Contemporary Western Romance with Stephanie Berget

I met Stephanie years ago at an author unconference.  Another author told her about a Western romance author who lived in Oregon (Stephanie lived in Idaho at the time) and who would be at the conference. When she introduced herself she said she was looking to connect with that author. I raised my hand and we've been friends ever since! We've even had stories in the same western romance anthologies.

Paty: Why do you write Western Romance?

Stephanie: I've been a cowgirl and an avid romance reader since I was in my mid-teens. As I started training and competing on barrel horses, it bothered me that the rodeo scenes in the romance books weren't true to life. The love stories were good, but I couldn't find authors who studied rodeo and ranching and wrote real cowboys and cowgirls. I started writing to put reality into my western romance.

Paty: The realism of rodeo life comes through in your books. How many series do you have? Do you only write series or do you have standalone books?

Stephanie: I have three series published, Harney County Cowboys, Rodeo Road, and Sugar Coated Cowboys. I'm working on the second book in my Change of Heart Cowboys series and hope to have it out by February of next year. I also write standalones. I just published Balancing The Books. It's an enemies to lovers story featuring an accountant and a small-town sheriff.

Paty: I've read at least one book from each of your series. But I'll have to get Balancing the Books.  Your books are mostly in rural settings. Why did you pick those settings?

Stephanie: I was raised in a fairly large city but was always horse crazy. Since becoming an adult, I've chosen to live in very small towns. I love the friendly atmosphere and people and to have room to keep my horses.

Paty: I know that draw to having horses. How do you make your cowboys so real? They all have the swagger and the toughness of a cowboy.

Stephanie: I'm married to a former bareback bronc and saddle bronc rider who has become a team roper. We've lived the rodeo lifestyle, so I've had lots of role models for my heroes.

Paty: And it comes through in your stories. Do you have an ongoing character (main or secondary in a series) that is your favorite?

Stephanie: This is a hard question, but if I had to pick, it would be Sean O'Connell in Dancing Creek Ranch, the second book in my Harney County Cowboys series. I like the fact that Sean was willing to make major changes in his life to win Catherine's heart.

Paty: He is a definite hero. Who are some other Western romance authors you enjoy reading?

Stephanie: One of my favorite western authors is Kari Lynn Dell. She was a good friend, but I love her books because she was the best at putting reality into rodeo romance. I also really like Katie Lane and D'Ann Lindun's books. I usually read contemporary western romance, but for historical western romance, I've really enjoyed your books.

Paty: Ahhh, thank you! What is the one thing you hope readers take away when they finish one of your books?

Stephanie: I hope they'll take away a smile at my happy endings and maybe I can teach them about rodeo and ranching.

Paty: They should do that, since you write so authentically. Just for fun – Tell us what is your favorite thing to do besides writing and reading, because we know that’s a given.

Stephanie: I love to run barrels and ride in the mountains on my horse, Cisco. He's a fifteen-year-old dun-colored registered Quarter Horse and if I do say so, he's the sweetest and prettiest horse around.

Paty: Thank you for answering my questions and being a guest on Romancing the Genres.   

Stephanie: Thank you for asking me to participate. 

Here's more about Stephanie:

Finding romance beneath a rodeo moon. That’s what Stephanie Berget had in mind when she began writing--adding a realistic view of rodeo and ranching to her Contemporary Western Romance.
She was born loving horses, developing a lifelong love of rodeo when she married her Bronc Rider. They traveled to rodeos throughout the Northwest while she ran barrels and her cowboy rode bucking horses.
Stephanie and her husband live in the mountains of Eastern Oregon, where they raise and train Rodeo horses with the help of Cisco, the wonder horse, and Dizzy Dottie, the Border Collie.

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephaniebergetwrites, or Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/stephanieberget. Check out all her books on Stephanie's Amazon Author Page

This box set of three stories is about cowgirls falling in love and the men who capture their hearts.

Tied to a Dream – Frannie O’Connell was taught to be self-sufficient, but being Superwoman was harder than it looked. On a lonely stretch of road as she rests and dreams of rounding the barrels, a stranger knocks on her window. By the look of his black Stetson, he’s a cowboy. Life had taught her to be wary but his deep blue eyes and sexy smile has her reaching for the door latch.

Dancing Creek Ranch – Catherine Silvera, manager of the Dancing Creek Bar finds a waterlogged, unconscious man sleeping in the only vehicle left in the parking lot at 3 a.m. She recognized the cowboy. This man had helped her years ago, when she couldn’t help herself. It would only take a few minutes to repay his kindness then make tracks like a coyote-shy rabbit with hot breath on her tail.

Rocky Road Home – Sissy Leviny couldn’t let the man who saved her from the pack of jackals at the bar. When she found him beaten up alongside the road, she picked him up. He’d been beaten because of her. She liked cowboys but there was something about this Harley-riding hero that she couldn’t shake.
Buy link:
https://bit.ly/HarneyCountyCowboys

 

Stephanie is giving away an ebook of Tied to a Dream to one lucky commenter. 

Equine Grace and the Parameters of the Heart ... by M. Lee Prescott

 

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” Anne Lamott

Hi,

It’s Mary Lee (writing as M. Lee Prescott) reader of all kinds of books and writer of dozens – mysteries, romances, of course, historical fiction and nonfiction related to literacy. It’s taken me many years and countless hours at the keyboard and legal pad to be able to say, “writer of dozens.” It’s a proud and wonderful feeling!

The quote above by a favorite writing teacher, Anne Lamott speaks of the very human quality of grace, but it also reminds me of my “state” when completing a book in which I am absorbed. It could be a romance, mystery, or a contemporary novel like Masood’s wonderful The Bad Muslim Discount, which I am currently reading. If I am engaged in a good book, I emerge in a different place, myself, but also somewhere else. That’s what I seek when I read and when I write. A grace that carries me and my characters along and leaves us sometimes breathless, but never in the exact same spot as where we began.

Over the last twelve years, I have discovered, in writing each Morgan’s Run book, that grace does not appear to be unique to humans. I’m sure if you’ve ever loved a dog, cat, horse, or other pet, you understand. Here I’m referring to a kind of “equine grace.” When I began writing about the Morgans and their close knit community, I knew that horses would figure prominently both as characters and as animals beloved by series characters. I have been on horseback half a dozen times in my life, some rides fun, others scary so I knew very little about these magnificent creatures. As I began writing Emma’s Dream (book 1), I was blessed with the birth of my first grandchild, Abby. By chance Abby and I began visiting a local farm, home to many rescued animals, including horses. Slowly, we got to know each horse by name and temperament -- the owner’s gentle white mare, Misty, a huge, but gentle draft horse, Tabasco, Sunny the pony, and many others. We also came to love them – even the ones with signs on their stalls warning us not to get too close – and all the animals at Stony Creek.

Now I find myself in a different place, a place of grace and presence with these amazing creatures, less scared, more peaceful. As I wrote about Ben Morgan and his spirited quarter horse, Rowdy, Harley and his wild Appaloosa, Pepper and Maggie with her very own, enormous draft horse, Tabasco, I discovered that trust, love, grace, and connection with other living creatures, be they two-legged or four-legged, never leave us in the same place.

Many of the love stories in the Morgan’s Run series take place around and with horses. Training them, riding them, rescuing them from cruelness and neglect and nurturing them back to health. I have learned so much about the efforts to rescue the magnificent wild horses of the west, and the many breeds of horses that we have in the United States. What does this have to do with romance and grace you ask? Each breed has qualities and characteristics that support its human owner. For example, Dusty, a rescued horse featured in Tom’s Ride, has a steady, calm temperament that nurtures fragile, wounded Grace McGraw. Deathly afraid of horses, Grace, to her surprise, bonds with the dun stallion and they are both healed in the process.     

The human—horse connection is a critical element in many of my love stories. When he leaps onto Pepper’s back, Harley Langdon, the quintessential cowboy, and wrangler, becomes one with his horse. It’s difficult to imagine the two apart; they have traveled so many miles together. Whip Kitteridge already owns a horse, Calico, a strong, sturdy American Paint, but his work with Ghost, a wild, aggressive white stallion, heals long ago wounds for man and horse and they become inseparable. The morning Tabasco lumbers out of the trailer at Morgan’s Run stables it’s love at first sight for Maggie Williams. The enormous draft horse, acquired as part of the ranch’s mustang rescue program, is slated to be gentled and adopted by a border agent, but no one will go near him except Maggie.

Then there’s gorgeous Ben Morgan who’s comes home to nurse an ailing heart and winds up falling in love with Maggie, and his spirited quarter horse Rowdy. While the white hot romance between Ben and Maggie is the center of Emma’s Dream, his bond with the young horse saves his life more than once out of the trail.  

What does all this horse talk have to do with romance? In this series, beloved by so many readers, it is very often the horses that take characters to places where love happens—on the trail, in a secluded valley, or maybe in a darkened barn, the scent of sweet hay surrounding them. Do horses embody a kind of equine grace that transports and changes those they love? I’m thinking a resounding yes. What do you think?

Great blogging with you! I love to hear from readers and writers so please be in touch anytime.

Warm wishes,

Mary Lee

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My Celebration Month by Paty Jager

Little did I know 41 years ago that May would become my celebration month for more than one reason.

 Forty-one years ago this month I married the man who aggravates, teases me, and makes me laugh so much my sides hurt. At the time, we picked the month in between our birthday months to get married.  And not thinking of anything other than it being the middle of the month, most years our anniversary falls on Mother's Day weekend. Which can be good and bad. Bad, his mom never remembers our anniversary. My husband's parents were from the Netherlands. They came over in the 1950's. And the two weeks before our wedding, they and his sister were all in The Netherlands for first his dad's mother's funeral and then his mom's dad passed away and they stayed longer for his funeral arriving back home the day before our wedding, which was held where I grew up 6 hours from where they lived. Anyway, our wedding is just blur for her. She doesn't travel well and on top of losing her father who she was very close with, our wedding just never registered with her.

But I'm okay with that. After all, it does usually fall on Mother's Day and therefore I not only get treated like a queen by hubby but also my kids. ;)

Another celebration in May--My first published book came out in May 2006, Marshal in Petticoats. It was published with the small publisher, Wild Rose Press in the Cactus Rose line which is the historical western romance line. That was the beginning of 10 books published with them in various romance lines.

Soon after I was invited to be a member of this blog which started in May 2010! Thank you BQ's Judith and Sarah! I have enjoyed being a member of this blog, because these two ladies keep us on our toes and give us great topics each month.

In 2012 I took the plunge of Indie Publishing and haven't looked back. I enjoy writing the books I write and being able to put them up for readers without having to go through the gates of an agent or an editor at a publishing house.

And the best part of being Indie Published is the fact I can have a sale of any book whenever I want. This month, all month long, because it is my anniversary month in so many ways, I have a box set of 3 steamy contemporary western romance novellas on sale for $0.99!

Love at Tumbling Creek Ranch

8 Seconds to Love 

The bull rider brought into Jared McIntyre’s ER is the girl he couldn’t get out of his head the last fifteen years. During his tour in Iraq, he lost another thrill-seeking woman, and he isn’t about to let this one destroy her life.

Love Me Anyway 

Melanie Trask ran away from an abusive husband and found a job at a dude ranch with a wonderful caring cowboy, Brett Wallis. When they can no longer deny their feelings, Brett offers to help her divorce her husband. But she has one more secret she hasn’t revealed…

The Wrong Cowboy to Love

Ruby Cutter allows her cousin, the bride, to give her a makeover for the upcoming wedding because she wants to catch the attention of her high school crush. But while she’s infatuated with one man, she may be falling for another…

https://books2read.com/u/mv5w8X

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 44 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters.

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub

Celebrating the First Meet for Carter and Lynette ... by Delsora Lowe

I am not a plotter. As I sat down to write Carter’s story, I really had to think about the kind of woman who would be the most likely to NOT be his type. I already knew a lot about Carter, as he is the brother of Carla, the heroine in The Prince’s Son, book one of the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. Carter has a prominent role as a secondary character in book one.

Truthfully, I can’t explain how my mind works. Or how the image of Lynette Mercer popped into my head. I think the scene idea came first, placing Carter in an awkward position as the oldest, serious brother in a ranching family, who was tasked to do something totally out of his comfort zone. It is in this scene that Carter meets the woman who is different than his usual date and not what he envisioned as his perfect wife. He deems her totally wrong for him. Of course, now he can’t get her out of his mind.

I hope you enjoy finding Carter, the ultimate, serious rancher, being thrown into a world so feminine he’s a nervous wreck. And then to meet an angel so far out of the realm of his dreams of a perfect mate, well…read on.

Wanted: A Suitable Wife

Workaholic cowboy needs hardy woman to manage household and motley family.
“Girly” widows, with small children, who sell naughty lingerie need not apply.

 EXCERPT 

The Rancher Needs a Wife

First Meet

“Damn.” Carter Peters' heart slammed in his chest. He removed his Stetson and shoved his fingers through his hair. What did he think? Lacy and frilly things would jump out and tangle around him the second he stepped foot inside. Yet, he stood rooted to the sidewalk in front of the Pink Petunia and muttered another curse. Then looked up and down the street to make sure no one in town saw him.

He straightened. He could do this. Didn’t mean he couldn’t curse out his entire family while he did.

Why did he always end up drawing the short straw? What did he know about women’s lingerie? He should’ve insisted his sister come with him. But when he suggested it, Carla laughed. “On your own, buddy.”

At least his brothers could have helped. Or his middle brother’s wife. or his other brother’s on-again off-again girlfriend. Any of them could have done the birthday shopping. Jeez, even his youngest brother’s talent for picking out gifts for women beat his. But no, they all refused.

And why did they insist the gift be lingerie?

He tried to remember the order of the family deliberations. Of course, he’d had his head bent over a pile of bills when his three brothers and sister invaded the ranch office for the family meeting. Keeping track of their conversation hadn’t been a high priority. That is until he pulled the shortest straw and found out the duty of buying something frilly for his stepmother’s sixtieth birthday fell to him.

He had pulled his head out of the pile of paperwork and shoved his chair back to stand and argue, only to see his sister’s grin, wide and mimicking the evil Cheshire cat—the same grin she tormented him with their entire childhood. They were adults now. He vowed at the next family meeting to change the rules from drawing straws to reaching consensus.

Double damn. He’d lose either way.

He stared at the storefront.

Lingerie. And for his stepmother, no less. He was going to kill Carla and his brothers.

Every time he thought about lace and silk and satin, all he could think about was the scanty kind he liked to see on a woman. A shudder ripped through him. Not going there.

That jolted him back to the present dilemma.

Growling another damn, he internalized the rest of the litany of curse words buzzing through his head. He’d rot in hell before he bought his stepmother night clothes resembling anything one of his dates might wear. Not that he had many lately, but none of these dates ended with the showing of sexy underclothing.

Carter looked down either side of Silver Street’s sidewalks once more, thankfully quiet for an early August morning. He shoved against the shop door. The last thing he needed was to get caught walking in or out of the Pink Petunia.

And who in the blazin’ saddles would name a shop Pink Petunia?

Tiny panties, lacy bras, and silky nighties in pinks, purple, and other girlie colors spread out around him. In the middle sat an entire display of see-through black things—whatever they were called.

Totally out of your element here, buddy.

He’d bet his favorite stallion that Carla and his sister-in-law were behind the insane idea of lingerie. Why would a sixty-year old woman, especially Madge, want anything this frilly…or pink?

Gripping his Stetson, his fingers beat a nervous path around the rim. Other than soft music, silence cloaked the place.

Did anyone work here?

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Simple words uttered in the voice of an angel. Words that meant the cavalry had arrived. The cavalry that clearly had not grown up around here—not with that deep southern accent.

His gaze skimmed the beautiful and put-together woman. He was so out of his element. He, a ranch boy through and through. She, citified and sophisticated.

Carter turned away. His cheeks burned as he repeatedly tapped his Stetson against his leg, and scanned the shelves and racks in another section of the tidy and compact store. “Thank you, ma’am. Truth is I’m not sure what I’m after.”

“Maybe I can help? Can you describe your wife—how tall, weight? You know, so I can figure out her size.”

Wife?

He shook his head, a knot forming in his belly. He didn’t belong here. Maybe Hal down at the feed store would know what he should ask for—he was married, and his wife’s figure was about like Madge’s. Before he headed back to the ranch, he had feed to fetch and lumber to load. Then he could call up and order something.

Get his ass out of this frilly, feminine hellhole.

Carter glanced toward the door and tried to think of an escape line. But when he looked back into violet eyes, his tongue wound round like spooled fencing wire.

Her hand landed warm on his forearm, reminding him of why he stood in this shop filled with frilly feminine apparel. “Do you know her size?”

“My stepmother?”

She smiled. “Oh, your stepmother.”

The tug on his arm compelled him deeper into unknown territory. Cattle herds he understood. Lingerie? Surrounded by acres of the stuff—no.

He straightened. Get your act together, cowboy. “I’m picking up a birthday present.”

Her smile widened, reaching all the way to those miraculous eyes. “Not a wife, then.” Tiny specks of sunshine danced among the violet in her eyes. “Tell me about your mom, ah, step-mom.”

 AUTHOR BIO

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

 

 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/

Books2Read

 books2read.com/u/bxv56d

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Canadian Romance Author Donna Alward

What's your Passion?

by Donna Alward

I always wanted to be a writer. When I graduated university, I had this backup plan of traveling to England and writing in a little cottage for six months. I’d taken creative writing courses (I did my degree in English Lit), wrote a lot of poetry and short stories, and wanted to try a novel.

I took a bit of a detour from that dream for a few years, and never did move to England (though I did manage a trip there in 2007). But in 2001 I started a novel which turned out to be a romance, and I fell in love with the process. Now, twelve years after my first sale, I’m fifty-odd books into my career and I love it.

I always thought writing – and writing romance in particular – was my passion. And it is, in a way. But this year life changed a bit more. I’ve got two kids in university. And the publishing biz is really, really tough right now. I decided to look for some part time work to supplement my income, and just before Christmas got a job at a chocolate shop. Can you imagine a happier place than a chocolate shop at Christmas? I love it.

I took on another part time job in the late spring, working for a bookstore. I mean, if I’m going to work retail, it doesn’t get much better than books and chocolate, right?

I absolutely love working retail (and I only get the odd grouchy customer). There are many reasons, but it wasn’t until I attended a company summit that I realized that I’m actually mislabeled my passion. I thought it was for writing and happy endings, and that’s part of it, but it’s not truly what I’m passionate about.

I love making people happy. Whether I make them smile, or laugh, or help them find the perfect book or card, or pick out the perfect chocolate for their taste…I love making them happy. I love the idea of someone reading my book and smiling at the end, or that it might have helped them get through a rough day or situation. I love talking about chocolate and adding a little sunshine to someone’s day. I also love the thought of someone going home with a book, reading it, and it being exactly what they needed.

Maybe it seems frivolous that I’m not dealing with “necessities”. But then, what makes us human? It’s connection. It’s emotion.  We are almost *too* connected with tech these days, but we don’t always connect with other people. If I can have a customer leave or a reader finish a book feeling better than when they started… my work is done.

Second Chances series

So that’s what I’m passionate about. I knew deep down that I am an optimist, but I really didn’t realize that sharing that optimism is my purpose. And that’s really kind of neat when you think about it.

What’s your passion?

About the Author

Donna is the prolific author of 50+ western and contemporary romance novels. She lives on Canada’s east coast with her family which includes a husband, a couple of kids and two crazy cats. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. Learn more on her press page. 

You can visit her on the web at www.DonnaAlward.com and join her mailing list at www.DonnaAlward.com/newsletter.

Social media links: Facebook | Twitter: @DonnaAlward

Find all Donna's romance novels on her author page at Amazon.com.

Donna is also a writing coach and content editor at The Red Pen Coach. Check out her non-fiction books for writers.

Dissecting a Book by Paty Jager

This month at Romancing the Genres we are writing about what we like and don't like in a book.

The books that catch my attention and draw me in are ones that have engaging characters either the main characters or secondary. I have to like and want to be in the company of these characters throughout the length of the book or story. Nora Roberts and LaVyrle Spencer were the first romance authors I read that pulled me in with their characters. I loved and still love the Irish Sister Trilogy  Born in Fire, Born in Ice, Born in Shame. Not only did the characters pull me in, but the setting (Ireland) captivated me. With LaVyrle Spencer her characters were real with real life problems. That's the type of historical and contemporary books I like to write.

An intriguing plot will also draw me in. I just purchased a book because an excerpt that was posted on Facebook had the character traveling to an area near me where I've been. I wanted to see just how much of this area would be used in the book and it helped that the title was The Archaeologist and the Spirit Catchers by Randy Brown. Yes, the spirits piqued my attention. I wondered if it would be Native American spirits or... So far it doesn't appear to be Native American spirits but the characters have kept me reading. They are unique in their heritage of "discovering trapped spirits and setting them free".

The other thing that will keep me reading a book is learning something. A different culture, a historical occurrence,  or a good mystery that I want to discover how it is solved.

What I don't care for in a book are flat characters or over the top characters. If they are paranormal I still want to see the humanity in them or a sense of humor. Something that makes me think of them as personable.  I also and this is just my opinion- I don't like alpha main characters. I think it comes from being pushed around by my father who wanted to prove he was alpha. I don't like that in a hero. But again, it is my preference. Others LOVE them.

My other stop reading flag is if I encounter more than three instances of wrong facts. Calling the withers on a horse the fetlock, the wrong Indian tribe or anything that I know is wrong. The instance of using shoot for chute in a contemporary western. Those little things will cause me to not finish reading the book and not trust another book from the same author. Typos if there are only a few in the whole book don't bother me. If there are more than two per chapter, I get annoyed that they didn't make sure it was their best effort and will stop reading.

That's about all I can think of that for my likes and dislikes when I read a book.

Book 2, Love Me Anyway, of the Tumbling Creek Ranch series is available by pre-order and will release this Thursday and starting July 9th, book 1, 8 Seconds to Love, in the series will be only $0.99 for the month to celebrate the release of Love Me Anyway.

Love Me Anyway

Book 2

Tumbling Creek Ranch Series

Melanie Trask ran away from an abusive husband and is hiding at a remote dude ranch. When she and the ranch owner can no longer deny their feelings, he offers to help her divorce her husband. But she has one more secret she hasn’t revealed…

Brett Wallis has fallen hard for the quiet, competent woman who landed at his ranch when he needed help. But will he be able to choose between Melanie or the ranch when he discovers the truth behind her secrecy?

Universal buy link:  https://www.books2read.com/u/mgLl7q 

8 Seconds to Love

Book1

Tumbling Creek Ranch series

Lacey Wallis has put blood, sweat, and tears into her dream of making it to the National Finals Rodeo and isn’t about to let an injury stop her. However, she didn’t expect the ER nurse to be the man she had a crush on years ago, or to discover that crush hadn’t been one-sided.

Jared McIntyre lived through loving and the death of one thrill-seeking woman, and wasn’t about to let that happen again. Especially not to Lacey. But that would mean he’d have to allow himself to love again.  

Which will it be, a life-long dream, or the love of a lifetime?

Universal book link: https://www.books2read.com/u/b5M1Ep

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters.This is what Romance Junkies has to say about the Tumbling Creek Ranch series: “There are twists and turns to the story with a nice flow and a depth to the characters. The vivid scenic descriptions made me feel like I was there… I hope to return to Tumbling Creek Ranch over and over again.”

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub



Photo source: Depositphotos

Welcome Cheryl Wright, Contemporary Western Romance Author

 Until fourteen months ago, I was contracted with a publisher, and writing one romantic suspense novel every 1-2 years. The books were both character and plot driven and took a long time to write.

I’ve always been an avid reader of both romantic suspense and cowboy stories, but it never once entered my mind to write the latter.

Nor did I consider the fact I grew up with horses, and for a time, lived in the outback, and have loads of family still living there.

My name is Cheryl Wright and I write Contemporary Western Romance.

So how does a romantic suspense author suddenly start writing western romance? Funny you should ask. 😊

Some self-published friends had been trying to convince me to write western romance for a couple of years, but as mentioned above, I was contracted to a publisher, and they were not willing to let me write anything other than romantic suspense.

But to be honest, I was quite scared to try self-publishing. After all, I’d been contracted to publishers since 2003. And the indie world of publishing was unnerving. To me anyway.

After a number of negative events with the publisher, I decided to pull all three of my published books and give self-publishing a go.

I had a novella length book almost finished that was to go to the publisher, but they were not interested in a novella, and I was not prepared to “fluff it up” just to satisfy the publisher’s book length requirements. This book would be my first foray into the world of indie publishing.

So in January 2017 I published Deadly Debt, and also republished my previously contracted books. They all sold slowly, but regularly, and I was selling more than I had with my publisher for quite some time.

My friends continued to try and convince me to write western romance, and I continued to resist for quite some months.

I could do it, they said. I knew more than enough to write these books, and I now know they were right.

After all, I grew up with horses. My dad’s first-ever job was in a rodeo, and he took my sister and I (along with our mother) to as many rodeos as he could when we were old enough. He also spent some time breaking in horses. In addition, my uncle worked with horses in his job, taking tourists on trail rides. Quite often I was able to convince him to let me ride with them – when there was a free horse.

As I got older and had my own money, I spent every spare cent on weekend horse-riding trips.

So finally I gave it a shot.

I was told series were the way to go, so I sat down and worked out names and backgrounds for four brothers. I worked out their occupations and their situations, as well as their future girlfriends/partners and their occupations.

I wanted the stories to be set in a small town, since I enjoy reading small-town series the most, and decided on a fictitious town called River Valley, in Montana. I decided where in Montana my fictitious town would be set, and did some research about foliage, landscape, and animals/creatures in the area. I now had the bare-bones for a cowboy series. The Callahan Brothers series.

I’ve been a slow writer for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always put that down to be an organic writer. (Some prefer to call it being a pantser.) And I’m certain that did slow me down, but the first book virtually wrote itself.

I didn’t have to think about the story, it just flowed.

I felt so at home writing this story, and realised western romance is what I should have been writing all along.

Book one, almost 20,000 words long, was finished in three weeks.

The first copy sold in about two hours. It was one of the biggest thrills of my writing career. Having never written in this genre before, and have someone buy a book from a writer not known in the genre was totally amazing to me.

Several more books sold that day and have continued to sell ever since. This same book, The Cowboy’s Sweetheart, hit #1 on Amazon in Western Romance not long ago. (It stayed there for a few days only, as they tend to do.) That was the absolute biggest thrill of my writing career to date. It is still amazing to me, that one of my books could hit that ranking.

But I digress.

I have since written books two, three, and four, with each having ‘light sprinkles’ of suspense throughout, and each book being well received.

Coming Soon

Book four was to be the end of the Callahan Brothers series. But I’ve had so many requests to continue it that I decided to do just that. I recently began to write The Deputy’s Sweetheart, which will be book five in the series. Deputy Chris Dolan has played a relatively small part in the books, but was deemed popular by readers, so earned his own book.

I already have plans to include “Aunt Lizzie” from Aunt Lizzie’s Kitchen, which has featured quite prominently in the series. I am even contemplating giving her a series of her own.

My own dear Aunt Lizzie, who died about 45 years ago, was a fabulous cook, and a wonderful lady, and was the inspiration for this cunning but lovable character.

I have to admit that I wish I’d listened to my friends a few years ago and started writing western romance back then. After writing in this genre for about eight months, I already have a good following, which is amazing to me.

As a result of the Callahan Brothers series, I was asked to write a historical western romance for the Soiled Doves series, which I did, after much research, and have since been asked to write a second book.

I’ve also been asked to write a book for a series that will be released next year. I cannot tell you about that one, because it’s all hush-hush at this point. I can tell you though, that the main character of my book is a very sexy cowboy!

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t begun to write western romance. Some things are just meant to be.

About the Author:  Award-winning and best-selling Australian author, Cheryl Wright, former secretary, debt collector, account manager, writing instructor, and shopping tour hostess, loves reading. She writes contemporary western romance and romantic suspense.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is married with two adult children and has six grandchildren. When she’s not writing, she can be found in her craft room making greeting cards.

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The Cowboy’s Sweetheart:

A relationship is the last thing on Rory Callahan’s mind when he pays one of his rare visits into River Valley, Montana. By the end of the night, his entire life has changed.

Missy O’Reilly is a singer with a dark secret that could cost her life. She does her gigs in small town after small town. Always on the run, never staying in one place for long. What will she do when she meets her soul mate, Rory? Dare she stay in River Valley? 

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylwright

http://cheryl-wright.com

https://www.facebook.com/cherylwrightauthor

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