The Wylder West

Before we let you head off, a couple more questions... Forever Wyld Do you have any hobbies that you’d care to chat about?  I love music, listening to and playing it. I play piano, and Celtic harp. I’m not sure that can be considered a  hobby, though. I enjoy baking, but not the cleaning up process. And I love animals. I’ve been blessed to  mother a number of very special rescues. Several have been seniors. The latest is special-needs. A Wylder Undertaking What drew you to write for Wylder?  It’s hard for me to resist a submission call—just like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Ideas come flooding into my mind. It was no different with Wylder West. As soon as I heard about the series, I could see a handsome gun-for-hire walking the streets. I love switching genres, and challenging myself as a writer. Writing Wylder has been such fun! A Walk on the Wylder Side Are you working on anything new? Do you have plans for a next story that you’d care to share?  ...

Laura, it's so great to have you on The Wylder West blog this week! Thank you for joining us!  We've heard a bit about A Wyld Night for St. Nick   and I think it's fair to say you've got most of us completely intrigued! This one is definitely going on my must-read list. Do you have any other published work? I have many other published Wild Rose Press titles. All can be found on my Author Web Site . Here are a couple I believe Wylder West fans would enjoy: FORGED BY LOVE Blurb: Newly returned home to Lobster Cove from the War Between the States, blacksmith Douglas Grier can’t forget the horrors he’s witnessed or the beautiful young woman he helped break free from her shackles one dark night after her master’s plantation burned. He wishes he had at least asked her name, even though she and her family disappeared into the darkness and Douglas has no expectation of seeing her again. Josie Freeman can’t remember the last time she felt safe. Even though she and her fami...

An excerpt from A Wyld Night for St. Nick : Out of the murky gloom above her, a face appeared. Certainly not Martin’s face. From what she could see, this man had a broad forehead and wore an odd hat trimmed with fur. Her eyes narrowed involuntarily. He seized hold and lifted her up—up as if she weighed nothing. Definitely not Martin, a weedy man except when the drink lent him strength. “Are you Missus Ella Fielding?” “Uh—yes. What’s happened?” She gulped, memory returning. “Marty, my son—” “He’s safe, ma’am. Now I want to get you out of here. Somebody just said one of the cars has caught fire. If this one catches—” “He’s safe?” “Come on.” He carried her much as she might ferry Marty, in his arms. They half scrambled, half climbed to the front of the car, where snow blew in. Outside was darkness. Wind. “Here, tuck your head down.” What had been a rescue suddenly became far more…intimate. With one big hand, he smashed her face into his neck and she could smell him. ...

How did you get started writing? What was your journey to publication? I’ve been writing ever since I handed in my first manuscript in third grade, a masterpiece entitled, “The Haunted House.” I began writing, quite honestly, because I loved reading so much. When I finished a fabulous story, I wanted more. Eventually, it dawned on me that if I wrote the stories, I could continue them as long as I wanted. Since I was also interested in Celtic history, lore and legend, I wrote a lengthy Celtic historical series, before I discovered The Wild Rose Press, with their philosophy of promoting a kinder, gentler publishing world. I wrote my first Wild Rose Press submission, Devil Black , to fit their submission guidelines, and the rest has been like a wonderful dream.

Laura, welcome to The Wylder West blog!  So glad to have you as this week's author spotlight. I'm sure readers are looking forward to getting to know you and hearing about your new Wylder West story, A Wyld Night for St. Nick ! Please tell us about your latest Wylder story—we love Wylder and want to hear all the lovely details! When a train jumps the rails near Wylder during a blizzard one December night, mountain man Nick Robinson rushes to the rescue. It's only a few days before Christmas, and the young boy he saves from the wreck is convinced his rescuer is St. Nick. Since the frightened child is crying for his ma, Nick figures the best thing he can do is go back and rescue her, too. Ella Fielding is instantly captivated by the man who carries both her and her boy to safety. St. Nick or not, she'd like nothing better than to claim such a strong, gentle man for her own. But Ella carries a secret she dares share with no one, not even when Nick asks her to trust him wit...

  Laura Strickland's A Walk on the Wylder Side is a pure western delight! This tale of a gunslinger and the sassy woman he meets in Wylder grabs readers' attention on the very first page.  Wondering what takes place between the pages of this one? Take a peek at the blurb : Outspoken, rebellious Cissy Arkwright was sent west from her Chicago home to work at a boarding house in Wylder, Wyoming. The last thing she expects is friendship with the handsome new boarder, a man with an air of danger and the power to make her smile. Buck Standish is on the run from his past. He'd like to put aside the life of a gun-for-hire, especially once he meets Cissy. But experience tells him the past has a way of catching up, pistols in hand. He's lost his heart to Cissy—should he protect her by hitting the trail again? Or stay in Wylder and fight for their future? Buy a copy of A Walk on the Wylder Side to feel as if you're walking on Wylder Street, too! Happy reading!