Thursday 19 May 2011

Interview and contest: Carolyn Brown - Love Drunk Cowboy

Today I am interviewing Carolyn Brown about her newest book Love Drunk Cowboy. And stay tuned cos there is a contest at the bottom and 2 copies are up for grabs. Carolyn will also be stopping by if you have questions :=)

Welcome to Mur-y-Castell!


Tell us something about yourself, for those who do not know you yet…
CB: Good morning, everyone! It’s a pleasure to be here again. Love Drunk Cowboy is my 50th published book so I’m telling everyone who’ll stand still and listen all about it. I started writing when my third child was born and wouldn’t sleep at night. She wasn’t fussy and was quite content to sit in her infant seat and watch the pretty fish in the big aquarium. So I sharpened a few pencils and bought a spiral back notebook and started writing the book of my heart. Before she started sleeping Husband bought a used manual typewriter at a garage sale for me and I knew it was an omen. My book was going to be the next overnight best seller. I had visions of movie contracts and was picking out the actors who would be vying for my character’s parts. And the book did not sell! My child started sleeping at night. I got a day job when she started to school and the old typewriter got shoved into closet. Many years later when they were all three grown and married, I decided to write again, this time with a computer. I wrote romance and sold two books to Kensington’s Precious Gems line the same day in 1997. The line died in 1999 but by then I was writing for Avalon. Thirty six books later in 2008, Deb Werksman from Sourcebooks called me one day and wanted to buy my cowboy romance and it turned into three books. I’d wanted to write the Honky Tonk series for a long time and she gave me that opportunity and now I’m on to Spikes and Spurs series. Love Drunk Cowboy is the first book in that series and hit the book shelves on May 1 and will be followed by at least six more cowboy books in that series.

Your newest book is called Love Drunk Cowboy; can you tell us what it is about?
CB: Austin Lanier’s granny died down in Terral, Oklahoma and left Austin her watermelon farm and watermelon wine business. Austin took her two week vacation and planned to clean out the house, sell the farm and scoot right on back to Tulsa where she had a very lucrative position in an oil business. She came from a long line of career minded women and was already high up on the corporate ladder. But she didn’t reckon on Rye O’Donnell, the rancher across the road from her farm, being so dang sexy or being so interested in her either. It was driving her wild but her boots had high heels on them and his were cowboy boots and their lifestyles were just as different. She was head strong and sassy, willing and able to make her own decisions but it was just so sweet the way that Rye kept manipulating everything so they are thrown together. Maybe it’s a dormant gene from her Granny Lanier that skipped a generation but something about watermelon farming grabbed her and before she knows it, she was faced with some very tough decisions. And Rye, with all his steamy kisses and red hot sex wasn’t helping one bit!

What is the best thing about writing about cowboys?
CB: Cowboys are so much fun! They are down to earth, treat women right and oh, my, the way they strut in those tight jeans and cowboy boots makes a woman’s under britches start to inch down to her ankles. Not to mention when they open their mouth, there’s a deep drawl that if a woman lets it, makes her swoon. Really, women can swoon in this century. They just don’t let the cowboy know he affects her that way.

If this book became a movie, who would you see in the lead roles?
CB: Oh, a movie! Those visions of actors are dancing in my head again. Timothy Olyphant or Blake Shelton (Rye even plays the guitar so Blake could get in a few of his songs during the movie). Megan Fox would make a wonderful Austin.

What’s coming next in the Spikes and Spurs series?
CB: Red’s Hot Cowboy will be out in August and along with all the major bookstores, it will also be sold in Wal-Mart stores. It will be followed by Darn Good Cowboy Christmas in September and One Hot Cowboy Wedding in the spring of 2012. Then there’s a Christmas book for 2012 and two other books in the series with publication dates to be announced later.

 I see that you have written a lot of other books. Could you tell us a little bit about those?
CB: I’ve also written both contemporary and historical single titles, and contemporary and historical series for the library market. Somehow all my books tend to wind up set in small towns with a western flavor. The last of the Angels and Outlaws historical series, A Trick of Light will be out in August, followed by a single title contemporary in October, The Ladies Room and then Three Magic Words trilogy in 2012.

And last, what is the best thing about being an author?
CB: The single best part is that I’m a hermit by nature and I can work in my pajamas! Seriously, I would have to say it’s when readers email me and tell me that my books helped them through a difficult time in their lives; that they laughed when they read about my quirky characters, or that they can’t wait for the next book in a series. After all, without readers we, who are fortunate enough to have the privilege of writing full time, would have to find a job (oh horrors at that thought!) that wouldn’t be a tenth as much fun!

I’ll be around all day so talk to me…why do you like to read about cowboys and sassy women? Ask questions! Rye and Austin would be glad to answer most anything you want to know.

Thank you!

Giveaway!

2 copies of Love Drunk Cowboy

1. US and Canada
2. Ends May 23rd
3. Ask Carolyn a question, or answer her question (I underlined it ;) But if you still missed it, then; why do you like to read about Cowboys and sassy women?


Or just comment :)

Have fun!

WINNERS


4 Mona

11 Mary

LOVE DRUNK COWBOY BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES MAY 2011

She’s a Self-Made City Girl…
High-powered career woman Austin Lanier suddenly finds herself saddled with an inherited watermelon farm deep in the countryside. She’s determined to sell the farm, until her new, drop-dead sexy neighbor Rye O’Donnell shows up…

He’s as Intoxicating as Can Be…
Rancher Rye O’Donnell thinks he’s going to get a good deal on his dream property—until he meets the fiery new owner. Rye is knocked sideways when he realizes that not only is Granny Lanier’s city-slicker granddaughter a savvy businesswoman, she’s also sexy as hell…

Suddenly Rye is a whole lost less interested in real estate and a whole lot more focused on getting Austin to set aside her stiletto heels…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who has published 36 bestselling romances for the library market. She now writes bestselling single title cowboy and country music mass market romances. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. Carolyn’s next book, Red’s Hot Cowboy will be in stores in August 2011, followed by Darn Good Cowboy Christmas in October 2011. For more information, please visit www.carolynlbrown.com and www.sourcebookscasablanca.com

51 comments:

  1. First thing this morning, I want to thank you Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell for the awesome book review on Love Drunk Cowboy. Austin would love to have your recipe for watermelon pie. LOL. Anyone out there got any questions...I've got coffee in hand so I'm awake!

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  2. I see that you are up already, but then I have no idea what the time is there. Early or really early :)

    I am glad to have you over today, and when I managed to get together a recipe for watermelon pie then I will sure let Austin know ;)

    I must confess that I have never heard about a watermelon farm before. I am very curious, are they very common or rare?

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  3. Awesome interview. Ty Blodeuedd!

    My question: What was that first book about? :)

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  4. Thanks for the interview and giveaway :)

    The book sounds great and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I like reading about cowboys and sassy women b/c cowboys are sooo sexy for the very reasons you mentioned and sassy women make for fun verbal sparring and exciting sexual tension.

    Oh, hubby and I are also homebodies and pj's are what we wear whenever we are home.

    monagarg@yahoo.com

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  5. Blodeuedd,
    It's 8:49 here in Texas this morning. I actually live in Oklahoma but came down to Texas to visit with some of my awesome readers at a book club meeting last evening.
    Watermelon farms are common in the very southern part of Oklahoma. Two towns here have watermelon festivals every summer. Terral is one and Rush Springs is the other. There is big money in a watermelon crop if the rain and heat factor cooperate.

    Lae: That first book was set in the wrong time period (at that time) for the publishing world. Historicals ended at 1900; contemporaries didn't go back to the 30s-40s so that was a big problem. It was about a young boy growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in that time; his struggles with his mother hanging a red light on the porch to make a living during a hard time, and 12 siblings. Too many characters and wrong timing. Maybe someday I'll dust it off and try again since the historical period has extended to include that time frame.

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  6. Oh what fun! I have so many questions so I'll try to keep this one short and come back and ask others later. :-)

    Carolyn - Where are you from? Are you from an area with a lot of cowboys present? Or where did you get your passion for the good ol' cowboy? Old Western's?

    I saw that you said that you have written books from both contemporary to historical. Do you have any specific genre that you like to read more than any others? And for your historical novels, what time period and location do you like most??

    Ok I'll stop there but I'll be back later to check in again.

    Blodeuedd - Thank you so much for the awesome giveaway! :-)

    paperbackdaydreamer(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Carolyn - Didn't read the very last part of the post cuz I was going off your answer of "tell a little more about yourself" *smacks head*. But I see you were born in texas and now live in Oklahoma (I'm from Kansas!) Do you and your husband own a farm or any animals?? My goal is to one day have some land of my own and own a mini petting zoo. Random question but I had to ask. :-)

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  8. I haven't read any cowboy books. A head strong heroine and a sexy cowboy - sounds very compelling ;)

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  9. hee-hawwwww! been waiting for this! such a fun series to start.

    question for rye: what is it about austin that attracts you so?

    question for austin: do you have a favorite watermelon recipe?

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  10. First of, this sounds like a great book!

    Reading about Cowboys... well thats all that needs to be said right? Hot cowboys in tight jeans all dirty and what not! And I just like reading about women who have a mouth on them.. It reminds me of myself!

    Ashleys2204@gmail.com

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  11. To answer Carolyn's question: Because they're just so much fun to read! Congrats on your 50th book!

    meah56 AT gmail DOT com

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  12. 50th book! Yikes. I can only dream of reaching that amount.

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  13. Book 50! That is sooo inspiring. :) I LOVE reading about cowboys. This book sounds like it would be right up my alley.

    Great interview.

    I'm following.

    ecwrites.com

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  14. I like reading about cowboys and sassy women because there is always strife! Would love to win this book. Thanks. Donna
    http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com
    dkmtheriot@yahoo.com

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  15. I don't read nearly enough books that feature cowboys, thanks so much for the giveaway! I love that sexy cowboy drawl and don't even get me started on the snug jeans or I might just swoon in the middle of the workday:)

    supernaturalsnark(at)gmail(dot)com

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  16. I love this interview and giveaway, sexy cowboys and sassy ladies :) My question is: how did you decide to stay with this genre? Have you written another book in another genre? Thanks! edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom

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  17. Oooh, casting of Timothy Olyphant is a v nice choice! ;)

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  18. Even though my blog is mostly suspense and thrillers, I have a soft spot for cowboy movies and books; they just seem so down to earth, just the kind of men I admire :) please enter me in giveaway--
    Rae, http://thebestofbooks.blogspot.com
    bestobooks@gmail.com

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  19. Sounds like a fun read! Watermelon farming? Watermelon wine? And it's profitable? Who knew! What kind of research did you do? Amazing and well done for all the books you've written. And I'll go see anything with Timmy O in it! Get this on the big screen!

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  20. I like the dialogue between the cowboys and sassy women because it usually is very humorous. The new book sound great. Please enter me in the giveaway. Thanks.

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  21. I'm not really into cowboy books, though ofcourse there are some on my shelves. By Elizabeth Lowell for instance, some of her earlier books. What an awesome thing, to have written so many books! And you didn't even start at twelve or so.

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  22. I have to admit, I don't care for cowboys but I like the way you describe the ones in your book. The ones I've actually met don't treat women that well... so I'm very curious about this book. :) Oh and now I want some watermelon since everyone keeps mentioning it! lol

    books (Dot) things (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  23. Hello again! I'm just getting home from a trip to Texas and am so excited to see everyone here!
    Deannalynnc: I was born in Texas but raised in Oklahoma and my retired husband and I now live in Davis, Oklahoma, a small southern Oklahoma town about half way between Dallas and Oklahoma City. Yes, ma'am, there are a lot of cowboys in our area. I just an hour ago paid out at a restaurant behind a cowboy with spurs on his boots. I love old westerns...read everything Louis L'Amour wrote and even helped name one of my nephews Tyrel after one of L'Amour's books. Love reading them; loved watching them on television when I was a kid...still love them...Justified is my new passion.
    I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Leon Uris and love it all. Same goes for my historical writing. I've written about the Oregon trail and wagon trains, about the oil boom days in Oklahoma, the end of World War I in Arkansas, Oklahoma in the Land Rush days and recently, Texas at the time of the Alamo. I've enjoyed all of it. Come on back later if you have more questions! I'll be here all evening.
    Husband and I live in town with one old black and white tom cat, Boots Randolph Terminator Outlaw, who rules the back yard and strikes fear into the birds! Good luck with that petting zoo! Sounds like fun!

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  24. Misha: Here's hoping that Love Drunk Cowboy takes you right into the western genre!
    vvb32: I'm glad that you have been anticipating the new series. Rye says that he couldn't pinpoint exactly what struck him into the love drunk stage...most likely it was those blue eyes! And watermelon recipes: Well, Austin doesn't give out her wine recipes but she says that she's grown very fond of watermelon rind preserves served for breakfast with hot buttered biscuits.

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  25. Ashley: You are definitely material for one of my characters. A good sassy woman is just what it takes to lasso a sexy cowboy.
    Mary: Thank you! I'm very excited about my 50th book...and yes, ma'am, cowboys are fun to read and fun to write about!
    Vivienne: It kind of snuck up on me...I had to count to tell someone and when I came to 50 I was shocked...of course that was followed by a lot of dancing around and giggling.
    Elisabeth: Pick up a copy of Love Drunk Cowboy and enter a brand new world.
    Donna: Oh, yes, there are speed bumps in the journey and it takes a strong cowboy and a sassy, stubborn woman to get over them.

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  26. Jenny: Swooning over thoughts of cowboys at work is not grounds for dismissal! LOL!
    Krystal: I have written several books in the western genre in the literary market. For a complete list check out my website at www.carolynlbrown.com
    Small towns play big parts in my books because I believe they have a pulse and heartbeat of their own and since small towns are often agricultural centers...down here in Oklahoma and Texas, at least...my books are often filled with cowboys or country singers or both!
    Audra: Don't you just love Timothy in Justified. My Christmas book, Darn Good Cowboy Christmas, has a hero named Raylen!

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  27. Best: Yep, they are just that. Down to earth! Thank you for stopping by.
    Alyssa: From your lips to the movie buyer's ears, darlin', concerning that big screen idea. Watermelon farming is very profitable. If the rain comes and the heat doesn't get too unbearable a big crop can net enough to keep a farmer going for a whole year. The wine is very good especially if you like the sweet wines. I did a lot of research but it helped that we lived in Terral for a year a long time ago and knew a few watermelon farmers.

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  28. Joni: Austin and Rye do have their moments when things are very humorous. If you read the book, I'd like to know what you think of the night she gets a Charlie horse in her leg at a very bad time.
    Aurien: I sold my first book fourteen years ago. Actually sold two in one day to Kensington for their Precious Gems line. In the past fourteen years I've sold 63 books. My 2011 schedule is full and 2012 is filling up fast.
    Melissa: If the cowboys you know aren't respectful, send them to Terral. My son-in-law, who is a cowboy, will teach them to mind their manners in a hurry! LOL

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  29. I was born and raised in rural Oklahoma. Growing up around cowboys is why I like to read about them. I live in the midwest now so books are my only way of getting my cowboy fix. Congratulations on Love Drunk Cowboy Carolyn!

    user1123 AT comcast DOT net

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  30. Carolyn
    I should go into watermelon farming :D Though it's way too cold here I think, still I do love watermelons, they are so yummy



    And a big thanks to all who have stopped by :D

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  31. Wonderful interview. Carolyn, congrats on your 50th published book! I love cowboys because they're the perfect modern-day hero (strong & sexy), like the knights and Highlanders are to historical romance.

    I live in Kansas...I may have to look into watermelon farming!

    Thank you for the giveaway!
    bookofsecrets(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  32. Stacy: I'm glad cowboy books take you back to your roots. Things don't change much in Texas and Oklahoma!
    Bloddeuedd: It's very profitable but one must have sandy soil and a couple of months of good hot weather. I love them, too! If I could talk Husband into it, I'd plow up part of the yard, but then I'd have to cut down my shade trees...oh, well! Guess you and I'll just have to get them at the store! However, anyone who is in southern Oklahoma on the third weekend in July, come on down to Terral. That's the day of their festival and they'll be giving away slices of ice cold watermelon all day long...free of charge...and I'll be in the air conditioned festival room signing copies of Love Drunk Cowboy (all proceeds are going to the scholarship fund to help one of the area seniors with their first year of college). So get a piece of watermelon and come on into the center and visit with me!

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  33. Ahh then that would be a trouble, many warm months..eh, no luck there. Sandy soil, no luck there either. But yes I always have the store, and when they do sell them, I do eat them :D

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  34. YewHaw!

    OMG! I'm so in love with Blake Shelton like you don't even know. I cried when he got married.

    And I agree completely about cowboys. They sure do know how to rein in a sassy woman!

    Fun interview. Reminded me of home since I'm a country girl from Texas. :)

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  35. Missie...I LOVE Blake, too! And he and Miranda live in my hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. I really thought they should've invited me to the wedding! LOL. And he or Timothy would either one make a wonderful Rye in the movie...now if we could just figure out how to rein in a company to produce it!

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  36. 50 books! Wow! I find that so amazing especially when I have a hard time putting together a coherent paragraph. I do want to read Love Drunk Cowboy because you enjoyed it!

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  37. I have always loved cowboys. I guess it goes back to a man I knew when I was first dating, he was all tanned and strong and very southern. He didn't ride a horse, he rode a motorcycle but I could see him on a horse..... And I've always loved sassy women! Mae West is one of my favorites.

    dancealert at aol dot com

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  38. this book sounds adorable :) (not an entry :))

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  39. Staci: Thank you! It's been such a fun time writing all my books that 50 doesn't seem like so many. The next 50 might...LOL!
    Brenda: Mae West! Love her attitude!
    Carrie: Thank you so much for stopping in and commenting.
    And thanks to everyone who's taken time out of their busy schedules to visit with me today...Thanks Blodeuedd, for letting me put up my feet and rest a spell before taking off on two more blogs tomorrow. Y'all have all been GREAT!!

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  40. This sounds like a book I would really enjoy! The cover is cute too!
    I remember when I was about 7 yrs old, I planted watermelon seeds in my dad's vegetable garden. everyone told me nothing would happen. The following spring there were some tiny little watermelons growing in the garden. Sadly, I don't know how big they got, or what happened to them, we moved a couple months later!
    I don't have any watermelon recipes to share since I only have, which I am sure most people already have. It is very basic, only a couple of ingredients 1. watermelon 2. Vodka or Rum. Cut a circle out of the watermelon, pour in lots of your chosen alcohol, replace the circle you cut out! Refrigerate for several hours. Enjoy! ( Keep out of reach of children!!)

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  41. Thanks all :D You have been great!

    And thanks again Carolyn for coming over yesterday, it was fun :)

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  42. Carolyn - Thank you so much for answering all of my questions! I love your cats name and how he strikes fear into the birds! LOL. I haven't been able to read anything by Louis L'Amour sounds like I really need to check out his work! :-) I must go check out your historical novels. I love anything with some history base to it and history of the old west is always a blast! Have you always been interested in the Old West history or did that come later in life? I have been around the cowboys since I go to the Ag college here in KS so we have students come to class in chaps and spurs. LOL. It's always a fun sight to see.

    Where did you get the idea for watermelon farming? Did you have friends who farmed it or did you and your family? I know a lot of people who farm corn, wheat, sunflower seeds and soy beans but I've never heard of watermelon farming...although it does sound like a blast!

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  43. deannalyncc: We lived in Terral, Oklahoma (yep, there really is such a town and these days it's where my daughter, her husband and their combined family of six kids make their home) and it really, honestly is a watermelon farming town. They even have the watermelon festival there on the third weekend of every July! We only lived there for a year but got to know some fine watermelon farmers. Before I started Love Drunk Cowboy, I went out to a farm during harvest time and walked in the fields to get the feel of the heat and the smell of the dust in my nose.
    Lu: I've got to try that watermelon recipe! LOVE IT!!!

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  44. we own a ranch so my husband is a cowboy and you could say I'm kind of sassy so this book is right up my alley,
    I added this book to my TBR pile and it would be nice to win
    thanks for the opportunity

    recupefashion@hotmail.fr

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  45. I enjoy reading about cowboys and their sassy women because it's good to see a woman stop one of these guys in his tracks and meet his match :)

    lenikaye@yahoo.com

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  46. I love to read about cowboys and sassy women because the men are men and the women are always right :) And the stories are always a good time.
    Thanks for the giveaway.
    jepebATverizonDOTnet

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  47. I like Ms. Brown's cowboy books because the people in her books live real lives; they cook, do laundry and all the chores the rest of have to do, with an HEA thrown in - what's not to like! It maybe a story of fiction but I sure can relate to her characters.

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  48. I noticed a couple of things wrong with my last comment. I did not answer the question or ask a question, or leave my email address!

    My answer - I love reading about cowboys. I am not exactly sure why, but there is just something about cowboys that intrigues me!
    My question- Who are some of your favourite authors?

    lusravesandrants AT gmail DOT com

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  49. That's ok Lu. You can just comment too, and you wrote such a lovely comment anyway :)
    But yes thanks for the email addy. that helps :)

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  50. I'd actually like to win this one for my mom. She loves to read and she loves romance. We were actually just having a conversation about cowboys and I think this would make an awesome b-day gift! :)

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