Spotlight & Giveaway: Kiss Me Now, Cowboy by Dylann Crush

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Dylann Crush to HJ!

Hi Dylann Crush and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Kiss Me Now, Cowboy!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Kiss Me Now, Cowboy is a friends-to-lovers story about professional bull rider Justin Forza and his best friend Emmeline Porter. He’s been in love with her for years, but knows Em would never date a bull rider since her dad suffered a life-changing traumatic brain injury on the back of a bull. Justin’s been working toward a championship title so he can retire from the circuit with enough to set him up for life and finally tell Emmeline how he feels. When an injury sidelines him, Em tricks him into taking some time off by saying she won an all-expenses paid trip to Paradise Island. She hopes a little time away from his demanding father will give him the space he needs to heal his body and his mind. The last thing either one of them expects is to finally give into the attraction between them.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

It’s so hard to pick just one! Here are a couple of my favorites…

1) Being with Justin was like riding a roller coaster while wearing a blindfold. She never knew what to expect, and the experience thrilled her to her core.

2) Justin had what her mama liked to call “presence” and he always seemed to fill a room with it, whether it was her mama and daddy’s eat-in kitchen or a venue the size of Madison Square Garden. It wasn’t something he did on purpose. Either a man had it or he didn’t.

And Justin Forza had it in spades.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

A few fun facts…

• I’m a huge fan of country music and much of the inspiration for this book came from listening to Kenny Chesney songs. When I picture a cowboy in paradise, his songs are always the first that come to mind. You can find my entire playlist I listened to while writing this book here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6c7IIpCy7lqDGyNwmAbOMz?si=0906a47ded7f4222.
• When researching Kiss Me Now, Cowboy, I watched quite a few documentaries and was even able to interview the VP of Strategic Communications for the PBR. If you want to learn more about the athletes in professional bull riding, here are a few resources I recommend:
• PBR website: https://pbr.com/about/
  Fearless – documentary about bull riding: https://www.netflix.com/title/80078197

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Justin and Emmeline have been friends since second grade, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what first attracts them to each other. For Justin, the moment he fell in love with her happened in high school. He saved her from a rattlesnake they found in their classroom.

“That’s when it struck him. If anything had happened to her . . . he still couldn’t bear to think about it, even all these years later. That was the day he knew for sure she held his heart in her unknowing hands.”

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I always include a ton of humor in my books. Snappy, sassy dialogue is one of my favorite things to write. Here’s a snippet from a scene where Justin and Emmeline have finally given into their attraction.

“Can you feel how much I missed you, or do you need visual proof?” He pressed his hips against her belly.

“Mmm. Is that a Love Rocket in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” She batted her long lashes against her cheeks.

“Why don’t you reach in and find out?”

Readers should read this book….

If they want a heartfelt, steamy escape with a hot cowboy and a friends-to-lovers romance that will make them laugh, cry, and fall in love.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I just completed the second round of edits for book two in the Cowboys in Paradise series, Make Me Yours, Cowboy. It’s scheduled to release next July and features one of Justin and Emmeline’s best friends, Knox. Right now, I’m working on book two in my steamy small town Whiskey Wars series, Tasting Temptation. The first book, Drinking Deep, came out in May and Tasting Temptation is scheduled to release in September.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One copy of KISS ME NOW, COWBOY for a U.S. only winner.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Have you ever been to a rodeo or watched one on TV? If so, what’s your favorite event? If not, what do you think your favorite event would be?

 
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Excerpt from Kiss Me Now, Cowboy:

1

Justin

“Forzas aren’t quitters.”

Justin Forza took in a deep breath through his nose and met his dad’s hard glare with a softer version of his own. “I know, Dad. You’ve drilled that into me my entire life. I’m not saying I want to quit. I just need a little more time for my shoulder to heal.”

Grabbing hold of his right shoulder with his left hand, Justin rolled it forward. Pain radiated through the socket, but he didn’t flinch.

His dad picked up a saddle from the tack room, and Justin followed him to the last stall in the barn. They didn’t have time for this conversation. Not again, and especially not now. He was supposed to be on his way to pick up his best friend, Em. If they didn’t hit the road soon, they’d never get to Dallas in time for the concert tonight.

“I’ve got to go get Emmeline. Can we table this for now?” Justin sighed, not looking forward to the inevitable continuation of the same conversation. Whether his dad picked it up again tomorrow or the next day, it was bound to happen. Monty Forza had never been accused of letting a sleeping dog lie, not even when it appeared to be as dead as the arguments the two of them had been flinging back and forth for weeks.

“The two of you going to that concert in Dallas tonight?” Monty’s mood lightened at the mention of Emmeline’s name. She had that effect on people. Em had a way of bringing out the best in folks, even someone as hardheaded and coldhearted as his father.

“Yes, sir. Knox is playing, and Decker invited us to watch from his dad’s suite.” Justin had been friends with Knox and Decker since the three of them could ride a horse. Seeing as how they’d learned how to ride before they could even walk, Justin couldn’t remember a time in his life without them.

“I can’t believe a good woman like Emmeline’s still available.” Monty’s eyes narrowed. “Won’t be long before some good-looking, smart-talking cowboy scoops her up.”

Justin gritted his teeth. He and Emmeline were friends. Had been since second grade when she’d shown up at school with two long braids and a smile as wide and open as the Great Plains of Texas. She’d fit right in with the tight trio of him, Knox, and Decker. Over the years, the four of them had done just about everything together.

Then Emmeline started changing, and Justin couldn’t help but take notice. Her lanky limbs gave way to curves that wouldn’t quit. The hair she used to pull up and out of the way fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Green eyes, the color of the fields surrounding his family’s ranch in the springtime, took on a new shine.

He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, especially Emmeline Porter, but he’d fallen hard for her their junior year at Blewit High and had been pining for her ever since. Knox and Decker had figured it out, but his secret had been safe from Emmeline for the past twelve years.

“You need anything else before I head out?” Justin fingered the key to his heavy-duty F-350-the one luxury he’d allowed himself to indulge in with the winnings he’d earned over the years as a pro bull rider. The rest had gone into savings, waiting for a time when he could retire from the circuit and invest in a place of his own.

“Nah. Y’all have a good time tonight. We’ll pick this conversation up again tomorrow. Just remember, the longer you wait to get back in the game, the harder it’s going to be, son.” Monty tossed the saddle over the back of his favorite ranch horse.

“I know.” Justin let out a long exhale. He didn’t want to sit out from the bull-riding circuit any longer than necessary. Securing the world championship was the only thing standing in the way of what he really wanted out of life . . . Emmeline.

This year should have been his. He’d started off the year in the top ten and, after winning a few events in February and March, had earned enough points to put him in the top five. Once he secured the title and the cash prize that went with it, he’d planned on announcing his retirement on the spot and finally telling Emmeline how he felt.

But things never seemed to go as planned. Instead of being the one to catch, he’d been bucked off a ranker bull on the last night of a three-day event in Nashville with half a second to go. He’d healed from his surgery and a severe concussion, but his shoulder still wasn’t quite where he needed it to be.

His dad was right, though. If he didn’t commit to an upcoming event, he’d lose out on the entire year and have to start over again in January. That would mean waiting at least another eighteen months to come clean with Emmeline. He had no idea if she felt the same, but he knew one thing . . . it wasn’t worth the breath he’d waste telling her how he felt about her if he still planned on riding bulls.

She’d made one thing perfectly clear over the years . . . she’d never date a rodeo cowboy.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Professional bull rider Justin Forza might have to trade his cowboy boots for flip flops to win the woman he loves.

Forzas aren’t quitters. That’s the motto professional bull rider Justin Forza’s dad has drilled into his head since the first time he climbed into the bucking chute. After a serious injury, doctor’s orders are to stay out of the arena. But if Justin can win one more championship, he’ll be able to continue the family legacy, set himself up for life, and finally confess his love to his best friend Emmeline.

Emmeline Porter lives by one rule: never date a bull rider. She’s seen the damage a bad ride can cause. As a last resort to stop Justin from returning to the rodeo circuit, she convinces him to take a trip to Paradise Island, a tropical haven off the coast of Texas. She hopes cutting Justin off from the pressure his dad is laying on him will give her best friend the clarity he needs to walk away for good.

The close quarters and island adventures put their friendship to the test, and it’s not long before real feelings surface and threaten to sweep them both away.
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Meet the Author:

Dylann Crush is the USA Today bestselling author of the Tying the Knot in Texas series, as well as All-American Cowboy and Cowboy Christmas Jubilee. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she is not dreaming up steamy story lines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota. Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, a clumsy Great Dane, a rescue mutt, and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors, and fans of tequila.
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