giveaways!

Ashes of a Black Frost (11/1) | The Shattered Vine (11/3)
Coming soon:

drey's Giveaway Policy

FTC Disclosure: I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on covers or links here may result in monetary compensation.

Carolyn Brown and 194. One Lucky Cowboy: An Interview, a review, and a giveaway!

November 2, 2009
Today, we have a visit from the lovely Carolyn Brown, who writes a lot--no kidding!! Come and see what she has to say...

drey: Hi Carolyn! Welcome to drey's library—-THANK YOU for taking the time to answer some questions for my readers & I...

Carolyn: Good morning, Drey. Thank you for having me on your website today. I’m delighted to be here again for a little visit.

drey: There's a huge amount of books out there with your name on 'em. How long have you been writing? What got you started?

Carolyn: I’ve been writing seriously for about twelve years. I tinkered with it for twenty years before that. When my youngest child was born and refused to sleep at night I picked up a spiral notebook and pencil and wrote a book. It did not sell but it did garner enough rejection slips to cause a major problem in the great Redwood Forest. I got serious when empty nest syndrome set in. Two of my romance books sold in 1997 to Kensington Books in their Precious Gems line. Four of the six that eventually sold were published before the line died. The two that didn’t sell are probably sitting on a shelf covered in dust with the characters screaming for someone to let them out. When that line went belly-up I had already sold a book to Avalon. And then another and another until now the number is up to thirty six with four more to be published in the next couple of years. Then Sourcebooks bought the Lucky Trilogy and now they’ve also bought the Honky Tonk Series.
36 books! Wow!

drey: When did you decide to switch from historical to contemporary romances?

Carolyn: Actually I started with contemporary. The four for Precious Gems were contemporaries written under the pen name Abby Gray. Then there were several contemporaries in the Avalon line before I wrote a historical, which was the debut lead historical for their new line that year. I love writing both and switch back and forth between the two.

drey: How do you come up with the characters in your books? I've only read the Lucky ones, and it feels to me like you'd dreamt up the entire cast of characters before sitting down to write the books.

Carolyn: I’m not sure I come up with the characters or if they all have an executive meeting and decide to give me the privilege of writing their book. One of my biggest compliments came from a reader who was so engrossed in a book that she wondered if the characters went to her church.
I can see why you'd get that comment... The way I see it, I wouldn't mind having your characters for neighbors, they're that much fun.

drey: The way you use words is incredible. I love the dialogue in the Lucky books. "You've got cow shit for brains!" and "Kiss my naturally born white ass" broke out the laughter, for sure. How do you come up with this? *grin*

Carolyn: I’m glad I made you laugh. How did I come up with those phrases? I use them when I talk! Someone asked if I talk the same way as I write. Here stands the guilty party … can’t help it. It was the result of my upbringing!

drey: How much of your own family is in your books? Character-wise, plot-wise, etc...

Carolyn: Now that is one difficult question. I come from a very eclectic family and I still think I should have my name in the Guinness Book. When I was twelve years old, my mother remarried to a man twice her age. Then many years later my father at the age of 55 married an eighteen year old girl. So when I was forty two I had a two year old half-brother and an eighty year old step-sister. I don’t have to look far for quirky character descriptions.
Sounds like my family! Except they're not siblings, just cousins...

drey: You're a baker, correct (I seem to remember some comments from your daughters that made me want to take a trip to sample your baking...)? What else gives you pleasure, outside of writing, and your family?

Carolyn: I love to read and will read everything from O’Henry to Faulkner to Uris to LaVryle Spencer. And cooking is a passion. Thanksgiving is my holiday and the kids all come home. I cook for days and send leftovers home with them all.
Where and at what time should I show up? *grin*

drey: What are you looking forward to?

Carolyn: One Lucky Cowboy hit the racks yesterday and I’m really excited about that. And Getting Lucky will be out in January 2010 to finish up that trilogy. Then in June The Honky Tonk Series kicks off. It is a four book series about an old beer joint down in Palo Pinto County, Texas and all the excitement centered around it. I Love This Bar has a publication date of June 2010 and will be followed by Hell Yeah, My Give a Damn’s Busted and Honky Tonk Christmas. The heroes are hunky cowboys and the heroines are sassy southern barmaids so get ready for heat and spunk.
Wow. You really are a busy bee. I just love the Honky Tonk titles--can't wait to read 'em!

And, to finish off, the Proust-lite:
  1. What is your idea of earthly happiness? When the kids all get here on Thanksgiving Day.

  2. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The death of a child. I’ve never experienced it and hope I never do.

  3. Who is/are your favorite heroine(s) in fiction? Scarlett O’Hara.

  4. Who is/are your favorite heroine(s) in real life? That would be my grandmother, Bessie Chapman, who was a blind lady. I lived with her when I was a little girl and led her wherever she wanted to go. Someone mentioned her being handicapped once and it offended me. My grandmother was not handicapped. She raised six kids, mended cotton sacks (that’s the big canvas bags folks pulled along behind them to put cotton in as they picked it), quilted (and her stitches sure put mine to shame), canned more than a hundred jars of food in a summer and helped raise three grandchildren.
  5. She sounds fabulous, Carolyn!

  6. What sound do you love? The sound of the water sloshing up on the shore at the beach.

  7. What sound do you hate? The bleep on the computer when it crashes.
  8. Ugh. I so know what you mean.

  9. The quality you admire most in a man? Passion.

  10. The quality you admire most in a woman? Strength.

  11. If not a writer, you would be a … probably a home economics teacher even though they are obsolete now.
  12. My mom was a home ec teacher. Unfortunately, her skills so did not pass on to me...

  13. What is your favorite swear word? Oh dear! In front of the grandchildren that would be “well fizzle” but when I drop a chunk of chocolate cake upside down on the kitchen floor it would have to be “Damn it!”

About the author:
Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who has published 36 historical and western romance novels for the library market, many of them bestsellers in that market. She was born in Texas and grew up in southern Oklahoma. She and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma.

one lucky cowboyAbout the book:
NO BIG BLOND COWBOY IS GOING TO INTIMIDATE THIS SPITFIRE...
If Slade Luckadeau thinks he can run her off his ranch, he's got cow chips for brains. His grandmother's offer of a job and a place to stay is the first lucky break Jane Day's gotten in a long time. So what if her hideaway comes with a big hunk of hostile he-man? She can handle it...

THIS SMART-TALKING RANCH WOMAN IS GIVING HIM SERIOUS PAINS
Slade is certain the good-looking, hardworking blond his grandmother dragged home from the bus station is a con artist, out to rip them off and leave them in the dust. But even him being as mean as a startled rattlesnake doesn't seem to faze her one bit. She's winning every argument, and he's running out of fights to pick...

With his granny up to some serious matchmaking, and trouble with a capital "T" threatening the Double L ranch, suddenly it's Slade's heart that's in the most danger of all...

drey's thoughts:

One Lucky Cowboy is my second Carolyn Brown novel, after Lucky in Love. And just as in Lucky in Love, One Lucky Cowboy has characters that will make you laugh out loud. I don't know how she does it, but Carolyn creates characters that you wouldn't mind running into in real life.

In this one, Jane is running away from her fiance--the one whom her stepfather's contracted to kill her, before her 25th birthday, so that he gets her company. And wouldn't you know it, she lands herself a job at the Double L Ranch near Ringgold, Texas... Where, apparently, the master of the house has an issue with her.

And so begins the story of Jane and Slade, and Slade's grandmother's meddling--er, matchmaking... If you like cowboys and a ton of sass with your romance, you don't want to miss One Lucky Cowboy.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Sourcebooks, I have a copy of Lucky in Love and One Lucky Cowboy for one lucky duck...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US and Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share a thought for Carolyn.
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST November 15th. Good luck!

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Disclosure: My copy of One Lucky Cowboy was provided by Sourcebooks for this blog tour.

53 comments:

Carolyn Brown said...

Good morning, Drey!
Thanks for having me on your site today. It's great to be here again.
Hugs, Carolyn Brown

Nancy J. Parra said...

Hi Drey, I'm here for Carolyn. Hey, Carolyn!! *waves* This is a wonderful interview and I happen to know Carolyn is a ball of fun and a great writer- no, we're not related...lol. But I do think we're soul sisters. Whoever gets her book is one lucky person.
Have fun today- cheers~ Nance

www.nancyjparra.com

justamylou said...

I always tell Carolyn Brown when she goes on the Opera show, I'm gonna wear my bestest overalls and stand up in the back row and scream....THAT'S MY MOMMA! 'Cause she's my favorite heroine in real life!

I'm posting the link to this blog on my facebook page!

Amanda from Novel Addiction said...

Hello!

+1 Thank you, Carolyn, for coming by! I loved reading your interview, and I can't wait to read your books! You're actually a new to me author, and I'm excited to see you write about cowboys -yum yum!

+1 I'm a follower

Thank you!!
Morning Glow
ohmorningglow AT aol DOT com

Sweet Vernal Zephyr said...

+1 Good Morning! Great interview, I enjoy learning about prolific writers and their journey. And my fav swear is "dammit" too... makes my hubby crack up cause I say it like I should stamp my foot too!

+1 I'm a follower

+2 This contest has been added to my Contest Bar - Dirty Martinis on the house.

Happy Monday! Miranda
mdwartistry at yahoo dot com

Carolyn Brown said...

Hello everyone!
Yep, stomping around after a good loud "dammit" is pretty common around here. Avoid kicking, it breaks toes! LOL
Hey, Drey, your review on ONE LUCKY COWBOY was awesome! Hope everyone else enjoys the book as much as Drey. Good luck on the contest.
Carolyn Brown

chey said...

Hi Drey and Carolyn,
Great interview.
I'm looking forward to reading these books!

I'm a follower.

chey127 at hotmail dot com

Susan Reed said...

I am a HUGE fan of my mama Carol. She writes the bestest books ever. LOL I will be right by Amy screaming out on the Oprah show.

I am a follower as well and will post this link to my facebook. www.facebook.com/shancockreed

Susan Reed

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Great interview and review!

* I want Carolyn to know that any book that will make me LOL and has "cowboys and a ton of sass with your romance" is a book I want to read :D

* I'm a follower : )

* I blogged in my sidebar:
http://bookfan-mary.blogspot.com

meah56 at gmail dot com

photoquest said...

Loved the interview and the answer for the characters was wonderful it just makes me want to run out and get one of your books!! I love the sound of the waves, the beach is the most peacefulplace in the world to me and lowest depth of misery i share with you as well is the death of a child I have 2 girls and it would take all i had away if i lost either of them. Your book sounds like a really good read, i'd love to be entered in
photoquest(at)bellsouth(dot)net

photoquest said...

I follow : )
photoquest(at)bellsouth(dot)net

photoquest said...

I tweeted this giveaway for sharing
photoquest2 Visit dreyslibrary.blogspot.com for Carolyn Brown and 194. One Lucky Cowboy: An Interview, a review, and a giveaway
less than 5 seconds ago from web
photoquest(at)bellsouth(dot)net

photoquest said...

for my 2nd entry
I tweeted this giveaway for sharing
photoquest2 Visit dreyslibrary.blogspot.com for Carolyn Brown and 194. One Lucky Cowboy: An Interview, a review, and a giveaway
less than 5 seconds ago from web
photoquest(at)bellsouth(dot)net

mrsshukra said...

Congrats, Carolyn, excited about OLC!

I also love the sound of water sloshing up on the shore in the beach but sometimes I take it for granted here in Hawaii.

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sheila Deeth said...

Ah, that dreaded computer beep. What a lot of good books! And what a great story.

sdeeth at msn dot com

and I follow you.

Unknown said...

Well, that is my Granny she is talking about and she is my hero too!!! But I couldn't begin to say how proud I am of my cousin Carol. I have read all but two of her books and they are great. I can't wait for the first movie, so I can tell all my friends she writes books and movies too. Way to go Cuz!!!

drey said...

Carolyn, thank you for stopping by!! I really enjoyed your interview, and I am trying really really hard to not read Getting Lucky right this second... =)

Carolyn Brown said...

Drey,
I just realized that you called me "lovely" too! WOW! You are a sweetheart! Can't wait for you to read the last book!
Thanks to everyone for your comments!
Carolyn B.

Jenny N. said...

Thanks for the giveaway. I've read Lucky in Love and can't wait to read this book as well.

+1 Follower
+2 Tweeted here: http://twitter.com/Jullysay/status/5376541152

jen4777[at]hotmail.com

AnnFes said...

Read the first book and simply LURRRVED! it. Can't wait for this next one!!

scottsgal said...

Can't wait to read this - we just don't get cowboys in Chicago like I saw in Texas - sigh

msboatgal at aol.com

scottsgal said...

email subscriber and follower

msboatgal at aol.com

Anonymous said...

I really like reading about cowboys. Thanks, Caroline, for making the characters so real.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

lag123 said...

Carolyn,
Your book sounds wonderful and I would love to read it.

lag110@mchsi.com

lag123 said...

Follower.

lag110@mchsi.com

Virginia C said...

Hello, Carolyn! So nice to see you here again! Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal, and I do prepare it several times a year! Please don't stop writing about wonderful cowboys. You give us stars to hang our dreams on!

I am a follower and a subscriber!
gcwhiskas at aol dot com

dor said...

I'm going through the empty nest syndrom too. Maybe I should do more with my writing. Great interview.

dorcontest at gmail dot com

dor said...

I follow on google friend.

dorcontest at gmail dot com

rubynreba said...

Carolyn, I loved my Grandma so much too. I hope someday when my grandkids are adults and I'm gone they will think back of my as special.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

CrystalGB said...

Hi Carolyn. Your books sound wonderful. I love cowboys.

I am a follower.

Crystal816{at}hotmail{dot}com

Martha Lawson said...

Hi Carolyn!! I've been hearing such good things about your books..I'd love to win a copy. I LUV them cowboys..

I'm a follower.

mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

Hot Off the Shelves said...

Carolyn - I loved Lucky in Love. The characters were written perfectly!!

I would like to be entered to win One Lucky Cowboy

+1 I am a follower.

jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

annies home said...

what a great imagination wondering if she spent any time around cowboys

Emma said...

Great interview. One Lucky Cowboy sounds wonderful.Please enter me in the giveaway.augustlily06(at)aim(dot)com.Thank you.

Bleuette said...

Carolyn - great books and great interview.
tirachii@yahoo.com

+1 New Follower

Karen H said...

This book sounds good. Add me to the draw please.

kkhaas at bellsouth dot net

Karen H said...

+1 I am already a follower

ossmcalc said...

This sounds like a wonderful book about people that I would find to be quite entertaining. People from Ringgold, Texas are just good country folk. I definitely want to be entered into this drawing.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I follow your blog.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I just shared about this giveaway on Facebook under the name of Christine Womack.

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

ossmcalc said...

I just tweeted about this giveaway http://twitter.com/ossmcalc/status/5519780561

Thank you,

Christine
womackcm@sbcglobal.net

mabelilly28 said...

Thank you Carolyn for your lovely interview...I guess writer motto is...if you don't succeed once, try again twice!

mabelilly28 at yahoo dot com

mabelilly28 said...

I am a follower!

mabelilly28 at yahoo dot com

Ginny Rucker said...

I posted about this book at...
http://www.123stitch.com/cgi-bin/BBS/bbs_forum.cgi

I am a follower. :0) And I've been following my Mama (Carolyn Brown) all my life. LOL

I am in the middle of this book right now and I'm lovin' it! :0) Jane is a hoot and Nellie and Ellen crack me up! Slade is just one delicious dish of a man. If you don't believe me just look on the cover of the book. He's awful mouthy too ~ so it's a good thing Jane came along! LOL

Great writing Mama! Am off to read a chapter ~ and I can't wait for the third book.

GINNY :0)

Ginny Rucker said...

Oops ~ forgot to leave my email

bgmrucker @ cableone dot net

GINNY :0)

Lady_Graeye said...

Hi Drew! Hi Carolyn! Nice interview.
I follow
lady.graeye@gmail.com

Jaime said...

Thank you so much for your time, would love to win a copy
copperllama at yahoo dot com

Anita Yancey said...

Nice interview. I really enjoy reading books about cowboys. Thanks for writing them Carolyn. Please enter me. Thanks!

ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

Gwen! said...

I would love this one!

Gwen.e.hill@gmail.com

joyh82 said...

Hi I love Carolyns books and even emailed her a few times last year. She is such a sweet lady.
Hi Carolyn, what's your next project?
+ 1 follower
jhoorm01(at)yahoo.com

CherylS22 said...

I'm really looking forward to reading these books. I love straight-talking people who just lay it on the line. I also love a book that will make me LOL.

Thanks ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

CherylS22 said...

Entry 1
I shared on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#/posted.php?id=100000382494053&share_id=179689466901&comments=1#s179689466901

megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

CherylS22 said...

Entry 2
I shared on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#/posted.php?id=100000382494053&share_id=179689466901&comments=1#s179689466901

megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

Post a Comment

have a thought to share? I love comments!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

what's here...


Powered by Blogger Widgets

history...