Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Excerpt - The Reluctant Cowgirl by Christine Lynxwiler

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.20.2009

The Reluctant Cowgirl
by
Christine Lynxwiler


Actress Crytal McCord gave up the closeness of her big family in order to make a name for herself on the New York City stage. But when life in the Big Apple turns sour, she follows a country road back to her parents Arkansas ranch.

The last thing she expects to find in cowboy country is a new leading man. Still, she can't help but imagine handsome rancher Jeremy Buchanan in the role.

Unfortunately, Jeremy's been burned by Crystal's type before. Or has he? Every time he thinks he knows her, the multi-faceted woman surprises him. Will the reluctant pair allow their hearts to guide them, or will their common stubborn pride keep them miles apart?

Buy from Christianbook.com
Buy from Amazon.com

Excerpt of chapter one:




Reluctant Cowgirl




Barbour Publishing (April 2009)






Chapter One



“Mark my words. Someday Julia Roberts will be bragging that Broadway star Crystal McCord used to serve her sandwiches.”

“Right, Mia,” Crystal drawled into the phone as she looked out the dingy cab window at the small theater. Distance-wise, the green awning was a stone’s throw from Broadway. But on days like this, that stone seemed to weigh a ton. “Julia Roberts came into the diner one time, and I was so nervous I messed up her order. I can’t really see her bragging about knowing me. Besides, you’re my agent. You have to say that.”

The cabbie made a left and swung around to the back of the building. Crystal balanced the cell phone against her cheek and fished his fare from her purse.

“You’re too modest. Why do you think I took you on?” Part of Mia’s magic as an agent was her supreme confidence in her clients. She counted on it being contagious. And usually it was. “Look. You’re a fantastic actress. If this play hadn’t closed so quickly—”

“My daddy always said ‘if’ is the biggest little word in the English language.” Crystal put her hand to her mouth. Where had that come from? Apparently her brother’s email had made her more homesick than she’d realized. And that’s why she had to put it out of her mind for now.

“Yes, well,” Mia replied, without missing a beat or questioning the quote, “your daddy isn’t in show biz. Here we deal in ‘ifs’ on a daily basis. And like I was saying, IF this play hadn’t closed so quickly, it would have been your fast track to Broadway.”

A weary smile lifted Crystal’s lips. “Fast track?”

At least Mia had the grace to laugh. “You and I both know you’ve put in a hard six years here. But the media loves an overnight success. So when you do hit Broadway with a bullet, we’ll spin it that way.”

“Almost seven years actually. And I wish I had your confidence.”

The cab driver eased his car up to the back door of the theater and stopped.

“Closing nights are always tough.” Sympathy laced Mia’s voice. “Just get through tonight. I’ve got leads on several auditions. You’ll have a new play by next—” Mia gasped. “Crys, listen to this late review I just found.”

Crystal shifted her hand, preparing to flip the phone shut. “I’ll have to read it after the performance. I’m here. Besides, good or bad, I’d rather not hear it right now.”

Mia sighed loudly. “Fine. Spoilsport. Call me later. Oh, and Crystal?”

“Yeah?”

“Break a leg.” Mia snickered at her own tired joke.

“Haha.” Crystal closed the phone and shook her head. Why had she ever told Mia how sick she got of hearing that?

The cabbie cleared his throat.

Her gaze jerked to meet his impatient eyes in the mirror. “Sorry.” She dropped her phone back into her bag, fumbled his fare into his hand, and jumped out. “Thanks.”

Crystal waited for an oncoming cab to pass then crossed the street. She jumped as the cab honked at the car in front of it. An answering honk came quickly. She wove her way around a parked moving van.

She was always amazed by how easily plays came and went. Two weeks ago, Making a Splash had opened to great expectations. Then the bad reviews had started. As a supporting actress, she’d been lucky enough to escape mention by name, but guilt by association was bad enough.

The aroma of fresh-cooked hotdogs drifted to her from the small vendor by the door and her stomach growled. She nodded to the white-capped man.

He gave her a toothless grin. “Half-price for you,” he called.

She laughed. “You only say that because you know I don’t eat before the show.”

He sent her a broad wink. “When the curtains close, the cost doubles.”

“I’ll have to take my chances.” Today she bantered almost on automatic pilot. She just felt so tired inside. With two fingers she caressed the tiny daisy pendant that hung around her neck. Brad had picked a fine time to be a no-show. Some wannabe fiancé he was. As if on cue, her purse vibrated. She stepped over to the edge of the sidewalk and retrieved her phone from the big red bag. She pressed a button to read the text message. Text me later if you want me to meet you for the cast party.

She started to hit reply, but accidentally landed on the message that had irritated her an hour ago. Helping Dennis move tonight. Don’t freak out. After all, I saw opening night and you were great. Break a leg.

Her lips tightened and she shoved her phone back into her purse. She could text him at intermission and he’d have plenty of time to make it for the cast get-together. Right now, she needed to concentrate on the show.


“It’s been nine months.” Jeremy Buchanan slammed his fist on the old oak table and pushed to his feet. “Why can’t we find her?”

Sam gave him an uneasy look and stood. “Being patient is never easy. This time it was a dead-end lead. But next time. . .”

Jeremy stared at the private investigator whose Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Shame coursed through him. The situation he was in was no one’s fault but his own. Yet here was a grown man half-afraid of him. He nodded and slapped Sam. . .gently. . .on the shoulder. “I’m sure next time will be different. I appreciate your not giving up.”

Sam nodded, but Jeremy was pretty sure he didn’t imagine a bit of hurry in the man’s step as he let the screen door slam behind him.

Jeremy crossed the kitchen and stood by the cordless phone waiting for the call he knew was coming. Five, four, three, two, one, he counted down. The phone chimed loudly and he lifted it off the cradle and hit the TALK button. “Hi, Mom.”

“Actually, it’s me,” a deep voice said, embarrassment evident.

Jeremy couldn’t resist a sad grin. That had been the way for forty years. His mom had always suckered his dad into doing her dirty work. “Oh. Hi, Dad. Sorry.”

“That’s okay. Your mom—”

Jeremy heard a murmur in the background.

“We. . .” His dad cleared his throat. “We wanted to know what you found out.”

“Nothing. Dead end.”

The silence on the phone line hurt almost as bad as the news from the P.I. had.

“I figured it was.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“Hang on, your mom wants to talk to you.”

Jeremy tightened his fingers on the phone.

“Jeremy?”

“Hi, Mom. Sorry the news isn’t better.”

“Don’t give up hope, son. God hears our prayers.”

Jeremy nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “I know.”

“Your dad wants to know if you want to come over for supper.”

“Nah, I’ve got soup in the refrigerator. I think I’ll read a while and turn in early tonight. I promised Jonathan I’d check the hay crop in his bottom field and see if the cold snap the other night got it. But you better have coffee ready when I get done with that,” he teased half-heartedly.

“Yeah, we know how cranky you are without your caffeine.” Her teasing was as forced as his, but at least she tried. “See you then. Love you.”

“Y’all too.”

Crystal slipped inside the backstage area. She closed her eyes and let the familiar smell of turpentine and the noise of sound checks calm her like a cup of chamomile tea. She might be tired, but there was no denying her love for the theater.

“Crystal?”

She jerked her eyes open.

Zee, the stage director, frowned at her, his gold eyebrow hoop lifting. “You okay?”

She smiled. “I am. It’s just been a long day, and you know closing nights are always rough.”

“Hmph,” he grunted. “Especially when they’re forced on you. But you’ll be great. Just like always.” She was surprised he didn’t ruffle her hair. He wasn’t much older than she was, but in spite of the fact that she was twenty-five, most of the show people still treated her like she was a teenager. The joys of being short.

“Thanks, Zee. You’re sweet.”

“Tell that to Tink. I need all the help I can get with her.” A grin flitted across his tan face, the long scar from his ear to his chin puckering slightly.

“I’ll put in a good word for you.” Crystal laughed and hurried into the crowded dressing room.

Her friend and castmate, Tina, or “Tink” as Zee called her, waved from an empty station. She ran both hands through her dark spiky hair and finished with her arms straight up in the air in a ta-da motion. “There you are.”

Crystal motioned toward Tina’s hair. “Turquoise, huh? Cool.”

Tina fluffed her multi-colored spikes. “Yeah, thanks.”

Every few weeks, Tina’s highlights changed color. Tonight, they matched her blouse and her eyeshadow.

“I’m all done with my hair and makeup. Want me to do yours?”

“Thanks. I’d love that.” Crystal sank onto the chair and closed her eyes.

Tina briefly massaged her shoulders. “Girl, you’re tighter than a fiddle string tonight,” she said, in her thick Texas drawl.

“I know.” Crystal sighed and tried to relax.

Tina’s hands flew as she brushed through Crystal’s shoulder-length hair. “Why do I think that sigh isn’t all because the play’s closing?”

Crystal jerked her head up to meet the woman’s gaze in the mirror.

The heavy black eyeliner around Tina’s eyes didn’t hide the compassion there. “What’s wrong?”

Crystal shrugged. “Nothing really.”

Tina snorted. “Nothing, my foot.”

Those blue eyes never missed a trick. Crystal sighed again. “Isn’t it enough that the play is closing? And that you, Zee, and I will have to try to find another job Monday? What if we don’t get one together?”

Tina grabbed a folded-up newspaper and stuffed it into Crystal’s bag. “I know you don’t want to see it now, but read it after the show.”

Crystal laughed. “Must be some review. First Mia, now you.” She held up her hand. “But you’re right. I don’t want to know.”

Tina snatched a pick off the counter and attacked Crystal’s hair, artfully styling it into the homeless look necessary for the first scene. “Don’t worry, we’ll get a gig together. You audition where you want to and we’ll tag along. We’ve done it before. What else?”

“Brad texted to tell me he couldn’t make it tonight. Something came up.”

Tina shrugged. “Wedding-Proposal Ken can’t make it tonight, huh? That’s a little irritating, and you know the right answer to his question anyway, you just don’t want to admit it. I’m pretty sure there’s something bigger wrong, unless I’m way off-base.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Crystal’s mouth, but she was careful not to show it. Tina got a kick out of calling Brad “Ken” as in “Ken and Barbie” but other than that, she had good instincts. In every way.

Tina paused with the teasing comb above Crystal’s head. “Might as well tell me, you know you want to.”

“Maybe you need to go to work for one of those psychic hotlines,” Crystal drawled.

“Very funny. You know I don’t believe in that mumbo jumbo. I just know you. Nice try changing the subject though. And if you really don’t want to talk about it, far be it from me to be pushy.”

Crystal grinned. “Pushy? You?” She considered taking the out. But Tina was her safety valve and right now she really needed that. “I got an email from Aaron.”

Tina tapped her lip with the comb and stared at the ceiling for a second. Then her gaze met Crystal’s in the mirror again. “Aaron. Got married a couple months ago. Right?”

“You amaze me.”

She shrugged. “I don’t have any family but my grandpa to keep up with. So keeping your six brothers and sisters straight is a challenge. Besides, it was an event worthy of you going home for a visit. That, in itself, is rare enough to make me remember it.”

“I visit.” Crystal heard the defensiveness in her voice, but she couldn’t seem to help it. “Holidays are a bad time to get away in this business. You know that.”

Tina opened her mouth then shut it again. She took a deep breath and smiled. “So what did Aaron have to say?”

Crystal closed her eyes for a second as she remembered the email. “He and Bree have gotten a chance to move to inner-city Chicago for a year and do some mission work with at-risk boys.”
“Ah, that’s sweet.” Tina slapped Crystal’s arm. “Too bad they don’t want to move to the Big Apple. We could use a little more gospel around here, don’t ya think?”

Crystal nodded absently. “I guess.” Tina and Zee were always trying to get her to go to church with them. In a way, that was probably what had drawn her to them in the beginning. Even though she’d quit going to church when she moved to the city, she still believed in God. She just wasn’t sure He cared about people who had turned their backs on Him. “This is a special houseparent program that Aaron and Bree have a chance to participate in.”

“Good for them.”

Crystal looked in the mirror at the dark smudges under her eyes. “Aaron was twelve and just about to initiate into a Chicago gang when his grandmother died and we got him. So he feels a strong need to do this. Stop boys from getting into gangs. Provide a place where people care about them and give them boundaries.”

Tina smiled. “And introduce them to Jesus.”

Crystal ignored her comment. “Anyway, Aaron called a family meeting for tomorrow.”

“You going?”

Crystal snorted. “To Arkansas? I’ll be auditioning and you know it.”

“On Saturday?”

“All next week. It would be a waste to just fly there and fly back. Not to mention annihilating my tiny savings.”

“So everyone but you is going to be there.”

She shrugged. “Probably. But they know I can’t make it.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Tina muttered. Before Crystal could respond, she spoke in a normal voice. “So what’s the problem with Aaron leaving?”

“He’s Dad’s right hand man.”

“Don’t some of your other sisters and brothers live nearby?”

“Yeah, but they’re busy with their own lives. Aaron’s been the main one who takes care of the cattle. And Mama and Daddy are going on an overseas trip in a week. I think he’s afraid they’ll cancel.”

“Mission trip?” Tina asked, her voice dry, as she deftly started on makeup.

Crystal nodded. “With a second honeymoon tacked on for good measure.”

“Honeymoon or no honeymoon, your family’s so holy, the Hallelujah Chorus must burst out spontaneously every time they’re together. I bet they bug you worse than we do about going to church.”

Crystal frowned. “Not really so much.”

“It’s not because they’ve given up on you, honey,” Tina drawled as she smoothed in the foundation on Crystal’s face.

Heat spread from Crystal’s neck to her face. Tina had an uncanny way of taking the words right out of Crystal’s mind and speaking them aloud. She glanced in the mirror and cringed inwardly. Not much chance her embarrassment would escape unnoticed since the pale makeup clashed violently with her red face.

Tina made no comment about the color change. “Your biggest sin is you’re too hard on yourself.”

“I’m not hard on myself.”

“Yeah, and I’m not from Texas,” Tina drawled as she unfastened the Velcro at Crystal’s neck and whipped the white cape off her with a flourish. “Ta-da. The most beautiful homeless woman I’ve ever seen.”

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

My first hand-spun yarn!

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.22.2010 Since late December, I have been learning how to spin wool into yarn using a drop spindle. Yes! It’s true, I have gone totally Amish/old school. (No offense to any Amish or old school people. I mean that in the nicest way.) I don’t know why I suddenly decided to learn to spin. Or if I did know why, I’ve forgotten (I probably explained it to Captain Caffeine at some point, but now I don’t remember what excuse I gave to him). Not having any yarn shops nearby that teach spinning, I bought a Cascade spindle online and some really soft, silky merino wool roving from Etsy.com. I read all kinds of online articles and watched youtube videos. And I spun my first yarn! Here it is! It’s a lace weight yarn (about 30 wraps per inch), since I like using finer gauge yarns over bulkier yarns. It’s rather uneven (although it’s not as easy to tell in the picture) and I didn’t ply it very well, but I made it all by myself! Captain Caffeine does not...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Behind the Scenes: Original Cover

Prelude for a Lord (the extended version) releases on Amazon on December 2! You can buy it early at a discount from my website . (Want to join my Launch Team ?) The current cover is actually the second version of the cover for this book. Here’s what the original cover from my publisher, Zondervan, looked like. The original stock photo was of a blonde woman, and when I pointed out the error, the graphic designer at Zondervan did a nice job coloring her hair brown. For the new cover, I kept the orange and blue colors but chose a model in profile rather than with her entire face hidden. This new re-release is an extended version of the original book. Zondervan had a strict word count of 100,000 words, but my original manuscript was 120,000 words, so I had to cut 20,000 words. But when I got my rights back and started planning to re-release it, I realized I could release the original manuscript before it was cut. So the version coming out is the uncut, extended version. ...

Kickstarter postponed (yes, again!) and book release news

My family was a bit stressed while I was visiting my parents (I promise, it wasn’t me!) and so I decided to postpone my Kickstarter. It has changed my book release schedule, and so I’ll be releasing Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster hopefully next month? It has also allowed me to figure out when book 8 will be released. Check out my (rather lengthy) explanation on my Patreon . (You’ll need to set up a free Patreon account if you don't have one.) Read when my books are coming out: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113452442/

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...