The winners are…Margaret, Dawn, and Stacey!
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Hello, Delilah! Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss my new release, titled A Touch of Cowboy, my adorable short story just in time for Christmas.
As your readers know, I’m a sucker for short stories. Especially ones that appear in anthologies. I used to believe I couldn’t write anything less than 70k words. When I discovered anthologies, many of them charity, I found that I could, in fact, write short. Especially when I had the ability to give something to a worthy cause. Other anthologies offer the possibility of trying something new in a safe environment. I’d never written a shifter story – but I got to try that out. I’d never written a sports romance about trapeze artists. Again, I found a safe place to do just that.
I certainly never planned to write a cowboy story. I know nothing about ranches, cattle, or horses. I’ve never had a hankering for writing those stories – even though I’ve read plenty of them.
So what, I’m certain you’re asking, had me changing my mind?
As I was signing up for anthologies, I came across one about ranches, ranges, and cowboys. The parameters for the anthology were quite broad. Still, cowboys just weren’t my brand. So, I passed the anthology over and focused on the other six I’d signed up for. (Seven? Eight? I can’t even remember what my commitments were at that point.)
The thought niggled, though. Cowboys…cowboys…
Then it dawned on me that I had a therapy ranch in my Cedar Valley and Mission City worlds (one for MF romances and one for MM – just different names for the same place). My ranch had been in many of my books but wasn’t a true working ranch. Just therapy dogs and horses.
Still…
One of the counselors, Avery, didn’t have a story. Almost like she’d been waiting for the right time. Or, as one might say, the right man. She and her comfort dog, Rex, have a great life. Yet Avery wouldn’t mind meeting someone special.
Enter Will.
He doesn’t want to come to the ranch. He doesn’t need therapy. A misunderstanding has landed him at Healing Horses. Does he have a tragic backstory? Of course. This wouldn’t be a Gabbi Powell story if he didn’t. But how could I work this cowboy into my tale and make it believable? Well, I hope readers will check out the story to see how I managed.
Now, cowboys still aren’t my brand. But I think I’ve written a cute story. Sweet with just that little touch of spice. And a comfort dog.
Because I can.
Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me and letting me share my new release! I’d love to hear from your readers: What do you think when a one-click author for you steps out of their comfort zone? Writes something outside of what you see as their ‘brand’? One lucky commenter, chosen by random, will receive my entire Love in Cedar Valley collection of stories, including A Touch of Cowboy. That’s 4 novels and this short story. Good luck!
A Touch of Cowboy
Avery Stinson’s work at Healing Horse Ranch has been her lifeline against loneliness, whether it’s the counselling she does, or training her rescue dog, Rex. Sure, she sometimes dreams of finding her special person, but if her work’s going to be her whole life, it’s at least valuable and fulfilling. She loves seeing their clients leave with more confidence and hope than they thought possible.
She really hopes Will Dupont, a new arrival seeing one of her colleagues, can have that kind of success because the man’s heartbreak is almost palpable. When they find themselves together at the Christmas party, Will opens up about his personal tragedy, and Avery’s drawn to the brave, quiet, stoic cowboy. He’s not her patient. Getting closer isn’t really against the rules. As day follows night and Will begins to heal, Avery begins to wonder, can they have a happily ever after this Christmas, or will the call of the wide-open range a thousand miles away prove too strong for Will to resist?
A Touch of Cowboy is a 12k word small town romance between a counselor, a cowboy, and an adorable pooch.
Links:
UBL: https://books2read.com/ATouchofCowboy
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Touch-Cowboy-Love-Cedar-Valley-ebook/dp/B0DP8DN3LX
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-touch-of-cowboy
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-touch-of-cowboy/id6738834558
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-cowboy-gabbi-powell/1146617528
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1656141
Add it to GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222081308-a-touch-of-cowboy
About Gabbi Powell
Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance. She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.
Personal links:
Website: http://gabbipowell.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbipowell
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3142441314
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbipowell/
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/gabbi.powell.9/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21065056.Gabbi_Powell
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I’m always interested in what the author will come up with that’s different. I may or may not like it but I think it’s brave in the author world to do that.
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I think it’s kinda cool to read something odd or different from what I’m used to seeing from them, and you never know they might have found a something special that they can check back into occasionally, getting their toes wet so to speak, thank you for the opportunity
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If I enjoy an author and they switch, I try it anyway.
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If I like an author, I will read everything they write. If they do something different than their usual, I look forward to seeing what they did. I am usually not surprised because I know I will get a great story from that author.
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Let an author write what their hearts want them to. If it is a genre I enjoy, I will read it.
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If I like the author’s work, I will definitely read something in a different genre to try it out and see what I think.
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may try it
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As long as the author doesn’t do something crazy, I’ll give the book a try. I’ve had a couple of instances where the author chose to write something in a category, I don’t typically read so I had to decide if I would one-click it or not. Books are expensive so I have to use my budget wisely.
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I don’t mind if an author I like does something different. I will check it out and if it interests me then I will read it. Sometimes I find a genre I didn’t think I would like that way.
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I think it is awesome that you have tried something outside of your wheelhouse. If we don’t try something new, we never realize our full potential. Keep feeling uncomfortable, eventually it will feel natural.
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I am always intrigued when an author writes in a different area then their usual. The only genre I do mot read is pure horror, and if I enjoy their writing I will definitely read their new stories.
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I will usually try it if it an author I like already. My issue has always been $$$ more than anything. I’m usually up for giving anything a try