Wild Horse Publications

Get to know author Jude Wiesner!

Jude what inspired you to write your current short story in Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota Winter?

Jude’s response:
My story was inspired by memories of my miss-spent youth when every year I went to a winter weekend retreat along the St. Croix River. The lodge had a big stone fire place where we sat and told stories, ate popcorn, watched movies, and flirted. The highlight of every weekend was the crazy winding road that we shot down on sleds and toboggans to shoot over the ice slabs. The night runs were the best and a little romance always blossomed on those hills.

I am so excited that the third book in our series is now on Amazon. I feel so blessed to be associated with this wonderful group of authors that are willing to put themselves out there and share the stories that are tumbling around in their heads. The book is filled with a variety of short stories all set on a Minnesota lake in the depths of winter. Travel throughout our state with these wonderful tales that will warm your heart.

Click on the picture to take you to Amazon!

Since the latest Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota anthology released just a few days ago, we thought it would be fun to get to know some of the authors who are featured in the book. First up, get to know Angeline Fortin. Here’s a tiny bit about her story, “Alone with the Devil”…

When a snowmobile accident sends Bliss careening into the arms of a long-lost love, she must decide if she can let the pain from their past finally fade away as the heat rises in a secluded north woods cabin.

In addition to the Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota anthologies, you’ve published several books. Did you always want to be an author?

I don’t think I ever sat down one day and said I want to be an author.  I’ve been writing romance since shortly after I read my first one in high school. I worked on them on and off over the years but since I had kids and a full time job, it just never occurred to me that I could find a way to do it all the time. When my small business slumped a bit back in 2009, I had some extra time on my hands and spent it finishing those and starting more until I decided to self-publish. Suddenly I was an author.

You chose Lake Vermilion for your setting. What was the inspiration for your story?

The single thought I had when writing the winter anthology was I wanted to be snowmobiling on a lake. There’s an element of fun to it and all the makings for an accident that could lead to a hero coming to the rescue. Plus, it’s easier for our hero to rescue a woman from a run-in with a snowbank than if she’d fallen through the ice while ice fishing. Which was option #2.

Thanks, Angeline!

To learn more about Angeline, you can visit her website at www.angelinefortin.com.

To check out “Alone with the Devil” and ten other romance stories set on the beautiful lakes of Minnesota, visit “Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota – Winter.”

Our new cover just released! Details coming soon about release dates. Stay tuned

Front Cover of my new anthology

I can’t believe its Labor Day. Amazing! Between vacations, photography trips UP North and college visits, I have put enough miles on my car to have three oil changes this summer. Can you believe it? I sure can’t. No pun intended it’s been quite a ride.

I am still working my way through photos from all my summer time adventures and with the hot steaming weather it is a perfect time to do so. Two of the photos I came across are both from the Grand Tetons National Park. Out of the five national parks, I have to say this was by far my most favorite. Don’t get me wrong each and every one of the parks we visited were gorgeous, but there was just something about the Tetons.

This photo was taken at Oxbow Bend at sunset in the Tetons. We went there to view wildlife, the only thing we found besides this gorgeous sunset was mosquitoes. Up until this point I thought Minnesota had the corner on mosquitoes, oh was I wrong! There were so many squadrons flying around our heads we retreated to the car to watch out the windows. While I was in the car I set my camera, connected it to the tripod, then when I thought the color was just about right I bolted from the vehicle, quickly taking my spot. I was only able to capture a few images before I found myself racing back to the car in search of refuge. We stayed at Oxbow until the sun went down completely, I think we did this mostly out of fear because we were camping this night and we were both afraid to make the break from the car to the tent.

This was one of the few nights we camped while on our adventure and this night was our 25^th wedding anniversary. I had chatted with the gate attendant, in order to find a campsite on the lake. Unfortunately there are no campsites directly on the lake but he did open a loop for us and put us at a site that was directly across from the lake. It was a spectacular to wake up, walk about 100 feet, sit on a log and enjoy our morning coffee looking out over Jackson Lake at the base of the Tetons. So peaceful and majestic, I almost didn’t want to press on with the rest of our adventure. But check out time was upon us and we were both looking forward to see what was beyond the bend

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My son will be a senior this year! I can’t believe that it is time for my youngest boy child to leave the nest. It seems like just yesterday that he was born, I know that is so clique, but well, it’s true. With him entering his senior year, not only do I get to take his senior class pictures, I get to tour College campuses with him.

Our search for him to find the perfect home for the next four years of his life has allowed us to spend quite a few hours in the car together road tripping.  I’m an adventurer at heart so this is right up my alley of top ten things to do. This adventurer also loves to sing along to the radio or play an air instrument if I don’t know the words. All this has brought several strange looks from my son and a staunch refusal to join my band. I am sure he thinks I have totally lost my mind at this point and is ready to put me in a home for the mentally unstable. But I digress.

So far we have toured three colleges and we have two left to go. I have tried to make a point of finding fun things to do in each location, so that he not only has a feel for the college he might attend but for the surrounding area. I think it’s important to know what the area is like before you move there, I mean what good is it if you move to an area you hate. Exploring the world around you should be part of the college experience.

We have bowled, gone to the movies, zip-lined and took a ride on an alpine coaster, enjoyed meals at some out of the way restaurants and seen some interesting sights. But the most fun to me is watching my son have a good time and seeing the light in his eyes brighten as he sees a world with endless possibilities.

Will it be work? Yes.

Will there be struggles? Yes.

But there will also be lots of fun an adventure as you start to truly explore your world as an adult, meeting new people, seeing new sites and trying new activities.  Yes!

I am very excited and happy for my son as well as all the upcoming 2016 graduates. You all have a bright future in store for you no matter what path you decide to follow. For some of you it might mean college, others it could mean technical school or the military. Others of you may already have jobs or plan on backpacking Europe or something. There are endless possibilities for your path and your future, and whatever path you decide to follow make it an adventure!

The Dogs perspective July 29^th 2015

My perspective:

                Two days earlier…Ouch! Son-of –a–bucket that hurt! You bit me! Stupid hornet. Die! I stomp you to death! My knee is swelling up. It burns. Ouch. Ice, Benadryl, ibuprofen…red, puffy, swollen, achy, knee for a day and a half all because of one hornet sting in the garage.

Today…

The Dogs Perspective:

BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!

My perspective:

Storm, knock it off! We’ll go out as soon as I get the groceries put away.

The Dogs Perspective:

BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!

Translation: Stupid human! Don’t you get it? HELP! I’m in trouble here. There’s a squadron of yellow and black stingy things attacking me! Help! Help me please! NOW!!

My perspective:

Storm, knock it off! Just a minute baby.

The Dogs Perspective:

BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!

Translation: Now mommy, now! Please help me. They’re hurting me. If dogs could cry I would be bawling my head off. Help me mommy, help me….please…

My perspective:

What is it baby? Oh, my goodness! Come here baby, let’s get you out of there. I can’t believe it there’s a hornet’s nest in your doggie door. Poor baby. Come here honey dog. I don’t see any parts of you that are swelling.

Calling the vet…”Yes, I am not sure if she was stung or not there was just a swarm following her.”

Veterinary technician replies, “Just give her some Benadryl and watch her tongue and lips for swelling.”

I look at Storm, saying, “Poor baby, Mommy’s sorry she didn’t come sooner. I’ll make them pay.” I add as I go to the shop to get the hornet spray.

The Dogs Perspective:

“You’d better be sorry. I was being eaten alive out there and you were yelling at me to be quiet. I know I bark at everything but this time it was really serious. I promise I won’t bark again until it’s important or until a leaf blows by, or there is a squirrel…Thanks for the little pieces of chicken by the way. They were good, but a little crunchier than usual are you sure they were just chicken?

July 18, 2015 The Dogs Perspective

My Perspective:

Ahhh…Saturday morning, the family is all home we are sitting around enjoying our coffee and talking about our plans for the day. A nice quiet family morning the way Saturdays should be. Besides it’s already hot and humid and no one is excited to head outside for the day. Amongst the chatter however I hear a strange sound. It sounds like well…a beak pecking my sliding glass door.

Perplexed, because my deck is quite high, I look at my son and say, “Did you hear that?”

“I did.” He responds in an equally perplexed manor.

So, I put my coffee down, and head to the door, at the same time my husband says, “Did you see that?”

“See what?” I ask. Now unsure if I should proceed without grabbing my camera.

“One of the baby chickens is on the deck.” He responds with surprise.

“We need to get them off now!” I demand, “I will not have them pooping all over my deck!”

And with that, the four of head out to get little chickens off of our deck, dodging little piles of chicken poop along the way. You would think four grown adults would be able to wrangle six half grown chickens off the deck with no problem. I mean we are smarter, Right?

Chickens flapping, feather flying, people laughing, dogs barking and 20 minutes later we finally are got them all off the deck.  Whose idea were chickens anyway? Don’t even get me started.

The Chickens Perspective:

We still can’t believe it! This place is so big and we get to go anywhere we want! It’s scary out there though. Just look at those big black chickens. They sound like us, walk like us, but if we get too close they peck at us and don’t even get us started on those four legged, furry black things. Then there are they giant funny looking things they have neither feathers or fur, they bring us good things to eat, but they steal the eggs that our older friends lay. We are curious about them, but we don’t think we like them either.

     We are a collective, we go everywhere together and we like to explore. Each day we are getting a little farther from our home, but we always make sure it is in site and within an easy run if we need to get there in a hurry. The old ladies we live with like to go under the big flat coop in the sky.

We think we will go and see what is up there. It’s got to be good, it’s so big. There is only one problem, we have to go past the big furry things. They always make a funny sounds at us, but maybe if we are very very quiet they won’t even know we are there.

***

                Wow! Look at the view! There is so much to see from up here. Nothing to eat or drink but the view. Amazing. We better leave a trail so we can find our way back. So everybody poop a little. I wonder what this big shiny thing is. It makes funny sounds when I hit it with my beak. I’m gonna do that again. That is so cool. Wait a minute. The funny looking giants are in there. They are coming this way. Run! Hide! They’re coming. They’re making funny noises. Flapping their big arms, they’re chasing us, right at the big black furry things and they’re making their funny clucking noises now. Run! Hide! Scatter! Stay together! We don’t know what to do! Poop! When in doubt poop!

The Dogs Perspective:

                Bark, bark, whine, whine, run back and forth. Don’t you people get it?  Let us out! We can help. This game looks like so much fun. We want to play chase the chickens too. We are bird dogs after all. Please oh please!

Let us at ‘em. Let us at ‘em. Come on please…

We have four legs we can run faster than you bipeds.  Please oh please.

You people never let us have any fun! We can’t wait until we are 18 and can move out. Hu-ruff- …

My Perspective:

Just another quiet Saturday morning.. I need more coffee.