Author Interview: Joanne Kennedy

Today's author interview is with Joanne Kennedy. And there is a giveaway too.

Welcome!

1. Tell me about the first book you remember truly loving...

Joanne: My parents are readers so there were lots of books in our house. Not all of them were designed for children, but we had free run of the bookshelves. There was a very spooky set of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre illustrated with very dark, macabre woodcuts by Fritz Eichenburg. Even before I could read, those books fascinated me, mostly because the illustrations were utterly terrifying. But loving the Brontes so young might explain why I became a romance writer!

2. And now tell me about How to Handle a Cowboy.

Joanne: I love this book so much! My heroine, Sierra Dunn, takes a temporary job running a group home for foster kids in the tiny, dying Wyoming town of Wynott. The five ten-year-old boys she oversees heat up the town, and cowboy Ridge Cooper, who volunteers to give the kids riding lessons, heats up her dreams. Ridge is a rodeo cowboy who’s just suffered a career-ending injury. He’s not looking to settle down, and Sierra’s not planning to stay in Wynott... but love steps in and changes everything. 

3. I would like to ask Ridge a question ;)

Ridge, tell me about your dream woman?

Joanne/Ridge: Ridge doesn’t talk much, so let me interpret what he means when he clears his throat a couple times, stares out the window, and mumbles something about pretty eyes. What he means to say is that Sierra is his dream woman, although he never expected to fall for an inner-city social worker. Ridge needs a patient woman with a big heart who understands that actions speak louder than words, in and out of the bedroom! 

4. How about you Sierra? Describe your dream man.

Joanne/Sierra: Well, I certainly didn’t think the dusty, disreputable cowboy who knocked at my door on my second day in Wynott would turn out to be The One. But after the kids locked us in the closet, I started to see him in a different light. Actually, I couldn’t see him at all, because it was dark in there—so we had to feel our way through the beginning stages of our relationship, if you know what I mean.

5. What's the deal with cowboys? Why are they so hot?

Joanne: Cowboying is an old-fashioned profession that hasn’t changed in over hundred years, and cowboys haven’t changed much, either. They still live by the Code of the West, and that means they adhere to old-fashioned values like being honest and trustworthy. They also work with horses, which requires a nurturning spirit. In a way, cowboys are throwbacks to an earlier time and a simpler way of life. Combine all that with a tanned, muscular body from working outdoors, and you’ve got a man who fits into all our dreams. 

6. And last, what are you working on now?

Joanne: How to Handle a Cowboy is the first in the Cowboys of Decker Ranch series, so I’m working on the second book, How to Wrangle a Cowboy (love that title!). It’s about the youngest of the Decker Ranch cowboys, Brady Caine. Brady’s a carefree rodeo cowboy who can’t be tamed, but when he literally ropes a barrel racing champion, he finds himself bound by guilt to a woman who is his opposite in every way. I’ve never written a series before, and it’s been fun to see how Brady’s story intersects with Ridge’s. I also love a lot of the secondary characters in this book, like Dooley the dog and Isaiah, one of the kids from Sierra’s group home. It’s been fun to write! 

Thanks!

GIVEAWAY

1 copy of How to Handle a Cowboy + a special surprise cowboy themed gift from Joanne.

1. Open internationally.

2. Ends April 12th

3. To enter, ask Joanne a question or just say anything about cowboys ;D

HOW TO HANDLE A COWBOY BY JOANNE KENNEDY – IN STORES APRIL 2014

His Rodeo Days May Be Over...

Sidelined by a career-ending injury, rodeo cowboy Ridge Cooper feels trapped at his family's remote Wyoming ranch. Desperate to find an outlet for the passion he used to put into competing, he takes on the challenge of teaching his roping skills to five troubled ten-year-olds in a last-chance home for foster kids, and finds it's their feisty supervisor who takes the most energy to wrangle.

But He'll Still Wrangle Her Heart…

When social worker Sierra Dunn seeks an activity for the rebellious kids at Phoenix House, she soon learns she's not in Denver anymore. Sierra is eager to get back home to her inner-city work, and the plan doesn't include forming an attachment in Wyoming—especially not to a ruggedly handsome and surprisingly gentle local rodeo hero.

Praise for How to Handle a Cowboy

“Realistic and romantic... Kennedy’s forte is in making relationships genuine and heartfelt as she exposes vulnerabilities with tenderness and good humor.” —Booklist STARRED Review

“The sex scenes are juicy... Each character is essential to the storyline and the plot moves seamlessly.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joanne Kennedy’s lifelong fascination with Wyoming’s unique blend of past and present inspires her to write contemporary Western romances with traditional ranch settings. Her books include Cowboy Tough, Tall, Dark and Cowboy, and the RITA-nominated One Fine Cowboy. At various times, she has dabbled in horse training, chicken farming, and bridezilla wrangling at a department store wedding registry. Her love of reading led to careers in bookselling and writing. She lives with two dogs and a fighter pilot in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information, please visit http://joannekennedybooks.com/.

To Purchase How to Handle a Cowboy:

Amazon

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Books-a-Million

Chapters/Indigo

IndieBound

iBooks

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