Saturday, November 19, 2016

Reprising A Wonderful Trip....

Untitled.png A few years ago, I and my hubby, brother-in-law, and sis had the experience of a lifetime, taking a wagon train around the Tetons with an amazing group, Teton Wagon Train and Horse Adventures headed by wagonmaster Jeff Warburton out of Jackson, Wyoming. He’s a true cowboy and a gentleman Me and JEff.png Yep. We spent four days circling the Tetons through the Caribou-Targhee National Forest bordering Yellowstone bear country. We didn’t see any bear despite everybody’s secret longing. Likely the thundering horses and our noisy group skeered ’em away. Cowboy rollercoaster.png First stop on the bus taking us to the wagons were photo-ops of the Grand lady herself..followed by her neighbor Mount Moran reflected perfectly in a oxbow lake. Grant Teton.png Mount Moran.png After a delicious lunch—there’s nothing quite like chuck wagon cooking in the open mountain air—Jeff called, “let the wagons roll” and we were off to our camp for the night. Dutch ovens.png Pulling the wagons were magnificent draft horses, Percherons and Belgians. They are named in teams, such as Lady and Tramp, Gun and Smoke, Sandy and Sage, Jack and Jill. The first name is always the horse on the left. These glorious beasts are capable of pulling up to 4,000 pounds as a team, and they love to work. In winter, they lead sleighs to the elk refuge outside Jackson. Percheron.png While the wagons do have rubber tires and padded benches, the gravel roads are nothing like a modern freeway. Most times our route was called the “cowboy rollercoaster.” Tent.png Our tents were comfy—all sleeping essentials are provided–, and there was nothing so fine as a cup of Arbuckle’s to warm us up on a chilly morning.One of the nicest parts of the meals was Jeff leading us in a blessing first. Nobody had to join in…but seems like everybody did. Arbuckles.png Everywhere surrounding us, the Wyoming landscape was full of lakes, greenery and blooming wildflowers. Nights after the camp quieted down were almost beyond description: the stars are endless, multi-layered, sparkling on forever and ever amen. What a sight. Wyoming wildflowers.png But the most fun of all was riding horses! Folks either rode, hiked, or wagonned it to the next camp each day. Horseback riding.png Me and mine, well, we had the time of our life. And this trip helped inspire my Hearts Crossing Ranch series at Pelican Book Group. Me.png As Jeff said when we left, “There’s always be a campfire burnin’ for ya here in Wyomin.” Yep. I’m feeling the warmth right now. www.tanyahanson.com www.petticoatsandpistols.com

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

20 Questions with a Hot-Mess Panther

I was tagged by author Sarah McNeal to answer 20 questions about me and my work as an author. Read on at your own peril .
 

1.) What is your Author name? 
Tanya Hanson, and for YA, Anya Novikov.

2.) First book: The Outlaw's Woman. (It's awful. I'm much better now.)

3. What is your publiversary? 
2003. (The publisher is now defunct, but hey, they made me a real NYC published author. Thanks, Dorchester!)

4.) What is your favorite book you've written thus far:  No can do. That's like asking a mom who's your favorite child lol! 

5.) What book took you the longest to write? 
I actually write very fast. Under pressure--possibly my latest, Outlaw Heart.

6.) How long did it take me...Three months but I was beset with a family crisis during it.

7.) What kind of music (If any) do you listen to you when writing. None.

8.) Who is you favorite character from any of your books?  Not fair lol. But maybe Ahab Perkins. He's the hottie yet damaged leader of the outlaw gang that rides roughshod through a bunch of my historical westerns. I decided he needed a story of redemption all his own. In "Outlaw in Love" he finds his soul. And the love of a good woman. A nun! (Not really--she's in disguise.)

9.) What are you currently working on? 
Something very different for me--a love story set in World War 2. I'm kinda using my parents as inspiration. As yet, it's untitled--there's an angel...

10.) Do you have anything you snack on while you write? No. A cup of coffee, though. Or three or four...

11.) What is your favorite quote or line from one of your books? 
"Pop, don't turn your back on me." (Okay, not really but the only thing I could think of because I wrote it just yesterday.)

12.) Are you a self-published or traditional published author? Traditional publisher. Like Sarah, I don’t think I’ve got the where-withal to self-publish.

13.) What is your favorite writing inspiration...book, TV, movie etc. Two favorite books-Little Women by LMA, and the oldie but oh-so-goodie Willing Hostage by Marlys Milhiser.

14.) What genre do you write? 
Western romance generally. Some Salem time travel. 

15.) Do you have any writing rituals? No. I'm not just a pantser, I'm a hot mess of a pantser. (Auto correct first had that as "Panther." Now, that would be soooo cool!).

16.) Do you have a specific place you write or time?  Yes. My very own office that used to be my son's bedroom. As soon as he graduated from college, I told him he couldn't come back home lol.

17.) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 
Yes. Read Little Women twenty thousand times and Google your pen name. I did not, and now share cyberspace with a porn star. Seriously-join RWA.

18.) What are your writing goals? 
Someday I'd like to write the Great American Horror Story and base it on whack job relatives. Oh, there are so many.

19.) What authors inspire you and your writing?  
I mentioned the two biggies before...I love too many western romance authors to list but for a true-life novel, I am in love with "Doc" by Mary Doria Russell. (Kinda in love with John Henry Holliday himself...)

20.) What will be you next release? 
Witchy Woman, which is part of Octoberfest at Cobblestone Press. It's more New Adult than anything, fun and sensitive at the same time.
 
My short story Her Holiday Husband will release soon. Is t she lovely? 




 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Outlaw Heart

Well, it's undiscovered country...loading a big list from my phone! Yup...been without my laptop for a month. It was God'sxeill that I fi shed a book and met a very precarious deadline just two days before! My neighbor geek, gone for Morger's Day, took the offending computer back to college where he is majoring in computer science, and he's spiffing everything up and bringing 'er back when he comes gone for summer break.

Inbetween time, I've doenloads the Word app into my iPad so I can continue to write and edit. And I spent $4 on this app so I can get into blogger. We will see.

My new release: Outlaw Heart.

More soon...if you like an outlaw turning good, a widow unable to give her heart, and Doc Holliday himself...this book is for you!

I'll try to get a link listed , and try to copy-paste a blurb and excerpt. Uh, baby steps!
 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Tanya Writes About...

Hi, just checking in. Blogging seems so...useless because I don't have a gimmick. No crafty stuff..no recipes. No style guides.

And it is self-serving just to write about my books. Just saying....

So  today is just two thoughts on recent writing stuff:

1. Sad that Samhain is closing.  I have a good friend who wrote for them and  who, in fact, is finishing a contracted deadline! We're all concerned about what happens next. (I was victim of a house that closed. But thank God I found Prairie Rose Publications.)

2. I have read three very bad self-pubbed books lately. Please, find a professional editor and PAY for the expertise. Don't rely on crit partners who, I promise you, will Not Be Honest when something stinks.

That's it. And stupid blogger won't upload the pic I want...and other things I know I've posted aren't showing up in the "from this blog."

I'm over it. And off to the horse rescue.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Tanya Writes About Good Reviews

Pick Me already has three five-stars. Not being boastful but...2016 was going to be the year of not writing because...it never seemed affirming enough. Now it does! That's it for now.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Tanya Writes about The Pink Moment and Pick Me

As I write this, it actually and literally is the fifth anniversary of my volunteerism at the local horse rescue. To the day!
Here's Cheyenne. Because the name sounds so "girly", our president (his sponsor) has nicknamed him Fang. He's a gorgeous paint/Warmblood cross who's finally regained trust in humans.
Pink Moment Blog Cheyenne
To make things more wonderful, the horse rescue inspired fictional High Hill Horse Rescue, the setting for my soon-to-be-released Valentine story, Pick Me.  (part of the multi-author Candy Hearts series and available for pre-order.)
perf5.000x8.000.indd
Like I wrote in the dedication, I thank these horses for making me a better person. Just like my heroine Kelsey Hunter does, I find peace and advice there. Yes, the horses and I converse. And Johnny, below, is my grandson's favorite! He's part pony and just the right size for a nine year old.
Pink moment blog Johnny
Although our horses all have sad stories to tell, they get happy endings. We hope each will find a forever home, but if they don’t, they stay in our wonderful valley until the time comes to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
One of the reasons the valley is so wonderful is its “pink moment.” I always thought it an urban legend--a glorious sunset in the east?-- until I saw it. It lands on you with a hush all its own.
Pink Moment 1
This is Bridge. Can you see the hills blushing in the background?
Here’s the geography behind the pink moment, which also plays a big part in Pick Me.
Pink moment 2
About twelve miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the small, 10 mile-by-3-mile, east-west Ojai Valley is found between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and bordered by the northern ridge of the TopaTopa Mountains, elevation 6,000 feet. Sulfur Mountain at 3,000 feet is the southern barrier.
Pink moment grandson
Here's my grandson admiring the moment with Cheyenne, foreground, and Jasper. See Bridge way in the background to the left?
The mountains and valley are thickly forested with oak trees, and commercial avocado and citrus groves. Our rescue is a ten-acre former orange grove donated to us. We have 15 horses.
So...while sunset usually turns the western sky rosy and spectacular, this area is one of the few in the world where the sunset comes from the east.
Pink 4
Bridge and Jasper. Four years ago, Jasper's pregnant mom was rescued from a slaughter lot in Nevada. Both ave happily adopted...he by our ranch manager's family.
The TopaTopas, like a mirror, reflect the sun from the west and the mountains seem to blush. The sunlight diffuses across the mountains in gorgeous shades of pink for a few breathless minutes.
Christmastime pink moment
The “pink moment” doesn’t happen with every sunset, but I’ve been lucky this winter to be feeding the horses at just the right time.
Thankfully, my nine year old grandson/helper got to see it, too.
And of course heroine Kelsey and hero Landry experience it. Over a glass of blush wine.
Pink with Chey
Cheyenne, foreground, with D'Artagnan in the back.
Two weeks ago, after the “sunset in the east” faded”, the clouds over the ocean a dozen miles to the west did their dance.
Western sunset over the ocean
A breathtaking two-for-one.
How about you? Have you ever experienced a sunset that you wanted to hold forever?
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Here's the blurb for Pick Me. Watch for it January 27!
Volunteering at a horse rescue has helped heal schoolteacher Kelsey Hunter after her celebrity ex's betrayal. Life in the rural California community suits her better than the bling of Hollywood. When she seeks help for a classroom project, she's thrown into the sphere of a down-to-earth organic farmer and horseman who could really steal her heart... 
However....Landry Mills is really the successful mega-spokesmodel for a famed Westernwear line, He’s returned to his hometown to regroup and reconsider signing the next contract. Meeting Kelsey explodes feelings in him he wants to make real. But finding out a fancy director's son recently crushed her spirit has him take things slow. What will Kelsey do when she finds out he's a celebrity in his own right? He might not be able to bear it