Author Carolyn Brown Talks Cowboys (And Writing)

I’m always thrilled when author Carolyn Brown comes to visit here at Thoughts in Progress. It means it will be a fun day of discussing sexy cowboys (and of course, writing). Plus it means Carolyn has a new book out, which is always a joy to read.

Known for her dreaming cowboys and spirited heroines turned cowgirls, Carolyn has a new series featuring just such characters - Cowboys and Brides - and the first installment is BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY. You can read my thoughts on this delightful story here.  

Thanks to Carolyn and the lovely Danielle at Sourcebooks, I have a print copy of this charming book to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for the details.

Before I go any further, let me see if Carolyn is here and what she has to say on the subject. Carolyn, did I hear you come in?

Shut the doors! Pull the shades and don’t answer the door! It’s not the police or the FBI or any of those other alphabet government agencies. It’s cowboys and believe me they are as insistent as they are sexy as hell!

They found out that I was invited here to talk about why I love writing about cowboys and they’re afraid I’m going to give away some of their secrets or pick-up lines. 

What’s that?

You’re going to let them in anyway. Well, dang it, Mason! How am I going to talk about them if they’re sitting right in front of us? Okay, okay, you win. I guess it would be a shame to leave them on the porch since they even shined up their boots and got out their best Stetson to come visit your site. Get out four extra beers and we’ll talk to them.

Everyone comfortable? (Breathe in, breathe out, Mason...that’s a girl)

Okay, the “on the air” light is on.

I’m Carolyn Brown and I’m here today at the wonderful Thoughts in Progress blog site with Mason Canyon to discuss why it is that I love writing about cowboys. I have brought along the four cowboys in my new series, Cowboys & Brides, with me. 

Stop winking, Colton, you are breaking my thought pattern. Colton is the hero in the debut book, BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY. He’s…wait a minute…here comes a fifth cowboy. Dewar O’Donnell is joining us folks. He’s got the leading role in the last Spikes & Spurs book, COWBOY SEEKS BRIDE, which will arrive in August.

Mason, darlin’, lock that door, please. The cowboys that might or might not be in future books would sure enough crowd this small room. Five is enough to give us both hot flashes, don’t you think?

Now to get on with the show. I write about cowboys because they are downright respectful, they have big hearts and…yes, Colton?

Yes, you are right, Colton. After working with you 24/7 while we were writing BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY, I will be honest. I do like the way they tip their hats to the ladies and the way they strut when they walk. Yes, you do strut, Colton. All five of you have a distinct swagger. Heck, I bet the whole bunch of you even strut in your sleep. It’s probably got something to do with learning to walk in cowboy boots when you were about a year old. It’s perfected now and can’t be changed…but then who’d want to change your sexy swagger?

They have a sense of humor and can laugh at their mistakes. Yes, I’m talking about you, Greg. You thought the lady on your door step at the beginning of THE COWBOY’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE was a stripper, didn’t you? And you even kissed her before you knew her name or why she was even there; then later you laughed at your mistake.

Cowboys admit it when they’re wrong. Go ahead and admit it Lucas. You were pretty angry when you came home from Kuwait and there was Natalie in your back yard with a dead coyote at her feet, three pesky puppies at her heels, a pink pistol in one hand and cradling a baby with the other in THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS BABY. But you were man enough to admit you were wrong about that baby after you thought about it.

Why are you grinning at Lucas, Dewar? If I remember right in COWBOY SEEKS BRIDE, you weren’t too happy to find out that H. B. McKay was a woman. There you were ready to take off on a month long cattle drive, just like the old days, from Texas to Dodge City. Just cowboys, coyotes and the midnight moon and then suddenly you had to take a woman with you. But you did the right thing and admitted you were wrong, too, when Haley proved to be an asset to the trip. 

Cowboys make wonderful fathers. Mason (not the girl Mason C. here in the room but the cowboy Mason Harper from HOW TO MARRY A COWBOY) has twin daughters who have asked for a mommy every year for their birthday. When they find a woman in a bride’s dress sleeping on the porch, they know they’ve found their birthday present. Trouble is that, you, Mason Harper, didn’t want a wife, and you still let the girls keep her for a little while, didn’t you?

Oh, dear, our time is up and I haven’t talked nearly enough about why I love to write about cowboys. But the cowboys and I’ll be around all day so if y’all have questions or comments, we’d just love to hear them. Now Mason C. where did we put those little cardboard fans last time I was here. I expect you and I could both use one with this much cowboy heat in the room with us.

By the way, why do you like reading about cowboys?
 
Carolyn, here’s your fan and I’ve turned up the AC. Thanks for stopping by today and bringing these delightful cowboys with you. I can see while you enjoy writing about them. I’m so looking forward to finding out more about Mason Harper (for obvious reasons) and his twin daughters. :)

Now, let me share a brief synopsis of BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY: 

    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.  

BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY is available at the following locations: 

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Books-a-Million * IndieBound * Chapters/Indigo * Discover a New Love * Sourcebooks

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 on Carolyn and her writing, you can her online at www.carolynlbrown.com  

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Billion Dollar Cowboy.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. And, just so you know, I don’t share this information with anyone other than the publisher nor use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of BILLION DOLLAR COWBOY is 8 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, June 29.

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. If you have any questions for Carolyn, she’ll be around throughout the day to answer them for you. What is it about cowboys that draws you to their stories?