I am delighted to feature my sweet friend and talented author, Pamela S Thibodeaux on today’s blog. By the way…her book is available for pre-order AND it’s on sale for only 99 cents!!
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets? I am a mother of four (two by blood and two by marriage) and grandmother of three hailing from SW Louisiana. No pets at the time but my daughter and son have enough to make up for me not having any LOL!
Where did you get the idea for KYLEIGH’S COWBOY? In a first-chapter scene Kyleigh’s daughter has encouraged her to get out and socialize more then remarks about her maybe one day future husband …. “Who knows, he might be a tall, dark, handsome cowboy like dad always fantasized of being.” Hence the title.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)? Back in 1989 I committed my writing to God and said I didn’t want to write “just another romance” but something to glorify Him. I then revised my stories to include the characters’ faith, even though I had no idea there were major differences in Christian romances from traditional at the time. It’s been a tough lesson as I still don’t write traditional Christian but “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and it’s all I write.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?
Kyleigh’s Cowboy started out as a short story for a popular women’s magazine but was rejected because the editor and readership did not like cowboys. Talk about a shock! Who doesn’t like cowboys, right? LOL!
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? Getting into a set routine and applying the butt in chair principle.
What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular?
For some reason I felt this story (which began at less than 800 words) should be a minimum of 25K. Why this particular number still baffles me but for a while I struggled to get the word count up. I was going through a challenging period in my life at the time but once things settled down for me, adding scenes was easy. Even in the editing stages I’ve added or rounded out a few scenes in hopes of delivering a satisfying read.
What book have you read that you wish you had written? Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? My favorite book of all time is actually the Born In trilogy by Nora Roberts. I really can’t explain why except those characters stay with me and I reread their stories often.
What’s your favorite childhood book? Again, this is a series not just one book: Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series
What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie? Amber Marshall and Graham Wardle from the TV series Heartland. I believe these two would make excellent Kyleigh and Lance in a few years!
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write? Sometimes I think I’d like to write a traditional romance with steamy, passionate love scenes. I started one years ago but haven’t sat down to finish it. (See answer above about butt in chair principle 😊)
What is your favorite quote? “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? ~Marianne Williamson from A Return to Love
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? Nora Roberts is hands-down my favorite author of all time. I just LOVE the way her characters grow throughout the books and her powers of description are beyond anything else I’ve read.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? I had one reader/reviewer trash me and even question my faith because of my characters’ flaws and the way those were portrayed in the story. She didn’t bother to mention the growth or lessons learned from the instances she bemoaned. What has been the best compliment? ANY time I’m told one of my stories touched someone’s heart or changed their life or mind about a certain perception they’ve held it makes all the other stuff about writing/publishing worthwhile.
Your favorite…
Movie: I’m not good at having only one answer to your questions LOL! My favorite movies of all time are Pretty Woman and A Few Good Men
Music: Anything I can dance to which leaves out heavy metal and rap.
Place you’ve visited: Bandera, TX will always be my home away from home but my favorite places I’ve visited to date are Churchill Downs Home of the Kentucky Derby and Boonsboro MD – Nora Roberts’s hometown and her businesses Inn Boonsboro & Turn the Page Bookstore.
Place you’d like to visit: Ireland
TV show from adulthood: Heartland
Food: Bread in its every form: white, wheat, whole grain, pastries, cookies, cakes, pies (you get my drift LOL!)
Sports team: New Orleans Saints
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? I prefer card and board games over television.
Thank you for the fun interview. I enjoyed getting to know more about you. Now…tell us about your book!
She’s attempting to start a new life. He’s roamed for more than a decade. Can they let go of the past and grab hold of the future?
Seven years after the death of her husband, Kyleigh Winters turned their old vacation home into a brand new guest ranch. Not willing to join the ranks of lonely women trolling the bars or online in search of a man, Kyleigh is sure if God wishes her to have another husband, He’ll send the perfect someone in His own time. But will she be open to the possibility of new love when He does?
Searching for a place that calls to his soul, Lance Stevens has been a roaming cowboy for ten years since retiring from the Marines. He finds that sanctuary the moment he drives through the Silver Star’s gate and meeting the lovely owner speaks to more than his soul. Will he open to the healing power of love?
Get Pamela Thibodeaux’s second chance romance novella today and see how love and faith conquers all.
Excerpt:
Lance sat on his horse atop the highest hill the ranch boasted. Christmas was less than a week away and they were free of scheduled guests until then, but they never knew when someone would pop in and want to stay. Seth and Elaina had painted her bedroom and he’d refinished the dresser, hiding the ugly scars left by flames with fresh color. He’d trimmed it out with an intricate geometric pattern stenciled in various shades that picked up the muted hues of her new bedspread and curtains. The work his son was capable of surprised and pleased Lance.
If only he could relate that to the boy.
Kyleigh had lavished praise on Seth, saying she wished he’d been involved in the renovations they’d endured before opening the ranch to the public. She then promised to find more woodwork for him to do for as long as he chose to remain in her employ. The three of them had been thick as thieves ever since.
And that was a problem.
He hadn’t had a moment alone with Kyleigh in days.
Time to remedy that.
Lance whirled his horse around, picked his way down the trail and into the corral. He unsaddled and groomed the animal. After giving Champ an extra helping of oats, he turned the big chestnut loose to roam with the herd, and then ambled to the bunkhouse to shower and dress. Convincing Kyleigh to have dinner with him in town might be easier if he smelled less like a cowboy and more like a gentleman. He cornered her in the office as she tallied up the day’s books and prepared a deposit. “Just the lady I wanted to see.”
She glanced up, smiled, and his heart stuttered in his chest. “You clean up nice.”
Lance chuckled. “Got a hot date.”
Her eyebrow arched in question. “Is that a fact?”
He stepped closer, cupped her cheek in his hand. “That’s a fact, ma’am. What’re you hungry for?”
“What makes you think I don’t already have plans for this evening?”
The flush on her cheeks, light in her eyes, and softly curved lips assured Lance she didn’t, but he played along for the simple joy the teasing brought. “Cancel them. Nothing is as important as dinner tonight. With me. Just the two of us…wine, food, dancing. No ranch, no kids, no responsibilities.”
“A bit demanding, aren’t you?”
He took her hands, pulled her to her feet. “That, my lady, was a request. This is a demand,” he murmured, then captured her mouth in a hot, hungry gesture. By the time he let her catch her breath again, she was plastered against him, her fingers fisted in his shirtfront.
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF627TZF
BB: https://www.bookbub.com/books/kyleigh-s-cowboy-by-pamela-s-thibodeaux
GR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62590658-kyleigh-s-cowboy
Other: https://books2read.com/KyleighsCowboy
About Pamela:
Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story! http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletter
Social Media Links:
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Pamela-S-Thibodeaux/e/B002BM045Q/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1268453.Pamela_S_Thibodeaux
Author Alicia Dean 