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Joanne Kennedy | COWBOY FEVER
April 13, 2011
A compelling plot and great writing draw us into a story—but what we stay for
is the characters. Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy; Jane Eyre and Rochester—what’s
a romance without great lovers who come alive on the page? Giving life to characters is the best part of writing. I love creating a small
town of my own, peopled by characters who hopefully come alive for the reader.
They’re certainly real to me! I spend a lot of time in my fictional universe,
and my characters become like friends—or maybe more like family, because much
as I love them, they sometimes drive me crazy. Demanding, difficult, and
determined—they’re just like real people. Teague and Jodi have been with me a long time, waiting for their story to be
told and gradually revealing who they are and what they want. By the time I
actually sat down to write the book, they’d taken on so much personality that
it was all I could do to keep them under control. It wasn’t easy to keep them
out of bed, either. These two were definitely made for each other. The best part about having a new book released is knowing that my new
characters are out there in the world, living in readers’ minds as well as my
own. I’m thrilled when readers love them as much as I do, and reviews that
praise them warm me up with the kind of pride you feel when your kid gets a
straight-A report card. And it’s not just the hero and heroine I love. Every one of my books has a
whole community of characters, animal as well as human. Here’s a partial roster
of the cast of COWBOY FEVER: Teague Treadwell is possibly my favorite cowboy hero ever. He’s a good
man overcoming a bad past, working hard to turn his life around and earn a
place in his community and the heart of the town’s golden girl. He’s turned his
alcoholic father’s played-out ranch into a first-class roughstock operation,
raising bucking horses and bulls and caring for his mentally disabled brother. Jodi Brand is a former Miss Rodeo America who spent six years back East
modeling and earning a degree in special education. She once promised to return
and make her hometown a better place, and she’s keeping that promise by
starting a therapy riding program for children with disabilities. She’s also
coming back to see Teague, but that’s not something she’s ready to admit even
to herself. Troy Treadwell is Teague’s older brother and Jodi’s inspiration for
working with the disabled. He has Down’s Syndrome, but that doesn’t define him.
He longs to live an independent, fulfilling life of his own, but it’s hard for
his brother to let him go; it’s taking care of Troy that inspired Teague to
turn his life around. Courtney Skelton never really had a chance. The daughter of difficult
but wealthy parents who bought her everything she wanted but paid little
attention to her, she’s spoiled, self-involved, and accustomed to getting
whatever she wants. Right now, she wants Teague—and that’s where the trouble
starts. Cissy is Jodi’s best friend. She married her high school sweetheart only
to discover he’s abusive. Now she counts on Teague for protection—but can he
keep her safe without risking a return of the rough streak that made him the
town bad boy? And then there are the animals. In my books, they’re almost as important as the
people, and a big part of my hero and heroine’s lives. Vegas is Teague’s old horse. He plays a part in all Teague’s best
childhood memories—and Jodi’s, too. Now nearly blind, he gets a new lease on
life as a therapy horse. Luna, Teague’s bossy border collie has one goal: getting Teague and Jodi
together. Beelzebub, a.k.a. Beelzy, is a goat who’s supposed to keep Vegas
company, but he spends most of his time dreaming up devilment. Honeybucket, Courtney’s teacup Pomeranian, is a pocket pet who wants to
be a real dog. That’s just a partial list of the dramatis personae of COWBOY
FEVER. There’s a small town full of people who help Teague and Jodi’s story
spin out, but in the end what matters most is the love they’ve had for each
other all along. It’s not easy to leave the past behind, but I think you’ll
agree that these two deserve a new future—and they deserve to spend it together. Who are your favorite romance characters? What heroine would you like to
be—and what hero would you like to have for your own?
COWBOY FEVER BY JOANNE KENNEDY – IN STORES APRIL 2011 She Thought She Had It All…
A modeling contract with Wrangler got this Miss Rodeo Wyoming a first-class
ticked out of town, but somewhere along the way Jodi Brand lost her soul. When
she gets back to her hometown, her childhood friend Teague Treadwell’s rugged
cowboy charm hits her like a ton of bricks... He Believed He Wasn’t Good Enough...
Teague is convinced Jodi’s success lifted her out of his reach. Now he’s got to
shed his bad boy image to be worthy of the girl next door... But whoever heard of a beauty queen settling for a down and dirty cowboy... ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanne Kennedy has worked in bookstores all her life in positions
ranging from bookseller to buyer. She is a member of Romance Writers of America
and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and won first place in the Colorado Gold
Writing Contest and second place in the Heart of the Rockies contest in 2007.
Joanne lives and writes in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she is working on TALL,
DARK AND COWBOY (Releasing in November 2011). For more information, please
visit joannekennedybooks.com.
Comments
44 comments posted.
Re: Joanne Kennedy | COWBOY FEVER
Elizabeth Bennett is pretty good. :) So is Hyacinth from Julia Quinn's series. For guys, I really like Roarke from J.D. Robb. :)
(May Pau 10:13am April 13, 2011)
You are so right—characters really make the book. I love that animals made your list of Cowboy Fever characters.
I don’t think I’d want to trade places (or heroes) with anyone from books. What I will leave you with are two very memorable couples from books I’ve recently read:
Genevieve Eversea and Alex Moncrieffe (Julie Anne Long’s What I Did for a Duke)
Margaret Dalrymple and Ash Turner (Courtney Milan’s Unveiled)
(G S Moch 10:28am April 13, 2011)
I am a huge fan of Doris Egan's Gates of Ivory Trilogy (which no one really seems to know, but is a fantastic book) - so I'd love to be the main character Theodora and my hero would be Ran Cormallon of the same book.
(Birgit Lehner 10:28am April 13, 2011)
I'm with May Pau and Roarke, whatta hero...yum!!
But I am always in love with my hero de jour and want to be his heroine!!! Hehe!!
Valerie
in Germany
(Valerie Bongards 11:06am April 13, 2011)
I am hooked by the cast of characters for this book. Teague sounds like a great hero.
Whenever I read a good story, I always fall a little in love with the hero, and of course, I am the heroine! ;-)
(Cheryl Castings 11:55am April 13, 2011)
I am a Social Worker and I work with cognitively disabled children who are in the foster care system. I grew up in Texas, and horses and rodeo have always been very fun and appealing to me. This book sounds right up my alley.
(Sandy Fielder 12:30pm April 13, 2011)
An altogether believable plot. I can't wait to read it.
(Renee Brown 12:36pm April 13, 2011)
I always prefer the hero in the book I'm presently reading.
(Anna Speed 1:28pm April 13, 2011)
As far as favorite romance couples go, I would have to go way back and say Romeo and Juliet. I'm a big Shakespeare fan, and always have been. As far as heroines and heroes go, there are so many books that I've read, as well as so many genres. Right now I'm doing a bit of catch up with the books that are out today. Rhett Butler is one that comes to mind for the hero, and Scarlett O'Hara for the heroine. You can't beat a classic, and they each have their strengths as well as weaknesses, as we all do. Rhett was also very attractive!! Because I didn't expect to be asked this question, I'm just thinking off of the top of my head. Congratulations on your new book. It sounds wonderful, and is definately on my TBR list!!
(Peggy Roberson 2:06pm April 13, 2011)
We frequently settle for what we "want". That frequently proves to be much better than we "wanted".
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 2:12pm April 13, 2011)
Book sounds great,and love the cover.We always love the heros.Thanks for giving me a chance to win your book.
(Linda Hall 2:12pm April 13, 2011)
It sounds like an interesting group of characters!
I have read so many great books... I do not know if I could really narrow down my favs... so many great heroes and heroines from different romance genres... I am undecided!
(Colleen Conklin 2:14pm April 13, 2011)
Interesting cast of characters. Especially like that the animals figure into the integral part of the story. For me my favorite hero, probably is the one I happen to be reading about at the moment.
(Jean Patton 2:28pm April 13, 2011)
Your book sounds great. I always had a thing for cowboys.
My favorite hero is probably Sir Nicholas Stafford from Jude Deveraux's A
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR.
But, as other commenters said, I generally fall in love with the hero of the
book I'm currently reading.
(Mona Garg 2:50pm April 13, 2011)
I always love to see a book cover that has a cowboy on a horse, riding across the the big outdoors. I like to read of affection between animals & the characters in novels..a horse coming up behind & giving a playful nudge while looking for a treat. The love that a dog has for his master & vice/versa makes me think "they" will treat a woman or child well. And I'm like a lot of you all in that I "get the sighs" over the tall dark strong cowboy hero, so it is hard to pick, but Jodi Thomas, Linda Lael Miller, Diana Palmer, Leigh Greenwood, & even more, "plus you now" help me pretend to be the heroine! It's just hard to pick!!
(Jean Merriott 3:47pm April 13, 2011)
My favorite?? All cowboys!! Love them all!!!
(Dawn Staniszeski 4:04pm April 13, 2011)
John Thorton in The North and South was a really good hero I thought.
(Sue Farrell 4:20pm April 13, 2011)
Who doesn't love cowboys? Cannot wait to read this one!
(Sherie Lagarde 4:33pm April 13, 2011)
there is something about cowboys and horses.. HOT!!!!!!!
(Jennifer Beck 5:28pm April 13, 2011)
Pau and Roarke for me!!!
(Joanne Bozik 5:28pm April 13, 2011)
My favorite characters are always strong, have a sense of humor,smart, and are always discovering something. Great qualities to have.
(Leni Kaye 5:36pm April 13, 2011)
I could quite easily get COWBOY FEVER. There is something rather wonderful.
(Mary Preston 5:55pm April 13, 2011)
Thank you for your post, Joanne. I know this isn't exactly a fictional couple, but my favorite romantic pair is Tristan and Isolde.
I'm a sucker for lovers who must defy the most daunting odds, break the rules, rebel against authority, and think and act outside the box. The idea of "the world well lost for love" moves me deeply. And to note the obvious, I don't demand that a romance end happily, just meaningfully.
If only we readers were allowed to get tragic endings nowadays! But we're not, so those of us who enjoy a good cry must look somewhere other than romance fiction.
Good luck with your new release.
(Mary Anne Landers 5:55pm April 13, 2011)
I like cowboys in books.
(Wilma Frana 6:38pm April 13, 2011)
The first characters I think about are Beatrice and Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. I find myself looking for the same opponents turned lovers and witty insults in romances today.
(Carol Drummond 6:40pm April 13, 2011)
I would like to have Wyatt in my life from A Summer of Two Wishes and A Light A Winter's End.
My 2 characters that got their happy ending are Sarah and Rome from Sarah's Child.
(Pat Lieberman 6:55pm April 13, 2011)
I've had a "thing" for Roarke from JD Robb's In Death series since the first book was published: Naked in Death.
(Diane Sadler 7:02pm April 13, 2011)
I like a feisty heroine & a strong hero with a gentle side. The descriptions of the characters in this book look great!
(Diane Sallans 7:47pm April 13, 2011)
i like the book cover and the cowboy is wow and would like to read and blog it
(Desiree Reilly 8:26pm April 13, 2011)
I don't know if I would want to be a character from a book. Perhaps just for a day. I think I would like to meet Jamie from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander.
(Beth Melito 9:23pm April 13, 2011)
You are a new to me author. I really look forward to reading
more of your writing. This sounds great!
(Amy Rogers 9:30pm April 13, 2011)
I love anything cowboy! I guess I've always been a little Texan through reading! I love the book cover.
(Brenda Rupp 9:31pm April 13, 2011)
Great cast of Characters. Cowboys are real Men. Really good book cover. I'm just ready to read!
(Cheryl English 9:44pm April 13, 2011)
I'm in love with cowboys...must move to Montana! It's funny though, if I had to pick a couple from a book it would be Penelope and Colin from Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. However my favorite hero is Sebastian from the same series. I guess I'm on a cowboy kick with a stop in England every now and then!
(Pamela Stewart 9:44pm April 13, 2011)
My favorite romance characters is Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. The heroine I would like to be is Eve Dallas and the hero I would like to have for my own is Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
(Kai Wong 10:44pm April 13, 2011)
I love J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas and Roarke - and I wouldn't mind having a hero like Roarke! I wish I could be like Eve Dallas too.
(Robin Daily 11:00pm April 13, 2011)
I love romance, and there are just so many wonderful characters, I can't choose.
I do love Western romances, and I'm interested in reading Cowboy Fever. It
sounds like a wonderful story.
(Barbara Elness 11:12pm April 13, 2011)
Ah romance and overcoming the odds... the characters sound like 'real' people who struggle and achieve. Thanks!
(Cate Sparks 7:55am April 14, 2011)
I really can't think of a character at this exact moment but reading about Cowboy Fever, I know I must read this book. Any book that has a goat that causes devilment is a must read. As an owner of goats, I know what trouble they can cause and what laughter the evoke. I have a picture of my young buck with his head caught in a feeder. When I found him running around the pen with his head stuck in the feeder top, it was all I could do to take the picture with a steady hand. I was laughing so hard, I had tears running down my face.
(Maude Allen 12:25pm April 14, 2011)
I always enjoy a sexy alpha cowboy...who redeems himself into something...loveable. I want one!!
and anything with a mischievous-not-on purpose goat has my vote for a good read...I really enjoy the fainting goat stories
(Chele Blades 2:08pm April 14, 2011)
I would love to be married to Brett Butler (Clark Gable) from Gone with the Wind and continue the story as me being the herione.
(Joanne Bozik 3:25pm April 14, 2011)
I need to get order these books, I love cowboys..And the stories sound really good!
(Carole Fiore 4:18pm April 14, 2011)
I haven't read many from this time period. Sounds like something I need to check out.
(Christina Harrison 2:04am May 5, 2011)
That didn't go where it was supposed to go. This one is more like I love her books and have been waiting on this hot couple.
(Christina Harrison 2:07am May 5, 2011)
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