February 6, 2011

Greetings from the Centennial State - Colorful Colorado and Kaye Spencer!

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain… Inspiration for those words came to the author while visiting my home state—Colorado—in 1895.
Hello, I’m Kaye Spencer, author of sensual and erotic romances—mostly historical westerns—and I like to tell people that I live way out west where we’ve got a name for rain and wind and fire. The rain is Tess, the fire’s Joe, and they call the wind Mariah (Paint Your Wagon). I live in Springfield, which is a very small, rural town in the far southeastern corner of the state: 30 miles either way from Kansas and Oklahoma. I grew up in the northeastern part of the state, so I’m a prairie girl at heart. The mountains are beautiful, and I have to admit that my ideal place to live is Fairplay, which is nestled in the broad, grassy valley of South Park, but my heart belongs on the plains.

The Plains...
Where Blue Norther-driven snow blows and drifts with fierce inhibition.
Trees stand bent and gnarled from battling the constant wind.
Dry lightning sends grass fires blazing over rain-starved buffalo grass land, and rattlesnakes curl up on porches for summer nap.
But Sunsets paint momentary masterpieces on the canvas of the horizon.
Stars glimmer with stark magnificence against a black velvet curtain.
Wild flowers flutter with the gentle breeze that arrives with dusk, and coyotes howl mournful songs on crisp, clear winter nights.
Here, there is simple beauty.
Here, there is serenity.
Here…is home.
All of my stories are set mostly in Colorado including those written under my other pen name of A.L. Debran are set. Lonely Places is set in my home town of Fort Morgan. Gunslingers & Ghostriders is set in Trinchera. My Vampire Oracle, Life is set around the Greeley area. As an aside, the sequel to Lonely Places should hit the cyber e-shelves in a year. My books as Kaye Spencer are set in Denver (The Dance and Gambling with Love). I have two epic-length westerns that are also set in Colorado, and I’m going to self-publish at least one of them this year.
The descriptions of locations in my stories are real. In fact, I either visit the sites I write about or I’ve lived there, and I know them well. I like to incorporate Colorado history into my stories, so when I describe the cattle drive over Trinchera Pass, fording the South Platte River at Fort Morgan, or dining at the Brown Palace Hotel in 1892 Denver, I’m describing with meticulous attention to research and historical accuracy.

Speaking of history, if you’re ever passing through my corner of Colorado take the time to stop in Campo, which is a little community of 120 people about eight miles from the Oklahoma border on U.S. Highway 287. Campo is in the heart of the Comanche National Grasslands and for the prairie traveler, Campo offers a scenic prairie experience. Carrizo Canyon is a short drive to the west. It is a treasure trove of wildlife photo opportunities from big horn sheep to antelope to mule deer and elk. While you’re in Campo, be sure to stop at the Campo CafĂ© for breakfast or lunch and Ray’s BBQ for supper. You’re guaranteed to receive personal attention, good food, and warm hospitality.
Everyone who leaves a comment between February 6 and February 13 will have their name put into a random drawing. The prize is a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate and a complimentary copy (your choice) of one of my eBooks. I will draw on February 13th and post the winner’s name here and on my website.
 http://www.kayespencer.com/

18 comments:

  1. I've been to Colorado many many times. Absolutely gorgeous. The mountains are like none I've ever seen. :)

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  2. O beautiful for spacious skies... I didn't know that's where the words came from. Thanks for educating me and showing me another beautiful state.

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  3. Living in an area and being aware of its history can be a valuable asset for a writer. You live in a beautiful state with much history and your love of place is evident in this blog. Best wishes for success in your writing.

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  4. I love Colorado!It's been quite a few years sonce we've visited,but we've been there many times. Back in the 60's when a computer filled an entire BIG room, my husband was sent to Fort Collins to Colo. St. for an 8-week seminar on learning all about this new phenomenum. We had two young childre, and we got to go along. Families stayed in an empty girl's dorm. We had two rooms adjoined by a common bathroom. The kids slept in one room, and we sleot in the other. We ate our meals in the cafeteria.
    During that summer, we fell in love with Colorado, drove all over the place on the weekends.
    We toyed with moving there--but we hate snow and besides--we're too Texan to ever leave.
    Now, I'm yearning for the Rockies! Thanks--Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
    http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com

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  5. I've been to Denver and Colorado Springs and loved what I saw there! It's a lot like Montana, my native home state.

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  6. Colorado is a wonderful place. I love visiting there and would love to live there, although in the less populated areas. I'm a Rocky Mountain girl, too, from Idaho. My uncle lives in Colorado so we've been there several times. But of all the times I've been there, we've never yet made it to Mesa Verde, and that's definitely on my bucket list.

    Jacquie

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  7. Beautiful descriptions of Colorado. It's been years since I've visited, but I have lots of fond memories.

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  8. I hail from just north of you and love colorado. Set three books and a short story there. Beautiful state!

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  9. I was an Army brat and my father was stationed in Colorado. it was one of my favorite places. Very beautiful state.
    debby236 at att dot net

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  10. Beautifully written description of the western plains. Most people know Colorado as the Rockies, you've brought alive another aspect of the state. Thanks. Fran

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  11. I love Colorado, and we've vacationed there many times. Once we rented a jeep and explored ghost towns, it was awesome, and my sons, now grown and married, still talk about that trip.

    Great post!

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  12. I love Colorado for the diversity of landscape (elevation span of 3500 feet to 14000 feet), the constantly changing weather, the the varied wildlife, and the history...especially the history. Colorado is a treasure trove of Old West history and, oh, the stories I could write if I only had the time. :-)

    Thanks, everyone, for leaving so many comments and it's only Monday. lol

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  13. The first time I saw Colorado I was 17 and I thought, Wow! This state reminds me of the words to "America the Beautiful" because those words came alive right before my eyes that July in CO. I didn't know the song was actually inspired there.

    Fran Shaff
    http://sties.google.com/site/fshaff

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  14. My boys went to Colorado for a big cycling event and still rave about the beauty of the mountains.


    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

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  15. First, I want to thank Annette for inviting me into her blogging world this past week. Second, it's time to announce the winner of my random drawing from all of you who commented.

    The winner is jrlindermuth. :-)

    So, jrlindermuth, drop me an email at: kayespencer @ live.com [all scrunched together of course ;-)] and we'll work out the details of delivering my prizes to you.

    Thanks again.

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  16. From the the 49th State, Alaska. I have three mystery novels coming from Whiskey Creek Press Lost Legion in Aug, Silent Killer Oct, and Stalker in the spring. Google Blogspot: http://alaskannovelist.blogspot.com/ Would like to link sites?? Thanks.

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  17. America is indeed a beautiful country and there's nothing better than experiencing it on the roads rather than in the air. I went to Denver many years ago in late May and it snowed on me! Denver impressed me as one of the cleanest places I've ever been, and my only problem was a nose bleed since I'm from sea level in eastern North Carolina.

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  18. I grew up in and am still in a different part of Colorado. I love it here and set a lot of my own books in this state. It's beautiful here with an interesting history. You did a great job describing it. -laura

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