.jpg)
Inspiration can strike writers in all shapes and forms, but nothing inspires me quite like visual triggers.
Four years ago, my husband, Captain Cavedweller, and I settled at our gate to wait for our flight at the Las Vegas airport.
Shades of black randomly interspersed with hues of tan and gray surrounded me as I gazed over a sea of cowboy hats. Like us, hundreds of cowboys prepared to depart after attending the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and many of the accompanying activities.
Each December, the city of Las Vegas takes on a country vibe as the rodeo comes to town, bringing with it hundreds of vendors, thousands of spectators, and a whole lot of fun.
As we sat at the airport that morning, an idea for a story and accompanying series started to take shape.
Since the cowboys who compete professionally spend a good deal of time traveling, I wondered how many of them flew from one rodeo to the next. If they were flying, it made sense that they might meet a girl at an airport who turned their head.
I began jotting down notes and by the time we reached home, The Christmas Cowboy (Rodeo Romance, Book 1) was born.
The sweet western holiday romance tells the story
of Tate Morgan, a successful saddle bronc rider, who falls in love with Kenzie
Beckett, a corporate trainer he frequently runs into at the airport. Despite
their mutual attraction, the relationship is going nowhere fast. Kenzie has
sworn of men in general and good-looking, charming cowboys in particular.
As a big fan of rodeos and a dabbling photographer,
I turned to images I’d snapped of the rodeo and crowds to flesh out the details
of my story. Pinterest is one of my favorite things in the world. It is a fact
I’ll never make all the recipes I’ve pinned or have time to create even a
handful of the craft ideas I’ve liked, but Pinterest gives me the ability to
create story boards for each book I write. For a girl who is all about visuals,
this is a huge help in my writing process.
While researching details for The
Christmas Cowboy, I became aware of a great
organization — the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. From my initial research, I knew
I wanted to do something to help promote such a great cause. That’s when I
decided to donate a portion of my book sales. November 1 through Dec. 24, 10 percent
of the net proceeds from all Shanna Hatfield book sales will be donated
to the Justin
Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists
rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work
for an extended period.
The second book in the series, Wrestlin’
Christmas, highlights Tate’s friend Cort McGraw,
a world champion steer wrestler.
The third book in the series, Capturing Christmas just released
Nov. 12. Life is hectic on a good day for rodeo stock contractor Kash
Kressley. Between dodging flying hooves and babying cranky bulls, he barely has
time to sleep. The last thing Kash needs is the entanglement of a sweet
romance, especially with a woman as full of fire and sass as Celia McGraw.
The Christmas Vow is the fourth book in the Hardman Holidays sweet
Victorian romance series and also released Nov. 12.
Columbia River Pilot Adam Guthry returns to
his hometown of Hardman, Oregon, after the sudden death of his best friend.
Emotions he can’t contain bubble to the surface the moment he sees the girl who
shattered his heart eleven years ago.
Enter
to Win Prizes!
To enter the drawing for an Amazon
gift card, Wrangler Tote Bag, Rock & Roll Cowgirl T-shirt, autographed
books, chocolates, and more fun goodies, fill out this
form. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced Nov. 16. http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes2
About Shanna
Hatfield
Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna
Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical
and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with
characters that seem incredibly real.When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.
This USA Today bestselling author is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, and Pioneer Hearts.
Find Shanna’s books at:
Shanna loves to hear from readers!
Follow her online:
Make sure you sign up for her
newsletter to get the latest on new releases and exclusive giveaways
Welcome to HWH, Shanna! I, too, love Pinterest for storyboards. It's so much easier to describe rooms and clothes and people and, well, everything, when I have pictures to refer to. Love the sound of your series--good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Jennifer! The only problem with Pinterest is I never want to leave once I start browsing through all the ideas!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Thank you so, so much for hosting me today! What a treat to be here!
ReplyDeleteHi Shanna, and welcome to HWH. I love how a place can suddenly trigger an idea for a story (or, in your case, several stories). I was in Vegas last year, and had the seed of an idea - but haven't got any further than that yet! Best of luck with your novels.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Paula. Isn't it fun when those unexpected seeds sprout! :) Take care and best wishes to you!
DeleteI have to confess, Shanna, that I've never read any cowboy romances. Maybe it's time I did!
DeleteHi Shanna,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to HWH. You are my kind of author! I, too, write and read about cowboys and rodeos as often as I can. Add holidays to the mix, and the story is just about perfect for me!
And how fabulous of you to donate proceeds from your book to such a good cause.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete