Small Towns - Yes or No?

I happen to love small towns with their quaint charm. You drive down Main Street and there's usually only one street with ice cream parlors, small restaurants if the town is large enough to have more than one eatery, interesting shops, and nearly always at least one pub or bar. There's usually a lovely old home turned into an inviting bed and breakfast that beckons you to stay. And the people know everyone who live there so you always get stared at. Right? (Grins)

There's usually old home, some even abandoned that holds all kinds of secrets, and there's usually at least one eccentric person who has secrets of their own. Interesting people and interesting places.

That's the drawback. When everyone knows everyone else, they also know everything their neighbors are doing like whose son or daughter got in trouble at school; who's sick, and who's dating -- or sleeping -- with whom.

Okay, maybe everything about small towns isn't rosy, but I love books set in small towns. Neighbors are helpful. There's usually a shared bond you'd never experience in places like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. There may not be theaters and museums but there's almost always a beautiful park for a picnic, lovely scenery perfect for long drives,
farms with all kinds of animals, stately old barns and huge fields -- just a slower way of life.

My story, A Perfect Catch,
takes place in such a place. Friendship Creek is a town I dreamed up where the people are friendly, there's a lovely old mansion turned into a bed and breakfast and a bar where everyone likes to hang out after a long day of fishing..

And just because it's a lovely small town doesn't mean some things are always what they seem. Not everyone is who they profess to be. Even at the quaint bed and breakfast, things happen that profess to have some secret happenings. As the annual fishing derby is just about to start, there are strangers in town. One handsome stranger is there to fish, but he's never been fishing. Coincidence? or perhaps something isn't quite kosher. You'll have to read and find out.

A Perfect Catch is a great read. Try it, you'll enjoy it.

So, I ask you -- small towns? Yes or No! I vote yes.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

http://KRBailey.com

What's Your Favorite Place?

Do you have a favorite place? Oh, I'm sure everyone does. I have to admit I have several favorites - Yellowstone National Park is high on my list of favorite places. So is my cabin in the mountains of Northern Utah. Recently, I visited the state of Kentucky and fell in love with it. I could go on and on, but today I want to talk a little bit about Colorado and the area near Glenwood Springs - Redstone and Marble.

Now why do I want to talk about that area? I have to admit its because my recent book, A Perfect Catch, talks about the area of Redstone and Marble.

Have you ever had a conversation with a new friend and you talk about one of your favorite places? Well, in my book, A Perfect Catch, that's exactly what they do. Erin and K.C. go to dinner in Park City - oh, that's another beautiful favorite spot of mine. Anyway, K.C. tells her about Redstone and why he loves it there. I wasn't sure how many of you have been there so I thought I'd explain a little about Redstone, Colorado, and the tiny town of Marble.

Redstone is called the Ruby of the Rockies and was an old mining town situated along the beautiful Crystal River.

 At one time, Redstone was a small arts community. Many of the old homes have been turned into antique and gift shops and some of them are still open.  A beautiful Inn was built as housing for a model coal mining town in the late 1800s by John C. Osgood.  The town of Redstone was his dream, and the inn and coke ovens across from the town stand as monuments to that dream.

Today, the Inn is a nice place to relax, eat or enjoy a drink, and sit on the terrace and listen to various musicians.  A few of the old miner's houses still dot the steep hillside and the small town is an interesting place to visit.

Once of my favorite places just outside of Redstone is Cleveholm Manor or many call it "the Redstone Castle". This was Mr. Osgood's former residence. At one time it was open to the public to explore, and then it was turned into a bed and breakfast. The last time I was there, it was closed to visitors, but it's still a grand place and interesting to drive by as it sits atop the hillside.

It has forty-two rooms and built in the Tudor Style with servants’ quarters, a guard house with a huge wrought-iron and rock gate, and carriage houses. You can sit on the patio and enjoy the wonderful view below of the clear flowing water of the Crystal River amidst the aspens and pines.

 

Years ago, a railway went from Carbondale just outside of Glenwood Springs past Redstone to Marble where some of the world's best marble, including the six-ton piece used for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, was quarried. The railway is not there, but along Highway 133 you can see where the railroad bed once was. Along the riverbed you can see pieces of scrap marble, and I understand it was dumped there to shore up the riverbank. Below is a picture of a couple chunks of the white marble laying alongside the road leading up to the old quarry.

The little town of Marble is surrounded by tall peaks and thick aspens as the road twists and narrows as you travel along the Crystal River. The Colorado Yule Marble Mill, located about four miles above the small town of Marble, closed in 1942 but reopened in 1990. Blocks of marble are trucked down as shown in this picture.  

I'm told this is one of only a few places in the world where you can get white marble.

If you're ever in Glenwood Springs. Colorado, take a small roadtrip along Highway 133. Follow the beautiful Crystal River. Stop in Redstone and do some exploring, perhaps take time to get a drink or a snack in the old hotel and travel back in time as you visit Marble. It's one of my favorite places. What's yours?

I hope this gives you a few tidbits about the Redstone and helps you better picture the small town Erin and K.C. talk about in my story, A Perfect Catch. If you haven't picked up your copy of the book, it is available in both ebook and print formats through Amazon.com.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

www.KRBailey.com

 

 

I have news!

My newest story, A Perfect Catch, is now available on Amazon.com in kindle format.

Here's a short excerpt:

They pulled the chairs closer to the fireplace. K.C. sensed that Erin relaxed as she stared into the flickering flames. He watched the way her delicate fingers held the coffee mug. He fantasized about her fingers with their neatly trimmed nails. Desire coursed through him, and he longed to hold her hand and kiss her palm, perhaps feel them running over his body.

            He wanted to touch her, to connect with her. When he reached for her hand, he was pleased she let him hold it and clasped her fingers in his. Her skin was soft and warm, her hands small and delicate. She smelled of powder, her hair filled with the scent of lilacs, and he ached to run his hands through her sun-streaked brown hair.

            “You look deep in thought,” Erin said.

            K.C. glanced at their clasped hands then looked at her. “Thinking I’d like to kiss you.”

            Erin attempted to pull her hand away, but he held tightly.

“Don’t pull away from me.” He waited, and when she didn’t move, he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her mouth.

He heard her quick intake of breath before she pulled her hand from his hold. “It’s late.”

He watched her stand abruptly, and for just a moment, regretted kissing her. When she paused before walking away, he saw the slight blush on her cheeks and relished the feel and taste of her on his mouth.

“Goodnight.” Her voice was businesslike, and she hurried from the room.

He realized he was in trouble. This woman was so different than most of the fluffy, soft, perfumed ladies he dated, and yet he was drawn to her brusque ways. He loved watching the way she smiled or how her face lit up when she talked about fishing. She wasn’t as buxom as many of the women he spent time with, but she had all the right curves. Even though she didn’t try to be, she was all woman.

He sighed.

Why in the hell did she have to be the one he knew would get hurt by what he had to do?

*****

A Perfect Catch should be available in paperback shortly.  I'm also working to have it available in other formats and hopefully that will happen this month.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

www.KRBailey.com