by: Jennifer Hoopes
Series: Fly Creek
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 17, 2017
Publisher: Entangled ~ Bliss
She’s the last woman he should fall in love with...
Three years ago, artist Emily White’s grief and survivor’s guilt sent her to the small Wyoming town of Fly Creek. Since then, she’s kept her emotions safely tucked away—until she meets the new rancher at Sky Lake Dude Ranch. Stetson in hand, the gorgeous cowboy’s arrival in her store immediately shakes up her world.
Adam Conley is only in Fly Creek for as long as it takes to fulfill his promise to his late cousin. The small town brings up too many memories of the life he left behind years ago. He knows his task won’t be easy, but the last thing he expects is the instant attraction to the reason he’s in town. Emily is beautiful, vibrant, and completely off-limits. He’s there to keep his promise—not fall in love.
But Adam’s secret will crumble everything Emily’s life has revolved around.
Adam Conley is only in Fly Creek for as long as it takes to fulfill his promise to his late cousin. The small town brings up too many memories of the life he left behind years ago. He knows his task won’t be easy, but the last thing he expects is the instant attraction to the reason he’s in town. Emily is beautiful, vibrant, and completely off-limits. He’s there to keep his promise—not fall in love.
But Adam’s secret will crumble everything Emily’s life has revolved around.
Hi Jennifer. Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
Thank you so much for having me here today! I’m really excited to be chatting with you. You’ll always be remembered as my first interview as a published author. Things in Pennsylvania are going well. Hot and sticky, but good.
I’m so excited I’m the first blogger to interview you! Congratulations on the release of Her Cowboy’s Promise. I have to tell you this book gave me all kinds of feels. I needed a tissue a couple of times. I really loved it.
*Hugs* I cannot tell you how much it means to hear you say that. Emily and Adam have a rough go, but I think it all works out in the end. I would be happy to send you a box of tissues to replace the ones needed.
Thanks. Can you give readers a quick run down of the story?
Emily has moved to Fly Creek, WY to escape her grief. Adam’s in town temporarily to fulfill a family promise related to her. Neither can escape the attraction, but Adam’s promise comes with a secret that forces both of them to face their pasts with heartbreaking results. Thankfully, there’s a town full of “helpful” residents who protect, support, and provide swift kicks in the butt, to move them along.
Can you tell readers about Emily White and Adam Conley and what it is about them that you love?
Emily and Adam are more similar than they realize. They both were dealt something in their pasts but have chosen to react differently to the incidents. Emily has retreated into a protective shell, while Adam has jumped feet first into life convinced what he’s looking for is out there if he just searches hard enough.
What I love about Emily is her artist soul forces Adam to see things through a different lens. One that has him examining beliefs he’s held for most of his life. What I love about Adam is the careful way he handles and supports Emily in her quest to start living again. He recognizes that she has to be the one to lead or else she could potentially burrow right back into the cocoon she built to protect herself.
Tell me about your favorite scene from the book and why it’s a favorite?
The scene the morning after the night in the bar. Emily is so thrown for a loop, first by Adam and his tea, and then Peyton with her “welcome to town.” It’s a little funny and a little sad, and is clearly a turning point for her. To see her floundering with the social interactions and her blank canvas turning its back on her, you can’t help but know things are changing in her life. For better or worse? Who knows.
And of course, any scene with Polly Brooks is my favorite. That woman is a hoot to write.
I just so happen to have the morning after scene below. Polly is just in a whole other world. She’s like this little old lady that you have to always be aware of. What’s your favorite part of a romance story to write?
I’m a pantser to the core, so my favorite part is that first nugget of a story. Be it a sentence, a word, a scene. The entire story builds around that nugget, and it’s so exciting to begin the journey with the characters. For Her Cowboy’s Promise, the nugget was the accident on the river. I built the story around how someone could come back from something that tragic. Of course with a few twists thrown in that even I couldn’t have predicted when I started writing.
Wow. None of that was planned. I’m really impressed. I was talking with Debbie, publicist extraordinaire, and I was telling her that Her Cowboy’s Promise was why I love reading Bliss books. The story made me smile and cry. It had my heart breaking. How did you handle the heart wrenching scenes?
I ♥ Debbie!
I’m trying hard not to be happy I broke your heart, but I really am thrilled about it ☺. I’m not going to lie, those scenes were the toughest, and I definitely had to handle them in layers, and take time in between. Emily dealt with the brunt of everything, and I knew just imagining how I would react wasn’t enough. So each layer I focused on a different aspect. Her actions, then reactions, then her emotions and finally any words or thoughts. I hope a lot of hearts are broken because then I think the ending might be a little sweeter.
I already know this answer, because I might have started to stalk you online. But that’s a discussion for another day. What’s next for you?
Lol, stalk away. Up next is Peyton and Ryder’s story. Peyton is really good at organizing others, but she’s not so good at handling her own life. She’s about to be hit with a nice whirlwind from the past. I’m also in the middle of writing the third Fly Creek book, which is a Christmas story. I may have to break out the carols soon and hunt down some eggnog.
I can’t wait for Peyton’s story! I can only imagine how her grandmother Polly and Shelby are going to behave or not behave themselves. Jennifer, thank you so much for writing Her Cowboy’s Promise and taking time to answer some questions for me. Congratulations again on being a published author.
Thank you again for having me here. It has been a true pleasure. Happy Reading.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she accepted the kind gesture. One completely at odds with how she expected them to be going forward. “Thank you. I do like tea. But…”
“But?”
Slumping onto the stool beside her easel, Emily took a sip, eyeing Adam over the plastic lid. “Adam, I thought it might be obvious last night. I don’t—can’t—do relationships.”
“Seems to me there’s a big difference between don’t and can’t. Which is it?”
He moved closer, his scent, something she noticed last night, invading the air between them. A mixture of sawdust and ranch combined with that special something you only got from working outdoors in a place like Wyoming. It was elemental, woodsy, almost overpowering, but in a way you wanted to be overpowered.
Maybe that was part of what was bothering her. This was the man who had looked at her their first meeting and seen past the shell she showed Fly Creek. Then, last night, he’d seemed to understand her so well. As if he’d known her before. As if they had some connection that until she’d reached out to him, hadn’t existed. And that made giving him an answer impossible.
Adam chuckled and leaned against the counter. “Emily, me bringing you tea doesn’t constitute a relationship.” He batted his hat against his thigh. “I had a nice time last night and would like to get to know you better.” He deployed the dimples. “I believe the term we’re looking for might be friendship. You know, between one change seeker and another.”
She sputtered, tea spraying forward, narrowly missing his boots. “You want to be friends?”
Adam clenched his jaw and nodded.
“And you think after last night that’s possible?”
“I think lots of things are possible. But, yes, I think after last night”—he nudged her—“it’s imperative.”
She shook her head and placed the tea on the counter, ignoring her body’s hoots and hollers over the simple contact. God, this was snowballing.
“Friends?” Man, that sounded foreign. She didn’t have friends. At least not for the past three years. She used to relish the whole thought of barbeques and parties and bonfires complete with a huge circle of people she cherished. Those people still existed, but she didn’t. At least not the Emily they used to know. Could she remember how to be a friend or something that might resemble it? A true friend would be emotionally invested and even the thought of liking someone enough to care had her wrapping her arms around her stomach to quell the wave of fear and hurt that rolled through her.
“Are you okay?”
Two strong hands gripped her shoulders and Emily looked up into eyes full of concern and curiosity. God, this wasn’t right. That connection again. He knew. He recognized something in her. It felt good to have someone care. She knew her family did, but their concern flowed from pity. Adam’s was something different, wasn’t it? He couldn’t have pity. He didn’t know.
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