I’d like y’all to meet the Grahams – they are a family of tough ranchers, born and raised in the Republic of Texas. There are eight children in the Graham family, Matthew, Olivia, Caleb, Nicholas, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Catherine and Benjamin. Stuart and Meredith Graham loved each other and the eight offspring made from that love.
Then one terrible day in 1836, Stuart and Meredith were murdered and young Benjamin, only five years old, disappeared. That left Matthew, the oldest at twenty-four, in charge of a brood of siblings and a ranch. The Grahams are like any group of brothers and sisters. They bicker, they argue, they laugh, they get into mischief and most of all, they are loyal to each other.
When I write a series, it nearly always revolves around a family, conventional or unconventional. THE CIRCLE EIGHT series is no exception. I’ve never had such a clear picture of the family, or come to love them as quickly as I did the Grahams. They have taken up residence in my heart for good.
With the publication of MATTHEW, the first book in the series, the Grahams are finally out in the wild for everyone to meet and get to know. Coming from a family of four siblings (hubby is from a family of five), I know just how frustrating, amazing, and loud a large family can be. I’ve put all that into these books and more.
I just finished reading the galley proof for BRODY, the second book in the series (July 2012). And I found myself laughing, crying and enjoying every moment with the Grahams. They are a family of very unique characters, just as each of us is unique.
And don’t you know it, they are all going to grow up in front of our eyes. That’s a first for me, creating their lives and letting them experience it. They are like the country they live in, the Republic of Texas that is, tough, unyielding, strong and ready for anything.
I hope you’ll give the Grahams a try and pick up a copy of MATTHEW, the first book in THE CIRCLE EIGHT series.
If you’re going to the Romantic Times Convention in Chicago, don’t forget to come see me at the WESTERN ROUND UP on Wednesday, April 11th at 2:15! We’ll have Len Gunn, the cover model for book 2 in THE CIRCLE EIGHT series, BRODY! Yeehaw!
