Author Carolyn Brown Visits

It is my great pleasure to welcome back award-winning author Carolyn Brown as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress.

Many of you may remember Carolyn from her previous visits here. She’s back today to talk about her latest release, HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS, the last installment in the Honky Tonk series. In addition, thanks to Carolyn and Danielle at Sourcebooks, I have two sets of the Honky Tonk series (four books each) to give away to two lucky readers who comment on Carolyn’s post between now and 8 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Be sure to include your e-mail address with your comment if it’s not included in your profile.

Carolyn is always a delight to host. I not only enjoy her books, but also her visits here. She’s answering some questions for me so without further ado, here’s Carolyn.

I’m here! Bring out the donuts and coffee and let’s talk. I just love visiting this site! My Give a Damn’s Busted and Honky Tonk Christmas are both on the racks now! Aren’t they some kind of gorgeous lined up next to I Love This Bar and Hell, Yeah! All those sexy cowboys on one book shelf just about takes your breath away doesn’t it? I understand y’all have questions for me today so I’ll stop rattlin’ on about my sexy cowboys and sassy heroines. Okay, first question … just a minute, I need one more donut. They don’t have fat grams or calories if I’m answering questions so I can have an extra one this morning! Pretty tasty; now I’ll lick the sticky off my fingers and we’ll get down to business.

Mason: Your series features country music in each book. If they couldn't listen to country music, what type of music would each couple from your books listen to?

Carolyn: Oh, my! Oh, dear! The world with no country music? That would close down the Honky Tonk, shut up the Grand Ole Opry and put a high percentage of radio stations smack out of business. I shutter to think of a world without Blake Shelton, George Strait and Conway Twitty’s songs. And folks should buy up stock in the funeral home business because there are a lot of us who’d crawl up in a casket and suck in our last breath if we had to look ahead to a future without country music. But you asked about my characters … if they could not listen to country music, I expect they’d just have to rely on their memories and sing it, because they wouldn’t listen to anything else.

Mason: Of your main characters in this series, which one was the easiest to write and which one gave you the most trouble?

CB: Like teenage children they all had their moments of difficulty. Sometimes they were downright pesky demanding that I get their personalities just right. Sharlene even woke me up at night and badgered me into changing a scene when she thought she was being too nice. Daisy really liked the Honky Tonk and choosing between it and Jarod was agonizing. Cathy cried on my shoulder (don’t tell her I told you that or she’ll pitch a hissy) when Travis walked out the Honky Tonk door and she didn’t expect to ever see him again. I kept telling Sharlene there was a cure for those nightmares but she didn’t believe me until she curled up in Holt’s arms. But most of the time we got along fairly well!

Mason: If you could only use one word to describe each of your characters and you couldn't use the same word twice, how would you describe them?

CB: Jarod, sexy; Daisy, determined; Cathy, sassy; Travis, hunky; Larissa, beautiful; Hank, damnfine (that’s one word if you say it real fast); Sharlene, kickass (that’s one word, too); Holt, wonderful!

Mason: Is there a central theme you'd like readers to come away with after reading the Honky Tonk series or does each book have it's own theme?

CB: I hope my readers laugh so hard they can’t catch their breath, use up at least a few tissues and sigh at the end because they don’t want the books to end. The central theme would have to be that love conquers all: arguments, misunderstandings, in-laws, outlaws, speed bumps, good times, bad times and blah times.

Mason: Do you think you've shed new light onto how readers look at a honky tonk now?

CB: Oh, yes! My readers have been voicing their opinions and think they’d like to visit the Honky Tonk. I’m wondering when and where someone will ask me to help them design one just like it. When they do I’m going to have all four book covers enlarged to poster size and hang them above the bar. The ladies will love them!

Mason: What can the readers expect next from Carolyn Brown?

CB: I’m working on a series for Sourcebooks Casablanca called Spikes & Spurs about sassy women who give up their Prada and Jimmy Choos for cowboy boots down on the Red River but keep their kickass (see it’s one word!) attitude. And the cowboys in their spurs and Stetsons who find out taming one of those women is a helluva lot tougher than stayin’ on the back of a bull for eight seconds. Love Drunk Cowboy starts the fun in May, 2011.

Oh, Carolyn as always it’s fun having you visit here. I am one of those fans that hated to see the series end, but I’m looking forward to your next kickass ladies. BTW, I plan to have my review of HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS posted here Sunday. Now for a little background on the last two books in the series that just recently went on sale:

MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED

He’s just doing his job…
If Hank Wells thinks he can dig up dirt on the new owner of the Honky Tonk beer joint for his employer, he’s got no idea what kind of trouble he’s courting…

She’s not going down without a fight…
If any dime store cowboy think’s he’s going to get the best of Larissa Morley—or her Honky Tonk—then he’s got another think coming…

As secrets emerge, and passion vies with ulterior motives, it’s winner takes all at the Honky Tonk…

HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS

She Means business…
Sharlene Waverly is determined to have the “new and improved” Honky Tonk up and running before the holiday. For that, she’ll need Holt Jackson, the best darn carpenter in the state. But his warm, whisky-colored eyes make her insides melt, and before she knows it, she’s sharing her darkest secrets and talking about the nightmares…
He’s determined to keep things professional…
Holt Jackson needs the job at the Honky Tonk, but is completely unprepared to handle the beautiful new bar owner he’s working for.

Sharlene and Holt try like crazy to deny the sparks flying between them, but their love may just be the best Christmas present either one of them ever got.

A little more about Carolyn. She has published 36 historical and western romance novels for the library market, many of them bestsellers in that market. 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 books, visit her website at: http://www.carolynlbrown.com/

Remember, you have a chance to win a complete set of all four of Carolyn’s books just by commenting. What are your thoughts on sexy cowboys, beautiful independent woman, romance and all the wonderful things that bring family and friends together?

I Love This Bar by Carolyn Brown

I LOVE THIS BAR shows a great example of don’t judge a book or a person by what you first see.

Looking at this great book cover some readers might assume it’s all about bars, brawls, and cowboys. Well, there are plenty of sexy cowboys, a couple of minor brawls, and one great bar. What they might not get at first glance is the terrific story of friendship, family ties and true love mixed in with a big dose of laugh-out-loud, down-home humor.

Author Carolyn Brown has captured small town America and reminds readers what it’s like to know your neighbors and be there for each other when times get bad.

The story is about Daisy O’Dell, the owner and bartender of the Honky Tonk in a small Texas town. Daisy has sworn off men after she got away from her abusive ex-almost husband seven years earlier. She found herself at the Honky Tonk under the care of its owner, Ruby Lee. When Ruby died, she left the Honky Tonk to Daisy with a few rules Daisy doesn’t intend to break.

Meanwhile, Jarod McElroy comes to town to help his ailing uncle run his ranch during this final days. Jarod’s been burned three times when proposing so he’s not looking for anyone new.

When Daisy and Jarod literally collide at the Honky Tonk, sparks fly and fires ignite. Daisy reminds herself of Ruby’s rules and Jarod doesn’t want to get mixed up with a bartender from a beer joint. Trying to fight his attraction to Daisy, Jarod begins to learn there so much more to her than he first thought.

Throw in an eclectic group of Honky Tonk patrons - Chigger, a flamboyant hairdresser; the red-headed Walker triplets (Billy Bob, Jim Bob and Joe Bob), one of which constantly proposes to Daisy; and Merle Avery, Ruby’s best friend and pool playing queen of the Honky Tonk; and you’ve got a load of fun. Add in Jarod’s uncle, Emmett, with his mischief interfering and Tinker, the bouncer, and you’ll be longing to visit to the bar for a an evening of country music and a beer from a mason jar.

Author Carolyn Brown paints a wonderful landscape of the countryside with her descriptions. She creates characters you would swear you know or wish you did. She sprinkles in an array of country music songs of both old and new artists that will have you searching for a country music station to hum along with.

I will admit I put this book down with two chapters left and didn’t pick it up for several days. I knew the end was close. Problem was I didn’t want these characters to go away. I wanted to keep reading about them and all their crazy stunts and funny adventures. Ms. Brown had pulled me into Daisy and Jarod’s world and I wasn’t ready to leave.

Then I remembered I LOVE THIS BAR is the first book in the Honky Tonk series. So I finished reading the book and found a few surprises I wasn’t expecting.

Never judge on first sight, first impressions or first meetings. I LOVE THIS BAR shows there’s always more to uncover and you might just be amazed at what you find.

I Love This Bar by Carolyn Brown, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2010, ISBN: 978-1-4022-3926-7, Paperback, 384 pages

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

Guest Blogger, Carolyn Brown

Please join me in welcoming award-winning author Carolyn Brown as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress on her tour through the blogosphere.

Carolyn’s latest book, I LOVE THIS BAR, the first in the new Honky Tonk Series, has just hit the bookshelves. Thanks to Carolyn and Danielle at Sourcebooks, I have two copies of this great new book to giveaway to two lucky visitors who comment on Carolyn’s post between today and 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. Be sure to include your e-mail address in your comment if it isn’t included in your profile.

Here’s a brief blurb about the book: “She doesn’t need anything but her bar…
Daisy O’Dell has her hands full with hotheads and thirsty ranchers until the day one damn fine cowboy walks in and throws her whole life into turmoil…

He’s looking for a cold drink and a moment’s peace…
Instead, Jarod McElroy, finds one red hot woman. She’s just what he needs, if only he can convince her to come out from behind that bar, and come home with him…”

Carolyn has been kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions for me concerning her writing and her new series.

Thank you so much for let me stop by your site today on my blog tour. It's a delight to be here to visit with y'all about I Love This Bar. Isn't that cowboy on the cover absolutely yummy? Doesn't he make you want to put on your boots and hit the nearest Honky Tonk for some cold beer and two-steppin'? But whoa! Hold on a minute before you go rushing out the door and let's have a visit.

Please give us a brief description of your book and series for anyone not familiar with them.

Each of the four titles in the Honky Tonk series features the name of a hot country western song and centers around the Honky Tonk, a beer joint in Mingus, Texas.  Daisy O’Dell is the bartender in I Love This Bar and the Honky Tonk is the love of her life. She loves the job, her little apartment behind the bar and the bar patrons: Chigger, the woman who could be a hooker but says sex is too damn much fun to charge money for it; Merle, the seventy year old pool shark, who's free with advice; the red haired Walker triplets, Jim Bob, Joe Bob and Billy Bob; Amos, a oil baron who likes to dress in black leather and ride a Harley. But then she falls smack dab on the dance floor and brings Jarod McElroy down to land on top of her, knocking the wind out of her lungs and making her wish they were in a horizontal position anywhere but on a hardwood floor with a hundred people looking at them. Jarod McElroy knew he’d met his match the first time he saw Daisy with her hot looks and smart mouth. The heat between them sparkled from the moment he found himself tangled up with her after a tumble caused by a spilled beer. He came into the Honky Tonk for a cold beer and some peace away from his meddling great uncle. He got the beer but from the first time he saw Daisy there was no peace in his life.

Would you say your book and the Honky Tonk series falls under any one genre or does it cover several?

It's pure old romance. It's heat, passion and love rolled up into one book with obstacles getting in the way of happy-ever-after at every corner. Those things which we get too easy or without having to work at aren't ever as precious as the ones that we have to fight for.

What inspires you to write about cowboys and bars? Have you ever owned or worked in a honky tonk?

No, I've never worked in or owned a honky tonk. The real inspiration for this series came from an old bar in Ratliff City, Oklahoma called Ma Honey's Place. When my husband was in college his good friend, Drig, lived with us and used to entertain me for hours with stories about Ma Honey's which wasn't far from where he grew up. He'd go off on Saturday night and come back with all these tales about quirky people in the bar. I swear Toby Keith probably visited the same bar at sometime because his song mentions the same characters.

Do you think there is a new trend with more books aimed at cowboys and the West or just better publicized?

Publicized or not, I think it's here to stay. Cowboys are real in their tight fittin' jeans and boots; with their slow deep Texas drawls and sexy smiles. They make a woman feel special when they tip their hats, open pickup truck doors and tell them they are they most beautiful thing God ever put on the face of the earth. They love with their whole heart and they are honest and trustworthy. Put a cowboy in the middle of New York City or in Mingus, Texas and I guarantee you the women will turn and take a second glance. Take a look at the cover of I Love This Bar. No matter if you were at a black tie party where plates were five thousand dollars or at a country picnic where everyone brought their favorite casserole, wouldn't you stop and take a second look at him. So it is with western romance. Folks come back for more of what was real and I do believe it will be around for a long time.

How  do you go about researching for your book and the Honky Tonk series?

I did lots of research on the internet and took pages and pages of notes. I researched animal husbandry for Daisy since she is a vet tech. I had to make sure the dosage and the medicine was right for the goats when they ate too much and got bloated. Research took me to the oil fields for Cathy, to the Hyatt Regency in Dallas and to this fantastic little cafe in Italy where they serve the best Italian ice cream for Larissa and to Iraq for Sharlene. Most of it was computer research but I did make several trips to Mingus and the surrounding area. There really is a Smokestack restaurant in the town of Thurber which boasts a population of five. And they serve some almighty fine chicken fried steaks. I talked to folks and they were really friendly even if they couldn't believe I was going to write about Mingus, Texas with a population of 246. I didn't  pass a pickup truck on a back road without the driver waving and smiling. And there was an abundance of boots, hats and belt buckles so if you're ever in the mood to do a little dancing or to chase down a cowboy of your own, Mingus is less than two hours due west of Dallas. They'll make you feel right at home.

What would you say are the highs and lows of writing a series?

The biggest high would be knowing I could keep on writing when the first book was finished. It was great to keep opening the doors every evening at eight to the Honky Tonk for my quirky patrons to come on in for a cold beer, to line dance the Cotton Eyed Joe or shoot a game of pool with Merle, the seventy year old pool shark with ratted hair and designer shirts. If there is a low it would be keeping the momentum going in each book so the reader doesn't get bored with the series and seeing the series finish at the end of four books.

You write several genres, is one your favorite or does each inspire it's own special place?

Yes, ma'am, each inspires it's own special place. I like writing historical romance and love contemporary happy-ever-after but right now I'm enjoying writing cowboy romance and hope my readers continue to love to read westerns as much as I like writing them.
 
Anything else you'd like the readers to know about your books?

I Love This Bar will be followed by Hell, Yeah (August), My Give A Damn's Busted (October) and Honky Tonk Christmas (November). Each book has its own bar owner and cowboy who convinces her to come out from behind that bar even though she has no intentions of doing so. Tell me, If you were a bartender what kind of cowboy would it take to make you leave the Honky Tonk?

Carolyn, thanks so much for guest blogging here today. It’s always fun to find out background on the author’s writing.

Carolyn, who has published 36 romance novels for the library market, credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For more information on Carolyn and her writing, check out her website.