I really do love October. Long shadows. Chilly mornings. Blankets on the bed! Pure bliss. Plus, I can sit in my office with the windows open—no horrible smoke from distant fires!

And, I’ve been having fun with my cover re-designs. Check out these two versions of Black Hills Billionaire. I purposely made them distinctly different to see which clearly grabs you.

Remember your vote enters you in this week’s extra drawing.

Inside the Wine, Women, and Words Book Club

The “Book Club” aspect of the Black Hills Rendezvous series was important to me for several reasons:

1. It showcases the heroines of the series on their own, interacting in their community and with their peers.

2. It was a great way to bring up “back story,” motivation, and conflict in individual books.

3. It was handy for introducing new characters—and keeping readers up-to-date on previous leads

For example:

1. From Black Hills Bad Boy

       Kat looked at Libby for help.
       Char was a dear friend, but men were immediately suspect in her book until they proved themselves worthy. And since Libby—-mother confessor of them all--had been in California at the time of this fiasco, Kat had turned to Char for help in deciding what to do about Jack.
       “The fact that Jack played along and didn’t blow her cover makes him somewhat heroic, doesn’t it?” Libby asked. “He could have pulled out an imaginary six-gun and started a real showdown.”
       Jenna and Char looked at each other as though completely lost. “He carries a gun?”
       “Isn’t that against the law?”
       Kat knew it was time to get the Wine, Women and Words book club back on track. She reached for the talking stick—-a gnarled, venerable limb that had been with them since the beginning—and rapped it on the floor. The talking stick secured the speaker’s right to be heard without interruption. Unfortunately, the sound was muffled by old shag carpeting, but the motion caught everyone’s attention.
       “About the book…Water For Elephants…didn’t you all love it?”
       Libby nodded with enthusiasm. “I was particularly impressed by how the author was able to pass back and forth between two times—-the past and the present—-with such fluidity.”
       Kat shot her a warning look. There were elements about that night with Jack that she hadn’t told anyone else. Her dream. Mad Jack. The only reason she’d told Libby on the phone that morning was because it had seemed so surreal and she’d been desperate to make sense of what happened. But that didn’t mean she planned to share news of her mental instability with the other members of their group.

2. From Black Hills Native Son

       “I just finished reading this book. I asked a friend for a recommendation for age-appropriate reading material for a guy who was seventeen going on twenty-five. I read it on the airplane. It’s pretty good. What’s not to like about having your own personal dragon?”
       She handed him the hardcover book with the striking cover. “It’s part of a trilogy. If you like it, I’ll buy the rest of the books for you.”
       The young man who was her son studied the back jacket a moment. “Thanks.”
       “You’re welcome.” She started to leave again then stopped. “Hey, I know. I’ll make Eragon my selection for the Wine, Women and Words book club. When it’s my turn to host, you can come and be our guest.”
       “Why me?”
       “Well, first, because I’d like you to meet my friends, and, second, because you’re the target audience of this book. It would be cool to see if your impression is vastly different than ours.”
       He gave a shrug.
       She decided to take that as a yes. “Later, chickadee,” she said. She didn’t know why that nickname felt right, but it did.
       She also really wanted to hug him, but she wasn’t sure he’d be receptive. She settled for giving his hand a quick squeeze. Lame, she knew, and probably cowardly, but hopefully there would be a time in the near future when they could be open and honest with each other.

3. From Black Hills Bachelor

       “You read? Well, duh. Of course you read scripts. But books? For pleasure? Oh, heck, you know what I mean.”
       Morgana nodded as if it were a trick question.
       “Cool. Our book club is squeezing in a second meeting this month because some of us have to head back to California in the very near future, and I’ve heard a rumor that some people think we’ve become a bit elitist and cliquish.” She gave Mac a pointed look. “Would you like to join us?”
       Mac let out a grunt of disgust. “The grapevine in this town has the Internet beat for speed.”
       Morgana looked down as if trying to not laugh. “What book are you reading?”
       “Last Dance at the Jitterbug Lounge,” Jenna answered, her enthusiasm for her new idea obvious. “I have an extra copy you can have.”
       Morgana held up her hand to exchange a high-five with Megan. “I was hoping you’d say that. I read it on the plane.”
       “Seriously?”
       “Shane recommended it as another way to get into Libby’s character.”
       Jenna laughed and looked toward the director’s tent. “I keep forgetting how observant he is.”
       To Morgana, she said, “Then, you’ll come? I’m hosting at my house. Wait. I have a great idea. I’ll give my extra book to Mac to read and he can host. After all, this was his idea. And I think this would be a good story for him. What do you think?”
       Morgana put up her hands in protest. “I don’t know him well enough to say what kinds of books he’d like.”
       Jenna shrugged. “Well, I do.” She tapped her index finger against Mac’s chest. “Stay. I think my copy’s in my tote. And don’t worry about the food. I’ll bring that. You and Morgana can provide the wine. I heard you’re good at that.”

REMINDER: Each book in the series will be 30% off in my Deb Salonen Bookstore the whole month, including the boxed sets. Plus, I’m adding a 3rd weekly drawing winner from readers who like/share any book post about the series on social media or votes for a cover.

Buy HERE! Enter code: BlackHills30 (Valid for the whole month of October.)

Last week's Q&A was: Have you ever attended a professional football, basketball, or baseball game?

I really enjoyed all your answers—especially the lovely walks down memory lane some described. My parents weren’t into sports—unless you include dog races. They used to take me with them to a dog track in Sioux City, Iowa, when I was a little kid. They loved to gamble. I loved the dogs. Of course, I didn’t think about what the poor dogs thought of the whole thing. 😟

Thanks for sharing, everyone!!!

My two randomly selected winners this week are:

Sandi Gaylor
and
Cathy Truman

(Sandi and Cathy congrats. Please email me your pick of either a $5 Starbucks or a $5 Amazon gift card.)

Q&A

This week’s Q&A: It was just announced that William Shatner AKA James T. Kirk will be going into space with Blue Origin next week. Would you take a seat in a space ship if it was offered? Yes or No?

(Two winners will be chosen by random drawing to receive either a $5 Starbucks gift card or a $5 Amazon gift card. Please reply the usual ways:
email or on my DebraSalonenAuthor Facebook page.

Happy reading, my friends.

Deb

Upcoming: Anniversary—on the road, I hope!