Fresh out of a Pennsylvania
penitentiary armed with a marketing degree, Kate Neilson heads to Wyoming
anticipating an anonymous new beginning as a guest-ranch employee. A typical
twenty-five-year-old woman might be looking to lasso a cowboy, but her only
desire is to get on with life on the outside—despite her growing interest in
the ranch owner. When she discovers a violent ex-lover followed her west, she
fears the past she hoped to hide will trail as close as a shadow and imprison
her once again.
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Blurb:
Winter storms blast across the
Whispering Pines Guest Ranch, and a cold wind blows through Kate Neilson’s
soul. Despite her pain, Kate’s well-being takes a backseat to the needs of
loved ones: her best friend, who’s been ensnared by evil; her failing
great-aunt, whose dementia care keeps Kate guessing; and Laura and Mike Duncan,
whose ranch and livelihood are threatened by a land-grabbing neighbor.
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Q&A with the Author
Where did you come up with the
premise for your books?
Thanks, Marlene, for letting me talk about my
Kate Neilson series. Although the novels are related, the story prompts originated
from different sources. My inspiration for writing the first book, Winds of Wyoming, came one evening as I
drove home from participating in a chapel service at a women’s prison. Each
time I visited the prison, I was struck by the similarities between the residents
and myself. In the same way I loved my absent children, they loved theirs and
longed to see and hold them. Other commonalities included our everyday
struggles with relationships, forgiveness, transparency, health, finances,
faith, and so much more. In some ways, those issues are compounded when
incarcerated individuals are released from prison.
I’d been working on a book about a woman who
left Pennsylvania to start a new life in Wyoming, but I hadn’t come up with a
strong enough motive for the move to create a plausible plotline. The ah-ha
moment I experienced driving across the Arizona desert that dark night sparked
my creative juices and lit up my brain. The challenges ex-offenders face when
they return to society would provide a reason for the relocation and the basis for my heroine’s conflicts.
The idea “seed” for Winds of Freedom, the second book in the series, was planted when my neighbor told me of
a relative who walked into an airport restroom and never came out—as far as her
husband and children knew. Although they didn’t see her exit the restroom, she
must have snuck past them wearing a disguise, because they later learned she’d
slipped away to start a new life. Several weeks after her disappearance, she
returned to pick up her clothing and other personal items. She didn’t tell her
husband where she was living or what she was doing, only that she no longer had
to clean house or take care of children. To add to the mystery, she was wearing
a collar around her neck.
When did you know that you wanted to
become an author?
Many, many years ago, my high-school
English teacher encouraged me to go into journalism; instead, I earned a Church
Education degree from a Bible college. But before I had a chance to use the
degree, I married my college sweetheart and we started having babies. When our
first child was just beginning to walk around furniture, I saw a notice in the
local paper for a community education writing class. Intrigued, I registered
for the class, found a babysitter and ended up writing a couple feature
articles for the newspaper, thanks to the reporter who taught the class. I’ve
written articles and stories for a variety of publications over the years and
published two fiction books and two nonfiction books. I also edit fiction and
nonfiction for authors and publishers.
Describe your latest book in three
words.
I could say “Winds of Freedom,” ha.
Facing Evil Head-on.
What can readers expect from you
next?
“Winds of Change,” book 3 in the Kate
Neilson Series, will pick up where book 2 left off, back at the ranch, and
feature most of the characters from the previous two books. The Whispering
Pines gang will tackle even tougher challenges than they encountered in the
past and discover that sometimes love is not enough. I’m also editing a fun
short story collection that will feature several of my short stories along with
those of other authors.
Thank you for stopping by Book Mama
Blog. These books sound amazing and the
premise behind them make me want to run out and get them!
About the Author:
Rebecca
Carey Lyles writes nonfiction as well as fiction and serves as an editor and
mentor for aspiring authors. Her second novel, Winds of Freedom is the
sequel to the award-winning first book in the Kate Neilson series, Winds of
Wyoming.
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