Thank you, good friend Janet Gover, for tagging me to take part in this fun series of blog postings, and Hello, Australian readers and writers of rural romance, and others. If this is your first visit to my blog, Welcome!

Today I plan to introduce you to lean, athletic, gorgeous rancher Will Hyde, one of the stars of A Western Heart, but before I do so, a word about Janet.

Not only is Janet a good friend, but she’s also the fabulous author of books that are a must-read for those who love the romance of the outback and rural life. Janet grew up surrounded by books in the tiny Australian bush town where she lived. There wasn’t a lot to do except read and ride her ponies, so not surprisingly, since she writes from the heart and from her experience, rural Australia and horses feature strongly in her writing – oh, yes, and dishy men, too!

Janet’s latest novel, Flight to Coorah Creek, is the first in a series of Coorah Creek novels. To learn more about Janet and her books, check out her website here. And if you missed her introduction to Dan Mitchell, the hero of her second Coorah Creek novel, click here.

 

Right, back to my latest book, A Western Heart, a novella set in Wyoming 1880.

Will Hyde and Rose McKinley, the older son and the older daughter of successful neighbouring ranches which sprawl across rolling hills and lush green fields, have grown up like brother and sister, knowing that one day they’ll marry and thereby unite their two ranches.

Their families and friends know this, too. And impatient to see the marriage take place, they’re starting to wonder aloud, and with increasing frequency, why Will and Rose’s engagement hasn’t yet been announced. Rose, too, has started to wonder why. She knows Will loves her and she knows she loves him, so there’s nothing can stop them marrying.

Or is there?

 

That was a brief introduction to the book. Now to get down to the lovely business of introducing you to Will.

1.) What is the name of your character?

Will Hyde. The Hyde Ranch will be his one day, but rather than stand back and merely supervise his men, he’s out there working with them at every available opportunity, his sleeves rolled up, the brim of his hat low over his eyes.

A strong man, not given to many words, but with a great sense of humour, Will’s a man a woman can rely on, a man who will make her feel protected and safe.

2.) Is he fictional or a historic person? 

Fictional. He stepped out of my head, into my heart and on to the page. I hope very much that readers will fall for him big time in the way that I have. BUT he’s also historical. He’s a rugged man living in the American West, not a modern, twenty-first century man.

3.) When and where is the story set? 

Wyoming 1880. I’ve stayed on a working ranch in Wyoming and walked the fields that Will and Rose will have walked. Not in 1880, though! A little more recently than that.

 

Ranch land in Wyoming, US

A town like Hope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.) What should we know about him/her?

Ranching is in his blood, and he would like to see the Hyde and McKinley Ranches unite just as much as would the two sets of parents, but not at any cost. Will knows that Rose McKinley likes him – indeed, loves him as a brother – but he’s not a man to settle for liking, or for being loved as a brother: he’s a man with the potential for passion in his heart, and he’ll only wed a woman if he’s sure she loves him as a man.

5.) What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?

Not ‘what’, but ‘who’.

Nate Galloway. Lean, good-looking Nate Galloway, with the way of the world about him, walks into Rose’s life and …  Hmm. I think I ought to stop there to avoid a spoiler.

and

Cora McKinley, Rose’s sister. While Rose was drifting through life on a cloud of self-blindness and complacency, Cora had been growing into a beautiful young woman. A beautiful young woman with her eye on Will, the answer to every woman’s dream. Was spirited Cora the type to sit back and do nothing about her growing feeling for Will? I’ll let you, dear reader, guess the answer.

6.) What is the personal goal of the character?

To run the family ranch to the best of his ability. To wed a woman who loves him in the way a woman should love the man she wants to marry.

7.) Can we read more about A Western Heart?

Definitely. You will find more about it in this website, and it can be bought here.

AND NOW it’s over to two of my writer friends, Christine Stovell and Angela Britnell, both of whom write about fab men in rugged locations. They’ve agreed to be tagged and will be telling all next week.

A little about Chris. Setting off with her husband in a vintage wooden boat – how romantic is that! – Chris sailed from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast of England halfway round Britain. She’s now on dry land and lives on the beautiful West Wales coast, where long-distance running, rather than sailing, helps her plan her plots, such as for her romantic novella, Only True in Fairy Tales.

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You can learn more about Chris and all her books by clicking here.

And now a little about Angela. Angela was born and brought up in England, but later travelled extensively with her American husband before they settled in Tennessee. She learned to love books at any early age and now loves writing them too. Her latest is a romantic novella, set in a stunning location – Cornwall. Celtic Love Knot is set in the small Cornish village of St. Agnes. Learn more about this, and Angela’s many other novels, by clicking here.

So – Chris and Angela– over to you. I’m very much looking forward to reading your blogs next Thursday.