NOVEMBER 12: Hope everyone had a nice Veteran's Day and remembered those serving and who have served to protect our freedoms. We were in Ryan, Oklahoma for a school program three of our grandchildren participated in for Veteran's Day. Our first grader wanted her Papa there because it was all about "them war people" and she needed at least one of our many "veterinarians" there to sing to. It was a sweet program and they all sang beautifully. I noticed several tears during the program.
Today I'm at This Book For Free with the final interview for my blog tour.
THIS BOOK FOR FREE BLOG:
My Take:
This book, One Lucky Cowboy, is a rollicking good fun of a book. What I mean is, Jane Day, reminds me of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. She’s witty and I love reading about her comebacks. This is my first Carolyn Brown book and I can wait to read her others. She writes the type of love stories that I enjoy reading.
Author’s Interview:
“What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview but never have been?”
That right there could be the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked. I’ve been interviewed dozens of times and asked so many questions that I can’t remember them all. One thing no one ever asked me was what was the craziest thing I ever had a desire to do?
” What is your answer to that question?”
Drive a race car! Of course that desire passed quickly when I backed my pickup truck out of a driveway and hit a Highway Patrolman. Thank goodness he wasn’t on duty or in his patrol car or there wouldn’t be a Lucky trilogy today. I would have dropped graveyard dead on the spot. I understand my insurance agent almost did when she saw how much damage I did to that brand new truck he was driving.
“Why did you pick the genre you write in?”
I don’t think I picked romance. It picked me. Characters took up residence in my imagination and wanted their love stories told. I simply obliged.
“What kind of research did you do for this book?”
Lots of traveling. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it describes Ringgold, Texas, a little Texas border town, and Terral, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma border town right across the Red River five miles from Ringgold. I spent some time in each of those places plus the other towns mentioned in the books. My husband, bless his heart, has driven miles and miles and taken thousands of pictures for me while I take notes to authenticate the locations.
“What’s been the hardest thing for you when writing your books?”
Keeping the momentum going so that each chapter is a hard hitting, can’t put it down, want to keep reading it, book for my readers.
“I’ve always wonder if authors have a routine. When and where do you write? Do you have particular time of day you find you’re more creative?”
I’m a fortunate writer with a retired husband who is very supportive of my vice. I have an office in my house and dust bunnies and laundry can wait if I’m writing an important scene. Husband doesn’t even mind take-out supper if I have a deadline. I like to write in the morning and proof in the evenings but that’s not sent in stone. Someone once said that writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. If the inspiration hits at eight o’clock at night, I don’t wait until morning to take advantage of it. I can sweat any old time!
“What authors do you read when you’re not busy being an author yourself?”
How much room do you have for this interview? I’m an avid reader and my list is as varied and eclectic as my family. I will read everything from Faulkner to the back of the Cheerio’s box and love it all. Some of my favorite authors are Leon Uris, LaVyrle Spencer, Sue Grafton, J.A. Jance, Randy Wayne White and of course Margaret’s Mitchell and some of O’Henry’s short stories. I convinced my children that they had to read The Ransom of Red Chief every time they were sick or they would never get well. After all, laughter is the best medicine.
“What’s the best thing about being an author?”
Doing what I love to do. My grandmother said that a person is a success if they love their job, no matter if it’s digging ditches or serving as the President of the USA. I am very successful because I get to do what I like.
“What question would you like your readers to answer?”
If you could spend one day with Slade Luckadeau, the cowboy in One Lucky Cowboy, where would you spend it?
One Lucky Cowboy; Book 2 in the Lucky Trilogy—in stores November 2009!
Jane Day is on the run from the paid assassin who had been her fiancé. In Wichita Falls, Texas, she meets Nellie Luckadeau, a spitfire of an old lady who desperately needs someone to work on her ranch. But Nellie’s drop-dead gorgeous grandson “Lucky Slade” is sure he can spot a con artist a mile away. He’s determined not to let some upstart like Jane fleece his granny.
When his signature intimidation methods don’t convince Jane to leave, he pours on the charm to make her spill what she’s up to. She’s happy to play along, but she’s not going to let this hot, hostile cowboy run her off his land when all she needs is a lucky break…
About the Author
Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who 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.
NOVEMBER 9: Happy Monday everyone. Today I'm visiting with the folks at Love Romance Passion ... http://www.loveromancepassion.com/ They gave me a glowing reiew on One Lucky Cowboy as well as asking me to be their guest today.
Susan: I understand reading has been your passion since you were five. What’s your favorite book?
Carolyn: That’s a tough question. I love to read and my favorite changes often but the three that come to mind are: Exodus by Leon Uris, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I’m an eclectic reader and will read everything from Faulkner to the back of the Fruit Loops box and love it all?
Susan: How can your heroine, Jane, eat all that food, without toting around three bottles of Pepto-Bismol?
Carolyn: Darlin’, anger dissolves fat grams and calories. Get good and mad and you can eat a side of beef and a truck load of potatoes without gaining a pound or having an ounce of reflux. Do not try that if you aren’t angry! Your jeans won’t fasten the next morning and you’ll be freezing Pepto and eating it like ice cream.
Susan: Do you have fun writing your books?
Carolyn: Yes ma’am. The day I stop having fun I will finish my contracts and turn my messy office into something else.
Susan: As much fun as an otter at a summer buffet full of clam buckets?
Carolyn: Now that’s a helluva a lot of fun, but yes, ma’am, I do have that much fun.
Susan: The seven flights of stairs scene in One Lucky Cowboy , was funny and entertaining. Do you find comic elements simple or difficult to write?
Carolyn: My humorous scenes are the easiest to write. They play through my head like I’m watching a movie. All I have to do is make my readers see it the way I do.
Susan: Will Griffin have his own story? His quick dismissal of Celia has pricked my interest.
Carolyn: Oh, yes, Griffin gets his turn in Getting Lucky (January 1, 2010). Bless his heart! He locks horns with Julie, a red-haired stick of dynamite who wouldn’t back down from a forest fire.
Susan: I’ve read that your writing correlates with the way you speak. Does it really?
Carolyn: Yes, Susan, it really, really does. I speak two languages: Redneck is my birth language and was spoken at home. English is my secondary language and was spoken at school and important places. I’m most fluent in Redneck so that’s the language I think and speak in. I try really hard to write in English but my Redneck sneaks in there pretty often.
Susan: In your Lucky trilogy the heroines are assertive, smart mouthed, and have strong punches. Are the heroines in your upcoming Honky Tonk series equally so?
Carolyn: Oh, yes! Wimpy heroines do not live in my imagination.
Susan: Shameless self promotion here. Why should we read your stories?
Carolyn: Because they will make you laugh, cry and sigh at the end. At least that’s why I sit in front of a computer and write books. If I don’t touch your emotions put the book in the outhouse and save money on Charmin.
Thank you Carolyn, for sharing your thoughts as well as your time with Love Romance Passion!
Thank you, Susan, for the interview. Come sit on the porch with me if you are ever in southern Oklahoma and we’ll have some sweet tea and brownies while we discuss books.
Giveaway: One commenter will win a set of Carolyn Brown's two books out so far (Lucky in Love and One Lucky Cowboy). Open to readers in the US and Canada only. Enter by asking a question of Carolyn or starting a conversation. 1 entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Winner will be announced on November 16th, 2009.
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NOVEMBER 6: I'm ending the week over at Wendy's Minding Spot on the blog tour then begin again on Monday. Read the interview below or go take a look at Wendy's Minding Spot to submit comments.
Thanks Carolyn for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit Wendy’s Minding Spot and answer some questions.
Thank you so much for having me as a guest today. It’s a pleasure to be here. I love your logo: Living in a small town with big dreams and loving to read! I write about small towns because I truly believe they have a heartbeat and a pulse of their own, and folks who love to read … well, that’s why we write, so bless your heart.
1. Where did you come up with the name Luckadeau? It’s very unusual.
My husband used to talk about a family who lived way back in an obscure valley in the mountains of Pennsylvania and their name was similar. I changed the spelling and liked the way it sounded and looked on paper.
2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I really like to write in the morning when things aren’t cluttered with the toils of the day. However, if a scene pops into my mind I’m quite adept at brushing the toils under the bed to visit with the dust bunnies. I write everyday in some form. It may be original writing, rewriting or proofing. My nephew told me it’s like a perpetual course in Comp 101.
3. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I throw salt over my left shoulder, turn around three times and do a little jig to whatever country song is playing! Not true, but I might try it if it would help get the words from my brain to the computer. I do have a writing quirk though. I listen to country music while I write. It zones me right out there into la-la writing land. I used to listen to Floyd Cramer’s piano, now it’s the older ballads.
4. What author, not living, would you like to talk with?
Margaret Mitchell. Her book continues to live on and on! I’d love to sit and visit with her.
5. What do you read for fun?
Words fascinate me so anything I read is usually fun. I love O’Henry, LaVyrle Spencer, Leon Uris, Sue Grafton, Carl Hiaason, J.A. Jance, Randy Wayne White and that’s just the ones that come to mind. If you want the full list, we’ll have to send out for some doughnuts and hot chocolate.
6. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Let’s see, I had to learn to make soap and to make moonshine. I also had to take a wagon train of mail order brides over the Oregon Trail from St. Joseph, Missouri to California.
7. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve sold fifty two books but I’ve written a few more than that. To name a favorite would be as difficult as choosing which of my three children is my favorite. A story: When my children were young I heard the worn-out old line about how I loved this one more than that one because he had more chores, couldn’t go to the school dance, etc. You get the picture. So one day I set them all down and told them that I had to work and didn’t have time to love them all every day of the week. So they each got two days and their father got Sunday. It was my prerogative to choose the days and they could change at my whim and will. So it goes with my books. My favorite tends to be the one I’m working on at the time because those characters are so close to me. Tomorrow it will change!
8. What is the most important idea or thought that you would like readers to have after reading your book?
To want more, to love the characters enough that they are real people to them and they want to know what happened the next week after THE END. One of my readers said once that she got so engrossed in the book that she wondered if those folks attended her church on Sunday. Now that’s honey in a writer’s ears, let me tell you!
9. What are you currently working on? And can we expect to see more of those hunky cowboys in your future works?
Getting Lucky, the third and final book in the Lucky Series, comes out Jan. 1, 2010 so there’s one more of those fine lookin’ Luckadeau feller’s stories to be read. And I’m currently working on The Honky Tonk series, my next one with Sourcebooks Casablanca! Yes, hunky cowboys and an old beer joint in Palo Pinto County, Texas called the Honky Tonk. Country music, boots, belt buckles, big hats, line dances, sassy heroines and good lookin’ cowboys. Four books which will debut with I Love This Bar next June, and follow with Hell Yeah, My Give a Damn’s Busted and A Honky Tonk Christmas (release dates still being determined, but I guarantee they’ll be in the Fall of 2010)!
NOVEMBER 5: Today I'm at Fresh Fiction interviewing one of my characters from ONE LUCKY COWBOY. It was fun to be on the other side of the interview and my character, Jane Day, was so much fun to visit with! (Disclaimer: Those last two books on the sidebar to your right weren't written by this Carolyn Brown. I share the name with about a gazillion other gals (Yes, ma'am, I am prone to exaggeration)!
 Breaking News
The latest buzz for readers, authors and the curious...
Carolyn Brown | An Interview With Jane Day The Heroine Of One Lucky Cowboy
Comment and win! 
November 5, 2009
Thank you for having me on your website today. It’s a pleasure to be here. Tell me, has a character in a book ever become so real that you wish you could interview her to find out a little more than what was written? Well, I have many times so I thought we would interview the heroine of ONE LUCKY COWBOY today. She had a big pair of ladies cowboy boots to fill after Milli Torres in Lucky in Love but I think she did a fine job of kicking up the Texas dirt when she inherited them. So let’s see what she thinks about her story in One Lucky Cowboy.
Carolyn Brown: What did you think the first time you laid eyes on Slade Luckadeau?
Jane Day: I thought he was a pompous ass who’d been spoiled his whole life and didn’t have a clue about me even though he thought he’d figured out the whole big picture that first two minutes. I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me. I needed a place to hide out for a few weeks and he could live with it or drop dead. Right then, I didn’t care which one he chose.
CB: Was the heat between you obvious from the beginning?
JD: Oh, yes. Take a look at the picture on the front of the book. Can you imagine how I felt when all that testosterone walked in the house and looked down at me? Why, the whole room lit up like a fireworks exhibition on the Fourth of July. But he was practically engaged to a first rate witch and despite the heat, I was never trusting a member of the male species again. So I fought the heat and the sparks and the desire that kept me awake at night.
CB: When did you really start to trust Slade?
JD: It came about slowly but after a few weeks I could see he was a good, hard working man who would never hurt a woman, physically or mentally. I think it took him longer to finally give in and trust me than it did for me to trust him.
CB: Did it feel good to finally deck his old girlfriend?
JD: Oh, honey, that really, really felt good. The only bad thing was that it didn’t last nearly long enough. Who’d have thought a parking lot cat fight could be so damn much fun.
CB: Tell me, how in the world can you eat so much when you are angry and not put on a pound?
JD: Who knows? It must be the adrenaline rush that comes with a hissy. Evidently it eats all the excess calories and fat grams. Thank God it does. I’d be in big trouble if it all went to hips and thighs.
CB: Do you think you’ll ever get bored in a town with less than two hundred people?
JD: Hell, no! The size isn’t important. You can be bored and lonely in a city with eight million people or happy on a ranch in Ringgold, Texas. It’s all a matter of where the heart decides to call home.
CB: They tell me that Slade’s cousin, Griffin, who you thought you might have a thing for in ONE LUCKY COWBOY, locks up horns with a redheaded stick of dynamite in GETTING LUCKY. What have you got to say about that woman?
JD: She’d better be nice. He’s a good man and a wonderful father. I’d hate to have to set her straight but believe me, Milli and I can sure do it if we need to.
CB: Thank you, Jane for the interview. What advice would you give to the readers before they start reading ONE LUCKY COWBOY?
JD: You are very welcome. Advice? Tell the neighbors if they hear excessive laughter not to call the boys in the white jackets, that you are just reading the second book in the Lucky series and there are funny scenes. And if they hear a sob or two, to please leave a box of tissue on the front porch. Other than that, enjoy reading the book. I sat on Carolyn’s shoulder and told her exactly what to write every day so it’s pretty authentic.
ONE LUCKY COWBOY, Book 2 in The Lucky Trilogy, In Stores November 2009!
Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who 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.
NOVEMBER 4: I'm at Randi Romance Reader today. It's a big honor to be her first author blog and my books are her first giveaways! Go to Randi Romance Reader and have a peek.
Interview with Carolyn Brown and a Giveaway!!
Thank-you Carolyn for stopping and answering a few questions.
This is the first time that I have had an author post at my blog and this is my very first giveaway!!
I hope everyone enjoys the interview!
Good morning, Randi! It’s a delight to be here on your site and thank you for the great review on One Lucky Cowboy.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’d rather talk about my beautiful daughters, my handsome son, my smart grandchildren or my very patient husband. But since you asked about me … I’ve been married more than forty years to Charles Brown. (I was young enough that I had to have parental permission to get married so don’t be putting me on the back side of eighty!) We have three lovely children and enough grandchildren to keep us young past the back side of eighty. I’ve been writing since I figured out how to use one of those fat pencils and a Big Chief tablet. Stories have always fascinated me, even those in the magazines my Momma hid under the pillowcases in the third drawer of the chest-of-drawers when I was little girl. Twelve years ago I sold two books the same day to Kensington for their Precious Gems line. By the time that line died, I was selling to Avalon. I felt like I was truly the lucky one when Sourcebooks bought my Lucky Series last year. Lucky in Love came out in September and One Lucky Cowboy hit the racks last Monday. The final book in the trilogy, Getting Lucky will be available Jan. 1.
 How you always wanted to write romance novels?
The first book I wrote which did not sell was not a romance. It garnered so many rejection slips that the stock in copy paper went sky high and I had to buy a second file cabinet. After that I wrote romance and it’s so much fun that I will probably always write it.
Do you also read romance?
I will read anything from all those brochures you pick up at the travel centers to Hemingway but I’ve always loved romance. Romance books are life stories. Everything doesn’t come easy or isn’t totally predictable but in the end love will prevail. That gives us hope for our own stories.
What are some of your favorite authors?
LaVryle Spencer ― we came close to having a full fledged wake at our house when she retired. Add that to Sue Grafton, O’Henry (my children were told they’d never get well when they were ill if they didn’t read “The Ransom of Red Chief”), Randy Wayne White, Nora Roberts (of course), Pamela Morsi, Margaret Mitchell, John D. McDonald and … how much room do we have for this interview?
Do you have a process that you follow when you are getting 
ready to start writing a new book?
No, but I do like to make a trip to the place I’ve decided to write about and get a feel for the country there. It’s a lesson I learned from my first historical series for Avalon. I was writing about an area and had a scene where the heroine went swimming in a creek. When I went up to Guthrie to check out the area, the creek was barely a running stream and so muddy no self respecting southern lady would have put her toes in it, much less her brand new white cotton swim dress.
What made you decide to write Western Romance?
I’m not so sure I made that decision. My characters made it for me. They were ranchers and farmers and they invaded my mind and threatened to pester me plumb to death if I didn’t tell the story just like it happened.
 Can you tell us a little about the Luckadeau Family?
The Luckadeaus are a big family originally from southern Louisiana. They are heavy on sons so there are lots of those sexy men just waiting to meet their matches in feisty southern women. Beau, Slade and Griffin are cousins who live in close proximity and visit often. They are family oriented and might argue amongst themselves but they’ll put up a strong front if an outsider steps into their circle looking for a fight.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a four book series called The Honky Tonk Series. Each of the books is set in Mingus, Texas in an old beer joint called the Honky Tonk and features a hunky cowboy and a sassy barmaid. I Love This Bar will be out in June, 2010, followed by Hell Yeah, My Give A Damn’s Busted and Honky Tonk Christmas. So mark your calendar for more cowboy reading in 2010!
If you would like to win a copy of both Lucky in Love and One Lucky Cowboy leave a comment and I will announce the winner on Monday, November 9th.
Only U.S. and Canada residents.NOVEMBER 3: Today I'm visiting Literary Escapism. They are offering freebies for comments so take a look at
http://www.literaryescapism.com/5828/interview-carolyn-brown/comment-page-1#comment-14103
Interview: Carolyn Brown
3 November 2009 | Submitted by: Jackie | | One Comment |
Literary Escapism is excited to welcome author Carolyn Brown to the floor today. Carolyn is celebrating the release of her second novel in her Lucky series – One Lucky Cowboy.
Jane Day is on the run from the paid assassin who had been her fiancé. In Wichita Falls, Texas, she meets Nellie Luckadeau, a spitfire of an old lady who desperately needs someone to work on her ranch. But Nellie’s drop-dead gorgeous grandson “Lucky Slade” is sure he can spot a con artist a mile away. He’s determined not to let some upstart like Jane fleece his granny.
When his signature intimidation methods don’t convince Jane to leave, he pours on the charm to make her spill what she’s up to. She’s happy to play along, but she’s not going to let this hot, hostile cowboy run her off his land when all she needs is a lucky break…
If you’re in the mood for a great romance, then you need to check this out. Want a chance to win the first two novels in Carolyn’s Lucky series? – Lucky in Love and One Lucky Cowboy? Then stick around.
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Good morning and thank you inviting me to your site. I believe that reading is a wonderful means of escape so it’s a pleasure to be here with you folks at Literary Escapism.
Your latest novel, One Lucky Cowboy, was recently published. For those of my readers who haven’t come a cross it yet, can you give us a brief look into your story and what people can look forward to reading?
One Lucky Cowboy is the story of Slade Luckadeau and Jane Day. Slade thinks that Jane Day is a con artist out to fleece his Granny but all she really wants is a place to hole up and hide from a hit man for six weeks. She complicates his life and his heart and he wants her gone. She’s found a safe refuge in Ringgold, Texas and doesn’t plan to leave no matter what kind of fight he throws at her. It’s only for a short time and she’s done with trusting men, no matter what form or shape they come in. Slade is determined to prove he’s right and Jane digs in her heels at the ranch. Neither trusts the other, not until their very lives depend on it.
I’m told One Lucky Cowboy is part of an ongoing series; what can you tell us about the Luckadeau series as a whole? How does One Lucky Cowboy fit into the series?
The Luckadeau men are cousins: Beau, Slade and Griffin. They are all hot-headed, sexy-as-hell ranchers who meet their matches in Milli, Jane and Julie. One Lucky Cowboy is the second book in the trilogy. Jane and Slade lock horns from the moment they meet and it looks like it’ll take dynamite to blow the mistrust out of their hearts.
What is it about the men and women of this series that drew you to tell their stories? Are any of the characters a reflection on or inspired by someone else?
The characters said I would tell their stories or they’d bug me every day until I did. They did so I did. They are stories of three cousins who meet three strong, sassy southern women. At first I didn’t think they were a reflection on anyone, but on second thought they are. If a handsome, strong-willed cowboy looks in the mirror he’ll see himself in Slade, Beau or Griffin. If a determined willful woman sees her reflection she could be looking at Milli, Jane or Julie. So with that in mind, yes, they are inspired by every cowboy in Texas and every woman who knows her mind and stands up for her rights.
Do you have plans to continue with this series? Do you have any other projects in the works that you can tease us with?
This series ends with Getting Lucky (Jan. 1, 2010). I’m working on another series for Sourcebooks. The Honky Tonk Series, a four book series, will debut with I Love This Bar in June 2010, followed by Hell Yeah, My Give a Damn’s Busted, and Honky Tonk Christmas. Each book is set in the Honky Tonk, an old beer joint in Mingus, Texas (Population 238) and is filled with quirky characters, hunky cowboys and brassy bar maids.
Have you written anything you wouldn’t want your mother to read?
No, but she’s read things she probably wouldn’t want me to know about! My mother is 82 and in a nursing home. Until recently she read all my books but her eyesight prevents her from reading much anymore. One of my books was mentioned from the pulpit at a local church on Sunday morning and another was signed and sent to Barbara Bush, former First Lady. Now, you’ve got me wondering if they blushed!
So the question has to be asked; how hard is it to come up with the hot and sexy love scenes? Do you test any of the strange ideas with your partner before you write about them?
The difficult part is writing something fresh even with a hot and sexy love scene. A story: When my first books came out my cute young neighbor asked me if I had written those steamy scenes from experience. She said that if I had she was sending her young, cute husband to lunch with my husband. I never thought about testing an idea but it seems like an interesting notion.
Why were you drawn to the romance genre? Have you thought of venturing into other genres or are you strictly a romance writer?
I’m in the process of polishing a women’s mainstream fiction book for my agent to pitch. I love writing romance and will probably always write it, but it would be fun to do both.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
In 1966 I crawled on a Greyhound Bus in Ardmore, Oklahoma headed to Mount Union, Pennsylvania to marry Charles Brown. We’d never met but we’d been writing to each other for a couple of years. I had graduated from high school two weeks before and he was coming home from Germany where he’d been stationed for two years in the Army. Six weeks after I arrived we were married. I was seventeen and he was twenty. Forty-three years later he’s a retired English teacher and I’m a romance writer. We have three children, enough grandchildren to keep us young, and are still best friends. I love writing and my husband is my biggest supporter. If I’m in the middle of an important scene he knows his way around the kitchen. Life is good!
When you’re not slaving away at he computer writing your own novels, who do you enjoy curling up with and why? Do you tend to stick to novels in the romance genre or do you venture into other areas? Have you noticed your reading preferences changing as you’ve developed as an author?
I’m a very eclectic reader. I love a good story whether it’s romance, mystery, mainstream or just a dang good story. Favorite authors? Nora Roberts, Leon Uris, O’Henry, Sue Grafton, Faulkner, Randy Wayne White and J. A. Jance come to mind. To list them all would mean going out for another ream of paper. I love and own all of LaVyrle Spencer’s romance books and we almost had a wake at our house when she retired. My reading preferences haven’t changed but my reading time has. I cherish each moment I can curl up and read. A good day in my world is when I can write 5000 words and still have time to read a novel before bedtime.
If you were to write yourself into any of your novels, what kind of character would you be?
A sassy, southern woman who knows what she wants and goes after it like a coyote after a cottontail rabbit.
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Thank you Carolyn for visiting Literary Escapism.
Contest Time! We’re giving away the first two books in Carolyn’s Lucky series – Lucky in Love and One Lucky Cowboy and all you have to do is answer this one simple question: If you were to write yourself into any of your novels, what kind of character would you be? Remember, you do have to answer the question in order for your comment to count. The contest is open to everyone, so everyone overseas can join in the fun as well.
As always, if you want more chances to win, you can post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it (#litesc), share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer (all in the same post please). The more places you share it, the more entries you get.
For more entries, preorder the third Lucky novel, Getting Lucky, or purchase any novel through LE’s Amazon store sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: myjaxon AT gmail DOT com. Each purchase is one entry and it has to be through the LE Link.
Join the Literary Escapism Facebook page and you’ll get an additional entry. Make sure you leave a comment here so I know that’s why you’re joining. Only new readers to the group will be considered.
For an additional entry, subscribe to Literary Escapism’s newsletter in the sidebar. All current subscribers will also have an additional entry.
I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer. All entries must be in by midnight on November 10th.
NOVEMBER 2: This week I'm blog touring for ONE LUCKY COWBOY. Today I'm at Drey's Library ... Here's the interview and Drey's thoughts on ONE LUCKY COWBOY. Take a look at her site if you are interested in putting your name in the pot for a copy of LUCKY IN LOVE and ONE LUCKY COWBOY at Drey's Library
Today, we have a visit from the lovely Carolyn Brown, who writes a lot--no kidding!! Come and see what she has to say...
drey: Hi Carolyn! Welcome to drey's library—-THANK YOU for taking the time to answer some questions for my readers & I...
Carolyn: Good morning, Drey. Thank you for having me on your website today. I’m delighted to be here again for a little visit.
drey: There's a huge amount of books out there with your name on 'em. How long have you been writing? What got you started?
Carolyn: I’ve been writing seriously for about twelve years. I tinkered with it for twenty years before that. When my youngest child was born and refused to sleep at night I picked up a spiral notebook and pencil and wrote a book. It did not sell but it did garner enough rejection slips to cause a major problem in the great Redwood Forest. I got serious when empty nest syndrome set in. Two of my romance books sold in 1997 to Kensington Books in their Precious Gems line. Four of the six that eventually sold were published before the line died. The two that didn’t sell are probably sitting on a shelf covered in dust with the characters screaming for someone to let them out. When that line went belly-up I had already sold a book to Avalon. And then another and another until now the number is up to thirty six with four more to be published in the next couple of years. Then Sourcebooks bought the Lucky Trilogy and now they’ve also bought the Honky Tonk Series.
36 books! Wow!
drey: When did you decide to switch from historical to contemporary romances?
Carolyn: Actually I started with contemporary. The four for Precious Gems were contemporaries written under the pen name Abby Gray. Then there were several contemporaries in the Avalon line before I wrote a historical, which was the debut lead historical for their new line that year. I love writing both and switch back and forth between the two.
drey: How do you come up with the characters in your books? I've only read the Lucky ones, and it feels to me like you'd dreamt up the entire cast of characters before sitting down to write the books.
Carolyn: I’m not sure I come up with the characters or if they all have an executive meeting and decide to give me the privilege of writing their book. One of my biggest compliments came from a reader who was so engrossed in a book that she wondered if the characters went to her church.
I can see why you'd get that comment... The way I see it, I wouldn't mind having your characters for neighbors, they're that much fun.
drey: The way you use words is incredible. I love the dialogue in the Lucky books. "You've got cow shit for brains!" and "Kiss my naturally born white ass" broke out the laughter, for sure. How do you come up with this? *grin*
Carolyn: I’m glad I made you laugh. How did I come up with those phrases? I use them when I talk! Someone asked if I talk the same way as I write. Here stands the guilty party … can’t help it. It was the result of my upbringing!
drey: How much of your own family is in your books? Character-wise, plot-wise, etc...
Carolyn: Now that is one difficult question. I come from a very eclectic family and I still think I should have my name in the Guinness Book. When I was twelve years old, my mother remarried to a man twice her age. Then many years later my father at the age of 55 married an eighteen year old girl. So when I was forty two I had a two year old half-brother and an eighty year old step-sister. I don’t have to look far for quirky character descriptions.
Sounds like my family! Except they're not siblings, just cousins...
drey: You're a baker, correct (I seem to remember some comments from your daughters that made me want to take a trip to sample your baking...)? What else gives you pleasure, outside of writing, and your family?
Carolyn: I love to read and will read everything from O’Henry to Faulkner to Uris to LaVryle Spencer. And cooking is a passion. Thanksgiving is my holiday and the kids all come home. I cook for days and send leftovers home with them all.
Where and at what time should I show up? *grin*
drey: What are you looking forward to?
Carolyn: One Lucky Cowboy hit the racks yesterday and I’m really excited about that. And Getting Lucky will be out in January 2010 to finish up that trilogy. Then in June The Honky Tonk Series kicks off. It is a four book series about an old beer joint down in Palo Pinto County, Texas and all the excitement centered around it. I Love This Bar has a publication date of June 2010 and will be followed by Hell Yeah, My Give a Damn’s Busted and Honky Tonk Christmas. The heroes are hunky cowboys and the heroines are sassy southern barmaids so get ready for heat and spunk.
Wow. You really are a busy bee. I just love the Honky Tonk titles--can't wait to read 'em!
And, to finish off, the Proust-lite:
- What is your idea of earthly happiness? When the kids all get here on Thanksgiving Day.
- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The death of a child. I’ve never experienced it and hope I never do.
- Who is/are your favorite heroine(s) in fiction? Scarlett O’Hara.
- Who is/are your favorite heroine(s) in real life? That would be my grandmother, Bessie Chapman, who was a blind lady. I lived with her when I was a little girl and led her wherever she wanted to go. Someone mentioned her being handicapped once and it offended me. My grandmother was not handicapped. She raised six kids, mended cotton sacks (that’s the big canvas bags folks pulled along behind them to put cotton in as they picked it), quilted (and her stitches sure put mine to shame), canned more than a hundred jars of food in a summer and helped raise three grandchildren. She sounds fabulous, Carolyn!
- What sound do you love? The sound of the water sloshing up on the shore at the beach.
- What sound do you hate? The bleep on the computer when it crashes. Ugh. I so know what you mean.
- The quality you admire most in a man? Passion.
- The quality you admire most in a woman? Strength.
- If not a writer, you would be a … probably a home economics teacher even though they are obsolete now. My mom was a home ec teacher. Unfortunately, her skills so did not pass on to me...
- What is your favorite swear word? Oh dear! In front of the grandchildren that would be “well fizzle” but when I drop a chunk of chocolate cake upside down on the kitchen floor it would have to be “Damn it!”
About the author:
Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who has published 36 historical and western romance novels for the library market, many of them bestsellers in that market. She was born in Texas and grew up in southern Oklahoma. She and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma.
About the book:
NO BIG BLOND COWBOY IS GOING TO INTIMIDATE THIS SPITFIRE...
If Slade Luckadeau thinks he can run her off his ranch, he's got cow chips for brains. His grandmother's offer of a job and a place to stay is the first lucky break Jane Day's gotten in a long time. So what if her hideaway comes with a big hunk of hostile he-man? She can handle it...
THIS SMART-TALKING RANCH WOMAN IS GIVING HIM SERIOUS PAINS
Slade is certain the good-looking, hardworking blond his grandmother dragged home from the bus station is a con artist, out to rip them off and leave them in the dust. But even him being as mean as a startled rattlesnake doesn't seem to faze her one bit. She's winning every argument, and he's running out of fights to pick...
With his granny up to some serious matchmaking, and trouble with a capital "T" threatening the Double L ranch, suddenly it's Slade's heart that's in the most danger of all...
drey's thoughts:
One Lucky Cowboy is my second Carolyn Brown novel, after Lucky in Love. And just as in Lucky in Love, One Lucky Cowboy has characters that will make you laugh out loud. I don't know how she does it, but Carolyn creates characters that you wouldn't mind running into in real life.
In this one, Jane is running away from her fiance--the one whom her stepfather's contracted to kill her, before her 25th birthday, so that he gets her company. And wouldn't you know it, she lands herself a job at the Double L Ranch near Ringgold, Texas... Where, apparently, the master of the house has an issue with her.
And so begins the story of Jane and Slade, and Slade's grandmother's meddling--er, matchmaking... If you like cowboys and a ton of sass with your romance, you don't want to miss One Lucky Cowboy.
OCTOBER 28: Just returned from a five day, nine hundred plus mile, research trip over western Oklahoma and central Texas! I've got Mingus, Texas set even better in my mind for the next two in the Honky Tonk Trilogy. Also found a town called Corn, Oklahoma that really intrigued me. Came home to an advance review from Romance Studio on Getting Lucky! Will share:
ROMANCE STUDIO: Julie Donavan is a single mom looking for a place for her and her daughter Annie to start over. They move into a house where the woman that used to live there had a long time feud with single dad Griffin Luckadeau or Lucky and his family. But things get crazy when Annie decides that she wants Lucky’s daughter Lizzie to be not only her best friend but her sister. Can these two stubborn parents get past annoying each other? Will they admit that fate brought them together or will fate tear them apart before they figure things out?
Looking for a cute and quirky entertaining story to read? Look no further. Getting Lucky is an attention-grabbing amusing story sure to leave every reader with a smile on her face. The opening hook is certain to grab your attention and even once you discover the truth, you will still be hooked on the story and won’t be able to stop reading until the very end. Ms. Brown has created some phenomenal characters in this story. Julie is a strong independent woman who has picked herself up after getting knocked down so many times and refuses to be bowled over by a man ever again. Griffin feels as if he is the one that always got overlooked, always outshined by another. But the chemistry between Julie and Griffin surpasses anything they’ve ever felt before. Whether the chemistry has a sexual element or whether it is their hot-headed tempers flaring, it is sure to entertain the reader. Julie and Griffins’ daughters are the most adorable little trouble makers I’ve ever read about before. I am certain that they will have the reader wrapped around their pinky fingers in no time at all. All in all, if you are looking for a good solid romance book full of great characters, loads of chemistry, and lots of entertaining circumstances then you need to read this book.
OCTOBER 23:
This has been a busy month. Tomorrow is the official launch day for FROM THIN AIR from Avalon. Some of my fans are declaring it to be one of their favorites. This morning I got a wonderful review for The Long and Short of It reviews on ONE LUCKY COWBOY which I'll pass along. It's available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It, along with LUCKY IN LOVE, are also offered at Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Bookclub. Last evening I got news that GETTING LUCKY, the final book in the series (Jan. 1, 2010) has been picked up by those book clubs as well as The Book of the Month Club has an exclusive alternate selection for December and will be reprinted in hardback. I'm continuing to work on the Honky Tonk Series. Finishing the second installment rewrite today and I've agreed to do a fourth book for them in that series. So look for I LOVE THIS BAR, HELL YEAH, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED and HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS beginning in June, 2010. Excitement is bouncing around my house. I feel like a sugared up six year old on Christmas Day. Now on to that wonderful review! (And hopes that I'll be more productive with this blog in the months to come! LOL)
From The Long and Short of It Reviews:
One Lucky Cowboy by Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Western
Length: Full (331 pages)
Heat: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Books
Reviewed by Tiger Lily
Jane Day is on the run from the paid assassin who had been her fiancé. In Wichita Falls, Texas, she meets Nellie Luckadeau, a spitfire of an old lady who desperately needs someone to work on her ranch. But Nellie's drop-dead gorgeous grandson "Lucky Slade" is sure he can spot a con artist a mile away. He's determined not to let some upstart like Jane fleece his granny.
When his signature intimidation methods don't convince Jane to leave, he pours on the charm to make her spill what she's up to. She's happy to play along, but she's not going to let this hot, hostile cowboy run her off his land when all she needs is a lucky break…
She’s running from her past and what could be her future. He’s sure she’s not what she seems and puts a guard around his heart. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Neither and both. Want to know more? Read One Lucky Cowboy and find out. You won’t want to miss this novel.
Ms. Brown’s novel is compelling from page one. I couldn’t put the book down. Her descriptions were rich enough that I could easily visualize the characters. By the end of the story, I felt like I was reading about good friends.
This novel revolves around the idea of trust: trusting others, trusting strangers, trusting one’s own heart. Jane makes a great heroine because she works on her own terms. Yes, she worked for Nellie, Slade’s grandmother at the family ranch, but Jane only discloses what she wants to and only lets people as close as she can handle. Then there is the hero, Slade. He wants to find a woman who wants Slade the man, not Slade the heir to money from the Double L Ranch. Trust works both ways.
The antagonists are both interesting and scary – both great traits for the bad guys. You wanted to see them get busted, yet you could also see why they went for the brass ring of killing off Jane. A good storyteller has the reader feeling for both sides while still rooting for the side of justice to prevail. In the case of One Lucky Cowboy, Ms. Brown delivers.
As for the love scenes, I’m not a fan of sex and alcohol, but in this novel it worked and worked well. You were reading about people you might know and experiences you may have even been through. When sex was involved, the passion between the hero and heroine was scorching. They may not have liked each other, when they got together, they sizzled.
If you want a great story with hints of blinding passion and biting repartee between the heroine and hero, then you need to read One Lucky Cowboy. You’ll be lucky you did.
SEPTEMBER 23:
Got a wonderful review on ONE LUCKY COWBOY, the second book in the Lucky Trilogy, from Romantic Times today. The magazine will be on the shelf this next week!
ROMANTIC TIMES: This is not your mother's western romance! Jam-packed with catfights, reluctant heroes, spirited old ladies and, of course, a chilling villain, Brown's plot-driven cowboy romance is set against the background of ranching life and will earn a spot on your keeper shelf.
Summary: Slade Luckadeau does not trust the stray woman his grandmother brought home from the bus stop to be their ranch's newest cook. But he can't deny his attraction to the woman who calls herself Jane Day.
All heiress-on-the-run Ellacyn Jane Hayes, aka Jane Day, wants is a place to stay under the radar and out of the public eye until she turns 25. But when the malicious forces pursuing her track her down, will the Luckadeau clan be able to protect the woman who has quickly become one of their own? HOT —Whitney Kate Sullivan
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