Gifford MacShane

@authorgmacshane

PwME Cat herder, gardener, & author of Historical Western Romance that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. #Ally #EqualRights #AdoptDontShop No bees=no food=no humans #ClimateChange #SlavaUkraini 🚫AI

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Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· 6d

#WIPSnips #WTT #HistFic #Western Alicia, a Philadelphia debutante, has just arrived by stagecoach at the tiny village of White's Station, Arizona Territory...

Tommy pushed the trunk along the street until it sat next to the piles of baggage and hat boxes. “Who belongs t’ all this stuff?”

Sam gestured toward a tall woman in a tan duster who stood a few yards away, peering up and down the wide street into the darkness. “All hers. But I gotta get this mail sack down the Trading Post.”

“Nobody awake there now,” Tommy told him.

“Be s’prised if there ain’t. Can you get ’er settled? I gotta take care o’ the hosses after this.”

“I’ll take care of ’em,” Young Jim volunteered. “I can do that. Be
happy to.”

“All right, son,” said Sam, and waved his hand gracefully from Tommy to the woman, as if inviting them to dance.

Tommy stared at him for a moment, shook his head, then gave Sam a mocking salute and headed for the passenger.

“You lookin’ for someone, Miss?” he asked as he neared her.

She turned to face him, then stumbled back screaming.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· 15d

#HistFic #WriteSky #WOM THE WINDS OF MORNING (Donovan Family Saga Prequel) #HistoricalFiction based on real events in Victorian Ireland. "A young woman's desperate struggle to feed her family during the Great Irish Potato Famine." Available at many fine retailers. Books2Read.com/TheWindsOfMorning

"A powerful narrative rooted in truth & history."

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jun 26

#HistFic #BookSky #Romancelandia #WTT WITHOUT THE THUNDER, Donovan Family Saga #4. A multicultural Historical Western Romance. An outcast Society belle falls in love with a Navajo man. Can they defeat the woman driven to destroy their happiness? Get it today at Books2Read.com/WithoutTheThunder

Book shown against a lake-scape with an eagle flying. Text: Some legacies are written in silence. Some destinies are forged without thunder.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· May 18

#HistoricalFiction #Romancelandia #TWR THE WOODSMAN'S ROSE has romance, folklore, cultural history, & a dash of Celtic mysticism. "A slow-burn emotional grenade disguised as historical romance." Now in print & digital, it can be read as a stand-alone. Books2Read.com/TheWoodsmansRose

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Apr 15

#HistoricalFiction #Romance #WITC Whispers in the Canyon (Donovan Family Saga Book 1) now available in print & digital. "How do you fight a man who’s dead? Whose very memory brings terror to life? Can he help her, or will the past drag her into madness?" Books2Read.com/whispers-in-the-canyon

Grayscale picture of a young woman wrapped in a shawl or blanket.

Text: Penned with transparency, the characters' secrets, hopes, thoughts, silent pleas, and even fear-ridden nightmares are exposed. Their growth is only realized, however, through the haunting, relentless foreboding of the antagonist. Jesse's life cannot be truly settled unless she comes to terms with the repercussions of her brother's despicable acts.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Apr 15

You can train cats with patience & consistency. Ours understand "get off the table" and "git" (go somewhere else). Rory is quicker on the uptake than his siblings, but they're all learning to sit down when I point & tell them "Stop". Here's the crew (Rory, Ollie & Wendy) when we first got them.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Apr 9

#HistoricalFiction #Romance #WTT #Western WITHOUT THE THUNDER, Donovan Family Saga #4 "A deeply textured portrait of cross-cultural connection, human resilience, shame & redemption, as love battles prejudice on the Arizona frontier." Available in Print & Digital Books2Read.com/WithoutTheThunder

Book Cover (an eagle flying over a lake with mountains in the background). Text: An outcast Society belle. The Navajo man she loves. The woman who craves their downfall.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Mar 19

#TWR Book Sale! To celebrate my Irish heritage, I'm offering THE WOODSMAN'S ROSE for $1.99 thru 3/21. -A friendship torn in half -A fragile woman with a sixth sense sharper than most men’s common sense -A murder shrouded in secrets At most major digital retailers Books2Read.com/TheWoodsmansRose

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 13

#WIPSnips #WTT #HistoricalFiction #BookSky A little scene about love at first sight:

“By the way," Adam said, "Mother told me Tommy’s bringing Alicia to dinner tomorrow. Are things getting serious between them?”

“They’ve been serious for him for quite a while now. She’s a bit harder to read.” Alec motioned to the chairs by the fireplace. “Come sit down. Maybe you can tell me how to handle this.” Adam had a way of understanding people that Alec didn’t comprehend but admired; he was seldom wrong in his perceptions.

“As long as I can remember, he’s never acted this way.” Alec sat on the arm of a chair upholstered in a subtle green and cream floral. “You know how my parents were—laughing one minute and shouting at each other the next. I don’t know quite how to deal with all this… chivalry, I guess. He treats her like she’s made of glass. With gentleness and… and patience. He’s never loud around her except when he laughs. It’s… I guess disconcerting is the word.”

“The people who come into our lives always change it,” Adam said. “Most of the time it’s a small change. Incremental, you might say. But every once in a while, one will hit us like a lightning bolt and create an unimaginable difference.”

“Like lightning,” the silversmith repeated. “That’s accurate. It hit him, I think, the first moment he saw her face. She was lying there on the couch, and we didn’t know what was wrong, whether she would live or die.” Alec’s lips twitched. “At any rate, it seems to have chased the thunder away.”

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 9

#WIPSnips #RM #WriteSky #WOTD I don't have "select", but I did find "choose". BTW: Red is her horse, Blue is her dog.

Irene let her red mare choose a pace, and they slowed to a walk at the edge of the woods. She dismounted slowly and sank down against an oak tree at the edge of a glade. Red wandered in search of grazing, Blue sat quietly at her feet. Pulling her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly, she bit her lip as the tears started again. She fell over to one side, still curled into a ball, still weeping silently.

From the deep forest he watched her. For four days, he’d waited for her, expected her, haunted the woods in search of her. Yet he should have known her family wouldn’t let her out to wander through the rain. Alec chided himself for his own foolishness and approached her silently. He knelt by her side and knew she didn’t realize he was there.

“Querida,” he murmured. Beloved. She gazed up slowly. He held his arms out and after a long, silent moment, she reached for him. Pulling her up into his arms and across his lap, he leaned back against the oak. She pressed her face against his neck, clinging to the sleeves of his shirt.

The silent tears frightened him. Despair could lead men to unconscionable deeds―and to madness. He began to chant Blue Deer’s healing song, singing all the verses he could remember, then starting over again. When he heard her sobs begin, he gave thanks to the old gods.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 8

#HistoricalFiction #Romancelandia #WITC WHISPERS IN THE CANYON, Donovan Family Saga #1 "This novel appalls, impresses and makes a reader swoon at the romance in equal measures." - The Coffee Pot Book Club Finalist, Historical Romance, 2019 Get it today! Books2Read.com/whispers-in-the-canyon

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 8

Rory has figured out that WHERE it works, but hasn't gotten the HOW down yet. It's just a matter of time. For now, he'll continue to jump at it until one of us gets up & opens it for him. #BlackCatsRule

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 5

Escape to another time where valiant men and women survive in an often-unforgiving land & neighbors stand together to defeat the evil amongst them. Award-winning historical fiction with swoon-worthy romance & a dash of Celtic mysticism. The Donovan Family Saga Books2Read.com/GiffordMacShane

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 5

I've seen my own cats do a lot (but not all) of these things, including the one where he's digging beside the water bowl on an almost daily basis. He's trying to figure out how deep the water is but the bowl's too small to get his feet in. Looking at you, Ollie...

Black cat in a blue collar staring right at you.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 3

#WIPSnips #WTT #HistFic #WriteSky Alicia's second day in town...

Alicia sat alone on a bench under an apple tree in her aunt’s front yard. Eyes closed, hands clenched together, she concentrated on both relaxing her muscles and controlling her temper. With neither effort was she having much success. Her aunt June’s voice still rang in her ears.

The confidence she’d felt on the journey here had suffered a definite check when she found out her aunt hadn’t known of her imminent arrival. And she didn’t recognize the person that June had become. Maybe she was angry that she hadn’t been consulted about Alicia’s arrival, but that didn’t explain the curtness June showed to the people she’d been living with in this town for years. The downright nastiness she’d displayed toward the man who’d helped her. Or the constant, unrelenting criticism she’d subjected Alicia to.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 3

#WIPSnips #HistFic #WriteSky Here's my favorite kid character, whose father always sings at weddings. Da wrote the little ditty to My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, but was already told, "Do it mine own self"... (Forgive the odd spacing, IDK what happened)

“I gots present for Lissie.” Sturdy little Kevin marched forward, his bright blue eyes serious, his dark hair mussed, a gravy stain on his shirt. He looked up at Tommy and said, “It jus’ for Lissie. She my friend.”

“Awright,” Tommy said. “That’s fine.” He was rewarded with a gigantic smile.

“Mama gonna help,” Kevin said. “But it my present. OK, Lissie?”

“Of course.”

Jesse knelt beside him. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

Very softly, Jesse began to sing. “I’ll follow you over the river…” Kevin’s voice grew louder as he gained confidence before the crowd and, by the third line, Jesse let her own voice fade away.

Lissie, Lissie, you are a good friend to me, to me.
Lissie, oh Lissie, you are a good friend to me.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 3

#RM #HistFic #wipsnips WOTD = "Confident" Got "confidence" here:

Underneath the gay and beautiful exterior admired by the world, there was a creature of uncertainty. Irene displayed confidence because it was expected of her, hid her insecurities because her family laughed at them. But Jesse knew she constantly worried―about being too tall, too big. About being more of a burden than a help to her family. She accepted their compliments, their praise of her beauty, yet the more they spoiled her, the more she reflected the behavior she hated, because it seemed to be what they wanted.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 2

#HistFic #Romancelandia Looking for romance with plenty of action as well? Check out THE WOODSMAN'S ROSE, Historical Romance set in the Arizona Territory. Candlelight Reading calls it "a historical romance lover's dream." The perfect gift for your Valentine. Books2Read.com/TheWoodsmansRose

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Feb 1

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 31

#WIPSnips #RM #HistFic #BookSky A thoroughly bad character & my painfully naive FMC in this one. TW: sexual assault

As they turned into an alley, Irene realized how dark it was.

“Let’s go back,” she suggested, glancing around the empty street. “I feel like dancing.”

“We can dance here. Can’t you hear the music?”

“But, Ben...” She was in his arms, being waltzed around the alley. “Let’s go back.” She tried to break away from him. “Please let go. You’re hurting me.”

“What’s the matter? Ain’t I good enough for you? You spent all afternoon with that Injun in Carolyn’s bedroom, but you won’t even dance with me!”

“How dare you!” She tried to slap him, struggled to break free. “Get your hands off me!”

“I don’t think so, darlin’. Not ’til I get me some of your lovin’, too. Wouldn’t want you to waste it all on that Injun.”

“You filthy... let go!” His hands were like vises, his mouth wet and hard on her cheek, her throat. “No, stop it! Let me go!”

She struggled violently against him, but she wasn’t strong enough to fend him off. Her heart raced, her head spun. Then she heard a low voice behind her.

“Seems t’ me I heard the lady say ‘no’.”

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 30

Ends tomorrow! Check out this group giveaway of wonderful #HistoricalFiction —a treasure trove of captivating stories. Participate & be entered to win #free books & other fantastic prizes. One lucky winner will even receive a new Kindle Fire Tablet 7! cravebooks.com/giveaway/historical-fiction

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 27

#WIPSnips #RM #WriteSky #BookSky A final *storm*-related passage...

The way had been long and hard. He was exhausted and his feet were cold. He whined in the man’s ear. But the man didn’t move.

The first day had not been so difficult. The sun shone fitfully; they could see their way around obstacles. He knew they had to head down the mountain, and the man had followed him without hesitation. But some time in the night, the stars had flickered out one by one. The wind gained strength and its blasts had frozen them.

Then came the snow. Roaring around them, enveloping them in a chill vapor of white. Blinding them. The man had stumbled―fallen over a short, steep, rocky ledge. Fallen on his head. It had been a long time before he could nudge the man into movement again.

The man had struggled to his feet, groaned with pain and, reaching up to touch his face, found the blood frozen on it. The man had staggered on, letting himself be led, and hadn’t stopped, even when the blanket slipped from beneath his coat.

Day came again, bringing some lightening of the gray mists around them, some slight increase in temperature. Then a strap on one of the man’s snowshoes snapped, and their way was slow. Very slow. The man had stumbled time and again, clawed his way back to his feet, and gone on just to stumble again.

The last time he fell, he began to cry. “Niña,” he called brokenly. “Querida! I’m sorry.” His eyes had closed against the enveloping cold.

Darkness came again, but the man would not respond. There was a scent on the air―the scent of fire. He knew that where there was fire, there would be men. Friend or foe, it did not matter now. He needed them. But he couldn’t leave the man. His mistress had commanded him to stay―to lead, to take him home. The fire meant safety for both of them―but he could not leave the man. Blue dropped the blanket he’d dragged along all day, sank slowly down on his haunches in the snow and howled.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 27

#WIPSnips #WITC #WriteSky #HistFic A different take on *storm* from another book...

The Arizona winter brought rain, cold and incessant. When the stream could hold no more, it spewed out rivulets between the cabin and the barn, turning the yard into a pitted, rutted moonscape.

Swiftly the rains were followed by sleet, hail, and a thin watery snow that chilled to the bone. Temperatures dropped. The yard froze into a single sheet of ice, making each step more treacherous than the last.

Ice glittered on the trees, on every branch and twig, until they sparkled like jewels in the weak sunlight. In the canyon known as Rocking Chair Ranch, Jesse struggled to hang on to life.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 27

#WIPSnips #RM #WriteSky #HistFic Into the *storm* with man's best friend...

The hound ran to the door, eager for her to come. Unable to stand, she found it easiest to slide along the floor on one hip, dragging the injured leg behind her, repeating her instructions to Blue with every breath she took.

“Take him home. Take Alec home. Don’t leave him. Take him home.”

The hound was dancing in anticipation when she finally gained the door. The latch was too high for her to reach from the floor―she had to pull herself up, using the wall for support. She fell once, landed heavily on her elbow and cried out with the pain. She tried again and got the door open. The wind blew it wide, almost toppling her. But Blue flew out into the storm.

It took every ounce of strength she had to close the door against the wind. She sank to the cold floor, bowed her head into her hands and cried.

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 25

#WIPSnips #WTT #HistFic #WriteSky WOTD = "notice" This is longer than I usually post, but it's one of my favorite scenes. Where a nasty dude gets his come-uppance.

“Thet’s a mighty big noise yu’re makin’, Mr. Fieldstone," Ray Benson said. "Oh, but it ain’t Fieldstone after all, is it, Blandings? I got yur identification right heah.” And the constable pulled the wallet out of the gray tweed jacket Blandings hadn’t noticed hanging on a peg in the corner of the jail house.

“So I lied.” It was belligerently said. “Man has a right in this country to use any name he wants. It’s no reason to lock me up.”

“Wal, some o’ thet’s true an’ some o’ it ain’t,” Ray said. “Man has a right t’ hide ’is name, ’cept if ’e’s doin’ it fer nefarious reasons. I like thet word, don’ yu? Ne-far-i-ous. Like escapin’ a warrant issued fer ’is arrest.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything wrong here. I demand that you let me go.”

The bluster, Ray noticed, wasn’t quite as strong as it had been. “Yu know what an extradition pact is, Blandings? Thet’s another nice word.”

“I have no idea, and I don’t particularly care.”

“Wal, yu might wanna know, seein’ as how it affects yu. It’s an agreement ’tween two cities. Basically, if a man’s wanted in… say New York City, an’ he wanders inta this heah town, then I can hold onto ’im ’til New York sends somebody t’ get ’im.”

Ray watched his prisoner’s face blanch, then continued, “O’ course, if someone who’s wanted fer a crime heah in White’s Station happens to wander inta New York, they’d contact me so I could send somebody back East t’ pick ’em up.” The constable scratched his cheek. “Don’ know how likely thet is but... well... there yu have it.

“An’ it so happens we got us an extradition pact with New York City thet started… oh, long ’bout noon t’day. An’ when they get done with yu, I hear Philadelphia is wantin’ t’ see yu, too. Somethin’ ’bout stealin’ some money. Now, we don’ have no extradition pact with Philadelphia.” Blandings’ face brightened a bit. “An’ thet’s awright, ’cause New York City does."

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 18

#WIPSnips #RM #WriteSky #HistFic Conor comes home from the sea once every few years, bringing Christmas presents for his family...

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 16

#WIPSnips #RM #HistFic #WriteSky The FMC in RAINBOW MAN has been described as "frustratingly clueless" by one reviewer. Judge for yourself...

He’d noticed Irene’s excitement when she first walked in, her eager search of the crowds. She seemed to be bubbling over with some inner joy, but it was a while before he’d had the opportunity to dance with her.
“You’re very happy tonight,” he’d said.
“Oh, Alec, guess what!”
“What?”
“Mother says there’s someone who might ask for my hand!”
“Ah. Did she say who?”
“No. She won’t even let me guess! Oh, Alec, who could it be?”
“Any single man in the Territory. Or I should say every single man.”
“Don’t tease me.” Tears sparkled on her lashes, her red lips drew up in a pout. They were so close he could scarcely keep from kissing them.
“I wouldn’t tease you, niña. A man with one eye and half a brain could see how wonderful you are.”
Her face screwed itself up as she blinked rapidly. “Who has one eye?”

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 16

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WOM #HistoricalFiction As Johnny sees his new brother-in-law for the second time...

“Sir.” It was Johnny’s voice piping up, interrupting him. He turned to the lad and saw a chunk of bread already in his hand. The boy smiled bashfully at him, “Sir… I’m sorry, sir, but… I’ve forgotten yer name.”

“John Patrick.”

“That’s a mouthful, ain’t it? I don’t suppose there’s anything shorter-like...?”

He looked at the lad for a moment with no expression, saw that Johnny was afraid he’d gone too far. Then John Patrick gave a snort of laughter. He saw the charming, lop-sided smile appear again on the boy’s face as he answered, “The nieces call me ‘Uncle Pat’. Seems they haven’t many brains, either.”

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 15

#HistoricalFiction #WTT #Romance Thrilled to hear that WITHOUT THE THUNDER placed second in the Firebird Book Awards #Multicultural Fiction category! This book is close to my heart as it features a disabled main character trying to transform her life. Books2Read.com/WithoutTheThunder

Gifford MacShane@authorgmacshane· Jan 14

#HistoricalFiction #Romancelandia #TWR #WriteSky When a friendship is shattered, can a fragile young seer repair the rift? THE WOODSMAN'S ROSE (Donovan Family Saga #3). "A historical romance lover's dream" - Candlelight Reading. Available at major retailers now. Books2Read.com/TheWoodsmansRose