Q: For readers who may be unfamiliar with it, tell me a little about your “Buckhorn, Montana” series. What makes the stories so compelling?
A: I have readers who could probably tell you better than me. But I think it’s the characters in this small, isolated town in the middle of Montana. They’re quirky to say the least and yet they are familiar like people you’ve known. The books center on two characters who find each other and love against all odds – the odds usually being a mystery that must be solved for them to survive.
But the series also peeks into the lives, hopes and dreams of the residents of Buckhorn. It’s fun to follow their stories even from a distance.
Q: In your latest book, BEFORE BUCKHORN, your two characters – Jasper and Darby – have a history together. Do you particularly enjoy writing “second-chance-at love” stories?
A: I definitely do, especially this one. Jasper just wants to be left alone. Then this woman (who he spent a very memorable night with at college) moves to town, she doesn’t seem to remember their night together, but he sure does (of course, she remembers). She drags him – kicking and complaining from his seclusion on his ranch – into this mystery going on in town.
I love their relationship because he puts up a fight against it but doesn’t try too hard. And of course, she almost gets them both killed. I could see this happening between me and my husband. LOL
Also in this book, you get insight into characters you’ve already met in earlier books. I like to think that everyone has a secret – especially characters in my books.
Jasper and Darby make a great couple because they are so much alike.
Q: In BEFORE BUCKHORN there is a mystery mixed with the romance. Is it difficult trying to balance the two? Do Jasper and Darby work together to solve the mystery?
A: I love mysteries. I think they mix well with the romance because it often throws the hero and heroine together and into danger, which we all know can be very sexy.
Jasper and Darby do work together to solve the mystery. She has to twist his arm, but not too hard, since after all, he’s the hero. The mystery brings them closer. Also, so does almost dying together. But by then, they are in love and can’t imagine a life without the other.
Q: Jasper is a former cop. Do you enjoy writing lawmen heroes?
I especially like ex-cops because they are trained, yet they aren’t restricted by their job. In Jasper’s case, he’s cynical and reluctant to get involved. But when he realizes there is real danger here and the heroine isn’t going to stop until she gets the whole story, he has no choice.
But as strong as he is, heroine Darby is just as strong and determined. She isn’t going to let him hold her back. And that’s what I think makes them such a fun couple. They are equals.
Q: If you could only recommend one of your books to a reader unfamiliar with your work, which would you recommend, and why?
A: That’s tough because the series began with a book I had wanted to write for a long time. OUT OF THE STORM came from a story about my uncle who died in an explosion in Texas before my mother gave birth to me.
But if I had to choose a favorite plot, it would have to be BEFORE BUCKHORN. I love the mystery. I write by the seat-of-my-pants, which means I never know what’s going to happen until I write it. The shop gossip was a wonderful surprise. So was the relationship between Jasper and Darby. The story has a spooky quality that I like. It’s eerie and quirky and it’s so me. It was also so much fun to write. I can’t wait to see what my readers have to say.
Also, it has a great dog in the book. There is nothing more heartwarming to me than a hero and his dog.
Q: What kind of books do you like to read? Favorite authors?
A: I love mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, and mainstream. I like it all! Recently I read all of Robert Galbraith’s mystery series, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles after his A Gentleman in Moscow, Verity by Colleen Hoover and I’m reading the new Elizabeth George book right now.
Favorite authors? Ruth Ware, Lisa Gardner, Laura Lippman, Joshilyn Jackson, Kristin Hannah, Ken Follett (the church series), Richard Russo, Ivan Doig, Erik Larson… Yes, I love writers and read a mix of genres.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I just finished writing the last book of the Buckhorn series. Sniff, wipe tear. As much as I loved spending time in Buckhorn I am ready to embark on a new series called Powder River. It’s set in eastern Montana on the Powder River. It is about two ranching families, one run by the patriarch of the family and the other by the matriarch (yes, there is some interesting history between the two).
Also, there will be suspense, adventure and always a mystery to be solved – and a hero and heroine who struggle, but ultimately find true love.
It’s a great part of the state with a lot of history and I can’t wait to start the first book.
But in the meantime, I am excited about my new Intrigue series that begins in March titled, Colt Brothers Investigation. It starts with MURDER GONE COLD (March 2022) and the second book is STICKING TO HER GUNS (May 2022). Ex-rodeo cowboys turned sleuths, these rough and tough cowboys find out one by one that investigating is perilous, but falling love is the real bachelor killer.
Buckhorn, Montana #4
Small towns can house big secrets…
Former cop Jasper Cole has come home to Buckhorn to ranch—and to find some peace. But there’s one part of his past he doesn’t object to facing again. Darby Fulton acts like she’s forgotten the searing one-night stand they shared in college, but to Jasper, she’s as fascinating and tempting as ever. And when she’s drawn into an unsettling local mystery, he follows, despite his misgivings.
Bad things have been happening to Buckhorn residents, and Darby’s sure it has something to do with a new store called Gossip. As a newspaper publisher, she can’t ignore the story, any more than she can ignore her deep attraction to Jasper. And as their investigation reignites that spark, it also pulls them both into a twisted scheme of revenge, where secrets are a deadly weapon…
Romance Contemporary | Romance Western [HQN Books, On Sale: February 22, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335639882 / eISBN: 9780369719089]
perfect recipe for a creepy, sinister plot
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author B.J. Daniels was born in Texas but moved with her family to Montana at the age of five. Her first home was a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon and later a lake house on Hebgen Lake outside of West Yellowstone.
Most of her books are set in Montana, a place she loves. She lives now in a unique part of the state with her husband and three Springer Spaniels.
When she isn't writing, she loves to play tennis, boat, camp, quilt, and snowboard. There is nothing she enjoys more than curling up with a good book.
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