I am so excited to be participating in Book Brew with the Coffee Crew for the first time. When I saw that the theme for May was cowboys I knew this was my opportunity to jump in and get my feet wet. I was raised a cowgirl. My pony was my pet and I was as comfortable with my old Shetland as most little girls are with their dolls. We spent most weekends and nights during the summer at the rodeo, primarily to watch my dad, but occasionally my sister or I would enter the barrel racing.  My family’s idea of a vacation was a pack trip into the mountains. I probably didn’t appreciate the adventures at the time, but looking back I now realize the experiences were priceless and have provided much of the fodder for my latest novel, Big Horn Storm.

Big Horn Storm is a contemporary western romantic adventure set in rugged mountain country. The story combines a too-close-to-home military crisis, a traumatic accident, a terrifying bear encounter, harrowing hold-your-breath horseback escapes and an attempt to reconcile the past in an action-packed thriller. In the novel, Niki Garat tolerates her job and the city, but she lives for her summer vacation with her grandfather at his sheep camp in the stunning Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming””until this year. When the U.S. comes under attack, including an aggressive attempt by foreign invaders to locate nuclear missiles hidden throughout remote western lands, the serenity of her mountain refuge is shattered. As area ranches are commandeered, neighbors and friends, including Deuce, her childhood infatuation, band together. Throughout their struggle to stay alive, Niki begins to understand what came between her and Deuce, but before past mistakes can be corrected they must endure a terrifying manhunt and a desperate fight for survival.