Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Karen Baney & the Colter Sons series

Welcome to the Blog Tour for the first three books of the Colter Sons series by Karen Baney, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Karen on the blog today to chat about her books!

THE RELUCTANT CATTLEMAN by Karen Baney
SERIES: Colter Sons #1
GENRE: Historical/Western Romance (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Desert Life Media
RELEASE DATE: August 19, 2022
PAGES: 230

A Love at First Sight Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Coming of age story set in Prescott, Arizona in 1887.

As Sam Colter takes on more responsibilities at the family ranch, he believes he is a disappointment to his father. He feels like the misfit of the family. When a journalist shows up to interview his mother, secrets from the past threaten his fledging sense of security. Can he overcome his fear and doubts to accept his role as a cattleman and rancher? Will he allow himself to love the woman who turned his life upside down?

Ellie Mae Thatcher moves to Prescott to start her career as a writer. When she misleads the Colters about her identity, she hurts the man she is falling in love with. Can she win back his trust and his heart?

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THE ROAMING ADVENTURER by Karen Baney
SERIES: Colter Sons #2
GENRE: Historical/Western Romance (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Desert Life Media
RELEASE DATE: October 21, 2022
PAGES: 230

A Shotgun Wedding, Main Character Disguise Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Set in Prescott, Arizona Territory in 1890 – 1891.

Boisterous Boone Colter settled into his career as a surveyor when his older brother approached him to survey a route for a new railroad. When Boone hires Jack Bennett, he never expected to be forced to choose between his desire for independence and protecting Jack. Will he rise to the occasion? Can he find a way to strike a balance?

Jaclyn “Jack” Bennett spent the last six years apprenticing as an assistant surveyor under her father. When her father asks her to give up her dreams, settle down, and get married, Jaclyn disguises herself as a man and flees to Prescott, Arizona. Except she never thought through how her choice would destroy the lives of those around her. Will she find a way to reconcile broken relationships?

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THE RAILROAD MAGNATE by Karen Baney
SERIES: Colter Sons #3
GENRE: Historical/Western Romance (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Desert Life Media
RELEASE DATE: December 2, 2022
PAGES: 234

A Love at First Sight Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Set in Prescott, Arizona Territory in 1891 – 1893.

James Colter was a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the railroad industry. As he watches his younger brothers marry and start their families, his loneliness deepens. He has everything, except the one thing he longs for the most:  a wife and family of his own. When he dances with the daughter of an older friend, was it love at first sight, or will he put his personal dream on hold again to pursue his professional aspirations?

Keri Glassman wants to follow in her parents’ footsteps. She dreams of becoming a contract attorney. When a handsome suitor invites her on a train ride, the course of her life is rewritten. Like her mother, she wants it all, a career, a loving husband, and a family. Can she find her own way or will her desire to please her parents threaten to destroy her hope for a lasting love?

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More Books in This Series

Hi Karen! Welcome to the blog!

Karen: Winter in Arizona. It doesn’t matter that it’s a “dry heat”. 110 or summer in AZ is not fun. Winter is wonderful here.

Carrie: I’ve never bought that ‘dry heat’ thing – heat is heat lol

Karen: Dogs, dogs, dogs. We are a two-dogs-at-a time household. We love our furbabies!

Carrie: yes!!

Karen: Um. Over. And yes, if my “under” hubby puts the roll on that way, I will fix it. Good thing he’s more easygoing than me. 😉

Carrie: haha!

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Karen: I make sense and order out of chaos. Both in my writing career and in my career as a manager, I can figure out the best order to accomplish things. That’s not to say I’m organized. Others might think I’m organized, but I’m not sure anyone else could follow my process to get organized.

Carrie: a good superpower to have!

Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood?

Karen: When I was in junior high, I read Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly Series. I loved Marty’s character and how she relied on God in the middle of heartache. The way Janette Oke wrote these stories strongly influenced my love of historical fiction. I even wrote to Janette Oke as a thirteen-year-old. The amazing thing? She actually wrote back to me. Talk about inspiring a future writer!

Carrie: oh wow! That’s awesome! I read that series in junior high too and fell in love with Christian historical romance right then 🙂

Q: Characters can sometimes take on a mind of their own. What do you do when your characters take over and refuse to go in the direction you want?

Karen: Yeah, sometimes characters have a mind of their own. When they get stubborn, there are two things I typically do.

First, I press pause and move on to another manuscript. My brain is always on, so even when I’m not actively thinking about my character, my passive brain is still chewing on their problem. When I think I have a solution, I go back to that character or story. This is why I typically have multiple stories in process at the same time.

Second, sometimes I just must give in to what the character wants. When this happens, it usually means a more painful restructuring of the story and revision process. In the end, sometimes it’s best to let the character win.

Carrie: lol that process fascinates me

Q: Were there any songs that inspired you as you wrote your Colter Sons series?

Karen: Yes! This is the first series where I started writing while listening to music. Through that process, I ended up giving each of the Colter Sons their own theme song. Whenever I was having trouble connecting with one of them, I’d listen to their theme song on a loop a few times. Then voila!

Wanna know what they are? Okay. Just don’t make fun of my odd taste in music. 😉

Sam Colter – Everything or Nothing by Willyecho

Boone Colter – No Limits by Zayde Wolf

James Colter – Want It All by Jaxson Gamble

Deacon Colter – Carry On by The Score

Preston Colter – Far from Home by Sam Tinnesz

(I didn’t write down one for Violet Colter)

Carrie: i love that creative way to identify with your characters!

Q: Do you have the whole plot outlined before you start writing, or do you let the characters dictate what comes next?

Karen: I used to create very detailed outlines with dates, scenes, characters and more. Then after about four books of the characters dictating where the story goes, I stopped doing this. Now I typically outline the major plot points for the beginning, middle, climax, and end of the story. The rest is inspired by the characters and how the story unfolds as it is written.

Carrie: that seems like a good compromise!

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes from the Colter Sons series & why do you love it?

Karen: Out of the entire series, my favorite quote comes from Boone Colter’s story, The Roaming Adventurer. When he comes home with a wife, his mother says this to her unexpected daughter-in-law. I love it because it tells you a lot about Boone and his relationship with his mother.

“We were all shocked that Boone came home with a wife. Coming home with a pet bear would have made more sense to us.”

Carrie: haha! That’s hilarious!

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Karen: My next release is a contemporary romance about a single mom starting over in Chandler, Arizona. The Air I Breathe (Steadfast Love Book 1) releases on 8/15/2023.

I’m also working on a modern cowboy romance series set in Arizona. I can’t seem to read enough cowboy romance myself, and it’s not hard to make the leap from historical cowboy romance to modern. Follow me on my website www.karenbaney.com, social media, or sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date with what I’m reading and what I’m writing.

Thank you so much for hosting me and the Colter Sons Series!

Karen Baney is passionate about writing stories full of flawed characters. She enjoys weaving together stories of second chances, redemption, and overcoming personal trials. As a transplant to Arizona in the late 1990s, she loves researching the state’s history and finding ways to seamlessly incorporate real history and real settings into her novels. In addition to writing and speaking, Karen works as a Software Development Manager for a Christian ministry.

Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing. Karen and her husband, Jim, make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs, Bella and Daisy. Both Jim and Karen are active at Rock Point Church in Queen Creek, Arizona.

Connect with Karen by visiting karenbaney.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

(2) winners will each win all 6 books in the Colter Sons series (winner picks paperback or ebook)!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 3, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 10, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

What about you? What makes you want to read the Colter Sons series by Karen Baney