Book Tour Stop and Guest Post: No Gentleman is He

Please welcome Lynette and Carley as they share their new relesase with us. Carley is telling us about her journey to publication! Do be sure to comment as there will be two winners drawn at the end of the tour. Winner 1 will receive a lovely pair of colonial era  earrings (U.S. only please due to shipping constraints); Winner 2 will receive a $100 Amazon GC. 

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Our Journey to Publication

I chose this topic as it's a rather intriguing story of two women who never met, formed a bond with very little in common other than our love of writing. We are the same age, empty-nesters, married and have three grown children each. That is the end of any similarity between us. 
I am Carley Bauer. I hail from the eastern seaboard of the United States. Two hours from Washington DC in one direction and two hours on the nose from New York City in the other direction. I'm part of the Greater Philadelphia Area, 5th most congested traffic area in the U.S. There is nothing that thrills me more than the excitement of the city. I thrive on the noise, the crowds, and the people. 
My co-author and dear friend Lynette Willows lives in Rural Alberta, Canada.  She loves growing her own vegetables, volunteering at whatever local event is happening in her neck of the woods at the time and prefers her cowgirl hat to anything resembling world fashion. 
I snub coffee and she main-lines it. I could spend hours in a hot bubble bath and experimenting with the latest cosmetics. Lynette opts for the quick shower so she can get back to the renovations she and her husband are making on their farmhouse. Her idea of the perfect weekend is being miles from civilization, roughing it on the land and returning to regale me with horrifying stories of bears that meandered down to the fishing creek. I am convinced she can almost feel me shiver with fear! I respond by telling her about the New York City subways, shopping in Soho and traipsing through the Big Apple until my feet are numb. She is mortified! 

How exactly did two such opposites attract? Why, writing, of course! It was a sunny summer day a decade or so ago. I went for an early afternoon swim. Feeling refreshed, I browsed through some of my favorite MSN Communities (anyone old enough to remember those?) The communities often traded ads, and I was looking for something new and different, I happened across an interactive writing group. Hmmmm, I like to write, I thought. At least I did until a marriage, house, career and three children sucked all of my free time away. On a lark, I applied. Lynette, my co-author and the owner of the writing group contacted me. She asked me a few questions. It is note-worthy that we also differ in that she is more cautious and I throw caution to the wind. She is jaded, I am naive. I passed her little inquisition and was good to go. 
Well, maybe not quite good to go. I had no idea where to start. For a week I read. Then I decided to ask questions. I wanted to do this right, after all.  I left so many questions on the writing board; Lynette was forced to create a new board just for questions. Then I killed off someone's main character! It's a wonder I survived. The truth is, I not only survived, Lynette and I found that we thrived together. 
Off and on through the years we wrote interactively, each time loving it more than the last. We refined our technique and learned from each other. A couple of years ago I contacted her, antsy to write again. We were both empty-nesters with more time to dedicate to writing. Within 5 months we had written enough for at least three to four stories. It was then we decided to take the proverbial plunge and work on one specific couple and story from our writing. We re-wrote, we edited and we re-edited. These two unlikely writing partners were on a mission. When we felt our manuscript was presentable, we held our breath and turned it over to Tirgearr Publishing. The next few weeks were mind boggling. We waited patiently for our first rejection. 
I was up before Lynette (we have a two hour time difference), and found the acceptance letter in my inbox! I messaged her, I called her. (The woman never keeps her cell phone near her!) She woke to my email. We celebrated with such hoopla, I am sure everyone between my house and hers, heard us. 
It's been an exhilarating experience.

Young, adventurous and widowed in a new land, Cassandra Courtney Brooks finds her dream of raising a superior breed of saddle horse slipping away with the death of her husband. Left with four horses, living in a tavern attic, and her scant savings depleting, she resolves to see her vision through to fruition by accepting the scandalous position of steward at Varina Farms.

Born in the image of his native ancestry, Colton Rolfe’s savage blood runs through his veins. Scorned by his father, Colt grew into a man of ill temperament whose only interest is the wild equine beasts on his plantation. His desire to breed his horses with the superior Thoroughbreds of the newly widowed Cassandra Brooks leads him to abandon societal rules. Colt’s growing resentment toward the Crown and his assistance to Sons of Liberty missions is complicated by the discovery that Cassandra’s father is a titled English nobleman.

Cassandra is soon forced to question the wisdom of her decision when she finds herself enamored with her employer. As fiery passion grows between them, Cassandra realizes her own spirit of independence, love of the land, and the savage man who is so much a part of it.

As the threat of war comes ever closer, wills are tested through gunfire, treachery, danger, and kidnapping. Does Colt dare trust Cassandra with Sons of Liberty secrets? More importantly, can he trust her with his heart? And will Colt ever trust Cassandra enough to love her as she longs to be loved?

Jackson looked around and spotted a length of rope hanging on the wall at the opposite end of the stables. He went over and snatched it up. “Got a rope,” he said, holding it up.

“Good,” Colton murmured as he removed his coat and flung it, and his shirt, over the stall door. He took the rope from Jackson and laid it aside, knelt by the mare’s hindquarters and moved her tail aside.

Jackson followed suit, removing his coat but only loosening his shirt around his neck and rolling up his sleeves. “You will frighten the girl if you stay half naked, Colt.”

“If she is that delicate, she should not have horses. Where is the wench, anyway?”

“She has only been gone two minutes. Give her time.”

Just then, Cassandra rushed in, a bucket of water in one hand, its contents sloshing down her skirts, soaking them. She clutched a pail of grease in the other. “I could not find a rope,” she huffed, out of breath.

“We found one,” Jackson assured her.

Cassandra looked in the stall as the men worked. To Colton’s amusement, the woman suddenly flushed when she noticed the state of his undress. Apparently disturbed by her own reaction, she busied herself getting the soap from her apron pocket, almost dropping it from her noticeably shaking hand.

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About the Authors

Lynette Willows

I’m Lynette Willows. I live in rural Alberta, Canada. My debut novel, “No Gentleman Is He”, the first in the Sons of Liberty series, is co-written along with my partner in romance, Carley Bauer.  

Some have mentioned I have a very interesting past. Not only was it unusual, but some would even say reckless. I’ve lived on an Indian reserve in a teepee with my young son for three months in the winter, I’ve chased storms, and worked as a social services aide on one of the most troubled and dangerous reserves in Canada, where I met great friends as well as made a few enemies. 

I enjoy camping, movies, especially historical bio dramas, strange dogs, stranger cats, exclamation points, coffee mugs with stupid sayings, friends, the crazier the better, family, as long as they are crazier than I am, and I have a huge collection of shiny, outrageous earrings. Yes, I’m a magpie. I’ll only play chess with my husband because he’ll let me win.

If you’re curious about my favorite reading material, it’s very eclectic and varied. I’m extremely picky about what I read, so check out my “to read” list on Goodreads. You can also follow me and Carley, my talented, patient, and illustrious co-author at our fan page on Facebook at “Lynette Willows & Carley Bauer”. I’m also on Twitter under @LynetteWillows, as well as Pinterest, though I’m still figuring that out. You are welcome to also visit me and chat at “Lynette Willows, Author” at http://lynettewillows.blogspot.ca/.

“I have enormous respect for the reader. They are able to take symbols from a page that an author has invented, and turn them into images in their minds that create an enduring story. If that’s not artistry, I don’t know what is.”-Lynette Willows

Carley Bauer

Carley Bauer enjoys life on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. with her husband and their blue eyed feline, Noelle. After 30 years as a state contractor in a self employed capacity, she decided to try her hand at her first love, writing. 

She loves being an empty nester, free to travel with her husband. Still involved with her children and grandchildren, Carley loves big family events. Some of her other hobbies are home decor, fashion, graphic arts, and the occasional bite of the Big Apple where the excitement feeds her natural love of city life. 

Find Carley and Lynette on Facebook and purchase No Gentleman is He from Amazon, Smashwords and B&N.