20 Questions with...Gina from BRIDLED HEART

Welcome to Day 7 of our countdown to Valentine's here at The Cozy Page! Today we welcome the heroine of author Paty Jager's new western romance release, Bridled Heart - Gina Montgomery. Bridled Heart is now available from The Wild Rose Press....

A specialized placement schedule and self-imposed vow of celibacy keeps ER nurse, Gina Montgomery, from getting too close to anyone. Music is her only solace and release from a past laced with abuse. But when that music draws the attention of a handsome bareback rider, her chosen solitary life—not to mention her vow—gets tested to the limits.

Holt Reynolds let his younger sister down when she needed him most. With the similarities to his sister far too evident in Gina, he can’t get the woman out of his head, or her poignant music out of his heart. But how can he find a way to free her bridled heart before the past resurfaces to destroy their one chance at happiness?

Earlier this week Gina sat down with our Cozy correspondent, Tink, for an interview. Here's 20 Questions with Gina Montgomery! Take it away, Tink....

Tink: Are you the first one on the dance floor or not so much?
Gina: No. I haven't danced with a man since I took a vow of celibacy.

Tink: Do you prefer to spend the night at the theatre or at a bike show?
Gina: The theatre by myself. I prefer to do everything alone. That way I don't make attachments that require me to divulge anything about my past.

Tink: Do you give relationship advice or think it’s a bad idea?
Gina: I don't give relationship advice because I have no prior experience to use for reference.

Tink: Describe the ideal hero – rough and tumble highlander, titled gentleman of the ton, modern-day bad boy, or supernatural anti-hero?
Gina: If I were interested in romance or a man in my life he would be quiet and gentle and trustworthy.

Tink: Would you rather tell someone you love them or show it?
Gina: I don’t' believe in love. My father was supposed to love me and he ruined my life.

Tink: Travel to the past or into the future?
Gina: If I could travel to the past I would have my mother choosing a better husband.

Tink: Bubble bath or hot shower?
Gina: After the hours I spend on my feet in the ER, I prefer a nice long, hot soak in a tub.

Tink: Flats or high heels?
Gina: Flats. I'm on my feet a lot with my work and I usually work back to back shifts. It keeps me from being lonely when I'm not working.

Tink: Flowers or chocolate?
Gina: Flowers. I enjoy the colors and the new beginnings they represent.

Tink: G-rated or unrated?
Gina: G-rated.

Tink: Alpha or beta?
Gina: Beta males. They are less likely to boss me around and remind me of my father.

Tink: Would you make the first move or wait it out?
Gina: I never make the first move and ice over when someone does. I don't want a relationship.

Tink: Favorite love song?
Gina: I can't help falling in love with you. When I meet Holt he is so kind, patient, and trustworthy, I can't keep him at a distance.

Tink: For Valentine’s would you rather go out or stay in?
Gina: I always stay in or work. I don’t' like to watch couples in love. It reminds me of what I can't have.

Tink: Karaoke: yes or no?
Gina: Definitely not. But if you sit me in front of a piano I'll play classical music.

Tink: Describe your most romantic moment.
Gina: I've not had a romantic moment. I went from abuse by my father, to a high school slut, to vowing to never fall in love.

Tink: Boxers, briefs…or kilts?
Gina: Boxers., They cover up more.

Tink: What is your idea of a dream date?
Gina: If I were to dream about a date, we would talk all evening and hold hands. Maybe a kiss on the cheek but nothing more. I want a man to want me for me and not just use my body.

Tink: Valentine’s Day watch: sappy love story, romantic comedy or forgo all of the above and go with the action flick?
Gina: Romantic comedy. Movies are my way of filling my life with what I can't have.

Tink: And, most importantly – do you like your man clean shaven or with a five o’clock shadow?
Gina: Clean shaven.

Thank you, Gina, for answering all of Tink's intrusive questions! Readers, if you'd like to find out more about Gina and her book, visit Paty Jager's website and The Wild Rose Press to purchase Bridled Heart today!

Wife, mother, grandmother, and the one who cleans pens and delivers the hay; award winning author Paty Jager and her husband currently farm 350 acres when not dashing around visiting their children and grandchildren. She not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

She's held officer positions and been a member of RWA for thirteen years. Other groups she belongs to are EPIC, COWG, and several online RWA chapters. Wild Rose Press has published eight of her books with one more to release in May 2011. Paty's contemporary western, Perfectly Good Nanny, won the 2008 EPPIE for Best Contemporary Romance. She teaches workshops at RWA conferences and monthly meetings, to other writer groups, and online writing workshops.

And now for an excerpt from Bridled Heart....


“Why do you help with this event?” He laced his fingers together resting his hands on the table in front of him. His coffee-colored gaze held admiration.

She dropped her gaze and picked at her napkin. His interest was flattering, and he hadn’t attended the event just to inflate his image. If that had been his agenda, he would have stayed to be photographed with the person who purchased his art. She peered into his smiling face. He waited so patiently for her to answer. By this time most men would have given up on her and moved on to someone else. She searched his eyes. He seemed genuinely interested.

She took a deep breath and hoped she wasn’t going to regret divulging more. “I see so many children in the ER rooms who…” she turned her head and chewed on her cuticle. When they arrived needing her care, she put aside her emotions and did the job, but afterward, she always broke down. How could a parent do that to a child? She knew how it felt to grow up feeling different.

He placed a hand over the one on the table. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I can see their plight affects you.” He squeezed her hand. “I could tell when you were playing the piano your heart is filled with sorrow.”

She stared into his eyes. The sincerity of his words and the acceptance of her pain, even though he thought it was all for others made her want to weep. She hadn’t had anyone care about her in so long, she didn’t know how to act.

Jerking her hand out from under his, she stood. “I have to go.”

“Wait.” He snagged her hand as she grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. “Do you have a phone number?”

He held her firm but gentle. Warmth spiraled up her arm and settled in her chest. Why didn’t she feel frightened or invaded by this man? She shook her head. She didn’t want to see him again. If she did, it would be hard to remain faithful to her vow. He’d started to seep into the empty cracks created over the years.


Readers, tune in tomorrow for more 20 Questions with guest authors and heroines as well as more excerpts, fun stuff, and surprises!