Researching Independence Pass, Colorado – A Learning Experience!
Research for my new release, AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT, led me up Independence Pass, Colorado. At over twelve thousand feet at its peak its the highest paved pass in North America. The breathtaking scenic overlook has a 360-degree view of the alpine tundra above tree-line, and Mount Elbert, the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
Independence Ghost Town sixteen miles east of Aspen is the historic ghost town of Independence. Once a thriving mining town with a population of 1,500, today you can view the remains of miner’s cabins, the Farewell Stamp Mill, 
Stables, and the General Store. Life was difficult for the people here. While exploring this area, I rounded the back of one of this cabin’s remains and a scene now in AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT played out. Yeah I know, I have an overactive imagination. LOL
Continental Divide: The midway point between Aspen and Twin Lakes Colorado, Independence Pass is the dividing point between watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean vs. those that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. At 12,095 feet the weather can be unpredictable. Can you imagine what it was like for the miners trying to exist in the winter conditions in the 1800’s? Brrrrrr!
I also discovered there were two campgrounds in the area. Lost Man Family Campground directly across Independence Pass road from the Lost Man Trailhead and Difficult Campground is located five miles southeast of Aspen. While Caden Silverwind, the hero in AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT, preferred to camp away from the population, I thought I’d check out if there were campgrounds in the area. Yep, we’re planning to do a little camping up there next year.
In another part of the book, the characters relocate to Riverton, Wyoming. Home of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The research there was equally interesting. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Native American tribes call this home. Did you know that the Wind River Reservation is the seventh-largest in the United States? It encompasses a land area of 3,473.272 square miles. The only casinos in Wyoming are owned by the Eastern Shoshone and the Northen Arapaho. There is a casino in AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT.
Well we are only three days from the release of AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT. It was a fun book to research and write. I hope you’ll pick up a copy.
Fallen warrior angel, Caden Silverwind, lives alone in Colorado’s rugged Rockies, healing from physical wounds as well as the mental anguish suffered during battles with dark demons. Then he finds a woman barely clinging to life after a horrendous beating. He is not prepared for the entanglement she brings to his life, nor the feelings she awakens in him.
Bureau of Indian Affairs Agent, Mystic Rayne’s personal dilemma and assignment nearly gets her killed. Divine intervention is a complication she never expected and her growing attraction to Caden is undeniable. Can she trust him with her secret?
Their quest to uncover her attacker takes them from the pristine mountains in Colorado to the wilds of Wyoming. Along the way, they find answers which may place them in more danger. Determined to solve the mystery, they must also navigate their feelings and fears to find love and unite heaven and earth.
Available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon AU, itunes, The Wild Rose Press and Barnes and Noble
Thank you for stopping by!
Views: 303
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement, Arapaho, Casinos, Colorado, Independent Pass, Riverton, Shoshone, Tena Stetler, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
RWA 2018 Conference – My Experience
My thoughts as a first time (RWA) Romance Writer’s of America Conference attendee! I enjoyed meeting people I’d only talked with on line. Surprisingly, my impressions were right on ninety-five percent of the time. We’ll not talk about that five percent. LOL
Anyway, I logged nearly six miles a day running from workshop to workshop, out and about for meals, and chasing the wrong elevator. Wednesday, my first day I spent lost, really lost inside the Sheraton Hotel. Wrong hallway, wrong elevator, wrong rooms and wrong garage floor. Whew it’s a wonder I got anywhere on time. Enter the helpful Sheraton staff. They pointed me in the right direction at every intersection I paused and am sure I looked totally lost all day. Eventually I learned to navigate by the huge posters of book covers, NYT Authors, and half-naked men on the walls and elevator doors. Yep. It was fun.
Oh I have to tell you about this older man and his wife I met outside an elevator. Their eyes were as big a saucers looking at the romance covers adorning the elevator doors and walls of the hotel. I overheard her say “The hotel didn’t look like this last time we were here.” I couldn’t help giggling to myself. Then I stepped up to them and explained they had arrived during the RWA – Romance Writer’s Of American National Conference. The pictures on the elevators, walls and billboards were book covers or companies involved in the industry. And all the people running around with tags like mine were either writers, editors, or involved with RWA in some capacity. I explained I was a writer. They asked if my book covers looked like these and I nodded. “Some of them.” Of course I gave them a postcard with all my books on it. Their elevator arrived and they stepped inside smiled and waved as the doors closed.
The workshops were interesting and informative. The Instagram workshop was way too short. I learned quite a bit from a couple of social media classes. I especially enjoyed Deep Point of View by Barbara Longley; Romance, Explosions and Dead Bodies by Karen Rose. Of course what’s not to like about explosions and dead bodies. LOL The PAN keynote Rosanne Bane (Around the Writer’s Block) was fantastic. Her explanation of how our brain works and changes under constant or long term stress and what to do about it was enlightening. Want to know more? Check out https://baneofyourresistance.com/rwa2018/ We got to color too! Gotta integrate play in your routine every day.
The Golden Heart and RITA ceremonies were interesting to say the least. The food was better than I had encountered at other conferences I’ve attended. The Goody Room was filled with swag galore. Free books were available in the Book Room and other places.
The highlight for me was encountering so many like-minded individuals and visiting with them. Meeting with a group of authors from my publishing house The Wild Rose Press was a blast! Seeing the Roses (as we dub ourselves) in the hallways and workshops made me feel at home, as did waving like crazy across the room at familiar faces of local authors.
The Industry Market Place event where you could walk up and talk to publishers, booksellers, editors, etc., was overwhelming. Yep, I talked to a few. TJ MacKay from InD’tale was entertaining and informative.
The ProLiteracy signing event was fun. Most of my books left with happy readers, which makes me a happy writer! 
So there you have it, my take on RWA 2018 in Denver. It was an experience I will remember fondly for years to come. My advice—drink lots of water, wear comfortable shoes, soak up the experience and get more rest or sleep than I did! LOL
Can’t forget the shameless promo. Thanks for understanding.
Available for preorder An Angel’s Unintentional Entanlement – Where Caden goes, trouble follows until he discovers a badly beaten woman barely clinging to life. Unprepared for the entanglement she brings to his doorstep, will he move heaven and earth to save her? http://a.co/33cAXAO
Views: 97
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement, Romance Writer's Of America, RWA2018 Denver, Sheraton Hotel by Tena Stetler with 19 comments.
Packing for RWA Conference – My First One! Can You Say Excited?!
Announcing Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing.Event, July 21, 2018. At the RWA Conference. Come out to meet hundreds of your favorite romance authors, buy their books—we’ll happily sign them—and help an adult learn to read. I’ll be there —signing A Warlock’s Secrets and A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance for charity.
So what to take? What do I need? Clothes check. Computer maybe. Easier to lug around smaller electronics to post the goings on at Romance Writers of American Conference this week, starting Wednesday, July 18th! Fun filled days of workshops, friendship renewals, making new friends, motivation, and hopefully book sales and snagging a bunch of new readers. Hope to see you at the Readers For Life Literacy Autographing Event!
Now my suitcase is stuffed, hopefully I didn’t forget anything. Yep, packed my shampoo, conditions, lotions etc in a SEALED plastic bag. Don’t want to talk about the exploding bottles and clothes incident. My promotional suitcase is overflowing. books, bookmarks, and fun stuff! Never do book signings without my stuffed chow, chow. Hope to see you on Saturday. Want to know what I’m up to over the next few days? Check out my twitter feed, and Instagram I’ll be reporting the happenings at the RWA Conference and my experiences. You know me, never a dull moment. Will I get lost? Will I get into the workshops I want? Will I remain inconspicuous? NOT. LOL Most of all need motivation to get my current WIP completed. The most exciting meet up is with my fellow authors from The Wild Rose Press on Wednesday night. I converse with a lot of them daily, but never met most. The face to face will be a blast! Don’t you think?
Back to packing. I have a little ice chest that I will have my Coke Zero in, can’t have too much sugar. Don’t want people I don’t know having to keep me from bouncing off the walls or worse yet scraping me off the ceiling. I’ll have snacks and cheese to keep up my energy as I run from room to room and building to building. Meals, now can any one tell me a great place to eat close to Sixteenth Street Mall? Yep probably be wandering the sixteen street mall, but don’t tell anyone. Okay? Also I’ll need my pizza fix on Friday night. Any suggestions?
Click on cover to reserve your copy
One last exciting thought, it’s less than three weeks until the release of AN ANGEL’S UNINTENTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT August 6th, 2018! It’s available for preorder right now. Reserve your copy today!
Click on cover to read more or purchase
Oh…almost forgot, celebrating Christmas in July and my first RWA Conference, A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance ebook is on sale for 99¢ for a limited time. Download your copy today!
Have a great week and watch for my twitter and Instagram posts!
Views: 244
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance, An Angel's Unintentional Entanglement, Instagram, Readers for Life Literacy Autographing Event, RWA Conference, Tena Stetler, Twitter by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
