Kat Henry Doran/Veronica Lynch: Meet Julie Howard and The Three Widows of Wylder

Three women on the run.

After the death of her husband, Clara flees a hanging judge and seeks refuge with her brother in Wylder, Wyoming.

With secrets of her own and good reasons to flee, spoiled and vain Mary Rose joins Clara on the trek to Wyoming. Surely a suitable man exists somewhere.

Emma is a mystery. A crack shot and expert horsewoman, her harrowing past seeps out in a steady drip. She’s on the run from something, but what?

After the three women descend on Wylder, a budding romance leads to exposure of their pasts. As disaster looms, will any of them escape?

Wild Women Authors is delighted to feature Julie Howard as she celebrates the latest in the line of many fascinating stories published by the Wild Rose Press. This one, The Three Widows of Wylder, is part of the wildly [get it?] popular Wylder West series, and it’s a wonder. In a break from the usual character interview, we asked Julie to tell us how she came up with this unique story line. And here she is. . .

Thank you, Kat, for having me on your blog today! It’s a pleasure to be here on release day for The Three Widows of Wylder.

I can’t say I understand where inspiration for stories comes from. Sometimes it’s a theme I’d like to pursue, such as women overcoming the odds. Sometimes the kernel of the idea arises from a person I’ve caught a glimpse of or a news story I’ve read. I start to imagine, what if…?

In Three Widows, there are three main characters and I already had these characters in mind for a story. I didn’t have their story yet and so buried these characters in my mind while I tackled other projects. When I heard my publisher had launched a series centered on the American West, the plot arrived almost immediately. My three widows would be perfect for a historical fiction, and the Old West would heighten their danger.

Women in the 19^th century were constrained in their options. They could work in menial positions, get married, or remain at home. Most women strove for marriage – either for love or to create a family or to avoid the other two options. But I wondered, what would happen if a marriage went wrong? What options did women have then?

The Three Widows takes this idea to the extreme and places my three main characters in peril. They are on the run with their lives at stake.

Julie brought us an excerpt.

Emma stood, legs apart, one hand on the pistol at her hip. The covered wagon was the type used years ago by pioneers, before trains tamed the prairie, and they still lumbered across areas where tracks hadn’t been laid. Two women sat side-by-side, too focused on their argument to yet notice the camp they entered. Their one horse, overmatched by the heavy wagon, was damp with sweat, its mouth flecked with froth.

“We should have stayed on the main road.” The peevish one appeared much younger, curly gold hair topped by a large straw hat. She wore a light-yellow dress with lace at her wrists and throat, a perfectly inadequate outfit for travel. “Someone could have provided directions.”

The older woman had finely-drawn features, a few strands of gray threaded through her dark, uncovered hair. Dressed in sensible blue calico, she gripped the reins too tight and the poor horse gave a pathetic shake of its head. “The whole point was to avoid people,” she sniped.

Emma strode forward and seized the reins. “For God’s sake, you’re killing him.”

The two women gaped as though at an apparition. The horse, released from harsh hands, lowered its head and halted. Its sides heaved as flies drank at its sweaty flanks.

“Whomever let you two fools handle a horse should be whipped.” Tempted to dispatch the women to hell for their cruelty, Emma rested her hand on the pistol’s handle.

They two travelers spoke in tandem. “Who are you?” and “How dare you call me a fool.”

As Emma crooned into in the horse’s ear, her expert fingers undid the buckles at its shoulders and haunches. By the time the older of the two women climbed to the ground, the horse was unhitched and Emma led it to the creek.

“That’s our horse,” cried the one in yellow. “Clara, what is that insane girl doing? She’s stealing him.”

Emma halted, shoulders stiff. She turned and pointed the pistol at the one with lace at her throat. “I’m no horse thief.” She cocked the hammer. “Apologize.”

About the author:

Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime mystery series and Spirited Quest paranormal mystery series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and editor of the Potato Soup Journal.

To learn more about Julie and the stories she creates, go to:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Howard/e/B07D6CS4NQ/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward

Instagram: @authorjuliehoward

To purchase The Three Widows of Wylder, go to:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Widows-Wylder-West-ebook/

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-three-widows-of-wylder/id1585169665

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-three-widows-of-wylder-julie-howard/