Author Carolyn Brown Answers Questions, Gives Away 2 Books

It’s always a pleasure to welcome bestselling author Carolyn Brown back to Thoughts in Progress for a fun-filling time.

Carolyn’s current release is DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS and one I enjoyed very much. Here’s a brief synopsis of it: 

He’s One Hot Cowboy
Raylen O’Donnell is one smokin’ hot cowboy. He could have any woman he wants, but he’s never been able to forget a certain dark-haired girl who disappeared from his life. So when she suddenly returns to the ranch nexct door, Raylen’s not fixing to let her get away again… 

And She’s Out for a Sizzlin’ Christmas
Raised in a traveling carnival, Lizelle Hanson thought all she wanted was a house that didn’t have wheels and a sexy cowboy for her very own. But settling down’s going to take some getting used to, and cathing Raylen, the hotter-than-hell cowboy next door, might just take a little holiday magic…  

Thanks to Carolyn and Danielle at Sourcebooks, I have 2 copies of DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS to giveaway to 2 lucky visitors who comment on this post between now and 8 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Be sure to include your e-mail address in your comment if it’s not included in your profile.

Now Carolyn has graciously stopped by to answer some questions. Carolyn, 

Hello, everyone at Thoughts in Progress. Thank you for inviting me back again. It’s always a pleasure to stop by here on my tours. DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS, the third book in the Spikes & Spurs series is now on the bookshelves in all the major book stores plus Wal-Mart. 

It’s Raylen O’Donnell and Liz Hanson’s story and was so much fun to write that I hated to see it end. I hope you all have the same experience when you read it: that you hate to see it end. But there are more to come in the Spikes & Spurs series. ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING will be out in April and MISTLETOE COWBOY in October, 2012. Then there are at least two more in the works after that, so settle back, keep your boots on and get ready for the cowboys. And now someone said they had some questions?

Mason - Have you always wanted to write or was there an event that lead you to writing?

Carolyn - I can’t remember when I didn’t want to write and I have enough rejection slips to prove that it took a while before I broke into the market in 1997. From there it progressed from contemporary to historical, from single title to series, and then to my present day cowboys and next up…drum roll, please! In the fall of 2012 my first woman’s fiction, THAT TEXAS STATE OF MIND, will be published. Sinful Delights had been the working title. It was so much fun that I can’t wait to write another one.

Mason - What is an average writing day like for you? Do you write longhand and on the computer, have a favorite place to write, a favorite time to write?

Carolyn - I like to get up and get busy in the morning. A day for me is usually somewhere around 5000 words, writing on the computer. I’m blessed in that writing is a full time job and I don’t have to go to work, deal with the public and then come home at the end of a harried day and try to write. I have a very supportive husband who doesn’t mind take out food if I’m in the middle of a chapter or a rewrite and who doesn’t even mind if the dust bunnies under the bed tell him bedtime stories. I do keep notes and outline in longhand in a spiral notebook. Guess some of the old dinosaur habits are hard to get away from!

Mason - Do you just jump right into a story or do you plan and outline?

Carolyn - I’ve tried that planning thing but it doesn’t work for me. It’s like I’m putting my characters in a box and demanding they perform like puppets. Sorry, but my characters are independent, full of spit and vinegar and do what they damn well please most of the time. I do good just to keep up with their story and tell it the way they want me to.

Mason - What is the worst advice you’ve ever received concerning writing?

Carolyn - Why don’t you quit and get a real job? They haven’t found the person’s body who said that and my three author friends who brought their shovels and helped me take care of the issue have signed in blood that they will never ever tell where it is.

Mason - If you couldn’t write, what other career would you have?

Carolyn - I can’t imagine doing anything other than writing but there was a time when I wanted to be a home economics teacher or maybe a race car driver. I used to sew a lot. I made my daughters’ prom dresses, their wedding dresses and all their school clothes and my son’s and husband’s three piece suits. And I’ve always liked to drive fast. But writing is so much fun that I wouldn’t give it up for another career…not even if I was elected the first woman President of the US of A! Even that kind of power couldn’t drag me away from my sexy cowboys and feisty heroines.

Mason - You have been shipwrecked on an island. You have 2 books, 1 food item (plenty of it) and your favorite person. Name the books, what food would you want and fill in the blank.

Carolyn - Well, thank goodness I’ve got my two favorite books, lots of food and my favorite person on this glorious, beautiful island with white sandy beaches and pretty palm trees. So I’d want plenty of fresh baked, still warm yeast bread and my husband because he’s the only one who’d discuss and cuss about the two books and be willing to read and reread them until we are rescued. And the books: that’s the hard part. Choosing among all the many, many books I already love and have read until the pages are dirty from chocolate ice cream drips and coffee stains; or the ones I haven’t read but are on my list? Decisions are so hard. I think I’d go with the new ones so that would be Joanne Kennedy’s newest cowboy, TALL, DARK AND COWBOY, which came out this month and Grace Burrowes regency romance, THE VIRTUOSO. And if I have to stay until I’m sick of bread, could I please take along the new Sue Grafton also coming out this fall?

Oh Carolyn, it’s always a delight having you here. I, for one, am glad you didn’t listen to that person who told you to quit writing. So glad you took care of them (we won't tell).

Now let me tell you a bit about Carolyn. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 40 books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. 

Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she is working on her next book, ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING, which will be in stores in April 2012. 

For more information on Carolyn and her wonderful books, be sure to visit her website at http://carolynlbrown.com/. 

What’s the worst advice you’ve been given concerning your work? Want to share your picks on the shipwrecked question? Thanks so much for stopping by today. 

Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win one of the 2 copies of DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS.

 

DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS, TWIST OF FATE

I have two intriguing stories to share with you today. First up is all about cowboys and Christmas, followed by secret journals and a tropical island.

DARN GOOD COWBOY CHIRSTMAS by Carolyn Brown

Author Carolyn Brown has a wonderful flare for writing about cowboys, country living, and the bonds of family and friends.

Each of her books creates new characters for readers to enjoy, as well as resurfacing a few favorites from prior adventures to tie everything together.

Her latest book in the Spikes and Spurs series is DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS. In this installment, Brown focuses on Raylen O’Donnell, the brother of Rye from LOVE DRUNK COWBOY. She introduces Lizelle Hanson as the love interest.

The traveling carnival has been a way of life for Liz and her family for generations. Only her Uncle Haskell has put down roots. Each Christmas Liz has wished for a house that didn’t have wheels and a sexy cowboy. This may be the year her wishes come true.

When her uncle moves to take care of his ailing father, he gives his house and 20 acres to Liz. She has until spring to see if she really wants to settle down. If not, her neighbor Raylen wants to buy the place.

Raylen remembers being drawn to Liz when they were teenagers and she visited her uncle. Now grown up, Raylen soon finds himself head over heels for the fortune teller. Liz remembers the attraction too and finds herself falling hard for Raylen.

The courtship of the two is fun, intriguing and romantic. The great supporting characters add depth and realism to the story. While the focus is Raylen and Liz, there are several secondary attractions going on that adds to the lively mix. In the end, there’s more than one wedding to celebrate in this book.

The story flows smooth and once you start, you can’t put it down. Brown has once again delivered a well-rounded group of characters you will wish were your neighbors.

This is a stand alone book, but after you meet the O’Donnells you’ll want to know more about them and their friends. The next installment is ONE HOT COWBOY WEDDING slated for April 2012.

Author Carolyn Brown’s website is http://carolynlbrown.com/

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown, Spikes and Spurs Series, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2011, ISBN: 978-1-4022-6157-2, Paperback, 384 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

TWIST OF FATE by Jayne Ann Krentz

Hannah Jessett once thought of being an anthropologist like her aunt, the legendary Elizabeth Nord, but became a guidance counselor instead.

When her brother’s company is threatened by the renown entrepreneur Gideon Cage, Hannah decides to step in. She talks Cage into a game of cards in Las Vegas where she cheats to win. Afterwards, she discovers the game was useless as Cage had other plans for the company all along.

Cage finds Hannah fascinating and follows her back home to Seattle. There he finds her on her way to close the estate of her late aunt on a tropical island. He decides he needs a vacation and goes with her.

Hannah comes into possession of a necklace passed through the generations and numerous unpublished journal of her aunt’s. The journals detail her studies that stunned the world with her revolutionary discoveries.

As she goes through the journals, Hannah finds there are people willing to kill to see her aunt’s personal papers. In addition, she has to deal with her feelings for Cage and a sudden desire to become as powerful and independent as her aunt was.

Nellie Chalifant does a wonderful job wit the narration and brings the characters to life.

TWIST OF FATE is filled with tension, suspense, romance, and mystery.

Author Jayne Ann Krentz' website is www.amandaquick.com  

Twist of Fate by Jayne Ann Krentz, Read by Nellie Chalfant, Brilliance Audio, @2011, ISBN: 978-1441884961, Unabridged, 9 Discs, Listening Time: 10 Hours 3 Minutes

FTC Full Disclosure - This audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. What are you reading that keeps you up at night? 

RED’S HOT COWBOY by Carolyn Brown

Much of the US has been experiencing near record breaking or above temperatures so now’s the time to relax with a good book set during cooler weather.

Reading one of author Carolyn Brown’s books always gives me the feel of warmth, friendship and family. While Brown’s latest release, RED’S HOT COWBOY, begins during the Christmas holidays make no mistake there’s plenty of heat when the cowboy and the entrepreneur tangle. 

When her great-aunt Pearlita died and left her the Longhorn Inn, Pearl Richland quit her big city banking job and decided to try her hand at running the motel. When the lights went out in Henrietta on Christmas Eve, rancher Wil Marshall just wanted a place to stay with electricity. A twist of fate and a mistaken identity threw the pair together and sparks began to fly.

From their first encounter, Pearl and Wil are a perfect couple whether they know it or not. The chemistry between the two sizzles and will make you a bit breathless. Pearl may appear sassy, brassy and out-spoken, but she has a heart of gold. She comes to the aid of a woman on the run from her abusive husband, as well as giving assistance to others in need. Wil is a rough and tough cowboy, but has a tender spot for family, friends and the fiery red head, Pearl.

Carolyn Brown brings her characters to life with fire and spunk. She creates characters that are loyal, caring and with enough faults to make them real. She blends romance, humor and a bit of mystery into a rip-roaring good read.

While RED’S HOT COWBOY is part of the Spikes and Spurs series, it’s a stand along book. Familiar faces from the previous book (LOVE DRUNK COWBOY) are re-introduced and new friends appear for the next installment, DARN GOOD COWBOY CHRISTMAS coming in October. The family gathering continues to grow and expand leading to new and exciting adventures.

Author Carolyn Brown’s website is http://carolynlbrown.com/

Red’s Hot Cowboy by Carolyn Brown, Spikes and Spurs Series, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2011, ISBN: 978-1-4022-5361-4, Paperback, 384 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.