Kat Henry Doran/Veronica Lynch: Wild Rose Pass

. . . Cadence McShane, free-spirited nonconformist, yearns to escape the rigid code, clothes, and sidesaddles of 1880s military society in Fort Davis, Texas. She finds the daring new lieutenant exhilarating, but as the daughter of the commanding officer, she is expected to keep with family tradition and marry West Point graduate James West.

. . . Orphaned, Comanche-raised, and always the

outsider looking in, Ben Williams yearns to belong. Cadence embodies everything he craves, but as a battlefield-commissioned officer with the Buffalo Soldiers instead of a West Point graduate, he is neither accepted into military society nor considered marriageable.

. . . Can two people of different worlds, drawn together by conflicting needs, flout society and forge a life together on the frontier?

Wild Women Authors is pleased to bring [new to us] author Karen Hulene Bartell and Wild Rose Pass, a recent release out of the Wild Rose Press' Cactus Rose line. With Karen is Cadence McShane who will go first.

Good morning, Cadence. Tell us a bit about yourself. Though I’m the daughter of the fort’s commander and expected to behave like a lady at all times, I’m a tomboy at heart, who wants adventures and challenges. I’m tired of the rounds of teas and dinner parties, Parcheesi, and pinochle, I want to cantor out the fort’s gates and gallop across the Chihuahuan Desert, a place with no prying eyes and no eavesdropping ears. I’m tired of being bridled, and I need something more to do than just fill my time. I want to accomplish something.

Where are you from? I’m an Army Brat, who’s lived from post to post all my life.

Tell us a bit about Wild Rose Pass. It is a story about Ben Williams and me. We’re two opposites of different worlds, yet we’re drawn together by conflicting needs. I want his freedom. He wants what I have—family.

What did you think the first time you saw him? I thought he was the most exciting man I’d ever met. He was unlike any man I knew. My father and every other officer had gone to West Point, but he was a mustang…an enlisted man promoted on the battlefield…and he was raised by Comanches. And the way he fills his uniform…mmm.

Works for us. What was your second thought? He was raised by Comanches…he must be a savage.

Was it love at first sight? Extreme interest at first sight, but not love. No. love came gradually as I saw how he treated others, and how he was the only one I could speak openly with and share my thoughts.

What do you like most about him? He’s a person, who treats me as an equal and a cherished fiancée.

How would you describe Ben? He’s compassionate, kindhearted, and considerate, yet brave. He’s interested in more than military maneuvers or promotions and knows where to find natural treasures, like wild plums, pine nuts, pecans, or twinned-crystal calcite.

How would he describe you? He’d say I want new experiences, not a repetition of what I’ve always done. I want to live life, not sit idly, drinking tea and watching life pass me by. I need adventures and challenges. Freedom and independence are most important to me.

What made you choose teaching as a career?

Teaching is what is fulfills me. It isn’t a career, but I’m filling in for the instructor, who’s returned to the East coast this semester. However, these children have become my “little friends,” and when I spend time teaching them, I feel I’m contributing.

What is your biggest fear? Apaches. After seeing what the renegades have done, I’m afraid to live beyond the fort’s walls.

How do you relax? I love to read poetry, particularly Emily Dickinson and Clement Clarke Moore.

Who is your favorite fictional character?Anthony Trollope’s hero from the latest chapter of The Duke’s Children.

What is the best advice you ever received? Follow your heart, not your head.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us. Now we'd like to chat with Karen.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew sleuthing novels fascinated me.

What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? My love of the Chihuahuan Desert and Fort Davis, Texas—God’s country!

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? Wild Rose Press, Inc. is my publisher. The title of this novel was Wild Rose Pass (an actual geographical location). I call it kismet.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Too many to mention. I’ve fallen wayyy behind on my reading. ☹

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I’m currently working on the sequel to Wild Rose Pass, but I have a feeling Paisano Pass will be clumped with my paranormal and mainstream romances instead of my frontier/western romance series. Can’t help myself when it comes to the supernatural…

Karen brought an excerpt from Wild Rose Pass for us:

Cadence’s fingertips grazed Ben’s thigh, and she caught her breath.

He bristled as his gaze locked with hers. Then he inched closer, leaning into her space.

As if magnetized, she inclined her body toward his. How will his lips feel on mine? Eager to learn, she closed her eyes, parted her lips, and waited…

Moments passed.

“We’d better head back.”

His words sounded gruff and strangled. Opening her eyes wide, she stared horror-struck. Did I just make a fool of myself? Huffing, she jerked the reins. “Fine,” she called over her shoulder as she wheeled around her horse…

To purchase Wild Rose Pass,go to:

Amazon eBook: https://amzn.to/2vQP41r

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2VCtCYy

Barnes & Noble NOOK Book: https://bit.ly/32zhDfZ

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/2T1V3JM

To learn more about Karen Hulene Bartell, go to:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell

Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/

Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com