HBO Deadwood Movie 2019

Can you believe that my post about Deadwood in 2012 is the 3rd most popular post on my blog? (HERE is the link in case you missed it.) Yeah, it came as a surprise to me, too. And here I thought you guys came here to read about me and my books and my favorite nail polish colors! (Humor me and click HERE for the nail polish post and I'll love ya forever.)

Since the Deadwood movie finally premiers tomorrow on HBO, I thought it was worth mentioning my love of these gritty, awesome characters. I can't wait to see what everyone is up to ten years later. Who else is jonesing for some more of Swearengen's epic quotes?

Pixie's Promise ♪ Music Playlist

After meeting Revecka, Adam heard bands like Hinder and Theory of a Deadman for the very first time. Her provocative taste in music was just one more reason to pursue the pink-haired bombshell.

"This time, Saving Abel’s song “The Sex Is Good” was pumping out guitar-heavy southern rock and lyrics about faking it and touching in all the right places. Revecka Zee sure had a titillating collection of music."

You better believe it! While I was writing the book, I jotted down the names of the songs I imagined playing inside the boutique so I could share them with you now. Here's the Pixie's Promise Playlist:

What do you think? Are you hearing any of these songs for the first time like Adam? Or are they already favorites of yours? (Bonus points if you noticed that I also mentioned My Darkest Days in Submersed. What can I say? Some bands can dish out the inspiration like nobody's business.)

Rock on, my fellow readers!
Rachelle Vaughn
🎸

Pixie's Promise 🌹 Release Day

Revecka Zee from Mama’s Ink has been waiting patiently for me to finish her story. And I’m thrilled to say that it’s finally complete! My original plan was to release her book right after Sadie’s, but, man, are those hockey players pushy! First it was the Ice books and then the Razors bad boys couldn’t wait and I had to give them my undivided attention.

Anywho, the wait is finally over and Rev has the story she deserves. I’m so excited to see her with a happily ever after! Adam Wright isn’t the type of guy she sees herself ending up with—heck, she’s ruled out relationships all together—but once he gets a taste of her ruby red lips, he keeps coming back for more, and more, until she can’t resist his nerdy charm.

I hope you enjoy the second book in the Tattooed by Love Series—yes, I’m calling it a series now! As for Book 3… Well, I’ve got some ideas up my sleeve…

Better late than never!
Rachelle Vaughn

Pixie's Promise ♥ New Romance Book Trailer

If you haven't pre-ordered your copy of Pixie's Promise yet, then I know this video will convince you it's worth a read! (It comes out on Friday, so you don't have to wait long to start reading it!)

God, when she said his name like that, his body wanted to lose all control.

10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me 😏 Rachelle Vaughn Fun Facts

Let's jump right in to what might be my next huge, embarrassing failure! I'm curious to see if any of the things on this list shock or surprise you...

1. I run on Bigelow tea. (No coffee, ever.) Spiced Chai, Eggnogg'n and Pumpkin Spice are my faves.

2. My calico is a rescue kitty. When the shelter worker put her in my arms, I almost didn't want her because she was the runt of the litter and scraggly and skinny and barely had any fur. Now she is my sun and moon and practically attached to me at the hip. It goes to show you that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

3. I'm child-free by choice and have never regretted my decision to not have children.

4. I met my hubby on a blind date right after I graduated from high school. We got married a few months later and have been together ever since. That was over two decades ago. Btw, all the people who said we were too young to get married are all divorced now. True story.

5. I'm a cheap date. Feed me frozen pizza and plug in a Sly movie and I'm as happy as a seagull with a French fry.

6. I believe people can change for the better. But, unfortunately, most of them choose not to. Broadening your horizons and educating yourself is essential for personal growth and having an open mind.

7. My all-time favorite bird is a Great Blue Heron. Fun Fact 7a: I have a birding blog where I can post all the photos of Blues that I want because I just can't get enough of their beauty.

8. I prefer cloudy days over sunshiney ones. Clouds are more interesting to me (especially when taking bird and nature photos) than clear skies. You can't go wrong with a few big, puffy clouds bobbin' their way across the sky!

9. Growing up, when I lived in southern California, I used to vacation in Newport Beach. (No, it wasn't as pretentious as it sounds. We stayed in a tiny above-garage apartment.) Now I live in northern California where we call the beach "the coast."

10. I moved around a lot as a kid and went to eight different schools. Although it might provide a plethora of writing inspiration, always being the new kid sucks donkey balls.

*Bonus Fun Fact that will probably get me a few boos and hisses:
I'd take Kevin James or Patton Oswalt over Channing Tatum and Chris Hemsworth any day. Just sayin'.

So, there ya have it. Not only do I bare my heart and soul onto the pages of my books, but I also give you reason to hate me right here on my own blog. Hey, maybe there are others like me who prefer funny teddy bears over rock-hard muscles and flexing biceps. And six-pack abs and all that male yummy goodness that you can imagine running your hands and tongue over, up and down...

Wait, what was I saying again? Oh, right. I guess I'm a big fraud. Sometimes I like to post crazy, off-the-wall things to see if anyone is actually paying attention.

Don't hate me 'cause I'm honest,
Rachelle Vaughn

Wildflower Chasing

When we first started hiking in Lassen at the tail-end of summer last year, we saw a few wildflowers blooming along the trails. (You can read more about those eye-opening adventures on my travel blog Vaughn the Road Again.) I took some photos of the colorful blooms and didn't think much of it. And then I began to wonder what they were called. What are your names? I wondered as I scrolled through the day's photos.

Fireweed (Kings Creek Falls Trail, Lassen VNP)

Now that talks of #SuperBloom2019 are circulating, I've decided to take my love of flowers one step further than just capturing their beauty with my little Canon camera. I'm going to learn their names.

I took the time and effort to learn more about the birds I photograph, so why don't I know the name of a flower just by looking at it? Because, I'm realizing now that I'm committed to the project, it isn't all that easy. It took me 45 minutes to find the name of this beauty from Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. It's a Multiflora Rose, btw. Did you even know that this is what a wild rose looks like?! Beautiful!

Multiflora Rose

There are plenty of helpful guides online, but even when you narrow wildflowers down by color, location, etc., the list still takes forever to "weed" through. (Pun totally intended!) However, I think it will be worth it.

I didn't know a finch from a sparrow years ago when I was bitten by the birding bug, and yet I kept at it and learned. One of the great things about being human is the ability to learn, to absorb information and put it to use in our daily lives.

Wild Radishes

Before today, I didn't know there were flowers called Wild Radishes that bloomed in pink, yellow and white near my house. And I also didn't know that those crazy purple thorny things I'm fascinated with are Milk Thistle.

Milk Thistle

I won't forget their names now either. Every time I see one, I'll know what to call it. Just like an old friend.

New Year's Day isn't the only time to set new goals for yourself. I'm getting a late start on this whole wildflower identification thing, but better late than never, right? Have you set any new goals even though we're mid-way through the year already?

Here's to blooming where you're planted and learning more about the world around us!
Rachelle