I grew up on a 50-acre sheep ranch where - with two older brothers - I was not encouraged to play princess games. There was work to be done. Usually, my work consisted of following my grandfather around the hilly ranch with his sheep dog while he mended fences, moved sheep to other parts of the ranch, and patiently answering my endless list of questions. Yes, he was something of a saint. So was my grandmother, but she was always busy canning, cleaning, tending their large garden, or sewing. She wasn’t nearly as exciting as exploring the outside world with my grandfather.
When I wasn’t “working” and my brothers were at school, I was roaming the ranch alone. Climbing rocks, skirting the edge of a 3-acre eucalyptus grove (it scared me), exploring the strip of our property near the road where locals left stripped, derelict cars. I spent many an hour playing in a rusty Volkswagen Beetle and Audi sedan.
If you’re wondering how old I was, I was a toddler, age 2-4. Where were my parents? Or my grandparents during my wanderings? My dad was no longer in the picture and while my mom worked as a teacher, my grandparents were busy living a self-sustaining lifestyle - ranching. Although that isn’t acceptable today, I’m grateful for the experience. That upbringing made me willing to take risks, make mistakes, be independent, calm in a crisis (falls, scrapes, spider bites, the occasional coyote sighting), and a dreamer. Dreams eventually led me to write. And writing gives me lots of joy.
Recently, I’ve been writing about a lot of cowboys and cowgirls who’ve also grown up on a ranch in my Cowboy Academy Series. These characters have independent streaks, have made mistakes, and have spent time on a foster ranch in Oklahoma. And in these sweet romances, they’re faced with something they never prepared for, perhaps it’s even a worst case, hope-it-never-happens event. Then the fun begins because I add some humor to the mix. Who doesn’t like a cowboy romcom? Each book in the series is connected but stands alone.
My latest title in the series is THE RODEO STAR’S REUNION. Bad boy Griff tried dating good girl Bess before. But his past caught up to him and things didn’t work out. Now, Griff is offering to help Bess coach the high school rodeo team. Why? The son he’s never met is vying for a spot and he’s got no skill. What better way for retired rodeo competitor Griff to get to know his son than teaching him how to get tossed by a bull and learn to love eating dirt? He’s trying to win his son’s love but along the way, he just might win Bess’s heart.
As an author, I’m not supposed to have favorites, but Griff is one of my favorite characters. He’s been a humorous character throughout the series, and he was so much fun to write. He just explodes on the page and tries to steal every scene. If you’re looking for a hero with attitude to fall in love with, Griff is your man!
Love in Harmony Valley #14
A small town romance with quirky characters about the healing power of unexpected love from USA Today Bestselling author Melinda Curtis.
It's hard to start over.
But single mother Annie Raye is determined to make it work. Step one, move back home to Harmony Valley. Step two, apply to jobs outside of California where hopefully no one will discover her ex-husband is a convicted embezzler.
And sometimes you can't be completely honest.
When Annie finally lands a job, she packs up the car and shows up for work, only to be told that she can't have the job until she passes a background check conducted by a tall, handsome stranger who doesn't seem to realize she's no trouble. No trouble at all.
But the past has a way of catching up to you.
And when Annie's unexpectedly does, she has to make a choice about her future, about who she wants to be, where she wants to be, and who she wants in her life.
Fans of movies with Las Vegas twists, like Oceans Eleven, or Hallmark movies where the city life isn't all that its cracked up to be will love this fun, heartwarming romance with a happily ever after.
Romance Contemporary [Franny Beth Books, On Sale: September 15, 2024, e-Book, / ]
Although Melinda has lived in Georgia and Texas, she's a California girl at heart. Her earliest memories are of life on an isolated 50-acre sheep ranch in rural Sonoma County, California. Picture rolling hills covered in brown grass, a eucalyptus forest, a long gravel driveway lined with plump sheep and no sidewalks. It was a big deal to drive into town on a one-lane road in a ramshackle, bubble-fendered pickup for an ice cream.
Flash forward to this century. Melinda lives in California's hot central valley with her husband - her basketball playing college sweetheart. With three kids the couple has done the soccer thing, the karate thing, the dance thing, the Little League thing and, of course, the basketball thing.
Melinda writes sweet to medium heat contemporary romances as Melinda Curtis and red hot reads as Mel Curtis. She loves writing romances about women who don't realize how strong they are until a hero comes along to show them, while capturing the wry humorous power struggle of falling in love - because, really, who lets the man have the last word?
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