Friday, February 14, 2014

Awesome Valentine’s Day Giveaway with Author Carolyn Brown



It’s Valentine’s Day, can’t you just feel the love in the air? On this day of love and romance I’m delighted to welcome an authority on the subject, author Carolyn Brown.

Carolyn joins us today to talk about her latest release, THE COWBOY’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE and answer some questions for me. To celebrate this day of love, Carolyn and the charming Danielle at Sourcebooks have an awesome giveaway for one lucky visitor to Thoughts in Progress. The giveaway includes a set of the 3 books in the Cowboys & Brides Series (Billion Dollar Cowboy, The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby and The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride), along with a cute cowboy charm gift from Carolyn herself! Please see the end of the post for the giveaway details. 

THE COWBOY’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE is a fun read that will have you smiling from beginning to end. You can read my thoughts on the book from my review earlier. Here’s a brief synopsis of the story:

She's Got Sass...
      Emily Cooper promised her dying grandfather that she'd deliver a long-lost letter to a woman he once planned to wed. Little does adventurous Emily know that this simple task will propel her to places she never could have imagined...with a cowboy who's straight out of her dreams...
He's Got Mail...
      When sexy rancher Greg Adams discovers his grandmother Clarice has installed Emily on their ranch as her assistant, he decides to humor the two ladies. He figures Emily will move on soon enough. In the meantime, he intends to keep a close eye on her—he doesn't quite buy her story of his grandmother as a mail-order bride.
      A lost letter meant a lost love for Clarice, but two generations later, maybe it's not too late for that letter to work its magic.

I think I hear Carolyn coming through the door now. Welcome, Carolyn. Grab you some chocolate covered strawberries and a festive drink before I bombard you with questions.

Mason - Is there one resource tool you've used that you'd recommend to writers just beginning?

Carolyn:
Well, first, I just want to say Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Have you picked out a pretty new outfit for the evening with your sweetheart? Emily wears a special pale blue dress to the Valentine party in The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride and it did have an effect on poor old Greg. He looked across the room and thought he was looking at an angel.

Cowboy's Mail Order Bride CoverAfter the book is written and the beginning writer wants to know where to send it for consideration I would highly recommend “Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents.” Before the book is written, the Internet is an invaluable took for research. One thing that I always suggest, which I have learned from experience, is to go to the very spot you are writing about. Nothing beats seeing the area and getting a feel for it. The people in Ravenna, Texas probably thought I was casing their small town when I went there to get a good feel for the area before I wrote The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride.

Mason - What TV shows would your characters watch?
 
Carolyn:
My characters would like Justified or any good western movie but in The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride they watch CMT videos. However, I’m sure that Emily watches Justified on a regular basis.

Mason - Today is Valentine's Day, how would your cowboys impress their cowgirls on this special day?

Carolyn:
My cowboys aren’t conventional guys. They might take a woman to the river’s edge, sit under a shade tree on a blanket and bring along a basket of fried chicken. But they’d be sure to not only tell their cowgirl that she was special but to make her feel like she was a queen. He might even weave a crown of wild flowers and put them on her head for a crown to prove it. But in The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride, Greg and Natalie spend the evening flirting and bantering at a formal North Texas Angus Association Party at a country club. Believe me, by the evening’s end, Emily does feel like a queen!

Mason - What would you consider to be a perfect meal for a date night?

Carolyn:
The meal itself wouldn’t be as important as the location of the meal. It could be a bologna sandwich, potato chips straight from the bag and bought chocolate cookies—but a perfect date night would be a blanket on the sand bar of a river, the stars glittering as the waves slap the sand bar and the sexy feller’s eyes saying that he’s thinking of nothing or no one but his date.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?
 
Carolyn:
The line up for the rest of 2014 looks like this: The Red Hot Chili Cook-Off, April (the second women’s fiction book set in Cadillac, Texas); How to Marry a Cowboy, July (the final book in the Cowboy’s and Brides series); Long Hot Texas Summer, August (first book in the Red Dirt Road series); and Cowboy Boots for Christmas (Cowboy Not Included), October (first book in the Burnt Boot series).

Carolyn, thanks for joining us today and Happy Valentine’s Day to you. I have to agree with you about it’s not so much the food that makes the perfect meal, but the location.

For those not familiar with Carolyn, here’s a bit of background on her.

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than sixty books published. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances as well as women’s fiction. 

Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. 

For more information on Carolyn and her writing, please visit www.CarolynLBrown.com

THE COWBOY’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE is available at the following sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, iBookstore, IndieBound, Sourcebooks, and Discover a New Love. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for a set of the 3 books in the Cowboys & Brides Series (Billion Dollar Cowboy, The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby and The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride), along with a cute cowboy charm gift from Carolyn herself. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

Once again to enter this giveaway, just answer the question below in the comments. Be sure to include a valid email address with your comment, if one is not available in your profile. If you want extra entries in the giveaway, share the giveaway information on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, then leave a new comment for each shout out you gave.

If you wish not to be entered in the contest, just say ‘Not entering’ and then comment all you’d like. I don’t want to discourage someone from commenting just because they don’t want to enter the contest.

The deadline for entering the contest will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Feb. 23. The winner will be selected by Random.Org and I will notify the winner by email with the subject line ‘Thoughts in Progress Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride.’ The winner will have 72 hours to respond to the email with their mailing information. If there isn’t a response in 72 hours, a new winner will be selected.

Thanks so much for dropping by and spending a bit of Valentine’s Day with us. Remember, answer the following question for a chance to win the awesome giveaway prize package including THE COWBOY’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE. “What gift would you like to receive on Valentine’s Day or what would you consider to be the perfect Valentine’s Day date?”

35 comments:

  1. Carolyn, thanks again for visiting with us today. Wishing you and your husband a wonderful and Happy Valentine's Day. Your sexy cowboys and sassy cowgirls give us readers plenty of romantic notions. Wishing you continued success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mason, thank you for inviting me back to the site. I love visiting here. And a Happy Valentine's day to you and yours. With those sexy cowboys and those sassy gals in my head all the time, it's Valentine's Day everyday in southern Oklahoma!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The perfect Valentines Day date is with my hubby of 25 years this year! We are going out for dinner and who knows what will happen after that.
    kdoodlehopper@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that's excitement...have a wonderful evening...wherever it might take you!

      Delete
  4. What a sweet treat for Valentine's Day--visiting with two of my favorite people, Carolyn & Mason : )

    Miss Carolyn, you always make me smile! The enjoyment you get from creating your characters and the story lines you spin for them is transferred to your lucky readers. As for TV, definitely "JUSTIFIED", and absolutely "LONGMIRE". UMMHMMH!

    My perfect Valentine's Date would be shared with a man who was confident, compassionate, and creative. I have been a caregiver since I was 10 years old--always the strong one--the leader. I would love to be in love with a man whom I trusted enough to know me and look out for me. He would understand me well enough to make the date filled with things that I enjoy, but he would also be able to happily surprise me with something new that he chose with great care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Miz Virginia. That would truly be a lovely, lovely Valentine's gift for sure...those of us who already have that should take a lesson in NOT taking it for granted.

      Delete
  5. Well, the last time I was on a blanket by the lake was in 1983 and that's where my oldest son came to be! I would love to bring back those days. I guess as you get older we tend to just let these days slip by. I did spend the day yesterday floating down the creek with my hubby busting up beaver dams.
    My perfect date would be just hubby and I going out to eat Alone. Here lately it seems we always have someone with us.
    I will be cooking us a fillet mignon I'm the grill with baked potatoe and salad! That's my valentines day to him! Food is the way to my mans heart!
    Happy Valentines Day Carolyn!
    I will share on Facebook(Kim Cornwell), twitter (Zippykim314) and Pinterest thanks again for having the fabulous Carolyn Brown here today!
    zipstersclue04 at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim, those blankets do produce surprises! LOL! I made Husband pork chops and western omelets this morning for breakfast for his Valentine's gift. Food is definitely the way to his heart, for sure!

      Delete
  6. Hi Carolyn,
    Thanks for visiting with us today. In a few hours, Hubby and I will be heading out for a movie. After that, we'll stop off for a late lunch. At this point in my life, that's a pretty perfect Valentine's date! Hope you and your Hubby share a good one, too.

    Happy Valentine's Day, all.
    mochfly(@)swbell(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like a perfect Valentine's Day...enjoy your movie and lunch. Husband and I have spread things out over three days. Wednesday and Thursday, we had lovely late lunches out because of doctor's appointments and the best conversations to and from the appointments. Love taking road trips with him!

      Delete
  7. I've never had a Valentine date but a glass of wine and some chocolate would be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, honey, in the next year, I will predict a person coming into your life that will shower you with wine, chocolate and lots of affection on Valentine's Day, 2015!

      Delete
  8. Oops forgot email.
    cathyann40@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. My ultimate date would be time with my devoted husband of 44 years. Since my breast cancer diagnosis two years ago and the recovery we have been consumed with family, and illness. The ideal Valentine's Day would be a leisurely day, a walk in the foothills and a relaxing lunch spent planning a holiday in the sunshine. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry for your illness and hope that your recovery is permanent and forever. Here's hoping that your wishes all come true for a wonderful day like you want, whether it is now or a few weeks down the road.

      Delete
  10. My gift would be a day with my hardworking husband. Time is fleeting and precious to me and I appreciate a lovely day just to ourselves which is unusual and badly overdue. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a sweet thing to wish for...time with loved ones is never ill spent. Emily sure learns that in The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride.

      Delete
  11. I would love for my hubby to take me down to the beach for a walk on the pier. The weather is just gorgeous today! Then we could share a slice of pizza or an ice cream!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the beach...no I LOVE the beach. That would be my idea of a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day, too!

      Delete
  12. There are a couple of new, local restaurants that we would like to try and support! One is right on the way to pick up my car, my Valentine's Day treat is getting the heat fixed! It has turned out to be very necessary this year! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. It is very necessary to have a little heat in a car this year...and that restaurant being right on the way, well, it's an omen for sure.

      Delete
  13. Dinner out is always a pleasure for me (or a new book) - snow is not cooperating so nothing going on today but maybe tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who says Valentine's has to be on the 14th. Any day is a good day to have dinner out...or (thank you so very much) read a good book!

      Delete
  14. Carolyn's books are always fun! This year our Valentine's date is a pizza out and a hockey game! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I wouldn't know how to write anything without a bit of humor. Love the idea of pizza but I've never been to a hockey game. However, my grandkids love, love hockey (their other grandma takes them)!

      Delete
  15. Happy Valentine's Day! For me, the best Valentine's gift would be more books. Flowers die, chocolates get eaten but a great book is around forever to re-read! :) Glad to share this lovely day with you ladies!

    thebigbluewall77(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shared on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huiayk/posts/254078808103408?stream_ref=1

      Delete
    2. And shared on twitter: https://twitter.com/TweetEBird77/status/434488246949511168

      Delete
    3. Bless your heart, Anita! Authors love to hear that from our readers! Have a wonderful day and enjoy your reading!

      Delete
  16. The perfect gift would be time alone with my hubby of 32 years.

    lag 110 at mchsi dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tweeted': https://mobile.twitter.com/lag32583/status/434512762417340416?screen_name=lag32583

    lag 110 at mchsi dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm actually pretty easy to please. Time alone with my hubby is all I need. This year I did get the time, dinner and flowers. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Mason .. and Carolyn - there are so many who bewitched by cowboy stories - they must be fun to write ... I used to be totally 'betrothed' to all cowboys! Valentine's Day for me is making others happy and sharing as much as I can with others .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  20. For me, I'm a bit of a sports nut so anytime someone gives me something sports/hockey related, I'm a bit in heaven. Would be even better to spend the quality time taking in a game or something of that sort.

    ahui89 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Twitter share -- https://twitter.com/SecretNinja27/status/436310582854045696

      Facebook share -- https://www.facebook.com/MissSpell/posts/10153836276640150?stream_ref=10

      Delete

I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.