The first drawing will be for a tee shirt
Second drawing a PDF copy of the book.
Third drawing a hat
The final drawing will be for a PDF download of Renegade Hearts, a $10 gift cert from Amazon & a PDF copy of my award-winning/best-selling Fire and Ash (or choice of one of my other books).
Renegade Hearts is my first contemporary western. I usually publish my inspirational romances under the pen name Kinzie Monroe but have decided to start publishing all my works exclusively under Anne Patrick.
Here's the blurb -
Single mother Jenny Holloway has her hands full running a 1200-acre ranch, and keeping her daredevil son out of the emergency room. So when her foreman suggests she hire on his son Gil Montgomery, who just got home from the war, Jenny jumps at the opportunity of having another skilled cowboy around.
Gil was used to taking orders, even from women. What he wasn’t prepared for was the feelings this little firecracker of a woman triggered in him. Jenny is a lot like the bronco she’s rescued and is now trying to break. The unexpected death of her husband has left her jaded and afraid to risk her heart getting broken again. Somehow, he has to gain her trust and prove that he isn’t going anywhere.
You can purchase Renegade Hearts from my publisher – Desert Breeze Publishing, at Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and other online bookstores beginning tomorrow, September 15th.
Now let's get this party rolling! Help yourself to the cheesecake, rum balls, and brownies. Hopefully Miss Mae will show up with her Grandpappy's special recipe too.
97 comments:
Hi everyone!
Hi Anne,
I love the cover of Renegade Hearts! I've read some of your suspense books and loved them. I'm sure this one will be just as good. What made you want to write a western?
Hey, Anne! Renegade Hearts sounds great. Congratulations on the release!
Hi Cassie,
I first came up with the idea while house sitting for my aunt and uncle who live in the country. My cousin in Missouri inspired Horse Haven from personal experience.
Hi EA,
Glad you could make it! How have you been?
Congratulations on your new release, Anne. Love the cover!
Busy as ever. I almost missed your release party, but I happened to see a reminder at just the right moment. :)
Thank you, Kris! I love it too :). Jenifer Ranieri did an awesome job.
Well I'm glad you did.
Here is my first excerpt. Hope it isn't too long.
A child's scream sent chills down Jenny Holloway's spine. A mother's instinct told her that her daredevil son was in real trouble this time. She ran toward the barn as fast as she could. Buddy, her ranch foreman, reached the corral at the same time she did.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd really do it," Zach's friend cried out.
Jenny stopped in her tracks and looked over at Sydney. Tears streamed down her red cheeks. Jenny followed the girl's gaze and saw Zach lying on the ground; his left arm twisted awkwardly behind his back. Standing guard between Zach and the buckskinned bronco was their German shepherd. Zoe growled ferociously and snipped at the bronco, causing him to rear back on his powerful hind legs. Jenny knew that just one blow from one of the horses hooves could kill her son. She climbed the iron railing and dropped to her feet on the other side.
"I'll get Razz. You get Zach," Buddy yelled as he joined her inside the corral.
Jenny moved cautiously toward her son as she kept her eyes peeled on the bucking horse. Zoe advanced toward Razz in an attempt to shoo him back. Jenny took the opening, ran to the injured boy and placed herself between him and the horse.
"Guess I really did it this time, huh?"
Jenny looked down at her son who now cradled his arm against his chest. "Lie still," she said with as much calm as she could muster. "Sydney, go into the barn and call nine-one-one. Tell them we need an ambulance right away."
"Yes ma'am."
Behind her, Jenny heard Buddy shooing the bronco out of the corral and into an adjacent pen. Seconds later, Zoe joined them and thoroughly licked Zach in the face, prompting him to smile.
Jenny reached over and petted the dog, "good job girl," before turning her attention back to her son. She ran her hands along both sides of his legs to check for broken bones. "Besides your arm, do you hurt anywhere else? Does your head hurt?"
He choked back a sob. "Just my arm."
Jenny fought the overwhelming temptation to pull him into her arms and cradle him as she had when he was a baby. She knew he wouldn't stand for it in front of his little friend, though, and such movement could hurt him worse. It was obvious he had landed hard and there could be injuries that weren't visible. She prayed that wasn't the case.
Love it, Anne. Zach sounds like a handful. Hope he's okay.
Thanks, Casie. Yes he is a handful. He won my heart over pretty quickly.
Very nice! I bet Zach is the type of kid that it's a wonder they make it out of childhood. Kind of reminds me of various friends I had as a kid. :)
He reminds me sort of myfelf:). I pulled some pretty stupid stunts when I was a kid. I blame it on my two brothers though.
My older brother was the daredevil in my family. I learned from his mistakes and managed to avoid a lot. LOL
Anne, how long did it take you to write Renegade Hearts?
Hi Anne,
I was by earlier, but my comment's gone. I enjoyed your excerpt, heartwarming and suspensful both.
So, you were a daredevil as a kid, huh?
Smart, EA. It was usually my older brother egging me on :). Then my little brother would go tell on us. Oh, what memories.
Looks like the party is going full swing! :)
Anne, I gotta know...do you ride horses? And if so, did you ever have any boo-boo's?
I love horses, but am awed by their height and strength. If I ever wrote about 'em, it wouldn't be from experience! LOL
Cassie,
This one took longer than most, almost two years, because I kept having to stop and work on contracted projects with deadlines.
Hi Gail,
Yes I was a bit of a daredevil. Nothing like my older brother though. He pulled some dosies (sp?)
Hi Miss Mae,
I rode as a kid, and I did get thrown off once. Thankfully I have a head head.
Make that a hard head :).
Do you think having brothers has helped with your writing in any way? Maybe things you wouldn't have known or realized if you hadn't grown up with them?
Okay, I'm going to throw your names in a hat and draw for the first prize - a tee shirt. Be right back. Miss Mae did you think to bring your grandpappy's special recipe?
Okay, winner of the tee shirt is Kris. You still here, Kris?
Oh yes, Miss Mae, I've been looking forward to Grandpappy Beauregard's lemonade all day long.
Something to wet my whiskers and get me in the mood for a good Western story.
To answer your question, Gail. I think so. Both my brothers were ornery but they both had a soft side, like most guys, that came out when I least expected it.
Miss Mae, most of the experiences in Renegade Hearts came from listening to friends and relatives who have horses and live on working ranches.
I haven't been on a horse in years.
Okay it looks like Kris snuck away. I'll email her later if I can find an address for her. If not I'll choose another name later.
How about you all, have you ridden horses before?
What prompted you to write a Western, Anne. Was it listening to those who lived on ranches? A voice inside? Or some other reason?
When I was a kid, I sat on a horse and my uncle led it around. He had a farm or maybe it qualified as a ranch. I loved his horses, but didn't get to visit him often enough to really learn to ride. A friend of mine had a really old horse, and I helped clean the barn every Saturday for a ride, but that horse walked so slow.
Refreshing jug of lemonade...here ya go...swallow 'er down, folks! :) Lip-smacking lemonade like you've NEVER gulped before! LOL
When I was a kid, I got accidentally stepped on by a burro. Since then, I haven't been too fond of these particular four-legged critters. :)
Ahh, thanks, Miss Mae! Just what I needed.
The idea first came about while I was house sitting for my aunt and uncle. Then I was talking to a friend of mine who has horses and he was telling me about their quirks and personalities. It was him and his wife's passion that really brought the book about though.
Alright! I'll take some of that lemonade;)
I took riding lessons for most of a year in high school. I had a great time and managed to keep from getting thrown, although there were a couple of close calls.
Anne, do you plan on writing any more westerns after this one?
Neat story about the root of Renegade Hearts. It's interesting the way animals do have such different personalities. When my daughter was in college in Kentucky, we saw some stately, beautiful horses. They must have some drive to race like they do.
Mm, love that lemonade! Thanks, Miss Mae! :)
Anne, is the party going on until 8 central time? Here in Georgia it's 8 already. :) And I need to get off to let my eyes rest.
It's a great party, and congrats, Anne, on your newest release. I know you'll do swell! :)
Everyone, I'm leaving this batch of Grandpappy's lemonade for you to devour. Don't worry, there will always be more for next time! :)
Luckily the one I was thrown from wasn't that big.
Cassie, I'm not sure. I would like to write at least one more with some of these characters, but have it more of a mystery involving Horse Haven. That's the horse rescue operation Jenny and her friend run.
I'm glad you dropped by Miss Mae. And thanks for bringing the lemonade. The party goes until 8 CST.
A mystery involving a horse rescue operation sounds like something you'd do a great job with, Anne.
Any cheesecake left? Your book sounds good.
Here's another excerpt -
Jenny poured another cup of coffee and went out onto the sun porch. As she sat in the porch swing and gazed across the dimly lit yard to the pond, she thought of Rick. She still missed sitting out here in the early morning hours with him, drinking their first cup of coffee, and discussing the day's agenda. More often than not, it'd been their only quiet time during the day, a time when they could share their joys and concerns and goals.
A rustling in one of the pens caught Jenny's attention. She glanced toward the barn and spotted Razz pacing the fence underneath the yard light. She set her coffee down and walked down to the pen. "Are you having a bad night, boy?"
The buckskinned gelding stopped pacing and looked over at her.
"C'mon, sweetie, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to hurt Zach."
He continued to look at Jenny as if considering her sincerity.
Jenny smiled. It had taken over six weeks to gain his trust after she first brought him home. She prayed today hadn't destroyed that.
"You know I understand you better than you think." She thought of the conversation she'd had with Buddy earlier. "I know people can be cruel, and I know how hard it is to forget." She slowly climbed over the fence.
Razz bobbed his head up and down and stomped his right hoof on the ground.
"You're trying to intimidate me, Razz, and it's not going to work. Remember I'm just as stubborn as you are." She walked toward him and stopped midway. "C'mon, boy, you know you can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you."
He reared back, lifting his front hooves several inches off the ground and then lunged toward her, coming within inches of her boots. Jenny's heart pounded in her chest, but she stood her ground. She stared into his large brown eyes and could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. He then stepped back and lowered his head.
Instinct told her she was in trouble. Jenny turned and ran.
Within inches of the fence, he rammed his head into her back with such force it nearly knocked her to the ground. A searing pain shot through her ribcage. She leaped for the top of the fence and heaved herself up and over, then landed hard on her hands and knees on the other side. Another sharp pain ripped through her left side.
Jenny rolled onto her right hip and opened her eyes.
Razz stared at her from the other side of the fence.
"Okay, you win this round, but I'll be back." She grabbed her left side and slowly got to her feet.
Hi Imp,
Yep, help yourself.
Glad you could make it, Imp!
Gail, the horse rescue operation was inspired by my cousin in Missouri. She and an couple of her friends started one a few years ago.
Oh wow! A great excerpt. I can just see that happening and feel Jenny's shock and pain.
Okay, I'm going to draw for the hat now.
Here we go... are you ready...
and the winner is...
E.A!
Starting a horse rescue operation is a great thing to do. Do people bring them horses they can't care for, or do they hear about horses that are neglected? Just knowing how one of those operations came about and is run will make an interesting book.
Wow, that excerpt has you wondering excatly Jenny is going to do.
Hi E.A.,
You look great in that hat!
Some have been abandoned by their owners in the local forests and people bring them to her. Others are abused horses that they rescue. They then put the horses up for adoption.
Your second excerpt reminds me of a horse I once walked after he had a bath. As I walked him around the arena to dry him off, he reared every time we came to one corner. Scared me half to death, but he never did more than threaten me. After that, I never had another problem with him. Guess he just needed to know I really was the one in charge. :)
I won a hat? Awesome! Thanks, Anne!
Thank you, Imp. Do you like westerns? This is my first attempt.
Either way is sad. Poor horses. I'm glad they have someone to help them.
You're welcome EA. You'll have to email me your mailing address later.
And yes, from what I've heard and read, you have to establish who's in charge pretty quick or you can be in big trouble.
Yes, I really admire what her and her friends do. I'd love to write a series involving some of their adventures. I do warn her whenever we talk that anything she say can be and might be used in a future novel :).
Cute! I'm sure she would be honored to be fodder for one of your books.
Anne,
you say your cousin lives in Missouri. Did she receive any horses after the Joplin tornado?
It's great that you're giving the horses an important part in your book. That adds another dimension to the ranch hands, the cowboys who drive cattle and the ladies making bread in the kitchen and quilting in the living room.
Not that I know of, Cassie. She did go down after Katrina and bring back some horses that were later adopted out.
Hi! I'm late... any food left? ;)
Hi. I'm jumping in here. I'm new and enjoying the party. I have a question. How many facts do you include about ranching/farming in your book?
Thanks, Gail. And there is a bit of a mystery tucked in. I couldn't resist.
I love your cover! Very appealing. And the title. Hope you have much success with it. What part of writing to you enjoy the most?
Hi Cindy,
Just enough to make it believable. I try not to over do it.
I'm not surprised that there's mystery tucked in. Just sounds like a great book all around.
Thanks, Cindy. I'm a panster so the creative process is my favorite because I never know where my characters are going to take me. I also enjoy the research.
Hi Chele,
There's still plenty of brownies. Help yourself. Glad you could make it.
Is it from your background, or did you do research? There's a local author who is writing a ranching series for Harlequin. I read one of her books and the facts about farming were all wrong. That ruins it for me.
I'll be drawing for a PDF copy of the book shortly. Be right back :)
Hi, Gail!!
I've enjoyed being a part of your party and learning more about Renegade Hearts. I love your writing and know you'll have much success with Renegade Hearts.
Congratulations!!! Duties are calling me.
And the winner is....
Cassie!
Hi Cindy,
Nice to see you here. Happy Evening to All.
Congrats, Cassie!
Thanks Gail. I appreciate you coming.
Oh wow! Thank you, Anne. Can't wait to read it.
Anne, did you find it difficult to put in just enough facts to make the story realistic without adding too much or not enough?
I tend to throw in too much info or not enough and then have to go back and rewrite scenes to fix it. :)
Congratulations, Cassie!
Cindy,
I did lots of research, both hands on and word of mouth. I have a cousin who lives in Missouri who has a horse rescue operation. She was the inspiration behind the one in the book.
I did go overboard in a few places but thinned it out later. I know what you mean though. I was afraid I'd put too much in when I was writing Fire and Ash but from the reviews I've had most think it was just enough. It's tough sometiemes.
It's always good when readers and reviewers are happy. If they think you found the right balance, you can be sure you did. :)
Here is the last excerpt. I'll do the final drawing in about ten minutes.
"Run!" Buddy yelled.
Gil didn't have to look to know he was in trouble, he could hear the mare practically breathing down his neck as she charged after him. With pain searing up his leg, he ran awkwardly as fast as he could. He was almost to the truck when he braved a look over his shoulder and saw the mare had returned to her foal.
He heard laughter and glanced back to the truck. Not only were Buddy and the kids laughing at his performance, so was his new boss.
"You know that's much easier on horseback," Jenny said, her amusement still heavy in her voice.
Gil grinned. "Yeah, but not nearly as much fun." He coiled his rope and tossed it into the bed of the truck. "You're not the only one that likes to live dangerously," he added as he looked up at her.
"So it appears."
"What are you two referring to?" Buddy asked.
"Nothing." Jenny quickly shifted her gaze to the mare. "That is a beautiful colt. He's going to make a fine stallion." She pulled her cowboy hat forward on her head, almost covering her eyes. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat but Mr. Riley is due any minute. If you boys are done having fun you can run into town for more barbed wire and then fix that fence."
Gil watched as she galloped away. He'd never met a more intriguing woman.
"Is Mr. Riley a buyer?" Zach asked.
Gil turned just as curious for an answer.
"Yeah, but he's only interested in buying a couple of bulls and some heifers."
"That's good, as long as he isn't interested in horses. You are going to ask her about Little Z aren't you?"
"Yes, Zach." Buddy opened the door of the cab and motioned for Zach and Sydney to climb in.
"You know we might have a better chance with her if she knew I was serious about competing with him."
Gil smiled at the boy's logic.
"What kinda scheme is brewin' in that head of yours now?" Buddy asked.
Zach grinned. "That you could start training me Monday. Gil could take over cleaning out the stalls and stuff in the mornings and that way she'd leave earlier to check the cattle. We'd have at least an hour before the bus comes."
"Well I reckon that would be all right with me, but don't you think you ought to consult Gil on the plan?"
Zach stuck his head through the open glass of the cab. "Will you help me, Gil?"
"You bet. I'd be happy to."
"Thanks. Oh, and good job roping that mare. That was awesome."
"Yeah, it was pretty awesome." He hadn't had an adrenaline rush like that since he left Iraq. It also reminded him of when he was a teenager and the first time he had roped a steer. He was nearly gored that day but he had earned the respect of his friend Rick.
"Do you think you could teach me how to rope?"
Before Gil had the chance to answer Sydney spoke up. "Don't you think you should concentrate on learning to cut first?"
"Nah, I can do both."
Gil couldn't help but laugh. He not only took after his daddy, he had his mother's spirit. And he was definitely one smart kid.
Gil just hoped they would be able to pull off the boy's plan without his mom finding out about it, because he had a feeling if Jenny were to find out they'd all be in deep trouble. And from what he knew of her so far she wasn't a woman he'd want to tangle with, especially when it involved her only child.
I can't wait to read this book! All these excerpts are fantastic!
Okay now for the grand prize drawing...
The winner is...Gail Pallota
I love Zach! He's definitely a little firecracker. And Gil intrigues me. Great job, Anne! :)
Congratulations, Gail!
Thank you, Chelea_girl. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Thank you so much for dropping by.
Thank you all so much for coming to my party.
Renegade Hearts releases tomorrow, September 15th, and will be available at Christianbook.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and most online bookstores.
I can't wait to read it. :) This evening has been fun. Enjoy your release day!
Best of luck!
Anne, sorry I missed the party-but sure it was a blast. Congratulations on the book. It sure sounds good. Love this site. Want to learn more about it!
Jude Urbanski
Post a Comment