PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS CELEBRATES THREE YEARS! by Cheryl Pierson

Hey everyone! Please help us celebrate our fantastic third birthday “bash” at Prairie Rose Publications! Yep, this month marks the “big date” for us when we became a company and actually set our dreams into motion.

From our very first publication, WISHING FOR A COWBOY, that made its debut in October 2013, to the present, we have strived to bring our readers the very best stories we could lay our hands on. And, we hope we’ve brought happiness and fulfillment to authors in all stages of their careers—from the newbies to the well-seasoned—who have all joined us and become part of the PRP and Imprints family. Over the past three years, we've expanded to SIX imprints, and have published hundred of novels, short stories, novellas, and boxed sets and anthologies--and we have loved every minute of it!

Our authors work hard to bring their characters and stories to life for readers, and our team at PRP has enjoyed these past three years immensely—I love reading and editing the submissions I receive and coming up with new ideas for boxed sets, anthologies and series. 

Livia and I, along with Kathleen, hash and re-hash what we think would be fun ideas for our authors to participate in, and we’re always open for submissions when our authors come up with their own fantastic tales.

Livia creates some of the most wonderful book covers ever, and is the true guru when it comes to getting all our work up and available for sale. She writes the release blogs for all our projects, and is, in general, like the “Wizard of Oz”, working behind the scenes (remember the curtain?) LOL And she is my hero—did y’all know that when she had a broken arm, she still managed to get a couple of releases up from the hospital? She’s one tough lady! Ok, you guessed it...she is actually...

...NOT a mild mannered author-type at all! Do you recognize her in this picture?

Kathleen is our website queen, among other things. I will never know anything close to what she’s already forgotten about social media, website and blogging issues, general info we need to be aware of in the publishing world, and …wait a minute…I think I just said that Tex is more brilliant than I am! Oh, but just in these areas. Never mind. There are others! (Kathleen—aka Tex—and I do a lot of good-natured sparring with one another since she’s a dyed-in-the-wool Texan who loves to be cantankerous to us Okies.)

Livia, Kathleen, and I love working together and think so much alike about so many things that it’s easy to “move along” with plans and ideas we have. We wanted to celebrate our third birthday with some new releases, sales, and prizes. So please join us every day at the PRP blog through the 19th of August for a variety showcasing of the talents of our many wonderful authors! We will be doing giveaways, so be sure to leave a comment with contact info on our blogs—your name COULD BE the one we pick! And you're certain to find some fantastic new books to add to your library, no matter what! Just take a look at all these wonderful stories, waiting to be read! Here's our link!
https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Review Roundup: Peacemaker Award Nominees, Short Fiction

By Kathleen Rice Adams

The winners of Western Fictioneers’ fourth annual Peacemaker Awards for excellence in western fiction will be revealed June 1. Below are reviews for three of the nominees in the Best Short Fiction category.

“It Takes a Man”

By Cheryl Pierson

in Wolf Creek: Hell on the Prairie

Western Fictioneers, June 2013

$9.89 paperback, ISBN 1490505059

$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00DPPFUPM

$2.99 most other e-formats, ISBN 9781301613717

Derrick McCain, a recurring character in the Wolf Creek series of collaborative novels, returns to his former home among the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory to confront recently discovered secrets about his family. His father, a Cherokee leader whose illicit affair with a white woman produced McCain, allegedly is at death’s door. Tortured by his mixed heritage and allegiances to both sides, McCain reconnects with a childhood friend and a Cherokee woman ostracized in a classic case of society blaming the victim for a heinous crime. McCain must make some difficult choices that will affect his life, and the lives of others, for years to come.

Author Cheryl Pierson writes both traditional westerns and western historical romance. In “It Takes a Man,” her strong skills in the romance genre shine. McCain emerges as a swoon-worthy hero, yet Pierson manages a delicate balance between romantic sentimentality and thorny issues including race relations and society’s expectations.

“The Last Free Trapper”

By Jory Sherman

in A Wolf Creek Christmas

Western Fictioneers, November 2013

$8.99 paperback, ISBN 149372651X

$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00GFEZA5A

$2.99 most other e-formats, ISBN 9781310352843

Mountain man Roman Hatchett faces the end of an era, unwilling to change but unable to prevent the disappearance of the only life he knows. In “The Last Free Trapper,” author Jory Sherman, recipient of the 2012 Peacemaker Award for Life Achievement, spins a character-driven tale rife with subtle symbolism. Using simple, unadorned prose in achingly eloquent ways, Sherman evokes a time and place of tremendous upheaval in the American West.

Hatchett searches his soul while attending a dying enemy. What he learns about himself and humanity as a whole is both heart-wrenching and hopeful.

“Charlie’s Pie”

By Livia J. Washburn

in Wishing for a Cowboy

Prairie Rose Publications, October 2013

$12.60 paperback, ISBN 061591070X

$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00G9GTWVC

$2.99 most other e-formats, ISBN 9781311521330

Alone in a remote Texas cabin while her husband and son seek a suitable Christmas tree in the forest some distance away, Lauralee Brannam bakes her son’s favorite pie for the boy’s Christmas Eve birthday. When a wounded stranger collapses at her doorstep, she assumes the man is an outlaw on the run. Nevertheless, she nurses him back to health, setting in motion a whirlwind of violence.

Award-winning author Livia J. Washburn weaves tragedy, traditional western action, and romance in a way that touches the heart but never veers into the maudlin or syrupy. The suspense and ultimate resolution of the mystery at the core of the story will push readers through the tale like a West Texas wind. Ultimately, redemption ties up the package with a Christmas bow made all the more beautiful by its frayed edges.

Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and an author. She received review copies of Wolf Creek: Hell on the Prairie, A Wolf Creek Christmas, and Wishing for a Cowboy from the publishers. 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.

THE LITTLE PUBLISHER THAT COULD by CHERYL PIERSON

In August, my good friend Livia W. Reasoner and I decided to open our own publishing house called PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS. We limited our submissions to women only, since it’s traditionally been so very hard for women to break into the western writing genre. We also included historical stories as well as western historical romance among our genres.

It wasn’t long until we knew we were going to have to add a contemporary imprint, FIRE STAR PRESS. As much as we’ve talked about getting younger people involved in reading historical stories, we decided to also include an imprint for Middle Grade Readers (9-12), Young Adults (13-17) and New Adults (18-24). PAINTED PONY BOOKS was born. Not wanting to leave out contemporary reading for these ages, we also created TORNADO ALLEY PUBLICATIONS. These three imprints are open to anyone to submit to.

Our first anthology at Prairie Rose Publications, WISHING FOR A COWBOY, made its debut the last week in October, and just this past week had already climbed to #49 in Books > Romance > Westerns, #8 in Books > Westerns and #9 in Kindle > Westerns. Our little anthology was in the TOP 10 in two categories!

But with the amazing talent of the authors, Phyliss Miranda, Tanya Hanson, Jacquie Rogers, Livia Reasoner, Tracy Garrett, Sarah McNeal, and Kathleen Rice Adams—how could it not? I’m very excited to have my story included in this anthology with all these wonderful authors.

Tanya Hanson, a seasoned author, also made her inspirational debut with her first full length inspirational western historical romance novel through Prairie Rose Publications, and has a sequel on the way. Her book is called CLAIMING HIS HEART.

We’ve got two other novels slated for release in the next few weeks. Gail Jenner’s Willa Award winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, will be out very soon. Kristy McCaffrey has a brand new offering called INTO THE LAND OF SHADOWS, also to be released sometime in December.

Prairie Rose Publications will also be releasing another anthology in time for Valentine’s Day, HEARTS AND SPURS, and in addition to the eight authors from WISHING FOR A COWBOY, it will also include veteran romance novelist Linda Broday.


We’ve got some great things planned for our other imprints, coming soon, as well! Livia and James Reasoner have a wonderful story for TORNADO ALLEY PUBLICATIONS for our Middle Grade Reader list—THE PHANTOM RANGER AND THE SKATEBOARD GANG—an exciting adventure about a young girl who sees the ghost of her great-great-great grandfather who was a REAL Texas Ranger.


From PAINTED PONY BOOKS, Sarah McNeal’s FLY AWAY HEART will be releasing in February, giving us more insight into the Wilding and Pierpont families she has created, with the story of Robin Pierpont and Lilith Wilding set in the early 1900’s.
We’ve got many more projects in the works as well, and are just thrilled with the way our small publishing house is “coming together” with much hard work from Livia, me and our fantastic authors. We’re very proud of our first three months!

Come visit us at our PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS website:
http://prairierosepublications.yolasite.com/

PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS' DEBUT ANTHOLOGY IS HERE! by CHERYL PIERSON

Two short months ago, Livia J. Washburn and I decided to take a plunge and open our own publishing house, PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS. It was a dream come true for me because I definitely do not have the computer skills and savvy that Livia possesses! So I would never have undertaken this project on my own. My part of the partnership is publicizing, acquiring new manuscripts, and editing. It is a match made in heaven for both of us. May I share with you all what our “dream company” has done in two short months?

Let’s start with our debut anthology WISHING FOR A COWBOY. We were so fortunate to have such wonderful contributors to this collection! Phyliss Miranda, Tanya Hanson, Sarah McNeal, our own Jacquie Rogers, Tracy Garrett, reviewer Kathleen Rice Adams, Livia and me. This short story grouping is western historical romance, in the sweet to sensual category. All the stories mention a certain holiday food, and the story is either built around the food or can just bring it up casually. The recipes will be included in the back of the book, so there'll be lots of great eating! WISHING FOR A COWBOY was (surprisingly!) available early, as of yesterday, October 29 rather than the planned November 1 release date. It is available in print and digital formats—it’ll make a great Christmas gift for anyone!
KINDLE LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/Wishing-for-a-Cowboy-ebook/dp/B00G9GTWVC/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383171524&sr=1-1-fkmr2&keywords=wishing+for+a+cowboy+print+and

PRINT LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Cowboy-Cheryl-Pierson/dp/061591070X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383171663&sr=1-1&keywords=Wishing+for+a+Cowboy

Our next anthology, HEARTS AND SPURS, will be available on January 15, 2014, for Valentine’s Day gift-giving and reading for those who want to “self-gift.” We were thrilled to have every one of the above authors sign up once more for this anthology as well, and we added another author, Linda Broday!

Also in the mix, one of our anthology contributors, Tanya Hanson, has a brand new inspirational historical western romance, CLAIMING HIS HEART, coming out this month, and we’re all very excited about this one…because she’s talking about a sequel!

We’ve also got two other authors who have novels coming out with PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONSin the near future, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Livia and I decided to “go for the gusto” when people began to ask about other submissions avenues—Do you publish contemporary or science fiction stories? Do you publish children’s westerns or historicalstories? What about children’s contemporary stories?

Well, what could we do? With that much support and those requests, we had to immediately branch out! We opened PAINTED PONY BOOKS, an imprint for youthful readers of historical/western stories with three levels of submissions/readership: Middle Grade readers (ages 9-12), Young Adult (ages 13-17) and New Adult (ages 18-24)

TORNADO ALLEY PUBLICATIONS is the “sister” imprint for these same ages, but for the contemporary, futuristic, and fantasy categories.

Finally, FIRE STAR PRESS is our imprint for contemporary, futuristic and fantasy categories for adults.

Already, we have several unique and wonderful books and anthologies planned for these different companies that offer a wide variety of reading for all ages.

While PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS accepts submissions from women only, the other imprints are co-ed! If you know of anyone who might be looking for an honest publisher, please send them our way! We appreciate you spreading the word for us, and all the support and well wishes we’ve received in the short time we’ve been in business.

You can e-mail us here: prairierosepublications@yahoo.com
We have a brand new website here: http://prairierosepublications.yolasite.com/