A Bull Rider's Plan by Jeannie Watt

I have a new release in a few weeks. The Bull Rider's Plan is book four of my Montana Bull Rider series and the second twin book in that series.The first twin book, A Bull Rider's Pride, was about the wild twin, Tyler. This book is about the responsible twin, Jess.

Jess is the guy who saved his money, got good grades, and made certain his brother didn't get into too much trouble. Despite that, he's one hell of a bull rider--better than his brother--and the time has come to stop being cautious and hit the circuit, before it's too late. There's just one small problem...his late best friend's sister, Emma, is in trouble and Jess ends up bailing her out of her jam by taking her with him on the road--even though he really doesn't want to. And then the trouble begins.

Here's an excerpt from the morning after he rescues her from the Shamrock Pub, just before he ends up inviting her on the road with him:

Jess stood at the counter staring down at the toaster. He was ridiculously good-looking. Dark-haired with sculpted cheekbones and striking eyes. Her friends had all been mystified as to why she wasn’t all over him. She assured them that it was because she knew him. It was his attitude. As in, he had this attitude toward her. So…she’d had an attitude toward him.

Yet here they were.

He suddenly looked up, meeting her gaze. Oh yeah. Those were some eyes. Her memory wasn’t faulty.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” she echoed, wishing her voice wasn’t so thick.

His eyes strayed down to her legs. “Are you wearing my jeans?”

“Maybe?” She automatically hitched up one side as she answered. “You weren’t using them.” She indicated the duffels with a jerk of her chin. “And it looks like you’re packed for your rodeo trip, which leads me to believe you weren’t taking them.”

“Maybe I wanted something clean to wear when I got home. Besides, that’s not the point, Em.”

She leaned her elbows on the counter next to him. “What is the point, Jess?”

“The point is that you took my stuff without asking.”

“And if I had wandered out in my underwear to ask permission…?” She gave him a how-would-that-have-gone-over look.

“You could have called from the bedroom.”

“Oh, Jeh-ess…can I wear your pa-ants?” She raised her eyebrows in a mock innocent expression. 

“Like that?”

“Yeah. Like that.”

This felt like old times, when Jess would go all follow-the-rules on her whenever she came up with a great idea, like going out to party with him and her brother, even though she was underage, and she would argue with him.

“You want me to take them off?”

“No.” The word came out so rapidly that it was almost embarrassing. His loss.

“Then I guess I get to wear your jeans.” She looked around the trailer. “You have a clothes dryer here?”

“Yeah. Right.”

“They make those apartment size things.”

“I go to the laundromat.”

“Pity. Now I have to wear your jeans.”

He didn’t answer, making her think that he was simply making noise about the jeans. The toast popped and he set it on a plate, then put the plate on the table. Emma took the hint and sat down, even though she wasn’t the least bit hungry.

“We’re going to talk.”

“We are?”

“I brought you to my home rather than leaving you to the mercies of your mom. I want some answers.”

She narrowed her eyes, ignoring the fact that it made her head hurt. “What kind of answers?”

He set a cup of coffee on the table next to the toast and then leaned back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. His expression was don’t-mess-with-me serious when he said, “Tell me what’s going on.”

“You want to know my business?”

“Yeah. I do.”

It takes a few miles before these two start to see each other in a different light, but it was a lot of fun writing their journey. I hope you'll check it out!

Best,
Jeannie

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By Jeannie Watt

Today for your viewing pleasure, I offer up the men of Tule's American Extreme Bull Riders Tour.  If you haven't done so already, you might have to check out these guys as they tour around the USA challenging bulls and learning a few lessons in love.

This is the first round of stories, and they are all available right now!

The next three stories, including Katherine Garbera's American Extreme Bull Riders Tour finale, will be released in August and are available for pre-order.

It was so much fun writing with so many authors and researching bull riders. Sarah and I accidentally discovered that our heroes were cousins, which we didn't know going in.

I had the great pleasure of meeting with Katherine Garbera, Megan Crane and Barbara Dunlop at the RWA conference and we had an excellent chat about bull riding guys.

So without further ado, here are the final three entries in the American Bull Rider's Tour--

 

Jeannie Watt writes contemporary western romance for Tule Publishing and Harlequin. She's currently in the middle of the world's longest settling-in period after moving house and hopes to someday be totally unpacked. In the meantime, she writes books. 

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The Best Kind of Distraction - Jeannie Watt

I'm having trouble concentrating lately.

And every time I leave my manuscript unattended...

...it seems to write itself. And not necessarily in a good way.

Introducing my new kittens, Lizzie and Fiona. Lizzie writes. Fiona likes tea. 

I'll be truthful--I'd hoped to get a couple of Siamese-mix kittens when I headed to the Human Society to adopt my new babies. The Siamese were all spoken for, but there were a pair of tabby sisters in the next cage over. One of them reached through the bars at me and that was it. Lizzie and Fiona became to the newest four-footed members of my family. 

I also got a two-footed member, Bitsy, to keep my two-year old budgie company after he lost his companion.

The moral of this story is: Do not get babies while on deadline. It's distracting...but in the very best way.

Have a great day,

Jeannie

For more information on my latest releases, please visit my website.

All That Free Time...

By Jeannie Watt

I retired to Montana last fall. Dream come true, right?

My horses and ponies weren't so sure. However, this is what their life looks like for the rest of the year, so as long as we keep a lot of hay in front of them and a windbreak behind them, they're cool.

After I retired, I thought I would have sooooo much time to write. After all, I wouldn't be commuting, teaching, coming home exhausted, trying to fit in housework and laundry around the job--I would be organizing my new house and writing!

Except, this is what my house looked like when we moved in.

We still have so much to do, but I'm happy to report that we now have sinks and counter tops. And this is the view from my kitchen window...

Which kind of made the lack of amenities like sinks and counter tops bearable.

My mom, who lives about 200 yards away, told me that time is like walking in the mud. When you free up some space, like say by retiring, something else rushes in to fill it. I scoffed. I was wrong. That something else, besides the house, is ranch stuff.

I've been around cows, but other than attending the occasional branding, I never really worked cows personally. That's all changed.

Now the cows run the show. In the winter, its a matter of moving them and feeding them. I'm still learning the tractor, so I open the gates and cut the stings on the bales. Kind of the internship role.

But here's the pay off, come spring...babies!

And a very, very happy husband, surveying his domain. Happy ending, but a busy one!

I hope everyone has a great Monday. If you want to find out more about me and my books, please check out my website or my Facebook page. Also, here's a link to my latest book, A Bull Rider to Depend On, which is, of course, set in Montana.

A BAD BOY WITH A GOOD HEART

Widow Skye Larkin will do anything to save her ranch, even if it means accepting help from bad-boy bull rider Tyler Hayward. But he and his penchant for partying are to blame for her late husband's financial indiscretions, which got her into this mess. She might be attracted to the dark, dangerous cowboy, but putting her trust in another rodeo man is unthinkable.

Ty knows he shouldn't be surprised that Skye isn't convinced he's changed. He wants to prove that beneath the bravado, and no matter what happened on the circuit, he's one of the good guys. Offering her a business partnership is just the first step. What will she do when he offers her his heart?

Mercy Dates ~ Jeannie Watt

Hi everyone and happy Friday!


My January Superromance, Molly's Mr. Wrong, involves a once-shy woman who has come into her own. As luck would have it, the guy responsible for the worst date of her life is now one of her students at the local community college. It was a mercy date, you see. Something their mothers had cooked up. And it didn't end well.

I never had a mercy date cooked up by mothers, but I did have my own equivalent the high school mercy date. My school had a yearly girl-ask-guy formal. I decided to take advantage of it and ask the guy I'd been crushing on to go the dance. My big chance. So after a good week of practicing my lines, I approached him in the hall and managed to choke out my request, feeling as if I was going to burst into flames of embarrassment at any moment. Then my crush--who was really, really nice about it--gently informed me that he was going steady with someone and had been for quite some time. 

How could I have not known? That was a question to ponder later, when I wasn't a puddle on the floor. However--like I said, he was a really nice guy--he went to that dance with me. A duty date. And it felt like one. No matter how nice someone is, if their affections are engaged elsewhere, the date can be nothing but that. It sucked.

You know...it still embarrasses me to think about it, even if it doesn't seem like that big of a deal now. It was to an easily-mortified high school kid.

However, those feelings are what inspired Molly's Mr. Wrong and I rather like how their story turned out. Here's a brief excerpt:

The lights were off in Mike’s house when Finn parked in the driveway. Maybe his grandfather really was busy and didn’t have time to help the lady. Feeling slightly better, he started up the neighbor’s walk. The door opened before he reached the low porch and a slim woman with straight honey colored hair that fell just past her shoulders and heavy black glasses that gave her a sexy secretary look stepped out the door to meet him.

“Hi,” she said as she closed the door. “You must be…” Her eyes widening as her voice trailed off and Finn had to stop himself from looking over his shoulder to see what had frozen her expression. “Finn Culver.”

She said his name as if it was an accusation and he had the distinct feeling that he had just crossed that line into the Twilight Zone.

“I am.” He ran his gaze over her, looking for a clue. He sure as hell wasn’t wearing a name badge, so he had to know her from somewhere. Mike said she was new in town, but there was something about her that niggled at his brain.

“You don’t remember me.” The words spoken in the same flat tone as his name.

Angular face, hazel eyes, really nice mouth, kind of wide and full. A few freckles. Big glasses. He was drawing a blank. “You seem familiar.” No lie there.

“It was a long time ago,” she said.

“What was?”

She folded her arms over her chest. “The mercy date.”

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To learn more about Jeannie and her books, please check out her website or Facebook page.

The Holiday Blur with Jeannie Watt

I hope everyone is enjoying the season. I love the holidays, but here’s how my holiday schedule inevitably unfolds:

   Day 1 – spend Thanksgiving with the family

   Day 2 – Christmas Eve

What happens to all the days in between those two events? They whip by at warp speed, that’s what. But this year I vowed things would be different. I no longer have a day job, so surely the time will slow down a little…?

Here’s how it’s going so far:

I bought Christmas cards early this year. Lost them during the move from Nevada to Montana, despite putting them in a place where I wouldn’t lose them. Bought new ones—before Thanksgiving, because the day after Thanksgiving is Christmas Eve. Found the old ones. Oddly neither new nor old cards have addressed and mailed themselves. However, I’m on this.

Bought a poinsettia in full glorious bloom instead of forgetting until all the good ones are gone.

Decided against a tree because my house is a maze of unpacked boxes and where in the boxes would I put it? Also…can’t find garlands, lights and decorations. That was kind of a deciding factor.

Decided that instead of buying big gifts for the immediate family, that we would choose recipients from the local giving tree. There’s nothing like packing and unpacking to convince a person that they have everything they need. And I do. I’ve been blessed and I’m grateful.

I’m slowing down, not trying to do it all. That makes the days pass more slowly and it gives me time to breath and enjoy the season. It feels good.

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

PS -- My book The Christmas Secret will be free on all platforms from December 14th-28th. Mark your calendars and enjoy Lil and Casey's story. 

Trapped in a cabin in a raging blizzard with the one man on earth who could turn her world upside down…this Christmas holiday was not playing out at all the way Lil Reynolds had planned. Not even close. 

When Lil’s former fiancé chose to marry on Christmas Eve—the day he and Lil had planned to marry one year ago—she knew she had to get out of town for the holidays. Heading to the isolated family cabin seemed like the perfect solution, until the blizzard came…and a man showed up at her door in the heart of the storm. Casey Lanigan. Her ex-fiancé’s brother. A man with whom she shared a secret summer romance many years ago. A man who’d betrayed her trust. A man who, despite everything, still made her heart beat a little harder…

So much for a Lanigan-free holiday.

Moving, moving, moving

This is my moving crew, ready to roll. Two more trips...

Does the moving process ever end? As near as I can tell, no.  I'm about to embark on yet another long drive from Montana back to Nevada to pick up yet another load. This is almost...but not quite...enough to make me a minimalist. Almost.

Rumor has it that in only two more trips, we will have transferred everything from one place to the other. Call me a skeptic, but I'll believe it when I see an empty house on one end of the trip and a full house on the other.





I've written quite a few books this year, despitethe never-ending move in addition to my son's wedding this summer. I'm not sure how I got all the books done, to tell you the truth, although the other day I glanced over at my husband and murmured, "I'm so looking forward to not writing in the car."

If all goes according to plan, I will be living in only one house, instead of two, by the end of this month and I will be writing at a desk instead of on a lapboard.

I'm very excited about the Tule books I have in the works. Catch Me, Cowboy released last month, and now I'm working on an International Bull Rider book that will release next spring and have contracted to write a book for a fun series set in a Victorian hotel next fall. In addition to this, I have more bull rider books coming from Harlequin Western and more Brody's of Lightning Creek coming from Harlequin Superromance.

It's been a productive year, despite the chaos and I'm looking forward to doing a lot of Montana research for my future books--just as soon as the dust settles.

Have a great day!
Jeannie

The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo

By Jeannie Watt

Hey everyone and Happy Wednesday! I am so totally excited for the upcoming Tule Publishing Copper Mountain Rodeo series! The 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo was the first series published by Tule and were the books that had me coming back for more.  Now I'm part of the more! Crazy how things work, eh?

The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo series goes on sale in September and I want to share the fantastic covers-- which Lee created. I'm a little in love with all of them.

Catch Me, Cowboy by Jeannie Watt  - September 8


She will not be his second choice…

When champion bronc rider Ty Harding returns home after four long years on the road, the first thing he does is look up Shelby O’Connor—the woman who begged him to stay. The woman he still loves.

Horse trainer Shelby O’Connor truly believes she’s over Ty—until he shows up on her family ranch and turns her world upside down. Shelby isn’t a big one for second chances, but she’s all about proving that she and Ty are done. But when she discovers that Ty plans to head back out on the rodeo circuit, despite his injuries, she has to come to terms with the fact that maybe she isn’t as over him as she thought she was. And now she has to decide what to do about that.

Will history repeat itself, or will Ty and Shelby get another chance at love?


Protect Me, Cowboy by Shelli Stevens -- September 15

With his competing days behind him, Wyatt Marshall has settled into ranching life in Marietta, Montana. But with the Copper Mountain Rodeo, his only exception, just around the corner, the last thing he needs is a distraction – especially one in the form of a pretty, yet vaguely familiar country singer.

For Claire Miller, it’s been almost a year since she fled Las Vegas with only her purse and the clothes on her back, and she’s been laying low in Montana with a new image. When she and her country band travel to perform in the small town of Marietta, she doesn’t plan on getting stranded there for several days. Or for an innocent offer to stay at a nearby ranch to turn out to be more than she bargained for: she recognizes its owner to be the same sexy cowboy she got hot and heavy with – then stood up – in Vegas.

With the passion flaring between them and Wyatt getting closer to putting the pieces together, Claire is ready to run again, not knowing the danger that sent her fleeing in the first place is close on her heels. 

Want Me, Cowboy by Sinclair Jayne -- September 22

All around cowboy Luke Wilder only came into Grey’s Saloon for a beer. Instead he ends up in a fight with a brother he never met and dumped by a fiery red haired bull breeder he only asked to dance. So much for keeping a low profile. But Luke is stubborn. And no woman’s ever said no to him twice, in business or pleasure.

Tanner McTavish is more focused on breeding bulls at the next level of IBR than in making out with cowboys, unless that cowboy is Luke Wilder. She’s secretly pined to catch his eye at several rodeos, but this Copper Mountain Rodeo is Tanner’s chance to chase a stock deal with the IBR. Things look to be all business, but looks can be deceiving, and Tanner’s never played it safe…

Can Tanner lasso her cowboy home for good?

Love Me, Cowgirl by Eve Gaddy  -- September 29

Disillusioned with love, Dr. Sean Gallagher returns to Marietta to join its expanding medical facility. Marietta’s newest, most eligible bachelor isn’t looking for long-term involvement – especially not with his brother’s much-younger former girlfriend, Honey Jordan. But short term? That’s another matter.

Escaping a toxic relationship with her father, barrel racer Honey spends as little time as possible in Marietta. Home for the 78th Annual Copper Mountain Rodeo, a brief fling with the town’s hottest new doc might be just the thing to distract her until she can leave again.

But when a riding accident strands Honey in Marietta, an affair meant to last a few nights turns into something much deeper, leaving both Sean and Honey torn between the safety of saying goodbye and the heartache of losing what they dare not admit they’ve found — one true and lasting love.

Does anyone have a favorite out of these four? I have a hard time choosing, so I'm going to go with my own. Thanks, Lee, for such a great representation for our stories!

Endless Summer - For Real

Today is the last day of my teaching job, which means that tomorrow is the first day of my life as a…(dare I say it?)…a full time author. I’ve been working toward this for a long time, doing the things authors with day jobs do—having a crazy schedule, trying to do too many things at once, sweating deadlines, telling my husband that my share of the housework can wait until retirement. It’s been a wild ride since my first book came out in 2006.

Book #1

And now…well, I will no longer be able to use my day job as a way to procrastinate when I hit a writing wall, which means I’ll have to come up with new hobbies. Just kidding. My wise mother told me that quitting the day job is like walking in the mud—you create a temporary empty space, but it is almost instantly filled with other important things.

I believe her wholeheartedly, but the one thing I will have is my mornings free to write. My brain is a morning brain and it loves nothing more than a cup of coffee and a blank word document. I’ve increased the delivery schedule on my Starbucks home delivery subscription. I foresee going through a lot of coffee and filling a lot of blank word documents. Good thing, too. I have three deadlines this summer, but the beauty part is that summer isn’t going to end!

Jeannie Watt writes contemporary and western romance. She lives in northern Nevada and will soon be spending a lot more time sitting at her computer drinking coffee and torturing her characters. To find out more about Jeannie, please visit her website or Facebook page.

Writing Bull Riders - Jeannie Watt

Hi everyone! 

Recently I started writing bull rider books and talk about fun! I’ve always loved bull riding. It’s the final rodeo event and even my father, who was notorious for leaving things early to beat the crowd out of the parking lot, stayed in his seat until the last whistle blew.

Bull riders are a special breed. They may be cocky or they may be quiet and humble, but regardless of temperament, they have a need to test themselves and the ability to persevere despite debilitating pain. They are driven by a passion that many of us never experience in our chosen careers. Why else would they put themselves up against a cranky beast that weighs well over half a ton?

During my career in education, I’ve taught a few bull riders. Many were impulsive, and some might say reckless, but to persevere in the sport, a person has to train, commit to a schedule, ignore impulse and embrace the science of the sport. Those that can’t do that, don’t last long. I love my bull riding heroes, love exploring their psyches and pitting them against heroines who bring out in the best in them.

Here’s an excerpt from my first bull riding book—The Bull Rider Meets His Match:

Alexa Benjamin had yet to see a bull rider who didn’t walk as if he owned the world, and the guy coming up the front walk of her best friend’s house? He looked as if he were in charge of the universe. Never in her twenty-eight years had she encountered anyone as sure of himself as Grady Owen. Nor anyone quite as irritating.

Lex stepped back from the window, gave her shoulders a roll, then started toward the front door to head off trouble. Grady had just hit the top step when she walked out onto the porch and took a stance. When he saw her, his expression shifted from good natured to hard so quickly it would have been comical if she didn’t suspect that he was there to screw up her best friend’s life. Again.

“Lex. What a pleasant surprise.” But there was no hint of friendliness in his gray eyes.

“Same here,” she said, folding her arms over her chest as she studied the man who was not going to get into the house. Like all bull riders, Grady was one tightly packed unit: average height, lean and wiry. Lex knew if she reached out and ran a hand over his arm, or any part of his body for that matter, all she would feel would be sinew and muscle. Sometimes, in the past, she’d felt a subtle urge to do just that, to touch his fascinatingly hard body. But Grady had always had that effect on her. He drove her crazy with his self-absorbed attitude and cockiness, yet a small part of her found him interesting. She’d reminded herself on more than one occasion that some people found major disasters interesting, also.

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Jeannie's Website

Jeannie Watt: Tosser Envy (Not the Rude Kind)

I’m moving. I love where I live now, but it’s time to move closer to my parents, so my husband and I are pulling up stakes this summer and moving to Montana. I’m excited to be closer to my mom and excited to have a new house, however…there’s this one small problem. I haven’t moved in twenty-two years.

My new view--as of this summer. So excited!

Do you have any idea how much stuff a person can accumulate in that length of time?  

A lot.

My house has a full basement and I have packed that sucker to the gills. Now I have to sort and toss and prioritize…and convince myself that the object is not the same as the memory.

Hard lesson—especially when I keep finding cool things I’d forgotten about, like, say, the velvet pants I wore in high school. Surely I’ll be a size 2 again and hip-hugger button-front crushed-velvet jeans will come back into style. Right?

The engagement boots--35 years later.

And what to do with the engagement boots? My husband and I met in college, where we were geology students, and instead of buying a ring, we spent the money on something we honestly needed—well-made his and her hiking boots. I still have mine. His wore out long ago and we can’t remember what happened to them. I’ll probably find them while packing up the rest of the basement.

But I can’t move everything, so I’m going to hire a hit man. I’ll put the stuff I need to get rid of in a certain area of the basement and ask my son to haul it away. And then I’ll hope that he gets the right stuff, because otherwise, he’ll be back at the donation place buying it all back.

Are you a saver or a tosser? Let me tell you—right now, I’m suffering from a huge case of tosser-envy.

Find out more about Jeannie at her website or on Facebook.