Many of my readers know  I recently flew to Magnolia, TX to attend a book signing for my book, 'Bring a Cowboy Home' because the setting for this series of novels is a ranch outside Magnolia, TX.
I have had many people ask me about the trip and how it became a 'thing' and what I did there. I thought I would write this post so y'all could hear the story at one time.
When I visited my daughter and her family in November, 2015, we visited many of the small towns near her home in Cypress. I told everyone we met about the books I had written and their connection to Magnolia, Tomball, Montgomery and Spring. I was encouraged to contact them when the book was available so I could come back and sell them.
So....when it was available, I called Nina, a lady who was especially enthusiastic when I was there and asked her if there were any upcoming festivals or somewhere that I could sell the books. She put me in contact with Tana in Magnolia's office of Community Development. Tana was so excited, she took the ball and ran with it. She told me the best time would be Depot Day, an annual event featuring food, vendors and live music surrounding the original Magnolia Depot.

The newspaper ran an article about the visit. Talk about feeling like a celebrity...wow. I can't thank the people enough for making my visit so memorable.

I apologize for the quality of this photo. AND the number of acres listed in the article is definitely incorrect.

Midwest author writes series based in MagnoliaTony Gaines
Midwest author writes series based in Magnolia
Author Gloria Doty stands with her host Pat Zaiontz.

Gloria Doty
Midwest author writes series based in Magnolia
"Bring a Cowboy Home" is the first book from Gloria Doty's Magnolia Series.

Tony Gaines
Midwest author writes series based in Magnolia
Gloria Doty with her host, Pat Zaiontz.

Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 9:32 pm
Midwest author writes series based in Magnolia By Taelor Smith Houston Community Newspapers
Gloria Doty an author from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been writing her whole life. She has published a devotional, a book chronicling the life of her daughter living with Asperger’s, and has contributed to many magazines. When it came to writing her first fiction novel, Doty knew she would have go outside of her everyday to better create a captivating tale.
“My daughter and her family lives in Cypress. Even when they lived in Katy, we would come [to Magnolia] to visit and I always like the name Magnolia. I don’t know why, I just liked it. I like the flowers, everything.”
Doty’s book “Bring A Cowboy Home,” is the first novel in her new fiction series. It follows the love story of a cowboy in a rural town. She drew her inspiration of the people and the town particularly from Magnolia because she had become so familiar with the Texas city.
“When I started writing this romance novel, my main character was in Chicago but she was going to meet a cowboy. I wanted him to come from somewhere I knew. I just decided I’d make him be from ranch outside Magnolia, and it just grew.”
Although it is a love story, Doty says the book gives readers a bit of adventure. The characters take readers on a journey through Magnolia and epitomize some of the very people you’re bound to meet in the beautiful area.
“It’s not the typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets girl type of romance. It is a romance, but it has some mystery. Lucy carries a gun with her at all times. There’s some excitement.”
The books were written quickly as Doty started writing the series in July 2015. It only took her one month to write each book and she says it all came to her pretty easily because Magnolia was so inspirational.
“I fell in love with the people in the book, therefore I fell in love with the town of Magnolia.”
Doty spent the few days leading up to Magnolia’s Depot Day come down and explore the precious town of which she has based her series. She enjoyed a day out on the 11 acre farm of 4B Community Development President Pat Zaiontz. While there, she along with her daughters and granddaughter experienced life out on a real Magnolia farm. They were able to see many of the animals kept on Zaiontz’ farm such as rabbits, donkeys, cows, and geese. Doty shares that she was taken aback by the experience because she had never seen anything like this.
“I was actually raised on a farm and lived on one, but not one this big. I’m loving it.”
In all of the research done while writing the series, Doty had not been able to visit a Magnolia farm until then and she loved every minute of it. The experience is sure to inspire her writing for the two additional novels she plans to add to the series. Doty shares that fans have been so excited about the series so far that it would only be right to give readers more in the series.
Tana Ross, City of Magnolia Economic Development Coordinator and member of Magnolia Historical Society, was able to put Doty in contact with Zaiontz so she could have a true Magnolia experience. In addition to spending time with her family visiting farms in Magnolia, Doty was able to learn history about the city. She will finish up her visit to Magnolia by attending Depot Day, the annual fundraiser held by Magnolia Historical Society where the community comes out for a day of fun, food, and games.
The first book from the Magnolia Series titled “Bring A Cowboy Home” is now available on Amazon. Doty will be at Magnolia’s Depot Day on April 16 to meet fans and sign books. The remaining two books from the series, “Loving A Cowboy,” and “Riding With A Cowboy,” will be available later this summer. For more information on Gloria Doty, her wonderful book series and other writings, please visit her website at http://www.writingbygloria.com.

This is a short story I wrote for an international contest several years ago. It won first place in the Thriller category. That's not my usual genre but it was so much fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Feeling Better?
By
Gloria Doty  

“I’m leaving for work now, Danny. I left a few crackers and some Sprite on the nightstand for you. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
            Casey turned for one last look at Danny, totally under the covers. She really hated leaving him alone when he was not feeling well, but she couldn’t miss work again.
She locked the door to the apartment and went down the stairs, passing elderly Mrs. French in the entry hall.
            “Everything okay?” Mrs. French asked in her nosy neighbor way.
            “Yes,” Casey said, trying to smile. “My husband is not feeling well, but I’m sure it’s just a touch of the flu.”
            “Well, make sure he stays in your apartment. We don’t need him spreadin’ any germs to the rest of us.”
            “Yes, ma’am,” Casey answered. “I will.” She wanted to add, ‘you hateful old bat’ but she smiled and went out onto the street as she did every day. Danny had been sick for weeks and it was getting tiresome.
            Casey tried calling home on her lunch hour but of course, Danny didn’t answer. He’s probably sleeping, she thought. That’s a good thing.
            As Casey turned the key and opened the door, she hoped Danny might be setting up, but as usual, he wasn’t. The crackers and soda were untouched.
            “Oh, Sweetie, you’re not feeling any better?” she asked as she went into the kitchen. “Can I make you some soup or something? You have to eat, you know. I wish we had the money for you to go to the doctor again, but we just don’t. It costs so much and the last time you were there, we could barely afford the prescription, remember?”
            She touched his cheek. He didn’t feel like he had a fever, but she wasn’t very good at telling that way and they didn’t own a thermometer. She smiled to herself as she washed the few breakfast dishes, remembering how her mother had always felt her head when she was sick and knew immediately if she had a fever or not. Casey wished her mother were here with her in this cramped little apartment. She would know what to do about Danny…but she wasn’t. Casey sighed and suddenly felt sad and very alone. Her mother would never come see her; they hadn’t spoken since she and Danny ran off to Chicago and got married. She could hear her mother’s voice telling them they were making a huge mistake. She accused Casey of being delusional about life and never accepting reality, but she and Danny left anyway.
Casey didn’t want to think about the realities of their hasty decision. Nothing turned out the way she thought it would. Danny quit his job, so there was only her paycheck to pay for rent and food, bus fare and his damned cigarettes and then the doctor bill and the medicine, too. Well, now they were behind with the rent payment, but she had done her wifely duty, hadn’t she? She gave him his medicine, measuring every dose; sometimes a little more than it said on the bottle, but she wanted him to get better, faster.
She really wished they had a fan. It was so hot and the apartment was stifling, but a fan would make the electric bill even higher. She couldn’t allow herself to think about what they would do when winter came and they had to pay for heat. Maybe she could move before winter; just her. If Danny didn’t want to work, she would find a place of her own.
            Casey shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her main concern right now should be Danny and what to do about him.
            The loud knock on the door startled her.  Probably the landlord, but she didn’t have the money he would be looking for.
            “Who is it?” she asked.
            “The police, Ma’am. Open the door, please.”
            “Police? Why? What do you want?” Casey stammered.
            “We’ve had a complaint about a smell coming from your apartment.”
            “Did Mrs. French call you?” Casey asked. “She’s such a busybody. I just forgot to take out the garbage.”
            “Open the door, Mrs. Croll.”
            Casey opened it a crack and looked into the hallway. A policeman and two men in suits were standing there. They pushed past her and moved toward the bed.
            “Please don’t disturb my husband. He doesn’t feel well.”
            The officer in the uniform took Casey by the arm and led her out of the apartment.
            “Come with me, Mrs. Croll. They will see to your husband.”
            As Lt. Wills pulled the sheet back and put a mask over his nose, he asked the coroner, “How long do you think?”
            “We’ll need to run tests for sure, but from the looks of him, I’d say it’s been over a week.”