Updated: Apr 23, 2023
Colton and Ainslee from Wild Montana Winds are in my spotlight after I was recently sent a wonderful review for the book, which brought these characters to the forefront of my thoughts for a few days, and distracted me from my work-in-progress because I kept thinking about the Gallaghers.
Since I've been stuck on heroes a lot lately, it's a pleasure to revisit those from Hawk's Peak for a few minutes before I return to Crooked Creek (WIP). Spending time with heroes happens to be one of the beautiful "curses" we romance authors deal with daily.
“There is no greater mistake a man can make than deny his love for the only woman who was meant to have his heart.” (Wild Montana Winds)
You could say this is the line that started it all, the line that brought all the elements of Wild Montana Winds together. It is spoken by Ethan Gallagher to Colton in a memory Colton shares with the reader. I love this line because it speaks to who every hero is in this series. Ethan, Gabriel, Ramsey, Ben, Colton, Brody (and more heroes to come), have many things in common, but their complete devotion to the women they love surpasses all else.
I adore a chivalrous hero who knows his own mind, is his own person, and yet he becomes the man he does because of love.
Colton’s journey toward loving Ainslee is not without doubt and difficulty. He’s used to being alone, to living without restraint. What is it about Ainslee that makes him start to think beyond the quiet existence he’s enjoyed for so long? This is the question to which he has to find an answer.
His struggles, I believe, are greater than Ainslee’s. She has a good head on her shoulders, with lots of common sense, and bundles of adventure. She must overcome what she left behind in Scotland, and realize that not all men are going to disappoint, disgust, or annoy her.
It’s enjoyable watching the changes take place in them both, and it’s all because a good man—the right man—decided it was better not to deny either of them the love they were meant to share.
Read an excerpt from Wild Montana Winds
Who are some of your favorite fictional heroes? What about them touches your heart?
Until next time, be kind, be well, and may you always hold a hero close to your heart.
—MK
Horse and rider and two horses images from Unsplash. This post was originally written in 2019 for a now inactive blog, and has been updated
That's a mouthful, and so are the cookies. They're actually called Almond Joy Cookies, but since I don't care for that particular candy or the association with such a tasty cookie, I call them Light Cowboy Cookies. And, we make them with pecans instead of almonds, so Pecan Joy Cookies is more apt. Pecans are my go-to nuts for baking.
This post comes during a writing break and recharge. In fact, I just finished enjoying one of these treats. I've been working on tweaks to the first half of the current manuscript, and listening to "Ashokan Farewell" composed by Jay Ungar from The Civil War documentary film by Ken Burns. I don't listen to music much these days while I write, even soft ambient melodies, but I like a little something during light edits. Since the manuscript is for a Crooked Creek novel set in post-Civil War Montana Territory, the lament is appropriate.
Thanks to our English, Scottish, and Dutch immigrants bringing their early versions of these treats with them to America, we have a plethora of cookie varieties today, and with all our culinary advances, there is not much limit on what could be baked into one.
Cookies during the American Civil War
Cookies were not popular during the Civil War as they are today. Because sugar rationing during the war, many recipes turned to molasses, and of course molasses/ginger spice cookies became a popular dessert that lives on. Applesauce cookies are another sweet treat that would have been shared both on and off the battlefield. They would certainly be preferable to the hardtack most soldiers had to endure. Unfortunately, Pecan Joy Cookies (or Almond Joy Cookies) would not have been on the list of baked goods passed around.
Cookies at the turn of the twentieth-century
Fast-forward to 1899 where Cassandra and Rose McKenzie are solving crimes, blowing things up (usually by accident) and enjoying a wider variety of dessert options than folks did a few decades earlier.
Cinnamon Jumbles (I'm definitely trying these), oatmeal raisin, sugar wafers, Fig Newtons, and more. Since chocolate chips still weren't a cookie staple in 1899, these Pecan Joy Cookies were, alas, not on the McKenzie sisters' menus.
Grateful for our modern life
I believe we too often forget how truly blessed we are in our time (I am terribly guilty of forgetting.). As much as I long to live in days long ago, we are each born in our time for a reason and purpose. If that means enjoying all the modern conveniences imaginable and baking anything our hearts desire, then so be it.
We can still escape to those bygone eras in books, when the land was rougher and the journey was, quite possibly, more rewarding.
If you've a mind to make a small batch of these cookies, be sure to share with family, friends, a neighbor or stranger.
Until next time, be well, be kind, and always take time to get lost in a good book.
—MK
Try the cookie recipe!
We use the Small Batch Almond Joy Cookies recipe courtesy of the Small Town Woman blog. The only change we made was to substitute chopped pecans for the sliced almonds to make . . . Pecan Joy Cookies!
Featured Books
Updated: Mar 12
“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.” ―Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter's stories have opened the imaginations of children and adults alike for more than a century. From Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny to Mrs. Tiggy-winkle and Jemima Puddle-duck, Beatrix's approach to writing brought these characters to life in a way that has endured since long before Peter's book was published.
The gardens at Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm are a stunning and chaotic work of art that are as real-to-life and naturally beautiful as the settings in her stories. Surrounded by such beauty as found in the Scottish Highlands and England's Lake District, it is no wonder that she found inspiration among nature's hidden gardens, rolling hills, and wild landscapes.
For anyone who loves gardens, and adores Potter's lively tales, then I recommend Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life. You can learn about the author, Marta McDowell, on her website.
You might be asking what lemon cookies have to do with Beatrix Potter. Well, other than their light and zesty consistency and how well their pale yellowness matches the cover, absolutely nothing. Of course, tea goes with all things Beatrix Potter, so there is that.
Even without the chopped pecans we'll add to the next batch, these lemon cookies are such a delicious springtime treat and pairs perfectly with a soothing cup of tea.
They are almost as delicious as writing the first words of a story . . .
if you aren't a gardener, consider delving into Potter's classics while enjoying a lemon cookie and a tasty English Tea.
This Lemon Cookies recipe comes from Live Well, Bake Often.
Enjoy!
