Guest Post from Lorelei James

Today we are lucky to have Lorelei James here to talk to us about her newest release, Turn and Burn. Sexy cowboys? She’s here to tell us all about it!

Because I write westerns I often get asked if I’m a real cowgirl. If my family owns a ranch, or runs cattle, or if I ride horses every day.

Umm…no.

I’ll cop to being a wannabe tough ranch girl who’s been on the back of a horse since she could walk. I’d like to claim I can rope—I’ve tried to learn to throw a rope but to no avail. So in my head when I’m working on these larger than life characters, it’s fun because I get to be them for a little while. Male and female.

Since I’m not in that ranching world, I have to rely on my ranch-owning friends to help me make the stories I write authentic. I want my readers to hear the crunch of snow when a rancher trudges outside in the snow when it’s forty below zero to check on pregnant cows. I want my readers to smell the inside of the barn or the feed truck. I want readers to feel the mud sticking to boots. I want readers to understand the difficulties in choosing to live a rural lifestyle.

That said, I don’t base the characters on anyone I know. Maybe there are mannerisms or phrases I catch that I incorporate into a character, but have I met a real life veterinarian like August “Fletch” Fletcher from TURN AND BURN in my experiences around the ranch? No, but I can always hope. 🙂

I’ve always said it’s easier to make up characters because I have control over them, but that’s not necessarily true. In order for the character to be believable I have to let that character follow his or her own path—and many times that’s not the path I would’ve chosen for them. Case in point, I hadn’t intended to pair feisty Texas cowgirl and barrel racing champion Tanna Barker with Fletch, I had an entirely different character in mind for her. But since Tanna is stubborn, she insisted she knew who would be better for her in the long run, and I’m so glad I listened to her because she and Fletch are a match made in heaven.

About the Author:
When USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James isn’t squirreled away behind her laptop in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, she can be found reading, shootin’ her .22, watching the Professional Bull Riders tour, and running a kids’ taxi service, all in the guise of avoiding housework and rustlin’ up vittles. Visit her online at www.loreleijames.com, www.facebook.com/lorelei-james, and www.twitter.com/loreleijames.