Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.
Showing posts with label Carolyn Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carolyn Brown. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown (Book Review and Interview)

Title: The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks

About the Book:
You Are Cordially Invited...Come early, eat until your buttons pop, and dance until you drop!
Miss Clawdy's Cafe has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time.  This year, town matron Violet Prscott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.

It's time for cafe owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day -- or blow everything to smithereens.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapenos are hot, the gossip is even hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing. . .



My thoughts: I didn't want to put this book down to go to work (and I work in a library, so that's saying something - lol).  I loved the relationship that the three main women had - Cathy and Marty and twin's, and admit that they are two halves of a whole - opposite in everyway - and Trixie has been their best friend since they were little.  Their momma's were best friends before them.  They will stand up to anyone and anything to have each other's back, but at the same time they give each other enough space to make the right decision before stepping in.  Notice I said "right" decision?  Because if they don't make the right one - you can be sure they are gonna hear about it!  

They share most of life's victories and secrets with each other - each holding a little something back that they have not shared with anyone.  But like in any small town, usually someone knows something about it.  There is much gossip here - some true, most not - but all of it sure to bring a smile to your face. 

I had recently watched parts of an old movie "Something to Talk About" with Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgewick and Dennis Quaid.  I couldn't help but picture Julia and Kyra in the role of the twins in this book. (But after reading her cast of characters in her interview, I like them much better.  And I love Shirley MacLaine as Aunt Agnes!)  It would make a great series on T.V. as you know when you put the book down that the gossip in town isn't going to end! 

Like they say, everything is big in Texas, and they go over the top with it all  - good food, gossip, politicians, cheating husbands, loyalty, family, friendship.  This was a feel good book for me and I look forward to reading more by Carolyn in this new genre for her!  Great job!


Praise for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee

“Brown brings her cowboy-romance writing talents to bear on this hilarious tale of women in a gossipy small town… Fast-paced, the intertwined tales collide along a bumpy road toward a surprising calamity at the jalapeño jubilee. A high-spirited, romantic page turner.” —Kirkus

 

“Humor and down-home charm make this a first-place prize winner. All the character quirks and small-town appeal are used to the fullest advantage.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

 

“An excellent book. I loved every bit of it...” —FreshFiction.com

 
~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~
 
Thanks to Sourcebooks, I also have a copy to giveaway!  Please see the giveaway post to enter!
 
 

About the author: Carolyn Brown is a bestselling and award-winning author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she is working on her next cowboy romance, Billion Dollar Cowboy, which will be in stores in June 2013. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee is Carolyn’s first fiction novel, and there are more to come, including The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off (April 2014)! For more information, please visit http://carolynlbrown.com/.
 
 
Carolyn was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions for me!  Please enjoy the interview below.
 
 
 
Thank you so much for letting me stop by your site on my blog tour for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. It’s been out a couple of weeks now and the response has been awesome from reviewers and fans.
 
1.       How do you typically write?  Do you plot it all out beforehand or do you just let the story pour out?
CB: Plotting is something I TRY to do but it only works for about the first two chapters for me. Then the characters hijack my brain and we begin to really tell the story the way it happened.
2.       Do you have a favorite place to write or “must haves” while writing?
CB: I’m not picky. I can write in my office, in the bedroom with notes scattered all over the bed, in the living room with two cats curled up around my feet or in a motel room. If my characters are in a chatty mood, I find a place and time to write.
3.       Do you have much say in the title or covers of you books?
CB:  Titles are a joint effort between me, my awesome editor and the Sourcebooks staff. Sometimes I hit upon one that sticks; sometimes not. I haven’t been disappointed in a single one no matter who comes up with it. Covers are most usually a surprise. Happy squeals bring out the neighbors. They have quit calling the police, thank goodness. That was embarrassing! I especially LOVE the title and the cover for The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. The cover is vibrant and eye catching, just in time for spring when we’re all so very tired of this long, cold winter; the title is so southern.
4.       Is there anything that has surprised you about writing, publishing or touring with your books?
CB: Everything surprised me and continues to do so but I love surprises. Just this morning a fan wrote to say that she was writing a book and wanted to know if she could use my name in her book since her character’s favorite author was Carolyn Brown. All the wonderful people I’ve met, those who’ve taken me under their wing and answered my eight million questions have surprised me with their kindness. The list goes on and on!
5.       Do you have a favorite author/book or one that you always recommend?
CB: I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys everything from Faulkner to the nutrition facts on the back of the cereal boxes. Today’s favorite author is different from yesterdays or tomorrows but right now this minute, I’d recommend Mary Kay Andrews, Carl Hiaason, Susanna Kearsley and Jill Mansell.
6.       Was there anything (or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
CB: My sister!
7.       Do you have a job outside of being an author?
CB: I’m fortunate enough to be a full time author with no day job.
8.       What would you tell a beginning writer?
CB: WRITE…don’t WHINE! You will get rejections and when you do, you can have fifteen minutes to whine and then it’s time to go right back to writing. Whining robs you of writing time and you can’t ever sell if you don’t write. Set a daily goal, a weekly goal and a monthly goal. And don’t ever give up!
9.       What were your favorite books growing up?
CB: I read everything I could get my hands on and can’t begin to remember a favorite.
10.   Do you have any books on your nightstand right now?
CB: Cowboy Tough by Joanne Kennedy and a Christmas novella by Carolyn Hughey.
11.   If you could meet one person who has died, who would that be?
CB: Margaret Mitchell.
12.   If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be?
CB:  I'm such a lone wolf that I don’t think I could ever co-author. The authors who do that have my utmost respect.
13.   Do you have a favorite quote?
CB: This, too, shall pass.
14.   In one sentence, why should we read your book?
CB: It will make you laugh until your sides ache, wipe a few tears from your eyes and fire up mad before you finish it!
15.   What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
CB: I wrote a prize winning newspaper column for fourteen years.
16.   What do you come up with first when creating your character- the back story, the plot, the characteristics?
CB: Back story, every time. Got to know the past to understand the future.
17.   What do you do in your spare time?
CB: Write!
18.   What does a day in your life look like?
CB: I like to write a thousand words before breakfast. That sets the mood for the day, then after breakfast another two thousand before lunch. Then all I have to do in the afternoon is two more thousand to make my goal. Sometimes grandkids, Husband and a bright shiny warm day get in the way but that’s a normal day.
19.   What does a day look like in the life of your main character?
CB: In The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, there are five friends. A day in Trixie, Marty and Cathy’s life is running Miss Clawdy’s Café; Jack is a policeman in Cadillac so he could be working or he might be in the garage behind Miss Clawdy’s with Marty working on her vintage Cadillac ; a day in Darla Jean’s life is getting ready for her church services.
20.   How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
CB: Oh, yes and those who have read The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee have declared it the best book I have ever written and are clamoring that they should read the next one, The Red Hot Chili Cook-Off before it even goes to press. (It won’t happen but it makes me happy to know they want to read the next one.)
21.   What time of day do you like to write?
CB:  Until my goal is met, I write any time of day or night.
22.   Where/when do you brainstorm best?
CB: I get the best ideas when I’m riding down the road on a trip. It’s amazing how much of a story line will come to me inside a car.
23.   How long do you think about a story before starting to write the book?
CB: Depends…ten minutes? Ten days?
24.   What is the most you have written in one day?
CB: Ten thousand words. I was on a roll.
25.   What themes do you love to read or write about?
CB: People and their quirks.
26.   What book fairs or events do you attend?
CBL: The RWA  National Conference is a highlight of my year.
27.   What is your favorite way to promote a book?
CB: Word of mouth…if people are talking about it and liking it, others will buy it.
28.   If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
CB: Lord have mercy, Carolyn Brown is a slave driver. She makes us go into that office every morning and tell her what happened next and then she drills us like an interrogation officer to get it right.
29. What book would you like to read again?
CB: It is time to read Gone With the Wind again. I like to read it at least every ten years and am always amazed at which character I’m most impressed with since the last time I read it.
30.   If your book was made into a TV series or movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? Feel free to add pics.  
CB: Katherine Heigl could play the part of Cathy and Marty. Ashley Judd is Trixie. Michael Weatherly is Jack. Shirley MacLaine is Aunt Agnes.  Darla Jean is Daniela Ruah.
31.   Favorite childhood memory?
CB: Momma’s Sunday dinner…fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and her famous hot biscuits with cobbler (peach or blackberry) for dessert.
Silly questions –
1.       If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
CB: Write faster and better.
2.       Do you have any hidden talents?
CB:  Several and I would tell you but then…well, you know!
3.       Night owl or early bird?
CB: Early bird…I was a robin in a previous life and I like to get the worm.
4.       Favorite season?
CB: Spring.
5.       If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
CB: Oh My God!
6.       Favorite sport?
CB: Reading…it’s going to be an Olympic sport before long. I’ve put in the paper work. It’s just a matter of time before it is recognized.
7.       Favorite music?
CB: County music.
8.       Talk or text?
CB:  Talk!
9.       Cat or dog?
CB: Cats…have two. Boots and Chester.
10.   Guilty pleasure tv show?
CB: Justified.
11.   Sweet or salty snacks?
CB: Both!
12.   Coffee or tea?
CB: Coffee!
13.   Favorite holiday destination?
CB: Florida for Christmas with just Husband and me on the sand.
14.   Do you have a literary crush?
CB: Don’t think so.
15.   If you could live in a literary world  - what world would that be and why?
CB: I love living in the world I’m in. I can’t image living anywhere else.
16.   Most embarrassing moment?
CB: That would be like taking one needle from a mountain sized stack of needles. The one that comes to mind right now was backing my little red truck into a highway patrolman!
17.   Favorite gadget?
CB: Can opener.
18.   If you could travel forward or backward in time, where would you go and why?
CB:  Backward to visit with Scarlet O’Hara for one day. After that I’d want to come home to air conditioning and indoor plumbing.
19.   If your book were made into a movie who would the play the main characters?  What would the theme song be?
CB:  The theme song would be The Yellow Rose of Texas. Characters are listed above! And you can see me dancing a jig under the red light on Main Street the day that I sign papers for a movie to be made about The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee.
20.   Most __________ in High School?
CB: FEARLESS!
21.   Ebooks, paperbacks or hardcovers?
CB: All of the above with emphasis on paperbacks!
 
Wow!  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer ALL of my questions!  Completely unexpected, but loved your answers!   I am also looking forward to reading The Red-Hot Chili-Cookoff next year!! 
 
Purchase Links




Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Honky Tonk Christmas by Carolyn Brown (Book Review)


Title: Honky Tonk Christmas
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

My synopsis:  Once again we are back in Mingus, Texas at the Honky Tonk bar, which is now owned by Sharlene Waverly.  She inherited the bar and the "Bahamas" house (painted like it belongs in the Bahamas - not actually there) when Larissa fell under the Honky Tonk charm and married her cowboy Hank.  Sharlene has vowed that she will not fall under the charm and will not be marrying any cowboy.  Instead, she decides to expand the Honky Tonk so that the crowds that gather in the parking lot will now be able to come in and enjoy the Tonk's atmosphere, too.

She hires Holt Jackson who is the best carpenter in the area.  He is also a single dad, having taken in his six-year-old twin niece and nephew when his sister is killed by a drunk driver.  Sharlene makes him a deal that allows him, Judd, and Waylon to live in the Bahamas house rent free as long as the addition gets done on deadline.  She settles into a routine of bartender at night, daycare for the 2 kids after school and working on her second book in between.  Her first book, Honky Tonk Charm is due out in December.  What doesn't figure into her routine is the attraction that is growing between her and Holt. 

She finally agrees to a visit with her family in Corn, Oklahoma and drags Holt and the twins with her.  She has been avoiding going home as her family knows nothing about her owning a bar or writing a book.  They think she lives and works in Dallas. She tells herself that she is taking Holt as a buffer, but I think that she just wants him to be with her. Could she be falling under the Honky Tonk charm too?

My thoughts: This is the fourth and last :( book in this series and I have enjoyed them all.  Even if you haven't read the first three - this one gives you all the background to catch you up to speed. I love that even though all the books are centered around the Honky Tonk - the main characters of each are very diverse and the routes the stories take are driven by the characters. There are characters that carry over from story to story to keep them connected, but they each have a different conflict. The books are quick reads and the series would be a great gift for the booklover on your Christmas list!



Ms. Brown will be back in 2011 with a new series called Spikes & Spurs.  The first book, Love Drunk Cowboy is due out in May, 2011.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

Honky Tonk Christmas
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Nov 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-4201-4
368 pages

Sunday, October 31, 2010

My Give a Damn's Busted by Carolyn Brown - Book Review

Title: My Give a Damn's Busted
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book:  This book takes us once again to the apparently charmed Honky Tonk beer joint.  It is currently being run by Larissa Morley, the third owner in as many years.  The previous two owners, Daisy and Cathy, both met and married a cowboy and passed the Honky Tonk on to it's next owner.  Larissa isn't looking for a cowboy, having just found herself and is finally happy.

Happy, that is,  until she almost crashes her little sportscar into the back of a beat up pickup truck driven by Hank Wells.  Hank had the unfortunate timing as to be driving down the road at the same time that a deer decided to cross it.  This is what caused him to crash - causing Larissa to slide into a ditch.

Even in her anger, she didn't fail to notice that this was one hot cowboy.  Sparks flew from the very beginning, but they are each harboring secrets from the other, secrets about their past and secrets about themselves.  Will the charm of the Honky Tonk be enough to keep those secrets from blowing their romance apart?

My thoughts:  This has been a very cute series to read - three very different ladies - three very different romances - the common thread being the Honky Tonk.  I have enjoyed getting to know each new owner and hope that we might meet up with them sometime again to learn about their lives after the Honky Tonk. 

You can read my reviews of the first two books here: I Love This Bar and Hell, Yeah.

~I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review from Sourcebooks.~

My Give a Damn's Busted
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, Oct 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3928-1
366 pages

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Hell, Yeah by Carolyn Brown (Book Review)

Title: Hell, Yeah
(Honky Tonk series, Book 2)
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca


My synopsis: What is it with the O'Dell women and abusive boyfriends?  Cathy O'Dell is now the owner of the Honky Tonk.  She had taken refuge there when her fiance had hit her.  After her first moment of shock, she fought back.  After packing her bags and quitting her job, Cathy set out for her cousin, Daisy's Honky Tonk.

On New Year's Eve, Travis Henry walks into the bar before midnight, grabs the first available girl he sees during the countdown and plants one on her.  That girl is Cathy O'Dell and she is none too happy to be kissed without permission!  What riles her even more, is that the more she sees of Travis, the more she wants a repeat of that kiss!

As chance would have it, Travis is an oilman and they set up a drilling operation right next to the Honky Tonk.  When their secretary gets hurt in a car accident, Cathy finds herself working in the trailer office from noon - 5pm. - A trailer which just happens to be Travis' house. In exchange though, Travis has to help bartend on Friday and Saturday nights.  Talk about making a deal with the devil! 

Travis and Cathy continue to get close - and then Cathy is kidnapped, by a couple of bumbling kidnappers, no less.  However, it sets off a chain of events that will change Travis' and Cathy's relationship.  But is that a good thing?

My thoughts:  I continue to like this series.  Some of the minor characters in the first book (I Love This Bar) have resurfaced here, but Mrs. Brown has also introduced a whole new cast of characters.  I can't wait to see which direction book 3 will take us in.

~I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, Aug 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3927-4
351 pages

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I Love This Bar by Carolyn Brown (Book Review)

Title: I Love This Bar (Book 1 in the Honky Tonk series)
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

My synopsis/thoughts: Daisy O'Dell is the owner and bartender at the Honky Tonky.  She had shown up 7 years earlier when her car had broken down next door. She had left Arkansas after her boyfriend had hit her for the last time.  She had run him off with a shotgun and packed up and left.  Ruby, the original owner of the Honky Tonk, had taken her in and given her a job and let her live in the apartment behind the bar. When Ruby died in a motorcycle crash, she left the bar to Daisy. 

Ruby knew how to run a bar and Daisy did not mess with that.  Jukebox, dance floor, pool tables and beer was enough to keep it turning a profit. Ruby also told her no men in the apartment - kept you from making spur of the moment mistakes!

Jared McElroy had moved to town from Oklahoma to help out at his Uncle Emmet's ranch.  His uncle had let things slide since his wife, Mavis, had died. Well, Jared and Daisy fell for each other immediately - and I mean fell for each other.  See, as they were walking across the bar, they each hit a puddle of beer and got tangled up in each other and hit the floor. All it took was for their eyes to meet for the sparks to fly.

Jared couldn't get it out of his head that she was a barmaid - this was not a good profession in his eyes (or his family's), and even though she was also a vet tech, it didn't negate the first profession.  Daisy had sworn off men after her last debacle years before with her abusive boyfriend.  These two continue to be drawn to one another like moths to a flame.

There are some other colorful characters in here - including Jared's Uncle Emmet.  He was a riot!  Then there was Chigger and Jim Bob.  When Daisy first met Chigger she thought she was a prostitute - and even though Chigger likes a good role in the hay - she has a good heart and is very loyal.  Jim Bob is her boyfriend and one of a set of triplets - Jim Bob, Joe Bob and Billy Bob, who used to run around with Jared as boys, when he would come to visit Emmet and Mavis.

This book was pretty predictable, but sometimes you need one of those.  I liked all the references to country songs, as I went through a country phase back a few years.  It made me want to go dig up and dust off all those CD's!  This is the first book in the Honky Tonk series.  Next up is Hell, Yeah and I will be reviewing it in the next few days.

~I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

I Love This Bar
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, June 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3926-7
366 pages














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