On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
I am delighted to be participating in the Prism Book Tours blog tour for A Cowboy to Keep by Karen Rock. Around the middle of January, I did an early review of this book and said, “From the gorgeous Rocky Mountain setting to the action-packed suspense to the sweet-but-still-smokin romance, this is a story that entertains in every way.” Today I get to chat a little bit with Karen Rock about A Cowboy to Keep and what’s next.
In a quest to provide her ELA students with quality reading material, educator Karen Rock read everything out there and couldn’t wait to add her voice to the genre. In addition to her work as a Young Adult romance novelist, she’s now an author for Harlequin’s Heartwarming line and thrilled to pen stories that moms can share with their teenage daughters. She’s loved Harlequin books since she spent summers going through her grandmother’s Presents books that she passed along in paper grocery bags each year. As half of the writing duo J.K. Rock, Karen also pens young adult romance. When she’s not busy writing, Karen enjoys scouring estate sales for vintage books, cooking her grandmother’s family recipes, reinventing her gardens to suit her moods and occasionally rescuing local wildlife from neighborhood cats. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, her very appreciated beta-reader daughter, and two Cavalier King cocker spaniels, who have yet to understand the concept of “fetch” though they know a lot about love. For more information about Karen’s upcoming books, check out her website.
You can connect with Karen on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest.
Karen’s latest Harlequin Heartwarming novel, A Cowboy to Keep, releases February 7th.
Can’t stop running from the past
Dani Crawford has a secret…and if bounty hunter Jackson Cade finds out, he could ruin everything. The scarred yet handsome cowboy has tracked a dangerous criminal to the dude ranch Dani manages, and to get rid of Jack she’ll have to help him catch his man. But the closer they get to cornering their quarry the more Dani wants Jack to stay. Spending time with him is making her long for things she can never have thanks to a past mistake. And if the truth comes out she may be spending her future behind bars rather than safe in her cowboy’s arms…
Kobo | Book Depository│Harlequin
Hi Karen! I’m so delighted to have you on the blog! Thank you so much for chatting with me! 🙂
Karen: Hi, Carrie! I’m thrilled to be here on your wonderful blog.
Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?
Karen: Hmmmm… there are so many good ones that I wish I had… I would love to fly. Sometimes I really, really wish I could make myself invisible. Also, it’d be fun to morph into different animals, like dolphins or eagles, and get to see their worlds. But, if I’m true to who I am, my superpower would be storytelling because I believe in the power of stories to uplift us and transport us from our everyday lives. I’m a big believer in hope and positivity and faith and I hope my books give that to my readers.
Carrie: Story is the best superpower to have! 😀
Who is your favorite book character from childhood?
Karen: Is it cheating if I name a series? I ADORED (still do) the Little House in the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I still own the box set and it’s in a coveted spot in my hutch- right next to my Anne of Green Gables set 🙂
Carrie: I still have my original box set of Little House from childhood!! Love that series – and Anne of Green Gables too!!
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled while researching a book?
Karen: Lots of authors joke that their google searches will land them on some FBI watch list! I’ve never Googled anything that crazy, but I have worked quite a bit with experts in a variety of fields to make sure my facts are correct. For example, I worked with Johnathan Hillstrand, one of the crab fishing boat captains on the Discovery Channel’s show THE DEADLIEST CATCH when writing an upcoming novel (HIS LAST DEFENSE- out in April) that’s set on the Bering Sea in Alaska. I believe, after all that research, if this writing thing doesn’t work out, I could crab with the best of them now- lol.
Carrie: haha! Love that! My brother and sister-in-law would be so jealous. They love that show!
Dani Crawford and Jackson Cade are the main characters in your new release A Cowboy to Keep. Describe them for us in a sentence or two.
Karen: Here’s how Dani describes herself in the book: “She’d been a ponytail-wearing, makeup-avoiding, bruise-and-scrape-covered, bone-breaking horse fanatic who’d surprised everyone by cleaning up good once in a blue moon…and those only happened every other year.” She’s gutsy, fearless at ease in the saddle and with a gun.
Jack is a tough, independent loner with a tender side. With a scar slashing down one cheek, most consider him a dangerous bad-boy cowboy and steer clear of him- except Dani. He’s also humble and is uncomfortable with praise or anything else that calls attention to himself.
Carrie: I love both of these characters so much! Here is what I said about them in my review – “Jack, our hero, is all kinds of swoony. A little brooding, a little grouchy, yes. But whew! Once he has his sights set on Dani, keep those fans handy. His backstory is emotional and layered, but he hasn’t lost his soft side or his sense of humor. And Dani makes a perfect match for his gruff tenderness. She’s feisty and tenderhearted with a strong spirit that’s hiding a pretty emotional backstory of her own.”
A Cowboy to Keep takes place on a dude ranch that is currently experiencing its share of danger. This is your first romantic suspense series for Harlequin Heartwarming! What kind of challenges come with adding the “suspense” to the romance?
Karen: The challenge was striking the right balance between deep, emotional romance and heart-pounding action/suspense. I wanted to make sure I gave plenty of both to the readers. I wrote, then rewrote, then wrote this book a third time before I finally felt I’d gotten it right! Hopefully my next suspense will be a faster write after learning so much on this one 🙂
Carrie: I hope it does go faster for you, but you certainly got it right!! 😀
A Cowboy to Keep sets up a new 8-book romantic suspense for you. Can you give us a hint of which characters might be the focus of the next book?
Karen: I’m thrilled to begin THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN COWBOY SERIES. This series chronicles the lives and loves of two feuding ranch families: Jack’s family, the Cades, and their neighbors, The Lovelands. These tough, fierce, independent cowboys work hard, player harder and love forever. Book One, A COWBOY’S WAY, is a holiday romance novel out in 11/17. It involves James Cade, second oldest brother and Cade Ranch’s manager. James is fiercely protective of his family and takes his responsibility of keeping them safe from outside threats seriously, especially after they lost their youngest brother, Jesse to vicious murderers. He’s shocked to discover that Jesse had a child when the boy’s beautiful, enigmatic mother arrives on his doorstep. He senses there’s more to Sofia’s story than she’s telling and he’s determined to uncover what she’s hiding in case her secrets threaten the peace of his still grieving family. What he doesn’t expect to discover are his strong feelings for a woman he regards as off-limits. Yet the magic of Christmas heals all wounds and brings this deserving couple the love and family they need.
Carrie: I. Cannot. Wait. YAY!!!
Other Books By Karen Rock
Tour Giveaway
– 1 winner will win the above Prize Pack: 7 Paperbacks & a $50 Amazon Gift Card (US only)
– 1 winner will their choice of an ebook of one of Karen’s backlisted titles (open internationally)
– Ends February 14th
Tour Schedule
February 4th: Launch
February 5th:
February 6th:
February 7th:
February 8th:
February 9th:
February 10th: Grand Finale
Sounds like a great book. I love starting new series to read and getting to know the characters!
me too 🙂
Though this is not my usual genre’ that I read, this book looks and sounds interesting. I would like to see life from the bounty hunter’s point of view. Great interview. Thanks for the giveaway and good luck everyone.
It’s a great book! Good luck! 🙂
Good luck, Debbie! When I researched the book, it was interesting to learn about the life of a bounty hunter. It was a lot grittier and less glamorous than they show on TV that’s for sure!
Oh love Karen’s books!!
Thank you for the chance!!
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Carrie! Reading is your SuperPower as is being an awesome human being 🙂 <3
awwww!!!! Thanks 🙂
Thanks for that, Susan 🙂
Wonderful author and great feature and giveaway. So talented and the books are memorable.
definitely!
Thanks for the fun interview, Carrie and Karen! Karen, I’ve read some of your books and really enjoyed them. This one looks and sounds sooooo intriguing. I’ve put it on my TBR list.
😀
I love the cover! It makes me want to read the book, it sounds like it would be really good.