west is always interesting to read.

  51. I’m always amazed at the rough conditions the “going west” travelers and settlers lived in. And I don’t think I could have managed it! So thankful I live now, but I am happy to imagine life back then through these stories!

  52. I enjoyed Jody’s first cowboy book in the series and think this one would be just as enjoyable. Light hearted. Fun reads. I’m amazed at the versatility of Jody’s writing.

  55. I’ve loved going west stories since I read Laura Ingalls Wilder ‘s books as a child and later Love Comes Softly series by J. Oke. I think I like to imagine that time period through armchair trave. Does anyone remember watching the PBS shows where real families went back in time for 90 days to live in certain time periods? One was titled “1900 House” and 1945 house, etc. I found them at the public library DVD collection.

  56. I love reading about the west !All the different frontier and the wagon’s and horses!

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