Reggie Lee Stafford glanced out the window of her daddy’s Hill Country convenience store just northwest of Austin, Texas. She looked out in time to see the silver BMW cruise slowly by. The top was down and the driver looked as divine as the vehicle. A bronzed god with longish blond sun-streaked hair. He radiated the attitude of a celebrity, hiding behind the lenses of his designer sunglasses. Driving with his elbow stuck out the window, he craned his neck to peer into the small store. He gazed up at the fading sign that proudly proclaimed the establishment to be Stafford’s Mercantile, a name Reggie’s grandparents had selected in 1949 when they’d first opened their doors in Rambling, Texas, and when the wares had included yard goods and hardware. Reggie leaned over the counter to stare back at the hunk in the sports car, surprised when he pulled into the parking lot and climbed out. He shoved the keys in the pocket of his faded denims and continued to gaze through the plate glass window with an air of indecision. She noted that the denims were well filled with one-hundred percent prime American beef. Well, well, well. Eye candy from the city. My lucky day. She…

1–What is the title of your latest release? CRAZY ABOUT A COWBOY 2–What is it about? CRAZY ABOUT A COWBOY follows the story of Jasper Taylor, a Texas cowboy trying to save his family’s land in Ido, Texas, and secure the title of Most Romantic Small Town, and Delilah Stone, a beauty queen who’s judging the contest. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I’ve fallen in love with the little town of Ido, Texas. The whole town is like one big family who’s come together to try to revamp their struggling economy. They love harder, smile longer, and stick up for one another in Ido. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Delilah has spent her entire life trying to please her mother. I enjoyed her journey from people pleaser to standing up for herself and figuring out what she wants out of life. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Jasper is the total package. He’s loyal to his family and friends, devoted to the woman he adores, and is willing to put everything on the line and do what it takes to take care of those he loves. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Kim Redford. Writes: Oh wow, I just write about life…fascinating, intriguing, exciting life with all the quirky characters, small town community and deep emotions that fuel my novels. Laughter. I’d rather laugh than cry, although those two frequently go together. Cowboy Fire took a funny turn at the end that surprised me, so I bet it’ll surprise readers too. Did I say I like surprises, particular funny ones? And heat. Those sexy cowboy firefighters know how to put out fires, but they definitely know how to start them too. About: Chocolate. Cats. Comedy. All those come together late nights at the keyboard. Days, I like a little adventure. I might ride horses with cousins or go to a rodeo or kickback at a pond and pretend I’m fishing when I’m really plotting the next scene in my novel. Of course, I like a good book…write, read, discuss, contemplate, you-name-it. I’m all about books. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader…

“Aiden, are you okay?” Janie’s soft voice—the hesitation, the worry— hung over him, hovering, beckoning him to let her into this dark place until she filled it with light. But he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t risk losing her. He couldn’t let her see who he really was. He couldn’t scare her. But God, he wanted her. He wanted her softness, her compassion, her heart—all of her. “I’m fine. Wait for me outside,” he bit out, hating the harshness in his voice. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest as he waited to hear her footsteps leaving. Janie didn’t leave. Instead she knelt down beside him and placed a hand over one of his, which were still holding on to that box like it was his last hope. Until the sight—the feel of her softer, smaller hand on his, gripping him—pulled him back from an edge he hadn’t visited in so long. “Hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, it’s okay, Aiden.” She turned to him, her other hand going to the scarred side of his face. The side he hated. He forced himself to meet her eyes and searched for signs of disgust, because he knew she could…

While I was writing SONG FOR A COWBOY (the whole Kings of Country series actually), I listened to a lot of country music. It helped get me in the mindset and set the ‘tone’ for each book. Of course, picking out certain songs turned into liking certain artists who then, sort of, ended up becoming character inspiration for the Kings family. How about we just dive right in, shall we? 1-Tim McGraw – “Don’t Take the Girl” and “Highway Don’t Care. I think he has a super sexy voice. Smooth and confident. He knows what he’s doing and he’s in his element. I sort of imagine Hank King, the patriarch of the family, as a mash-up between he and George Strait. Plus – the way he looks at his wife, Faith Hill, gives me the tingles. 2-Blake Shelton – “God Gave Me You” and “Mine Would Be You” Who doesn’t like Blake Shelton? He’s funny and handsome and down to earth and, of yeah, he can sing. I admit, I’m a fan of his ballads and I’ve listed to quite a few of them while writing Song for a Cowboy and the rest of the Kings of Country series. 3-Keith…

Hi, LaQuette! We are thrilled to have you on Fresh Fiction today. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.  Hello, thank you so much for having me.  I’m a Brooklynite, and I love writing emotionally gripping, sexy stories featuring multicultural characters living their best lives.     JACKSON is the first book in your new Restoration Ranch series. Will you set up the basic premise for this series and a little bit about JACKSON?  A woman, who is sponsoring two parolees as they work to rebuild her family’s ranch, is being threatened by an unknown person.  To find out who’s trying to bring her harm, the Texas Rangers show up to investigate.  Restoration Ranch is a place where everyone can find redemption, family, and love.  I loved the idea of people having a place to lay down their burdens to find help, support, and a safe space to rebuild so they could have a second chance at life. I love the opposites attract vibes between Jackson and Aja. How much fun did you have creating these two characters and their love story? What surprised you while writing this book?    Aja and Jackson were a hoot to write.  Although I…

RIGHT MOVE is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers gay romance about George Thompson, a former figure skater and shut-in who is slowly trying to have a life again, and Levi Peletier, a trick rider at a ghost town near Clean Slate Ranch. An unexpected vacation together at the working dude ranch draws the pair closer together, but both men have secrets, and opening up isn’t easy for either man. They both have demons to face and futures to decide on if they’re going to make their fragile relationship work. Clean Slate Ranch is a special place where broken men who’ve used up their first chance at life are able to start over—and maybe even find their happily-ever-afters. Opposites attract, second-chance romance, BDSM, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, fake boyfriend are all things you can find in this series about friends, found family, and acceptance. *** R is for Ranch, of course. George and Levi spend quite a lot of time there. I is for Independent. Levi doesn’t like to stay in one place too long, and he owns a tiny home he can travel around in with his three cats. G is for George Thompson, our shy but determined hero. H is for Hero, because…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  My new book is called SECRET NIGHTS WITH A COWBOY and also contains a bonus novella called SWEET NIGHTS WITH A COWBOY. The heroes are brothers. And cowboys. And super hot if I say so myself.  2–What is it about?  It’s about a couple who got married young and never figured out how to move away from the kind of childish relationship things that marked how they started in high school.  Can they finally learn how to grow together? Or is it really time to move on? 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Determined.  4–What makes your hero irresistible?  He’s a man who knows who he is and what he wants. Especially his wife! 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  They both have their families and friends, who provide varying degrees of support and advice throughout! I’m lucky to have written three other books set in the same small town, so there are a lot of familiar faces in these books and a lot of chances for them to connect, learn, and grow. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Cold River, Colorado,…

“You like it. My testosterone. You’d like to be poisoned by it, admit it.” “There’s that sense of unearned self-confidence,” she said, her heart hammering steadily against her chest. “Right on time.” “It’s not unearned. I watch you. When we fight. Your face gets all flushed.” “That’s called anger.” “Why? What is it about me that makes you so damned angry?” “You… You are just…a useless, base ape.” “Base?” He asked the question with a dangerous sort of softness to his voice, and it made her trem­ble. “That’s what you think? That I’m like an animal who can’t control himself?” “Yes,” she spat. “I know all about you and your reputation. You get drunk at the bar, you pick up women every night of the week.” “I don’t get drunk,” he said. “That’s not me.” “Maybe that’s how you see yourself, but it’s not what I hear. I hear that you’re just a big, dumb, blunt instrument. You might go on and on about how you pulled yourself up by your bootstraps, but your daddy made all this happen. You might wear a cowboy hat, but there’s a silver spoon in your mouth the same as mine. So don’t you…

Fall in Texas is the perfect time of year to enjoy cooler weather. At Twin Oaks Ranch, that means more than fun campfires, cookouts, trail rides, and family get-togethers. It’s time to take stock of the ranch after summer growth in the pastures, as well as damage to trees and bushes by high winds and storms. This year there was quite a bit of clean-up on my agenda after a wild–weather-wise–spring and summer. What to do? Fortunately, my cowboy neighbors are always ready to lend a helping hand, so I called on them. As we worked on the ranch, I took photographs to show readers how art imitates life in my cowboy firefighter novels. Photo 1: Zander wears a harness that is a potential life-saver. If a line breaks, the harness will keep him from falling to the ground. He climbed up a shade elm that had been damaged by straight-line winds. He cut out the limbs, but he saved the trunk. We expect to see new tree growth appear in the spring. That will be a happy day for us all. Photo 2: Rod can wield a chainsaw with exact precision. In this case, thick blackberry vines had grown…