Spotlight & Giveaway: The Rancher Takes a Family by Paula Altenburg

Posted October 15th, 2018 by in Blog, Spotlight / 41 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Paula Altenburg to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Paula and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Rancher Takes a Family!

 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

A workaholic rancher has to shift gears in a hurry when he’s given custody of his two young nephews and baby niece. He’s dealing with a) his grief over the death of his sister, brother-in-law, and his parents, b) the children’s grief, and c) a ranch that’s in debt. Throw in an ex-girlfriend he’s desperate to win back and this poor rancher’s life is a mess. Fortunately, his sense of humor’s mostly intact.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

So far, of his sister’s three offspring, Lydia was shaping up to be Jake McGregor’s favorite.
She nestled in the crook of his arm, a soggy thumb in her mouth, staring in wide-eyed awe at her two older brothers. One chubby fist clutched a handful of Jake’s hair.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • There’s one scene in the book that’s based on my husband’s line of work. (Readers will have to figure out which one on their own!)
  • And Grand, Montana is very loosely based on Miles City, Montana. I played fast and loose with the geography, but it’s situated where the Tongue and Yellow rivers meet. The history of the area is fascinating. The McGregors share a fictional ancestry with Irish sutlers who supplied soldiers manning a nearby fort with whiskey. (Sutlers were people who followed armies and sold supplies to them—portable convenience stores.)

 

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

I was surprised by how well grounded Jake really is. I thought he’d be the hot mess. It turns out it’s the heroine, Lacey. Jake is this stoic, dependable family guy. It never once occurs to him that family doesn’t come first. Lacey, on the other hand, comes from a background where family and children are definitely not a priority. She wants so much to be a part of what Jake has to offer, but at the same time, she wants a romantic relationship, too. That’s a hard trick for Jake to pull off.

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Water swirled around Jake’s thighs, the frothy current that cooled the insides of his chest waders at odds with the unseasonable blistering heat of the day. He had his arms around Lacey, who was in the river almost up to her waist, on the pretense of teaching her how to cast. He’d brought along an old pair of his mother’s waders for her to use.
“Hold your line down with your thumb like this,” he said, showing her how to press the line against the rod. “Swing the rod back like this”—he drew her arms back—“then release it like this.”
He flipped the rod forward, lifting her thumb with the blunt of his so she’d release the line. The baited hook sailed a few yards away and dropped into the water with a light splash. She squealed with delight, gripping the fishing rod in a chokehold while she beamed up at him, her cheeks flushed with sun and excitement.
“I did it!”
“You sure did.”
They weren’t going to catch any fish this way though, and Jake didn’t care. Watching her having so much fun was a reward in itself, which was why they were here—to relax and unwind before he forgot how.

I think this is my favorite scene in the whole book. It’s very visual, and it shows them both relaxing with each other for the first time. You get a real glimpse of how they’ll be as a couple.

 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

The book is about grieving and stepping up as a family. The McGregor brothers work together in this series. Jake is the oldest, and he’s been given the responsibility of both the children and the family business, but Luke and Zack, his two brothers, know the value of family, too.

The biggest takeaway for this book would be that a marriage is a journey with many twists and turns. Jake says something to Lacey at the end that really sums the message up.

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

Next up is Luke McGregor and Mara Ramos’s story. I’m starting it today, in fact. Then we have Zack and Posey’s story.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A print book, Tule tote bag and swag! – US only

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Lacey and Jake dated in high school. Things didn’t work out, but they never forgot each other. Is there anyone in your past that you’d like a second chance with? (FYI, I married my second chance.) ☺

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt from The Rancher Takes a Family:

Lacey’s was the last voice Jake expected to hear when he answered his phone to an unfamiliar number, although she hadn’t been far from his thoughts.
It was bath time at the McGregors and chaos presided. Jake’s job was to make sure Mac used toothpaste and soap and put his tablet away for the night. Luke’s role with Finn was more hands-on, and hair washing and towel drying were involved. Zack, meanwhile, was dunking Lydia in the kitchen sink and splashing water all over the counters and floor. Next up was a half hour of quiet time before bed. Luke had dug out a box of his old Marvin Redpost books from the attic and it was Jake’s night to read.
The house, however, was far from quiet. Finn didn’t know the meaning of the word and Zack had Lydia squealing so hard it would be midnight before she settled down. Mac was in his room, supposedly donning pajamas, although Jake had his doubts.
“Hi, Jake,” Lacey said, and Jake forgot everything else.
“Lacey. Hey.” He ducked into Luke’s office on the main floor off the living room and shut the door behind him, his heart pounding his ribs. She’d made the first move.
“I’d like to schedule a meeting with you. About Mac,” she added hastily, apparently afraid he might get the wrong idea.
Which he totally had. Stupid.
She was a teacher. This was about the kids, not him. What had he been thinking?
“What about him?” he asked.
“I’d rather discuss it in person. Could you come to the school one evening this week?”
She sounded professional and completely unlike the sixteen-year-old girl who was stuck in his head. He fought an inner war. She might not be sixteen anymore, but this wouldn’t end well. She was going to tell him what to do and he was going to get defensive about it, because he wasn’t a complete idiot, even if he felt like one lately. He knew what was best for his nephew. Mac wasn’t so different from him. Besides, she wasn’t Mac’s teacher yet, so this couldn’t possibly be an official request, could it?
He should make an excuse and say no.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Rugged rancher Jake McGregor wrangles cattle better than kids, but when he’s suddenly saddled with three grieving children, he’s determined to step up. His sister’s kids shouldn’t pay for her error in judgment in naming him guardian. Problem is, he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. And the woman who attempts to help with his every fumble is the one woman he wants to steer clear of…

Lacey Anderson loves a challenge, but Jake’s already broken her heart once. When his tall shadow darkens the doorway of her classroom, she’s ready to shut him out – until she meets her new students, and sees the desperation in Jake’s eyes. Emotional intelligence is so not his forte. But she’s done banging her head against that wall.

Jake, however, is finally ready to learn how to love and Lacey’s the teacher he wants. Is she willing to risk her own heart again to teach him?

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Paula Altenburg lives in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two sons. Once a manager in the aerospace industry, she now enjoys working from home and writing fulltime. Paula writes fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as short contemporary romance.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |
 
 
 

«
»

41 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: The Rancher Takes a Family by Paula Altenburg”

  3. John Smith

    “Lacey and Jake dated in high school. Things didn’t work out, but they never forgot each other. Is there anyone in your past that you’d like a second chance with? (FYI, I married my second chance.)” Fortunately, I’ve never had a romance so this doesn’t apply!

  7. Kate Sparks

    I got my second chance when my oldest sister told him to contact me after she got married to find out about the details of her wedding. And we have married for over 36 years.

  18. Renee Grandinetti

    If I was single, the answer is maybe. However, I have a wonderful husband, and wouldn’t think of giving anyone a second chance at this time.

  20. clickclickmycat

    There is one boy from my high school days that I would love to see again. We broke up because his family moved. You try to keep it going through letters and phone calls, but being young it just didn’t work out.

  24. laurieg72

    No there is no one I dated in HS or college that I would want a second chance with. I met my husband my Senior year of college and we have been together for 41 years.

  26. palten137

    Thank you to Harlequin Junkie for having me here today. I can’t believe there are so few people with someone in their past! 🙂

  31. erinf1

    no, no, no, no 🙂 I realized that I previously had terrible taste in men and I spent waaay too much time trying to salvage dead relationships. Thanks for sharing!

  32. isisthe12th

    That’s awesome! I’m happy my life turned out the way it did. Thank you

  34. rkcjmomma

    No my husband is someone I gave a second chance and im glad i did. We have been married 20 years and have 4 beautiful kids now

  35. Patricia B.

    My second chance was someone I really never had a first chance with. We were in chemistry class together our junior year and that was it. He was one of several boys from the AF base nearby. When they moved I kept in touch with several of them, him included. Nothing special, a Christmas card and maybe a card or 2 during the year. 7 years later we met up again when I visited a cousin whose husband was stationed at the same AF base he was. They had him over for dinner and He took the 3 of us out to dinner. End of reunion until he showed up 4 or 5 months later at my job in the Philippines with friends, visited a few days, and then proposed. We have been married 46 1/2 years and things are still going great. I am so glad I stopped at my cousins when I did. He was transferred 3 weeks later.

  36. Lynne Brigman

    No I married my high school sweetheart. We had two beautiful children and was married 11 years before he passed away. Then I fell in love with one of my longtime friend. We have been married for 24 years and still going strong.

  38. Terrill R.

    If I wasn’t happily married and my college sweetheart wasn’t, as well, I would maybe consider taking a chance there. We had remained friends after we went our separate ways. That is until we both married and it would have been disrespectful to our spouses.