Taste of Kiwi

My special guest today is fellow Carina Press author, Abby Wood. Abby is here to tell us about her recent release, Consent to the Cowboy. This is another book I’m looking forward to reading and one that is locked and loaded on my Palm reader. I’m thrilled to have Abby visit today, especially since she’s talking about some of my favorite things–rodeo and country fairs.

Thank you for having me here today, Shelley. It’s a pretty exciting time around my house lately. Not only has Consent to the Cowboy been released at Carina Press, but it’s also county fair time in my part of the country. To celebrate, I’d love to give away a copy of my book to one lucky person who leaves a comment today.

For me, county fair means rodeo time! These are small time rodeos where town favorites compete for the championship. Year after year, we attend and cheer on our favorite rider. From barrel racing, calf ropin’, bull ridin’, and team ropin’, every highlight of the rodeo draws a big crowd. Heck, if two hundred people show up, that means almost the whole town attended. We start’em young too. Our four year olds are sat atop the back of a calf and let loose within the ring. We grease up pigs and encourage our children to go catch their dinner.

Spirits run high, beer flows fast, and words take on more meaning. It is the one chance to meet with your neighbor who lives five miles away and get caught up on how their crops are growing, how many heads of cattle they are planning to run through the winter, and to catch up on the local gossip.

Behind the fencing, personal bets are taking place. Although, that’s not what we call it…it’s bartering. I’ll give you one goose for three laying hens if O’Reilly wins the next round! We always come home with new animals. Gotta watch out for some of them seasoned farmers though, they’ll hoist a mean rooster off on the innocent adults who have just begun their journey into country livin’.

The rodeo also means a stressful time for the women. We find out who is the best cook, the best pie baker, and who canned the most over the summer. We brag about how many nights we stayed up listening to the lids popping on the dill pickles sitting out on the counter, and we’ve sworn our man not to utter a word about the steak we burnt last week. Bad news like that stick in other women’s memories for a long time and you’ll forever be asked to bring a jello salad to the next potluck. You have to earn the right to bring a main dish, ya know.

I’ve attended quite a few fairs. Some are more centered around carnival rides, entertainment, and businesses trying to sell their products. I really enjoy them, but it’s the small local fairs that feel like a family reunion and gathering spot for the neighbors that I love the most.

Do you go to any fairs in the summertime? What kind of fair do you have in your area?

In Consent to the Cowboy, the first chapter takes place at a small town rodeo. You can read the first chapter of the book here.

Here’s the blurb for Consent to the Cowboy

Surrounded by beer-swilling, skirt-chasing cowboys her whole life, barmaid Daphne Norris has no intention of ever settling for any of the men in her Podunk hometown. So when bronc rider Will Hanson sends shock waves to her core with just one glance from his striking green eyes, no one is more surprised than her.

But Will is no ordinary cowboy, and he can see that Daphne is no ordinary small-town girl. He can sense in Daphne the quiet strength and devotion needed to satisfy a man like him, a man who needs to be on top, in every aspect of his life.

Daphne hasn’t ever succumbed to her submissive desires before, and Will awakens her in ways she never imagined. While she’s not prepared to give him her heart, she agrees to Will’s offer of three days of intense pleasure, and then she’s walking. But Daphne falls hard and fast, and now she has a decision: return to a normal life, or give up everything for Will…

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Multipublished author Abby Wood lives in the Pacific Northwest. A huge animal lover, she enjoys the many animals on her farm and the wild ones that roam the forest. In her free time, she loves to ride motorcycles, garden, go fishing and play tennis. She loves to write stories that allow readers to escape into a brand-new world.

You can find out more about Abby at www.authorabbywood.com, visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AbbyWoodFanPage and follow her on Twitter at @MsAbbyWood.

Contest: Don’t forget – Abby is giving away a copy of Consent to the Cowboy. Just answer her question and one commenter will be chosen as the winner.

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The theme for this week is Summer, so the obvious choice of book to highlight is Summer in the City of Sails. Summer is a country girl, and she’s determined to make the most of her time in the city, especially since she’s finally escaped her parents and her eagle-eye, bossy older brothers.

Summer in the City of Sails by Shelley Munro

“I want you to look after Summer.”

Summer’s bare feet froze outside the door to her Uncle Henry’s study. Her hand slid from the brass doorknob. A babysitter? Indignation stabbed her mind, robbing her of the sense of accomplishment she’d felt only seconds earlier. At age twenty-two, why did they think she needed a babysitter? Her eyes narrowed as she placed the package she carried on a wooden pedestal table then pressed closer to hear the details.

“Do I look like a babysitter?” a masculine voice snapped. “Try the yellow pages.”

Summer nodded emphatically, giving a silent cheer for the owner of the low, husky voice. Way to go, mister. But while she waited for Uncle Henry’s comeback, she fumed. She knew exactly where the idea had originated. Her family. Or more specifically her mother who thought danger lurked behind every corner in sinful Auckland City.

“Think of it as a favor,” Uncle Henry said.

“No.”

The blunt, uncompromising answer made a smile surface. She liked this man. And she agreed with him. One hundred percent. Yes, she’d been a sickly child, but she’d outgrown the bad asthma attacks. As long as she used her preventer, there was nothing wrong with her health. Summer glanced down at her bust and hips, her expression turning rueful. Thanks to her mother’s excellent cooking, her body—well, the polite word was “curvaceous”.

“Nikolai,” Uncle Henry groaned. “My sister will make my life miserable. She’ll hunt me down on my honeymoon.”

Summer suppressed a snort as she flipped the end of her French braid over her shoulder. Why did Uncle Henry think she’d come to Auckland, the city of sails? Although her mother meant well, she was overprotective, especially when it came to the baby of the family. And now she was doing the smothering thing by remote control, all the way from Eketahuna. If Summer allowed this, her bid for freedom would end before it started. It was time her family let her make her own mistakes and let her fix any stuff-ups by herself.

When her boss at the Eketahuna Library had suggested further training in big, bad Auckland City, the possibilities had made Summer breathless. Eager. At last, a chance to spread her fledgling wings. Despite her parents’ protests, Summer had grasped the opportunity with both hands.
And she wasn’t about to let anyone take the experience away from her.

“Tell someone who cares,” Nikolai said. “With my track record, I’m the last person you should ask.”

A shiver goose-stepped down Summer’s spine. That voice… His voice did things to her. She thought about easing the door open a little further to check out the body that matched the sexy rumble. Meeting men was high on her to-do list. No time like the present.

“I didn’t want to do this,” Uncle Henry muttered, “but I’m a desperate man. You owe me. That time I saved you from the broad in—”

The heartfelt Anglo-Saxon curse made Summer’s brows shoot toward her hairline. She hadn’t heard her brothers use that one before.

“All right, dammit! I’ll check on her now and then, but if I see one girly tear, I’m outta there. And our debt is square once you get back.”

“That should do it,” Uncle Henry hastily agreed. “Just check to make sure her car is there and get a visual every couple of days.”

Get a visual? Summer thought, puckering her forehead. Good grief. Nikolai was one of Uncle Henry’s military friends. He’d take his duties seriously. This was not good.

“All I want is a peaceful honeymoon.”

“All you want is to get laid,” Nikolai muttered.

Uncle Henry chuckled—a smug masculine sound that made Summer ache to deck him on Veronica’s behalf. “Yeah, that too.”

Right, that did it. If she allowed this, she’d never escape her family’s well-meaning influence. Yeah, she loved them, knew they loved her in return, but enough was enough.

Summer shoved the door open and strode through. “I’m back. Oh—” She stopped in front of her uncle’s large wooden desk. Her hand fluttered to her left breast. “I didn’t know you had a visitor.”

“Summer, this is Nikolai Tarei. He’s my closest neighbor.”

Summer’s gaze had already snapped to the man with the sexy voice. Physical awareness floored her, made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. Luckily, her brain continued to function and nothing impaired her twenty-twenty vision. Oh, boy! Tall, dark and sinfully sexy was welcome to guard her body any time.

Summer in the City of Sails is available in both print and e-formats from Ellora’s Cave and Amazon.

To read other Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the trail below:

Mari Carr
TJ Michaels
Ashley Ladd
HelenKay Dimon
Eliza Gayle
Shelley Munro
Lauren Dane
Jody Wallace

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Today I’m doing a guest spot at Alternative-Read.com and talking about where I received the inspiration for Soldier of Fortune. I’m doing a giveaway, so do drop by to see me and say hello.

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My special guest today is Ari Thatcher, a fellow author with Ellora’s Cave. In fact, we shared a release date last week. Today Ari is talking about one of my favorite character types–the reformed rake. Over to Ari…

My first love in romance novels is historicals, preferably Regency era. The plots are basically the same, he’s in his thirties, has had his share of lovers, and is ready to settle down. She’s younger and more innocent – well, in a Regency she is innocent, unless we’re talking erotic Regency romance. With as many of those stories as I have read, it’s no wonder I had to write Kyle’s Redemption.

Since it’s a contemporary romance, we know what Kyle’s redeeming himself from, right? But we’ll be nice and call it shallow relationships. A shallow relationship offers all the benefits of a relationship without the involvement of his heart. If the woman/partner on the other end of the deal isn’t expecting more, then he’s not a bad guy.

Face it, in many of us there is a turning point where we realize we’re ready to commit. In real life, experts say it’s often a matter of timing if you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the perfect guy when he’s made the mental shift. In romance, it’s more fun to think he sees the error in his ways once he meets the heroine.

In Kyle’s Redemption I took it a step further and made Kyle understand what a…well, prick, he’s been in the past. Since today we no longer have society’s pressure to marry and beget an heir, our modern-day heroes need a lightbulb moment when they realize the heroine is worth making the extra effort for, something that forces them to look inside and admit they need to grow as a lover.

Now, the ultimate fun is when you take that moment, have your hero bend over backwards to make an impression, and your heroine is unimpressed. A strong woman knows she’s worth working for. She expects it. And she won’t be swayed by pretty words and acts.

A strong heroine will settle for nothing less than her lover’s whole heart offered sincerely, and she’ll make him sweat until he realizes it. Hopefully I’ve accomplished that with Lily, and the reader is fully satisfied by the ending. I know Kyle and Lily were!

Kyle’s Redemption Available at Ellora’s Cave

Blurb

Six years ago, Lily Astor looked forward to establishing herself in the Los Angeles art world. In one painfully public moment, those dreams were shattered. Now she has the chance to try again, but the invitation to exhibit comes from a gallery owned by Kyle Ventura. The man who should have cleared her name.

After a night of eyebrow-singeing sex, Kyle realizes who Lily is, and his role in her downfall. Now, as his heart falls deeper for Lily, he needs to make amends. But Lily doesn’t want his help, just his body.

For the first time in his life, sex isn’t enough for Kyle. He wants to show Lily he’s not the man he was six years ago. But first, he has to prove it to himself.

Ari Thatcher

Do you enjoy reading stories with reformed rakes? Do you prefer historical or modern-day ones?

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