Beth Williamson’s Blog

*snoopy dance* Three more days! Three more days! Until The Gift is available!!! (Can you hear me singing that?)

The Day 2 winner of the RWA goodie bag is… Christy!

Congrats Christy! E-mail me your snail mail addy and I’ll get your goodies out to you!

Keep on posting everyone! Today’s lucky winner gets a John Wayne movie on DVD - every post you make puts you in the lucky cowboy hat that I draw from!

For today’s pleasure, y’all are going to meet Adelaide Burns, the heroine of The Gift. She’s a tough lady, had to survive in a man’s world, against men’s prejudices. I adore her and I hope you will too.

Excerpt:

“Escort him out, Dustin.” Adelaide Burns surveyed the drunken cowboy drooling over his hand of cards and waved her hand in the direction of the bartender. “He’s had enough.”

With a heave and a grunt, the seat was emptied, then immediately filled by a bright-eyed boy who didn’t appear old enough to shave. The reflection of his smile could have blinded someone. What a greenhorn. Adelaide figured he just got his first pay and came to town to gamble it into a fortune. This little brown-haired baby wanted to play and thought a female dealer an easy mark.

Most folks saw only the exterior shell of Adelaide—the corkscrew red hair, the hazel eyes, the freckles on her nose and the generous bosom that filled out her shirt nicely. They never looked past that and therefore, judged solely on what they saw. They didn’t bother to ask who she was, what she was doing, or why she was there.

Townspeople knew Adelaide owned the Last Chance Saloon, but the cowpokes and drifters didn’t. They also didn’t realize Adelaide was a champion poker player who had made her money in cards, enough to buy the saloon and live as she pleased. Life was good for the most part.
She didn’t look at the cards as she shuffled them, the movement a natural extension of her hands. Instead, she monitored the five men at the table, and kept an ear out for anything else going on. It was a quiet Thursday night with only a few rumblings of the chaos to come on Friday when the cowpokes hit town.

“Five card draw, deuces are wild. Minimum bet is one dollar. Ante up, fellas.” After the last man threw his dollar into the pot, Adelaide dealt the cards with her normal lightning speed. The baby-faced kid gulped and picked up his cards like he expected them to bite.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” she asked him.

“Brian. Brian Muldoon, ma’am.” His voice hadn’t really changed yet either.

“Oh, don’t call me ma’am. It makes me feel a hundred years old. You can call me Miss Adelaide.” She arranged her cards in her hands then glanced up. “You play this one hand, Brian, then you think about how well you played before you play another one. No shame in heading for the whiskey instead of the cards.” She didn’t want to take all his money.

“O-okay.” He licked his lips and focused on the cards he gripped tightly enough to curl. A bead of sweat trickled down his peach-fuzzed cheek.

“Bet’s to you, Curtis.” Adelaide kept the play going, watching Brian as he considered his cards with a furrowed brow before meeting the bet.

After another round of raising the bet, Brian’s face was a little peaked. Adelaide waited for the chips to fall, so to speak. When Parker called, only three players remained in the hand, Parker, Adelaide and baby Brian. Parker laid down two pair, tens high. Brian cleared his throat and showed his hand—three little ladies, which impressed Adelaide. However, she would have no self-respect if she lost a hand to a greenhorn like Brian.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but a straight beats your three queens.” With a wink, she showed him her cards. Ignoring the crestfallen look on his sweet face, Adelaide focused on her winnings. His gaze followed her hands as she pulled the pot toward her, a modest pot to be sure, but probably a month’s pay to the boy.

After arranging the coins and tucking the bills in a safe place, she gathered the cards and started shuffling again. “You in, Brian?”

Brian appeared entranced by her hands as she shuffled. Curtis, bless his crotchety old self, elbowed him. “You in or out, boy? We ain’t got all night for you to stare at them cards or them tits.”

The boy glanced up at Adelaide and she cocked one eyebrow. “The bar is right behind you. Dustin would be happy to pour you a drink of your choice, on me.”

That was apparently all he needed to hear. With a grin, he tipped his hat and left the table.

“Miss Adelaide! Why the hell did you do that? We coulda taken that boy for every penny,” Curtis groused.

“Because we didn’t need to. He just lost ten dollars in that hand, probably a quarter of his pay this month. No call to let the boy starve, is there?” Adelaide blessed him with a smile—a feat that got harder and harder to do each day Buster McGee messed with her business.

Curtis harrumphed. “Okay, then, let’s play.”

“You’re a good man, Curtis.” She patted his hand.

“Don’t get all mushy on me, otherwise I might think you’re a female.” Apparently the gray-haired old prospector still had the ability to blush. Adelaide bit her lip to stifle the laugh burbling in her throat.

“Ante up.”

****

Tomorrow look for some fireworks between Trevor and Adelaide!

Yay! We’re getting closer… Four more days. The Gift is approaching fast!!

The Day 1 winner of a set of bookmarks and an enamel cowboy boot pin is… Stephanie!

Congrats Stephanie! E-mail me your snail mail addy and I’ll get your goodies out to you!

Today’s Day 2 contest is for a goodie bag of RWA treats that I collected at the convention! Keep on posting comments! Remember every time you post on the blog, your name goes in the hat. So everyone that posted yesterday is eligible for the next four days contests!

I am going to give y’all a sneak peek excerpts until release day… Let’s meet Trevor first.

Excerpt:
Trevor Malloy loved women in all shapes and sizes. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, tall, short, medium, skinny, voluptuous or plump. They all held an appeal for him and he had feasted on the banquet of feminine opportunity all his adult life.

He didn’t quite understand why his brothers chose to get married. The banquet became a one-course meal and where was the fun in that? When his oldest brother Raymond married Lily a month ago, Trevor felt the stirrings of something. Exactly what, he couldn’t explain, but it was there. Lily was an amazing woman with the strength, character and fortitude of ten men—not to mention she was incredibly sexy.

Alas, Lily chose the sourpuss Ray. Trevor would never understand that since his brother was the unhappiest, foul-tempered person on the planet. Perhaps Lily was moved by pity? Either way, done was done. They were good and married, which left Trevor uneasy and restless.

Ever since meeting Lily, he’d been unsatisfied with his usual playmates. Widow Victoria Benson still had her skills. She pulled him in at lunchtime for a quick tussle when he was in town. Patsy at the milliner knew what to do with rope and twine. Then there was sweet Mindy at the saloon—she was about his favorite. When that long hair wrapped around his heated flesh, Trevor was in heaven.

The night before he’d met up with Mindy after work and they’d had a good time. Not a great time, but good. For some reason, the intensity he normally felt with her was missing. Oh, he enjoyed himself all right, but it felt…off.

He blamed his brothers and sister. Their wedded bliss spoiled his fun. They were constantly kissing, hugging and touching—made a body wonder what all the fuss was about. Then there were his parents. Ugh. It seemed that everyone but Brett and Noah was sparking in the Malloy household.

“Hey, Trevor.” Ethan walked into the great room and sat at the table opposite him. He helped himself to a biscuit and a cup of coffee. From the look on his face, he had something to say and Trevor could bet it wasn’t good news.

“You gonna say what you came to say or sit there and feed your face all day?”

Ethan grinned. The second oldest, he was the brother who married first, a lovely half-Indian woman named Bonita who was too good for a ballbuster like Ethan. He had their baby brother Jack’s blue eyes and a sharp wit that often left his opponent bloody.

“I need you to help Pa with breaking the new horses.”

“I’m checking the line fences, you can do the breaking.” Trevor wasn’t about to do both. That was a lot of work for one man—too much.

Ethan chewed for a minute. “I can’t. Pa told me to talk to you.”

“I knew it!” Trevor shouted. “All of you married men constantly push your chores on me. I’m sick of it. You were tagged to help Pa so do it yourself.”

Trevor pushed away from the table and rose.

“Don’t you even want to know why I can’t help?” Ethan said around the biscuit in his mouth. “Or are you too busy thinking about how sore you’ll be from riding in the saddle, little brother?”

“No. I don’t give a shit.” He stalked out of the room and snatched his hat from the peg by the door. While he was adjusting it, his father, John, came around the corner from his study and grabbed Trevor’s arm.

“You’ve no call to speak to Ethan like that.”

“Pa, I ain’t gonna do his work anymore. I’ve got enough to do during the day as it is riding the damn line fences. If Ethan wants to trade that job with me, then I’ll help with the breaking. Brett and I always get stuck with the shit jobs out on the range, in the cold, away from the warm fire and a warm woman. For once, I’d like to stick close to home.” Trevor’s temper bubbled within him. He wasn’t one to get angry easily, but somehow Ethan’s request sent him over the edge.

John narrowed his gaze. “You spend too much time thinking about yourself, Trevor. Sometimes family comes first.”

That one hurt. Trevor was devoted to his family, always put them above everything else. He shook off his father’s hand and yanked open the door. The damp stickiness of the morning slapped at him as he stomped outside.

“Come back here, Trevor!”

Trevor ignored his father’s command and kept walking without even thinking about where he was going. He saddled his horse in minutes and led him outside, determined to be anywhere but there.

“Where the hell are you going?” Brett’s voice rang out.

Trevor, one foot in the stirrup, turned to look at him. “Away from here.”

“There’s a lot of work to do today, Trevor. It’s not the time to go hunting one of your conquests no matter how horny you are.” Brett set the pitchfork against the stall door. “I’ve been mucking stalls for an hour while you sat on your ass inside. Now you think you’re leaving?” He took off his gloves and tucked them into the back of his waistband. “Think again.”

Jesus please us, now Brett was going to give him shit. With a sigh, he pulled his boot out of the stirrup and faced his brother. “Ethan just tried to shove off his breaking duty on me.”

“So? You don’t have a wife at home who keeps getting sick. Ethan’s trying to take care of her and do his own branding. You and I are the only fools left on this ranch without a woman to go home to.” Brett sounded angry, which was about the only time Trevor heard more than four words come from Brett’s mouth.

“Don’t preach at me, Brett. I know exactly what my life is like.”

Brett snorted. “Your life is about pleasure and how much of it you can find.”

“Who are you to judge me?” Trevor stepped toward him, anger and frustration making him see red. “You probably never even fucked a woman before.”

He barely saw Brett move, but he certainly felt the hammer fist slam into his jaw. His ass hit the ground so hard, his teeth vibrated.

“I’m sick of your shitty attitude and of you thinking about yourself, Trevor. Grow up.” Brett grabbed the pitchfork and disappeared back into the barn.

Trevor’s lip throbbed, his ass hurt, and worst of all, his heart hurt. Everyone in his family seemed to think Trevor was there to serve their needs, fill in the gaps wherever and whenever they appeared. Just because he didn’t have a wife of his own didn’t mean he didn’t have a life.

After wiping the muck off his rear end, he mounted his horse, Silver, and galloped away from the ranch. Away from the pressures of being a Malloy, from the constant press of his family. He hoped one of his lady friends was available because Trevor needed a release.

***

Oh yeah, baby! Five more days until The Gift releases from Samhain. Woohoo!!! It’s been four months since a new Malloy book hit the electronic book shelves and man, oh, man am I excited!!!

So, I’m sharing the excitement with everyone. Five days = five winners! I’m looking to give away some goodies and five lucky folks are going to win their own gift!

If you want to play, all you have to do is post a comment on my blog each day. The next morning I pick a winner from the folks that posted during the five days. The more you post the more times your name gets entered! Easy enough, right?

What will you win? Let’s see…

* Day 1 - A set of my bookmarks and a beautiful enamel cowboy boot pin
* Day 2 - A goodie bag of promo items I picked up at RWA including a signed book
* Day 3 - A DVD movie of A John Wayne classic
* Day 4 - A beautiful set of of playing cards in a brushed steel case complete with two decks, a pencil, and pad of paper
* Day 5 - A print copy of choice from The Bounty, The Prize, The Reward, OR The Treasure

Worth playing for? Then come on into my corral and play. Tomorrow I post an exclusive excerpt.

“The Gift” by Beth Williamson
Genre: Western Romance, Red Hots!
ISBN: 1-59998-169-6
Price: $5.50
Length: Novella
Publication Date: November 21, 2006
Cover art by Scott Carpenter

One part gambler, two parts charmer, Trevor Malloy has finally met his match.

Book 5 of the Malloy family series.

Trevor Malloy loves women of all shapes and sizes. When he bets a small fortune on a hand of poker only to lose to a lady gambler he can’t seem to charm, he finds himself beholden to a woman for the first time.

Adelaide Burns refuses to fall under Trevor’s spell and is determined to make him pay every cent he owes her—in muscle and sweat.

Like sparks from flint and rock, Trevor and Adelaide nearly set the sheets on fire. Together they find heaven in each others arms, fight for Adelaide’s saloon, and face a future that only the luck of the cards will tell.

The kerfluffle lately has been about bad reviews and perhaps targeted bad reviews, and in some cases, hate mail. Sybil had a though provoking post about “taking the heat” and in the author arena, there’s been some buzz about bad reviews and such.

So what are my thoughts? Honestly, you get good reviews, you get bad reviews, sometimes you get absolutely shitty reviews. It comes with putting yourself out there in the public. As with any other performer/artist, the public will judge you on their own, without holding your hand or stroking your head. We’re not baby kittens or ducks. We’re authors, adults!

Yes, someone will say I rushed the story, or it’s not believable, or they didn’t like the hero because he had brown hair. There’s always going to be someone who just doesn’t get it, hates it, or even some that want to try to hurt your feelings or career. That’s the nature of the beast, y’all. We are out in the public eye and that gaze can be sharp as a razor. I’m not going to say grow a thick skin or shrug it off, but I will say, accept it and move on.

Yes, I care what readers think - I’d be lying if I said bad reviews don’t hurt. It also feels damn good to have a reader e-mail me and tell me they really liked my book. Not a review site or a professional reviewer, just Jane Public or sometimes John Public. That’s who I love to hear from. You don’t like my book? Tell me it sucked like a lemon. I’m a big girl, I can take it.

Some authors may agree with me, some may think I’ve been smoking something, others may get pissed at me. I just felt like I had to give my two cents to this kerfluffle… and try to deflate it. Move on, peeps, and get back to writing.

Saturday, November 11 from 3 - 4 pm EST, I’m gonna be roasted. Yep, that’s right! It’s a live interview on the Writers Across Time blog. My fellow WAT authors have cooked up a bevvy of questions for me… and I have no idea what they’re going to throw at me!

Come join in the fun and ask me anything you want (okay, not that ). Everyone who drops by gets entered in a contest by the roastee (that would be me) to win a free download of choice!

Writers Across Time blog is here.