Forgetting Herself

August 2000
Leisure Books
ISBN 0-8439-4763-2

The Rancher's Daughters #2: FORGETTING HERSELF
MARIAH

Although the second book in the series, FORGETTING HERSELF tells the story of the oldest sister, and the first to get married. It also gave me a chance to explore a topic I've found fascinating for years--the bad blood between the cattle ranchers and the sheep farmers on the northern plains. This page is the place to find extra tidbits about it, including:

About the Cover
Reviews
The lengthy prologue
Whom I envisioned as the characters
Deleted scenes

About the Cover:

One of my favorite parts of being a writer is, gods-willing, seeing the book cover for the first time. I think I kissed this one when I opened the mail. The pinks and purples are beautiful, and I love how the artist(s) at Leisure/Dorchester are so far showing my hero and heroine touching foreheads--first Jack and Audra, now Mariah and Stuart! Some authors dislike "clinch covers," with a couple on them, because they are sometimes poorly done. Call me biased, but I really like mine. This one shows the sweetness of Mariah and Stuart's love... and somehow, with the suspenders, the earthiness.

People often ask about the "Lair of the Wolf" flash. That's a reference to a great marketing idea Leisure had, in which they included a chapter of a continuing story in selected books each month. I was proud that they chose my book to continue it.

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Reviews:

"This tender, sweet story carries a powerful message that readers will not be able to ignore... Readers will find themselves completely caught up in the emotional storm of the hate that divides a community and the lovers' desire for peace."
--Romantic Times

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How I see Stuart and Mariah....

Readers often picture someone completely different than did I, and that's okay. But the book cover always sets an image, and I'm usually curious about who, if anybody, other authors were thinking about when they wrote THEIR characters, so here goes.

QUALIFIER: For what it's worth, characters are most of all THEMSELVES. I often picture actors as a sort of... model, the basis from which the character then develops in my mind. But that does not mean the character is just like the actor by any means! So take this with a grain of salt.

STUART:

Stuart MacCallum, oldest son of a local sheep herder, is a proud man. His family has raised sheep for generations, and no cattlemen are going to make him feel inferior because of it. But will his pride rob him of the one thing that really counts: Mariah?

Hair: Wheat brown; overlong from neglect
Eyes: Rich brown
Height: On the tall side, & very solid. Works hard.
Age: About 22....
Tag words: Solid, steady, stubborn ... & sullen

I found an actor early on who captured the stocky, brooding look of Stuart just right--a guy from THE QUICK AND THE DEAD and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, whom few of my casual friends had heard of: Russell Crowe. Then GLADIATOR came out and everyone heard of him. He's one of the few actors who can make "stocky" look really great.

Another actor who sometimes captures the spirit of Stuart for me is a little-known gentleman who is currently in ALL SOULS, and whom I first saw on a short-lived TV show on UPN called LEGACY.

MARIAH:

Mariah Garrison, oldest of the rancher's daughters, was the fair-haired child of the family. She never questioned her parents or her place--until she fell for sheep-herder Stuart MacCallum, easily as honorable a man as her father. Now she's risking her entire world on her ability to judge Stu's character--at the same time that she must question everything else she's ever held dear.

Hair: Golden blonde, neat
Eyes: Twilight gray
Height: Medium height & build
Tag words: Trusting & trustworthy

Mariah is one of those characters who refused to be captured by any one particular actress.

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