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| Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys Series BOOK 4 |
I’m
Lizbeth Selvig and I write small town and western contemporary romance. Thank
you so much for inviting me to be here today. I’m always excited to meet new
readers and find new authors, too.
It’s
especially fun to be here talking about First Meets with you. The moment our
hero and heroine first meet is my favorite part of a book to write (and read!).
Their reactions to each other determine whether the story will be about
learning to fall in love or about obstacles that keep their immediate
attraction from being easily turned to love.
My
most recent book is “Betting On Paradise,” book four in the series “Seven
Brides for Seven Cowboys.” The books take place on Paradise Ranch in western
Wyoming and feature the Crockett sisters, who take over their 50,000-acre
cattle ranch after their father passes away. “Betting” features a hero and
heroine who couldn’t be more opposite: Grace (part of a set of triplets!) who
is a little staid and maybe just a touch prudish at first, and Ty a small-time
poker player who believes part of Paradise Ranch belongs to him (although
nobody knows that at first).
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| Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys Series BOOKS 1 - 3 |
Ty
and Grace first meet through Ty’s five-year-old daughter, Lucky, who literally
has a genius-level IQ. She’s beating Grace’s nephew, Rory, and the ranch
foreman’s son, Aiden, in a poker game. When they decide they’ve lost all their
quarters to Lucky, they decide they should have a spitting contest. Here’s a little excerpt that shows Grace’s reaction:
“I
call,” the little girl said. “Show me what you got.”
“I’m
gonna win this time,” Aiden replied. “I have a full house.”
Grace bit down on her bottom lip, shocked.
“I
only have a pair of kings,” said Rory, and slapped his cards down.
“But
I have four eights,” the little girl, Lucky, said. “So …” She gathered in the quarters—maybe
five of them—without smiling. “I win.”
“Wait?
Four of a kind beats a full house?” Aiden asked. “That doesn’t seem right.”
“It
is. We can go ask my dad. He’s an expert.” The girl spoke with the erudition of
a physics professor.
“Aw,
I’m not gonna ask your dad,” Aiden said. “But I can’t play anymore. I’m out of
quarters. Let’s do something else. You always win poker anyway.”
“We
could have a spitting contest,” Lucky suggested. “But I’m not teaching you how
to spit anymore.”
“No,
show us one more time,” Rory said. “You spit farther than anyone I know.”
“Crap
on a Cheez-It you guys are lame.” The little girl stood. She was maybe four
feet tall. “Fine But I’ve shown you a million times.”
How old was this child really?
She bent slightly from the waist and the
next thing Grace knew, a long, disgustingly neat arch of spit traveled three
feet through the trees. The OCD in her didn’t know whether to gag or clap.
The
boys dropped to the grass and rolled around like puppies, laughing so hard they
couldn’t breathe.
I
loved the idea of setting Grace up to meet the father of this unusual (and
adorable) little girl using something Grace would find less-than-appealing. Of
course, Dad turns out to be one really gorgeous man and Grace, normally not one
for losing control or crazy first reactions, is taken aback.
“Lucky?”
The deep, resonant call came from the driveway, and Grace turned
toward the voice. She might as well have walked face first into a high-voltage
fence. The living embodiment of a clichéd
cowboy was making his way through the trees. In the space of one gasped breath,
Grace went from conversation with three kids to hyperventilating over sex
appeal in boots. Her mind reeled at the highly inappropriate thoughts racing
into her head, and she blushed as if the children could see them. This was not
like her.
“Daddy!”
The word came out
in such squeally excitement it gave the first indication, aside from her height,
that Lucky was actually her advertised age. Grace calmed her internal, all-feminine-parts-involved
reaction and got a grip as the man drew closer. Not that proximity revealed a single flaw in what she’d imagined
she’d seen.
He glanced at her,
his eyes widening momentarily with surprise, but said nothing before squatting
in front of his daughter. Lucky threw her arms around his neck. He pried them
free, took hold of the child’s
upper arms gently but firmly, and Grace caught the firm set of his amazing jaw.
Even pressed together, his lips were full and defined—inviting as all get out.
To
Grace’s surprise, Ty scolds his daughter for playing poker especially for real
money and reminds her that it’s completely against the rules. He asks her to
remember what it’s okay to play with and she replies sorrowfully that she
doesn’t need buttons, gum, or rocks. When Ty turns back to Grace he simply
shrugs a “what are you going to do” and admits her love of poker must be
genetic. Here’s a final excerpt for you
that shows where the start of the relationship goes from there!
“Oh? So, you taught
her to play poker?”
“You give your kids what you can.”
A merry light
danced behind his eyes and, despite his rule on gambling, Grace’s attraction to
him hiccupped for the first time.
“Some parents might try for something a little less …
adult.”
He didn’t seem to hear the minor censure in her voice because he
laughed.
“She’s advanced in math. It’s a good way to engage her.” He
assessed Grace for the first time, a toe-to-head sweep with interested eyes.
“I’m thinking you must be Bella’s daughter up from Denver. I heard another
Crockett was coming. Should have known she’d be a ten like her sisters.”
Her natural attraction took another nosedive. A ten? Really? The
man was the walking-talking embodiment of a good-looking guy possessed of the
belief that he could say anything he liked and be considered charming.
“I’m Grace.”
She emphasized the name. “You must be the hand Cole recently hired. Do you have a number,too,
or can I assign you one?”
Not a flicker of
discomfiture crossed his features. He grinned wider on his way to offering a
handshake. “If I have one it’s pretty dang
low.” His hand engulfed hers in a strong, nonsexist grip—a point for him.
“Yeah, I’m Ty Garraway.”
“Good to meet you, Ty.” She crossed her arms and inclined
her head toward the three children with a mildly disapproving frown. “Since
you’re in discipline mode, you should also know they were about to start a
spitting contest. I’d think a guy’s guy who’s so good with numbers would find
such an unhygienic activity unsettling. I’m sure you could suggest a better use
of playtime?”
For the first time
since he’d pushed through the trees and into
Grace’s world, Ty’s handsome features darkened. “I don’t know about that, Miss
Crockett. I’m sorry if the idea of spitting offended you, but I can’t truly say
I have a problem with it. Lucky knows where it’s not appropriate to spit.”
“A girl won the spitting contest at the county fair last
year.” Lucky turned her anime-wide eyes away from her friends and stared at
Grace.
Grace’s cheeks heated slightly. She’d always found the spitting
contest disgusting. She reminded herself Ty had at least begun this by telling
his daughter she couldn’t gamble for money. That was something.
“You couldn’t have steered her toward 4-H or making fudge or
something?”
Any amusement left
in his features turned to annoyance. “For
someone so adamant about not being a number, I’d think you’d believe it’s a
no-no to stereotype girls. Cooking versus spitting? Sounds hypocritical.”
His eyes smoldered
protectively—the dangerous, impenetrable green of a primeval forest.
Needless
to say, this is a romance and romance does prevail! But it sure was fun to
watch Grace and Ty fall for each other despite their big differences. “Betting
On Paradise” is definitely one of my favorite (of my own) books!
The
first three books in the series feature the oldest three Crockett sisters,
Harper (“The Bride Wore Denim”), Mia (“The Bride Wore Red Boots”), and Joely
(“The Bride Wore Starlight”). The fifth book will be out this spring and will
star the second of the Crocket triplets, Kelly. Its title is “Heating Up
Paradise.” I invite you to sign up for my newsletter or check out my website
for updates!
I
hope you enjoyed the little taste of “Betting On Paradise.” What kind of first
meeting scene do you love best? Is it one like Ty’s and Grace’s where they
don’t really like each other at first? Or do you prefer instant attraction
stories where we get to watch the love story right from the start?
I have a copy of “Betting On Paradise” (choice of e-book or paperback) for one visitor this week, so you can meet the Crockett family. Just leave a comment below to be eligible.
I have a copy of “Betting On Paradise” (choice of e-book or paperback) for one visitor this week, so you can meet the Crockett family. Just leave a comment below to be eligible.
It’s
been wonderful to share the day with you. I’d love to have you keep in touch. I
have a newsletter and website as well as a Facebook page. I also have a fun
reader group called Lizbeth’s Loyal Legions (aka the Triple L’s). You’re most
welcome to join me any (or all!) of those places.
Thanks
again for inviting me to Romancing the Genres!
LIZBETH
SELVIG BIO:
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| LIZBETH SELVIG |
Lizbeth
Selvig writes fun, sexy-sweet contemporary romance. Her strong, fun and funny
characters don’t mind poking at societal norms even while finding their ways
home to family and love. Her novels have won the Romance Writers of America®
Golden Heart® and been nominated for the organization’s prestigious RITA® award.
Lizbeth shares life in Minnesota, where her first book series is set, with her husband,
Jan, her pretty horses, Jedi and Largo, three human grandchildren, and her four-legged grandbabies of which there
are over thirty, including two goats, three alpacas, a mammoth-eared donkey, two
miniature horses, a pig, and multiple dogs, cats, and regular-sized horses In
her spare time she loves to hike, quilt, read, and horseback ride.
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