Cowboy Lovin' Day 30: A Personal Thank You

Okay - so we've talked quite a bit this month about why cowboy heroes are so great. There's a few things I'd like to say before the party ends tomorrow. First of all, thank you to all the Cowboy Lovin' guest authors who have brought their love of western romance and cowboy heroes here to The Cozy Page. And I think I can speak for every single one of you and every other western romance author out there, thank you to the readers. If it weren't for your continued love and revival of the genre, we'd be lost. It's an honor to share our stories with all of you. Finally, a personal thank you to all the readers who participated in my first major blog event. You made every moment special - even those of you who just lurked. (Yes, I know you're there ;) You've made the start to the new year truly amazing!

While parading around the web in my cowgirl boots and my western frame of mind, a few interesting articles caught my eye. One especially on target was New York Times bestselling historical romance author Eloisa James's eloquent blog piece "Way, Way Out West" on Barnes & Noble's Reading Romance. She not only recommends great "cowboy" titles, she pinpoints that X-factor of a true cowboy hero - the one that keeps us readers coming back for more. A must-read....

While trying to make an early dent in my 2010 reading list, I came across my copy of Jillian Hart's Homespun Bride - an inspirational western romance. It isn't often that I read inspirational romance. However, I couldn't resist the western aspect of this one - or, of course, the cowboy hero. It's been a WHILE since a story has brought me to tears and left me as satisfied. I loved it so much, I plan on reading the first book in the series His Hometown Girl, as well as the close tie-in to Homespun - High Country Bride. Another recommended read...

And I can't recommend the Wayback, TX series enough - not just because I am a part of it. While researching the town of Wayback for Blackest Heart, I was incredibly intimidated by the first stories in the line-up: Rita Thedford's Hot Night in the Blue Bug Saloon and Judith Rochelle's Shadow of the Hawk. Thank you to all the Wayback authors who joined the fun here at Cozy. You are all amazing champions of the genre and an inspiration to me and so many other newbies :) Readers who would like to read the series in its entirety, refer to editor Spencer Glenn's January 11th post....

If you're still hungry for eye candy, Smart Bitches Trashy Books recently featured a Harlequin cover shoot documentary that features...you guessed it: cowboys! The videos are so worth the procrastination time, LOL

This month several of Cozy's guest authors talked about that iconic cowboy hero. Bonanza came up in many Cowboy Lovin' posts. On January 25th, star of Bonanza Pernell Roberts passed away. I think it's only right to take a moment here at Cozy to acknowledge this rugged cowboy's passing.

Since this month was such a blast, I'm planning another party soon here at Cozy. Probably late spring or over the summer. I've mentioned before that 2009 rejuvenated my love of historical romance and it also marked the publication of my first historical - Forever Amore. Any of you readers up for a little Historical Lovin'? Stay tuned for news on that and the launch of Bet It On My Heart in March....

There's still time to enter Christine Columbus's giveaway for a free paperback western romance. And tomorrow is the last day of Cowboy Lovin' and we're going out with a real treat: our last surprise guest author! See ya on the flipside!

Cowboy Lovin' Day 11: Editor Spencer Glenn

I've been looking forward to Day 11 of Cowboy Lovin' because we've got an industry insider right here at Cozy! Spencer Glenn is an editor for The Wild Rose Press's Yellow Rose imprint and the woman behind the scenes of the Wayback, TX series. Today she tells us how the series came to be and shares her thoughts on the western genre and the cowboy hero. Welcome, Spencer!

"Wayback, Texas: An Editor’s Point of View"

Welcome to Wayback, Texas, a little town dreamed up by the editorial staff of the Yellow Rose division of The Wild Rose Press in early 2007. Since then, we’ve published eighteen Wayback stories, have contracted four more, and have two more contracts pending. All in all that makes twenty-four stories, set in our one little town. Sad as we were to close the doors on the Yellow Rose Arena and the cowboys and cowgirls who compete there, we all agreed, it was time to move along.

From an editorial standpoint, Wayback was a dream. The names of the talented authors on the list below should tell you a little about the quality of the material I had to work with. Yes, some of these authors were new, and needed a little more guidance than others, but I’m unbelievably proud of each and every one of them. Working in a shared universe is hard, and each of them carried it off beautifully. From Rita and Judith, whose brilliant works started off the series, to Amber, the only author with three Wayback stories, to Stacy and Betty who are helping wrap things up, it’s been a long, wild ride. I’d like to thank every single one of the Wayback authors for their contributions, for their willingness to make adjustments to accommodate somebody else’s characters, and for their commitment to making Wayback a town so real, people want to know how they can visit it. Another big thank-you goes out to the readers, who’ve helped make sure almost every Wayback story has made TWRP’s best-seller list.

Now, just in case you’ve missed a story or two, here’s the list, in order. Happy reading, and Ride ‘Em Cowboy!

Hot Night at the Blue Bug Saloon

by Rita Thedford
Shadow of the Hawk by Judith Rochelle
Payback in Wayback by Lynda Coker
Roped and Tied by Mallary Mitchell
Wrong Side of Love by Sylvie Kaye
All the Way Back by Cindy Spencer Pape
Re-ride at the Rodeo by Anne Carrole
FREE READ: Wayback When by Donna Michaels
Return of the Prodigal Daughter by Marguerite Arotin
Delighting Miss Daisy by Abbey MacInnes
Blackest Heart by Amber Leigh Williams
Bull by the Horns by MJ Frederick
Bluebonnet Café by PA Borel
Showdown in South Fork by Celia Yeary
On a Moonlit Night by Stacy Dawn
After the Rodeo by Cindy Spencer Pape
Under a Rodeo Moon by Roni Adams
Bluest Heart by Amber Leigh Williams
Obsessed by Wildfire by Autumn Jordon January 2010
Guardian Cowboy by Crystal-Rain Love February 2010
Bet it on my Heart by Amber Leigh Williams Spring 2010
Stepping Out of Line by Linda Carroll-Brad Spring 2010
Lost in Wayback by Stacy Dawn (contract pending)
Friends in Low Places by Betty Hanawa (contract pending)

Thank you so much, Spencer, for joining Cowboy Lovin'! It's much appreciated! Readers, if you'd like a closer glimspe at each of the Wayback series titles, find them here at The Wild Rose Press. The covers, all designed by talented cover artist Tamra Westberry are worth the looksie!

And come back tomorrow for Cowboy Round Robin day 2 and giveaway winner announcements from Week 1...