Review Roundup: The Mysteries Continue

Double or Nothing
By Meg Mims
Blue Oyster Press, March 2013
$29.66 hardcover, ISBN 1611738989
$8.99 paperback, ISBN 1491081910
$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00BUCU0DY
$2.99 most other e-formats, ISBN 9781301509751
259 pages

Lily Granville adored her uncle from afar for most of her life…until she became his ward following her father’s death. Now the old tyrant keeps her a virtual prisoner in his California mansion, using her as a pawn in a political power struggle. Before her uncle can force her into an arranged marriage, Lily elopes with the Texas rake her uncle forbade her to see again. When her husband is arrested and charged with murder on their wedding night, Lily sets out to prove his innocence…even if she must destroy her uncle and his cronies to do so.

Double or Nothing is the sequel to author Meg Mims’s Spur Award-winning first novel, Double Crossing (Astrea Press, 2011). Texan drifter Ace Diamond, with whom Lily fell in love in the first novel, accepts a payoff from Lily’s uncle to disappear—only to sneak back into Lily’s life after investing his windfall in a dynamite factory. The investment increases Ace’s wealth and social cachet; nevertheless, Lily’s overbearing uncle is not about to let an outsider come between him and the quicksilver mine his niece inherited or the political clout to be gained by Lily’s marriage to the scion of a wealthy, powerful Californio dynasty.

That Lily’s unwelcome fiancé happens to be Ace’s business partner—whose social standing puts him above suspicion in a deadly anarchist plot involving their dynamite—is only the tip of the iceberg in this tightly plotted mystery-thriller. Bad guys abound, and even the good guys don’t look all that savory…but that’s what makes the story spellbinding.

One always holds one’s breath when reading a sequel. Second books sometimes don’t live up to expectations, especially when the previous volume was incredibly strong. Double or Nothing doesn’t suffer from “disappointing sequel syndrome.” While the sexual tension between Lily and Ace is necessarily missing for most of the second book—due to Lily’s inopportune separation from the roguish Ace—the pacing, twists, turns, and surprises in the sequel are as good as, or better than, those that made the first story such a success.

Honestly, if Mims hadn’t segued into writing a more “mainstream” mystery series, she could have forged an entire career around Lily and Ace. The characters and their adventures are reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles in the classic The Thin Man. (Note: Though Hammett never wrote a Thin Man sequel in novel form, he did create the screenplays for two of the 1934 movie’s five sequels.)

Come home to the Old West, Meg, and bring Lily and Ace with you.




Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and an author. She received a review copy of Double or Nothing from the author. Her opinions are her own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily supported by Western Fictioneers or individual members of the organization. Links in the review are for convenience only; they do not produce affiliate revenue.

ON THIS DAY - CARRIE NATION by Meg Mims

On December 27^th, 1900, a dour-faced woman stood before the saloon doors in the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Intimidating at almost six feet tall and 185 pounds, Carrie Nation marched in with a hatchet and began smashing the place—the tables and chairs, the bottles and the mirror behind the bar, until the law arrived and arrested her.

Born Carrie Amelia Moore in November of 1846, to parents George and Mary Campbell Moore of Kentucky—slaveowners—she had little education due to the family’s financial troubles that brought about several moves until settling in Missouri. During the War of Rebellion, she nursed soldiers to health and then married a physician, Dr. Charles Gloyd, who had served with the Union Army. Her husband was also an alcoholic—not unusual, given the culture of the day when babies were given whiskey to quiet them, or worse. Carrie and Charles decided the marriage wasn’t working before they had a daughter, Charlien, on September 27, 1868. Carrie had no need for a divorce, since her husband died the following year.

Carrie married for the second time in 1874. David Nation was an attorney, newspaperman and a minister and almost twenty years older. Together they moved to a cotton plantation in Texas but failed to proper. David began to practice law, and in 1880 Carrie ran a hotel in Columbia owned by the Park family. She attended the Methodist Church and lived at the hotel with her daughter Charlien, her first mother-in-law and her husband’s daughter. David also owned a saddle shop near the hotel, but the family chose to move to Richmond, Texas, to run another hotel. Due to her husband’s involvement in a political feud, they moved to Kansas. David began preaching and Carrie took on another hotel to run. But Kansas also had enacted a ban on liquor—with plenty of trouble enforcing the law.

Although Carrie started a chapter of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the group seemed to have little effect on the problem. So Carrie took a personal interest, first using rocks to smash bottles in saloons to protest the lack of enforcement, or singing hymns to patrons going in and out of places serving liquor. She often greeted saloon keepers as “destroyers of men’s souls,” or as “swill-faced, beak-nosed bed mates of Satan.” By 1899 Carrie felt God had called her to step up the work – taking her husband’s advice to use a hatchet for better effect.

Carrie divorced David in 1901, having never had children with him, and continued her campaign either accompanied by other WCTU members or alone. She was often arrested, and her fame grew through her “hatchetations.” She undertook lecture tours and sold small souvenir hatchets for another ten years until her death on June 9, 1911. The WCTU erected a stone to honor her near the unmarked grave in Missouri, with her name spelled as “Carry A. Nation” and “Faithful to the Cause of Prohibition, She Hath Done What She Could.”

Meg Mims is an award-winning author with two western mysteries under her Eastern belt. She lives in Michigan, where the hills are like driveway slopes and trees block any type of prairie winds. LIKE her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or check out her books on her website. Double Crossing won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel and Double or Nothing is the exciting sequel. Her story, "A Savior Is Born," is included in A Wolf Creek Christmas published by Western Fictioneers.

FRIDAY FIVE with MEG MIMS

What, me again? I wrote about My Favorite Western Novel on Sunday -- all about True Grit, so if you missed it, here's the link. Today's post -- more about me. Probably *far* more than you want to know. Bear with me, folks. I ran out of ideas for a topic this month. I'll try to come up with something more interesting in May.

1. The most horrible day of my life was followed by the most exciting day. Usually Christmas is pretty happy and fun, but that year I was three weeks overdue with my first (and only) child. If I'd found a knife, I'd have ripped that watermelon out myself. Instead, I suffered through a sleepless Christmas Eve, waddled to my parents' house and then visited my in-laws Christmas Day. Next day my husband drove me to the hospital  for induction, and the rest is history - but no natural delivery. Ha. I'm very grateful for modern drugs and hospitals. 100 years ago, my daughter and I would never have survived. No way. Now, she's my #1 fan, beta-reader, proofreader and idea-generator. 

2. My favorite food is a cookie... or I should say a handful of cookies. I can't stop at one. Crunchy, plain sugar with icing, chock-full of nuts or M&Ms, or chocolate chips, or cranberries and walnuts, "icebox" or molasses, spiced with cinnamon, gingersnaps, lemon with powdery sugar, shortbread drizzled with chocolate, Christmas cookies of all kinds, Halloween haystacks or spiders - you name it a cookie, I'll try it. Mmmm. With tea or coffee.

3. My favorite car I ever owned was my first -- a pale blue classic Volkswagen Beetle with a sunroof, 1971. Stick-shift, too, so I had to learn to drive it after I'd bought it. No heat to speak of in winter, so I kept a thick wool blanket to spread over my lap and legs, plus kept the ice-scraper handy to scrape the inside windshield so I could see to drive. But summer driving sure was fun! My best friend used to stick her head out the sunroof (while I was driving, of course) and sing at the top of her lungs. Oh yeah. Good times.

4. Something you may not know about me is that I teased my grandmother mercilessly about her nickname. The story? The first grandchild of her oldest daughter (my mother was the baby of the family) couldn't pronounce Grandmother. So she ended up calling her "Mim." By the time I came around, I called her "Mimsy-Pie," which she loathed. I was a brat, what can I say? And I hadn't even read Carroll's Jabberwocky poem! Sooo, yep, you guessed it. When I met my husband and discovered his last name was Mims, I thought long and hard about how you can't mess around with God. He always has the last laugh. Trust me on that. And if anyone calls me Mimsy-Pie, I will smack them upside of the head.

5. I'm a product of the "melting pot" of the late 1800s. My maternal great-grandparents owned a prosperous farm in what is now Detroit, but back then was country. My great-grandmother, Adeline Maddelein (yep, her married name! Her sister-in-law was also stuck with a doozie, Madeline Maddelein), enjoyed having servants and took the interurban to shop in downtown Detroit at Hudson's. After selling the farm to a real estate developer after the turn of the century, they named the street after my great-grandfather. The name may be Belgian-French, we're not sure. My paternal grandfather, born in Kiev, came to America with five languages under his belt.

That must be why I love studying words and slang, and making my heroines wealthy enough to have servants in my books. (wink) Sure... anyway. Hope you weren't bored to dust today! Happy Friday!!

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A mysterious explosion. A man framed for murder. A strong woman determined to prove his innocence.

October, 1869: Lily Granville, heiress to a considerable fortune, rebels against her uncle’s strict rules. Ace Diamond, determined to win Lily, invests in a dynamite factory but his success fails to impress her guardian. An explosion in San Francisco, mere hours before Lily elopes with Ace to avoid a forced marriage, sets off a chain of consequences.

When Ace is framed for murder before their wedding night, Lily must find proof to save him from a hangman’s noose. Will she become a widow before a true wife?

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BOOK VIDEO!

BUY LINKS — Amazon for Kindle and print, B&N for Nook, Smashwords

                          

MY FAVORITE WESTERN NOVEL by MEG MIMS

It's no secret.

My favorite western novel - absolutely favorite - is True Grit by Charles Portis. Why? The authentic dialogue. The in-depth narrative. The action-packed plot. The unique characters, both major and minor. What's not to like?

The novel first came out as a serial edition in The Saturday Evening Post in 1968. And just look at this classic illustration! Clearly this is a gritty heroine. By her dress, a reader knows she's not rich. She's also not pretty, like many of the heroines we see now on book covers. She holds the rifle as if she knows full well how to use it. And she has that determined look in her face. Oh yeah.

TRUE grit.

So what exactly does "true grit" mean? "Unyielding courage in the face of danger, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and & Culture, which has an entire page

devoted to Charles McColl Portis (born in 1933) and considered one of the state's finest writers. His other books haven't sold in the millions like True Grit - and only Norwood was made into a film in 1970, also starring Glen Campbell, after the first version of True Grit came out in 1969. Everyone knows the film earned a Best Actor Oscar for John Wayne's portrayal of Rooster Cogburn.

Michael Cleary considered Portis to be "one of the most inventively comic writers of western fiction" in his essay on the writer, included in Twentieth Century Western Writers (Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1982). I'd have to agree with that, since there are many places I laughed out loud while reading the

book - long after I saw the 1969 movie as a young teen. I discovered, as many know, that the book is far better than the movie. But our culture is becoming far more visual, and a film gives us that expansive view of what the setting is like, and I was mesmerized by the cinematography of the first movie. But it wasn't filmed in Oklahoma - instead, in California and Colorado! It was also far more colorful, while the 2010 movie seemed grittier - and filmed in Texas and New Mexico. Guess Arkansas and Oklahoma weren't available. (wink)

While I enjoyed the Duke's portrayal despite him being far too old for the role, I sensed Kim Darby wasn't right (and I was right) nor was Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf. I didn't consider any of these actors while reading the book - Portis' characterizations contain plenty of strong descriptive passages. The incredible dialogue blew me away. A novel is supposed to sweep the reader off their feet and carry them away into its world. I can attest that when I picked up Portis' novel, True Grit, I became totally immersed in the 1800s setting and eagerly followed Mattie Ross' journey to track her father's killer.

The story is a classic - following the hero's journey (not all stages, but the most important) when Mattie accepts the call to adventure (her decision to track down Chaney), gaining a mentor and ally in Rooster Cogburn, faces tasks and trials (convincing Rooster and LaBoeuf to allow her to join the search, dealing with criminals in the cabin), and surviving a severe challenge (abduction by Ned Pepper's gang, the fall into the snake pit after facing Chaney.) It's a great action plot, with plenty of gunfire - and both the 1969 and 1910 film showed Rooster's hell-bent-for-leather shoot-out with his rival and gang-leader Ned Pepper. Also, Rooster's mercenary ways are redeemed when he saves Mattie from death. I loved it. Totally loved it. It's a book I'd read again and again, like many true classics.

And of course, as many people know, I was inspired to write Double Crossing due to True Grit's "heroine facing a challenge." While I twisted the theme (adding betrayal to Lily's challenge to survive) and utilized the newly opened transcontinental railroad instead of horses, I included some character traits from both Rooster Cogburn and LaBoeuf - rolling them into Ace Diamond. He's a Texan, ex-Confederate, expert fighter with or without weapons, and also courageous despite his mercenary tendencies.

Double Crossing will be re-released in July - with a new cover - but it's available in hardcover large print (as seen on the right) as well as in Audiobook from Audible.com.

I have to give Charles Portis a rousing "yeehaw" for his book's influence. If you haven't read True Grit, I urge you to RUN to the bookstore or switch now via this link and buy it! IMMEDIATELY. And then relax, in a comfy chair by the fire, with a great beverage (your choice) nearby, and READ.

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Meg Mims is an award-winning author and artist. She writes blended genres – historical, western, adventure, romance, suspense and mystery.

Her first book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers of America, was named a Finalist in the Best Books of 2012 from USA Book News for Fiction: Western, and was named a Top 12 Book Pick from The Spiritual Woman. 

Double or Nothing is the sequel. Meg has also written two contemporary romance novellas, The Key to Love and Santa Paws — which reached the Amazon Kindle Bestseller list. She earned an MA from Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program in 2010.

CLEAN FICTION IN THE OLD, DIRTY WEST

When I think of the "Old West," I imagine dirt. Yep. Lots and lots of dirt, dust and cactus and flies. No trees. Flat dry land. Yep, even though that's not the case at all - given the Rockies, the trees along the creeks, the hills and gorgeous prairie flowers, the variety of grasses and habitats... remember RANGO? The dust and dirt in the movie reminded me of "the Old West" image hammered into my brain. I must have watched too many Hollywood movie and TV westerns as a kid!

Mind you, I'm an eastern greenhorn. We have lots and lots of trees. We have dirt, too, but you don't see it much. You gotta dig for it. But the point of my rambling is not the actual dirt, but the "down and dirty." In language. The cuss words that a lot of western characters use in westerns - books, movies, etc. And also HOT stuff - sexy romance, even erotica - in western books and movies. Now don't get me wrong, I've read and seen plenty of family-friendly westerns, both books and films. But it's a wide open range out there. Let's face it. Sex sells. I'm not into 50 Shades of anything, except on a paint canvas.

Someone sent me a note recently that surprised me. "It's rare to find a western these days that isn't filled with cuss words and adult situations." I was glad, and grateful, that a reader enjoyed Double Crossing. If they buy the sequel, they'll find the same thing in Double or Nothing. When I first considered a publishing contract, I made a commitment to writing clean fiction. And I'm not judging others' books or films. Write and publish whatever you're proud to put your name on. Read what pleases you. I choose clean fiction for both.

It's a personal choice.

Do you realize how hard it is to *not* put in a cuss word when you have a cowboy hero? However, I wrote both books in the Double series in First Person Point of View -- and Lily Granville is a lady. Back in the Old West, men would never have cussed in front of a lady. In fact, when Ace first meets Lily, he's recovering from being knocked cold by a muleskinner, and has to be prodded into remembering "there's a lady present." Since my publisher for Double Crossing, Astraea Press, is all about clean fiction so I took out the cuss words (hell and damn, pretty minor.) I applaud their commitment, too. I also feel free from having to worry about what my family, my daughter, my friends and neighbors, my church family thinking about any sex or cuss words in my books.


Now, for Double or Nothing, I have a scene between newlyweds. How "sexy" could I get without really getting into detailed "pink parts" or more? It was quite a challenge! But I have to admit, it worked -- it can be done. I could have included an excerpt, but it might make you blush. (wink wink nudge nudge - just kidding, of course!) It's a bit too far into the book, and has a spoiler or two. Sorry!

As for cuss words, I've learned to suggest them. My cowboy hero has to be realistic, after all. Here's an excerpt from Double Crossing, when Lily is talking with Aunt Sylvia and her husband Lord Vaughn, right before Ace Diamond enters the picture.

“Lily, you have no idea of the dangers. My husband traveled to Nevada earlier this year,” Aunt Sylvia said. “Neither you or Mr. Mason have considered the impropriety of this.”

     “He’s a gentleman for escorting me.”

      “I can see for myself what you both are—”

     

     A blood-curdling yell, similar to what I’d read about an Indian war cry, stopped her cold. The moment I glanced up, the window exploded. Shards of glass rained on us and a man rolled over the table. Scattering plates, flatware, cups and teapot, before he crashed onto the floor—unconscious, and half-draped in the tablecloth among the broken china and glass.

     

     Mere inches from my feet....

####

     

Horrified, I stared at the young man on the floor. Bright scarlet blood streamed from a deep cut above his left eye. I grabbed a clean napkin from a nearby table and knelt to staunch the heavy flow. Tossing the soaked linen aside, I grabbed two others.

     

     “Good heavens, Lily, you’ll ruin your suit,” Aunt Sylvia chided. “Get up this instant.”

     

     Ignoring her, I untwisted the young man’s arm behind him but he failed to wake. “It’s obvious he needs help. It’s my Christian duty. And yours, Charles.”

     

     “He may be a criminal for all we know,” he said, but handed me more napkins.

     

     Sir Vaughn huffed. “Quite right, Mr. Mason. He’s bleeding all over your skirt, Miss Granville, so leave him be. The proprietor will carry him out to the street.”

     

     “He’s waking up.”

     

     I surveyed the young man’s calloused palms and fingers, his blood-stained knuckles, the sawdust in his tangled dark hair which needed a barber’s clippers. The crack of one boot sole proclaimed a man down on his luck. He smelled of sweat, leather and tobacco. Stubble on his cheeks and square jaw added to his gone-to-seed appearance. He opened one blue eye.

     

     “Oof.” Wincing, he raised a hand to his head in slow-motion, and then let it fall back against his shoulder. Fresh blood stained his shirt. “What the—”

     

     “Shh. You’re hurt.”

     

     He rolled to one side as if he hadn’t heard me, groaned and then sat up. “That stinkin’ muleskinner packed a punch. I’ll be da—”

     

     “Watch your language,” Sir Vaughn said and prodded him with his cane. “There are ladies present. Now take your leave or we shall send for the local sheriff...”     

Meg Mims is an award-winning author and artist. Her first book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers of America and was named a Finalist in the Best Books of 2012 from USA Book News for Fiction: Western.  Double or Nothing is the sequel.

Meg also wrote two contemporary romance novellas, The Key to Love, and Santa Paws – which reached #6 on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller list for Dogs.

Click here to see Meg Mims' books!

TRUE GREEN, an Irish Western! by MEG MIMS

Faith and Begorrah! It's an Irish Western!

Well, perhaps that's a bit of a stretch. But The Quiet Man *IS* set in the north and west of the Emerald Isle. It has *the Duke* -- a famous Western cowboy movie star! It has *horses* and a *horse race*! It has romance and *Maureen O'Hara*, who also starred as the Duke's wife in several other great westerns! It has a *great fight*! And not just between the Duke and his brother-in-law, either. Duke and Mo "duke it out" too.

In fact, I would have named this movie TRUE GREEN ... for the bits of real Irish language, Irish-born actors, and lush setting. The Quiet Man was filmed in Ireland for the most part. And it's a lot like the westerns we know and love -- an old-fashioned, men-were-men, women-were-women-and-belonged-in-the-home style of story.

It has a "fish out of water" plot, which allows the Duke to learn the local ways after breaking the rules, and then learn that following the rules doesn't always bring him what he expects either. "Mo" gets to show off her own Irish roots and portray a loving woman, yet fierce in the battle to uphold her dignity and pride in what she deserves - her dowry.

Due to her stubborn brother, she has to fight both him and her new husband! Her brother, the village "Squire," is portrayed by Victor McLaglen - British, not Irish, by birth - and another favorite actor utilized in other movies by John Ford. He also was a prizefighter in his youth, the first boxer to take on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in 1909. Victor does a fair job boxing the Duke in the movie. They both look like they had a fun fight.

Did you know The Quiet Man was first published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post? John Ford read it, bought the rights for $10 (TEN DOLLARS??) but before he could get financing for the film, he was told to make a western first. Rio Grande also starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, with Ford directing. But Ford won the Best Director Academy Award that year for The Quiet Man, which also won Best Cinematography. Indeed! Both well deserved.

Keep an eye on the minor characters in the film, from the pub owner to the local widow, the priest, the minister without a parish since all the residents are Catholic, and Michaleen Oge Flynn - played by Barry Fitzgerald to fine effect - the village's matchmaker. I think he's the best quirky character of the lot. You have to cheer him on and smile at his way of looking at things.

But all of the actors gave fine performances, as well as the Irish extras who no doubt had a blast being in the movie. The green beauty of Ireland is stunning. To the left is the cottage where the movie was filmed, and I've also included an image of the bridge in the gorgeous countryside. What's not to like about such lovely green meadows, charming cottages, quiet village life -- which harbors an underlying layer of healthy gossip about residents -- as in any American western town!

Even the music in the movie gives the viewer a sense of place, with Irish airs and a melody penned by an Irish policeman/songwriter, called "The Isle of Inisfree."

On St. Patrick's Day, I'll be popping in The Quiet Man and enjoying a good Irish western. I'll get my teapot out, make some soda bread or perhaps some scones. Or maybe I'll have a McDonald's shamrock shake! I am an American, after all.

And here's the cover of my newly released sequel to my Spur-Award winning western historical mystery, Double Crossing...  showcasing the continuing adventures of Lily and Ace. Double or Nothing is available on Amazon for Kindle, and will also be available in print soon! Check out the book trailer by clicking here!!

A mysterious explosion. A man framed for murder. A strong woman determined to prove his innocence.

October, 1869: Lily Granville, now heiress to a considerable fortune, rebels against her uncle’s strict rules in Sacramento, California. Ace Diamond, determined to win Lily, invests in a dynamite factory for a quick “killing,” but his status as a successful businessman fails to impress her guardian. An explosion in San Francisco, mere hours before Lily elopes with Ace to avoid a forced marriage, sets off a chain of unforeseen consequences.

Despite Lily’s protests that her new husband has been framed, Ace is dragged off to jail as the culprit. Evidence mounts against him. Lily must learn who was actually behind the diabolical plan… and save Ace from the hangman’s noose. Will she become a widow before a true wife?

Here are the BUY LINKS to the Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and Smashwords.

THE UNEXPECTED WEST

I admit. I'm an Eastern greenhorn.

I was born/raised in Michigan, a state known for its “leafies” – oaks, maples, elms, birches, and that’s just on my street. Michigan has bountiful trees and lakes. Green and blue are the primary colors here. But I loved the idea of visiting the west.

On my first ever trip past the Missouri River in 2002, my husband (who'd been born in Colorado and visited out west several times), my daughter and I decided to hit a few landmarks along the way. The Corn Palace was one, since I’d run across that oddity (to me) on some type of “Don’t Miss” travel tips. Amazing. We stared at the outer walls, the detailed panels, and toured the exhibits inside. Wow. And all for the birds... and squirrels, or whatever.

Wall Drugs was another, of course, due to all the signs we’d seen starting in Wisconsin. Mount Rushmore, too. I was stunned that we could glimpse part of the massive stone heads from the highway. We also drove through Custer State Park to see buffalo (from a distance, I'm not that stupid!) and hoped to see a moose or two. Nope. We saw prairie dogs, hundreds of them. I could have watched them pop in and out of their holes for hours. Cute little buggers. No moose in Yellowstone, which was to be the highlight of our trip when we planned it. 

But... But! Or should I say BUTTE? We all were far more fascinated by the Badlands. We loved it. 

And I mean big time “l-o-v-e” as in “we have GOT to stop here on the way home again” love. Totally unexpected.

Why? Well... Sure, the Badlands have a ‘rugged beauty’ and ‘striking geologic deposits’ according to the National Park website. It’s nice to know that ‘ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse and saber-toothed cat once roamed here.’ Yes, it’s astonishing that it covers almost a quarter of a million acres, that it includes mixed-grass prairie. And that ‘bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live there today.’ All nice to know.

I think it was the unspoiled nature. There were few trails. Few guideposts explaining the area. No fences, from what I recall. We stood there, staring, as if we'd been transported back into a timeless past. I can't explain it any better than that. And photographs don't do it justice.

My husband found a side road off Interstate 90. We drove to the rim of the Badlands, near a ranch -- I was so jealous, thinking of someone living right on the edge of this stunning gift from God. We parked. Got out of the car. Stepped to the edge. Of course we didn't try to make our way down (not stupid, not us.) Just gazed out across the miles and miles of incredible wind and water shaped rock formations.

I tried to include this feeling in my own writing, when Lily (born/raised near Chicago) sees the West for the first time in Double Crossing. The endless prairie, the Rockies, Donner Lake, California. But... But sometimes words just don't do that feeling justice.

So I found this painting by Thomas Eakins, of two cowboys standing on the rim of the Badlands. Maybe these two considered it a barrier to where they wanted to go. Maybe they stood in awe like my family did. Maybe those unexpected wonders are the best feelings of all.

Here's a brief excerpt from Double Crossing, with Lily and Ace -- the sequel Double or Nothing will be out soon.

“I shouldn’t be out here with you. Alone.”

“Is that right.” Ace scratched his stubbly chin. “I won’t bite.”

“I don’t feel comfortable at this altitude.” I twisted to face the view. No doubt he would try to kiss me again despite his boyish mask of innocence. “These sheds make me nervous. Did you say it might snow? I ought to get my oilcloth cape, I’m so cold.”

“Here, this might help.”

He draped his fringed buckskin coat around my shoulders and then gripped the rail on either side of my hands, his warmth behind me. Ace didn’t brush his rough jaw against my neck or press against me. I leaned back and realized he’d left space between us. Perhaps he was learning manners after all. We stood there for several minutes in companionable silence until the weathered boards came to an end.

“Oh!”

Breathless at the gorgeous view, I drank in the deep blue lake nestled between sloping shoulders of green. Thick pines marched along the shoreline. Gleaming snow frosted the high, rocky peaks on all sides. How strange that such a beautiful place could be so far away where few people would see, unless they traveled along this rail line. Ace leaned toward my ear.

“Donner Lake. Wagon train got stranded over winter twenty some years ago.”

“I read about the trial of those who chose cannibalism in the newspaper, Mr. Diamond,” I said. “Don’t remind me now and spoil the view....”

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Meg Mims is an award-winning author and artist. Her first book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers of America and was named a Finalist in the Best Books of 2012 from USA Book News for Fiction: Western. 

Meg also wrote two contemporary romance novellas, The Key to Love, and Santa Paws – which reached #6 on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller list for Dogs.