Get Lost with The Rodeo Man's Daughter

Barbara White Daille knows how to tell a story. She also puts the "H" in Heartwarming. She’s here at GLIAS to tell us about her most recent release, THE RODEO MAN’S DAUGHTER.

His Rodeo Career Is Over...

When Caleb Cantrell left home as a dirt-poor teenager, he never thought he’d return as a wealthy rodeo star. As a matter of fact, he didn’t think he’d return at all. The accident changed all that. It ended his career, nearly ended his life and rekindled a bitterness he thought he’d left in the dust long ago.

But A New Life Begins

To rebuild, Caleb has to go back to where it all began—back to Flagman’s Folly, New Mexico, and back to his high-school sweetheart, Tess LaSalle. But a ten-year-old secret stands between them, one that could hurt everyone Tess loves, especially her daughter...their daughter...the one Caleb never knew existed.

No rodeo ever required the courage Caleb needs now—to forgive, to forget and to start over again...if it’s not already too late.

DONNELL:  Barbara, welcome back!  This story takes place in the Southwest.  You’ve lived back East.  The stories I’ve read take place in New Mexico.  Talk about why you don’t place a story, say in New York City.

BARBARA:  Hi, Donnell!  Living in their hometown makes life tougher for my heroes and heroines.  Everyone knows everyone else's business—and generally likes to have a hand in it, too. 

Small towns are great places to find the interfering neighbors, meddling matchmakers, and kids of all ages that appear in my stories.

DONNELL:  What makes a worthy hero?

BARBARA:  My heroes become willing both to sacrifice and (eventually!) compromise for the women they love. 

They're sometimes bad-boy heroes, which means they also face up to the wrongs they've done—and make them right.

DONNELL:  Got to ask our staple question, and you’ve been on deadline… So, what’s in your refrigerator right now?

BARBARA:  Leftover pizza, chocolate, leftover Chinese food, dark chocolate... 

DONNELL:  Rodeo participants often have broken bones.  They fall off bulls, after all.  Have you ever had a broken bone?

BARBARA:  No, but Caleb, the hero of THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER, recently broke and punctured so many body parts, he'd come close to dying.  Reexamining his life sets him on the course he's chosen now.   

DONNELL:  What’s the most difficult position you’ve ever put one of your characters in?

BARBARA:  With Caleb coming close to death (see above), he's my best physical example.  But for a character with an emotional dilemma, I'd definitely choose Ben Sawyer, the hero of HONORABLE RANCHER (August 2012), the next Flagman's Folly book. 

Ben's in love with his best friend's wife.  He's had a crush on her since kindergarten, but though she's now a widow, the secret he's keeping puts her even further out of his reach.  

DONNELL:  If you’re not writing a book, where will we find you?

BARBARA:  On the couch, reading one.

DONNELL:  Who is someone, either alive or dead, you would’ve loved to have met?

BARBARA:  That changes constantly.  At this very moment...Alfred Hitchcock. 

DONNELL:  What does success mean to you?

BARBARA:  My stories have made a connection with readers.  Finding out a reader has put one of my books on her keeper shelf thrills me. 

Hitting the New York Times bestseller list, which means the books have connected with—and hopefully touched—many readers, would make me pretty happy, too.  (smile)

FOR OUR READERS:  Your turn:  In celebration of Valentine's Day, all menu items at all restaurants are zero-calorie.  What are you ordering for dinner?

Giveaway: an autographed copy of A RANCHER'S PRIDE, the first book set in Flagman's Folly.

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Please stop by and visit Barbara at her website:   http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Look for her on Facebook and Twitter, too:  http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille and https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Originally from the East Coast, award-winning author Barbara White Daille now lives with her husband in the warm, sunny Southwest, where they love the lizards in the front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom.

From the time she was a toddler, Barbara found herself fascinated by those things her mom called "books."  Once she learned the words between the covers held the magic of storytelling, she wanted to see her words in print so she could weave that spell for others.

Barbara hopes you will enjoy reading her stories and will find your own storytelling magic in them!


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