Jacob “JT” Whitloch, Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil @laurarmcneil #Cowboy, #Music World, #Western Romance

Jacob “JT” Whitloch, Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil @laurarmcneil #Cowboy, #Music World, #Western Romance

I’d like to welcome JT Whitloch of Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil

RW:   What's your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

JTW:  Back story isn’t something I want to discuss. No one needs to know why I came to Crystal Creek. That secret should remain buried and would have, but then my entire past erupted and came to life in that petite bombshell who rocks the stage with her sultry voice and fathomless dark eyes.

RW:    Can you tell us about your heroine

JTW:  I can tell you she’s interrupting my life. She’s not who she pretends to be. The more I find out about her, the more I don’t like. The more I try to stay away from her, the more she interferes, stirs up memories and stirs up the past.

RW:    What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

JTW:  If I knew the answer to that, I’d have some peace in my life. That’s why I came to Crystal Creek—to find peace. What I wouldn’t give to have one night of restful sleep, but instead every time I close my eyes, the nightmares come full-blown.

RW:   Do you expect your heroine to help or is she the problem?

JTW:  She’s definitely the problem. She waltzes into town with more money than God, or at least more money than the Whitlochs have, and starts buying up the place. She wants the ranch, she wants the show horses. She’s putting down roots and she’s making it clear—she has no intention of leaving.

RW:    Where do you live?

JTW:  In the bunkhouse on the Crystal Creek Ranch. A far cry from my European estate, but I won’t stay in the place that turned my life upside down. Crystal Creek offers me peace and quiet. Or it did until she showed up.

RW:    During what time-period does your story take place?

A.                    Now.

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

JTW:  If I could remember what happened that night, that would be a start, but it was a typical night at my estate—the parties, the beautiful women, the drinking. You can guess the rest. I must’ve blacked out or fallen asleep, but when I came to, the authorities were there pummeling me questions. I couldn’t answer them because I couldn’t remember. I still can’t remember.

RW:    City life or country life? E-Book or paperback? Zebras or elephants?

JTW:  I used to jet around the world to some of the most exotic place on the planet. My every whim was granted. I lived the life of luxury, until the night everything changed. Now the country offers more riches than all the money in the world.

Not that I have time to read, but I’d be happy to hold a dogeared paperback any day.

Zebras or elephants—that reminds me of the safaris my personal assistant used to schedule for me. The massive size and the intelligence of the elephants I’d see always appealed to me.

RW:    If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

JTW:  Stay away. You don’t want to be a part of my world. There’s no peace here. And if you get dragged into my nightmare, I can guarantee you you’ll never escape.

RW:    Party life or quiet dinner for two?

JTW:  A few years ago, it would’ve been the party life. It WAS the party life, now it’s dinner for one. I’ve already ruined the life of one innocent person. I’m not about to drag anyone else into my nightmare.

RW:    I'm always ready for (fill in the blank).

JTW:  I can’t say no to peace and quiet and solitude. Every chance I get, I’m on my horse and riding over the ranch. Colorado is a beautiful state and no place is more perfect than the Crystal Creek Ranch.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

Laura Haley-McNeil

Bio

Laura Haley-McNeil is an award-winning author of romantic suspense and women’s fiction in novel length and in short stories. Her work has been featured in several women’s magazines. She has studied piano and ballet and has been a board member for two community orchestras. She and her husband reside in Colorado. When she isn’t writing, she jogs, bicycles and crochets.

DEFENDING HER HEART

Book 6 of the Crystal Creek Series

The Plot

JT Whitloch can’t close his eyes without seeing the body of the woman who drowned in his swimming pool two years ago. He doesn’t remember that night but blames himself for her death. He walks away from his affluent life and moves to Crystal Creek, but still he can’t find peace.

Then Gretchen Moore moves to town. She stirs up his desire and his past with a secret so deadly it could destroy her.

Gretchen wants nothing to do with JT. Because of him, someone wants her dead. The terror from his past forces them into an alliance that soon ignites their passion. Fighting these feelings leads them to the secret of the woman floating in JT’s swimming pool, but the knowledge doesn’t ease JT’s inner turmoil. Instead, it reveals an answer that could destroy him and Gretchen. His own destruction he could accept, but he’ll defend Gretchen to his death.

An Excerpt:

Chapter One

JT Whitloch sensed the woman the moment he set foot inside the auction stables. Through the scent of anxiety-ridden horses and a mass of humanity floated the fragrance of delicacy and wealth. A wave of disappointment dropped over him. He’d been twenty-three years old when he’d walked away from that life two years ago. He thought he’d suppressed his urges for women—at least that kind of woman. The desire pumping through him was a quick reminder—he’d failed.

The brim of the woman’s cowgirl hat cast a shadow over her I’m-a-celebrity sunglasses. Two words popped into his mind—elegant and stunning—as elegant and stunning as the Arabian stallion they both eyed.

Behind her glamorous exterior he sensed something else—cool strength and determination. She may be used to winning but if she planned to bid on the stallion, she’d learn she was no match for Rose Whitloch, JT’s stepmother. What Rose wanted, Rose got, and she wanted to add this horse to her Crystal Creek ranch stable.

The stud’s whinny rang in JT’s ears. It was a refined timbre practiced to receive immediate attention. And it demanded freedom.

That was what JT wanted—freedom from these urges pouring through him and freedom from the past.

The past didn’t let go.

Contact Laura At:

Website & Blog:  http://laurahaleymcneil.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LauraHaleyMcNeil

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/laurarmcneil

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Haley-McNeil/e/B008S3WD10/

Book Links:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Heart-Crystal-Creek-Book-ebook/dp/B079QVZDFH/

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/defending-her-heart

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defending-her-heart-laura-haley-mcneil/1127951550;jsessionid=99CC144C2F1E272328398980D4E60247.prodny_store02-atgap11?ean=2940155417736

Apple

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/defending-her-heart/id1347905885?mt=11

Ana Morgan @anamorganana Author of Stormy Hawkins #Historical #Romance #Western

I’d like to welcome Ana Morgan, author of Stormy Hawkins to my blog today.

RW:    Tell us about yourself, your family, where you live, etc.

AM:    I had an intercontinental childhood, immersed in the disparate cultures of Washington, D.C., Europe and Africa. So, when my new, ex-Marine husband announced he wanted to try dairy farming in northern Minnesota, I said, “Sure.” (We’re still together.)

RW:    Why did you decide to write? When did you submit your first manuscript and what genre was it?

AM:    The nag to write started after a horoscope reading. The astrologer said, “If you aren’t writing, you should be.” I committed to writing after I read a contrived ending in well-known romance writer’s book. I assured myself I could do better. (I had a lot to learn.)

RW:    Has your life changed since you became a writer? What’s the best thing about being a writer?

AM:    I get up early, usually between four and five am, so I can write when the house is quiet, before I have to go to work.

Two best things about writing:

1.            The sense of joy after reaching each mini-milestone, be it crafting a just-right sentence, uncovering a character’s deepest emotions, or typing The End.

2.            The amazing generosity of the romance writer community.

RW:    Who are your favorite authors? Who influenced your writing?

AM:    I will always be in awe of Jane Austin, Bertrice Small, and Robert Heinlein. Each time I reread their stories, I am humbled by their ability to tell a story.

RW:    How much does reader feedback matter to you? Do your fans’ comments and letters influence you in any way? Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?

AM:    Stormy Hawkins is my first published book, and I have been thrilled to receive four and five-star reviews. I labored over the manuscript for five years, often doubting it would ever be good enough. When a reviewer wrote that she was looking forward to book two, I was over the moon.

RW:    How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

AM:    Some scenes in Stormy Hawkins are based on real experience. I’ve herded cattle, put in fence posts, cooked on a wood stove. We borrowed a bull from a neighbor one summer, and it tried to kill me.

RW:    How do you come up with story ideas? What kind of research do you do for a book?

AM:    I start with an issue that interest me: herbal vs modern medicine; reincarnation; gossip in a small town, etc. I conjure a hero and heroine who start on opposing sides of the issue. Then I add in a villain who can destroy them unless they overcome their differences.

About a quarter of the time it takes to write a story is devoted to research. I check most every historical detail, for my Soul Mate editor will call out everything she can’t verify.

RW:    Would you like to write a different genre or sub-genre than you do now?

AM:    I have a time-travel that needs a rewrite. I have a half-written contemporary suspense on hold until I fulfill a contract for two sequels to Stormy Hawkins.

RW:    What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels?

AM:    I cut my author teeth on Beatrice Small’s erotic historicals and Robert Heinlein’s chauvinist science fiction. Neither shied from descriptive sex, but neither fully developed emotional arcs. I feel a good author has to do both.

RW:    Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?

AM:    Steamy showers! Kittens. (Puppies grow into dogs and I am not good at dog training.) Definitely chocolate, preferably dark.

I hate to choose between oceans and mountains. I live far from both right now, and I miss both deeply. But lovely seasides and ski slopes tend to be crowded places. I do like living in a log cabin hidden in the woods.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

Stormy Hawkins

The Plot

Blade Masters has finally spotted his ideal Dakota Territory ranch, where he can live alone, forget his cheating ex-fiancée, and bury the shards of his shattered heart. All he needs to do is sweet-talk the ailing owner, and his spitfire daughter, into retiring.

If she weren’t desperate, Stormy would never hire a cowhand. She’s learned the hard way that she’s happier working her family’s ranch alone. But, the greedy banker who holds their mortgage just demanded payment in full—or her hand in marriage.

Will this handsome drifter protect her? Or does he have designs of his own?

An Excerpt:

Stormy gripped Blade’s hand as they approached the docks.

Fires in iron cressets, mounted on poles, gave off smelly black smoke and illumined the dock with an eerie, writhing glow. Hulking men in mismatched clothes spit tobacco on the rough-hewn planks suspended over the river. A woman wearing an eye patch leaned against a stack of burlap sacks and tossed a small dagger into the air.

Showing no fear of challenge, Blade strode purposefully through the maze of goods piled on the pier. Soot-covered dock rats who stared at Stormy soon looked another way and said, “Evening, sir.”

Blade stopped a foot from the edge of the dock and looked down at the river.

She did the same and gasped. The water flowed with a ghostly light.

“Moonlight reflects off silt particles suspended in the water. Missouri River freighters run day and night.”

With a stab of guilt, Stormy realized Blade’s tales of working on the river were true. She’d chosen not to trust him. About this and a lot of other things. Hoping he wouldn’t read her face, she turned her head and peered downriver. “I don’t see the freighter.”

Blade tapped her arm and pointed in the opposite direction.

Ana Morgan

Bio

When she was small, Ana Morgan’s dream was to know something about everything. She has studiously waitressed, driven a school bus, run craft service on indie film sets, wandered through European castles, wired a house, married a Marine, canned vegetables, and studied the stars. She knows how to change a flat tire but prefers gallant, handsome strangers who strip off their jackets and spin the lug nuts for her.

Ana embarked on her writing career by crafting succinct cooking directions for her Secret Garden soup mixes—and graduated to lyrical essays about living on a small organic farm for her CSA’s weekly newsletter. Eventually she realized she wanted to write what she loved to read—steamy romance novels.

She and her husband eloped six weeks after they met and moved from southern California to northern Minnesota. They taught themselves how to milk cows (at first by hand), and raised three go-getter children. One is an award-winning woodworker. Another is IT super-smart. The third is an actor-director-producer.

Ana edits for a regional literary publication, “The Talking Stick,” and currently serves as president of From the Heart Romance Writers.

Book Links:

Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/stormy-hawkins/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wXgykQ

Contact Ana at anamorgan1950@gmail.com

Website: http://anamorgan.net/

Blog: https://heroineswithhearts@blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoranamorgan/

Twitter: @anamorganana

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B075PC6RVG