Red Dirt Heart
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Cover Reveal ~ Red Dirt Heart 3
Once again, Sara York has created the most fabulous cover for me!
And it is perfect.
The story of Charlie and Travis continues, and now it’s springtime in the desert. Life is in full bloom and as in all three Red Dirt Heart books, the desert is a reflection of the man that lives and breathes it. For Charlie, the days are warm, the nights are good for snuggling in bed, and he’s finally certain Travis is here to stay.
But just like the desert in spring, life is busy. Probably too busy. And with everything that’s going on around him, Charlie is also certain he couldn’t do any of it without Travis. But what happens when he has to?
Red Dirt Heart 3 is about the growth of Charlie Sutton coming full circle. In order to be the man he truly believes Travis deserves – a man who can stand on his own two feet and win his own battles – he just might have to do exactly that.
BLURB:
Life for Charlie Sutton has never been better, or busier. With Travis now a permanent fixture of Sutton Station, a permanent fixture at Charlie’s side, Charlie’s convinced he couldn’t do anything on his ever-growing to-do list without him.
He can run a multimillion dollar cattle business, finish his degree, try and further the local beef industry, deal with staff issues, Ma’s failing health, and an attention-demanding wombat. He can even deal with an unexpected visitor and some shattering news.
He can deal with it all, as long as he has Travis.
But what happens when he doesn’t?
Red Dirt Heart 3 is the story of Charlie Sutton finally realising he can be the man Travis Craig deserves, even if he doesn’t have Travis. It’s a story of love, family, holding on, letting go and coming home.
ABOUT THESE COVERS
It wasn’t intentional, and it really wasn’t until I was asked in an interview about these covers, that I made the connection. But each cover is significant in how it relates to the desert, the seasons and of course, how it relates to Charlie Sutton. Throughout these books, we know the desert runs though Charlie’s veins. We know the desert is like a secondary character, and how Charlie lives and grows with each season.
Red Dirt Heart 1’s cover is very solitary, just like Charlie. A tree without growth, a single hat. Charlie was surviving in the desert, but wouldn’t call it ‘living’. It’s summer, scorching hot, barren and unforgiving. Just like Charlie.
Red Dirt Heart 2’s cover is all about Charlie. The colours are Outback red and shows the inclusion of Travis with the second hat. From Autumn to winter, things have cooled on Sutton Station in more ways than one. But as Charlie knows too well, these seasons are where the earth takes a moment to regroup before the promise of new life.
Red Dirt Heart 3’s cover is about growth and standing on your own two feet. Spring is where life flourishes, changes and grows. There is a distinct circle of life in RDH3 and how Charlie, like the desert, grows.
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Red Dirt Heart 2 Giveaway
I’m giving away 4 digital copies of Red Dirt Heart 2, and 2 digital copies of any book from my backlist!
Click on the pic to go the Rafflecopter page! There are 6 chances to win a book!! You need to click on the Rafflecopter picutre/link (my wordpress won’t allow javascript so the actual giveaway button won’t show here) but you can also find it on my Facebook Author Page. (scroll over)
Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed Red Dirt Heart 2, and enjoyed a little more of Charlie and Travis. The reviews on Goodreads and Amazon have been fabulous, and I thank you!! <3
Please check out the Rafflecopter options for entering to make sure your comment on my blog will gain you an entry 🙂
And good luck!!
Here’s a little picspiration…
Charlie Sutton 
Travis Craig 
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Red Dirt Heart 2
RELEASE DAY!
The story of Charlie and Travis continues!
BLURB
Up until Travis arrived on his doorstep, Charlie had lived a very solitary life. He had surrounded himself with isolation; a couple million acres of red dirt, scorching sun and loneliness.
Six months on, winter has settled over the desert, and Charlie has the life he never dreamed possible. But living and working together, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months straight starts to take its toll.
Charlie is a stubborn, stubborn man, who tends to have more conversations in his head than what comes out his mouth, whereas Travis has no problem saying what’s on his mind. And even as they both struggle to communicate, struggle to make sense of need versus want, Charlie can see that he’s pushing Travis away – yet seems helpless to stop it.
When it all boils down to whether Travis should stay or go, maybe the decision won’t be theirs to make.
BUY LINKS
At Amazon
At Smashwords
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Update, Excerpt and What’s New
I have had quite a few people contact me regarding the release of Red Dirt Heart 2, so I thought I’d post about it here. I know I originally said the book would be released in late July, but that has not been the case. Sometimes things happen out of our control and sometimes that’s just the way it goes, and I do apologise.
I want to release a book that is not rushed, with minimal errors (grant me lenience for a few, I am human after all LOL) and such perfection takes time.
But rest assured it’s coming soon. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I’m hoping for next week. I will post more when I know more.
So, that being said, I’m sharing an (unedited) excerpt from Chapter Six (of RDH2). Charlie and Travis have just had a weekend in town together. I hope you enjoy…
When I pulled up in the parking lot at the supermarket to get Ma’s long list of groceries, instead of walking into Woolworths, Travis walked the other way.
“Where you going?” I called out.
“Just over here,” he answered. He kept on walking to the park at the end of the complex. It was just a small park, some kids had graffitied the seats and the play equipment was kind of broken, but there were big maple trees which Travis headed straight for. He sat down on the dirty park bench and by the time got over to him, he was pulling off his boots. He looked up at me and smiled, then took off his socks and put his bare feet on the grass.
The longish, green grass.
I sat down beside him. “Trav, you okay?”
He gave me a bit of a smile. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve just been a bit quiet, that’s all,” I said, avoiding making eye contact, looking at his feet instead.
“I just wanted to feel grass under my feet.” He shrugged. “Didn’t realise I’d miss the feel of grass.”
Then it dawned on me. Travis was homesick.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat, and could barely form the words. They were a whisper at best. “Do you want to go home?”
He sighed. “We’d better get Ma her shopping first, or she’ll have our hides.”
He didn’t understand. “No, I meant home, home.” I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “As in Texas?”
He shot me a look. “What?”
I felt a bit sick at the thought, but that voice in my head that knew this was inevitable at some point was loud and clear. I didn’t want to hear it, I didn’t want this to end – ever – but I had to know. “Home. Do you miss it?”
He didn’t answer for a while. I could feel his eyes on me, burning into me, but I couldn’t look at him.
“I’ll understand, Travis,” I whispered. “Just say it.”
“Charlie,” he said softly. “Look at me.” He waited for my eyes to meet his before he continued. “I won’t lie to you. Yes, I miss it. I miss my family.”
I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. “I don’t blame you,” I said. My voice croaked and I bit my lip to stem the burning in my eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at him, so I looked out at the car park instead.
“Charlie.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t do this. Not here, not ever. I wanted to stand up and walk away, but I couldn’t seem to move.
“Charles Sutton you can stop that right the fuck now.”
I looked at him then, and his face went from pissed off to oh-hell-no when he saw that I was fighting tears.
He kind of laughed, but put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him. “No, no, no, Charlie, no. I’m not leaving.”
I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at his face. “But you miss home.”
“Yes, I miss my folks, but that’s only natural. I don’t want to go home, maybe for a visit sometime, yes. But not for good.” His eyes were soft and he smiled. “Charlie, you’re just waiting for me to tell you it’s over, aren’t you?”
I swallowed hard. “Well, I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Well, you know what?” he asked. “You’re stuck with me. I’ve told you that. A hundred times.”
“Are you sick of it though? Even just a little bit?” I asked. “The heat, the dust, the monotony of it all. Being so far away, from everything. I know it’s not an easy life.”
He smiled but looked out to a passing car. “You know what does bother me, Charlie?”
“What?”
“The fact I keep telling you I’m staying, that I love it here, that I love you,” he said quietly. “And you don’t believe me.”
I wanted to take his hand. I wanted to reassure him with a touch. But I couldn’t. My hand wanted to move, but my hammering heart wouldn’t let it. “I do believe you.”
“Then why do you always think I’m leaving?”
I shrugged. “Because I would understand if you did.” I looked back out across the car park again. It was easier than looking at him. “I do believe you. I’m sorry if you think I’m doubting you. Because I’m not. I doubt me.”
“How?”
“That I’ll fuck it up, or the fact I’m not technically out,” I admitted. His eyebrows furrowed in that what-the-hell-does-that-mean way he did. “Well, this weekend… I booked us into a twin room so the lady behind the counter wouldn’t know, I wouldn’t dance with you, I walked away from you in the stupid electronics store, and I wouldn’t hold your hand at the movies and that’s not fair on you.” I shrugged again. “I’m trying, Trav, but it’s not easy for me. I wanted this weekend to be a bit special and I kinda failed.”
“I never asked you to hold my hand at the movies,” he said, obviously confused.
“I know you didn’t. But I wanted… I wanted to hold your hand,” I admitted quietly. “And I couldn’t do it. Even in the darkened cinema. In case someone saw it… I hate that I can’t… like right now. I want to do something as simple as hold your fucking hand, and I can’t.”
Travis stared at me for the longest time. “Charlie. You didn’t fail. This weekend’s been great. And don’t ever apologise.”
Before I could lose my nerve, I asked him, “Are you happy? Here with me?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he just kind of smiled and shook his head in a frustrated I-can’t-believe-you’re-so-fucking-stupid kind of way. “Charlie, do me a favour?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“Take your boots and socks off.”
“What?”
He looked pointedly at his bare feet. “Boots and socks. Take ‘em off.”
I considered arguing. I considered telling him it was the middle of town, in the park next to the supermarket, and that taking my boots off probably wasn’t strictly proper. But it was Travis, and it was kind of pointless in arguing, and considering how this conversation was going, I didn’t dare. So I took off my boots and socks.
“Doesn’t that feel good?”
“Um…”
“The grass,” he said. “Under your feet.”
It was like soft paper, and… green. “I guess.”
“Of all the things, I didn’t think I would miss this.”
“Grass?”
Travis looked at me and grinned. “Weird, huh?”
I thought about it for a long moment. “I guess not. Not if you were used to it before.”
He smiled wistfully, and sighed. “Charlie, I can see how hard you’re trying this weekend.”
“I want you to be happy.”
He smiled more genuinely this time. “I know you do. And I am.”
“But?” There definitely sounded like there was a but looming.
“I’ve loved this weekend here with you. No work, no anything. Just us.”
“And?”
“And all you want to do is go home.”
“No I don’t,” I lied.
He raised his eyebrow again. “You really are a terrible liar.”
“I’ve loved being here with you,” I said quickly. Then I shrugged and opted for honesty. “I just feel very… out of place.”
“Can I tell you something?”
I nodded, really not wanting to hear what he had to say.
“You don’t belong here.” He smiled at my expression. “You belong on Sutton Station. It’s a part of you. The vastness, the open spaces, the red dirt.”
“It’s who I am.”
He smiled. “It’s who I love.”
In other news, I’m almost done on my WIP. I imagine it will finish at about the 75K-ish mark. I haven’t posted much on this one, but I don’t mind telling you all that the book I’m hoping to release in Sep/Oct is indeed, Red Dirt Heart 3.
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Red Dirt Heart cover and excerpt and Starting Point cover reveal!
RED DIRT HEART
The absolutely gorgeous cover, made by extremely talented Sara York.
Blurb:
Welcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.
Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how, the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.
American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely.
It’s the man with the red dirt heart.
I’d like you to meet Charlie Sutton and Travis Craig, the two main characters in my newest book, Red Dirt Heart.
Charlie Sutton Travis Craig Set in the Australian Outback, Sutton Station is the eighth largest cattle station in Australia. With landscapes of red earth, blue skies and blistering heat, Red Dirt Heart is the story of how one American Agronomy student turns up at Sutton Station for a one-month-long working holiday, and subsequently turns one Australian cowboy’s life upside down.
Having surrounded himself with isolation, Charlie is quite content to spend his life ensuring Sutton Station remains one of the most respected properties in the Outback. Convinced he’ll spend his life alone, just as his father did before him, Charlie isn’t prepared for Travis Craig.
Confident and a competent farmhand, Travis offers Charlie a ‘few weeks of fun’ while he’s there. What could possibly go wrong?
Excerpt:
CHAPTER ONE – Where the American guy walks in, all blue eyes and disarming smiles, and my life goes to shit.
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Just on sundown, I got off the motorbike, kicked the stand down so the bike stood upright without me and closed the gate. I’d been out all day in the South paddocks doing a final check of fences and water trough pumps before we bought the cattle down from the North. I’d seen the ute back at the homestead as I came in so I knew George was home.
George was my leading hand. He was in his fifties, with greying hair and sun-hardened skin. He’d worked here for as long I could remember, but he was more than a loyal employee. He was my friend, and in a lot of ways, more of a dad to me than my own old man ever was.
He’d been out all day. Left before sun-up and headed into Alice Springs. We were a good three hours from the nearest town, and with a list as long as his arm from the Station cook, Ma – who also happened to be his wife – he needed a few hours in town before heading out to the airport to pick up the real reason for his trip.
An American agronomy student by the name of Travis Craig.
When my father ran this farm, every year we’d have people from another country come and spend a couple of weeks as part of some Diversification exchange program. My old man always said it was a good way to source out what other countries were teaching, but really I think he just liked the extra pair of hands at the finish of the dry season. And when we’d had a phone call back in July to ask if we’d be interested in hosting another student, and given it’d been a few years, I thought it seemed like a good idea. Now I couldn’t help but wonder if this Travis Craig would be a help or a liability.
I rode the bike into the yard and pulled up in the shed. I figured they’d know I’d arrived, having heard the bike, so I headed straight for the house. Like most homesteads built almost a hundred years ago, it was a weatherboard home, with an old iron roof and a veranda around four sides to try and keep it cool.
I kicked the red dust from my boots on the veranda steps and tried to brush the same from my jeans, took off my hat before I opened the door and walked inside. There was a suitcase and a duffel bag near the front door, and voices at the back of the house.
“In the kitchen,” George called out.
I followed the sound of chatter and the smell of something good to find a meeting of sorts in the old country-style kitchen. The worn, solid wooden table that graced the middle of the room was covered with plates of scones and trays of cups and tea, and three people were in chairs around it. My right-hand man, George, his wife the cook, Ma, and a stranger with short light-brown hair and pale blue eyes.
George was the first to his feet, and the man beside him soon followed. “Here’s the boss, Charles Sutton,” George said, introducing me formally. “Charlie, this is Travis Craig.”
Travis, who looked about twenty-two years old, held out his hand and smiled. “Mr Sutton. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His accent was strange to hear at first, but his smile was warm and wide.
I wiped my hand on my shirt and held it out for him to shake. “Travis,” I said with a nod. “Please, call me Charlie.”
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Here’s some picspiration for Red Dirt Heart
Red Dirt Heart will be self-published and will be available on Amazon, ARe and Smashwords in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!! I’m working on the sequel, which apparently has turned into a possible third book. 🙂 I figure no one will mind…
And another new cover!
Yes, I have a cover to show off…
Starting Point, the third and final book in the Turning Point Series, which will be released in April.
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