Tag Archives: Texas Born

TEXAS COWBOY SWEETHEART – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Rebecca Crowley!

Did you know that only 9% of American farms are run by women? And that women farmers are, on average, younger than their male counterparts and more likely to be first-timers? Those facts add up to a bigger one: that more and more women are choosing this field, and that we’re on the cusp of a big shift in who’s wearing the pants in American agriculture.

That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Josie Star, the heroine of my most recent Tule release, Texas Cowboy Sweetheart. Josie’s family has been in Last Stand, Texas for generations, and so has her family’s ranch, the Lone Star. But when her dad has an accident and she leaves her corporate career to come home, she becomes the first woman to take the reins of the two-thousand-acre cow-calf operation.

Luckily for Josie, she can rely on Easton McKinney, the ranch foreman – and the best friend about whom her feelings are best described as “it’s complicated” – to help her get situated, but that doesn’t mean she’s in for an easy ride. Resistant ranch hands and antiquated systems are hurdles she’ll need to overcome, all while balancing her family’s legacy on her shoulders.

So maybe it’s no wonder that so many women farmers are in start-up mode! After all, sometimes it’s easier to start something from scratch than trying to change what’s already in place. For Josie, though, there’s more on the line than just the ranch’s profit and loss statement. She’s writing a new chapter of her family’s history book, and she wants it to be the best one yet.

One of my favorite parts of the research for Josie’s character was learning more about the day-to-day of life running a ranch. I probably shouldn’t admit how many hours I spent watching farming videos on YouTube! It’s so fun to get a peek into such a unique way of life, that is both deeply traditional and full of innovation. That’s certainly the balance Josie has to strike: respecting the past while moving forward into the future. All while catching feelings for her lifelong best friend!

I hope readers will enjoy this unique workplace romance, in which the office is a ranch and the heroine is the boss! Texas Cowboy Sweetheart is also a friends-to-lovers tale and the first book in a new series, so keep your eyes peeled for the next installment in my Stars of Texas series!

Rebecca

About the Author

Rebecca Crowley inherited her love of romance from her mom, who taught her to at least partially judge a book by the steaminess of its cover. She writes contemporary romance with smart heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, and never tires of the happily-ever-after. Having pulled up her Kansas roots to live in New York City, London and Johannesburg, Rebecca currently resides in Houston.

 

THE TEXAS COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE – New Release Blog Post Featuring Author Debra Holt!

Wow… the last book in my series, Texas Heritage, has now launched and the baby is off and running. It is a bittersweet feeling when the last page is done in the manuscript and you send the words and characters off into the unknown. Do all authors feel the same? In my estimation, it is never easy. 

People ask me how I come up with my ideas for stories time after time. There is no set equation to follow. Some have looked at me as if I might have lost my mind along the way. But a snippet of conversation can pop into my head…a title of a book yet to be written can grab my brain’s attention… a couple I see walking into a restaurant together… so many ways the stories have had their beginnings in my mind and then find their way onto my laptop. And once they do, I hang on for a wild ride. I begin a chapter thinking I know where I am going. But I have often been surprised by the detours and back roads that emerge to engage my attention. The journey is always a wonderful mystery.

This last series began with me sitting on a bench at a small roadside pullout as the sun was just clearing a ridge to the east and the morning mist was swirling along the ground and whispering upwards and over the sleek backs of the dozen or so mares and their young colts beside them as they visited the morning watering tank with the slow grinding of a windmill above their heads. They were gorgeous creatures with bloodlines back to the days of the Conquistadores who roamed over this part of Texas centuries before. I would make the drive from the city to that spot to take photos and just sit and admire the beauty before me. Dreaming of what life must be like on such a vast ranch as the one before me. Then one day a story came to me. And before I knew it, words went onto pages and the Burkitt family and the mega ranch, Aces High, came into the world.

I already miss those characters. But those books led me to meeting some of those really great people who lived alongside those magnificent creatures and they invited me to learn more and actually opened doors to me that just might lead to more books along that series’ future. One never knows where the writer’s pen will take an author. But it is an amazing journey and turning the next page will always be exciting to me. Happy writing…and reading…to one and all!

Debra

About the Author.

Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers.  Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most.  She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and planning high-end weddings (ah, romance!).

Debra’s real pride and joys, however, are her son, an aspiring film actor, and a daughter with aspirations to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (more story ideas!)  When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure.  She read her first romance…Janet Dailey’s Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary western romances,  is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles…and sighs…to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s.

 

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Cowgirls as Part of our #Tule10 Anniversary!

Tule Publishing has hit a milestone 10 years and we’re celebrating all month long with showcasing some of our first 10’s! Learn more about our first 10 authors, meet our first 10 cowboys and cowgirls, and maybe find yourself wrapped up dreaming of the holidays with our first 10 Christmas stories!

We are so thankful for each of you for continuing to put your faith in us to continue bringing you amazing reads. You are a crucial part to our success and we couldn’t have made it to our 10th anniversary without you! We hope you stick around all month for more celebratory blogs and are looking forward to another 10 years – cheers!

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Cowgirls

Big Sky Mavericks, Book 1
Big Marietta Fair, Book 2

Some dreams come with a big price tag.

Bailey Jenkins left her hometown of Marietta, Montana at eighteen, poised to take college and the rodeo world by storm–despite Paul Zabrinski. On the eve of her great escape, at the top of the Ferris Wheel at the Big Marietta Fair, he invoked his great-grandmother Hilda’s curse. “If you do this, Bailey Jenkins, I will hate you forever. And I’ll call on my great-grandmother to curse you. She was a Gypsy witch, you know.”

Fifteen years later, Bailey’s back–shattered, humbled by fate and bruised at the soul level but determined to rebuild–once she helps her parents get back on their feet. She didn’t expect Paul Zabrinski to meet her plane, but seeing him strong, handsome and successful is somehow fitting. After all, Bailey didn’t need Paul’s gypsy great-grandmother to put a curse on her–Bailey already had the worst luck on the planet.

Never say never.

One look at Bailey Jenkins–his first love, the woman he adored…and cursed–and every emotion Paul Zabrinski felt fifteen years earlier comes rushing back. The love of his life broke his heart and made him hate her…or so he thought. The line between love and hate is very narrow, with only so much room for forgiveness. But Paul Zabrinski owns Big Z Hardware and Construction. If anyone is capable of building a bridge for them to cross together, it’s him.

Carrigans of the Circle C, Book 5

For years Callan Carrigan has been her father’s right hand man, so when her dad’s will names city slicker Court McAllister the new owner of The Circle C Ranch, Callan feels betrayed on every level.

Then she and her sisters find their mother’s diaries, hidden from them by their father since their mother’s accidental death 18 years ago, and the shocking revelations explain a lot. Reeling, Callan seeks refuge in the local saloon, where it seems no one can reach her, until Court offers her a challenge.

If she agrees to be foreman at the Circle C for one year, he’ll deed the ranch back to her and her sisters. The deal seems too sweet at first—until Callan realizes Court has his eyes on something she protects even more than her family’s land—her heart.

Wildflower Ranch, Book 4

Australian cowgirl Bridie Willis travels to Montana to escape the pain of losing her father. Headstrong and determined, she plans to spend the summer alone photographing wild animals. Instead she finds herself saddled with a stubborn cowboy as a back-country guide.

Ethan Morgan has been shaped by a childhood spent on the run. Cautious, steady and conservative, he is tasked with ensuring the beautiful, risk taking cowgirl doesn’t ditch him or come to any harm.

But the biggest challenge Ethan must face is to accept how Bridie makes him feel. And the biggest risk Bridie must take is to trust in her heart.

Wildflower Ranch, Book 6

Headstrong cowgirl Peta Dixon has put her life on hold this Christmas to prove she can run her ranch as well as any man. There isn’t anything she can’t ride, fix, or stare down, and the only things to scare her are long hemlines and sky-high heels.

Self-made rancher Garrett Ross normally doesn’t take orders – he gives them. But when asked to step in to act as a temporary foreman on a Montana ranch over the holidays, he can’t refuse.

Yet when Garrett meets the beautiful and stubborn ranch owner, he realizes he’s signed on for a whole lot of trouble. Cynical and jaded, he has no time for feelings. And when Peta meets the man she’s to share her life with until Christmas, she discovers she no longer wants to be the person others expect her to be…

Will the rancher finally listen to his heart and admit he can’t live without a certain straight-talking cowgirl?

The Gallaghers of Montana, Book 5

He knows who she is…but she doesn’t

PI Mitch Hardeman is an expert at finding people, so when Glenna Gallagher disappears from the ranch where she works, her brothers hire Mitch to find her. He thinks his job is done after he tracks her down, but Glenna doesn’t know him, and she doesn’t remember her brothers or even her real name. Mitch must earn the beautiful cowgirl’s trust so he can bring her back home.

She doesn’t know who she is… but she knows who she wants

With traumatic amnesia caused by a bus accident, Glenna Gallagher knows nothing of her life before that day. She only knows she’s in danger, and that Mitch offers protection and the truth about her identity. But once home in Marietta, her memories are still missing. Can she convince Mitch that she doesn’t need to remember her past to know he’s the only man she wants? And will she regain her memory in time to save herself and the man she loves from the danger that follows her?

Blackberry Cove Cowboys, Book 1

When Kendall Kelly‘s career as the free spirited punk country crossover queen ends in a fiery ball of doom and humiliation, she has no place to go but back to her hometown Blackberry Cove, California, where she abandoned her secret husband years ago without so much as a note. She’s hoping to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and finally cut the last tie to the only man she ever loved.

As part owner of Kelly Family Farms, Damian Sloan has spent the last few years rebuilding the floundering business into a growing organic farm. He thought he’d moved on from his broken heart, but when Kendall barges back into his life—broken but beautiful as ever—he soon realizes he hasn’t forgotten. Or forgiven. Kendall threatens everything he’s built, but he can’t quite turn her away.

Damian and Kendall must put aside their differences for the success of the farm they both depend on. Maybe, in the process, they can rebuild what they tragically lost.

The Tremaynes of Texas, Book 4

What happens when a tenacious sheriff takes on a determined cowgirl and her champion bull?

It’s never easy to make it in a man’s world, and cowgirl Tori Tremayne has chased the same dream most of her life—producing a champion bucking bull on the pro rodeo circuit. With her prize bull Maximus, she’s so close to winning top prize in the finals this year she can taste it. She can’t afford any distractions, especially not the tall, dark and swoony sheriff she’s admired all her life.

Sheriff Gray Dalton has been in love with Tori since they were kids. He doesn’t want to change Tori or derail her goals, but he does want to combine their dreams—build a life and family with her while she continues to pursue her career and passion. Gray knows he has to shake Tori up so that he can step out of the friend zone she’s so determined to keep him in.

Can Gray prove to Tori that with him she can have it all—career, love and a family?

The Hartman Brothers, Book 3

She has a lot to prove and won’t get distracted by a cowboy again…

Barrel racer Ella James Sanders has one goal for her breakout year in Pro Rodeo—to make it to the National Finals Rodeo and prove to her hometown that she’s more than a girl raised on the wrong side of town. But her dream quickly crashes when an accident injures her and her horse, ending her rodeo season and leaving her in the care of the man who carelessly broke her heart years ago.

Cowboy and veterinarian Ty Hartman knows what it’s like to be rejected by those close to him. Ty’s loved Ella since high school, but she’s rejected him twice so he’s resolved to keep his distance and protect his heart…until an accident forces Ella and her horse into his life and he can’t step aside. As he cares for the feisty cowgirl, he feels himself falling for her again.

Can he convince this cowgirl that not only is he a man she can trust, but that he’s also a man she could love?

Texas True, Book 4

They’re made for each other, he just needs to prove it.

Pilot Nate Kershaw may be one of Whiskey River’s biggest players, but from the moment he met cowgirl Damaris Walker, he was smitten. After sharing a searing kiss years ago, she made her feelings clear so Nate doesn’t dare press for more than friendship. No other woman can win his heart, so when his beloved grandmother tells him her dearest wish is to see him settled down, Nate decides it’s the perfect opportunity to convince Damaris they’re meant to be.

After a devastating betrayal years ago, Damaris is still unable to trust or risk her heart—especially with a charming lady-killer like Nate. Against her common sense, she agrees to be Nate’s fake girlfriend and finds herself falling for him harder than she did two years ago.

When Damaris learns Nate has been deceiving her about his true feelings, her fears and trust issues reignite. Will Nate be able to convince Damaris to overcome the pain of the past and take a risk on forever—with him?

The Raffertys of Last Stand, Book 4

Sometimes the line between love and hate is blurry…

Cody Rafferty and Britt Roth may have grown up on adjacent Hill Country ranches, but they’ve always been oil and water. Britt knows it’s because Cody’s a tech nerd who doesn’t get the ranch life she loves. Cody knows it’s because Britt’s a single-minded cowgirl, who lives to complain about the technology he loves. Their families claim it’s because they were born within minutes of each other.

They’ve declared one truce in their lives—when Cody’s father was KIA overseas. Neither of them expected there would be another, but when Cody suspects a crash of his test drone spooked Britt’s champion barrel racing horse, endangering her life and future, he calls a second truce. Prodded by guilt, he steps up to take care of Britt and her beloved horse. Britt balks, but Cody’s hard to refuse even for a tough cowgirl. Forced together, they learn surprising things about each other neither ever knew.

Can these two lifetime adversaries learn to get along, especially when they realize that the sparks that fly between them aren’t fueled only by anger?

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for stopping by to meet the first 10 cowgirls of Tule Publishing! Here’s to a great year of #Tule10!

A BABY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE COWBOY – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Kris Bock!

Man holding pregnant woman in his arms and kissing her shoulder

Kris Bock has A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

One of the fun things about writing a series is how minor characters start to develop strong personalities and demand bigger roles in later books. Rhonda appears in book 1 as part of Ava Tomlinson’s knitting group – a group that also buys weekly lottery tickets intending to split the proceeds if they win. She’s something of a villain as she leads the group to turn on Ava, insisting that the winning lottery ticket should have gone to the group instead of Ava’s family.

I didn’t have future plans for Rhonda at that point, but she stuck around, grumbling and occasionally acting outrageous. In book 4, a sheltered young woman is lured into a relationship with her boss and winds up pregnant. When she runs away to an aunt and Last Stand, Rhonda volunteered to step into that role. I think she simply wanted more page time and a chance to show the heart of gold under the crusty exterior. She’s exactly the kind of person who would take in a girl running away from her wedding when every other family member is pressuring Daisy to marry. But she’s also the kind of person would be bossy, meddlesome, and exhausting as a housemate, encouraging Daisy to grab the chance at a job that comes with lodging at the Tomlinson’s ranch. And thus this tale gets off to a Cinderella start …

Quick Peek:

Xander spun her again and shifted so they were facing each other. Daisy felt like she was floating. The music, the soft night air, the semidarkness, the cicadas singing—they all combined to turn the moment into a dream. Maybe she was dreaming—she’d fallen asleep and she would awake to find—

“Daisy Mae!” The voice boomed from the building entrance.

Daisy flinched. She’d never gotten Auntie Rhonda to remember that she no longer went by Daisy Mae. Oh well, it was a small price to pay.

She smiled at the man, even though he might not be able to see her expression in the darkness. “Thank you for the dance.”

He gave a small jerk of a bow and headed back inside. Rhonda watched him go with a considering look as Daisy headed toward her great-aunt.

Rhonda turned the considering look on Daisy. “Oh, honey, you look like chewed twine. Here now, child.” She held out her arms. 

Daisy fell into them with a shudder of relief.

Praise for the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series:

“I enjoyed myself so much with The Billionaire Cowboy’s Christmas. I had fun here, this is one of those unexpected windfall stories that was handled very realistically, but also with a good bit of laughter, confusion, family, and a town that just wants to celebrate one of their own making it big.” – Happily Ever After Romance

“I really enjoy this series. It is well written and the characters are very likable.” – GoodReads review

“I love returning to this little Texas town and the Tomlinson family. It’s like reconnecting with old friends. This is such a fun book series.” – BookBub review

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get a free 30-page story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café, a printable copy of 22 recipes mentioned in the cat café novels, and an Accidental Detective mystery short story. In the future, you’ll receive fun content, announcements of new books, sales, and more.

About the author.

Kris Bock headshotKris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. She has lived in ten states and one foreign country but is now firmly planted in the Southwest, where many of her books are set. Her romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”  Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.

Kris’s Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter.

Kris writes for children under the names Chris Eboch and M. M. Eboch. She has published over 60 books for young people, including ghostwriting for some famous mystery series.  Her novels for ages nine and up include Bandits Peak, a survival thriller; The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery that brings ancient Egypt to life; and The Well of Sacrifice, an action-packed drama set in ninth-century Mayan Guatemala, used in many schools.

Kris lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets.

Find Kris: Kris Bock at Tule Publishing | Website | BlogTwitter | Instagram | TikTok | FacebookGoodReads Author PageBookBubAmazon US page or Amazon UK page

Celebrate the Release Day of Taming the Texas Cowboy with Author Charlene Sands!

* Congratulations to Lois I! You have won a free print copy of Whiskey River: The Kellys. Please email info@thetulegroup.com to claim your prize. *

1. What inspired you to pick Texas as the setting for Trey and Maddie’s story?

True Texans are a breed all their own. I have family who live in Texas and have studied the ways of the people of the lone star state, the pride and work ethic and love of the land. In my experience with Texans, I found them to be men and women of honor and intense manners. And you’ll see that come through in Taming the Texas Cowboy, the first book in my Forever Texan series. Trey is a good man, who believes the very worst about himself, and Maddie is a woman who sees him for the fine man that he is. Getting him to realize that takes a bit of doing, and at times, Maddie isn’t sure she can get through to the stubborn, prideful, protective Texan. Continue reading