Monday Author Meetup: Rain Trueax – “Connie’s Gift” & New Release

About the author:

Rain Trueax lives with her husband and two cats on a sheep and cattle operation in the Oregon Coast Range. Her writing goals are to portray real life, passion, personal growth and mutual fulfillment for heroes and heroines, using the land and the mysteries that one finds when they stop to look and listen to local legends. For her, the romance novel is a bit of a modern fairy tale as it inspires with imagination and emotions. Her stories are emotional roller coaster rides.

Rain says:

Rawhide and Roses (A Western Romance Anthology)

To be released on March 15, this is a collection of short stories that arose from a group discussion on Amazon’s Meet Our Authors Forum, in Maggie O’s thread – “Western Romance Authors Please Post Here #2”. It immediately had me interested as a way to give readers a sampling of our writing and also an opportunity to be part of an anthology with writers I respected. Since I’d never written a short story, that was an added appeal.

Creating a complete story, under 3000 words, can be a challenge for someone used to writing novels. So I did a little research on the requirements in a short story as I began to think what my story might be.

My first idea involved a secondary character from my 1886-7 historical romance, Tucson Moon. As I began to consider the possibilities, I decided that character’s story was way too complex for a short story (I will aim for a novella or novel by early summer).

Then I remembered another secondary character from Tucson Moon, someone who it seemed had more story to tell. That led to a mature look at love, not beginning with a meeting and ending with marriage, but about two people married over twenty years, still madly in love, and facing a deadly challenge.

Blurb for Connie’s Gift:

Connie Sicilla had grown up in a home where all the female descendants had paranormal gifts. From her mother, she was taught to be responsible in using her visions and healing touch. When she married Del, a faro dealer, her life frequently involved moving on. Sometimes it was for his gambling, but others it became necessary when people in the communities feared she was a witch. Connie’s Gift picks up their story in 1889 when they are living in a small mining town in California’s Sierras.

                                                     Faro Players (Wikipedia commons)

Excerpt from Connie’s Gift:

A rock crashed through the parlor window, shattering glass over the frayed Oriental rug. The yell followed right behind it. “Get out of here, witch.”

Although it wasn’t winter and the high Sierra air wasn’t that cold, Connie Sicilla shivered. She moved to where she’d not be seen as the shouts continued for long moments. One of voices sounded like a child’s.

When it had been silent long enough, she gritted her teeth against the temptation to cry, got her dustpan, went down on her knees, and carefully retrieved all visible shards of glass. How would their landlord regard the damage? Would he expect Del and her to pay for it?

With the floor as safe as she could make it, she settled into a rocking chair to wait in the darkness for her husband to return from his night of gambling. Right now dark was less threatening than light. He would be late, but she’d never sleep until he was in bed with her.

Sabine jumped onto her lap and immediately began purring. “We’re two of a kind, aren’t we, beauty,” she whispered as she petted the black cat, soothed by the purr and the feel of the silky coat.

How had someone in this little mining town found her out? She smiled with a sense of irony. The very thing of which they accused her, the essence of what she had always seen as her gift, was gone. Her psychic powers had given her no warning they would be taken. She closed her eyes, trying again to see something, anything to tell her what to do. Nothing came.

Rain’s new Kindle novella—Just Released!

 Faro Players, 1895 Arizona (Wikipedia commons) Faro Players, 1895 Arizona (Wikipedia Commons)

When Fates Conspire, set in Montana and South Dakota, is a contemporary, paranormal story, of fate, soul mates, and fairness. With humor and pathos, it tells of two couples and three spirit guides—all with very different ideas as to what life is about.

Lauren returns to Billings looking for something that never happened for her in high school. When the man she wanted then re-enters her life, all the ancient energy between these soul mates is aroused. Can it be they will finally get a happily ever after or will it end as it always has?

In Bozeman, Jessica is frustrated that the man she promised to marry won’t give her the advantages his riches could provide. How far will she go to get what she wants? Tragedy is the only possible result or is it?

This story came directly from a dream, with several powerful images and concepts. Writing the novella incorporated many things I have read. The question, that I hope readers will be asking when they finish, is what do you think life is about?

Trailer for ‘When Fates Conspire’ at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xm5L-7RD2E

More information at: http://rainydayromances.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-fates-conspire.html

Find When Fates Conspire at http://www.amazon.com/When-Fates-Conspire-Rain-Trueax-ebook/dp/B00I53K8CE

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Find Rain on these sites:

http://raintrueax.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006UX64X8

http://rainydaytrailers.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/RainTrueax

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rain-Trueax/200584236675973