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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Interview with Author Carolyn Brown and Giveaway

Please welcome author Carolyn Brown. Carolyn is celebrating her newest release, Cowboy Seeks Bride and has stopped by to answer a few questions.

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than sixty books published. She writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances, as well as women's fiction. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. Look for The Cowboy's Christmas Baby in stores this October!

Places to find Carolyn:
| Site | Facebook 


First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I sold my first book(s)—I actually sold two books on the same day—fourteen years ago. That company bought six of my books before the line died. Only four were published and the other two which I'm sure would have been blockbustin' best sellers are gathering dust on a shelf somewhere or else that publisher has recycled them into toilet paper. Before the line died, I'd already sold a book to Avalon so I moved my nest over there and wrote 44 books for them before they sold to Amazon. And now all of those titles are being offered in paperback and Kindle formats which is something my readers just love. But, alas they couldn't keep me busy and I do tend to get into trouble if I get bored, so I submitted a cowboy romance to Sourcebooks and Deb Werksman and I began an editor/author/friend relationship about five years ago that has seen seventeen books published and several more on the way. Granny always said that if you love what you do you are a success. I love my life, my family, my kids, my grandkids, my job as a full time writer and my two tom cats, so I'm a success.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Well, from the time I was four years old. I can't remember too much before that except sitting on the porch and telling stories to my dolls and baby brother.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
I try so hard to be a plotter because that's organized and I really do want to be organized. But, alas, I never get the job done. With Cowboy Seeks Bride Husband and I drove from Ringgold, Texas to Dodge City, Kansas with him taking pictures at every single fifteen mile mark and me taking notes after notes. I was going to be a plotter this time but when I started writing the story, Dewar and Haley said the story was too stilted and I needed to loosen up and tell it like it happened even if she did fall backwards in a fresh pile of cow crap.

Where do your ideas come from?
Oh, honey, anything can spark an idea for a book or even a whole series. According to Dewar's father, he should have gotten married before all his brothers, sisters and friends and here he is trailing along at the end of the series. I wasn't sure what his story would be but then I saw an ad in the local newspaper that said: Seeking good woman for companion. Well, what if Dewar's mama and his sisters got so desperate that they were thinking about putting an ad in the newspaper that said, Cowboy Seeks Bride, if he didn't get down to business? A lot of my ideas come from what if: what if Dewar was going on an all guy trip with a bunch of cattle as a trial run for the Chisholm Trail reality television show and the person the television company sent to accompany them was a woman? What if she was a city girl and just to prove her daddy wrong she turned out to be an asset and Dewar liked her...a lot?

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Move `em out and watch where you step. The cattle drive has begun and a hell-of-a-lot can happen from Ringgold, Texas to Dodge City, Kansas.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
Of course I love romance. It's about love and emotions and that hasn't changed from Adam and Eve until today. The heart wants what it wants, no matter what. But I also enjoy mysteries: J. A. Jance, Sue Grafton, Randy Wayne White, Carl Hiaason. And I like a classic thrown in just for fun: The Great Gatsby, Gone With the Wind (which I've read many times), or maybe To Kill a Mockingbird.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
My all time favorite would probably be Gone With the Wind. I love Scarlett's sass and determination.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
Probably the steamy scenes because after writing more than sixty books, there's not many new ways to describe a love scene.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
Joanne Kennedy, Grace Burrowes and LaVyrle Spencer. If any one of those couldn't make it, I'd like to have Leon Uris and Randy Wayne White waiting in the background.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
Today I'm working on the final woman's fiction book in the series about Cadillac Texas. It began with The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee which came out this past spring. Next is The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off that will see publication in April and the last one, which is what I'm working on now, is The Yellow Rose Barbecue Ball. After I finish this one I'm setting off on a new adventure with four more cowboys…two of whom my readers will meet in Cowboy Seeks Bride: Finn O'Donnell and Sawyer O'Donnell, who find themselves right smack in the middle of a family feud in Burnt Boot, Texas. The first book in that series will find its way to the bookshelves in October, 2014.


Thank you so much for letting me stop by here on my blog journey today. It's been a delight to sit and visit with all y'all. Now it's my turn to ask a question. What is it about a cowboy that you like? Is it his swagger, the hat, the boots or the way he tips his hat at the ladies?


He's Tough as Nails and Ready to Ride...

Rancher Dewar O'Donnell is just an old-fashioned cowboy at heart, and he can't wait to reenact the historic Chisholm Trail ride with his buddies. The trial-run cattle drive for a reality TV show sounds like a great time—until H.B. McKay pulls up in her slick red sports car...

She's Way Out of Her Element...

Haley McKay is a feisty, high-powered businesswoman with the power suit and stiletto heels to prove it. She's keen to research her company's hot new idea for a reality TV show—but mount up with a bunch of modern-day cowboys? Are they kidding?

It's too late to back out now, so Haley sets out to prove that it will take more than snakes, storms, and stampedes to make her back down.

Besides, sleeping under the stars with Dewar O'Donnell could prove mighty interesting...

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |

Check out the Spikes & Spurs series:
Click for info.


Check out what's up for grabs.


Up For Grabs:

To Enter: 
  • Please answer the question: What is it about a cowboy that you like? Is it his swagger, the hat, the boots or the way he tips his hat at the ladies?
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

58 comments :

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Cowboys, they are sexy, the way they tip their hat and almost anything else...

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    1. LS: You got it! Cowboys are sexy and so much fun to write about. Haley says that Dewar is just about the sexiest man she's ever met even when his hat gets dusty!

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  3. It's all of it, for me though, something about the boots, hat & that country drawl all mixed together with their manners and sinful, good looks!

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    1. I agree! The whole package is pretty sexy when it comes to cowboys!

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  4. I love it all, especially that swagger. Nothing like a tight butt in a pair of wranglers after being in his saddle all day! I love your books Carolyn and can't wait to get to read Cowboy Seeks Bride!

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    1. Hey, Kim!
      I'm glad to see you here today. That swagger is sure a part of being a cowboy. Pretty often it marks the real ones from the wannabes!

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  5. The hat and boots along with the swagger makes a ruggedly handsome package.

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    1. Kim,
      Yes, ma'am, it surely does! And Dewar delivers it all so well.

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  6. His swagger, the hat, the boots, the tipping of the hat...it's a package together.

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    1. Haley says that's what kept giving her visuals of Dewar riding naked on his big black horse...oh, now she's blushing. I don't think she wanted Dewar to know that!

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  7. i think its the whole package, the jeans showing off there bots. the way they wear their hats. The unique way they walk and my the way they talk makes you feel soo special

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    1. Cowboys do have a way of making a woman feel special. Haley loves that about Dewar. After riding and herding cattle all day, he's still got manners.

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  8. I love their swagger and most have very sexy southern drawls. They are usually very mannerly and take good care of their women.

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    1. Oh, yes, they take good care of their women. If they didn't, they'd be in big trouble with their mamas!

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  9. I think it's the swagger and the attitude! :)

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  10. It's definitely their swagger. I love the way they are so confident or present themselves that way. They have manners and that slow, Southern drawl is just panty-melting. I just love me some cowboys. :)
    Rhonda D

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    1. Rhonda,
      Love that about their drawl being panty melting. Haley says that Dewar's drawl would make a holy woman's under britches start inching down toward her ankles.

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  11. Boots , can't beat a handsome man in cow boy boots.
    CABWNANA1@bellsouth.net

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    1. There's just something about those boots and the way they make them walk, isn't there!?

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  12. I would have to say that he tips his hat to a lady is so fine... But it's those charming smiles they all seem to have that get me going...
    Love, love Carolyn's cowboys always.. especially those O'Donnell boys...

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    1. Thank you Miz Kathleen for loving the O'Donnells. They've been really special to me these past couple of years that I've been working with the bunch of them and their friends.

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  13. Love Carolyn Brown's books love all of them but I think my favorite so far is The Ladies Room it was hilarious and an unputdownable book

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    1. Thank you, Ginny! The Ladies Room was set in my home town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma so it holds a special place in my heart, too!

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  14. I love reading books with cowboys! They are among the sexiest characters that can be featured in a book, to me. I like that they are strong and seemingly tough or rough around the edges but gooey on the inside, loving deeply when they find their lady. Of the cowboy books I have read, I like how old fashioned they seem, like in tipping their hats and saying Ma'am. I especially love the cowboy books by Catherine Anderson.

    Thank you so much for the post and giveaway! I've yet to read any books by Carolyn Brown, but I've reserved a few from my library just now, including Love Drunk Cowboy, the first in this series.

    Fingers crossed for the giveaway! :-)

    Best Wishes,
    Lindsey V.

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    1. Lindsey,
      Welcome to Ringgold, Texas. The O'Donnells are so glad that you are going to read their stories!

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  15. I like their laid back attitude. Oh, and the low slung jeans! ;)

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    1. Sue,
      Yes, ma'am...low slung jeans and open shirts!

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  16. I love ll those things you mentioned. They just look so damn good. *sigh*
    I love your books Carolyn !

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    1. Thank you lorimeehan for reading my books. AND thank you for loving my cowboys.

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  17. Love seeing a cowboy in a cowboy hat but watching him walk away in a tight pair of jeans isn't bad either.

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    1. Mary,
      That's a nice visual...walking away in a tight pair of jeans. Haley got to see lots of that sight on the trip from Ringgold to Dodge City and it always made her smile.

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  18. I like the cowboy hat and the jeans.

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    1. chey,
      Haley didn't like either that first day but it didn't take her long to figure out just how sexy they are.

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  19. I love cowboy's sexy voice and sexy Texas accent. ;)
    For me the best scene is when they are on their horses
    Love your sexy sweet cowboys Carolyn!

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    1. Thank you so much Lady Milano...Dewar sure covers that...sweet and sexy. Even when he and Haley lock up horns, he retains those qualities.

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  20. The swagger!!! Thanks for sharing and congrats to Carolyn on the newest release!

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    1. Thank you, erin...there's just something about that swagger that catches a woman's eye. Haley was on a cattle drive with four of those O'Donnell cowboys and they all had the swagger!

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  21. Cowboys, they are sexy, the way they tip their hat and almost anything else...

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    1. Yes, ma'am, there's just something sexy about everything they say and do!

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  22. The first thing that draws me ss the politeness - hat tipping. Next is the loyalty and protectiveness. Of course the hot body and alpha qualities don't hurt! Thanks for the giveaway.

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    1. Glittergirl,
      They do bring a whole package to the party don't they with their loyalty and protective nature?

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  23. I like it all, especially the boots and hat - and when a cowboy is tipping his hat to the ladies, that's just swoon worthy. :D

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    1. Yes, ma'am, swoon worthy is the right expression.

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  24. Ah, Carolyn, we meet again! I do so love your stories! I think what I like best about cowboys is their loyalty and honor to family and friends--"the Code." With that goes the manners and language when in a lady's presence and plain ol' hard work. It's just an old-fashioned way of living and speechifying... which is how I was brought up to behave. Good to "see" you again. jdh2690@gmail.com

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    1. Janice,
      Great to see you again. And those cowboys had better have manners or they won't get me to write their stories!

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  25. Cowboys do have a swagger and a confidence that just radiates charm and sexy. Not to mention the hats, boots and tight jeans. Yes, I love me some cowboys!

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    1. Haley agrees with you Marcy. She fell in love with all the guys on the trail ride but it was Dewar that flat out took her heart!

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  26. Like the original cowboy George Strait, how hot his butt looks in a tight pair of Wranglers !! and that hat !! OH MY, I gotta go throw myself into some cold water !!!

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    1. Erica,
      My daughter says that my books should come with a blister pack for a couple of little "hot flash" pills on the backside. I do love my sexy cowboy covers!

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  27. I love cowboys because they usually have great bodies, can really fill out a pair of jeans and look great in a cowboy hat & boots. Thanks for sharing the great interview and the giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com

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    1. Eva,
      Yes, ma'am, you got that right. They do make a complete package. Dewar is all of the above and according to Haley, he does a fine job of being a cowboy.

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  28. I love how (most) cowboys have integrity. They're hard working and have core values they stick to. Plus all the hard work they do give them unbelievably amazing bodies. Tee hee hee.

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    1. The core values are what I look for in all my cowboys. If they don't have integrity, they have to take their stories to another author!

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  29. I love everything about a cowboy - their mentality and work ethic really draws me in. And it helps that they look really sexy lol

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  30. The look of a cowboy, the swagger, the hat....the entire package is just irresistible! Hard to resist a sexy man with great manners :)

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  31. The swagger!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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