I have the lovely Anne Kane on my blog today! She’s stopped by to answer a few questions and tell us about her latest release, Ride ‘Em Cowboy!
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
ANNE: I’ve known I wanted to be a writer forever. Before I was old enough to actually write things down, I used to tell my stuffed animals stories when I was a kid. They were really a great audience. They listened in rapt silence to every word I uttered! It may have given me an unrealistic view of my abilities
Do you have a favorite type of hero or heroine to write?
ANNE: Absolutely. I like my heroines to be kiss-ass independent women who don’t need to have a man around to take care of them. They are smart, strong and invariably attract alpha males who are mature enough to accept a woman who knows what she wants.
Do you have a routine you follow when you’re working on a book? A certain time of day when you write, or a snack you keep nearby?
I’m a morning person so I write best first thing in the morning, often while I’m drinking that all important first cup of coffee. The words seem to flow at that point whereas if I try to write before bedtime, I usually find myself staring at the computer screen with no idea what I want to say next. I’ve learned to do my creative writing in the morning, and my other tasks such as marketing and updating my website later in the day.
Did anyone give you writing advice when you were first getting started? Do you think it helped?
ANNE: When I decided to take a serious run at getting published, I joined a critique group created by a wonderful woman named Barbara Karmazian. She was a published author who was willing to take the time to coach a bunch of us wanna be writers, and I learned a lot of technical things from her as well as how to submit to publishers and what to expect from them. I met her in person in Las Vegas one year and I treasure the memory of that time. She has since passed away and I miss her humor and her gentle support. I credit her with giving me the emotional strength to actually submit my work to publishers who might reject it.
What is the scariest thing you face as a writer? How do you handle it?
ANNE: Wondering if it will be rejected. No matter how many stories I publish I still get nervous when I send a new project to my editor. I’m not sure I actually handle it all that well. I try to ignore it.
What do you think is the most important thing to remember when following your dreams? You need to have faith in yourself, and you need to realize that they are YOUR dreams, not someone elses. No one else gets to decide if your dreams are worth pursuing.
Marketing. I know most authors have a love/hate relationship with it. Have you found that to be true, and do you have any recommendations for new or aspiring authors?
ANNE: Absolutely true! Marketing takes up time that I could be spending writing, but if I don’t do it then there isn’t a lot of point in writing. Since the advent of the ebook and self-publishing, the competition for readers is fierce and marketing is essential. The problem is that it is a hit and miss proposition. Sometimes a marketing ploy works well and other times it bombs. The price you pay for advertising is not always an indicator of the success of that ad. And of course, what works today may not work tomorrow. Yes, love/hate pretty much describes it!
Thank you for stopping by for a visit, Anne! Now here are all the juicy details about Ride ‘Em Cowboy, Anne Kane’s latest release with Changeling Press!
Ride ‘em Cowboy!
By Anne Kane
Genres: Contemporary, romance, MC romance
Fiona really wasn’t in the market for a lover or a partner or some guy to give her a sappy sweet happily ever after. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. She just wanted a nice one-night stand. She planned to be long gone come breakfast time.
When she saw that gorgeous cowboy ride up on his Harley, she figured it was her lucky day. Bikers don’t do forever, right? Her perfect match! They could tell each other a few lies, scratch each other’s itches and then go their separate ways. The last thing she needed was to hook up with some guy she’d smack headlong into at church the next day.
Simple, right? So how did it all go so very wrong?
.
EXCERPT
The crowd over by the mechanical bull let out an extra loud whoop. She glanced back in that direction and there he was. One hand gripped the rope that circled the bull’s midsection and the other waved in the air high above his shoulder. The well-worn cowboy hat jammed firmly on top of his head was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. She could just imagine him standing in front of her, buck naked except for that hat.
Naked and ready for action.
He nodded at someone she couldn’t see, and the bull started to move.
Damn. Ride ’em, cowboy!
The man was born for this. His body moved with a smooth fluidity that made it look easy. With all the jerking and jumping that metal monster did, you’d think the rider would jump and jerk just as much, but he made it look like a dance that he’d mastered so long ago he didn’t even have to put any effort into it. His body flowed from one move to the next, power and strength visible in each change.
That sexy cowboy hat stayed on his head too, pulled down low enough to almost cover his eyes. They were dark, dark and hard. The kind o
f eyes that made one take a step back and reconsider whether or not it was a good idea to garner his attention.
She worked her way through the crowd to a position in the front row where she could see him better. And where he could see her. That was the point, after all. It was all good and well to admire the sexy bull-riding cowboy from afar but to get what she needed and wanted out of this little excursion, she needed to be closer to him. A whole lot closer. As in, right up tight against him, skin to skin, but that would have to wait until after he finished showing off his prowess on the mechanical bull.
As she moved through the crowd, she realized this wasn’t the cowboy’s first time at this particular drinking hole. The comments from the onlookers implied he came here often, possibly on a regular basis. Most importantly, at least to her, was the fact that he didn’t appear to have a steady girlfriend. If he did, no one was mentioning it and it seemed she wasn’t the only one angling to spend the night playing ride the cowboy.
She felt a familiar surge of anticipation. Nothing like a bit of rivalry to make the prize look even better. Leaning against the railing that surrounded the arena, she eyed up her competition.
A young blonde girl to her left took her hat off as the mechanical bull swung the cowboy around to face her. Letting out a loud whoop, she waved the hat in the air and flashed him with a wide-open shirt. Silly twit had tits the size of grapes, hardly enticing to a real man.
Fiona’s cowboy dude ignored the blonde, which didn’t surprise her. She was guessing this guy had been around the block a time or two and recognized jailbait when he saw it.
Fiona tossed her head back, letting her mane of dark hair bounce around her shoulders before it settled in a riotous tangle of curls down her back. The metal bull was coming around again, and she was pretty sure the guy’s time was just about up. Wasn’t there an eight-second rule or something attached to these things?
She timed it perfectly, leaning forward to give him a tantalizing glimpse of her ample bosom just as he came ’round again. She caught his gaze, letting her mouth form a surprised “oh” before she grinned saucily to let him know the peep show was intentional.
He did her one better though. Throwing his leg across the back of the bucking, bouncing pile of metal he slid to the ground amid a thunderous outbreak of applause. Not bothering to slow down, he strode over to where she stood, still leaning on the fencing. Wrapping one muscular arm around her waist he plucked her over the safety rails and proceeded to devour her mouth like a starving coyote on a drought-plagued range.
The man knew how to kiss!
Fire ignited deep in her belly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with every ounce of pent-up lust and frustration she’d been harboring since her last get-laid-quick adventure. No man had ever kissed her quite like this though — hard and fast, with an overwhelming hint of more and better things to come. He held her tight against his body, and she savored the feel of his sleekly muscled chest pressing against her. He was as solid as a rock, with wide shoulders that tapered to his waist. As for below the beltline, let’s just say she wasn’t left in any doubt about his attraction to her.
She sure hoped he used his mouth as well in the bedroom as he did in the bar. He bent her back over his arm with practiced ease, using his tongue to explore the depths of her mouth. She gave back as good as she got, wordlessly letting him know that she wanted to get to know him better. Much better.
She could hear the roar of the crowd in the background, like a muffled noise in the distance. Briefly, she wondered if maybe she was in over her head this time. The cowboy didn’t strike her as easy to manipulate, even with great sex. Then his tongue slid along the side of hers and up the inside of her cheek. At the same time, he moved one hand to caress the side of her breast.
Oh yeah. This was going to happen.
When they finally came up for air, he stood her upright and brushed the hair off her face with a surprisingly gentle touch. Leaning in close, he lowered his voice to a sexy whisper. “Can a cowboy buy a lady a drink?”
Buy it from the Publisher here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog who’s breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing with her first story. Then just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission to them. Since then she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all with a happily ever after.
Her hobbies, when she’s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar, singing and of course, reading.
You can find Anne around the web at:
Website: http://www.AnneKane.com
Blog: http://annekane.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/annekane
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.kane.author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Annekane