Guess after too many years of drought, we are ending it this year - all in a week or two.  The rain seems relentless, but our dams and reserviors were so low, I can't bring myself to complain. 

The good news is that while everyone else is suffering from cabin fever, I  am getting time to write.  With our busy schedule around here, that is a blessing for me.  Being a Gemini, I have several projects going.  One is a time travel set in gold rush San Francisco, one is the rewrite on a larger book, and I have just finished editing an anthology of works done by my writer's group in Placer County.  

I have finished the Cowboy Up book and have started the tedious job of submitting it to publishers.  My book Hot Quit has reverted back to me and I'm busy working on getting it a publisher home again.  

​Next week end, we are on the road to Utah for a dog trial - hope the weather is passable.  

I just finished my new book - working title is COWBOY UP. It's the story of the reunion of two high school sweethearts and is set in the fast-paced professional rodeo world. My next step is to submit it to publishers. I have my fingers and toes crossed that I will find a great home for it.  

That said, I’m starting on another book. This one revolves around mystery after a flood covers a small town in Idaho.  The heroine is of course, a strong, independent woman. The hero is a cowboy lawyer who tries to help Lindy prove the innocence of her father.  

My husband (of 50 years now) and I are still involved with horses although we are not team roping much but have replaced it with ranch sorting.  We still are trialing working Border Collies and having fun as the “cute old couple” with both events.  

Things have been moving so fast around here that I barely have time to sleep. Elliott and I have been traveling as we trial the border collies. Chilli, is starting to show her age and Elliott has decided to retire her after a win in the Gambler’s Scramble in Winnemucca at the Ranch Hand Rodeo. He’s now trialing Bailey, our dog that won National Cattle Dog Champion Nursery Dog last year (shown by Brian Jacobs, her trainer). She is a very different dog than Chilli and Elliott is learning tons every time he shows her.

I am getting a new dog and retiring Win, who works really good at home, but is a rocket on the loose at a trial. I have my fingers crossed that we do well.

When the rain stops her – yes, I know we prayed for it – we will start up roping and the Cow 101 again. Our arena has been pretty good all winter, and the cows are all fat on the abundant grass. We have also been sorting competitively on our new horses and really enjoying it. Too many fun things to do and way too little time.
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My big news is that my second contemporary romance is out on Amazon. It is set in the wilderness of Idaho where we used to hunt. Some of my favorite times on a horse were in Idaho in the Frank Church Wilderness. The hero, Cole, is an outfitter, and Maggie, the heroine works for the Department of the Interior. Sparks fly when there is a push to change the wilderness area into a National park. As always, this is a sweet romance – my grandmother can read it as well as my granddaughter. The title of the book is RIDE INTO THE WILD SIDE OF LOVE, and I’m sure you’ll like the story of how Cole and Maggie meet and fall in love.  

​Just a short note to let you know that my second contemporary romance is finally done and up on Amazon.  The hero, Cole, is an outfitter in the Idaho wilderness and the heroine works for the Department of the Interior.  A fight is brewing over the wilderness being reclassified as a National park and these two are right in the middle. 
 
It is available on Amazon – just look up the Title RIDE INTO THE WILD SIDE OF LOVE, or search my name Kathryn Roberts.
 
As always, I thank you all for being supportive of my writing and for asking me when the book will be out.  I’m not very speedy, but hope you all enjoy this one. 

We will put on a sorting clinic for beginner and novice sorters on Saturday May 13.  It will be a continuation of the basic sorting we do in the 101 clinic but expanded and a little faster. The clinic will run from
9AM to noon and the cost will be $70.   

​Lunch included – if we can find someone to video, we may get to use them as instruction during lunch.  Class size limited.  Call Kathy to reserve a place in the clinic. 916-539-4179
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    Well, its been a long year, and I know I should have posted sooner, but it seemed like we were running at top speed all year. 
    We got into the world of trialing cow dogs and Chilli, is a real hot pepper.  She won a year-end award and is starting another bang-up year with Elliott showing her.  We also have a pup, Win, who is just starting his trialing career.  Between the two of them, we have the Wild Child (win) and the Brat Child (Chilli) to keep us going. 
    We are still team roping and have been silly enough to go from a dog trial in Winnemucca to a roping in  Tulare.  Elliott has a new horse and we are winning a little here and there.
    HOT QUIT is doing well and I am thankful for all the wonderful reader reviews on Amazon.  That said, I have to say something about my unorganized writing plan.  After Hot Quit, I needed to write something about my experiences with Dementia.  My Mother was stricken and from the onset, I felt like I was a step behind.  The book, The Long Good-bye, is my way of offering help to anyone who is dealing with the disease. 
    I am working on a Western romance that will be the next one published, because it was what I was working on when Hot Quit was sold.  I am also now working on another contemporary with a delightful cowboy hero.
    I'd like to say I will be more organized in the future, but I'm not going to make promises other than I will keep writing. I will get a blog out sooner for the next time, too. 
    For now, keep on loving those cowboys and strong women.

We - Ashley, Amy and I -  just got done practicing roping on the Robo steer.  Elliott is such a good guy for running it and giving us all the help we need to get better. 

Also just sen toff the next book to Lisa, my wonderful proof-reader.  It should be ready to go to Amazon soon and I will be starting on the third one.  Hot Quit is being offered as part of an Amazon United Kingdom promotion...how exciting.  So far my only international sale had been to Keita, who was one of our foreign exchange students.  He now lives in Burma with his family