Cowboy Logic — Mountain girl meets cowboy country

Sometimes the things that shaped us the most…didn’t feel important at the time.In the Season 3 premiere of Cowboy Logic, I’m going back to a summer in the mountains of West Virginia — where we didn’t have much, but we had everything we needed.Bare feet. Dirt roads. A single golf club my daddy found on the side of the road.No plans. No money. No schedule.Just long days, laughter, and a kind of freedom you don’t recognize until it’s gone.I share a memory of the way we used to live — and the quiet realization that somewhere along the way, we started waiting for the right conditions before allowing ourselves to feel joy.But back then… we didn’t wait.Today’s Cowboy Logic:Joy doesn’t need permission. It just needs you to show up.Season 3 starts now.

I promised I’d share the most listened to episode of Season 2… and this is it.I have to say, I really like this episode.Season 2, Episode 11: “Staying Soft Is the Hardest Thing You’ll Ever Do” resonated with so many listeners, and I think it’s because no one gets through this life without having to choose between hardening and staying open.After loss, heartbreak, or life just hitting harder than expected, it’s easy to shut down. To protect yourself. To harden.But staying soft? Staying open? That takes real courage.In this episode, I share a personal story about grief, healing, and how writing Starting Over in Montana helped me find my way forward.Season 3 returns May 2. Until then… this one is for you.

Sometimes the hardest truth isn’t finding the answer.It’s trusting the one you already know.In this season finale of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking about that quiet voice inside you — the one that never leaves, even when life gets loud, uncertain, or painful.I share the moment I almost walked away from writing after being ghosted by a publisher… and what brought me back. Not louder voices. Not outside validation. Just that steady knowing that refused to let me quit.We all have it.That internal compass. That instinct. That truth.The question is — will you listen to it?Today’s Cowboy Logic: You already know the way back to yourself. Trust your footing.I’ll be stepping away for a few weeks to rest and write, but before I go quiet, I’ll be re-sharing the most-listened-to episode of the season — a reminder of the message that resonated the most.Season 3 returns May 2nd.

You'd think strength is what breaks a wild horse.But ask anyone who's spent real time around animals that size, and they'll tell you something different.It's the soft hand that earns trust.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I'm talking about the choice that takes more courage than most people realize — the one that comes after life has already broken your heart.After my husband died, I had a choice. Close my heart, build walls, decide that loving deeply wasn't worth the pain of losing. A lot of people make that choice. I understand it completely.But I didn't want to live that way.So I did something that sounds simple but wasn't. I started writing. And somewhere inside that first book — inside a heroine named Ivy Rose — I found a way through grief I hadn't been able to face alone. She sorted through the loss slowly, honestly, without rushing. And she brought me with her.Soft doesn't mean weak. It never has.It means brave.Today's Cowboy Logic: Staying soft is the hardest thing you'll ever do. So protect it.New episodes every week. You can find my romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Sometimes the hardest choice isn’t moving forward…it’s what you carry with you when you do.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking about bitterness—the kind that settles in quietly after loss, after disappointment, after life doesn’t go the way you thought it would.In the span of a few years, I lost my husband, my father, and my brother. And just as I was trying to find my footing again, I was diagnosed with chronic illness… the kind that doesn’t show on the outside but changes everything on the inside.There were days the loneliness felt heavier than anything else.Bitterness would have made sense.It would have been easy.But I learned something about bitterness—it doesn’t just sit quietly. It moves in. It takes over. And it doesn’t change a single thing that happened to you.So I had to make a choice.Through story and reflection, I share what it looks like to hold onto hope when you don’t have evidence it will work out… and why staying open might be the bravest thing you can do.Today’s Cowboy Logic: You can’t ride bitter.Some days hope is the only horse you’ve got. Ride it anyway.New episodes every week.You can find my romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do… is simply keep going.There are no awards for showing up on the hard days. No recognition for the quiet work it takes to keep moving forward when you're tired, grieving, or running on empty.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I'm talking about the kind of strength that doesn't look like strength at all. The kind that lives in consistency. In stubbornness. In the simple decision not to quit.Life isn't built on big, defining moments. It's built on the days in between—the ones where nothing feels extraordinary, but you keep showing up anyway.In the span of a few years, I lost my husband, my father, and my brother. Loss came one after another, and I found myself facing a reality I hadn't planned for. In that space, I had to decide what I was going to do with the time I still had.So I started writing.Not because I felt ready. Not because I had a plan. But because I couldn't ignore the truth any longer—life is too short to wait.Through story and reflection, I share why the quiet act of continuing may be the most powerful thing we ever do.Today's Cowboy Logic: You don't have to win every round. You just have to still be standing when the dust settles.New episodes every week.You can find my romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Sometimes the most important things in life are the ones we hear only when everything finally goes quiet.In a world full of noise, distraction, and constant motion, silence can feel uncomfortable. But silence has a way of revealing truths we might otherwise miss.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking about what we discover when life slows down and the noise fades away. The clarity that comes in stillness. The questions that surface when we finally stop running from them.Fourteen years ago, my life changed in a way that brought a kind of quiet I had never experienced before. In that silence, I found myself facing grief, fear, and uncertainty—but I also discovered strength I didn’t know I had.Out on a ranch, quiet isn’t empty. It’s where you hear the wind move through the grass and see a hawk hanging still above an open field. The land speaks if you take the time to listen.Life has a way of working the same way.Through reflection and story, I share why the quiet seasons in life can reveal more about us than the loud ones ever could.Today’s Cowboy Logic: You learn who you are when things go quiet.New episodes every week.You can find my romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Sometimes the long road feels like the wrong road.In a world that celebrates shortcuts, it’s easy to believe that if something takes longer, you must be falling behind. But the long road often teaches us the lessons shortcuts never will.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking about why the slower path in life can become the one that shapes us the most. The patience it builds. The strength it forges. And the wisdom that only comes from walking through the struggle instead of around it.Out on a ranch, a shortcut fix rarely holds. The fence you patch instead of mend eventually breaks when the storm comes. Life has a way of working the same way.Through reflection and story, I share why the road that feels slow today might be the one preparing you for what comes next.Today’s Cowboy Logic:The shortcut always costs you more in the end.New episodes every week.You can find my romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Scars don’t always look like damage. Sometimes they looklike survival.Some scars show where we’ve been. Some show what we endured. And some become the very ground we stand on. In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking aboutthe marks life leaves behind — loss, illness, and the battles no one else ever sees — and how the things that once felt like proof we were broken can become proof that we endured.Out on a ranch, scars aren’t shameful. They’re history.They’re experience. They’re proof the animal — or the person — lived through it.Through my own story and the people, I’ve met along the way,I share how strength and scars often come from the same place.It’s the same truth I try to bring into the characters I write — people marked by life but still standing. Because not every scar is a warning. Some are proof.If you’re carrying something that changed you, this episodeis for you.New episodes every week. You can find my Montana romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

Storms don’t always come with lightning.Sometimes they’re quiet. Grinding. The kind that soak through your bones and test what you’re made of.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m talking about what loyalty really looks like when life turns hard — when grief sits heavy, when exhaustion wins, when walking away would be easier.On a ranch, you don’t abandon the herd mid-storm.You check the fences.You count heads.You stay.Through my own story — and the spirit of the West Virginia mountains that raised me — I share how staying, even when you feel broken, becomes legacy.Because commitment doesn’t check the forecast.If you’re standing in something hard right now, this episode is for you.New episodes every week.You can find my Montana romantic suspense novels on Amazon.

In a world that celebrates grand gestures, sometimes the bravest love is the one that chooses anyway.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I share the true story of leaving West Virginia — terrified of flying and never having been on a plane — to meet the cowboy who became my husband in Calgary.From a stranger’s reassuring hand on takeoff, to the gold heart locket he fastened around my neck that first day, to the quiet promise that changed everything.This Valentine’s story is about the kind of courage that doesn’t shout — it simply shows up. The kind that rides forward even when doubt sits beside you.It’s for anyone who has ever chosen love over comfort — whether that means boarding a plane or opening your heart again.My characters in *Starting Over in Montana*, *Áine’s Salvation*, and *Bet’s Christmas Gamble* make that same choice — riding forward scared, just like their creator.If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need the reminder.If you're new to Cowboy Logic, you can start with Season 1, Episode 1 — where this journey began.Thank you for being here. I’ll see you next time.

In a loud world, it’s easy to believe that strength has to announce itself.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I talk about the kind of strength that doesn’t raise its voice — the steady strength of people who observe, endure, and keep going without needing recognition.I reflect on what life has taught me about quiet resilience. About how being quiet doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re grounded. It means you don’t waste strength on noise. And it means when you move or speak, it matters.This episode is for the ones who carry more than most people know. The ones who survive silently. The ones who stay steady through storms without needing applause.If this episode resonates, feel free to pass it along to someone who might need the reminder.If you’re new to Cowboy Logic, you might want to start with Season 1, Episode 1, where this journey began.Thank you for being here. I’ll see you next time.

In this episode, I share a childhood moment that shaped how I see kindness, courage, and what real strength really means. It’s a story about my mama, a knock at the door, and the lesson she taught me about opening your heart—even when fear’s telling you not to.By the end, you might catch yourself thinking about the doors you choose to open—and the kind of person you want to be when life asks you to pick between fear and compassion.Find my books, newsletter, and socials here:https://linktr.ee/anndunbarauthor

I’m Ann Dunbar, and welcome to Cowboy Logic, Season 2.Today’s cowboy wisdom: Some horses need time before they trust the saddle—and that doesn’t make them weak. It makes them wise.In this episode, I share the story of struggling to read while other kids flew through books—until one teacher truly saw me, slowed things down, and helped me fall in love with stories. Dictionaries. Encyclopedias. And eventually, my novels: Starting Over in Montana, Áine’s Salvation, and Bet’s Christmas Gamble—proof that a slow start doesn’t mean a weak finish.If you’re learning late or healing slow, this one’s for you. You’re not behind. You’re building trust. (3:47)

In this episode, I talk about the women who raised me—their quiet strength, hard‑won wisdom, and imperfect love—and how they became the real women behind my cowboy stories.By the end, you might find yourself thinking about the women who raised you—and the ways they still walk beside you.Find my books, newsletter, and socials here: https://linktr.ee/anndunbarauthor

Fear doesn’t always arrive loud and obvious.Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it just settles in and waits.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I share a lesson about fear that’s stayed with me my entire life — one that didn’t come from a book or a classroom, but from a cowboy who grew up in the mountains of West Virginia.My Uncle Ed wasn’t the kind of man who talked much, but when he did, his words carried weight. During a storm when I was young, he said something simple I didn’t fully understand at the time — a truth that followed me into adulthood, into love, into writing, and into survival.This episode is about fear as awareness, not weakness.About courage that doesn’t shout, but whispers.About learning that feeling afraid doesn’t mean you stop — it means something matters.I also share how this shows up in my writing, and why the characters I create aren’t fearless — they’re brave in the quiet, human way most of us are.If fear has been sitting beside you lately, this one’s for you. If this episode resonates, consider sharing Cowboy Logic with a friend who might need it.

In this episode of Cowboy Logic with Ann Dunbar, I share a story I don't talk about much—the day I almost quit writing altogether.I talk about sitting at my desk staring at a blank page until every doubt I'd ever had stared back at me, feeling too tired and too overwhelmed to keep going. But in the darkness, I heard my mama's voice and my daddy's voice reminding me who I've always been, and I realized quitting would mean leaving behind the little girl who wrote stories to survive the world. I talk about how the cracks in my life—the grief, the fear, the exhaustion—became the truth in my stories, and why the quietest voice is often the one that saves you. If you've ever wanted to quit something that matters to you, this one's for you.If you'd like to stay connected, you can join my newsletter: https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

In this episode of Cowboy Logic with Ann Dunbar, I share a Christmas story that has lived in my heart for as long as I can remember—a memory my daddy passed down about a soldier on a battlefield who began to sing “Silent Night” in the middle of chaos. I talk about what that moment of unexpected peace has taught me about courage, hope, and choosing softness when the world feels hard, and how it shapes the way I write characters who stand up and keep going even when they’re scared.If you need a quiet reminder that one small voice can still change everything, this one’s for you.If you’d like to stay connected, you can join my newsletter: https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

On this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m sharing a quiet Christmas Eve memory from my childhood—one that shaped the way I understand love, storytelling, and what it really means to make a moment magical.Growing up, we didn’t have much, but every Christmas Eve my daddy gave us something better than presents. With a worn book and a steady voice, he turned an ordinary bedroom into a place of wonder. Long before I became a writer, those nights taught me that stories don’t need spectacle to matter—just heart.In this episode, I reflect on that tradition, how it changed as I grew older, and how it lives on in the stories I write today. It’s a reminder that the most meaningful moments are often the simplest ones, built on love spoken out loud.So pull up a chair, take a breath, and join me for a gentle Christmas reflection about memory, magic, and the power of a story told with care.If you’d like to stay connected, you can join my newsletter: https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

A handmade blue mug. A crooked handle. A thin crack that should have been the end of it — but wasn’t.In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I reflect on a small, imperfect object I’ve kept for decades and the quiet wisdom it carries. Through memory, family, and storytelling, I explore what it means to survive, to carry cracks without shame, and to understand that imperfection does not diminish worth.This is a gentle reminder that strength isn’t about being flawless. It’s about holding on, even when life applies pressure to the weak spots.I also share thoughts on writing, resilience, and storytelling in my newsletter: https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

In this episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m sharing the story of a quilt that’s been passed down through three generations of women in my family. It isn’t pretty in the traditional sense — the colors clash, the patches are uneven, and time has worn it thin. But every single piece came from clothing one of my grandmother’s ten children once wore.This quilt holds their lives, their memories, and their mother’s love stitched right into it.As I talk through its history, I reflect on how writing feels the same to me — taking mismatched pieces of joy, pain, grief, hope, and love and sewing them together into something real. Something that lasts.This episode is about legacy, family, imperfection, and the beauty that lives in things made with love.My quilt logic:The pieces don’t have to match. They just have to tell the truth.

In this week’s episode of Cowboy Logic, I’m sharing the one piece of Appalachian mountain wisdom my mama gave me that changed the way I see beauty, grief, and the stories I write. It started with a jar of fireflies… and ended with a lesson I didn’t understand until I was grown.If you’ve ever kept your light small because you were scared, this episode is for you.You can’t contain beauty — and sometimes the hardest part is believing your own is worth letting shine.If you want to stay connected or read more of my work, you can join my newsletter:https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

In this week’s episode of Cowboy Logic, I open up about one of the hardest lessons I’m still learning: the difference between never giving up… and knowing when to rest.From my dad’s unstoppable determination through heart attacks and broken bones, to my own journey through chronic illness, grief, and survival, I share the wisdom I wish I’d understood sooner.Rest isn’t quitting.Rest is what lets you keep going — one day at a time.This episode is a gentle reminder for anyone carrying more than they let on.If you want to stay connected or read more of my work, you can join my newsletter: https://anndunbarauthor.eo.page/jjn1r

Yes, you should fix problems before they become disasters. But what happens when the cattle get out anyway? When life knocks you sideways and all your careful plans fall apart?In this episode, I talk about the impossible balance of managing chronic illness, working full time, and trying to keep writing on the front burner when life keeps pushing it to the back. I share how perfectionism and the need for control (hello, Libra) collide with the messy reality that you can't fix every fence before something breaks through.Plus: Why my characters Sunny and Antonio are patiently waiting their turn, and what I've learned about working through problems instead of just preventing them.Today's cowboy logic: Fix the fence before the cattle get out—but don't beat yourself up when they do anyway.Books mentioned: Starting Over in Montana, Áine's Salvation (Reader's Favorite Award winner), and Bet's Christmas Gamble (coming November 17)Find my books at anndunbarbooks.com

Episode 2: "Actions Speak Louder Than Words"Out on the ranch, your word only means something if you back it up. In this episode, romance author Ann Dunbar explores how this classic cowboy wisdom applies to love, loss, and the craft of writing romance that readers can feel in their bones.From the soft touches and unprompted hugs she misses most about her late family to the way her cowboys Gabriel and Jeb show love in quiet, steady ways, Ann shares why the "show, don't tell" rule matters both on the page and in real life.If you've ever wondered how to write love that feels authentic, or you just want to hear some heartfelt cowboy wisdom on a Saturday morning, this one's for you.Books mentioned: Starting Over in Montana , Áine's Salvation (Reader's Favorite Award Winner), and Bet's Christmas Gamble (out November 17th)Perfect for: Romance readers, aspiring authors, anyone who appreciates authentic love storiesWant to see how Gabriel and Jeb show love in their own quiet, cowboy way? Visit https://anndunbarbooks.com/booksOr sign up for my newsletter at anndunbarbooks.com for updates and exclusive content

One poem, one promise, and a father’s faith that sparked a writer’s courage.In this first episode of Cowboy Logic, author Ann Dunbar shares the deeply personal story of how her father kept a poem she wrote for 27 years—and how his belief in her changed everything. After his passing, that poem became the spark that led Ann to write her very first novel.This episode explores facing fear, finding courage, and realizing that sometimes the biggest fool you’ll meet is the voice in your own head saying you can’t.From the Appalachian Mountains to Calgary, Alberta, Ann uses timeless cowboy wisdom to talk about life, grief, creativity, and the strength it takes to follow a dream when it feels too late to start.Books mentioned: Starting Over in Montana, Áine’s Salvation, Bet’s Christmas Gamble.Visit https://anndunbarbooks.com/books