The Wylder West

  Home in Wylder by Jane Lewis is a wonderful western romance that shows life in Wylder in vivid detail.  Wondering what this story is about? Check out the blurb :  To escape gossip about her disastrous engagement, Sarah Miller flees to Wylder, Wyoming where her aunt owns a dress shop. But the danger she discovers in the wild west has her ready to board the next stagecoach out of town. Daniel Taylor rescues a damsel in distress only to fall in love with her at first sight. The past has taught him that gentle women don't make Wylder their home. He intends to court Sarah, but braces himself for a broken heart, knowing she will eventually leave town. When Sarah is forced to face down the men who have tormented her since her arrival in Wylder, she will have to make the most difficult decision of her life. Pick up a copy of Home in Wylder . You'll be grateful you did! 

  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...

  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! 

  Wylder Hearts by Kim Turner is a western romance that has it all—cowboys, stolen kisses, and plenty of action!  Wondering what goes on in this Wylder adventure? Take a peek at the blurb :  Caleb Holt is the man to see for a good horse. Abuse an animal and he'll teach the lesson that goes with it. When he lands on top of a woman in the midst of a brawl and snags a passionate kiss, he sparks a fire he never expected. But it doesn't take the cowboy long to learn a lesson of his own… sometimes love comes with a price. Seamstress Laurel Adams is embarrassed by Caleb's stolen kiss. Though she is determined to raise her son alone, she wonders at the ease of falling for the handsome horseman. But when the husband who abandoned her returns, there is only one choice to make—the one that breaks her heart into tiny pieces. Pick up your own copy of Wylder Hearts and fall into the story! Happy reading! 

  The Wylder County Social Club by Nicole McCaffrey kicked off the Wylder West Series in a big way! Readers instantly fell in love with Miss Addie and "the girls" and, of course, Wylder.  Wondering what the hoopla is all about? Check out the blurb for this fun-filled romance:  Eliza Jane O'Hanlan is called west to care for her ailing mother. Raised by a spinster aunt, she only knows that her mother is a successful businesswoman. When she arrives in Wylder she is shocked to learn her mother is the town madam. But the secrets don't end there… Doctor Sam "Coyote" Sullivan saw enough suffering and dying in the war to last a lifetime. He is more than happy to help the town madam keep her girls free of disease—and worse. The moment she arrives in town, the madam's daughter makes it clear she doesn't approve of her mother's unconventional methods—or him. Before long, Eliza doesn't just have the town of Wylder in a stir. She has Coyote pretty stirr...

  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...

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 ...

I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy of some of these, but they certainly are fun! I found these several years ago in a book called Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: He’s crooked enough to sleep on a corkscrew (refers to a dishonest person). Raised on prunes and proverbs (a religious person) Coffin varnish (whiskey) Fat as a well-fed needle (poor) Deceitful beans (meaning they’ll talk behind your back—as in give you gas) Got a pill in his stomach that he can’t digest (shot dead). She’s like a turkey gobbler in a hen pen (proud He’s like a breedin’ jackass in a tin barn (noisy) Fryin’ size but plumb salty (a senior citizen) Quicker ‘n’ you can spit and holler howdy (fast) Studying to be a half wit (stupid or crazy) Built like a snake on stilts (tall) She’s on melody but strong on noise (a bad singer) Weasel-smart (very crafty) Scarce as bird dung in a cuckoo clock (hard to find) Dry as the dust in a mummy’s pocket (very dry) In the lead when tongues was handed out (talks too much) ...

  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....