Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Colton Cowboy Hideout & Q&A with author Carla Cassidy

Q. What’s your favorite part about writing in Texas?
A. Texas always brings to mind wide open spaces and hot, handsome cowboys! For me, cowboys are solid men of honor who love their women, their land and their horses. And let’s be honest here, who wears a pair of jeans better!

Q. List two books you’ve read more than three times.
A. Judas Child by Carol O’Connell and The Door to December by Dean Koontz. While neither of these books is in the genre I write, I’m fascinated by the psychological aspects of them.

Q. Is anything in your new release based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
A. Most of the events in my books are from my imagination, but what is based on real life experiences is the emotions. I always try to tap into my own emotions when I’m writing my characters.

Q. How much research goes into your books?
A. As little as possible! I’m one of those odd writers who don’t like research, which is why I usually have fictional towns as settings. I do have to occasionally look up something, but I do it with a lot of whining.

Q. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
A. I hear from some of my readers regularly, although now it’s through social media rather than through letters. Many of them want to know what happened to the characters after the book ended, which I consider one of the highest compliments a writer can get!

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

A. Read, sleep and watch reality television. I have to confess I love the Housewives of anything. However, I consider writing not only to be my work, but also my pleasure.

Q. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

A. I am not one of those early birds. I generally start my writing day around nine in the morning.  I work fairly hard until noon and then throughout the afternoon I alternate writing with the daily housework. Around five-thirty I’m back in the chair and work until about ten at night.

Q. Do you have a favorite book cover from your series?


A. Honestly, for the most part I’ve been very blessed by the covers I get. Each time I see a new one I decide it’s my favorite! But, ask me about the few I hate and we’ll talk!

Q. How do you decide on the setting of your books?
A. Writing cowboys, it’s easy to choose either Texas or Oklahoma as the states. What I really like is small town settings. Having spent my childhood growing up in a small Kansas town, I love writing about a place where everyone knows everyone else and there’s a real sense of community. And let’s talk about small town secrets…

Q. What is your favorite summer read?
A. With a July release this summer, do you really think I’m going to mention somebody else’s? book? Heck no, I’m going to take this opportunity to do a little shameless self-promotion. I highly recommend Colton Cowboy Hideout as a great summer read! 

Title:  Colton Cowboy Hideout
Series:  The Coltons of Texas #7
Author:  Carla Cassidy
Publication Date: July 5th 2016 by Harlequin
Length:  288pgs
Genre:  romantic suspense
Shelf:  review
My Rating: ★★★★
Book Links: GoodreadsAmazon(US)Amazon(CA) - Kobo - Indigo - Google Play 

Back Cover Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy kicks off another gripping Colton romance in cowboy country!

After years in hiding, Josie Colton has her life back. But to settle a family promise, she must find an old clue buried at the Colton Valley Ranch. She enlists the help of ranch foreman Tanner Grange—in exchange for working as his twin toddlers' new nanny. On their search, the single dad soon begins to lasso Josie's heart.

Tanner agrees to assist Josie and is alarmed by how the Colton beauty fits so perfectly into his life. He's got his hands full investigating the disappearance of his boss and caring for his little girls. When it's clear someone will kill to stop Josie from uncovering the clue, Tanner vows to protect her…for life!

My Review:

This was a fantastic tale. Cassidy melds sweet romance with heart pounding suspense in a manner that kept me hooked throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed how seamless the plot was, with each aspect blending into the next. Family and friends weren’t add-ons, but rather integral parts of the main characters lives. Intimate moments vie with heart stopping suspense for centre stage, while vivid descriptions bring it all to life.

Tanner’s protective nature drew me to him from the very beginning. The way that Josie becomes part of his life, and the lives of his daughters, warmed my heart. This was a heartfelt cast of characters that I really enjoyed getting to know.

I love how each novel in this series can easily be read as a standalone, but at the same time, they also tie together quite nicely. Cassidy has created a novel that is a great beach read, a fantastic read for a rainy afternoon, and a novel that would also go well curled up on the couch with a glass of wine.


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