Author Katie Lane: Flirting With Texas And A Giveaway

It’s a delight to welcome author Katie Lane back to Thoughts in Progress. It means she has a new book out in her Deep in the Heart of Texas series. This time it’s FLIRTING WITH TEXAS, a funny, light-hearted read that will whisk you away. It's released today!!

Here’s a brief description of FLIRTING WITH TEXAS:

    YOU'RE A LONG WAY FROM HOME, COWGIRL
    On her own in the Big Apple, Jenna Jay Scroggs can handle herself when trouble arises. But when she tries to rescue a horse, the passionate do-gooder ends up on a runaway Central Park carriage ride with a hunky stranger. With his sexy drawl and well-worn Levis, Beauregard Cates is doing his darnedest to make Jenna homesick for the small western town she's spent years trying to forget. And it's working: She's dangerously close to falling head over boot heels for the rugged rodeo star with hair the color of moonshine.
    Beau came to the big city to escape his past and live life to the fullest. Yet the leggy blonde with eyes as blue as a western sky causes a real hitch in his giddy-up. So when the well-meaning folks of Bramble plot to bring Jenna home, Beau will need to convince her that she won't ever get Texas out of her blood - or one good-time, ever-lovin' cowboy out of her heart.

Thanks to Katie and the lovely Marissa at Grand Central Publishing, I have 2 copies of FLIRTING WITH TEXAS to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for details.

Katie joins us now and has graciously answered some questions for me about her intriguing story and her writing.

Mason - Your story has the most amusing plot - henhouse (whorehouse) turned bed and breakfast. What inspired this unique storyline?  

Katie:
One morning, I woke up with the song “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place” from the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas rolling around in my head, and it got me to thinking—what if The Chicken Ranch never closed down? Thus, the henhouse was born and is the setting (along with Bramble, Texas) for TROUBLE IN TEXAS, FLIRTING WITH TEXAS, and the last two books in my Deep in the Heart of Texas series.

Mason - Now the book is finished, what surprised you the most as you wrote the story?  

Katie:
Marcy Henderson. I already loved the hero and heroine, Beau and Jenna Jay, and knew they were going to be great fun to write, but I had no idea what a sensitive, wonderful character Marcy Henderson is until I started writing. (Like everyone else, I thought she was just the town slut.) The secondary love story between her and Pastor Robbins completely took me by surprise :o)
 
Mason - Have you always wanted to write or was there an event that lead you to writing?  

Katie:
In fifth grade, my teacher Mrs. Hart asked us to write a short story using the POV of an inanimate object. I chose a big skirt that belonged to a skinny lady. When the lady went to wear it, the skirt fell off and showed her panties. Like flatulence, someone showing their panties is hilarious to elementary school kids. They roared with laughter, and I was hooked on writing.
 
Mason - Of all the authors (past and present) you enjoy reading, who would you like to co-author a book with and why?  

Katie:
Hmm, that’s a very good question. There are so many I respect and would love to work with. I think J.K. Rowling. I would love to witness her process and get a glimpse of the mind that came up with Harry Potter.

Mason - As a published author, has your perspective of authors changed?  

Katie:
Yes, I respect them so much more because I realize what it takes to get published and stay published.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?  

Katie:
A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS is the sixth book in the Deep in the Heart of Texas series and will be out March 2014. I also have an eBook Christmas anthology with Emma Kane and Jennifer Ryan coming out this holiday season (2013), ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A COWBOY.

Thanks Thoughts in Progress for having me!

Katie, thank you for joining us. I like how the secondary characters sometimes surprise us and offer more of themselves than we imaged.

Now let me share a bit about Katie. She says her interest in romance was sparked in high school in the backseat of a '65 Mustang - okay, so maybe it wasn't romance as much as raging teenage hormones. Still, coupled with a wild imagination, those make-out sessions inspired many a steamy storyline along with a strong belief that true love does prevail. 

Katie lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with the owner of that Mustang and would love to hear from her readers. For more on Katie and her writing, visit her online at www.katielanebooks.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: I have 2 copies of FLIRTING WITH TEXAS to giveaway. To enter this giveaway, please send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Flirting With Texas.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. 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 one of two copies of FLIRTING WITH TEXAS is 8 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Do you enjoy romance stories that take you away to the ranches, horses and cowboys?