Meet the Authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 - Roxanne Rustand and Magdalena Scott

A Christmas in Montana

Roxanne Rustand

A Christmas in Montana is my novella in this year’s Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 anthology.  I’ve written over thirty-five contemporary romance books now, often set in small towns or ranch country.  Since I love the Rockies and grew up with horses and lots of other animals, I love incorporating those elements into my stories. A Christmas in Montana is a loosely connected preview for my Heart of the Rockies series, which thus far includes full-length sweet romance titles Comeback Cowboy and A Montana Legacy.  But more are coming!

Though I grew up in the Upper Midwest, I love writing about ranches, cowboys and veterinarians and have used those elements in a number of my books.   I got my first horse at the age of six, and in our small Minnesota town it was like giving a child car keys, because off I went riding bareback through winter spring, summer and fall, every day, with friends who also had horses. What a Tom Sawyer experience that was.  That whole distant, western suburb of the Twin Cities is now highly developed into beautiful homes—the lakes, hills and abundance of trees made it perfect for that.  But back in the 1960s it was still undeveloped, with quiet roads.  I grew up swimming my horse in the lakes, riding all day long, having adventures, and perhaps it’s a miracle that I survived them all! Looking back, I’m amazed that my parents gave me all that freedom, but times were different then and I wouldn’t change these experiences for anything!

I also began showing, eventually upgrading my horses with whatever money I could save, then moved into raising, training and showing quarter horses.  After marriage, my husband and I raise quarter horses, some paints, and then thoroughbreds for several decades before finally dispersing our breeding stock.  We’ve never been without horses, though...our kids had them while growing up and we still have three.  Just doing chores and seeing them in the pasture makes me feel so at peace.  So, when I do write contemporary romance set in the West—on a ranch, or somewhere in the Rockies, I get to write about the kind of life I love.  I hope you will enjoy reading A Christmas in Montana!

 For those who leave a comment, there will be a drawing for a free copy for Comeback Cowboy!

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A Cowboy for Christmas

Magdalena Scott

A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS (Serendipity, Indiana--Book 9) features Hannah Kincaid. Her twin sister, Taylor, is the heroine in Book 8, ONCE UPON A TIME. 

In Taylor's story we eventually learn that Hannah has her eye on a certain tall, tanned cowboy. Just out of college, the twins are living with their parents and working local jobs while searching for something better. Below is a snippet in Taylor's point of view, when she first gets an inkling that her twin is hiding something. 

Upstairs, we lounged in my room. Hannah was pleased about Ken changing my hours. “Now you’ll understand what it’s like to have a real job. That eleven a.m. start was a joke.”

I took one of Opal’s diaries out of the trunk. “I’m going to save every penny toward our place in the city. You are too, right?”

Hannah looked away, back to the laptop she had been staring at. That was suspicious.

“What are you doing?” I peered over her shoulder before she could move to another tab.

“Horses? Why are you reading about horses? Is Francie starting a trail ride service through the tree farm?” B&B guests stayed in miniature cabins secluded in the Christmas trees. It was quaint and seriously dull, but the new-ish addition to the farm seemed to be doing really well for the Standish family. Francie was energetic, and since taking over the farm operation from her mom, she’d added a fall festival. So the trail ride idea wasn’t unbelievable.

“Won’t that be a mess when people swarm all over the farm on foot, in December?” I shivered at the idea of stepping in horse-stuff while looking for a Christmas tree. Or dragging the tree along, and then-smoosh.

Hannah slammed her laptop shut. “No, Francie isn’t starting trail rides. You don’t know everything I’m interested in, Taylor. Just because we’re out of school doesn’t mean we stop learning about stuff.”

Whoa. Somebody was defensive. “I’m just surprised. Didn’t know you ever did research that wasn’t about celebrities or fashion.”

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “I’m evolving.”

Then I knew. “Okay, who’s the guy? Let me guess—somebody who works for Francie commutes on his horse.”

Her face was red. “Of course not.” She knew it was pointless to try to keep holding me off. We could never keep secrets from each other. In a way it felt like being untrue to ourselves to be less than fully honest with our twin. That was inconvenient sometimes. For Hannah, now was one of those times.

 ~End of Excerpt~

 Find ONCE UPON HERE: 

iBooks: http://apple.co/2r8GsNe
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2qras5u
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qve1Ho
Nook: http://bit.ly/2r8eFwm

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Find SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 4 here:
Amazon: http://a.co/600caJ1
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xgU0sG
Google: http://bit.ly/2viH7g4
B&N: http://bit.ly/2g8xyO8
Tunes: http://apple.co/2ykC8NM

RE-Introduction: Magdalena Scott

Hi there! Here's installment number (I have no idea) in our group's April re-introduction theme. 

I’m a lifelong “small town girl,” having grown up in a corner of the Midwest that most people have never heard of, let alone visited. I’m also a USA Today Bestselling author of small town sweet romance and women’s fiction.

If each of our lives is a book, I’m in the second chapter of mine.

In the first chapter, I grew up in a loving family, made lifelong friendships starting when I was one year, two months, and three days old. (That's when the next girl cousin was born. I'm an only child, and my cousins are super important to me.) I fell in love with writing stories as soon as I learned cursive. My first publishing credit was in second grade–a haiku in a national Sunday school magazine.

I was blessed to live my own small town love story, and during 30 years of marriage to the smartest, most unique man I’ve ever met, became Mom to a wonderful son. The end of chapter one was becoming a widow when my husband died from a brain tumor.

Add Minimalist-in-Training to my Resume

My second chapter has included downsizing from the big family home to a studio apartment, writing full-time,  and becoming mother-in-law to an amazing young woman. I also found a second chance romance. (It's good to know those don’t just happen in novels!)

I love to travel, and in autumn 2015 took an unexpected, dream-come-true trip to Ireland with one of those lifelong friends I mentioned. But my full-time residence is still in small town America, where life in the slow lane includes plenty of heartwarming, simple pleasures–concerts, plays, festivals, street fairs, and old-fashioned family recipes shared at reunions or backyard barbecues. I’ve seen my town be at its best when family, friends, and often the entire community pull together as life’s challenges threaten.

I currently have two small town contemporary romance series available for readers. All the books are wholesome romance (also known as clean, or sweet).

The heartwarming stories of SERENDIPITY, INDIANA: This series is set in, and around, the Standish family Christmas tree farm. Each Serendipity story includes one or more instances of the life-changing magic of Love. (More concrete thinkers may see these as random coincidences.) The Serendipity series contains sweet romance, and also romantic women’s fiction (Emily’s Dreams, The Blank Book). The Blank Book and A Piece of Her Soul also have a light paranormal element. Seven books are available now, with the eighth scheduled to release on June 1st.

The small town charm of THE McCLAINS OF LEGEND, TENNESSEE: This series invites readers into the lives and loves of the large, sometimes exasperating, and always entertaining McClain family, to whom Legend has been home for generations.

If you want to learn more about me, please visit my blog and/or my website. To get all the latest news, and the occasional nifty perk, sign up for my monthly-ish newsletter.

Until we meet again–happy reading!

Magdalena

Surprise visit ~ by Magdalena Scott

Last week I received a phone call from one of my husband’s cousins. She and her hubby were in town, and wanted to get together for a little visit. This was a delightful surprise because (a) they live in California, and I had no idea they were in Indiana, (b) since becoming a widow, it’s a treat for me to still be included in such things, and (c) these people are so incredibly interesting!

Making sure they didn’t mind climbing a long staircase, and that they weren’t drastically allergic to cats, I directed them to my abode. My giant closet was—and still is--in a sad state of explosion, so I didn’t give them the entire tour of the place. They did, however, get the current complete tour of standing in the center of my studio apartment. Yes, the whole tour, including up and down the stairs, takes just a few minutes. (As an aside, I am happy to report that Attila was more pleasant than usual. Evidently he was having an off evening.) 

After the tour we went back down the stairs and walked a couple of blocks to one of the nearby restaurants where we had a long talk and delicious supper. 

What a wonderful visit! They have been several places this summer, learning lots of new things and becoming reacquainted with family they don’t see often. Talking with them made me feel the same way I feel when I read their Christmas letters: They have a full and happy life because they love learning, travel, and people. 

No matter where we are, it’s the reaching out and really taking time with others that matters, isn’t it? Which is why I spent a few minutes just now playing Ice Cube Hockey across the hardwood floor with Attila. I hope he’s keeping track of these life lessons!

Magdalena

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Magdalena Scott writes sweet romance in small town settings. You can find her on her website, blog "Welcome to Magdalenaville," Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.