Sunday, September 28, 2014

Dakota Skies Blog Tour

Synopsis:
Born in the wrong time…

In 1875 Dakota, Sheriff Jamie Carter has to hide his interest in men, even from his gutsy twin sister, Anna. On a good day, the truth can mean a bullet between the eyes, and on a bad, one in the back.

A man on a mission…

Jamie leaves Anna in charge of Blackrock and he hits the bounty hunting trail, along with his faithful equine companion, Houston. Five territories, scores of ‘Wanted’ posters, and many bullets later, his path unexpectedly converges with that of enigmatic loner, Kit Brooks.

Two men with one soul…

Will the smoldering fire between them rage into an inferno and break down protective barriers, allowing them to find love? Or will it separate and kill them?

Beneath Dakota skies…

Jamie and Kit’s story is a sweeping saga of cowboys, Indians, persistent broads, and vengeful villains, where the cowboys aren’t always the good guys, and love can’t be taken for granted.


Buy the book:
WIP     |     Amazon US     |     Amazon UK     |     B&N


Excerpt:
In a subdued tone, Jay related what a long, tough journey it had been from Texas to Dakota for a boy of nine. Many didn’t make it, dying from disease, bandit attack, or exhaustion. It was a far cry from the life they were used to. On the road, a man kept his money in his boots, and protected it with a gun. No, it sure as hell wasn’t a pleasant trip filled with singing and laughter. Though there was some.

Days would go by with no sunshine or bird song. At times, they got soaked to the skin. The schooner’s offered good cover but the rain sometimes made it under the canvas. It would take an age to dry out and get warm. At least, during those times, they didn’t get eaten by bugs. The wagons weren’t comfortable either. Every stone could be felt and sometimes it was easier to walk.

Jay recalled how, part way through Kansas, he’d gone down with a fever. He didn’t remember much about it. But he knew he scared the shit out of his family for a while, having them convinced they’d be burying him. Thankfully for all concerned, he battled through it.

He didn’t go into much detail, seeing how his aunt and uncle already wore expressions of sadness and concern. Instead, he scrunched his face in remembrance of the foul-smelling brew Ma Carter concocted. It frightened off any living thing that dared to venture in the direction of their wagon. Jay’s mama also became a stickler for cleanliness, even boiling all drinking water, insisting she wasn’t gonna feed her family anything that could have things still living in it. The habit stuck with them all.

Jay followed on with life at journey’s end, which wasn’t as dour as it probably seemed. It was just very different to what they’d been used to in Texas.

Once settled in Dakota, Ma Carter soon whipped family and housing into shape. She was a woman of action, and though some tasks weren’t exactly nice, she’d happily do anything in support of her husband and children. While her husband worked the claim, Ma Carter did everything else, including kicking her children’s asses when they got out of line.

Ma Carter didn’t let her children’s education slip, either. Having been pulled from school in Texas, she took care of lessons, both on the trail and when they reached Dakota. On top of that, her children had to do their chores.

A few claims, including the Carters’, were successful—good enough for the family to be comfortable. However, the words ‘gold’ and ‘trouble’ were like squabbling sisters sharing the same room. Spats between neighbors were commonplace. After a while, Pa Carter noticed regular, more organized violence, creeping in like an ugly, festering mold.

The town needed an effective sheriff, before crime got out of hand. After a meeting, John answered the call of the starred badge.




About the Author:
Taylin Clavelli lives in the United Kingdom, about 15 miles south of Birmingham, and a short journey from the world famous Cadbury’s Chocolate factory. She’s married with children and loves her family with all her heart.

Her love of books has been a long standing affair, with Taylin liking nothing better than to lose herself in an imaginary world.

Until she met Lily Velden, she never considered trying her hand at writing. However, after talking ideas, Lily encouraged her to put pen to paper—or rather, fingers to keyboard. Since, with a few virtual kicks in the right place, she hasn’t stopped. Her confidence eventually led to her writing an original work for submission.

Her first published work was Boys, Toys, and Carpet Fitters, developed for the Dreamspinner Press Anthology – Don’t Try This At Home.

Now she absolutely adores immersing herself into the characters she creates, and transferring the pictures in her brain to paper, finding it liberating, therapeutic, and wonderful.

Outside of writing, her interests include; martial arts (she’s a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Taekwon-do), horse-riding, all of which facilitates her love of a wide variety of movies. Her action heroes include Jet Li and Tony Jaa—finding the dedication these men have for their art combined with their skill both amazing and a privilege to watch. If pressed, she’ll admit to thinking that the screen entrance of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl, and Shadowfax in LOTR, to be the greatest screen entrances ever. Her all-time favorite movies are Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

The simple things in life that make her day, putting a smile on her face are:

Laughter – especially that of her children.

The smell of lasagna cooking – it makes her mouth salivate.

The dawn chorus – no symphony ever written can beat the waking greetings of the birds.

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