I've heard this question a few times already. So let me explain. This is a historic western romance, set in 1895 Arizona. But there are scenes which take place in England (during the Victorian era) and British characters. It's also very possible that later books in the series (if we extend beyond the initial three books planned) will have American characters in England. 

I have done a lot of research for this book, including research into Cowboy Slang and Nicknames. It's a thing. Have you ever watched a Western movie or read a book where a character is only referred to as "Slim," "Curly," "Tex," and the like? That was a real thing. And there were many reasons for nicknames. Some of these reasons included things such as there being more than one person with the same first/surname. So you'd have Slim Bill and Red Bill. Sometimes, it made things easier on the trail. If you've got a bunch of cattle between you and Mr. Theodore Smith, it might be easier to shout "Hey, Curly!" than the name.

Cowboys didn't always stay in one place, either. Why bother to learn a man's name if you were only going to ride with him through one cattle drive? (This to me proves that remembering people's names has been an age-old issue.)

There was also a sort-of code in the West. When you came out West, you left who you were behind you. Many a man left his name, too. Why continue being Joseph McCully if you could retitle yourself something like "Mac" or "Scotty?" What if you're wanted back in the East for petty thievery or defaulting on a debt? People might come searching for David Austen but they'll never connect "Red" Drake to that unfortunate soul.

All this to say, "Duke" is a nickname in this case. Not a title. 

Thank you for asking! You can read more about the first story by CLICKING HERE.

You can also pre-order this title by CLICKING HERE or below. 

The above image is the moment when Sir Isaac Fox and Millicent Edgewood meet for the first time. She's come to spy on the baronet, not realizing the uppity groundsman is, in fact, Sir Isaac. 

This one - oh, I adore this one! This is the scene in the churchyard. Spoiler: They're about to realize just how much they mean to each other. 

This is my personal opinion. But I hold strong to it. There are so many people who are talented, producing artwork in a variety of mediums and genres, whose art is stolen, manipulated, under-appreciated, or people expect to get it for free. I've seen this in the writing world - I receive emails from people requesting I make my book free for them or suggested my prices (2.99-4.99) are "too much." When did we start devaluing the work of people's hearts and talents?

The above images were sketched, resketched, practiced, presented to me for my thoughts and input, and then finally inked. Effort went into these images. Talent, not sprung from the ground but laboriously improved upon over a long period of time, was employed here. 

​I love helping other indies by supporting the beautiful work that they do. 

Two years ago, I went searching for a beautiful place in Arizona to set my Western romances. I've wanted to write a Western for YEARS. I've started and stopped several stories based in old dusty towns, with blacksmiths, cowboys, boarding houses, saloons, the works. But no story ever captured my interest enough to really work through an entire plot.

Until this one. Let me tell you, I'm really excited to get this SERIES (yes, as in more than one book) out into the world. While I'm not ready to give EVERYTHING away, I would love to share a little about what's coming...

Let's talk a little about cover design today. And I do mean a little. :-) Above you have the ORIGINAL image used to create the covering for Engaging Sir Isaac. Lovely, but not quite perfect. For one thing, her gown is so blue, and that does not suit the story or the look I wanted for this cover. I asked my designer to try other colors. We also changed the way the model faced. 

So then we had this First Cover Design version, which was uploaded to Amazon and used in my cover reveal. Absolutely lovely, but after a few MONTHS of staring at it, I realized I wanted something different. 

Below: The final design. We brought the image of the woman closer to the viewer, brightened up her hair and dress just a touch, and there you have it. The final cover design for Engaging Sir Isaac, which is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com.