Feedback When You Need It

Having recently sent out my next manuscript for editorial review, I was happy to get positive feedback over these past few weeks on my published story Re-ride at the Rodeo, available as an e-book novella and included in the print anthology Return to Wayback.

First, 5 blue ribbons from C. Dionne at Romance Junkies! Reviewing all three stories in the anthology favorably, she wrote:

In RETURN TO WAYBACK the authors tackle some pretty heavy issues and they do it with such style and foresight that the reader begins to feel like they’ve connected with long lost friends.

This is a wonderful anthology which I’m sure fans of stories involving small towns and rodeos will fully appreciate.

And the reviewer specifically described Re-ride at the Rodeo as: Humorous and lovingly emotional…

Thanks Romance Junkies!

Then Linda Broday, western romance author of novels Redemption and Knight of the Texas Plains and contributor to the popular anthologies Give Me a Cowboy and Give Me a Texan wrote this about Re-ride at the Rodeo:

I just finished reading RE-RIDE AT THE RODEO and loved it…. your writing voice just blew me away… Great characters too! Wow, Clay Tanner was sexy as all get-out! You drew me onto the page and kept me there. I hated for the story to end—L. Broday

Thanks Linda!

I hope if you haven't had a chance, you'll pick up a copy and enjoy a little romance, western style:)!

Fantasty NF Rodeo Team

How did my fanatsy rodeo team do last night in the first round of the National Finals Rodeo? Well let's see:





Bareback riding-- Bobby Mote (2)* --84 score/ placed 5



Steer Wrestling-- Trevor Knowles (5)-- No score/ placed 15th



Team Roping-- Tryan/Jones (7/8)-- 9.10/ placed 8



Saddle Bronc riding-- Taos Muncy (11)-- 86 score/placed 1



Tie down roping --Tuf Cooper (6)-- 8.3/ scored 6



Barrel Racing-- Mary Burger (3)-- 14.33/placed 8



Bull Riding --J.W. Harris (1)-- no score/ tied for 7th


In all my contestants won $20, 917 with only three placing in the money. Not great but it's only the first round with nine more to go. Happy, though, that I picked a winner for my favorite event, saddle bronc riding. My hero in Re-ride at the Rodeo is a saddle bronc rider, natch. Saddle bronc riding is one of the classic rodeo events because bronc riding has been a necessary skill of cowboys since horses needed to be ridden. It also requires the most mastery of any of the rough-stock events and puts the most emphasis on form of any of those events. It takes a long time to be a good saddle bronc rider, but once you master it, you can become really great.

If you don't get ESPN Classic, you can catch the rodeo in the wee hours of the morning on ESPN 2 or watch it as close to real time as possible on your computer, starting at 10 p.m. EST each night on ESPN360.com, as I do. Congrats to all the winners.

*()ranking prior to the NFR

Rodeo, Cowboys and Romance

It's been a busy month with the release of Return to Wayback which includes my story, Re-ride at the Rodeo. But I promised you photos and before I leave for RWA National tomorrow I realized I needed to post these pictures. It was muddy but a lot of fun! Enjoy all the cowboys!

It's Here! It's Here!

Return to Wayback appeared on my porch today courtesy of UPS and my publisher. The first time holding a book with my story in it! Of course, I had to sit right down and read it--again, for like the tenth time. This time I relaxed and enjoyed the journey.

No one ever tells you that you'd better really love your story because you are going to be reading it over and over again. First, of course you do your own editing--for me that means I'm reading through it at least four or five or six times, reworking, revising, editing, polishing. I admit I have problems letting go (it's a little like sending your kid off to college) but finally I resist anymore fiddling.

So it is off to the publisher and then they send it back for edits. And they keep sending it back until there are no more mistakes to find--that could be three times. Then the galleys come--that's you're last time to proof--and that's usually two read-throughs minimum because you always find something.

But funny thing is--I haven't grown tired of Re-ride at the Rodeo--yet. I guess when it's your own....you do love it!

Have a great day--I'll still be floating for a while.

Return to Wayback is now available at Amazon.com or http://tinyurl.com/Return-to-Wayback-Amazon

It's in His Kiss?

Tis the 11th day of Romance during the Romancing February Blog Contest—and it’s my day to blog! So my topic is First Kisses. From your first kiss ever, to your first French kiss (oo-la-la) to your first kiss with your significant other—firsts are special.

My first ever kiss was when I was nine years old. Shocking isn’t it? But then I didn’t experience another one until I was sixteen so I’m chalking it up to curiosity or the boy, Frankie T., all of twelve, being a little, well, exhuberant.

We were sitting in a tent in his backyard, sharing a bag of salty potato chips. How did he know that potato chips were my favorite snack?

I didn’t know him all that well, but he was very cute. He was always getting into to scrapes, always very daring and adventurous. There were lots of neighborhood stories about Frankie T. These facts should have been clues of what might happen, but a nine- year-old's trouble antennae isn’t very experienced yet.

He leaned in close, looked right into my eyes and said, “Wanna, kiss?” My pulse rate, which was already thumping away just being in a tent with him, went into overdrive. I don’t remember saying anything, just staring into his golden brown orbs. Next thing I knew, his lips were on mine, salty and firm. He was kissing me. I held my lips tightly shut and barely moved. It was exciting—but nothing more. He kissed me again. This time, I remember, it wasn’t even exciting—just salty.

Finally, my trouble antennae started sending signals. Before he could try again, I rose. Grabbed a handful of chips (had to have those chips) and told him I had to go. Walking home I wondered about what I had done. And figured I probably shouldn’t have. So I never went over to Frankie’s again. And he never said more than hi to me. I probably wasn’t much of a kisser.

Still, for seven more years, I clung to the fact that I had at least been kissed once! And I can promise you, my kissing experience at sixteen went a whole lot better.

On the web, the site Virtualkiss.com has a whole section on first kiss stories. A quick perusal of sixty-five first kiss listings showed that the majority of people (40) were under fourteen when they had their first kiss. Of them, twenty-seven experienced their first kiss at age thirteen or fourteen. Only one cited age nine. (My cheeks are red!)

And did you know that there are sites that will give you step-by-step instructions on kissing? Check out Kissing.net/French kissing tips for matter-of-fact, fairly reasonable kissing instructions. Who knew?

Some of their suggestions include brushing your teeth and taking a bath—ahh, definitely. And “don’t bite. Just nibble. Whatever, you do, don’t bite.” Can’t argue with that. LOL.

But nothing beats the first kiss of the man you fall in love with. The heart-stopping, world- jarring, lightening-striking kiss of real love.

In my story Re-ride at the Rodeo, Dusty is surprised by her first kiss with Clay and it foreshadows the rest of the story. Dusty wants nothing to do with a rodeo rider for reasons all her own. Clay can't resist the challenge of someone who's "not that into" him. Here’s an excerpt that contains the first kiss:

She turned around to the sight of Clay bearing down on her. Her heart skipped a beat. His white shirt almost glowed in the moonlight while the rest of his body was etched in black against the gray night sky. He moved with the rolling gait of the cowboy he was, all fluid motion and power, a trim muscled torso on long lean legs. He held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t I count? You gave Jesse a dance. Don’t I get one?”

He sure was a hunk of man. Her heart thumped hard inside her chest. She couldn’t tell his expression with the brim of the Stetson shadowing his face but she guessed it wasn’t a happy one.

“I didn’t know you wanted one,” she managed to get out, just as he stopped short in front of her.

His looming height made her feel small. She looked up at a set of unyielding lips, midnight blue eyes and the gray shadow of a beard etching his strong jaw.

“I want.” His voice had a husky timbre to it. He reached for her and she endured the slight brush of his hand against her shoulder as he fingered strands of her hair. Goosebumps danced where he touched. “Your hair is down. I knew it would be worth seeing.”

She couldn’t move.

He smoothed a tendril back behind her shoulder with the barest touch. “I’ll take this instead.” He bent down.

He was going to kiss her. She knew it and still she rooted in place. Firm lips gently breezed across hers. The taste of hops filled her senses. His lips brushed again as his hand touched her shoulder and tugged her closer. She tingled clear to her toes. His lips pressed harder against hers, seeking a response. She opened and his tongue slid inside. A whimper of surrender escaped. He reacted to the sound by pressing her head closer to him, holding her for his taking as his mouth devoured her. She barely noticed the stubble of his beard scraping her cheek.

“So sweet,” he mumbled against her lips. Strong fingers threaded through her hair. Hot and hungry, he deepened the kiss as he fitted her between his legs and moved against her like he couldn’t get enough, like he was ready to swallow her up.

Her legs weakened.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, skimmed her fingers through the hair that feathered his collar, and hung on, giving into the desire for a connection with someone warm and willing. Need pounded within her. It had been such a long while since Bradley. Clay’s hands, hot and heavy, moved to her waist as his mouth drank her in. One hand slid across her back and pressed her nearer, while the other inched near her breasts. His thumb rubbed against her nipple. A jolt of sensation shot through her, and her mind switched on.

What was she doing?---From Re-ride at the Rodeo available at The Wild Rose Press

So do you have a “kiss” story—first or otherwise? Leave a comment, regardless, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Re-ride at the Rodeo. And if you are participating in the Romancing February Blog Event Contest the next blog to go to tomorrow is fellow western writer, Anna Kathryn Lanier’s blog : http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com/.

For those who want to start and catch up in the Romancing February contest where the grand prize is a $75 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press, go back to Ginger Simpson’s blog at http://mizging.blogspot.com/ to follow the thread back. You need to list each author's blog and the book of that author for all the authors who are blogging this month (one for each day) and send them to christmasrideblog@live.com by midnight CST Feb. 27th 2009 to enter.

Thanks for stopping by! And stop in again for romance with a western flair. Don't forget to leave a comment!

I've Been Interviewed!

Just found out that my interview with Fallen Angels Review has been posted! Here's the link:

http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/Interviews/2009/January-Dawnie-AnneCarrole.htm

Fallen Angel Reviews also gave Re-ride at the Rodeo 5 Angels! :) Have a great day!

Interview with Clay Tanner: Rodeo and Romance

I'm blogging on tomorrow, Friday, 1/30/09 at Writers and Readers of Distinct Fiction Blog--Between the Lines where I'll be interviewing my hero from Re-ride at the Rodeo, Clay Tanner, about the Rodeo and Romance so don't miss it. Plus everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing for their choice of a Cowboy Hunks calendar featuring cowboys from the PBR or an e-copy of Re-ride at the Rodeo--winner's choice. So I hope you'll come and check it out!

Much Cheaper than Therapy

I'm blogging today at www.MuchCheaperThanTherapy.blogspot.com where Kim Watters asked me some great questions. I hope you'll come by for a visit and if you leave a comment you'll be entered into a drawing for a free e-copy of Re-ride at the Rodeo. So please stop on by!:)

What a Way to Start the New Year!

What a way to start off the New Year! Got several new reviews for Re-ride at the Rodeo! Woohoo!:) Here’s some of what they’ve been saying:

“An enjoyable read! Re-ride at the Rodeo has happiness radiated all over the story. Anne Carrole has written such a down-to-earth love story with tall, sexy cowboys…This is my first Anne Carrole book and it definitely would not be the last one.”—Writer’s and Reader’s of Distinct Fiction.

“Her characters are solid, believable and consistently reliable. She told her story in such a way that I could not stop. Each page turned was a gift of more of the thrill readers search for. The supporting cast was great and just depicted the best of all qualities. The sensuality of this book was incredible. The outcome of the bet between the cowboys was, of course, as expected. However, the ending to the book was a complete surprise to me.
This was a great book with a heart-warming storyline. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes happy endings.” 4 ½ hearts The Romance Studio


“This book had plenty of humor in it that came when you didn’t always expect it…Dusty had a depth to her that is sometimes lacking in books this short. Some of this is due to the heart to heart talk she has with her mother and some is just due to the way she interacts with the other characters. Dusty and her problems become very real and you can feel for her as she tries to sort out her feelings. Of course, it doesn’t help that her good friend is pushing Clay at her and pretty much offers him a place to stay at Dusty’s house while her mother is gone.

As Dusty and Clay figure out their relationship with the help of their good friends, you can’t help but to laugh and then sigh along with their ups and downs. While you know that this story is going to have a happy ending, you still can’t wait to read how it happens.” Night Owl Reviews

“Re-ride at the Rodeo by Anne Carrole is the latest installment in the Wayback Texas Series. Ms. Carrole's first book, Re-ride, is a great story. The plot is deceptive in that it seems straightforward but is an intricately woven one step forward, two steps back dance between the characters. The characters are emotionally complex which makes for a very entertaining read and the ending is absolutely wonderful. I hope she writes something else soon.”-Manic Readers

Re-Ride at the Rodeo is Anne Carole’s addition to the exciting Wayback Texas series. This is a sweet read, that will having you smiling at the antics of Clay and his friend and the getting ons they get up to. I have to admit while I love a happy ending, this happy ending was original and Dusty deserved it all.” 4 1/2 clovers CK’s Kwips and Kritiques

Re-Ride at the Rodeo by Anne Carrole is the third book in the Wayback Texas series. Ms. Carrole writes a captivating story. I wasn’t sure what to expect since the first book was so good, but this book definitely lives up to the standards the first book put in place. Dusty has seen enough heartbreak to know she doesn’t want anything to do with a rodeo man. She knows the love ‘em and leave ‘em type all too well and Clay fits perfectly into that category. Clay rides broncos the same way he runs from his past, fast and steady. He loves the rush each ride gives him and hopes no one ever finds out who he really is. The chemistry between Dusty and Clay is hot. Ms. Carrole writes an enchanting story and I will be sure to keep an eye out for Ms. Carrole’s next book!-5 Angels Fallen Angel Reviews



“Re-Ride at the Rodeo” was a fun and highly enjoyable romance. The author created characters that I could truly care about…Clay was a great character as well with his charisma and personality… I could easily see myself falling for him…a wonderful contemporary western romance filled with believable characters and charm” 4 ½ books Long And Short Reviews

You can check out the full reviews at their sites. And you can purchase Re-ride at the Rodeo for just $3 at The Wild Rose Press. Also available at Fictionwise. Happy New Year everyone!

Who Held The First Rodeo? First A Little History....

When was the first rodeo held? History isn’t clear on this and it’s hotly contested.

Rodeo came into being when cowboys from different ranches engaged in friendly, and not so friendly, competitions of skill after long cattle drives in the late 1800s. Such a cowboy gathering was a good place to blow off steam and a form of needed entertainment. When the Homestead Act and barbed wire fences brought an end to the open range, cowboys would gather at stock shows and compete.

Payson, Arizona claims it’s the oldest continuous rodeo (1884). But when the game Trivial Pursuits upheld Prescott Arizona’s documented claim as the oldest organized rodeo (1888) it was Pecos, Texas that threatened to sue based on its documented eye-witness accounts of a rodeo that took place there in 1883. However, all three may be have lost out by about fourteen or so years, according to the New York Times, since it appears Deer Trail, Colorado may hold the bragging rights as they held their event in 1869 when an Englishman, Emilinie Gardenshire, successfully rode a horse named Montana Blizzard and took home a new set of clothes as his reward. Rodeo is still going strong in big cities and small towns not only out west but throughout the United States. My own eastern town throws a rodeo the first weekend of June every year. Even New York City hosts an annual rodeo at Madison Square Garden.

In my new book, Re-ride at the Rodeo, from The Wild Rose Press, part of the Wayback, Texas, series, rodeo is the element that both brings the couple together and threatens to tear them apart. You see, the hero, Clay Tanner is a saddle bronc rider looking to make some money and have a good time. He spies a pretty little blonde who looks like she could use some fun. Trouble is she turns him down. Dusty Morgan wants nothing to do with rodeo riders. Her late father rode broncs and he was never there for her—until he learned he was going to die. Now she’s looking for happily ever after and despite her attraction to the strapping cowboy, she’s not interested in a hit and run with a footloose rodeo man. But Clay's betting he'll get a re-ride and walk away with more than a new pair of clothes. You can purchase Re-ride at the Rodeo at The Wild Rose Press.

Cowboy Superstitions: Bad Luck at the Rodeo

Seems since Halloween is coming up, it's a good time to talk about superstitions. Like anyone else, cowboys have their superstitions, particularly rodeo cowboys. And those are the kind of cowboys you'll find hanging about in Wayback, Texas looking for a Re-ride at the Rodeo, the name of my new book from The Wild Rose Press. Here's just a few superstitions and feel free to add some of your own.

-Never put your hat on a bed or you'll have bad luck. Now they don't say whether that bad luck extends to the lady whose bed you've just set your hat on!

-A saddle bronc rider always puts the right foot into the stirrup first.

-Never kick a paper cup in a rodeo arena; it could spook the horses nearby

-For as many steps as you take wearing only one boot, you will have that many bad days to come.

-It's bad luck to put your left boot first

-Never compete with change in your pocket, that might be all you'll win

-If a cowboy wears his boots while his baby is born, it will be a boy.

-Eating a hot dog before you compete is good luck

-In winter, if you sprinkle red pepper in your boots it will keep you warm

-Entering the north end of an arena is bad luck

-If you put your boots on the table, you'll get into an argument. (Of course you will, your gal is going to tan your hide for a stunt like that!)

Good things for a cowboy to remember, especially if you're planning on rodeoing. And since a lot of supersitions revolve around the boots, let me add one more just for Clay, the hero of Re-ride at the Rodeo, remember whose bed your boots are under. Only kidding!:)

You can purchase Re-ride at the Rodeo for $3 at The Wild Rose Press and find out how Clay's luck holds out with a very little firebrand called Dusty.

Re-ride is Released—Available Now ; Two New Contests!

Re-Ride at the Rodeo is NOW AVAILABLE at The Wild Rose Press. Just $3 will get you a front row seat at the Wayback rodeo where saddle bronc rider, Clay Tanner, is going to try his luck with feisty Dusty Morgan. When he gets shot down, he asks for a re-ride, but it may cost him more than he’s prepared to lose.

And there are two contests going when you get your e-copy of Re-ride at the Rodeo:

Sony E-Reader Contest from The Wild Rose Press
I love my Sony E-Reader! I can have up to 300 books and my favorite tunes all in one slim, compact device. No books to find homes for when I’ve finished reading them. I can bookmark pages, never lose my place when I’m reading and can change the type to large (so no one knows I need glasses—LOL) You'll have a chance to enter when you buy a copy of Re-Ride at the Rodeo. Once you make your purchase, just e-mail a copy of your order number, the title purchased and the date purchased to:
sonyreader@the wildrosepress.com and you’ll be entered! The contest runs until December 15, 2008. More information is on the purchase page of Re-Ride at the Rodeo


Re-Ride at the Rodeo Contest-$15 gift certificate
After reading Re-ride at the Rodeo, all you have to do is send an e-mail to me at anne@annecarrole.com with contest in the subject line and tell me if you think Jesse should have told the truth to Dusty about what he and Clay did. He said it was in her interest to know—but was it?

Anybody who sends an answer by November 30th will be entered into a drawing for a $15 Amazon gift certificate! I’ll draw the winner at the end of November, right in time for the holidays.

One new story to read, two chances to win!

Will he get a Re-ride? Find out on October 3rd.

Just found out that my book, Re-ride at the Rodeo, will be out in just 14 days!!!

Then you can find out if true love can exist between an footloose cowboy and a cowgirl who wants home and family. This romantic love story turns HOT when they decide to take a risk--on themselves and love. But sometimes those risks are more than either bargained for. Maybe they both need a life lesson. Here's the blurb:

Saddle bronc rider Clay Tanner is looking for a good time and the tempting little blonde at the rodeo looks like she could use one—except she turns him down. Feeling like he's been bucked off before the eight second buzzer, Clay's betting he can score if she'll give him a re-ride. But qualifying may call for more than he's prepared to give.

Dusty Morgan is determined to resist the sexy rough stock rider staking out her station. She's vowed never to get tangled up with someone who makes their living through rodeo and she's not interested in a hit and run. Though he may be what she desires, Dusty knows from experience he isn't what she needs—or is he?

Just $3 to take a Re-ride at the Rodeo. Available October 3rd at The Wild Rose Press

Re-ride at the Rodeo is the latest installment in the popular Wayback, Texas series.

Now you know why I've been late in posting!