A Few of my Favorite Things...

I enjoy a nice glass of wine, a perfect cup of tea, a well cooked meal, but I also love caramel apples.


I'm an English major--twice now because I have a Masters in English--so I love all things written. Everything from Robert Herrick to Edgar A. Poe.


I love exploring new places and revisiting the old ones for the new perspective life shows.




I love my children and their silly laughter.


I love the full moon on a dark winter night.


I love the ocean in the depths of a storm.


I love to dance under a midsummer sky.



What do you love?

Give It Away

A few giveaways going on...

And I'd like for all of you to have an opportunity to enter!



This first giveaway is one I'm hosting for the Mystery We Write Blog Tour.


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Best of Luck!!

And thank you for stopping by. I love the company.

Smiles from Montana,
Rionna

The Black Friday Blog Hop!

I know you're super busy and can't stay long...so I'll keep it short!  What I'm about to tell you is not my story.  It is one a dear friend of mine told me.  But, I just have to share.

Years ago on Black Friday, my boyfriend and I were all set to buy a new game console.  We'd gotten up super early.  Traipsed out in the snow, foregoing breakfast, and huddle against the edge of the store waiting for the doors to open.

Hours passed.  We were starving, but thrilled to have our spot in the line. First Place!!  A few minutes before the opening time, four little old ladies hobbled up.  With their sweet eyes and shivering limbs, we felt sorry for them and let them go ahead of us.  

The doors opened, and I helped the littlest, oldest lady near me into the warm light, feeling so good about my big heart and giving soul.

As soon as she was inside, she ripped her arm away, grabbed the nearest shopping cart, nodded to her three other friends...and they were off like a crazed pack of wolves. Their white hair swishing, their glass chains clinking.  

They beat us to the electronic section, barricaded the aisle and loaded two consoles each into their carts.  By the time we got there, anything we wanted was gone and so were they.  Only their Wind Song perfumed scent lingered.

So while you're out there searching for the best deals to be found...beware of four little old ladies.




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Want more hopping??  More Blogs Here!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Me...a million years ago.  I was 17.

Life Lessons of a Rodeo Queen

Today is a day of thankfulness and peace. Today is a day of too much food and not enough stomach.

Today is the day when everything around us becomes the wild crazy land of --the holidays are here!  What are we going to do?!  I am not ready!

Well, I'm never ready.  I work best under pressure anyway, so it's nothing new to me.

But what I've learned is that the most precious thing I can do today and each day throughout the insanity of the holiday season is to just take a moment.

Take a moment to sip my tea and watch the snow fall outside my window.

Take a moment and listen to the laughter of my children.

My Mother...she was the age I am now...37.

Take a moment and think of those who aren't sitting with me this year: my brother, my father, my mother.  And wish them well in the realm beyond ours.

Take a moment and relish the insanity. It is wild, really.  The new puppy is zipping here and there.  The two year old is running into things--on purpose.  The six year old is too busy reading to help sweep the floor.  The ten year old is so busy being a busy body, she forgets and puts the milk in the pantry.  The nineteen year old is so wrapped up in his world that he forgets what day it is.

The husband--he's trying very hard to pick up the slack--but is sent to watch football instead.

And me, well, I am sitting at the table waiting for the last pie to get finished. Drinking tea and watching the snow fall on the mountains of Montana.  I am taking that moment.

The last big snowfall...the view from my deck.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for you. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me notes.  Thank you for sharing pieces of your world with me.  I love to laugh with you.

Slainte!


What moments do you cherish this time of year?

My Kind of Wonderland

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

I love books that are filled with dark and twisty deeds, liars and deceitful villains.  I also love books that have strong, brave heroes and heroines who are beautiful, intelligent and save themselves.

The books I write are filled with just those kinds of people.  Kate, in The Wanting Heart, faces a villain who's quietly terrifying.  Sarah, in Love's Justice, faces a mysterious villain who has a great capacity for killing.  And both these ladies are amazing.  They use their intelligence and quick thinking to direct their own destinies and fulfill their own wishes.  Now I can get into a book like that!!  That is my kind of Wonderland...how about you?

Amazon Buy Link!

Amazon Buy Link!

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To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


As well as giveaways at dozens of individual blogs, there will also be 3 grand prizes!!  One Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift certificate for $100!!! And two gift certificates for $50 each!! Every blog comment you leave during the hop is entered into a drawing to win one of the grand prizes. Every comment will be entered in the drawing, so leave a comment on every blog for the best chance to win!!

A Wanting Heart Wonderland

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write my wonderland is filled with dark and twisty deeds, but they also have this:

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From The Wanting Heart... 

Blake couldn't listen to another word. Holding her body, even in anger, was too much for him. Her words were crushed against her mouth as his lips covered hers. He lifted her off her feet, molding her body to his. She'd been nineteen the last time he kissed her. Her body had grown and filled out since then. But he wasn't thinking of that. He wasn't thinking of anything, but how damn good it felt to just hold her, kiss her. Begging for her surrender, he stroked his hands over her hips, up her back, and fisted them in her hair.

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To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!


As well as giveaways at dozens of individual blogs, there will also be 3 grand prizes!!  One Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift certificate for $100!!! And two gift certificates for $50 each!! Every blog comment you leave during the hop is entered into a drawing to win one of the grand prizes. Every comment will be entered in the drawing, so leave a comment on every blog for the best chance to win!!

A Texas Waterfall Wonderland

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write my wonderland is filled lies and deceit, but they also have desire and romance.

Amazon Buy Link

From Love's Justice ...

He knew a spot in the water that was perfect for his height and perfect for her body. He scooped her up and drew her legs around him. He kissed her until her body pleaded with his for release. Then he stepped in the water. It was warm as it covered them. It was like the punch of desire he’d felt the first moment he saw her was flowing over his skin, enveloping him.

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To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!

A Dark and Twisty Wonderland!

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write, my wonderland is filled with dark and twisty deeds!

Amazon Buy LInk!

In The Wanting Heart the heroine, Kate doesn't plan on finding solace in a charming stranger's smile or falling victim to his knife. Blake Spencer, the man who broke her heart, is all cowboy - from the hat on his head to the dust on his boots. He thought it'd be easy, coming back to town, bowing his head a little, saying he was sorry, and all would be forgiven. But what he didn't know, what he didn't plan on, was that the girl he thought he loved had become the woman he couldn't have. If he doesn't succeed in changing her mind, it won't only cost him Kate's love - it will cost Kate her life.

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To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!

Six Sentence Sunday!

From Love's Justice
Available Now! from Crimson Romance.

Purchase Link on Amazon

“What if I didn’t go as a snoopy reporter?” Justin closed the small space, successfully trapping Sarah between the refrigerator and the counter. “And just went as a man with you on vacation?” With a smooth shift of his body, he slid into an amazing fit against her.

Sarah drew in a quick breath. The air-cooled kitchen suddenly became a furnace. 

If you are a writer--aspiring or published--and would like to be involved with Six Sentence Sunday, 

feel free to visit the Six Sentence Sunday Home.

A Wonderland of Lies & Deceit!

Crimson Romance
Wonderland Blog Hop!

In the books I write, my wonderland is filled lies and deceit.

Amazon Buy Link

In Love's Justice Sarah and Justin unravel a plot more complex and sinister than they expected. They pursue a trail of deceit and corruption to a women’s prison in Alabama, a centuries old hotel in Georgia, and a family ranch in Texas. Nothing is simple or as it seems. This unlikely duo will find more than they ever hoped to - in the prison, in their own backyards, and in each other’s arms.

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To Visit More of the Crimson Wonderland "Hop" Spots! Click Here!

Thank you for stopping by!  And Happy Wonder-Hopping!!

We All Have One

Life Lessons From a Rodeo Queen

Growing up, I always felt like I was special. When people would ask me where I was from, I would proudly announce that I was an Army Brat, thinking that was unique.  I’m from all over.

But, as I’ve traveled and lived and made friends all over, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one to have a soldier in my life. We all have one.

This thought comes to mind today especially because I recently traveled to Washington DC to bury one of my soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Source: flickr.com via Rionna on Pinterest

This soldier is a Marine, a brave, strong man who fought for his country and continued to give his life in so many ways—long after the war in Vietnam was over. I don’t really know how to find the words to express the loss we all feel over his passing. 

The only way I know how, is to honor his life, his dedication. He dedicated his life to the men and women who wear the uniform. He understood, that it is a difficult thing to go from carrying a gun, following orders and protecting a nation to sitting at a family picnic on a sunny Sunday afternoon. He tried in every way he knew how to assist those men and women who come back home, but still fight the battle in their mind, in their heart, everyday. 

And we all have one: a brother, a sister, a friend, a mom, a dad…a somebody who wears our country’s colors with pride. I know I have many readers from other parts of the world…and I’m sure you have one too: the soldier, your soldier who wears the colors of your country with pride. The one who marches the paths we will never have to. The boy in boots, the girl in camouflage…the people who stand at the gates and keep us safe from harm. 

  And to my soldier, I say, “Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of courage. Ooh-rah!!”

Papa's Brick at the National Museum of the Marine Corps

Win a Piece of Montana - November Giveaway

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Big Sky, Montana

All across this great state of mine there are craftsmen and women who carve their livelihoods from their imaginations. They do this to illustrate the love they have for the state they live in, and the pride they have for the people who are their neighbors. I would like to share some of that pride with you.

Thank you for sharing the beautiful Montana with me.  And Good Luck!!