Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Tales

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I have managed to successfully create my first ever author newsletter, which those of you who've listened to me whine about my ongoing war with technology know is a major accomplishment. It includes one of the all time favorite posts from way back at the beginning of this blog, a Christmas story even, the one about the road trip with the dog and the baby and the tow truck and...well, you just have to read the whole thing.

If you want a few chuckles, take a minute to Subscribe and this and future editions will land directly in your inbox, along with the latest news about my novels. Each newsletter will feature a story, either something like you find here on my blog or, occasionally, a bonus short story that will only be available to newsletter subscribers.

Here's hoping the holidays find you well and happy, or at least well-stocked with booze and chocolate and those frosted sugar cookies that are almost the death of me every year.

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

The Long Ride Home

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Those of you who've followed along on this blog for a while know I write books, and I've been trying to sell those books for...well, let's not go into details. Suffice to say, it's been a long ride, mostly uphill and against the wind. So it's fitting that the book I finally sold ended up with the title The Long Ride Home. And wouldn't you know, it's the first I've written that's set here on my home turf, the Blackfeet Reservation.

Ladies and Gentlemen....swooshes back the curtain...meet my debut novel!


The Long Ride Home


David Parsons is on the verge of making his pro rodeo dreams come true when his one-in-a-million rope horse, Muddy, goes missing. In the aftermath, David loses everything. His career, his fiancĂ©e´, his pride.

Four years later, David is clawing his way out of the ruins and back up the rankings when he gets the miracle he’s prayed for. Muddy has been found on Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

But repossessing Muddy is unexpectedly complicated. Kylan, the teenager on Muddy’s back, has had a lifetime of hard knocks. His custodial aunt, Mary Steele, will fight like a mama bear to make sure losing this horse isn’t the blow that levels the boy. Even if it’s at David’s expense.

David is faced with a soul-wrenching dilemma. Taking back his own future could destroy Kylan’s. And ruin any chance he might have with the fierce, fascinating Mary.


It’s a long, hard ride to the top of the rodeo world. And for David, an even longer ride home. Unless he can find a trail that leads to both.

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The book will be available for pre-order on January 4th at all your usual e-book outlets and released for your reading pleasure on February 3rd. Between now and then I shall be pimping it regularly, which will include prizes and bonus stories and excerpts. If you're a fan of the photos on this blog, you'll definitely want to play along, as I'll be giving away some wall art versions of my favorites. All of that can land in your inbox if you sign up for my newsletter at Tales from the Frozen North

You can also follow along with what's new on my Facebook author page at Kari Lynn Dell. If you do pop by there, please take a second to click the Like button. The more people like me, the more likely Facebook will actually let my posts be seen, and the more likely I'll sell some copies of this book, which in turn makes it more likely they'll let me publish another one. 

Why yes, marketing IS every author's favorite part of the game. Could you tell by this face I'm making? But as long as I have to do it, you might as well benefit. Sign up, sign in, we'll see you down the road. 

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A Little Icing on Top

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We've had two days of miserable, foggy weather with a cold south wind. But this morning the sun came out and we got our reward. My trees are all decorated for the holidays, I can just kick back with a hot chocolate and enjoy the view. Until it warms up and the wind blows all that ice down like buckets of marbles on the metal roof of my bedroom, usually at around 3 a.m.




Monday, December 15, 2014

Snow Job

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It is one of those lovely little ironies of life that when it's too wet or too snowy to rope outdoors, we move inside. And then it's too dusty so we have to dump water on the arena we're using because it's raining or snowing outside. Nothing like dragging hoses through the mud to make you question your intelligence. Winter makes the process more complicated because hoses and water trucks freeze up and are generally a pain in the patoot.If only there were a way to open up the roof and let just enough moisture fall inside.

Occasionally Mother Nature cooperates and dumps a foot of fluffy snow at an opportune moment, which was this Saturday except for the part where we drove through drifts and a near white-out to go to a Christmas concert. But Sunday, with the help of a tractor with a loader, Greg hauled in enough of the white stuff to do the trick. After another good drag with the arena tractor, it'll be just right.


Friday, December 05, 2014

Ranch Math

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Story problem:

You have two pastures with good shelter and water that doesn't freeze in the winter.

You have six horses. Two mares--Myla, who is approximately a hundred in horse years but can still kick an upstart gelding away from the hay pile, and Target, the fat Paint pony, who gets along with everything. Four geldings: Hollywood, Nico and Bailey, all of whom think they're studs and should be top dog in the herd, and Vegas, who is a total weenie and gets pushed around by the fat Paint pony.

Hollywood can't be turned in with the mares or he goes completely brain dead.

Bailey and Hollywood can be together, but only as long as there are no other horses in the pasture.

If Nico and Vegas are in the same pasture, Nico will run Vegas through the fence just for the fun of it.

Nico and Hollywood are sworn enemies.

Bailey, Vegas or Nico can be turned in with the mares, but no two at the same time.

Hollywood has to be in the pasture attached to the barn because you can't get a halter on him unless you lure him into a stall with a bucket of grain.

Divide the above horses into the two pastures. Please show your work.

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WARNING: Any person who suggests the mares are the problem gets a two week time-out to consider the error of their ways. My mares don't take no crap,


UPDATE: So I did the horse shuffle, splitting up Hollywood and Bailey so they didn't gang up on anyone. Nico, Hollywood and Vegas went in one pasture, figuring there was enough space that Hollywood and Nico won't kill each other and they'll be too busy fighting to pick on Vegas. Bailey was more than happy to go out with the mares. Everybody appeared to be safe, if not thrilled with the new arrangement. Until this morning, when we were doing chores and Bailey tried to come in the barn while we were bagging calf feed, and Max the Cowdog bit him on the nose and drew blood. 

*sigh* Horses and dogs. It's always something.  

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