Carolyn Brown

CAROLYN BROWN IS OUR GUEST TODAY!

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Good morning, everyone! Thank you so much for inviting me back to visit with the fillies! I always love making a stop here and having a glass of sweet tea with all y’all.

 

I’ve got Alana Carey with me today and I’ve got some questions about this fake engagement that she’s roped Paxton Callahan into. She stands six feet tall in her cowboy boots. She has blonde hair and big blue eyes and she can out rope, out-ride, and out-do most cowboys in the state of Texas whether it’s on the dance floor, having shots of whiskey or riding broncs. Her two soft spots are her father, since he’s raised her alone when her mother died, and Paxton Callahan.

 

First question: What made you decide to ask Paxton to enter into this fake engagement with you?

 

Alana: My dad, Matt, told me that he’d been diagnosed with untreatable cancer and he only had six weeks to live. The only thing that he wished he had lived long enough to see was me married and settled. He had done so much for me that I had to give him his dying wish. I lied. I told him that Pax and I had been secretly dating for several months, that we hadn’t told anyone because we wanted to be sure that it was real, but that he had proposed to me. I thought that would make him happy, but oh, no, he wanted to walk me down the aisle. Since Pax was my best friend, he went along with the idea—thank goodness, since I didn’t ask him before I told Daddy.

 

Carolyn: What happened then?

 

Alana: Well, the whole town got behind the engagement, and suddenly we were all knee deep in wedding dress shopping, and wedding showers. One little lie to make him die a happy man turned into a huge thing, and there was no way I could back out of it since Daddy wanted me to have the biggest wedding ever seen in our part of Texas.

 

Carolyn (gasping): Keep going. We’re hanging on every word.

 

Alana: Then Daddy began to talk about the honeymoon and flying us anywhere in the world that I wanted to go. I didn’t want to waste weeks or even days off on a fake honeymoon. I wanted to spend every minute I could with him.

Carolyn: Even in the midst of the sadness, did you enjoy all the wedding plans?

 

Alana (with a smile): Of course. I had the wedding every woman dreams about, and Daddy was happy, but the crazy thing was that soon I didn’t know what was fake and what was real. I’d loved Pax in secret for years, and now I got to be engaged to him. But I have to admit, I wondered if he felt the same about me. That’s all for today or else I’ll be giving away spoilers.

 

Carolyn: Guess that’s all we can get her to talk about today, but I would like to add that Sunrise Ranch will be a bonus novella included in Cowboy Strong, and then will be available to order on July 7 in both ebook and paper book. Sunrise Ranch is the last story from Daisies in the Canyon.

 

And so, there you have it folks. Would you buy this book on the basis of that interview? I’ll be giving away a signed copy of Cowboy Strong, the last book in the Longhorn Canyon Series to one lucky person. A little note: There is one more little novella on the way tucked into the A Little Country Christmas anthology that will actually end the series. It’s titled The Perfect Christmas.

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2AvsEFL

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d3RZUl

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Y3ikNQ

Google: https://bit.ly/3d06rwp

iBooks: https://apple.co/2Y4guN1

 

Welcome, Carolyn Brown!

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Today Carolyn Brown rides into the Junction to talk about her new book, Cowboy Courage, and the give away of signed copy of the book! Welcome, Carolyn!

Thank you to the fillies here at Petticoats and Pistols for inviting me to prop up my boots here on their front porch for a little while today. Y’all all grab a sweet tea and some cookies and let’s talk about Cowboy Courage, that just hit the shelves a couple of days ago.

When I first started this series, it was going to be three books, and then Emily Baker married the young brother, Justin, who was co-owner of the Longhorn Canyon. She had two brothers, Tag and Hud, back home out in the Texas Panhandle, and they missed their sister, so they bought the ranch next to The Longhorn Canyon. They brought along the Callahan brothers with them to help run their ranch and suddenly the series grew to seven books. Cowboy Courage is Hud’s story and it’s the sixth book in the series. CowboyStrong will be out in June and the series will officially wind up in the fall with a novella about Dixie and Landon, two secondary characters in Cowboy Courage and Cowboy Strong.

That said, let’s talk about Hud and Rose, the hero and heroine of Cowboy Courage. Writing about these two was so much fun that I dragged my feet on the last few chapters. I simply didn’t want to tell them goodbye. They met years ago when Rose went to school out in the panhandle with Hud, but then she moved away, and they never saw each other again. Evidently, first love, even if it does involve two fourteen-year-old kids, is difficult to forget. When they are reunited in Bowie, Texas, the old flame is still burning brightly.

After spending years traveling the world with the military, Rose O’Malley is ready for a change. Heading back to Texas to hold down the fort at her aunt’s bed-and-breakfast will give Rose just the break she needs. But while she may speak seven languages, she can’t repair a leaky sink to save her life. When Hudson Baker strides in like a hero and effortlessly figures out the fix, Rose can’t help wondering if the boy she once crushed on as a kid could now be her saving grace.
Hud has always been rock-solid and dependable-a quintessential cowboy to his core. But the moment Rose steps back into his life, his world is turned upside down by meddling family, a rescued baby, and one highly mischievous cat. Now he’ll have to decide if it’s time to throw caution to the wind and do whatever it takes to convince Rose that by her side is exactly where he wants to stay.

This book includes a first time ever in print novella, Wildflower Ranch, a continuation of Daisies in the Canyon. My readers have asked me for Shiloh and Bonnie’s stories for years. This is Shiloh’s story. Bonnie’s will be included in Cowboy Strong.

What is your favorite? Stand alone stories? Series? If you like series, what do you consider to be too many? Is three a good number or is seven plus a final novella something you’d consider a perfect number?

I will give away a signed copy of Cowboy Courage. Y’all pull up a rocking chair and prop your boots up on the porch rail with me. Got questions? I’ll be dropping by several times throughout the day to answer them!

Cowboy Brave with Guest Author Carolyn Brown

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Please give a warm ‘welcome back’ to our guest author Carolyn Brown! 
She’s here to talk about the newest book in her Longhorn Canyon Series and also
to give one (plus a bonus!) as a gift for one lucky person who comments.

Carolyn Brown Headshot
Author Carolyn Brown

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Miss Carolyn
or her books, here’s a short introduction …

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown was born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma. These days she and her husband make their home in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of less than three thousand people where everyone knows everyone, knows what they are doing and with whom, and read the weekly newspaper to see who got caught.

A plaque hangs on her office wall that says “I know the voices are not real but they have such great ideas.” That is her motto and muse as she goes through the days with quirky characters in her head, telling their stories, one by one, and loving her job.

 

 

Howdy to all y’all at Petticoats and Pistols! Every time I see the name of your site, I think of my Christmas present last year. Mr. B bought me a lovely little five shot .38 caliber pink pistol. I didn’t want anything that fired 15 rounds in ten seconds. I figure if I can’t hit something with five bullets, then I shouldn’t be firin’ a gun.

I loved writing Cowboy Brave. Justin and Emily were such fun characters to have in my head for those weeks when we were writing the book. And I do say we, not I, because if I didn’t get the story just right, they kept me awake at night.

The blurb for the book tells you a little about Justin and Emily, so I thought maybe today we’d interview the Fab Five. That would be the five senior citizens in the retirement center where Emily works. I thought maybe I’d just give you a little excerpt to introduce you to them. Picture this (as Ma used to say on Golden Girls)—Bowie, Texas, last year. The Fab Five are all in the van on the way to Longhorn Canyon ranch for a week. They’re excited to be away from the retirement center for a whole week, and Emily is driving for them. She’ll be staying with the three ladies in the girls’ bunkhouse. Otis and Larry will live in the boys’ bunkhouse. Now get ready for the ride…

~ Excerpt ~

“Wagons, ho!” Otis shouted from the middle of the van.

“Wagons, my royal butt,” Patsy said. “We’re on tour and this is our tour bus. We’re off to do shows.”

“And what are you going to do?” Bess poked her sister in the arm. “You never could carry a tune, so it can’t be anything musical.”

“Oh, but, honey, I can dance, and I’ve been practicing my striptease dance. I bet Larry can figure out a way to fix me a pole so I can do my best work,” Pasty shot back.

Larry’s grin deepened the wrinkles. “I’ll get my dollar bills ready to stuff inside your under britches, darlin’.”

“Everyone buckled up?” Emily called out as she started the engine.

“Yep!” they all said in unison.

Emily put the van in reverse, popped the clutch, and spun out, leaving a skid mark on the concrete parking lot. “Then get ready for a ride. If you see flashing red lights, yell at me and I’ll go faster.”

“This ain’t a tour van, it’s a race car. When we get to the ranch, we should do some street racin’ in the pasture,” Sarah yelled from the back. “I love to drive fast.”

“You love anything fast. Did you take your heart pills this mornin’?” Patsy said.

“Did you?” Sarah shot back. “I just have to take one to keep my ticker goin’. You have to take three, so don’t be fussin’ at me.”

“Both of you hush and enjoy the fast ride,” Bess demanded.

“You got it, darlin’.” Sarah’s blue eyes glittered. “I’m like fast food. Hot, cheap, and ready in a minute.”

“That’s like Patsy in college,” Bess said.

“Oh, the sweet memories.” Patsy sighed.

Now that you’ve met the five, would you like to see what kind of trouble they’re going to get into,
and how they try to play match maker between Emily and Justin Maguire?

But wait before you answer, there’s more. As a special treat this is a two in one book.
You also get the Second Chance Cowboy by A. J. Pine. So happy reading to all y’all!!

(Don’t forget to comment to be included in the drawing for the giveaway!)

 
FYI: Books in order of publication
Cowboy Bold, May 2018
Cowboy Honor, September, 2018
Cowboy Brave, Now Available!
Cowboy Rebel, May 28, 2019
 
 
Buy Links for the books:

 

 

Guest Author Carolyn Brown!

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Today, the Fillies are proud to host none other than author Carolyn Brown!
She’s here to talk about her newest book and also to give one as a gift for one lucky commenter.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn or her books, here’s a short introduction…

Carolyn Brown Headshot
Author Carolyn Brown
  • * * * * * * * * * * 
  • New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown was born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma. These days she and her husband make their home in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of less than three thousand people where everyone knows everyone, knows what they are doing and with whom, and read the weekly newspaper to see who got caught.

A plaque hangs on her office wall that says “I know the voices are not real but they have such great ideas.” That is her motto and muse as she goes through the days with quirky characters in her head, telling their stories, one by one, and loving her job.

  • * * * * * * * * * *

Hello to all y’all!

Have you ever looked at a cowboy on the cover of a book and wondered what it would be like to ask him questions, and maybe even ask his opinion on things—maybe even before you open the book to read about him? Well, today that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Take a look at Levi Jackson on the cover of Cowboy Honor and let’s talk to him in person.

Carolyn: Levi, would you tell his a little about yourself?

Levi: Well, ma’am, I’m the foreman of a huge ranch down around Sunset, Texas. The two brothers who own the place, Cade and Justin Maguire, and I grew up together right here on the Longhorn Canyon Ranch. We’re more like kin folks than ranch owner and hired hand. We’ve all three run around together since we were in elementary school. When Justin and I graduated high school, we went on the full time payroll, but from the time we were little guys, we worked and got a paycheck.

Carolyn: What was your first opinion of Claire?

Levi: (Removes his cowboy hat and wipes his brow). My first thought was I hope she don’t pull the trigger on that pistol. But I’ll have to explain that a little. It might not have been considered a blizzard in some parts of the country but for north central Texas, it sure seemed like one. I’d been out making sure the cattle were brought in from the far corners of the ranch, when it became evident I didn’t have enough gas in the four-wheeler to get me back to the ranch house. That wasn’t a big problem because we have this old cabin at the back of the place, and I could hole up there until the snowstorm passed. Claire and her little niece, Zaylie, had slid off the road and taken refuge in the cabin earlier that day. So there we were—me, just wanting a warm place to wait out the storm, and her thinking I was there to do her harm so she had a pistol pointed right at my chest.

Carolyn: Oh, my goodness! I’m tempted to ask you what happened next, but I’m sure that’s covered in the story. I’m told that you have a way with animals and have rescued several that still live on the ranch. Tell us about them.

Levi: (with a big smile on his face) There’s Beau, the dog that I rescued. He’s named after a famous football player for the Longhorns. Then Gussie, the cat, who’s named after an old girlfriend. And Hard Times the turtle: Hopalong, the cotton tail bunny rabbit; and Little Bit, the crippled donkey. They’ve all become part of the ranch, and the inner city, underprivileged kids who come ever summer love them.

Carolyn: Although the kids aren’t there in this book, since it happens in the winter months, tell us about those kids.

Levi: They arrive in June and stay until after July 4th. Everyone on the ranch looks forward to having them around. Sometimes they come to us broken and untrusting, but by the time they leave, they’re sad to go—and we’re lonely without them.

Carolyn: If you could have any other job in the world, what would you be?

Levi: I’ve got my dream job right here on Longhorn Ranch. There’s no other place I’d rather be, or job that I’d rather be doing.

Carolyn: Thank you, Levi, for visiting with us today. And we both thank Petticoats and Pistols for letting us stop by today. I’m going to let Levi come up with a question to ask y’all for the drawing. We’ll be giving away a signed copy of Cowboy Honor and the winner will be chosen from the comments.

Levi: Let’s ask something about the heroine—

What kind of lady do you like to read about? Independent? Quiet? Or maybe a sassy one like my Claire?

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From the New York Times bestselling cowboy queen comes “a story that is sure to please fans” about a “slow-simmering romance” and the “simple pleasures of ranch life” (Publishers Weekly). Includes a bonus novella by Katie Lane!

Patience was never one of her virtues. After her SUV runs off the road in the middle of a Texas blizzard and her cell stops working, Claire Mason is about to snap. Getting back home to Oklahoma with her four-year-old niece is top priority. And lucky for her, help comes in the form of a true Texas cowboy…

Levi Jackson has always been a sucker for strays. So he can’t help getting involved when he comes across Claire and her little niece shivering in the cold. By offering them a place to stay until her car is fixed, he can make sure the two are taken care of – and get to know the sassy Claire better.

What starts as something awkward and temporary starts feeling cozier by the minute. And soon Levi is hoping he can convince Claire she has a permanent place in his heart.

Plus, bonus story “O Little Town of Bramble” by Katie Lane!
All Ethan Miller wants for Christmas is to celebrate in Bramble, Texas, with family and friends. But when his childhood neighbor comes home for the holiday, Ethan realizes that the girl-next-door could be the girl of his dreams.

                                                

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Apple Books  |  IndieBound  |  Amazon

Connect with Carolyn!

Instagram  |  Facebook  |  Website 

 

 

Carolyn Brown and the Luckiest Cowboy of All

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Hello to everyone at Petticoats and Pistols! Thank you so much for inviting me to stop by to talk about my new book, Luckiest Cowboy of All, coming out next Tuesday.

 

This book has gotten rave reviews at both Publisher’s Weekly and RT Reviews and from my amazing readers on Goodreads. To say I’m excited about it would be an understatement.

The Luckiest Cowboy of All is the third and final book in the Happy, Texas trilogy, following Toughest Cowboy in Texas and Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas.  Although it’s part of a series, it’s a stand alone book that can be read without reading the first two.

AND—I love that word because it means there’s more to come—this is a two-for-one book. After you read Luckiest Cowboy of All, you are only half finished with the book. My good friend, Sara Richardson’s book Hometown Cowboy, is included. It’s Jessa Mae and Lance Cortez’s story. She’s a small town veterinarian and he’s a big-time rodeo star.

 

Voices in my head….

Jace Dawson has waited patiently for his turn to tell me his story, and I loved having him sitting behind me in the recliner telling me all about his life while I wrote it. I have a plaque on the wall of my office that reads: I know the voices in my head are not real but they have really great ideas.

That saying became very real during the time I was privileged to spend with Jace. He’d fallen in love with Carlene back when they were in high school and had even entertained notions that someday they might be together forever. But after graduation her father got transferred and she went with him. She’d promised to keep in touch but she hadn’t and her old aunt, who still lived in Happy, wouldn’t give him a bit of information.

Now it’s almost a decade later and Carlene has taken a teaching job back in Happy at the elementary school. One look at her daughter and Jace knows immediately that the child is his and he’s pretty angry that Carlene didn’t even tell him that she was pregnant.

 

Secret Baby/Second Chance 

The secret baby/second chance trope has been done so often that I knew when I started writing this story; it had to touch my readers emotions to keep their attention. I hope I’ve done that and that they travel with Jace through his battle with giving up his bachelorhood and doing what his heart is telling him. And that they experience Carlene’s reluctance in listening to her heart—when she fears that Jace is only doing “the right thing” in wanting a relationship with her. How could he love her after she deceived him?

 

                    Secondary Story Threads

There’s a secondary story thread that began in Toughest Cowboy in Texas and continued through Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas. It’s about the Dawsons’ grandmother, Hope, and a past love from her youth. It wraps up in Jace and Carlene’s story as this trilogy comes to an end.

I hope that when you finish Sara and my stories that you sigh and wish for more! If so, don’t put your reading glasses away and keep your cowboy boots close by because there are more cowboys on the way. Cowboy Bold debuts the first book in the Longhorn Canyon series in May. Cowboy Honor, the second book, will arrive in September and then Cowboy Brave will finish the series in January of 2019.

 

GIVEAWAY!

I’ll give away a signed copy of Luckiest Cowboy in Texas to one person who comments on today’s post. Tell me, what makes you go from merely taking a look at a book to putting it in your cart to take home? Cover? Back blurb? Those first few sentences on page one?

 

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist. The author of more than eighty published books, she’s also the three-time recipient of the National Reader’s Choice Award, a Bookseller’s Best Award, and a Montlake Diamond Award. Carolyn and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, as well as what they’re doing and when—and they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. When she’s not writing, Carolyn likes to sit in her gorgeous backyard with her two tomcats, Chester Fat Boy and Boots Randolph Terminator Outlaw, and watch them protect the yard from all kinds of wicked varmints like crickets, locusts, and spiders. Visit her at http://www.carolynbrownbooks.com.

 

Welcome Guest – Carolyn Brown!

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Hello, Fillies! Thank you for inviting me back to prop up my boots and visit for a spell.Carolyn Brown

It’s great to be back here to visit with y’all about my newest book that just hit the racks yesterday morning. I’m so excited to be starting a brand new series, The Palo Duro Series, with Long, Hot Texas Summer.

It’s Jackson and Loretta’s second chance story. Loretta is a fiery tempered, tall red head and Jackson is the tall, dark and handsome cowboy, who’s even sexier at forty than he was at eighteen.

They were married more than twenty years ago but they were both very young and it didn’t work. Loretta had doubts about Jackson’s love since she was pregnant when they got married. Jackson always felt like she could have done better than a rancher with her intelligence and ambition.

Now it’s twenty years later and their daughter, Nona, has decided to quit college and live at the ranch in the canyon. Loretta is bound, damned and determined to change Nona’s mind even if she has to live at the ranch during a long, hot Texas summer to convince her.

Jackson never stopped loving the red-haired spit fire that stole his heart in elementary school but hell’s bells it’s been twenty years and he’s moved on. At least that’s what he thought. Somehow his heart did not get that message or else it didn’t give a damn. After all, it wanted Loretta in the beginning and it hasn’t changed its mind one bit.

Still, Loretta has no right to move right into their old bedroom without an invitation and the battle lines are drawn. Nona is his only child. If she wants to learn the ranchin’ business, then she should be able to make up her own mind. She sure doesn’t need her mother getting in the way.

lhts4Loretta disagrees loudly and often and believe me, more than the weather got hot that summer and more than one decision was made. The past had to be dealt with before Loretta and Jackson could look forward to the future and enjoy the present to the fullest.

I really, really enjoyed writing this story. Having Loretta and Jackson, with their passion and their arguments, in my head all that time was quite an experience. The Palo Duro Canyon is a desolate area. I know because I visited it in all four seasons to get a feel for the place before I started this series. But something about that area called out to me, telling me that there was more than one story out there in the cow tongue cactus and the wild daisies.

The sequel to Long, Hot Texas Summer will hit the shelves in December. Daisies in the Canyon, also set there, carries the tale even further with a new set of characters, one of which my readers will meet in Long, Hot Texas Summer.

Tell me, have you ever stood in a place and felt something in the wind that told you there was a story there? Maybe one with a sexy, bull-headed cowboy and a sassy lady who wouldn’t take no for an answer?

Carolyn will be giving away two copies of Long, Hot Summer – one Kindle version, one print. So be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win!

Carolyn Brown Learns How To Marry a Cowboy

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books_066Hello Fillies! I’m so glad to be here today to talk to y’all about How to Marry a Cowboy. I just love propping up my boots and havin’ a glass of sweet tea with all y ‘all!
This is the final book in the Cowboys and Brides series and these characters were so much fun to have in my head while I wrote the book. Y’all know how difficult it is to say goodbye to all the characters at the end of a series. There’s a feeling that we need to set up a family reunion in a year or two so that we can see how everyone is doing.
I knew a little bit about Mason before the book started since I’d met him at a couple of Angus Association parties in the first three books, but Annie Rose and the twins were brand new characters. And the dynamics between Annie Rose and the twins and then the one between her and Mason was exciting and so much fun.
HTMarryCowboy082113AI met Lily and Gabby on page one when Lily was jumping up and down and screaming, “Gabby, come quick! Hot damn, Daddy done got us a new mama!” I knew at that moment the twins and I were going to get along just fine and as soon as they woke up Annie Rose everything was going to work out.
However, Mason and Annie Rose fought with me. Annie Rose wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone, not with what she’d endured the last time around. Mason wasn’t over the death of his wife, even though it was eight years ago. Neither of them could spare an ounce of trust.
So the little girls and I had our work cut out for us. We started with Annie Rose since she claimed she couldn’t remember anything right there at the first. The girls came up with the idea that since there were dozens of How-To books available that they’d write one to help Annie Rose recover her memories. So they wrote How To Remember and gave her some tips. Then when that worked and she could remember, they wrote another one called How To Be A Rancher and a third one called, How To Be A Mommy.
Annie Rose prized her booklets and with each one she began to trust a little more and more and she wondered how a woman would go about marrying a cowboy like Mason.
Mason had two rules. One was that he never got involved with a woman in the house with the twins. The other was that he never, ever got involved with the nanny. It wasn’t easy convincing him that Annie Rose was more than a nanny. Not when he couldn’t forget his wife who’d died suddenly when the twins were just babies. Since then he’d had been a single father.
He wasn’t sure he could ever trust anyone to take care of his girls or enough to let them into his heart. The last time he’d fallen in love with a woman, he’d lost her. The pain was so intense that he was afraid to give it another try.
So you can see, the twins and I surely did have our work cut out for us. By the time I finished the book, Mason, Annie, Lily and Gabby and I were pretty good friends and I really do hate to see the series end…but hey, someday in the future Lily and Gabby might grow up and want their own books. Like Mason and Annie learned, one never knows what fate can do with the future.
So tell me, folks, do you believe in fate? Has it ever led you down a path that you had no intentions of going, but looking back, you realize it was the perfect path?

Leave a comment to get into the drawing for a copy of HOW TO MARRY A COWBOY.

Visit my website to learn more about me and my cowboys. www.carolynlbrown.com

Thank you all for having me!

Carolyn Brown: Billion Dollar Cowboy

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Howdy, all y’all!

I’m so glad to stop by here, prop up my red cowboy boots and visit with the fillies about Billion Dollar Cowboy, the debut book in my new series, Cowboys & Brides.

Someone asked me recently how I came to write about four very rich cowboys and that started me thinking about why I came to write about four sassy ladies who lassoed those cowboys.

It all started with the cowboys, Colton (Billion Dollar Cowboy), Lucas (The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby), Greg (The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride) and Mason (How to Marry a Cowboy). They popped into my mind and at first I told them that I couldn’t write about rich cowboys because I didn’t know or understand the ways of the rich folks in this world.

But they insisted and we negotiated the terms. I’d turn the air conditioning down low (look at that sexy cowboy on the front of the book, fillies!) and write their stories but I got to pick the leading ladies and they had to stick around and tell me exactly how the story went.

We shook on it and Colton pulled up a chair around since I was writing about him first.

Four very sassy ladies had been talking to me for a while about writing their stories and I brought them front and center and we had a long conversation. Not a one of them were interested in a rich cowboy, no matter how sexy, smooth talkin’ or good at two-steppin’ they were. But I could see some real possibilities so I introduced Colton to Laura Baker, and oh, my but the sparks flew from day one. Both of them were wary as two old tom cats on the back yard fence. Neither trusted the other as far as they could throw a ton of bricks. And we were off on a real ride tellin’ the story that come out of putting them together.

Laura had grown up on a ranch without much in the way of affection from her great-aunt who had taken Laura and her sister, Janet, in to keep them out of the system. She liked ranching but had no intentions of making it her life’s work and it damn sure wasn’t her dream. However, Janet had an addiction to gambling. She’d gotten in way over her head with the last betting spree and she was back to begging Laura to get her out of trouble. The only way Laura can manage to help her sister is to work for their distant cousin, Andy, at some rich cowboy’s ranch in Ambrose, Texas, wherever to hell that is.

She wasn’t any too happy with me there at the first. She didn’t trust Colton and he couldn’t believe any woman on the face of the great green earth wouldn’t give two hoots if he was rich or not. Things didn’t get much better when poor old Colton found himself drugged after a night in a local honky tonk. It was only by the quick thinking of the ranch foreman that he awoke in his bed the next morning and not with a wedding ring on his finger after those two women had put something in his drink.

Laura is determined not to stay one minute more than it takes to earn the money to keep Janet from being maimed or killed by loan shark. She sure isn’t interested in playing along with the ruse that she was Colton’s girlfriend, especially when it turned into an engagement complete with a diamond half the size of a hockey rink. But since it involved enough money to get Janet out of gambling debt she went along with the crazy idea. And since his grandmother, the ranch foreman and even the sixteen year old foster child, Roxie, has set the wheels in motion with their tricks, there doesn’t seem to be much choice in the matter. Before long, they trusted each other to the point of waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me how to write the next scene.

And that’s when I knew I’d made the right decision in putting Laura on that particular ranch and not Natalie, or Rachel or even Emily who were waiting in the wings to see what would happen when Billion Dollar Cowboy was all finished. After Laura’s experiences I wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t all light a shuck and hide the mesquite trees but when I started The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby, Natalie was right there ready to take on the job.

What do you think it would take to make a cowboy with more than a billion dollars trust a woman? What would it take for a woman to believe a rich cowboy who could have anyone or anything that he wanted?

 

BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES JUNE 2013

Colton Nelson was 28 when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. When people started lining up wanting some of his millions, he hired a friend, Andy Joe, to handle his affairs and find him a bride and buy her, no matter what the cost.

Laura Baker and her sister, Emily, had been raised in foster homes. Though she was the younger of the two, Laura was always bailing Emily out of trouble. So when Andy Joe slid into her booth at a diner one night and made a proposition to Laura, it seemed the perfect solution…until Laura met Colton and realized she didn’t give a damn about his money and that her love was not for sale.

* * * *

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 60 books published. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. Carolyn’s first women’s fiction novel, The Blue Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee is now available, and you can look for her next cowboy romance, Cowboy Seeks Bride in August 2013! For more information, please visit: www.carolynlbrown.com.

 

To purchase Billion Dollar Cowboy:

Amazon

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Discover a New Love

Sourcebooks

 

Carolyn is giving away a copy of BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY to one lucky commenter!