Narelle here. I’m excited to introduce my upcoming release – Her Cowboy Blind Date – in the Easter in Gilead contemporary Christian romance (CCR) series.
I’ve always wanted to write a romance story with a cowboy hero. The opportunity to join a group project with a few of my American author friends included a small town Kansas setting that was close to ranch country.
In early 2021, Valerie Comer, Elizabeth Maddrey and I recorded a StoryChats @ InspyRomance podcast/YouTube episode featuring Easter-themed CCR books. We discovered that while there are literally thousands of Christmas romance books available in the market, it was hard to find CCR that included an Easter theme. Valerie and Elizabeth started talking about writing an Easter series. I joined the project in 2022 after an author dropped out.
Multi-author group projects aren’t easy to pull together. A lot of planning happens at the front end, often a year or longer before the first book in the series actually releases. Life happens, and sometimes authors need to pull out for a range of reasons. In our recent StoryChats episode #117 featuring the Easter in Gilead series with Heather Gray, the four of us discuss the pros and cons of joining a multiauthor group project.
There were supposed to be six books in the Easter in Gilead series. I was supposed to have finished my book by December 2022, have it ready for editing in early 2023, and scheduled for release prior to Easter. We can have the best of intentions, but sometimes God has a different plan.
In late 2022 the sixth author in the Easter in Gilead project sadly had to drop out, which left five books and a gap in the series storyline. The series is based around an annual passion play held at a Bible college in the fictional town of Gilead. The stories all take place at the same time and mention characters in other stories in the series. The author who pulled out had created a hero who was a Hollywood actor who’d been cast in the role of Judas. His character was already written into completed stories that were ready for editing.
In December 2022, instead of finishing my Easter in Gilead book, I was scrambling to finish Never Find Another You (Trinity Lakes Romance, Book 1) that was on preorder and scheduled to release in February 2023. I’d had a challenging year with my own health issues plus caring responsibilities for my dear mum who’d been in and out of hospital. The domino effect of losing writing time earlier in 2022 has rolled over into 2023.
But God is good, and He can use all situations and circumstances for His purposes as per Romans 8:28. Since I was still in the early stages of writing Her Cowboy Blind Date, I was able to clean up the orphaned hero situation and include the Hollywood actor as an important side character in my story. I discussed the Hollywood actor character in my recent blog post at Inspy Romance – When the Hollywood heartthrob doesn’t get the girl.
Easter arrived a few weeks ago and three of the Easter in Gilead books were released, with my book on preorder. The fifth author in the series has been struggling with serious health issues for the last few months, and she is rightly taking time away from work (writing is her day job) to focus on her health. We’re praying her health will improve ASAP.
I’m enjoying writing Her Cowboy Blind Date and appreciating the breathing room now I’m not rushing to meet a tight book deadline. My Aussie girl, Bek, is connected to my Sydney Sweethearts series via her brother, Zach, and sister-in-law, Billie, who are the main characters in Seaside Proposal.
Here’s the Book Description:
He’s a small-town guy, a cowboy at heart. She’s a city girl from the other side of the world. Will a blind date lead to a love that lasts a lifetime?
Farm mechanic Sam Williams is on the cusp of realizing his dream of being a rancher after inheriting a share in his family’s Colorado ranch. He’s keen to make plans and leave Gilead in the dust after his friend’s Easter Saturday wedding. First he needs a plus-one for the wedding, to avoid a super awkward encounter with his high-school girlfriend who has just married the best man.
After a devastating public betrayal by her high-profile ex, Bek Montford is hiding out in Kansas. She’s calling herself Becky, licking her wounds and focusing on the things that make her happy. Drawn to the annual passion play at Gilead Bible College where she’s living, she volunteers to work behind the scenes.
Since Becky is only in Gilead until June, a blind date with a suitable plus-one before the wedding seems like the perfect solution for Sam. No strings and no commitment.
But the blind date turns into a not-so-fake relationship when Sam and Becky must work together on the passion play. Can they overcome past emotional wounds and geographical distance to create a future together?
An opposites attract, different worlds, blind date and fake relationship contemporary Christian romance.
Her Cowboy Blind Date is available on preorder at Amazon Kindle for the special price of 99c for a limited time.
I have read the first three and loved them all. It is interesting seeing the different writing styles showcased as well. While I loved the first book I think the third book may be my favourite. I did see the storychats episode and could understand the different issues in writing multi author series.
On cowboy books I am on the fence. I enjoy them in historical but sometimes not as much in contemporary. It really depends on the story. I loved Jillian Harts The Granger series which is on a ranch in Montana (I think).
I look forward to your book and seeing some of the characters again.
Hi Jenny, I’m glad you’re enjoying the series. You’ve raised an interesting point regarding the differences between historical and contemporary cowboy romances. It’s a while since I’ve read a book by Jillian Hart. Thanks for commenting. 🙂