The Wylder West

Before we let you head off, just a couple more questions... Do you have any hobbies that you’d care to chat about? Skydiving? Baking? Traveling? Whatever interests you—we’d love to hear about it! Traveling is my biggest and most significant hobby, but I cannot engage with it often. Hopefully, after retirement, I can pursue it more regularly. The past year has been especially difficult with the pandemic restrictions. However, my granddaughter, born in the January before the March lockdowns, fills the gaps. She is such a delight, and I enjoy every moment with her. I also enjoy hiking with my dogs, brushing the horses, photography, and baking.  What drew you to write for Wylder? The minute I heard about the Wylder series, I petitioned for the postmistress character. My great-grandfather delivered mail on horseback, later became the postmaster of a small post office in North Carolina, and I fell into a job with the USPS after my son was born. My husband and I also have horses and ...

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 your Wylder story   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?   The most recent published work is the May 2021 release of Reminiscing OverRainbow Gelato , a series addition to One Scoop or Two. Blurb: On the heels of professional failure, flavor chemist Sabrina Bianco travels to Martha's Vineyard to reopen her parents' ice cream parlor, hire a manager, and return to North Carolina before a co-worker snags her promotion. Sabrina didn’t plan to stay long on Martha’s Vineyard, but the opportunity to rekindle her relationship with Tommy O’Brien is almost as important as revitalizing her parents’ ice cream parlor. Excerpt: One glance propelled me from my self-indulgence as I stared into my manifested youth. A summer’s work started the co...

An excerpt from To Ride a Wylder Horse : Essie was in no mood to allow such familiar handling. With the Derringer still in her pocket for reassurance, she snatched the Winchester she kept loaded beneath the counter for just such an occasion. Lifting it, she steadied the barrel against the cottonwood countertop. Its initial fuzziness was polished smooth with plenty of sanding and oil. “Unhand my daughter, sir, while you still got hands.” Before he responded, the front door pushed open again. A man’s silhouette filled the held-ajar opening as he swept a glance over the scene. Backlit from the outer sunlit street, the man practically glowed. His top hat shaded his facial features, but his clothing—fine woolen trousers and coat with tails—indicated he was a man of some means. More than that, they reiterated that he was the man from the train, the one who’d raced to the street the previous morning when she’d prevented Nancy’s fall, and he’d stopped her from falsely accusing her of causing i...

N ow that we've heard a little bit about your Wylder story --which sounds amazing, by the way--do you mind filling us in on your early writing career? I'm wildly curious about it and I'm sure other readers are, too.  How did you get started writing?  What was your journey to publication? The jury is still out on whether or not I was born with a pencil gripped in my palm. A book worm from the time I can remember, I wrote my first novel—in pink ink—when I was nine years old. I even completed it. Writing has always been in my DNA, but publishing is a different story. At 48, with my son in college, I attended a writing retreat and received an immense amount of encouragement. I returned with a hopeful heart and successfully submitted a few short pieces—essays and articles—which did well. The following spring, The Wild Rose Press held a retreat in my home state of North Carolina, which seemed like fate. I attended, met RJ and Rhonda, Carol Henry, other writers, and my future edit...

Welcome to The Wylder West blog, Renee!  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 Wylder West story! Please tell us about your Wylder story—we love Wylder and want to hear all the lovely details!   My Wylder story is To Ride a Wylder Horse and is about Wylder’s postmistress, Estelle (Essie) Baumgardner, and her rodeo daughter Augusta (Gus).  Blurb: To protect her young daughter, Essie Baumgardner, Pony Express widow, accepted the postmistress position in Wylder, Wyoming Territory. But Augusta is now seventeen and caught between her two loves—rodeo riding and Clyde Hartshorn. Although Essie longs to travel, she saves her money to send Augusta to Boston until the striking Pierre Lacroix, his daughter, Francine, and the scout and showman Victor Douglas arrive and turn her life upside down. When she finally gets the chance to see the world, will she send Augusta to New England and ...