Interview with Author Abigail Sharpe and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to RFTC author Abigail Sharpe. Abigail is celebrating the release of her book, Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? and has stopped by to answer a few questions. Please give Abigail a warm welcome.

Abigail is a Boston-bred Yankee now eating grits and saying "y'all" in North Central Florida. She dreamed more of being a stage actress or joining the CIA than being an author. While she still enjoys participating in community theater productions and singing karaoke, the secret-agent career was replaced by hours at her computer, writing stories of love and laughter and happily ever after.

Abigail lives with her husband, two kids, and one crazy princess puppy.

Places to find Abigail:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | 

First off, can you tell us a bit about you? 
Absolutely! First, thank you for having me here today. I’m a big fan of Ramblings from this Chick and I’m so thrilled to be here.

I’m a Boston-bred Yankee now eating grits and saying "y'all" in North Central Florida. In addition to writing fun contemporary stories of love and laughter and happily ever after, I work as a technical writer and perform at medieval faires in a singing wench troupe (we’re quite naughty, but FUN!). I live with the husband and two kids and one crazy princess puppy who is always on the lookout for socks to steal.

Did you always want to be a writer? 
I never thought about it until I was about 32 and read a book described as a wall-banger – it made no sense to me and I wanted to throw it against the wall. I thought, “I could write so much better than this!” and so I put my pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and in the quiet moments of the night where no one could see me, wrote a few chapters of a story that will never see the light of day. Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? came a little easier, but there were still times that I doubted my chosen path. Let me tell you, though, I now have a lot more respect for that first author, and I realize just because I don’t like a book, it doesn’t mean the book is bad. It just means the book is not for me.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter? 
A panster who has to think out her plot and conflicts before writing. The times I’ve tried to outline, I end up veering off course about two chapters in. Then I find my outline shoved in the back of my desk drawer and go, oh, yeah! I had plans for this. Oh, well.

Where do your ideas come from? 
For Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy?, I was watching a reality TV show and thought – how funny would it be if the prize of the show didn’t want to be there? And how sexy are cowboys, right? Riley made the perfect hero for my story.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less. 
Oh, twitter is so bad for me. Anyone can tell you how much I like to talk. But I’ll give it a shot:

To give her sister a shot at true love, a florist participates in a marital rodeo with a sexy cowboy as the unwilling first prize.

Ha! I did it with ten characters to spare!

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read? 
Romance, romance, romance! But if I had to move away from that genre, I’d say fantasy (Wheel of Time) or paranormal (Harry Dresden and Sookie Stackhouse). But I like to try new things and different genres, including books that everyone raves over and those that have quiet cult-like followings.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it? 
When I got my Kindle, two of the first books I downloaded were Pride and Prejudice and the Works of Mark Twain. But for a book I go back to again and again just to read a particular passage or lose myself in a familiar world, it’s Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Outlander and Voyager are tied for my favorites. I have all the hardbacks in a prominent location on my bookshelf. Some are even first editions!

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
ENDINGS! The bane of my existence. How do I wrap up my heart and soul into that final page, paragraph, sentence?? It’s agonizing. Agonizing, I tell you!

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why? 
Look at question 7 – Mark Twain, Jane Austen, and Diana Gabaldon. Part of it would be for the humor – Twain was not what one would call an Austen fan, even going so far as to say, “that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book,” and expressing the desire to hit her with her own shin bone. Diana and I could sit back with glasses of amaretto and orange juice and watch the two of them go at it. I bet Jane could totally hold her own.

Last question, are you working on anything right now? 
Holding onto my sanity? Who Wants to Marry a Doctor? is being released in September. This time the female pediatrian has different men pursuing her. And I’ve got my mind wrapped around more stories. What writer doesn’t? Sometimes our characters won’t leave us alone.


Would YOU want to marry a cowboy? What dreams did you have of your true love when you were young? And did they come true?

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMEONE NEW . . .

There's nothing florist Ainsley Fairfax won't do to help her sister get the love of her life-even if it means taking her place on a bachelorette weekend at a Wyoming ranch so Cecelia can sail off with the man of her dreams. Ainsley is determined to spend the time keeping her head down and her heart safely tucked away-until an encounter with the ranch's hunky owner gets her heart-and steamy desires-to bloom . . .

Riley Pommer doesn't want to be lassoed into any relationship. But with the family ranch in dire straits, Riley knows his sisters' crazy plan to turn the ranch into the setting for a dating competition-and using Riley as the bait-is the only thing standing between them and foreclosure. But the rules of the game change the instant Riley lays eyes on the spirited Ainsley. Now, as others try to stampede over their love, can Riley prove to Ainsley that true love is a prize worth fighting for?

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 2 lucky winners will win an NetGalley copy of Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? 

To Enter: 

• Please answer the question: Would YOU want to marry a cowboy? What dreams did you have of your true love when you were young? And did they come true?
• US Entries ONLY.
• Must have a NetGalley Account. 
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

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