RESEARCH IS FUN
My husband tells the story about going into a cubicle at work to see the ladies in accounting. We were dating at the time. The ladies asked him, point blank, if he was the model for all my romantic heroes and if he helped me research the love scenes. As he tells it, he blushed mightily and ducked out of the cube FAST!
That kind of exploration is fun. But investigating a book can open your eyes to other things too, which can be fun as well. For my recent release, KENTUCKY COWBOY, I learned about the Professional Bull Riders—
about bull ropes and suicide wraps, “rank” bulls like the famous and dangerous Bodacious, and courageous cowboys like Ty Murray and the Brazilian Adriano Moraes.
Researching meant my husband and I had to take many enjoyable field trips to see PBR events. That’s me riding a stuffed bull at a competition in Nashville. How do you like my form?
Bull riding is “America’s original extreme sport” and it’s no job for the faint of heart. Like my hero Judd Romeo, the cowboys are in it for the love of competition and the love of the sport.
Come to think of it, that’s why I write romance. It’s not because I enjoy deadlines and the editor’s edits. It’s certainly not because of the money. I write romance because that’s who I am—a writer. And I choose romance because I like happy endings. Too much in life is not happy and a good romance novel can take us away for a while and make us forget our problems.
KENTUCKY COWBOY is part of my series called Bluegrass Reunions:
They thought the boys they loved were out of their lives. They were wrong.
KENTUCKY COWBOY: She dumped him in high school because he was a risk-taker. Available in various electronic formats and in paperback in March 2009.
KENTUCKY WOMAN: She had his brother’s baby, but never forgot him. Available now in e-formats from Resplendence Publishing.
KENTUCKY FLAME: She had his baby and he left not knowing the truth. Available in May 2009.
I hope you join me in Kentucky—even if only through my books. And I hope you have fun when you research—no matter what kind of research you do!
***
Please leave a comment or question for Jan to enter to win an ebook of KENTUCKY COWBOY (available formats: Adobe PDF, HTML, Microsoft Reader, Palm-Mobipocket, Rocketbook, Fictionbook, and Blackberry file formats). Entries accepted until midnight PST.
Please visit yesterday’s post to read the back cover blurb for KENTUCKY COWBOY and to check out Jan’s bio. To learn more about Jan and the rest of the books in her Bluegrass Reunions series, please visit her website.
You know, I haven’t always been a big fan of cowboy stories. I’ve read some, and have usually enjoyed them, but they have never been my preferred genre. BUT……by the looks of things, I think I would enjoy these stories a lot!!!!
Keep up the good work.
Valerie
Jan,
Great form…lol!
It must have been allot of fun doing the research for this book! I know I would have loved it…lol!
Just checked out your website. The Bluegrass Reunion series sounds like they will be a good read! I will defiantly be checking them out!
Thanks for the invite Cindy!!
Carrie
Never been to a Rodeo in the US but have been in Mexico. Wonder if they are any different?
Have never tried a cowboy romance. Would be interesting to expand my horizons, I think.
I loved your post. My husband and I have been PBR fans for many years. I know you enjoyed researching for this book. I enjoy reading cowboy based stories. Your books look very interesting. Definitely some good looking Cowboys!!
Hi Jan,
Welcome to the blog! I went to a few rodeos as a child. Talk about dangerous work. Would you ever sit on a real bull? 😉
Hi Jan! Lookin’ good up there! Your passion for horses and the sport really shines through in these stories. Can’t wait to read the third book of the Bluegrass Reunion series!
Love that picture–and your book looks terrific, too!
Great post! I’ve never been to a rodeo, but I wanted to. Too funny about your husband’s cubicle experience. I think cowboys are getting popular again. I’ve been hearing about a lot of cowboy stories. 🙂
What a fun post! Sounds like you’ve definitely had fun researching 🙂
These books sound so fun, and I love the setting Kentucky.
I love rodeo’s, I love Western’s, I love Romance books. This is my kinda books.
I’m still stuck on the fact that you actually rode a bull!
Great post as always, Jan! Good luck with your Kentucky series. So happy for you!
Ha ha! No, the bull was STUFFED. After watching those cowboys ride or try to ride them, there’s no way I’d get on a bull. A bar downtown has one of those mechanical bulls, but I don’t think my old bones would take that. The most risk I want to take is riding an American Saddlebred horse around an arena during my riding lesson!
For those of you who don’t like cowboy stories, these Bluegrass Reunion stories are more single mom, old boyfriend stories. They are set in Kentucky, sure, but I like to think they appeal to most women with a romantic heart!
Thanks for stopping by Cindy’s blog today!
Love the photo Jan! Looks like you had a blast. 😉
I definitely love me some cowboys!
Your Bluegrass Reunions series sounds great, I can’t wait to read them.
~Afshan
I love reading cowboy stories and these look good.
loretta
You look a natural riding that bull. Great form! 🙂
Wishing you all the best,
Gail
Good morning, everyone! The Magic Safeway Grocery Bag declares Mary Ricksen the winner. Congratulations, Mary! You’ve won an ebook of Jan’s KENTUCKY COWBOY. Please check your email for an email from me, which I’ve also cc’ed to Jan so you and she can discuss which of the several available formats work for you, and she can zip it off to you.
Thank you again to Jan for blogging!
My last guest blogger for Guest Blogger March Madness is Samhain author Kimberley Troutte. Kimberley visits next Monday, March 23rd, and is blogging about her road to publication and getting the call. Be sure to drop in!
Thanks to all of you who stopped by. Mary, send me an e-mail and I’ll send you your copy of KENTUCKY COWBOY.
Hey, y’all, I just got my edits for KENTUCKY FLAME back from my editor and she says it’s the best book I’ve ever written. YAY! I strive for improvement!
Thank you, Cindy, for hosting me and all the work you did to make this day a success!
Hey, that’s excellent, Jan. Congratulations!