THE RANCHER’S TEXAS MATCH by BRENDA MINTON

Title: The Rancher’s Texas Match

Author: Brenda Minton

Publisher: Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch (Book 1)

Pages: 224

I am a huge BRENDA MINTON fan. I have read just about every book she has published. She is an amazing writer, with witty and unique lines. Great plots, and characters you will fall in love with. 

I was a little confused why THE RANCHER’S TEXAS MATCH didn’t seem like the typical BRENDA MINTON book I read. It wasn’t until nearly the end that I discovered THE RANCHER’S TEXAS MATCH is a part of a series with other authors. Suddenly it all made sense.

Tanner Barstow helps troubled teens at the Lone Star cowboy League Boys Ranch. His own upbringing is why he hesitate when it comes to relationships.

Macy Swanson isn’t so sure about being thrown into motherhood. She loves her nephew, but isn’t sure she has what it take to raise the boy. After all, she is just one person. A boy needs a father figure as well.

AMERICAN EDURANCE: BUFFALO BILL, THE GREAT COWBOY RACE OF 1893, AND THE VANISHING WILD WEST by RICHARD A SERRANO

Title:   American Endurance: Buffalo Bill, the Great Cowboy Race of 1893, and the Vanishing Wild West

Author: Richard A. Serrano

Publisher: Smithsonian Books (October 4, 2016)

Pages: 272

To say that I am obsessed with cowboys, and the western days is an understatement. When I spotted AMERICAN ENDURANCE: BUFFALO BILL, THE GREAT COWBOY RACE OF 1893, AND THE VANISHING WILD WEST by RICHARD A SERRANO I just knew I had to have it. I have to admit this is not my typical read. I read fiction with a cowboy and ranch theme. I love both contemporary and historical. I have been a Little House on the Prairie fan for years. I yearn to live in those days – with the convenience of a computer of course.

What I expected from reading AMERICAN EDURANCE: BUFFALO BILL, THE GREAT COWBOY RACE OF 1893, AND THE VANISHING WILD WEST is insight to exactly what the title suggest. What I didn’t expect was to be pulled into the book like a well written novel. I was shocked to discover how many pages I was in after just beginning to read. It’s well written, and packed full of history, mystery and adventure.

I have lived my entire life just an hour from Chicago, in Illinois. To imagine something historical happening so near to my hometown is exciting. Even more so to read about it. It is hard to phantom that just one hundred and twenty-three years ago life was so vastly different then today. Only three years before my grandmother was born. I feel blessed to have run cross this amazing read. 

*Please see my profile for more information on this review. 

STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL: ESSENTIAL KEYS FOR WRITING AN OUTSTANDING STORY by KM WEILAND

Title:  Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

Author: K. M. Weiland

Publisher: PenForASword; 7/18/13 edition (August 17, 2013)

Pages: 295

My writing journey has been a long one. Many years of ups and down. I thought at times I had it, just to discover my writing is severally lacking. There is something wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. God revealed to me one issue at a time that what is missing/wrong. The next faze to my writing journey had been discovering exactly what that was, and what I need to do to fix it. That’s where STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL: ESSENTIAL KEYS FOR WRITING AN OUTSTANDING STORY by KM WEILAND comes in. 

I will forever be grateful to MS WEILAND for STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL: ESSENTIAL KEYS FOR WRITING AN OUTSTANDING STORY. I was so impressed with her insight on writing a great story, that I have now purchased a few of her novels. The proof of how much knowledge I gained from this amazing book is apparent in how many written notes, dogeared pages, and highlights are in my copy. To list all that I have would be writing the book.

From the back cover:

 About the Book

Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories?

Why do some stories work and others don’t? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA-Award winning guide from the author of the bestsellingOutlining Your Novel, you will learn the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will show you how to perfectly time your story’s major events and will provide you with an unerring standard against which to evaluate your novel’s pacing and progression.

Structuring Your Novel will show you:

•               How to determine the best techniques for empowering your unique and personal vision for your story.

•               How to identify common structural weaknesses and flip them around into stunning strengths.

•               How to eliminate saggy middles by discovering your “centerpiece.”

•               Why you should NEVER include conflict in every scene.

•               How to discover the questions you don’t want readers asking about your plot—and then how to get them to ask the right questions.

Story structure has enabled countless bestselling and classic authors. Now it’s your turn!