#contemporarywestern

Grass Valley Cowboys Updated

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From time to time, authors give their books new covers. It might be to follow a trend, or it could be with the addition of a new book in the series. Or they could have grown tired of the cover and wanted something fresh.

A while back, I decided a few of the Grass Valley Cowboys series could use with an update.

First up was the first book in the series, The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan.  This book has had many covers since it first released.

The very first one was taken against the wall of my dad’s old shop on the farm where I grew up and the old spurs I borrowed from my brother.

 

And here is the updated version.

Sometimes the most unexpected circumstances lead to the best adventures…

Cadence Greer’s plans for a happy-ever-after derail when her fiancé runs off with his secretary a week before their wedding. Homeless, jobless, and jilted, she escapes to Grass Valley, Oregon, where she takes a job as a housekeeper and cook to seven cowboys on a sprawling ranch.

Trey Thompson is a well-respected pillar of the community, running a successful ranch with his brother. All he wanted was someone to cook meals and keep the house clean. When he hires Cadence Greer for the job, he gets more than he ever planned on, including a spunky orphan who quickly steals his heart.

 

The Cowboy’s Spring Romance, book two in the series was next up for the makeover.

 

This was version two of the book’s cover. I liked the cowboy and the daisies, but the cover felt a bit too busy.

The new cover is fun, and Trent Thompson has an enormous cowboy hat, which makes me grin every time I look at it. Right now, the eBook is on sale for just 99 cents!

One lonesome cowboy needs a few lessons in romance…
Trent Thompson doesn’t have many secrets, except for the torch he’s carried for the new schoolteacher since she moved to Grass Valley more than three years ago. Instead of asking her out, he’s dated every single female in a thirty-mile radius, giving her the impression he holds no interest in knowing her.

Lindsay Pierce moved to Grass Valley to teach and quickly fell in love with the small community as well as the delightful people who live there. Everyone welcomes her warmly except for one obnoxious cowboy who goes out of his way to ignore her.

Will Trent be able to maintain the pretense when he has to babysit his niece, who happens to be in Lindsay’s class?

Romance is in the air as spring fever hits the Triple T Ranch!

 

The fifth book in the series, The Cowboy’s New Heart, was the last one to get a new cover.

This was the last cover the book had. It was okay, but I felt the couple needed to be a little more … vibrant.

Maybe I just really love the red pickup!

The heart doesn’t care about age…

Former bull-rider Hart Hammond spent twenty years building a business empire while successfully avoiding love. He buried his heart the same day he made his last bull ride and has vowed to never make the mistake of loving a woman again. Then he meets the beautiful mother of the fun-loving Thompson tribe.

Years after her husband died, Denni Thompson can’t bear to think of giving her heart to anyone else. With three newly married sons, a grandchild on the way, and a busy life, Denni doesn’t entertain any notions of romance until she encounters the handsome new owner of Grass Valley’s gas station.

Can a broken-hearted widow and a heartless cowboy find love?

This time of year brings thoughts of freshening things up to mind and my to-do list.

Are you tackling any projects this spring?

Painting? New throw pillows? Remodeling projects? Planting flowers or a garden? 

Recipe for a Delectable Western Romance Novel by Valerie Comer

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Welcome to guest blogger Valerie Comer today, sharing her recipe for a Delectable Western Romance Novel.

If I were going to treat this post as though it were from any reputable food blogger, this is where my life story would go, along with all the reasons this recipe is absolutely guaranteed to tickle your tastebuds and be your new forever favorite. 

 Hmm. Don’t we all hate that part? So let’s pretend there’s a “skip to recipe” button and get right to the details! 

 Delectable Western Romance Novel 

Flavor: “A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy” 

 Stir together the following tropes: 

  • 2 parts “sudden dad”  
  • 2 parts “nanny” 
  • 1 part “marriage of convenience”  
  • 1 part “fish out of water”  
  • 1 part “newfound family” 
  • 1 part “family drama” 

 Then mix in: 

  • 1 reluctant cowboy 
  • 1 good-girl bank teller turned nanny 
  • 1 20-month-old orphaned toddler 
  • 4 opinionated, interfering parents 
  • 1 sharp, workaholic, billionaire octogenarian 
  • Assorted brothers and cousins 
  • 1 road trip 
  • 1 small town 
  • 1 ranch resort (may substitute a dude ranch or guest ranch, as the flavor is very similar) 

 Fold in: 

  • 4 parts love 
  • 2 generous sprinkles of faith 
  • 2 doses of patience 
  • A blend of understanding and misunderstanding 
  • A sprinkle of wit, wisdom, and laughter 
  • Many, many prayers 

 Stir steadily and methodically, a bit every day for several months, until well-blended and the mixture has expanded to about 60,000 words with a life of its own. Ladle into a heart-shaped pan, smooth out, and apply the heat of beta readers, editors, proofreaders, and advance readers. Tweak ingredients as required. 

 When the story has set, decorate with: 

  • A charming cover 
  • A provocative description 
  • A sprinkle of fairy dust! 

 Servings: There is no limit to the number of readers who can be served. 

 There you have it: the recipe I used to create A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy, the first title in my new Sweet River Ranch Romance series. Here’s a bit about the story: 

Everything hit all at once. Tate Sullivan became the guardian of his young nephew after his brother’s death, and now Grandfather has bought a failing guest ranch in Montana. Tate’s used to handling their hotel empire, but moving halfway across the country and learning an entirely new, rural business model is a challenge, especially with a toddler in tow. 

 Nice girls finish last… or that’s what it seems like to Stephanie Simpson when her ex-boyfriend, a pastor, proposes to a former bad girl. It’s not that Stephanie wants her ex to rethink his life choices, but would it be so wrong to move on as swiftly as he has? A quick wedding to that cute wannabe cowboy with the adorable toddler might get her what she wants. After all, it’s clear Tate needs a helping hand. 

 He’s a Christian, just like she is. What could possibly go wrong? 

 GIVEAWAY! 

Valerie is giving away 2 e-book copies of A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy, anywhere in the world!

To enter, share a comment about your favorite contemporary western romance tropes and flavors!  

Valerie Comer is known for writing engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith into her green clean romances. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, sharing farm life in western Canada with her husband, adult children, and adorable grandkids. Valerie is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner.

Please find her at https://valeriecomer.com. 

 

Women in Today’s Sport of Professional Rodeo

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I love that we’re seeing more and more women participating in sports traditionally dominated by men. And I’m happy that rodeo has become one of those sports. Yes, you say, women have long competed in barrel racing. But did you know in the early days of rodeo, 1850s to 1900s, women competed against men in all rodeo events, including rough stock?

Eventually, they got pushed out (grrrr), and in 1948 the Girls Rodeo Association was formed with the intent of advancing women in professional rodeo. The Girls Rodeo Association later became know by its current name, the Woman’s Professional Rodeo Association. Yay! Go girls. Um, I mean women.

While women still don’t compete against men in today’s professional rodeos, they do have their own rodeos and are no longer restricted to just barrel racing. Breakaway roping and team roping have become sanctioned events, and women from all over the world compete on local and National levels. Pretty impressive. I’ve tried roping and couldn’t even get the rope to land correctly on a stationary practice dummy. Can’t imagine succeeding while chasing a live calf on a fast moving horse.

 

Photo by Kirstie Marie Photography

There are also some brave and talented women who compete in non-sanctioned events such as tie-down roping, steer wrestling, bull riding and bronc riding. Picture yourself climbing onto the back of a two-thousand pound bull and letting him toss you around like a bean bag. Nope. I can’t, either. Even with all the safety equipment. Talk about dangerous. But I admire the women who are paving the way for future generations.

Daily Mail Online

I especially like that these rodeo events are open to ages thirteen and up, giving opportunity to young women they didn’t have just a short time ago and opening doors for future generations. Who knows what women in rodeo will look like twenty years from now, or even ten?

At the 2020 Inaugural Women’s World Rodeo Championship last November in Las Vegas, four women became the first in history to claim the title of Women’s Rodeo World Champion (besides barrel racing, breakaway roping, and team roping, a title was also given for heading and heeling).This is an amazing step forward, and I hope more events will be added in the future.

I haven’t yet put a professional woman rodeo athlete in one of my books. Thinking maybe I should. And one of these days I’ll travel to Las Vegas to attend the rodeo. I read somewhere that CBS will be airing the final rounds for this year’s 2021 Women’s World Rodeo Championship on Sunday, October 31st. I’m marking my calendar 🙂