An Interview with “Whiskey River” authors Katherine Garbera and Eve Gaddy!

K and E photoKatherine Garbera and Eve Gaddy
take over the Tule Blog!

WTAW-300dpiSerendipity brought the two authors together more than 15 years ago when they were assigned to room together at a writers conference in Savannah, GA.  Their friendship was cemented by arriving late to a publisher get-together and being forced to drag chairs across the lobby to join the gathering.  It was the kind of thing that has happened more than once to the two friends.

Eve is a lifelong native Texan and Katherine moved there in 2005.  Their love of the south has always been one of the many things the authors have in common.  The best-selling, award-winning authors had long wanted to collaborate on a series and so Whiskey River was born.

They have filled the town with all the things they love about Texas.  Sexy Texan tycoons and cowboys with smooth southern drawls, feisty women who go toe to toe with magnates and know how to keep those smooth talking cowboys in line. Experience the beauty of the Texas Hill Country and the sexy men who live there with them.

How do you come up with your heroes?

Eve: I think about what they are, what they do, their profession, hobbies, background and a general idea of what they look like starts forming. Then I pick pictures on Pinterest, but sometimes I’ll think it’s one picture but the hero winds up being another. Sometimes I’ll know their backstory, but often it comes to me as I write.

Kathy: I always start with what I find attractive in a guy.  I like them strong, a little-bit alpha, and determined to have the woman they want no matter the cost. Because family is at the core of every story I write I sometimes am mean and make the hero feel responsible for the loss of his family—trying to give him an extra barrier to overcome while he is falling for the heroine.

How has Pinterest influenced your writing?

Eve: 1)Pictures of good-looking men. What’s not to like?

2)Time sink—pretty pics, animal pics, funny things, clothes, houses, cakes, sand sculptures . . . hot guys . . .

3)Helps me visualize my characters, helps a lot with the setting and   descriptions of the characters’ houses, place of business, etc. For instance     I had to go looking for my hero’s horse in the next book. That was great. Now I have all sorts of horse pictures. I love all sorts of animal pictures.

4) Sometimes I’ll get an idea from some random picture on Pinterest.

Kathy:

  • I love to find photos that really capture the emotion of my characters and then I pin them to the board.
  • Then I add in quotes that capture what I think of as the core of my characters.
  • I think Eve already covered this, but good-looking, hot guys. :)
  • I love finding places that I didn’t know existed. Like for Whiskey River we found fields of lavender in Texas even though normally you think of fields of bluebells in Texas. :)

How do you get the ideas for your stories? (Yes, that question!)

Eve: Sometimes it’s a movie, or a TV show, or a song, or an article from a newspaper, or a conversation with a friend, or a conversation overheard:), or when I’m looking for something specific for one book something will catch my eye that I think might be interesting, so I put it in a file for later. Or there’s always surfing the web and clicking on links that lead to strange stories that you find when you click on each link and it sends you to more links and before you know it (usually hours later) you’re looking at an article on alien babies birthed by celebrities with bad plastic surgery results. What, I haven’t written that story yet? Well, I might. You can’t tell.

Kathy: The ideas of my stories come from everywhere.  Usually from a combination of interesting news stories I’ve read, conversations with my hubby and kids, movies I watch, TV shows…pretty much everywhere.  I have written a lot of books and so sometimes people are surprised I still have stories to tell, but I don’t think I’ve even come close to telling them all.

I’m also really nosey about people so I will watch them from behind my dark sunglasses and try to figure out why they are doing whatever they are doing.  I have spent hours just watching people and being inspired by my version of their lives.  :)

Where do you work?

photo eveEve: Sometimes in my office. A lot of the time in my chair in the den. But if I really need to work and get a lot accomplished, then my office is the best place. With a laptop, though, you can work anywhere. I’ve written in the car while my husband drives when we go to Colorado. A long trip as I’m in Texas.

 

Kathy: I work wherever I can.  I have an office which I use most every day for my daily page count, I either sit at my desk or in my big comfy chair.  I’ve been using an app for the iPad called Hanx Writer (it’s named after the actor Tom Hanks).  The app turns my iPad into a typewriter with the old typewriter sounds.  I love it!

Sometimes I really need to get out of my regular space, especially if I’m distracted by a new book being released and then I go to the café and write.  I find that I’m unwilling to sit on Facebook or play games when I think someone else might see me!

Describe your office

photo (8)Eve: That depends on a lot of factors. I usually try to clean my office after I finish a book. Sometimes I manage to do it, but sometimes I don’t. I am not neat. I have piles of stuff to be filed, a bunch of SWAG for giveaways, books, of course. Notes! Notes everywhere on every kind of paper. Stickies everywhere, scratch paper that might have something important on it or might be junk. Small notebooks that are each supposed to be for a certain book or project. Yeah, I try but that doesn’t happen. They’re all jumbled up. I have a whiteboard with a bunch of colored markers. (I don’t always use it but it helps a lot sometimes.) Printers, TV, magazines, dog bed I just had to get rid of because cute little Ellie peed on it again. Sometimes my laptop is even in there!

 

 

My DeskKathy: I have a huge counter top that I used as my desk.  It’s set to my height and I have two monitors on it.  On my desk are post-it notes from my husband and my kids.  One reminds me to “stay fresh”—not sure what that means, but I do try!  I also have stuff my friends have given me over the years and little figurines I collect.  Above my monitor on the wall I have a quote by Carl Sandberg “Nothing happens unless first a dream” and an affirmation.

I have a bookcase to the left of where I sit that is jammed full of my favorite books on writing (Stephen King’s On Writing and Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer) and then my binders where I keep everything that is involved in my story.  The synopsis, the letters from my editor, my research and then when it’s released reader letters.

What is a “best thing about writing”?

Eve: I can work in my pajamas, or my shorts, or my old shirt that should be thrown out. I don’t have to wear make-up. I can work anytime I want, and often do. Sometimes one a.m. Or during the day. Whenever I feel like it. (Well, unless life interferes and I have to do something else.) But to me the best thing is the feeling I get when everything is falling into place. The characters are talking to me, the plot is writing itself, I write a particularly touching scene. Or a funny one. Or one I know is good. When the writing is going well, there’s nothing else like it.:)

Kathy: Truth? It’s that I get to make up stories for a living.  That’s it for me.  I’ve always loved telling stories and the fact that I get paid to do it makes me very happy.  Readers who take the time to write to me and let me know how my books helped them or cheered them up make all those hours by myself in my office worth it. I also really love that I am can call myself a writer.  They are the most fascinating people I’ve ever met and I like being part of that group.

Thanks so much for joining us, Kathy and Eve, and thank you Book Lovers for visiting with us! Start reading the first book in the Whiskey River series, Where There’s a Will, now!


“Waking Up Joy” Author Tina Ann Forkner takes over the Tule Blog!

Cover_Forkner_WakingUpJoyTule is thrilled to have Tina Ann Forkner  here with us today, chatting about what a special place home is in books and in life. Her novel, Waking Up Joy, is only $0.99 for a limited time! Take it away, Tina.

Writing Waking Up Joy was a little bit like going home for me. I grew up in an area of Oklahoma that is very similar to character Joy Talley’s hometown. A large part of Oklahoma is part of the Great Plains, but Joy’s town, Spavinaw Junction, is special. It rests in the Northeast corner of Oklahoma, just a few miles from Arkansas and Missouri in the foothills of the Ozarks. This area of Oklahoma, also called Green Country, has a decided Southern influence and its heavily wooded landscape, rolling hills, and twisting creeks and rivers provide a beautiful backdrop to Joy’s tale. All of these details are familiar to me in real life, and in fact, as I wrote Waking Up Joy, I really did go home.

During the writing of Waking Up Joy, I spent many summertime hours in Oklahoma on my parents’ front porch surrounded by a forest of trees. My parents live a humble life, but I’ve always thought they were blessed to be surrounded by such a beautiful garden of woods and wildflowers. The only trick to writing my novel as I sat on their porch was getting up early enough in the morning to write when it was still cool. In case you’ve ever wondered, it’s hot in Oklahoma, so by the time my daddy walks out on the porch with his coffee, it’s already too hot to write. This is why I also wrote some of Waking Up Joy around a pool.

This is where I leave the heat behind and head to a place where I can more easily cool off while I write. Just thirty minutes of driving along winding roads through some of the most beautiful forested landscape and lakeside communities takes me to my brother’s house. He has a pool. As much as I love the trees, floating the river with my parents, and watching the nieces and nephews trap minnows and crawdads on the creek banks, I also like kicking off my flip-flops, taking a dip in the pool, and kicking back in the lawn chair to write. This is one of the places in which I also wrote Waking Up Joy. The only problem with this kind of writing is the propensity to set aside the writing of a book for the reading of one. What could be better than grabbing a good book and a glass of iced tea – or a margarita with my sis and sis-in-law if the hour is right – and whiling away the hours in the shade of an umbrella?

I love going back home, and that’s one of the reasons I wrote Waking Up Joy. It reminded me of where I grew up. I now live in Wyoming where my husband was born and raised, but I’m still a Southern girl at heart. It won’t be long and I’ll be going for another visit and taking a stack of good reading material with me. If I were Joy Talley in Waking Up Joy, it’d be a big stack of romance novels, so my stack will include plenty of those.

auth_TinaForknerTina Ann Forkner writes Women’s Fiction and Romance. She is the author of Waking Up Joy, Rose House, and Ruby Among Us. She lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming with her husband, three teenagers, and two spoiled dogs, but she is a Southern girl at heart. Learn more about her and her books at www.tinaannforkner.com


Celebrate Southern Born with Kaira Rouda and Kim Boykin!

4-21-15Tule’s Southern Born imprint is thrilled to announce its two newest releases this week: The Billionaire’s Bid by Kaira Rouda and Caught Up in You by Kim Boykin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TheBillionaire'sBid-300dpi

To celebrate, we’re giving away TWO prizes to TWO lucky book lovers! All you have to do is answer the questions below in the comments and check back next Tuesday to see if you’re the winner!

Giveaway Question #1

What do you love about second-chance romances like James Putnam and Aubrey Templeton‘s story in The Billionaire’s Bid?

 

6 CaughtUpInYou-300dpi

Giveaway Question #2

Do you have memories of your high school crush? Declan Enright is someone Shelby Worthington can’t seem to forget in Caught Up in You. 

 

 

 

 

Start Reading!

Good luck, Southern Born readers!


“Driftwood Cowboy” Caption Contest and Giveaway!

DriftwoodCowboy-300dpiLove cowboys? Love giveaways? Today’s your lucky day!

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Lenora Worth has just released her first Tule novella, Driftwood Cowboy, and we’re celebrating with a caption contest and giveaway for Southern Born readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment with a caption for Driftwood Cowboy‘s gorgeous cover. We’ll pick our favorite to win a copy of Love Me, Cowboy and tons of reader swag!  Good luck, Book Girls! A winner will be announced May 1st!

4-17 Lenora

 

 

 

 

Enjoy an excerpt from Driftwood Cowboy!

Get to know Lenora!


New authors, new series, new giveaway!

Southern Born Books is thrilled to share with you the debut of the “Runaway Brides” series! How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days and The Wedding Auditionco-authored by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock, are available now! Keep reading to learn more and be sure to enter the giveaway!

HTLAGI10D-300dpi

He thought their love was a grand slam, until his bride called foul…

After an impulsive courthouse wedding with one of baseball’s rising stars, landscaper Melanie Webb wonders if she’s fallen victim to lust at first sight. She hardly knows Grady Hollis, the Atlanta outfielder who swooped into her Florida hometown and charmed the socks—and more!—right off her. She couldn’t resist when he proposed under the stars right on the outfield she’d worked so hard to maintain. But when the aftermath means moving to Atlanta and following him around the country for his eight-month a year travel schedule, she gets cold feet.

But Grady has never been a man to give up on a dream and Melanie is everything he ever hoped for in a woman. He knows if only he can convince her to come along for the ride, he’ll convince her that their forever can be something special… and sizzling too. The road trip brings them both deeper understanding, surprise revelations and a love every bit as fiery as the passion.

Review: This is the perfect story that you can read in one afternoon while enjoying the nice spring weather. I highly recommend this story. -NetGalley Reviews

—–

TTheWeddingAudition-300dpihe tabloids call her the Hit and Run Bride after reality show star Annamae Jessup walked out on Atlanta’s favorite baseball player on cable television. Eager to escape her notoriety, Annamae takes a road trip to find the grandmother she’s never met and winds up discovering a whole lot more than a band of back woods relatives. There’s no escape from reality TV, even in Beulah, Alabama, population 3000.

The last thing Wynn Rafferty needs in his new life is a spoiled television princess who can’t even know his real name. He’s in temporary witness protection as an apple farmer after his undercover work put his life in danger. He needs to lay low until the heat dies down from his last case— even if he sucks at growing apples as badly as he sucks at relationships. But Annamae turns his new town into a media circus, unwittingly threatening the lives of him, her and most of Beulah. Wynn is an expert at keeping the world at arm’s length, but when it comes to Annamae, the only way he can keep her safe is to keep her very, very close.

Review: I loved following up with Annamae’s story after being introduced to her at the end of How To Lose A Groom in 10 Days. I really enjoyed The Wedding Audition because I didn’t expect what would happen, how this would unfold, and I loved how Catherine and Joanne managed to do this! I always find it fascinating too how authors can write a book together, and it is so smooth and well written that it’s like one person wrote it. -NetGalley Reviews

—–

FullSizeRender (43)Giveaway!

To celebrate, we’re giving away a copy of  Tina Ann Forkner‘s Southern Born story Waking Up Joylots of reader swag, plus a $5 Starbucks gift card! To enter, leave a comment and tell us why you love stories set in the south! Good luck, Book Girls!


Lenora Worth takes over the Tule Blog!

DriftwoodCowboy-300dpiWe’re thrilled to have NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Lenora Worth take over the Tule Blog. It’s the release day of her first novella with Tule, Driftwood Cowboy!

Enjoy a note from Lenora below and be sure to leave a comment to enter the giveaway!

From Lenora:

So I’ve entered the world of the novella. I’ve done a couple of novellas and I love the format. I’m very happy to have my first Tule novella out as Driftwood Cowboy was a story that would not leave my head or my heart. But it didn’t quite fit in. I also write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line in both romance and romantic suspense and I write for Superromance and I’ve done one novella for HarperCollins/Zondervan. Love all of that, but wanted to write this story. Tule seemed like a perfect fit.

I love beach stories since I grew up in southwest Georgia, just above the Florida line. I’ve traveled to beach locations with family and friends through the years and now I live on a bay just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. So this story got into my head and had to be written. Brodie Stevens is probably one of my favorite heroes. He is strong and determined and kind of a Jimmy Buffet type. (Love Jimmy Buffet, too. :) When he meets a woman who shatters his notions of what love is all about, his laid back life changes. For the better. But Brodie also helps Michelle to heal from her own tragedy.

I hope you’ll join Brodie and Michelle on Driftwood Bay. It’s a place where misfits and tormented souls can go to find a bit or redemption and peace. And don’t we all need that? What’s your favorite beach location?

Giveawayphoto--beachtoteTule

A beach tote full of books that also includes a $15.00 Starbucks card, protective lip balm and soothing lotion, a cool beach-themed insulated drinking cup and a small journal, all so you can relax and enjoy your own beach experience.

 

Excerpt

Start Reading “Driftwood Cowboy”


“Stealing Hearts” Excerpt and Giveaway!

StealingHearts-300dpiCongratulations, Heidi Pergolski! You are our winner! Please message us at https://www.facebook.com/southernbornbooks with your address so we can mail your prize. Happy reading!

It’s time to head back to Magnolia Bay for Mick Atwell and Lucy Waverly‘s story in Stealing Hearts by Erika Marks! Who remembers Mick from his appearance in A Very Married Christmas?

As a special treat, we have another exclusive excerpt below for you. To enter the giveaway for a chance to win the prize pictured below, (an anthology of Southern Born Books, a mug with hot cocoa for two, and lots of reader swag!) leave a comment here and tell us what you love about this moment between Mick and Lucy!

Winner will be announced here on Friday, February 13th. Good luck!

Excerpt & Giveaway2-9-2015 Erika

Speaking of Mick…She glanced toward the bar, hoping to touch base with him. When a few customers left the bar, allowing for a thin opening, Lucy grabbed her chance and slipped into the gap, leaning across the bar to search for Mick. She found him at the other end with Tim who’d lost his chef’s hat, not to mention loosened his collar.

She waited until Mick looked up before she waved, fast enough to catch his attention. A moment later, he came down to meet her.

“How’s business over here?” she asked.

“Busy. Loud. Crazy.” He grinned. “Otherwise known as an opening night dream.”

She took another survey of his outfit, reminded again of how especially sexy he looked in his suede vest and cowboy hat. “I’ve been taking bets on how many women have asked you to read them their rights tonight.”

“I’ve gotten a couple of “Looks like there’s a new Sheriff in town” and the obligatory requests to see my gun.”

She’d bet.

He leaned forward on his elbows, rolling closer toward her. She felt his arm brush against her hand. “Funny thing, though…I can’t stop thinking about this Cat Lady who’s been slinking around the bar. All black. Great tail.” He grinned. “I’m hoping she’ll let me take her home later.”

“Only if you have some catnip.”

“I think I have some around here somewhere.”

“I’d settle for a few candy hearts. It is Valentine’s Day, after all.”

“Which reminds me…Don’t go anywhere.”

He didn’t have to worry about that, she thought as she watched him disappear back down the bar. Barely two minutes later, he returned with a slightly fizzy garnet-colored drink, a curl of orange peel hanging off the rim, and a small pile of pomegranate seeds at the bottom of the wine glass.

“A little something I made up for the opening. It’s sangria—with a kick.”

She brought the sparkling scarlet drink to her lips and took a small sip, tasting his secret ingredient at once. “Tabasco!”

“I got inspired to heat things up.”

She leaned in. “I thought we already did that last night.”

“Exactly.”

God, did he want to kiss her as badly as she wanted to kiss him? Lucy searched his eyes, trying to decide. Maybe if the world could just dissolve around them for ten minutes. She’d even settle for five.

She wanted to ask him why he hadn’t told her the truth about Emily, to tell him she was sorry his heart carried such a heavy load. She wanted to help him lighten it. She wanted him to let her.

She wanted to tell him how much she longed for his kiss, his body, his touch.

She wanted to tell him that she was falling in love with him.

She wanted him to tell her the same thing.

But her wishes were dashed in the next moment when Tim called down the bar for rescue.
Mick grinned. “I’ll find you later, kitty.”

“Wait—before you go.” She reached over into one of the dishes of conversation hearts they’d placed along the length of the bar instead of nuts to honor the night’s theme and plucked one out.

She set the candy heart down in front of him. I’M YOURS.

“Your tip,” she said.

He scooped it up and dropped it into his vest pocket. “Best one I’ve gotten all night.”


Seduce Me Tonight Giveaway!

Congratulations Kathleen! You are our winner. Please message us through the contact form or on Facebook to claim your prize. Happy reading! -The Tule Team

 

9781942240280

 

Have you downloaded the first Southern Born title of 2015 yet? Katherine Garbera‘s Seduce Me Tonight is only 99cents for a limited time!

To celebrate, we’re giving away swag from all three Tule imprints, as Kathy has a book in each!

To enter: Tell us which book of Kathy’s is your favorite and why. A random winner will be announced right here on Friday, January 23rd, so be sure to check back if you’ve won!

1-21-15 Kathy


Christmas Cookie Recipe from Kaira Rouda

Cover_Rouda_TroublewChristmasIn The Trouble with Christmas, Lily and Avery bake a huge batch of decorated Christmas cookies. Avery loves using sprinkles and shiny silver beads on her Christmas tree shaped cookies.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • Cookie Cutters: Holiday themed, of course! Lily and Avery love Christmas trees and candy canes
  • Parchment paper
  • Desired decorations: sprinkles, beads, icing, glaze (recipe included below)

Instructions

  1. Stir together first 3 ingredients.
  2. Beat sugar and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture beating just until blended
  3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions; flatten each into a 1/2-inch thick disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes
  4. Working with one disk at a time, place on a lightly floured surface; roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Chill another 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
  6. Decorate as desired!

Key Lime Glaze

(based on Southern Living magazine recipe)

Stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp lime zest, 2 tbsp Key lime juice, 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt until smooth. Stir in up to 2 tsp water, 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency.