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! Hobbies…I have to admit, I have a few! My interests are varied so they may seem slightly wacky when mentioned together but you asked, so I’m going to reveal. I love to travel. I can pack a suitcase faster than most people can peel an apple. Wandering through places I’ve never visited, meeting new people—I love it. Toss in some fantastic food and a language I speak and I’m in heaven. On the less mile-worthy side, I bake a mean cheesecake. Cookies, too. I like to make a mess in the kitchen so I spend a good chunk of time kneading dough by hand or mixing ingredients. Languages fascinate me. I speak a few and am always keen to pick up a new one. Reading. Who doesn’t love to fall into a good story? I especially love a swoon-worthy hero and smart heroine. Or a good mystery—they pu...

Sarita, 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  Christmas in Wylder   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 do have a backlist of published work. They span many genres including historical, contemporary, and even paranormal romance.  Most are published with The Wild Rose Press but I do have a holiday book, The Christmas Bargain , with another publisher.  Also, I have one independently published title, Regenerate . It is a seat-of-your-pants romantic thriller that includes secret agents, globe-trotting, and zombies. Yes, zombies!  The blurb from Regenerat e : The Octopus isn't an urban myth—and its agents are anything but ordinary. The intelligence bureau is so well-hidden most doubt its existence. A handful know its location. And fewer walk the halls in th...

It happened so fast Meg didn’t have time to scream. One minute she and Georgina chatted about books. The next, they flew through the car’s interior like dice tossed from an angry god’s hands.  No line between joy and terror. No warning that their lives were on the brink of being lost to an awful twist of fate. No time to make amends for their sins, past or present.  It flashed through her mind that she deserved to die this way, without time to atone for what she’d done. This punishment for defying the Reverend had come by her own hand. Stubborn refusal to do his bidding would end her life and if the sounds of terror surrounding her weren’t imagined, she managed to drag innocent victims along with her.  She must surely be destined to go to Hell as payment for this tragedy. Georgina sprawled on her back with her eyes closed.  Meg glanced above. Rows of seats hung over them.  The world had gone topsy turvy. Christmas in Wylder is available for pre-o...

Sarita, now that we've heard a little bit about Christmas in Wylder — 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? I began writing as soon as I could hold a crayon. My first books were mostly wobbly drawings of purple kittens on adventures with big, smiling suns following them from page to page. When I progressed from crayons to actual words written in fat-leaded pencil, I was tickled. I thought I’d made it—a real, live writer, one who used words instead of illustrations to tell stories. Did it get any better than that? I was certain that it did not. We all know it does power up a bit when you move from three-letter words to more complex, multi-syllabled expressions. I have written just about every day of my life since those purple crayon days and my love affair with the written word is s...

Sarita, 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 Wylder West story. Please tell us about your Wylder story—we love Wylder and want to hear all the lovely details! Thank you for having me here. Christmas in Wylder is part of a collaboration effort between four authors. Nicole McCaffrey, Laura Strickland, and Kim Turner all have stories in this mini-series within the Wylder West series releasing this holiday season. I love that I'm in such excellent and talented company on this wild west adventure!  The town of Wylder experiences a severe snowstorm that sends the Union Pacific train off its rails, resulting in a horrific crash that affects everyone. Lots of stranded passengers, unfortunate casualties...and some heartwarming stories set in the weeks leading up to Christmas.    Christmas in Wylder... Meg Channing is on the run from her home in...

  Sarita Leone's A Wylder Christmas invites readers to share the festive season in Wylder. Miracles as well as western mischief abounds in this frontier town as the schoolmistress loses her heart to a handsome widower.  Wondering what all the holiday cheer is about? Check out the blurb for this book:  Can a Christmas miracle bring a southern belle into the arms of a Union soldier? Violet Bloom leaves Charleston to come west as a mail-order bride. But when she steps off the stagecoach, she's greeted by tragic news. She vows to begin anew in Wylder, to lay haunting memories to rest, and find peace. Former Union soldier Thomas Harvey's dreams of homesteading are crushed, along with his heart, at the passing of his wife. He moves to town and struggles to survive—not for himself, but for his spirited young daughter. After Thomas rescues Violet during a snowstorm, neither has any thought of romance. But Christmas magic is in the air. It's a time of forgiveness and new beginn...

  First and Best Camp of the Trip  Frederic Remington Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the tent wall during and wild west cowboy campfire? I know I sure would! Or maybe a bird in a tree, listening to the tales of the trail as told by the ones who traveled the long, dusty miles.  I imagine what they talked about but imagination only goes so far. And the truth is, that while I conjure up all kinds of interesting stories, a lot of my research shows that much of what they shot the fat over were mundane topics. Lame horses. Shots taken and missed. The ever-popular weather. Sometimes, women —the ones they left behind as well as saloon girls they hoped to meet.  I read one account that was mostly a complaint about the food on the trail. Apparently campfire grub sometimes left something to be desired! There are no campfire scenes in A Wylder Christmas but that's only because of the season. Violet Bloom, Wylder's schoolteacher, faces enough trials in the story that I couldn...

  The Gunslinger by Frederic Remington I could browse western art for hours. Sometimes, I do.  Admiring period art gives a glimpse at how life in the wild west was actually lived. Oh sure, there are lots of glossy, showy art pieces romanticizing the era and they're often attractive...but they're not my favorite.   The kind of art I lean toward is the pieces that don't gild the lily —they show  life as it was. Raw, gritty, often deadly, these renderings make me feel as if I'm stepping back in time — and I love every minute of it! My favorite western artist is Frederic Remington . His talents for painting, writing, and sculpting brought substance to his offerings. Perusing them, I feel the pulse of those days in its sweaty, difficult, dusty glory...and I yearn to somehow transport myself back to that time to experience a closer look at it all.  I love this time in our history for a lot of reasons. One of the most is that those who decided to head west were s...

  Women who populated the wild west were strong, smart, and capable of doing just about anything —which makes me believe they should have had clothing suited to that way of life. And I suppose they did, to an extent. But every time I think of a woman walking beside a wagon on a dusty trail or sitting for days in a cramped stagecoach wearing layers of fabric, my head reels! I can't imagine doing that!  It is lots of fun to research women's clothing of the time. In A Wylder Christmas , the heroine Violet goes to the mercantile for some "unmentionables" for her unexpected houseguest. It was entertaining (and informative!) to learn about undergarments of the time.  Wondering about fashions of the day? Fashion History Timeline is filled with some interesting facts and photos! 

  When I write a western historical romance I do a lot of research. I mean, I have no firsthand knowledge of living in the west in the 1800s so Google is my friend!  I love every minute of poking around in the old-time facts and fancies. Just so much to learn — and it gives me such an overwhelming sense of respect for how things were done back in the day.  A Wylder Christmas features Violet Bloom, Wylder's schoolteacher. Researching one-room western schools, curriculum of the time, and even the yearly school calendar was enlightening. So much has changed, but the dedication of teachers has remained the same. Truly inspiring!   I'm currently writing the story of one of Violet's sisters (she has three!) and am learning about homesteading. Again, I'm amazed by the trials homesteaders faced and the way they lived while building. They were hardy, brave people who withstood a ton to carve a living from an unforgiving landscape.  Curious about the time and condit...

  The Wylder West Series launched in December 2020 with four books:  The Wylder County Social Club by Nicole McCaffrey Wylder Hearts by Kim Turner A Walk on the Wylder Side by Laura Strickland A Wylder Christmas by Sarita Leone In the last few months three more Wylder books have been added to the series:  Wylder's Magic by Sherrie Lea Morgan Home in Wylder by Jane Lewis A Wylder Undertaking by Laura Strickland Wylder's growing! This Wyoming territory town filled with intriguing characters, wild adventures, and western romance. It's the kind of place that invites a person to come on in and sit a spell.  I've read all the stories so far and have enjoyed each one. Between us? I'm waiting on the next Wylder release! If you like your cowboys hot, your women strong and sassy, and believe in love, then you'll enjoy this series, too.  Why not mosey on over? Sit a spell? Fall under Wylder's charms...

  I have a hankering for old recipes, dusty cookbooks, and vintage kitchen utensils. I love taking a peek into how meals were prepared and served way back when.  This recipe from an industrious homemaker has survived the century-plus since its publication. Recently I made this in my kitchen and the fritters were tasty--although my images of a handsome cowboy sitting across the table from me were purely in my mind. No matter how many fritters I fried, the cowboy just wouldn't show up to dinner!  In all seriousness, if you'd like to check out some interesting recipes from the days when the west was settled, this nineteenth-century cookbook called Catering for Two: Comfort and Economy for Small Households by Alice James is worth a peek!  Cauliflower Fritters 2-3 cups cauliflower florets butter 1 beaten egg pinch of salt 1T milk 1t flour Boil cauliflower in salted water for twenty minutes. Drain.  Add a pat or two of butter and mash. When cool enough to handle, for...

The Scout, by Frederic Remington This morning as I sit down to write, I'm thinking about those who rode into the wild west looking for places to settle and this painting by one of my favorite artists comes to mind.  Thought I'd share it with you. Want to learn more about the artist? Frederic Remington  is still wildly popular so a quick search will lead you to many fine paintings and sculptures. Happy "scouting"!  Hope you're having a great day!        

Ever wonder what life was like back in the wild west for a saloon girl? For most, life was hard. Seems at first glance to be fun, all that singing and dancing and such, but when it got right down to it, those women were strong. The profession certainly wasn't all fun and games! Many women took up the social professions as a result of being widowed, orphaned, or just alone. The women they lived with often became stand-in families.  They dealt with venereal disease, violence, and a host of other less-than-savory issues. Still, many did it because there was no shortage of positions for a woman willing to sing, dance, and drink with wild west men.  The pay varied but sometimes it was enough for a woman to build a new life. There are many stories of women who worked in saloons for a period of time, socked the earnings away, and then moved on to fulfill a dream.  Still wondering? Take a peek and get some more information.  And if you want to see what life for the "soiled ...

  Ever wonder what cowboys drank out on the range as the sun peeked over the horizon? Most likely, it was some strong coffee. Like, real strong.  Brewed by the gallon for wagon trains or parties of men riding the range, many days it was the wake-up call that summoned men from bedrolls to saddles.  One of the essentials for lone riders, the battered tin pot, boiled up coffee on an open flame in no time.  Whether riding solo or with a posse, one thing that remained constant was that good ol' cowboy coffee!  No fancy add-ins, either. Sometimes crushed egg shells or a bit of salt made the pot but nothing more than that. And there were no lattes or frothy creamers. Strong and black — that's the way the wild west downed it!  If you want to boil up a pot of your own cowboy coffee, Cowboy Coffee Co. offers a few tips.  And if you're looking to nail down authenticity, why not grab yourself a package of Arbuckles' ? Some say it's how the west was won but I don'...

  Ever wonder just what went on in the bunkhouses of the old west? Cowboys by the dozen, perhaps, living in close quarters for a season or longer, on ranches across the frontier.  All the distractions we rely on now—internet, television, karaoke machines, to name a random few—weren't options for those hardy men. So, how did they keep themselves amused between trips to town?  Well, it seems like a lot of men played musical instruments, like guitars or harmonicas. They sang beside campfires and belly stoves.  Others read or wrote poetry. That's right, cowboys wrote poems, probably influenced by the sweeping vistas and longing for sweethearts they'd left behind.  Card games passed long hours. Wagering on hands dealt and Lady Luck's benevolence—or lack thereof—surely kept games lively.  Sleep probably claimed a lot of hours. The men worked hard in an often harsh landscape under physically demanding conditions so any extra shut-eye was most likely welcomed....

"The Hunters' Supper" by Frederic Remington When families, friends, and food gather there's sure to be laughter, conversation, and fun —whatever the time or place. Back in the days when settlers made their way out west there may have been a train robbery, cattle rustling, or dustup at the local saloon, but folks did settle around camp fires and kitchen tables to share the day-to-day news as well as spicier tidbits. A WylderChristmas , set in the Wyoming territory in December 1878, features a holiday celebration. Every family in town contributes to the festive food tables—the way many of us do potluck dinners now. Gertie, one of Wylder’s most helpful citizens, bakes one of her family’s treasured treats. Her pumpkin bread is praise-worthy and loved by all. I bake pumpkin bread a few times each year so I’m sharing my recipe with you. It may not be as great as Gertie’s, but I hope it adds some goodness to your table!   Pumpkin Bread   ½ cup vegetable oil 2 eggs ...

"Men of the Open Range" by Charles M. Russell I love art that depicts the wild west. Cowboys, saloons, stagecoaches, frontier families, wagon trains...it all makes my imagination soar.  There are a number of artists whose paintings and artwork give us glimpse into what life looked like back when the west was being settled. One of those was Charles M. Russell , who painted over 2,000 images of life back then.  He not only painted the west, he settled there. He made his home in Montana, where he lived until his death in 1926. He's called Montana's "patron saint" and is so well loved that Montana PBS produced a documentary of his life and work.   At the time of his passing, Russell had the distinction of being the highest-paid artist in America. Not bad for a guy who spent his life showing the rough-and-tumble ways of early western settlers!  Despite being an artist who portrayed some harsh conditions with gritty realism, he had a soft side. Russell and his wi...