Wednesday in Wyoming - February 5, 2025

 

February is the month of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens' annual Glass Art Show, something I look forward to every year. Most years, I simply admire the pieces, but one year -- 2009 to be specific -- I found inspiration in one of them.

I was writing the Texas Dreams series when my editor told me that the title I'd chosen for the third book, Winter Garden, wouldn't work for them. It seems that readers choose books with "winter" in their titles only during that season. 

I mulled over ideas for a different title, but nothing felt right until I saw this piece of glass art. I was intrigued by the couple looking into the distance, perhaps dreaming about their future, and when I saw that the name of the piece was "Tomorrow," I knew I'd found the missing piece for my title. It became Tomorrow's Garden. 

How's that for serendipity? 

Cover Reveal -- Echoes of Sunrise

It's a new year, and for me it's an especially exciting one, because not only do I have a new book releasing next month, but it's also the start of a whole new series. The Sisters of the Heart trilogy features three women who spent a year together studying in Europe, and while they did that, they developed a friendship closer than many sisters share. That's why they call each other their sisters of the heart.

The first book, Echoes of Sunrise, is the story of Sophia Carr, whose return to her hometown in (where else?) the Texas Hill Country is marked by tragedy. Up-and-coming architect Gideon Spencer has had his share of tragedy too, but since I write romance, you know that there's a happy ending for them ... eventually. The road to happily-ever-after is definitely a bumpy one. 

Did you wonder why there are two women who look like they could be twins on the cover? You'll find a hint to that as well as an excerpt on my webpage.

Even if you don't click on the link, I hope you agree with me that this is a beautiful cover. I'm thrilled with it.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 29, 2025

 

What is this? It's a fully beaded Lakota horse mask created around the turn of the last century.

I had never seen anything like it and was fascinated by the fact that so few (less than fifty) historical horse masks are still in existence. I also hadn't realized that they were used for both battle and ceremonial reasons. This, as you might guess from the flags on it, was designed as a parade mask.

Wouldn't it have been fun to see a horse wearing this as he marched in an Independence Day parade?

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 22, 2025

 

Even though it's not technically a quilt, the Wyoming State Museum included this piece of fabric art as part of the quilt exhibit. 

Entitled "Don't Forget Your Mask," it's a reminder of what life was like five years ago. 

Did you notice that the artist used buttons to represent eyes above the masks? I thought that was clever.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 15, 2025

 

In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Wyoming State Museum has several areas devoted to special exhibits. 

As you can tell, this one was devoted to quilts. I'm not a quilter, but I enjoyed seeing the way quilt patterns changed over the decades. 

This crazy quilt struck me as a good way to use up fabric remnants. Now all I need is time ...

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 8, 2025

 

Among the many exhibits in the Wyoming State Museum are several devoted to the state's prehistoric animals. If you're interested in dinosaurs, this is the state to visit.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 1, 2025

 

Happy New Year!

This looks almost real, doesn't it? Of course, if it were real, I doubt the prairie dogs would be out of their burrows, and the jackrabbit would probably be running as fast as it could to escape the predatory coyote. 

As you probably guessed, this is a diorama. It's also one of the first exhibits visitors to the Wyoming State Museum encounter. I've seen it dozens of times, but I always stop to admire it when I go to the museum, because I love the way it introduces visitors to the variety of wildlife and plants that make their home in Wyoming.

If you'd like more information, here's their website.