Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!
One of our guests, has been here before, (you can see Delia's previous posts HERE). Jaimie Engle is brand new to our blog and these two ladies have coauthored Crossing Cheyenne. Before we get into the whys and wherefores of the book, please share with us a blurb and short excerpt.
Thanks Pam! Here you go....
When a fiercely independent woman and a charming adventurer are double-booked at a remote cabin, their clashing personalities—and beloved pets—lead to unexpected sparks. As they both seek closure from their pasts, a journey of healing and love unfolds, culminating in a powerful reunion with long-lost family and a chance at a new beginning.
Excerpt: “So…lemme get this straight.” The young man smiled, but Cheyenne’s sour attitude saw only the blinding glare of his braces. “You two don’t know each other?”
“Nope.” Cowboy Billy spoke first. Of course.
The guy’s lack of manners did not coincide well with the boots and Stetson he wore like a pro. Weren’t cowboys supposed to be gentlemen and live by a secret code of conduct? So much for looks. She hated to acknowledge his, but she’d be lying if she pretended not to notice.
“Not at all.” Being forced to agree with him upped her frustration to the nth degree.
“And neither of you knew you’d be sharing the cabin with a stranger?”
“You got it, pardner.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “Do I look like I would have let that happen?”
The kid turned almost purple, but did not respond to her sarcastic and admittedly catty question. Blossom must be rubbing off on her more than she realized.
“Well, it’s not supposed to happen.” He frowned, no doubt wishing himself anywhere but at work on this particular day, at this exact time.
“That we can agree on.” Cheyenne tried to shake the frustration that made her less than Pooh-worthy. She pulled out a smile that almost always worked miracles. “I’m sure you can see there’s been a mistake. And you’re going to fix it for me, aren’t you?”
“You betcha.” The poor kid turned his gaze on his computer monitor as if the very essence of life lay therein. Within moments, a grin lit his face. “Aha. That’s it.” He raised a bright green gaze to Cheyenne. “You were supposed to be a party o’ two.”
“That’s correct. But my friend got sick.”
“That’s it,” the clerk said again. “That’s the problem.”
Cheyenne blinked. “My friend getting sick is the problem?”
“Naw, ’course not. But when you called to change the set-up ’cause yer friend bailed on ya—”
“My friend did not bail on me.” Cheyenne surprised even herself with the heated retort. “She got sick.”
“Yeah, okay. Well, whoever changed the reservation for ya assident’ly canceled it.”
“But I didn’t ask to cancel. I just changed my reservation to take advantage of the single-occupancy rate.”
“Same thing, ma’am. Clearly stated on the website.”
“Not clearly enough. That’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?”
The kid continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “So, what happened is, when Mr. Goddard here reached out to book a spot, we showed an opening.” He grinned as if he’d just solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and shrugged one skinny shoulder. “Just a glitch in our system. That’s how come you folks got double-booked.”
Cheyenne couldn’t bring herself to return the kid’s delighted grin.
“Glitch or not, this is not going to work for me. I booked my reservation months ago.”
“Look, my dad and I stayed in this very resort when I was a little boy,” Cowboy Billy interjected. “I booked here for a specific reason. Something personal, and…well, important. Guess I was lucky your friend bailed.”
“She did not bail!” Cheyenne glared. “And you’re just going to have to…” She huffed a sigh and fluttered one hand. “Unbook.”’
With that, the two of them went at it, arguing loudly and without restraint. Guests gathered in clusters, openly staring, and Cheyenne did not care. Apparently, neither did Billy Butt-in, who didn’t come across like a gentleman cowboy in the least.
The clerk managed to make himself heard over their little word-war. “Look, folks, I’d love to solve your problem on account’a y’all don’t seem to be gettin’ on too well, but there’s just one thing.”
“What?” Cheyenne and her cowboy nemesis snapped the word in unison, with greater volume than necessary.
The kid shrugged. “We don’t got no more rooms.”
Don’t got wha—? “Great, Cheyenne muttered.
“And when might you have something?” The cowboy clearly sought to bring about some sort of diplomacy. Wonderful. She was up against a non-gentleman-cowboy politician.
The clerk scrolled through a couple of screens. “Friday is our first opening.”
“Friday is when I check out,” Cheyenne informed him.
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. You are the Friday opening.”
And so it went. A manager showed up to try and help, but the long and short of the situation was that no other openings existed—neither here, nor at their sister resort, nearby. For that matter, not a single hotel, motel, or bed-and-breakfast for miles around had a room to offer.
I wonder if this is how Mary and Joseph felt when they couldn’t find a place to stay the night Jesus was born. The thought came and was gone like a flash of lightning. She couldn’t think about such things at the moment.
Cheyenne continued to appeal to the sympathies of the clerk and manager, but since they weren’t able to manufacture another cabin out of thin air, they could offer no solution. At last, the manager threw up his hands in frustration.
“I’m truly sorry, folks, but I’m afraid your paths have crossed for one reason or another.”
Cheyenne froze.
“Some paths are destined to cross.” A familiar voice—maybe too familiar—whispered the line right into her ear.
***
Wow! I'm hooked. Now please tell us why you wrote the book and a little more about yourselves.
JAIMIE'S WHY:
In 2020, my family vacationed in North Carolina, staying in a charming two-story cabin. I had my dog with me, but an unexpected case of COVID kept me indoors, giving me time to reflect and dream up a new romcom idea. Inspired by the cabin’s cozy setting, I imagined two strangers double-booked in the same space—one with a dog, the other with a cat. At first, it felt like a quirky meet-cute, but I quickly realized their paths weren’t just crossed by accident—something deeper was at play. What if they were both heartbroken, and their time together became a healing journey orchestrated by God?
Brandon, the dog lover, is mourning the loss of his estranged father, whose ashes he’s tasked with spreading in the breathtaking landscapes of Wyoming. Cheyenne, desperate to find the mother she never knew, sets out on a search that leads her to the Midwest. Two souls, each longing for closure, unknowingly find the missing pieces in one another—through laughter, companionship, and unexpected love.
This premise sparked Crossing Cheyenne, and after completing the script, I teamed up with the incredibly talented Delia Latham to bring the novel to life. With her wisdom and insight, she deepened the characters and enriched the story in ways I hadn’t imagined. I can’t wait for readers to experience the journey, and for audiences to see the film streaming in the years to come!
JAIMIE'S BIO:
Jaimie Engle is a multiple award-winning writer of stories with a magic touch. With over a dozen published books, she is an expert in all things storytelling, teaching at national conferences, state libraries, and local schools on writing, publishing, and marketing books. Jaimie’s YA novel “Metal Mouth” was a quarterfinalist in the Book to Film Award, a Kirkus Editor’s Choice book, and received the Publisher’s Book Life Prize in fiction. She was also a semifinalist in the Publisher’s Book Life Prize in non-fiction, a recipient of the Writers of the Future Award, and her screenplays have been semifinalists for Austin Film Festival and Screencraft, to name a few.
She has worked with hundreds of writers to tell their stories, write their books, and adapt their work for film and television development. Jaimie optioned her first feature film “Just Jake” with distribution deal through UPTV Faith & Family Network (2023) and has several of her award-winning tv shows and movies in development with major studios and networks. When not telling stories, Jaimie spends time with her family in Florida, and her two dogs, Ahsoka and Moofart. Fun fact? Jaimie danced at the halftime show of the Aloha Bowl!
www.JaimieEngle.com
The Creation of Crossing Cheyenne
Crossing Cheyenne was my first experience writing a story based on an already-completed movie script. Still partially romance—that’s my genre—and still clean, but not faith-based, and not my original brainchild. Instead, I was turning a script, written by the talented and amazing Jaimie Engle, into a novel.
How in the world did I find myself doing such a thing? (I think I heard someone ask that question…didn’t I? It was you, right?)
Well, funny you should ask, because I love sharing the “why” of this particular story. Here goes—because you asked, of course…
When I “met” Jaimie Engle, I was editing for Vinspire Publishing (no longer in business, but an excellent small publishing house in its day). The owner/editor-in-chief asked if I’d be interested in editing a book for one of her new authors. “It should be an easy edit,” she said. “The author is experienced and talented, with quite a few published books.” But the kicker was that I’d be editing a novel written around the script for a movie that was already released and available for viewing. (If you’re curious, the book and movie are both titled Just Jake.)
Yes, we all knew things were moving a bit in reverse, but what the heck—sure, I’d give it a go. And that’s how I first came in contact with Jaimie. I edited her beautifully written book, we enjoyed working with each other, and then the job was done. Bye, Jaimie, nice meeting you, have a blessed life.
But she contacted me a few months later, asking if I’d write a novel based on a script she’d already written and was in the process of marketing to the appropriate people in the film industry. This time, she hoped to get the book written and released before the movie. Would I do it? (Interesting fact: Jaimie had never read a single one of my 30+ novels/novellas. She asked me to write the book based solely on my editing style.)
Well, the rest is history. Of course I did it, and of course I loved the opportunity to work with Jaimie again. I tremendously enjoyed fleshing out the characters and creating “more” for the story—more scenes, more details, more background…just more. I also loved the humor that came so naturally to Cheyenne and Brandon’s story. Jaimie and I laughingly agreed that what we ended up with is a romcomdram…or something like that. It’s a romantic comedy with enough romance to curl your toes now and then, and that little touch of humor that provides the occasional laugh-out-loud moment. The thread of drama running throughout the book was a joy to write!
The result, with the combination of our individual strengths, is an honestly strong story that readers will love. I love it too, and will be forever grateful that Jaimie trusted me enough to invite me on board.
Hey, Jaimie…thank you…thank you very much!
I’d love to hear your take on our unconventionally created story. Grab a copy at
Amazon or
Other Online Retailers, give it a read, and then share your thoughts on your favorite bookseller and/or review website. I’ll just say thank you now, because trust me, it will be appreciated.
Happy reading!
Delia’s Bio:
A world of romance with a whisper of angels’ wings. You can count on a touch of the divine in DELIA LATHAM’S sweet, inspirational novels and novellas.
An award-winning, best-selling author, Delia has over thirty published novels/novellas and short stories to her credit. She offers editing/proofreading services, as well as book cover and marketing material design.
Having moved from California to Texas over a decade ago, and there the old CaliTexan couple will live happily ever after.
Connect with Delia:
Email: delia@delialatham.com
Thank You, Both so much ladies for sharing your story and
Crossing Cheyenne with us! Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with this and all of your projects!
Hope you enjoyed today's guests, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Saturday Spotlight and be sure to check out the books in our sidebar!
Until next time, ditto what Delia said, "Happy Reading!
PamT
