BookLover Sue: Book Tour: Interview & Giveaway - Convincing The Rancher by Claire McEwen

Convincing the Rancher

by Claire McEwen

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BLURB:

About that night…

Benson, CA, represents all that Tess Cole doesn't want. So she intends to keep her business trip there brief. Too bad her idea to quickly change the mayor's mind about some planning issues dissolves the moment she recognizes him! That one night with Slaid Jacobs remains a personal favorite for Tess—and for him, too, it seems.

Even though he's gorgeous and hot, it's clear to Tess that the single dad wants a commitment—something she avoids. It's also clear Slaid is bent on convincing her they can build a future out of their passionate past. And that's a very tempting offer…

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EXCERPT:

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

Tess froze. She was at a disadvantage. Something she absolutely hated. She scanned her brain for some situation where she might have met the mayor before. Then it hit her, and tension turned to relief. “Oh, yes! It was when Samantha married Jack, right?” The mayor looked puzzled, so she tried again. “Samantha Rylant? She married Jack Baron about six months ago. She’s a good friend and they live in Benson. We must have met at their wedding.”

The mayor gave a short laugh, studying her face with an expression of disbelief on his own. “I know them pretty well. But I was out of town for that happy occasion. I...” He paused as if catching himself. “I’m sorry, why don’t you have a seat.” He indicated the chair opposite his desk and she sat down reluctantly. He sat down as well, moving with surprising grace for such a big man. He leaned back and regarded her bemusedly over the vast mahogany expanse. “I guess I would have hoped our previous meeting was a little more memorable for you.”

Now she really was at a loss. “I’m really not...”

“Phoenix, Arizona? The Fairway Resort?”

She’d been there, as a guest speaker at a convention a couple years ago. “Oh, were you attending the PR conference?”

“No, I wasn’t.” He watched her carefully.

“Then where did we...” The realization hit her in the stomach and chest, and her heart started pounding. This couldn’t really be happening. Tess kept her work life and personal life separate—completely separate—until now. A one-night stand. She’d had a one-night stand with the mayor of Benson.

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Let's learn a little about author Claire McEwen:

What is your writing environment?

I write in what I call A Mom Environment! I have a young son, so I write when he is at school and I’m not volunteering there. My day is broken up by all kinds of mom chores, but I try to set aside a block of a few hours every day to work. I use a laptop and often can be found trying to write and cook dinner at the same time, resulting in some interesting and rather crispy food.

Who is your perfect hero and why?

The hero of my first book, A Ranch to Keep, might be my perfect guy. His name is Jack Baron and he’s gorgeous and funny and kind and honest, but still very much a guy – a little macho, a little rough around the edges. He’s sort of a horse whisperer and sometimes a bit of a people whisperer as well. He keeps showing up in all my other books, so I guess I’m not quite done with him!

What authors have caught your interest lately and why?

I read Laura Drake’s Rita Award winning The Sweet Spot and it really blew me away. I don’t know how much of a romance it actually is, but it is so beautifully written. She truly is a genius with language and with conveying complicated emotion. I’m also excited to read Marina Adair’s new series, which takes place in a small town in Georgia. The first book is Sugar’s Twice as Sweet. She writes such fun, humorous, small town romance, where the town really is a character all its own. Sort of Hart of Dixie meets Gilmore Girls meets romance novel. I have a couple of books by Sarah M. Anderson on my Kindle. She gets such great reviews for her contemporary westerns, so I’m excited to jump into those. And for suspense, I’ve really been enjoying books by Barb Han, who writes for Harlequin Intrigue. They keep you on the edge of your seat without involving too much gore. I like suspense but I’m just not a big fan of violence!

What type of book have you always wanted to write?

I have always wanted to write a mystery. I am working on one now… well, it’s more of a romance than a mystery. But it’s got a mystery at the center of it. It’s so fun to try something new, although I’m not sure if I will every actually finish it and get it published.

Top 3 things on your bucket list?

To stay on a working ranch and ride horses every day.

To spend months at a time living in Paris, Italy, London and Scotland.

To make great memories with my husband and son, wherever we might be!

How did you get the idea for this particular novel?

At first I was afraid to write this story because Tess, the heroine, was in my last two books and I already knew she was a total handful! She was promiscuous, daring and unflappable. I didn’t know how I was going to get inside of her heart and make her loveable.

But a few things happened that inspired me to write her book. First, I went to a very contentious public hearing in my hometown. And while I watched the consultants try to present an environmental impact report to a very upset crowd, I thought, “I want Tess to have to do this.” She was already in public relations so I knew I could make it happen.

But what would the issue be? Well, my sister went on a camping trip to the Eastern Sierras where I set my books, and came back early because it was so windy there. That was my “aha” moment for the wind farm that is the big controversy in this story.

And the rest of my ideas came from asking myself questions. Why did Tess sleep around so much? Where did her fear of intimacy come from? If the hero has a child, what will Tess think about that? Is there anything that might make that really difficult for her?

What is your favorite scene in your new release?

I love the scene where Tess and the hero, Slaid Jacobs, first meet. He’s the mayor of Benson and she needs his support for the wind farm she’s been hired to represent. But it turns out she slept with him two years ago on a one-night stand, but doesn’t remember him! He remembers her perfectly though, and she ends up very flustered.

Here’s a little excerpt.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

Now she really was at a loss. “I’m really not...”

“Phoenix, Arizona? The Fairway Resort?”

She’d been there, as a guest speaker at a convention a couple years ago. “Oh, were you attending the PR conference?”

“No, I wasn’t.” He watched her carefully.

What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?

I’m working on the next book in my Eastern Sierra series. It also takes place in Benson but it’s very different than my previous books. My first three books have scenes set in San Francisco. This new book is pure Benson! It features a hero who is trying to help the wild mustangs that have been rounded up from their ranges by the Bureau of Land Management, a heroine who works as a plant biologist for the BLM, studying the impact that the wild mustangs have on the native plants in the area, and the love they shared in college, until he walked away. I think it has the potential to be a really lovely and moving story. I don’t know when it will be available yet, but I suspect it could be released toward the end of 2015. Please visit my website or connect with me on Facebook or Twitter and I’ll keep you posted!

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I like to spend good quality time with my husband and son. We go to the beach, we hike, take bike rides, play in the garden, visit parks and local sights and see friends. I also have a little dog who loves to go for walks and run around the nearby park, so he brightens up my days a lot!

What would you consider a perfect date?

One perfect date would be to walk through Paris with my husband for an entire day and evening, hand-in-hand. We’d walk by the Seine, have food at a delicious café, and great wine and coffee and dessert. We’d stop at a beautiful museum and then relax in a park. But there are many perfect dates I can imagine. Horseback riding in the Sierras. Heading to a great concert. Going somewhere tropical, having a swim and sipping fruity drinks!

What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?

I wrote poetry in college. Well, who didn’t, right? But I actually had some of my work published in local poetry journals. Now I can’t seem to write any serious poetry. I don’t have enough angst, I think!

Thank you again for inviting me to your blog today! I hope you enjoy Convincing the Rancher!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Claire McEwen lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier. When not dreaming up new stories, she can be found digging in her garden with a lot of enthusiasm but, unfortunately, no green thumb. She loves discovering flea-market treasures, walking on the beach, dancing, traveling and reading, of course! Convincing the Rancher is her third book for Harlequin Superromance.

Website: http://www.clairemcewen.com

Blog: http://blog.clairemcewen.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7226137.Claire_McEwen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMcEwen.writer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaireMcEwen1

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