Meet "Joe" Bascum

Shiloh is busy in her writing cave and has asked me to come to the blog in her place. I’m not too good at public speaking, so why don’t you ask me a few questions? Once you get to know me we can go from there.

Character interview:

What’s your name?

Josephine “Joe” Bascum. Everyone calls me Joe, so you better call me Joe, too. And kept the fact I’m a cowgirl a secret. I want folks thinking I’m a man.

So why are you dressed as a man?

That is a long story. The short answer is I’m safer as a man, and society frowns on a woman riding horses astride and handling a gun.

What are your goals in life?

Besides staying alive? I guess my goals are the usual. Make a good living for myself and find a wife.

Did you say you were looking for a wife?

Yes. I’m looking to settle down with a woman. Do you have a problem with that? And the correct answer is “no, sir.”

What do you do with your free time?

I like riding horses and competing in shooting competitions. I’m a fast draw. I think you can tell by now I’m not your typical woman. Staying at home keeping house in a hoopskirt is not my thing.

What’s your living space like?

Lately my living space has been under the stars close to where my horse is tied in case I need to ride out quickly. I like a wooded area in case it rains. My bedroll and a small fire is all I need.

What do you do for a living?

I’m a drifter. I find work when needed and am a jack of all trades. I don’t mind punching cattle or mucking out stalls. I just do what needs to be done.

Why are you in Bitterroot Flats?

I’m from California. I’ve been on the run, and no not from the law. I didn’t know I was headed to Bitterroot Flats. I just kept trying to stay ahead of the man hunting me. This dusty desert town is full of tumbleweeds and trouble.

Blurb: 

   After a vicious outlaw murders her father, Laura Rutherford sees no future beyond running the family brothel and kowtowing to the local gang. Not even marriage offers escape. No man can compete with the beautiful women who dance the can-can for her each night...at least not until a gentle stranger sweeps in and opens her eyes to desires too long denied.

   Joe Bascum stumbles into Bitterroot Flats looking for a place to hide from a gunman out for blood. When the innocent Madame from the local brothel offers a bed and bath, Joe accepts hoping to show the buttoned-up beauty just how right forbidden desire can feel.

   When danger escalates, can Laura help Joe defeat the famous Fletcher gang, or is she destined to live a lonely life as the virgin madam?

The Virgin Madam is available now.

Decadent Publishing||Amazon: US | UK||ARe||Barnes and Noble

  

Bio:

Shiloh Saddler likes to do research for her steamy romances first hand. She has invented a time machine and travels back to the 19th century on a regular basis. There are experimental settings on her time machine which could propel her into the future and even other worlds. She believes love and a good book makes anything possible.

Contact links:

History in the Hot Lane Blog: http://shilohsaddler.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShilohSaddler

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiloh.saddler 

GLBT Historical and Contemporary Western Romance

by Shiloh Saddler

I’m a country girl. My Grandparents had a small ranch and raised cows and chickens. I like hiking in the mountains and dressing in a Stetson, Levis, and a boots. I guess it was natural I gravitated toward the western romance genre. I prefer my GLBT on the country side whether it is historical or contemporary.

My debut novella The Virgin Madam was released November 5^th. It is a F/F historical romance set in California in 1879.

Here’s the blurb:

After a vicious outlaw murders her father, Laura Rutherford sees no future beyond running the family brothel and kowtowing to the local gang. Not even marriage offers escape. No man can compete with the beautiful women who dance the can-can for her each night...at least not until a gentle stranger sweeps in and opens her eyes to desires too long denied.

Joe Bascum stumbles into Bitterroot Flats looking for a place to hide from a gunman out for blood. When the innocent Madame from the local brothel offers a bed and bath, Joe accepts hoping to show the buttoned-up beauty just how right forbidden desire can feel.

When danger escalates, can Laura help Joe defeat the famous Fletcher gang, or is she destined to live a lonely life as the virgin madam?

The Virgin Madam is book #1 in the Girls and Guns series. While I plan to write more books in the series, and book #2 The Lumberjack’s Daughter is already outlined, I have gotten sidetracked on other projects. This wasn’t my fault. Honestly, it was all Eva’s.

Eva Lefoy has been my critique partner for a long time. Recently we also became writing partners co-authoring a M/M contemporary western Perfect Ride book #1 in the Ridden Hard series.

I was the country brains of this operation. Eva didn’t know a darn thing about a bull. and the hero is a professional bull rider on the PBR circuit. Nothing gets me more excited than seeing a cowboy in tight blue jeans and a cowboy hat. Okay, I’m not quite a buckle bunny but I’m open to the idea. J

Perfect Ride will come out soon from Decadent. But you don’t have to wait until that is released to enjoy some GLBT western romance fun!

The Virgin Madam is available now!

Decadent Publishing

Amazon: US | UK

ARe

Barnes and Noble

Shiloh Saddler likes to do research for her steamy romances first hand. She has invented a time machine and travels back to the 19th century on a regular basis. There are experimental settings on her time machine which could propel her into the future and even other worlds. She believes love and a good book makes anything possible.

You can find Shiloh at:

Blog: http://shilohsaddler.blogspot.com/

Email:  ShilohSaddler@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiloh.saddler?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShilohSaddler

The Virgin Madam

Available November 5, 2013

By Shiloh Saddler

I can’t believe my first book will be released November 5^th. I am so excited! The Virgin Madam was a work of inspiration and love. I have a history degree, so when I began writing romance I naturally gravitated toward the historical genre. I was disappointed to see there were very few F/F historicals available. I took that as a challenge and had to write one. I grew up watching westerns my favorite being Gunsmoke. Maybe that was why the first F/F idea I got involved a cowgirl and a madam. Laura and Josephine both came to me as fully formed characters. Laura inherits a brothel after her Papa is murdered. She thought she’d be trapped in Bitterroot Flats and lonely for the rest of her life until the tomboy Josephine struts into her life and wants to make her fantasies come true.

To learn a little more about Laura and her fantasies here is an excerpt.

The Virgin Madam Blurb:

After a vicious outlaw murders her father, Laura Rutherford sees no future beyond running the family brothel and kowtowing to the local gang. Not even marriage offers escape. No man can compete with the beautiful women who dance the can-can for her each night...at least not until a gentle stranger sweeps in and opens her eyes to desires too long denied.

Joe Bascum stumbles into Bitterroot Flats looking for a place to hide from a gunman out for blood. When the innocent Madame from the local brothel offers a bed and bath, Joe accepts hoping to show the buttoned-up beauty just how right forbidden desire can feel.

When danger escalates, can Laura help Joe defeat the famous Fletcher gang, or is she destined to live a lonely life as the virgin madam?

Excerpt:

Time for the can-can show. My heart palpitated in anticipation. Shamelessly I watched the four women file on stage in their long matching red skirts and black stockings. A red feather in their hair.

Mr. Woodson finished the intro music. I gave him a small smile and nod before returning my attention to the women. I let out a quiet sigh. They were all beauties. When I was younger I cried myself to sleep wishing I had their figure; now full grown, I had given up on that dream. I wasn’t tall and leggy like Lulu. I wasn’t as curvy as Rose. I didn’t have Amanda’s fiery red hair or Delilah’s flawless complexion. I was just average.

The black silk chokers around their necks helped draw attention to their faces and lower to their breasts. The ladies grabbed their skirts and walked to the edge of the stage, swishing their skirts suggestively and showing off their clear bloomers. Many men let out cheers or said lewd comments. Ash rushed in and grabbed a seat. He leaned back in his chair put two fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Like me, he caught as many performances as he could. The bastard had become a regular fixture in Bitterroot Flats, easily partaking in the entitlements. Including murder. He must have had a past with Fletcher. Done jobs together, maybe even served time together.

I had to put up with him. But I didn’t have to pretend to like him. I seared his back with a fiery stare, hoping he could feel my anger.

I wish I never had to see Ash again. I wish I had the power to ban him from the Honey Ranch. The power to keep him from Amanda would be some satisfaction, but the Fletcher Gang owned the town. Ash could do whatever he damn pleased and I was powerless to stop him.

Ash wasn’t going to spoil the show for me. I focused on the women, their every seductive move. The dancers turned around in place before prancing around the stage in a small circle, flashing the gentlemen big smiles. Their faces, heavily painted with rouge and lip paint, glowed under the stage’s lighting. A thrill zipped through me when they formed a line again and started their high kicks. Some of the men clapped, keeping time with the music. Others tapped their empty beer glasses on the tables. The rowdy atmosphere didn’t bother me anymore. The scent of beer and whiskey wafted through the air, mixing with the smell of sweat, horses, and the honeysuckle perfume the ladies wore. I easily tuned out the men, my attention narrowing to the women working the stage as if their lives depended on it. How they managed to dance so well in those high-heeled black boots I’d never know. They helped show off their legs, though. And I could drool over all those legs. Heat and desire burning in my belly, I hoped no one could read my dirty thoughts.

What am I working on now?

The Virgin Madam is the first book in the Girls and Guns series. I had so much fun creating my western world I want to stay in it as long as possible. I am currently writing book two The Lumberjack’s Daughter. I also got roped into writing a contemporary western series with my critique partner Eva Lefoy. Look for the first book Perfect Ride to be released from Decadent in the future!

Please feel free to connect with me on Twitter @ShilohSaddler or Facebook or on my blog.