Wednesday 6 June 2012

Interview and giveaway: Joanne Kennedy and Cowboy Crazy


Today Joanne Kennedy is visiting my blog for an interview, and at the end of it there is a giveaway of her new book Cowboy Crazy. Open worldwide.

1. Tell me 3 fun things about yourself…
JK: Let’s see… (1) I have absolutely no sense of direction, to the point where I practically get lost in my own driveway. (2) Although I write about cowboys, I’m terrible at horseback riding. (3) I’ve never outgrown my childhood fear that there are monkeys in the closet.

2. Your new book is called Cowboy Crazy, could you tell me about it?
JK: My new heroine is Sarah Landon, a small-town girl who kicked the country dust off her boots and built herself a new life as a publicity manager for Carrigan Oil. The Carrigan family’s black sheep, rodeo cowboy Lane Carrigan, isn’t about to let her forget that she’s a cowgirl at heart, and when the two of them clash over the fate of Sarah’s old hometown of Two Shot, the secrets she’s tried to leave behind come back to haunt her. It’s up to Lane to help her return to her roots.

3. Why will readers fall helplessly in love with Lane Carrigan, your hero?  
JK: Lane is as wild as any rodeo cowboy could be, but behind carefree façade is a cowboy who genuinely does care—about his friends, about his community, and about Sarah. He was born to wealth, but he wants nothing more than to be a regular guy—a cowboy, a rancher, and a family man.

4. What made you write in this particular genre?
JK: It just came naturally. I started out writing a mystery, but every time I submitted to editors they told me it was “too romancey.” So I bowed to fate and my own mushy heart and turned it into a romance. I’ve never looked back! I really do believe in love and happy endings, because I’ve found my own :)

The whole cowboy thing came naturally, too. I’m originally from back East but I’ve always been fascinated by the West, and I when I moved West twenty years ago I knew I’d found my spiritual home as soon as I saw the big sky. I’m also a horse lover; I’m fascinated by the way cowboys form working partnerships with their horses through understanding and cooperation.

5.  Which character in this book was the most fun to write?
JK: I love Gloria, Sarah’s wild-child friend and roommate. She’s a coffee shop barista with trophy wife ambitions, and she never saw a party she couldn’t liven up with a little table dancing. She’s the kind of person who makes you tear your hair out in frustration even as she’s helping you find the joy in life.

6. Do you know a lot about oil or rodeo? Or do you do a lot of research? Like watching hot cowboys? ;)
JK: I don’t know a lot about oil, but I know the effects the boom-and-bust cycle has on Wyoming’s small towns. When the drilling starts, populations double. Massive trucks roll in and destroy the roads as new residents create a challenge for schools, housing, and law enforcement. Ranchers often don’t own the minerals beneath the soil, so companies that own those minerals can come in and leave their land unfit for grazing without giving them a dime. I support domestic energy production, but I think the companies that profit should work with communities to make sure the old Wyoming and the new can live in harmony.

Okay, I’m climbing off my soapbox so we can talk about the fun stuff. I love rodeo! There is nothing better than a summer day in the rodeo stands, watching your favorite cowboys show their skills. And I love doing research, because it gives me an excuse to hang out behind the chutes where the cowboys get ready to ride. This year, I’m hoping to spend some time with the barrel racers, since I’m working on a book about that side of rodeo.

And of course, I watch hot cowboys whenever I get the chance—and in Wyoming, that’s pretty often!

7. What’s coming next from you?
JK: I just finished Cowboy Tough, about a rodeo cowboy who’s forced to return home when his family turns their cattle operation into a dude ranch. Their first guests include a big-city artist who’s leading a group of painters into the back country to paint landscapes. She likes gallery openings and fine wines; he likes rodeos and shooting beer cans off fence posts. It’s definitely a clash of cultures!

Writing Cowboy Tough has been a real pleasure because Mack Boyd and Cat Crandall, the hero and heroine, have been with me for so long. They were the ones who put an end to my mystery career by being so danged ”romancey” all the time, and I’m happy they finally got their own story and found their happy ending.

Thanks!!

To purchase Cowboy Crazy by Joanne Kennedy, please visit ganxy.com/p/62834



GIVEAWAY
2 copies
1 international winner / 1 US or Canada winner

1. Open to all, all over the world
2. Ends June 20th
3. Just go ahead and enter.
If you want to then ask a question, or perhaps tell me if you have seen a real life sexy cowboy ;)



COWBOY CRAZY BY JOANNE KENNEDY – IN STORES JUNE 2012
Sparks fly when sexy cowboys collide with determined heroines in a West filled with quirky characters and sizzling romance. Acclaimed for delivering “a fresh take on the traditional contemporary Western“ Joanne Kennedy’s books might just be your next great discovery!

From stable to boardroom…
Sarah Landon’s Ivy League scholarship transforms her from a wide-eyed country girl into a poised professional. Until she’s assigned to do damage control with the boss’s rebellious brother Lane, who’s the burr in everybody’s saddle. He’s determined to save his community from oil drilling, and she’s not going back to the ranch she left forever. Spurs will shine in this saucy romp about ranchers and roots, redemption and second chances.

Click on the cover for a preview :D Lots of pages to read (still poor cover, it got this weird color when I put it here :(


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanne Kennedy is the author of four contemporary Western romances for Sourcebooks: Cowboy Trouble One Fine Cowboy, Cowboy Fever, and Tall, Dark and Cowboy. She brings a wide variety of experience, ranging from chicken farming to horse training, to her sexy, spicy cowboy stories. She is a 2011 finalist in the prestigious Romance Writers of American RITA© Awards, for One Fine Cowboy. Joanne lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she is working on her next book, Cowboy Tough (Fall 2012). For more information, please visit http://joannekennedybooks.com/. To purchase Joanne’s latest release, Cowboy Crazy, please visit ganxy.com/p/62834



43 comments:

  1. Nice interview ladies, the book sounds good. I have no sense of direction either :)

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    1. Thanks, Naida, it's nice to hear someone else is "cardinally impaired" (that's what my husband calls it)!

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  2. I have a horrible sense of direction as well. So thankful for GPS in cars!! I don't think I've seen a cowboy like the ones in Ms. Kennedy's books. This new book sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win.

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    1. Mary, I think GPS is the greatest invention ever! It allows me to leave the house without getting lost in the driveway:)

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  3. Hm... The only sexy cowboys I've ever seen were actors in western films! When I was a teenager they showed a lot of westerns on TV and I loved watching them. Sometimes even for the story! ;)

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    1. Good news, Mirjam - there really are cowboys like that out here in Wyoming. The guys at the rodeo are polite and gentelemanly. A little wild, too, but good people.

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  4. Mhhhmmmmm Cowboys are yummah. I've seen some real cowboys in Oklahoma and my heart melted. hahaha
    Anyways, great interview! It's okay Joanne Kennedy...I have a horrid sense of direction too. Especially when it comes to big cities.

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    1. Carole, thanks! I had to laugh at "yummah." So perfectly descriptive!

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  5. I have ZERO sense of direction either. Seriously North is always in front of me and South behind me. Who are these people that can always tell?

    My dad used to work in the oil industry (comes standard growing up in TX) so I am excited to read a story that combines them :)

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    1. Felicia, I'm starting to feel better about my sense of direction - apparently I'm not alone! Maybe we should start a support group.
      I like your definition of North and South. Works for me!

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  6. Just don't ask me which is my right or left... unless you give me a second to think about it. ;) I also haven't ridden a horse in a long time, so I am probably bad at it now. LOL

    Hm... might have to check out this book. I don't mind the soapbox. :D

    I've seen cowboys, drugstore type, and rodeo ones as well... and some were smexy I guess... B, you so need to come here. ;D

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    1. Thanks for putting up with my soapbox, Melissa! The book really doesn't come down on one side of the issue or another; it's just about the conflict of old and new Wyoming. Hopefully it adds a deeper dimension to the story.

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  7. I have learned my directions and can navigate pretty darn well. I grew up in Idaho so I know all about the big sky country and beauty of ID, WY and MT. A great well kept secret. Also have known many a cowboy and they are wondefful :)

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    1. Heide, Idaho is so beautiful! You have all the beauty of the West and trees, too (they're kind of sparse in southeast Wyoming). I'm glad to hear your cowboy experiences were positive:)

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  8. Thank you for the interview Joanne! :)

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    1. Thank you, Bodeuedd! You ask great questions:) Sorry I'm a little late chiming in today, but it's been a crazy one. I love getting all the comments and feedback, and I'm starting to feel a lot better about my sense of direction:)

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    2. No worries, I was late posting too, but luckily I am so many time zones before you over there :)

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  9. I love books with sexy cowboys! :)

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    1. Good to hear, Yvonne:) I'll keip 'em coming!

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  10. Thanks to all you commenters - keep it up! I love hearing about everyone's cowboy experiences, and you're all making me feel much better about my directional dyslexia:) I got here a little late today, but I'll be checking in all through the rest of the day!

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  11. Great interview. I love a good cowboy romance..yea-ha! I love big sky country it's a beautiful area.

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  12. Such a fun interview and cowboys are pretty hot right now!

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    1. Thanks, Staci! When I first started writing cowboy stories, every agent and editor I talked to told me "Westerns don't sell." Times have certainly changed!

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  13. Great interview! And monkeys in the closet. That's cute. :) Thank you!

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    1. You know, it's funny. Everybody chimed in that they don't have a sense of direction either, but NOBODY else apparently knows about the monkeys in the closet! I'm kind of surprised:)

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  14. Thanks for the giveaway. I would love to read this book. Never met a real life sexy cowboy before but I would love to. Tore923@aol.com

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    1. Tore, maybe you'll get a chance to meet Lane Carrigan in "Cowboy Crazy!" Good luck!

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  15. No horse riding cowboys in the Netherlands, and I for sure would like to visit a stud farm one day.
    International entry.

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    1. Aurian, you gave me a giggle with the stud farm comment! Yee ha!

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  16. I would like to thank you for not only a fantastic book giveaway but for a facinating interview! As an amateur writer myself it is always facinating to find out about where the author got her ideas from, and the foundations of her story was intreguing along with the storyline. I would love to be able to have the oportunity of reading this, as it looks increadible. thank you x
    (International) Email: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

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    1. Thanks, Lucinda! And good luck with your writing. I think being a writer enriches the world and makes you see things differently - plus it lets you escape reality for a little while each time you sit down at the keyboard!

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  17. I haven't read a western romance in ages and this sounds like a fun one. I do love reading about cowboys, so this is definitely a book I'll have to check out. And I really enjoyed the interview with the author.

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    1. Thanks, Simcha! There are a lot of good Westerns out there these days. Linda Lael Miller, Jodi Thomas, and Carolyn Brown all write good ones. And me:)

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  18. I love this series of Joanne's. Sexy cowboys, what's not to like. Congrats on the new release. Thanks for the great interview. This book sounds amazing. Can't wait to read it.

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    1. Thanks, Joanne! Your comment confused me for a moment - I felt like I was talking to myself:) I hope you enjoy the book!

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  19. Thanks again to the Book Girl and to everyone who commented. I love getting to know new readers, and it's always nice to see international commenters. I love the idea of my cowboys making it overseas!

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  20. Great interview. Cowboy Crazy sounds good. I like the cover. I have seen a real life cowboy at a rodeo. :)

    Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  21. I live in a country town where real life 'cowboys' do roam. Not a sexy one among them. That's just wrong.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  22. Thank you to all for stopping by :)

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  23. Twitted about your giveaway at: https://twitter.com/cherrymischivus/status/211911496962289664 :)

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  24. I have seen a lot of real sexy cowboys, I use to live in both Texas and Arizona. I would love to read this book. Thanks for having the giveaway.
    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  25. Winners: Carole Rae and Aurian

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