By
Constance Bretes (Guest Blogger)
Before
I moved to Alabama last Spring, I lived in a tiny little town called
Basin, in Montana. The population was about 250 people. I made some
really nice friends there, and a few of my friends became my readers
who enjoyed reading my romance books. They asked me if I’d consider
writing a romance centered around a small town in Montana, like
Basin.
Basin
sits in a small valley surrounded by mountains. Off to the north of
Basin sits Boulder, Montana, and Elkhorn Mountains. Basin is also
known as a miner’s town. At one point, there were three mines in
operation, searching for gold and silver, and the town grew to over a
thousand residents. When the mines dried up, it reduced the
population, and left some empty buildings in its wake. Some of those
empty buildings were at one time, considered brothels. The only
things now operating in Basin, is a pizza place, a restaurant and
bar, a post office, two radon mines and a grade school.
In
addition to all this, there was a couple of railroad tunnels that
went through Basin. It actually at one point, came from Helena and
traveled down to Butte. The rail tracks are long gone, but the
tunnels remain. Not too far from Basin, is a ghost town called Comet.
The pictures attached are the Comet mine, and the old tunnel that is
in Basin.
My
story, Elkhorn In The Moonlight, was generated from
this information. I changed the name of the town to Mason, and I
added one more business to the town, a small motel, which I situated
at the same location of what is now currently called Earth Angel.
Some of the characters represented are some of the residents that
lives there, including my husband and I, but all the names are
different. The restaurant and bar, along with the pizza place, the
post office and the school are in the story, as well as the three
mines. Everything was renamed so to not put anyone on the spot or
violate anyone’s privacy.
I’m
giving away an ebook copy of Elkhorn InThe Moonlight and an ebook
from my backlist during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below
to enter. Remember there is a chance to enter everyday so be sure to
follow the Blog Tour. You may find the tour schedule and locations
here https://goo.gl/WosRX4
About
Elkhorn In The Moonlight
The
search for stolen Sacred Arrows leads to much more.
Marcus
Blackhawk is on a mission to locate the Sacred Arrows that were
stolen from the Cheyenne Nation. When he learns that someone has seen
the arrows he leaves immediately to track the person down and get
more information.
Nicole
Lancaster ekes out a living in a small town by helping her brother
run a motel and working part-time in a restaurant. Her mundane life
suddenly becomes more exciting when Marcus arrives in town asking
about some arrows that she came upon years ago while hiking in the
Elkhorn Mountains. The gorgeous man makes her heart beat fast, but
she knows he’d never be interested in a Plain Jane like herself.
When
Marcus offers Nicole a large sum of cash to lead him to the cave
where she saw the arrows, she takes him up on the offer. After a
three-day hiking trip through the mountains they locate the cave, but
then the unthinkable happens, and they find themselves trapped
inside. As they wait, hopeful they’ll be rescued, they give into
the passion that’s been simmering between them.
Will
help arrive in time to save them? And if so, can their night of
passion ever be anything more? Marcus has no interest in an actual
relationship, and Nicole wants the whole nine yards.
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Heat
Level: Medium Hot
Excerpt
“You
pass it every time you go into Mason. The other two are on the other
side of the overpass. Sandpiper Mine you can see from the highway,
but you have to go on Gulch Mine to get to the Elkhorn Mountains. The
mountain ranges there are the highest, and there are a lot of
vertical drops, so you’d have to travel where you can walk it. It’s
not something where you can climb it and be there. You have to go in
a roundabout way.”
“Do
you have a very clear vision of where this cave is, and how to get to
it?” he asked.
“Yes.
I remember it clear as day now.”
“How
soon can you get yourself ready for the hike?”
“What?
I’m not going there. You are. I can’t just take off and leave, I
have work to do. Plus, it’s way too cold to go there right now. The
mountains in that area still have snow on them.”
“You
think I would know where to go by the information that you provided?”
“I
gave you very good information,” she said.
“Do
you have the coordinates for GPS?”
“No.
I don’t.”
“So,
you think that I, who have never traveled these mountains before,
would have no problem finding that cave?” Marcus’s eyes narrowed
as he regarded her.
“I
don’t have any idea how you intend to get there. Personally, I
think you should wait until summer to do it. The weather in the
mountains is unpredictable.”
Marcus
sat thinking about the situation for a second, and then he said,
“Name your price.”
“Huh?”
“I said, name your price,” he repeated. “I need you to lead me
to that cave, and I have to do it this week.”
“You’re
not listening to me. I can’t take you there. I have work to do
here. I can’t leave to go on a weeklong camping trip.”
“You
can for a price,” he said grimly.
“You
can’t buy me off to get what you want,” Nicole said defensively.
“Everyone
is willing to do certain things for a certain price. Will thirty
thousand get you interested and willing to go?”
“I…I…thirty
thousand? No, I won’t be bought,” she stammered.
“Look,
Nicole. Let’s quit with the games. I’m going to go there to get
those Sacred Arrows, and you are the one who is going to take me
there and bring me back. I’m offering you thirty thousand for a
week…week and a half of work. I think your brother and his wife can
handle the motel for that length of time.”
“I’m
sorry.” She stopped for a few seconds. “I won’t be bullied. My
answer is no.” She stood up to leave.
“Just
think about this. Like I said, thirty thousand for a week and a half
of work. Think what you could do with that money. Think of all the
possibilities and opportunities you’d have. As for the weather, I
know you have lived through worse weather right here in Mason. You
know what to expect. I would not let you go up there without your
GPS, your cellphone and satellite phone, your two-way radio, and
letting your brother know exactly where you’re at should there ever
be an emergency. I’ll give you until tomorrow at noon to tell me
your decision, and if I were you, I’d think about this very
seriously. I intend to have my way in this,” he said sternly.
Grabbing his maps and the pictures she gave him, he walked back to
the causeway and to his room.
About
the Author
Constance
started writing contemporary romance and contemporary romance
suspense fifteen years ago.
She
was born and raised in Michigan. After 38 years working for the State
of Michigan, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and
lived in the mountainside of a small town that this story, Elkhorn
In The Moonlight, was based upon. After living there for three
years, they moved to Alabama, with her three feline furballs who own
her and her husband.
Her
hobbies include basket weaving, reading romance books, and jewelry
making as well as writing.
Constance's
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