Part of My Writing Process
When I write Westerns, I like to play certain songs, partly because I love them, being a country girl at heart, raised around horses and rodeos, and partly because they inspire me in crazy, wonderful ways. Three of these very special songs are “Pancho and Lefty”,...
In my travels…
Of all the cities I’ve visited over the years, London is definitely my favorite. For several years, I had a flat in a building behind Harro d’s—at 19 Hans Place—and split my time between there and my home in Port Orchard, Washington. One fine day, I was on my way to...
My Smart Daughter
Wendy, like her mama, is a writer. She started out doing screenplays, and actually had one script produced. It was called Truth Below and was featured on MTV. In addition to that, she had several scripts optioned by major film producers. Now, she’s writing a...
The Time I Could Have Kissed Burt Reynolds
I didn’t, darn it. I met Burt years ago, at a celebration of the classic Western TV series, Gunsmoke. My dad, Skip Lael, was the town marshal in Northport, Washington, where I was raised, and I remember how he’d pull up just in time to watch the next episode, looking...
Gardening—Sort Of
I have a nice deck behind the house, and I’ve started a little gardening project. Today I planted bok choy (I love to make wonton soup), lettuce, green onions, and miscellaneous flower seeds, all in colorful grow-bags. I also have three little pots in which sprinkled...
The Big Move
It’s finally happened; I’ve downsized and moved to the San Diego, California area, leaving my too-large house in Spokane, Washington, where I had lived for nearly twenty years. Moving is never easy for anyone. I had to say good-bye to loved ones, friends, and a...
BIG SKY RIVER Coming to the Hallmark Channel
I am so excited to announce that "Big Sky River" will be appearing on screen this summer! The movie premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel the on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 9 PM ET/PT. The Story: Tara Kendall leaves New York City for the summer and books a rental...
“You Better Run a Little Faster Than That”
Dad and Uncle Jack went to Madison Square Garden. They met the legendary Gene Autry, and character actor Slim Pickens, who had yet to begin his movie career, was one of the rodeo clowns. (These days, these brave souls are called bullfighters.) Uncle...
Beer and Pie is Better than a Bar Fight
After the War, but before I was born in 1949, my still-single dad, Skip Lael, was a rodeo cowboy, a bull-rider, to be exact. He and my Uncle Jack Lael, who was a champion bronc rider, were headed back East, probably driving an old truck held together by spit...
Hogging the Limelight from Day 1!
I could be accused of loving the limelight—right from the very beginning. You see, I was born a few years after the Second World War, on June 10, 1949, to Grady “Skip” Lael, age 23, and Hazel Bleecker Lael, age 20, in Spokane, Washington. Although he’d...
National K-9 Veterans Day
I recently saw a blurb in Woman's World magazine about a day to celebrate the four-legged soldiers who support our troops, and I was immediately onboard. Dogs (and other service animals) make an enormous contribution to the human race, not only in the Armed Forces,...
Why I Write the Books I Write
Working on the Country books, starting with Country Strong, I’ve found myself thinking about what’s important to me—and to so many of you, my dear readers, as you’ve kindly told me—and how these elements are reflected in my stories. They appear in all my contemporary...