UPDATE: The winner is…Sara D!
*~*~*

Next Tuesday, Hard Knox releases! I’ve loved writing this story. Knox is a badass and a grumpy guy. Carleen is, um, adventurous and persistent. Their romance has the town of Dead Horse buzzing!

It’s a sexy read, for sure, and the second in my We Are Dead Horse, MT series. I created Dead Horse as an off-shoot for my first bounty hunters series, and I love the town so much, I couldn’t resist writing more about the quirky characters who people this small Montana town.

I’ve had particular fun with the names of businesses in Dead Horse. They have a theme—something the town council thought would attract tourists. Here are some of the names I’ve come up with so far…

• Better Off Dead — Taxidermy Shop
• Day of the Dead Cantina — Mexican Restaurant
• Dead ‘n’ Gone Antiques
• Dead as a Doornail Hardware
• Dead Center Guns & Pawn
• Dead Easy Saloon
• Dead Heat & Air
• Even a Dead Horse Gotta Eat — Grocery Store
• Dead Horse Motel
• Deadly Delights — Dessert Shop
• Dem Bone Package Store
• Drop-Dead Gorgeous — Salon
• Ride or Die Body and Repair

Since I’ll have more stories coming, I need to feature more businesses and more of the townsfolks. Maybe you can help me out…

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what other businesses should exist in Dead Horse—and if you have suggestions for names of businesses or even for streets, I’d love to see them!

I know some of y’all have been waiting for Cold Hard Cash to show up in some other venues. I’ve taken the book out of KU, and it’s available at all the usual outlets now. Just thought I’d let you know. 🙂

The wealthiest man in Dead Horse, MT, decides it’s time to acquire a wife and gives his eminently efficient personal assistant the task of finding the perfect candidate…

UPDATE: The winner is…Steph!
*~*~*

On September 12th, the next book in my new We Are Dead Horse, MT, series, Hard Knox, releases! So, I thought it was time for you to meet my main characters. I’ve included a snippet below for you! In the opening, we’re treated to a bit of Carleen Crossley’s mindset. She’s a woman on a mission to capture the one man she can’t have: Knox Ramsey. Carleen has no inhibitions or shame when it comes to her pursuit, much to the town’s enjoyment.

If you’ve read the books in the Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT, you’ve seen Carleen in some of the later stories in the series. Plus, she appears in Book #1 of the new series, Cold Hard Cash. Let’s just say, Carleen knows how to make an impression.

Meet Carleen…

Knox Ramsey was a man most folks in Dead Horse, Montana, shied away from. His tall, burly frame was imposing enough. Add the dark eyebrows that seemed perpetually lowered over his nearly black, piercing eyes and his huge, meaty fists, and he made most folks shiver with dread whenever his gaze swung their way.

However, Carleen Crossley wasn’t “most folks.” When she looked at Knox, she shivered the same as anyone, but for a very different reason. To her, Knox was The One.

She’d known it since she was a teenager, working after school to earn money for her cheerleading outfits. Knox hadn’t been the one to hire her—his mother, Dorothea Ramsey, had for no other reason than to annoy her son. Plus, she’d placed Carleen in the front office, doing little tasks that didn’t really need doing in a rough and tumble place like the Ride or Die Body and Repair Shop—like filing (who needed paperwork unless you wanted the grease-grimed fingerprints for a forensics audit), janitorial work (again, years’ worth of engine oil and grease couldn’t be wiped away with a little or a lot of degreasers), and making coffee (she had never mastered making the sludge Knox thought of as an actual beverage).

Even when she’d been sixteen, she’d recognized his appeal by the way her ovaries cramped in his presence. As she’d grown older, she’d noted other “proof,” like how her nipples beaded hard and her cheeks and groin got hot just being in his presence. She could feel him the moment he came into her vicinity. The air hummed with electricity. Her sex gave her warning, too, instantly softening and getting wet. When she turned and met that black gaze, her heart would stutter and then pound. Whatever she was doing, whatever thought was flitting through her mind, ground to a halt as she took him in. Looking at him was like downing a shot of whiskey—bracing and exhilarating.

Knox, with his deadly glare and biker’s windswept hair, was a bad boy through and through. And she had a mighty thirst for the biggest, baddest boy in Dead Horse, Montana.

Too bad the man didn’t feel the same way about her. After years of flaunting her body and seeking ways to slide up against him to tempt him, he still managed to deflect her affections.

Not that Carleen was ready to give up…

*~*~*

If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy—here’s the link: Hard Knox

Contest

For a chance to win your choice of story in the Montana Bounty Hunters series or a copy of Cold Hard Cash, let me know if you’ve read any of the stories, and if you have, which was your favorite?

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Although writing is often a solitary pursuit, many writers reach out to others who labor as well.  After I wrote my first couple of books, I realized I didn’t know much.  About any of it.  I joined a couple of writing groups, started attending conferences and classes, and did my best to immerse myself.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Why not learn from those who came before me?

That journey led me to a group of writers in Vancouver, Canada, near where I lived.  Life was going along great until the pandemic.  That group wound up shuttering, but luckily, I found an online community that welcomed me with open arms.  And my world expanded as I made friends with other writers literally from around the world. Friendships were born, relationships cemented, and support networks put in place.  The great thing was I wasn’t just learning—I was sharing what I knew.  And as my career grew as a writer, I found ways to connect with others.

During that time, I connected with a group of women who wrote books similar to mine.  And, during some crazy meeting, someone proposed we write a series together.  A shared world.  Between my love of these woman and FOMO (fear of missing out—which is real for me), I knew I had to be part of this.

Cataluma, California, was born.  It’s taken us about a year to plan, write, edit, and then publish our stories.  Along the way there’ve been laughter, tears, frustrations, and true joys.  I’d written in shared worlds before—and will continue to do so—but this was the first time I’d been so involved in the process from the very beginning.

High on Love is the fifth story in the series.  The books start off sweet and work their way to steamy.  My book definitely has a steam factor, which matches the other Gabbi Powell books I’ve written.  And not to stray too far from my brand—my heroine comes from the small town in British Columbia where I’ve set my other books.

Connections.

There are ties within the stories, within the series, and within the friendships that’ve been tested and cemented.

I hope you check out High on Love.

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me visit!  As a thank you, I would love to give out a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter.  Let me know—how do you approach a series if you don’t know all the authors?  Do you start from the beginning, grab your fave’s book, or pass altogether?  Leave a comment!

High on Love

Kendra Barker’s a long way from her Canadian home. Her road trip has landed her and her 1983 Harley in Cataluma, California, but she only plans to stay long enough to rest, maybe make a few dollars, and enjoy the Strawberry Festival. As a bonus, the one place she finds to stay is an empty apartment with a super sexy landlord.

Javier Fernandez has been cruising through life on autopilot. His marijuana shop is doing well. His mother is, for the most part, under control and managing her job as mayor of his beloved Cataluma. Now, he just needs to get this pesky Canadian woman out of his head. He gave her a place to sleep, and he very much wants to be in her bed, but come the end of the weekend, she’ll be moving on. Javier doesn’t do one-nighters and he doesn’t want to deal with a broken heart. Long-distance, and cross-borders is a recipe for disaster, right?

High on Love is a story in the Shopping for Love in Cataluma series. The book is a 39k word small-town interracial romance novella with a tattooed heroine, a stoic hero, and the love affair that’ll change their lives forever.

Links:
UBL:  https://books2read.com/High
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZ2M8Z4G
Add it to GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125352653-high-on-love

About the Author

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/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/powell_gabbi
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Powell/e/B08T8NTQNY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21065056.Gabbi_Powell

Just me, cheering because my book is out!

Get your ebook copy here!
Get your print copy here!
Read an excerpt here!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly!
*~*~*

I am in love with Dead Horse, MT. The bounty hunters helped me discover this little gem of a town. Now, you’ll get a chance to meet the folks who were born and raised there. I hope you enjoy the journey! Up first? Cash and Lila. There will be laughter and tears, and you’ll get to meet more townsfolk along the way.

Pre-order your copy here!

The wealthiest man in Dead Horse, MT, decides it’s time to acquire a wife and gives his eminently efficient personal assistant the task of finding the perfect candidate…

The wealthiest man in Dead Horse, MT, Cash Whitaker, decides it’s time to find a wife before he begins his campaign for mayor. He figures having the right wife will increase his likability as a candidate. Becoming the mayor is important because the office will give him the power to protect his town by cleaning out the bounty hunters, who aren’t “Dead Horse” and have put his town on the map for all the wrong reasons.

Being a busy man and knowing his particular skill set doesn’t lend itself to the task, he decides to give the responsibility of finding a wife to his highly efficient personal assistant. He’ll let her put together a list of suitable candidates for him to sort through to find the woman who will help him on the path to his ultimate goal of becoming the governor of Montana.

Lila Hanson is spitting mad that her boss wants her to find him a wife. The single mom has spent two years becoming his ultimate asset, only to have him completely overlook her as the perfect candidate. When she turns to her girl squad to vent, they suggest a plan to open the clueless man’s eyes to what’s right in front of him.

However, a tragic incident throws both their plans into chaos and brings a new intimacy neither can ignore. Now, they have to work together to save an orphaned child.

Cash has called her—on a Saturday, mind you—to ask her to find him a wife…

Lila noted the end of the call and stood with her phone beside her mouth for a few moments as she processed everything Cash had said. What the actual fuck?

He wanted her to find him a wife? She placed her phone on the kitchen counter, then balled up her fists and jumped in place, shadowboxing to let loose her frustrated anger.

When she was breathless, she stopped, dragged in a deep breath, then opened up a message to her group chat. Can you all meet up for lunch?

A few minutes later…

Carleen: I start my shift at the diner at noon. Can take a break when you get here.

Rhonda: Chase is on a hunt. Have Mikayla, but I’m sure she can have a playdate with the neighbor’s kid. The woman owes me one.

Laura: Preacher’s on the same hunt. I can leave Katie in charge at Deadly Delights.

Lila scrunched her nose. Meryl’s in Bozeman, giving some lecture at the University. I could really use her logical brain.

Rhonda: What’s Cash done now?

She blew out a deep breath. Carleen, will that private room be free?

Carleen: Only thing I can think of on the calendar is the garden club meeting from 10:30 to noon.

See you at noon.

She ended the chat without elaborating. At the moment, she was too angry to remain polite. Adrenaline was buzzing inside her.

How dare he ask me to do that? But she knew why he felt comfortable asking. She’d allowed him to define their work relationship, letting him add personal tasks like picking up his dry cleaning and buying gifts for friends and the girls he’d casually dated. In her mind, she’d thought they were building something together, that his successes were hers. Sure, he’d given her bonuses, but she’d thought in her pitiful doormat mind that he’d eventually see her as more than just another useful tool like his iPad or his favorite golf clubs.

No, Cash didn’t see her as anything other than his stalwart, never complaining, never stepping outside her box personal assistant. Damn, she’d wasted two years waiting for him to wake up to the fact that they were perfect for each other.

Well, no more. But what was her next step? Did she throw in the towel? Find a new job? Start dating one of the more emotionally available men in this town?

Her shoulders slumped.  She’d done it again. Let a man take over her life to use up and throw away. At least Danny had left Kyleigh with her when he’d decided that Dead Horse was too…dead. And she hadn’t minded when he’d moved from coaching the Stallions football team to taking over the program at a larger, more prestigious school in Texas. For all intents and purposes, their marriage had ended right after Kyleigh’s birth. He hadn’t liked being constrained by fatherhood—especially when his only child was a girl.

She popped a pod in her coffee machine and made herself a cup. Then she dialed her mother’s number to ask her to babysit while she went to lunch with the girls. Kyleigh loved spending time with her Nina. Mama was always parked in front of a computer screen anyway.

Lila realized at that moment that she’d undervalued herself. Her time, her family, and her heart were worth so much more than Cash’s ambitions.

Things were going to change. Exactly what that change would look like was still to be determined, but her girl squad would come to her rescue. They’d been chiding her for months to get off her ass and quit letting him rule every thought and every hour of her day.

She was taking back the reins.

She shook her head. That analogy had her thinking she ought to give a whinny, but she wasn’t a horse to be ridden.

Again, her thoughts halted on that image. “Riding” and “Cash” should not exist in the same headspace. She’d already spent too much time imagining herself in his life. Hell, she’d decorated his house for them, even including a bedroom that could easily be converted for Kyleigh’s use. With pale citrus and green colors, they’d perfectly matched her daughter’s own preferences. The Queen Anne furniture suite had looked like a newer version of Kyleigh’s scratched and cheaper bed and dresser.

Lord, the amenities she’d included in the design of his bathroom…

Lila shook her shoulders and thrust the thoughts of the large whirlpool tub from her mind. She quickly made a mental list of the things she needed to accomplish before heading to the diner to meet with her friends.

Lists kept her mind focused. Visions of a handsome and ridiculous man with short-cropped brown hair, a well-groomed beard, and piercing brown eyes had a way of leading her down pathways her imagination should never roam. She’d never get a thing done if she constantly mooned over him.

First on the list: a long cold shower. Cold as his heart. Cold as her bed. Cold as…

Inwardly, she groaned. Now, what was second?

Contest

Do you love small-town romance stories? Are you ready for We Are Dead Horse? Let me know for a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Today’s graduation day for LaLa, so I’m squeezing in a blog and then going silent for the rest of the day!

As you probably know, I have the first book in my We Are Dead Horse series releasing on Tuesday. I’m so eager for you to meet Cash and Lila, and see what shenanigans the townsfolk get up to. If you’ve read my latest bounty hunter stories, you know the town is full of eccentric characters.

One plug for my book, and then on to the puzzle!

Pre-order your copy of COLD HARD CASH now!

The wealthiest man in Dead Horse, MT, decides it’s time to acquire a wife and gives his eminently efficient personal assistant the task of finding the perfect candidate…

The wealthiest man in Dead Horse, MT, Cash Whitaker, decides it’s time to find a wife before he begins his campaign for mayor. He figures having the right wife will increase his likability as a candidate. Becoming the mayor is important because the office will give him the power to protect his town by cleaning out the bounty hunters, who aren’t “Dead Horse” and have put his town on the map for all the wrong reasons.

Being a busy man and knowing his particular skill set doesn’t lend itself to the task, he decides to give the responsibility of finding a wife to his highly efficient personal assistant. He’ll let her put together a list of suitable candidates for him to sort through to find the woman who will help him on the path to his ultimate goal of becoming the governor of Montana.

Lila Hanson is spitting mad that her boss wants her to find him a wife. The single mom has spent two years becoming his ultimate asset, only to have him completely overlook her as the perfect candidate. When she turns to her girl squad to vent, they suggest a plan to open the clueless man’s eyes to what’s right in front of him.

However, a tragic incident throws both their plans into chaos and brings a new intimacy neither can ignore. Now, they have to work together to save an orphaned child.

Pre-order here!
FREE in KU!!
Read the opening here!

Contest

Solve the puzzle! It’s a gorgeous landscape, like one you might see if you lived in Dead Horse! Then tell me whether you’ve read my bounty hunters and/or are eager to start this new series for a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC!