Wednesday in Wyoming - April 2, 2025

 

This month I plan to feature various sculptures that I've seen around the state. This one, entitled Sacred Circle of Smoke, is one of my favorites, particularly when it's viewed from this angle, framing Devils Tower.

If you'd like more information about the statue, here's a link.

Wednesday in Wyoming - March 26, 2025

 

Although many of the exhibits at the Wyoming State Museum are related to the state, this one had international roots. Shakespeare's First Folio toured the States, and Wyoming was fortunate enough to have it on display here in 2016. 

As you can see from this month's posts, the State Museum has many things to attract visitors. If you're in Cheyenne, I highly recommend spending an hour or so there.

Wednesday in Wyoming - March 19, 2025

 

How often do you see a bear made of pencil points? My guess is, not often, but that's what was used to create this one. Like the Traveling Trout exhibit I featured two weeks ago, this was part of a statewide competition in 2008.

Once again, I'm impressed with the creativity.  

The Story Behind the Cover - Echoes of Sunrise

You know there's always a story behind the story, and sometimes there's a story behind the cover. That was the case with the cover for Echoes of Sunrise. The saga started last fall when I sent talented designer L.A. Sartor my suggestions.

The first was the model I wanted her to use. (I'll tell you the story behind the model later.)

After L.A. agreed that the model would work, I suggested a potential background.

Although I liked the picture, L.A. knew that it wouldn't be a good background for a book cover, so she took the key elements that I wanted -- live oak trees and Texas wildflowers -- and created the following background.

As you can see, her idea was MUCH better than mine. Not only are the tree and the bluebonnets more prominent, but the stone path hints at the theme of the story - Sophia finding the direction for her life.

The next step was to add the model, titling, and my name.

This was exciting for me, because it was the first time it looked like a cover. 

I liked the overall design but wanted a few changes. First, I wanted the positioning of the title and my name switched, and secondly, the twin was too hard to see standing next to the tree.

On to Cover Number Two.

As you can see, there were quite a few changes between the previous cover and this one. Not only was the twin repositioned and the title moved to the bottom, but L.A. added the series name. 

I had only two major concerns: the twin was potentially confusing to readers, since it was exactly the same image, and I wanted my name in block letters, not script. 

Fortunately, I found an outtake from the model's photo shoot and waited eagerly for the next version.

We were almost finished. The different pose and the elimination of the bench next to the twin made it clear that these were two different women, and my name was in block letters.

All that was left were a few changes to the fonts, and then the cover was finished.

I was thrilled with the way it turned out and am deeply grateful to L.A. Sartor for both her creativity and her patience as we worked through the design process. From my perspective, this is the perfect cover for Sophia and Gideon's story.

And now, as promised, I'll tell you about the model. She's one of my sisters, and the beautiful dress she's wearing is her wedding gown. She continued the tradition I'd started of making her own gown but went beyond what I did. I simply bought fabric and turned it into a dress, but she wasn't satisfied with the colors she found in the stores, so she dyed the fabric, making her gown truly one-of-a-kind. 

What could be more appropriate than having my sister on the cover of my book about sisters?

Wednesday in Wyoming - March 12, 2025

 

Do you recognize this poster? It's Smokey the Bear (or Smokey Bear if you prefer), teaching his woodland friends about the dangers humans present.

Since I told you that I was highlighting exhibits from the Wyoming State Museum, you won't be surprised to learn that this was one of a number of posters on display at the museum during the summer of 2019. 

As an aside, have you noticed that the public service announcements on TV now say, "Only you can prevent wildfires" rather than the original "Only you can prevent forest fires"? 

Wednesday in Wyoming - March 5, 2025

 

What are these? They were part of the Traveling Trout exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum in 2013. Yes, I'm focusing on "ancient history" at the museum this month. That's because some of the exhibits, although no longer on display, are worth seeing again.

As for the story behind the Traveling Trout, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in western Wyoming sponsored an art competition to celebrate its 25th anniversary year (2013). Each interested high school student was given a plain white fiberglass trout to decorate. As you can see from these two, the results were as different as the individuals who created them.

I was particularly intrigued by the green one, because it was made from soda containers. If you find that hard to believe, look at this closeup.

That's my idea of creativity!

Wednesday in Wyoming - February 26, 2025

 

This is one of my favorite pieces from this year's Glass Art show at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. There's no question why the artist entitled it "Umbrella Lady." My only question is when Cheyenne will get some much-needed rain.

Wednesday in Wyoming - February 19, 2025

 

Glass art isn't the only thing to enjoy at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. The walkway between the grand conservatory and the original building is brightened by flowering plants and the statue of a cat that seems to be staking its claim to the building.

No matter what the weather is like outside, the inside of the conservatory is always warm and welcoming. If you're in the Cheyenne area, I highly recommend visiting it.

Wednesday in Wyoming - February 12, 2025

 

As is always the case, this year's Glass art show at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens featured a number of intriguing pieces. I thought the octopus was whimsical, but what I found even more interesting was the title of the other piece. 

Why do you think the artist called it "Wyoming Weather"?

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.