I absolutely love gardening.
When I lived in Utah, I maintained a large plot with corn, beans, potatoes, peas, onions and other growing things. I grew chrysanthemums, roses, marigolds, petunias and much more. When we moved, I hated to leave my plants. As military spouse, you get used to leaving behind things you love and looking forward to a new adventure.
We traveled overseas to Misawa Air Base Japan, where we lived in base housing. I no longer got to play in the dirt, because the yardno longer belonged to me. I had to satisfy myself with the iris bulbs someone had planted around my unit. They flowered in the spring, creating a riotous show of lavender color.
While in Japan, I gave birth to a daughter and a son, so that took up most of my spare time. Babies and gardening don’t mix, at least not in my world. Those little stinkers kept me plenty busy.
When we moved to South Dakota, once again the weather was great for gardening. We lived on base, but I managed to grow strawberries, raspberries, a few types of vegetables and tons of flowers in the long beds around the house.
Yet another move took us to Colorado, where I maintained a large garden with peas, beans, tomatoes, and even white pumpkins. I planted fruit trees galore and created my very own “secret garden” with a flowering cherry tree. I’d wanted one of those ever since attending a Cherry Blossom Festival in Hirosaki, Japan.
Unfortunately, I had to leave my special Colorado garden when I moved to my adopted home town of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The kids were mostly grown by now and my husband and I were splitting.
That move took me home to be by my parents and other family members, which was wonderful. If you’ve ever been to the Cowboy State, specifically the southwestern corner, you know its dry and windy, making it very difficult for gardening.
After settling in, I found a full-time job and began to live life in a small townhouse. I scratched out what flowers I could, but hail usually shredded them to pieces. My writing, however, began to blossom. I was lucky enough to find a press and they began publishing my books.
These days I no longer grow a secret garden overflowing with vegetables and flowers. What I do grow are books, overflowing with thoughts, ideas and yes, descriptions of flowers, trees, mountains, waterfalls and all of the beautiful spots I can create in my mind.
Wild Creek WhispersReese Golden Mysteries
Book One
Cindy Keen Reynders
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Camel Press
Date of Publication: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 9781942078524
Number of pages: 256
Word Count: 70,302
Tagline: A little girl is missing; stolen in the night. Reese Golden, Wyoming PI, will search far into the backcountry wilderness to find the truth.
Book Description:
After being shot on duty, former Denver Police officer, Reese Golden, starts a private investigator firm in her hometown of Meadowlark Valley, Wyoming. Easier cases like skip tracing individuals and performing background checks pay Reese’s bills, and keep her from becoming too emotionally involved.
Skylar Ellington calls Reese one day, pleading for Reese’s help in locating her 4-year old daughter Daisy. Law enforcement and any other PIs Skylar has hired haven’t located the child’s whereabouts.
Reese feels compelled to accept the case. The next day, she drives up to Wild Creek Ranch near Sage, Wyoming to meet her new client.
Skylar’s brother Chance and her mother Leyla dislike Reese’s arrival. They fear Skylar is wasting her money by hiring another PI; that she’s setting herself up for more disappointment.
Reese wonders if Chance and Leyla have something to hide. Also, could Daisy’s absent father be the kidnapper? Local townspeople suspect Skylar of doing something with her child in order to resume her single, party girl lifestyle.
As Reese investigates potential leads and talks with the locals, she realizes she’s being followed. It’s obvious she’s being targeted by someone who doesn’t want the truth about Daisy to be discovered.
Despite attempts to keep her emotions in check, Reese becomes entangled in the case. Her attempts to remain focused on her goals are interrupted by several close calls where she is nearly killed, and her growing attraction to Chance. The handsome cowboy touches her heart, yet leaves her suspecting his motives.
Amazon
Excerpt:
“Miss Golden, my
daughter was kidnapped in back in June, and it’s killing me not knowing what
happened to her,” Skylar said. “The police, the FBI and everyone else haven’t
come up with anything. And I’d do anything to find her.”
“I read about
the case in the newspaper,” Reese said recalling the article in the Meadowlark
Valley Chronicle. “I’m so sorry.”
“Daisy’s
only four,” Skylar said, her voice trembling. “She must be confused and upset.
She’s all I can think about night and day. Pl-please help me. Don’t turn me
down. Otherwise, I think…I think I’ll go insane.”
Reese closed her
eyes as Skylar’s plea plucked at her heart strings. Right now, she didn’t feel
confident enough to take on a case of this magnitude. Yet, how could she turn
away such a desperate plea?
About
the Author:Born in Portland, Oregon, Cindy
has lived all over the United States and spent five years in Misawa, Japan. She
has visited Canada, the Philippines, Samoa, Hawaii, both the western and
eastern Caribbean and New Zealand.
Currently, she lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Cheyenne Frontier Days is held
each year. CFD’s well-known rodeo is often referred to as the “Daddy of ‘em
all.”
Over the years, she has won or placed in various writing contests. She has also
written for and edited numerous newsletters. Her non-fiction magazine articles
have been featured in “True West” and “Wild West.” She was a book critic for
Storyteller Alley and is a freelance editor.
Although retired from Laramie County School District 1’s Community Relations
office, she still contributes articles for the district’s Public Schools’
Chronicle, which has a circulation of approximately 46,000 readers.
In April of 2022, Camel Press released her seventh published novel, “Wild Creek
Whispers,” which is the first book in the Reese Golden mystery series about a
Wyoming private investigator. From baby alligators to glow worms, Cindy has
seen a variety of life’s wonders.
Website: http://www.cindykeenreynders.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlewing1959
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/cindykeenreynders
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.k.reynders
No comments:
Post a Comment