Today, I'm delighted to welcome back New York Times bestselling author BETH WILLIAMSON who also writes as EMMA LANG. This is release day for book seven in her Circle Eight series.
The moments that
define us are the ones we least expect to happen.
James Gibson
spent his life trying to find his place in the world. The child of a feckless
mother, abandoned as a boy, he was raised by his grandfather, only to lose him
when he most needed him. Angry at the world, he struggles to find his path.
Then he meets Catherine Graham.
Catherine
"Cat" Graham is the hellion of her family, the youngest sister of
eight children. She has bucked tradition all her life, riding horses like a
man, wearing trousers, and refusing all femininity except for her long blonde
locks. She isn't impressed by cowboy James Gibson, no matter how he made her
toes curl when he kissed her.
When danger
threatens both the Gibsons and the Grahams, James and Cat have to set aside
their acrimony. Together they fight for those they love, and in the process
find the other half of their souls.
Here's an excerpt:
When she met
James, he didn’t judge her, nor did he try to change her, even if he didn’t
approve. She was fascinated by the handsome, dark-haired man, even after she
discovered he was a Gibson. He had an annoying habit of blurting out whatever
was on his mind, but he’d never treated her as if she was less than he was,
except for once at the wedding, when he told her to stick to female work, but
even then she’d known he was simply trying to keep his distance.
It was unusual.
Refreshing. Addictive.
The more she was
around him, the more she found herself becoming attached to him. The only
problem was, he avoided her most of the time, which made her more anxious to be
with him.
Now here they
were alone. And she’d fulfilled the fantasy of being with a man. Something
she’d wondered about since her sisters had told her what happened between men
and women. James was the only man she’d ever wanted to be with. He didn’t
appear to be falling to his knees and pledging his love, however.
Cat wasn’t sure
how she felt about that. Did she love him? Or was she in love with the idea of
a man who saw her for who she was? For the first time in a long time, she
wished her sisters and sisters-in-law were there. She needed to talk to someone
about what she was doing. Or not doing.
Although she’d
done plenty already.
She should be
thinking about the horses, not the man beside her. The idea someone was
mistreating her beloved animals made her stomach hurt enough she thought she’d
puke. James distracted her from the panic taking hold.
“You’re too
quiet. I’m suspicious.”
She didn’t
expect to laugh at his very serious observation, but she did. “I was thinking.”
“Even more
suspicious.”
She reached over
and punched him in the arm.
“Ow! Damn,
woman, do you have iron hands?” He rubbed at his bicep. “What do they feed you
at that ranch?”
She showed him a
closed fist and shook it at him. “Don’t insult me and I won’t bring my hammer.”
“Those thieves
should be shaking in their boots.”
“Damn straight.”
“I suspect your
brothers and Aurora taught you how to swing that particular hammer.”
She shrugged,
her amusement gone. “What makes you think I needed someone to teach me?”
“You’re
prickly.” He shook his head. “No matter what I say, it lands on the wrong side
of your mood.”
She opened her
mouth to tell him he was rude, but closed it. The truth, which was hard to
swallow, was that she was prickly. It
was the way she dealt with people when she got her back up. Eva used to tell
her she turned into a hedgehog when she wanted to hide and a porcupine when she
was threatened.
Prickly was an
apt description, much as she’d like to deny it.
“Be careful,
then. You don’t want to be on my bad side,” she said primly.
He snorted. “I
don’t need that warning. I learned it last year.”
“Sometimes
people aren’t what they seem.” She hadn’t intended on saying that to him, but
the words escaped her mouth before she could catch them.
“Truth.” His
tone had changed, become softer.
“I reckon you
aren’t what you seem either.”
He shook his
head. “And I reckon no one is what they seem like. We all wear a mask for
everyone else to see. Nobody likes being judged.”
She couldn’t
help but be curious after that particular piece of knowledge. “Who judges you?
The Gibsons don’t take shit from anyone, no matter what. I heard that. I’ve
seen that.”
He was silent
for a few minutes. “I’ve been judged since the day I was born. My mother didn’t
really know who my father was and she sure as hell didn’t want me. Or Tobias.
Or Will.”
She didn’t
reply. Shock held her tongue. Cat had no idea the Gibsons’ mother had bastard
children, ones she didn’t want or love. Rebecca hadn’t revealed any of that
information. Knowing her sister, it was probably because she didn’t feel it was
her place to share it. Cat knew James’s grandfather had been raising them, but
nothing about his parents. At the core of Cat’s life was a family who loved
her. She’d lost her parents when she was a little girl, but she still
remembered her mother’s love. The sweet smell of her mother’s scented soap and
how it enveloped Cat when she hugged her mama.
“Did I judge
you?” she asked, hoping he would say no.
“No. That’s one
reason I like you, Catherine. You don’t give shit, but you don’t take it
either.” He smiled at her and damned if her traitorous heart didn’t do a little
jig. When he wanted to be, James was a natural charmer.
“I still don’t
like you,” she lied, lied, lied. For the first time in her life, she wanted a
man to want to be with her. Not because he had to. Because he wanted to.
Meet BETH
Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a semi-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese's and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She's passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)
Beth Williamson
Website: http://www.bethwilliamson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bethwilliamson
Twitter: http://twitter.com/authorbethw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bethwilliamson
Twitter: http://twitter.com/authorbethw
Circle Eight: James
Buy links:
iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/lxdtobc
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/mr95pk2
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/lnqq9ar
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/mrbra85
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/mr95pk2
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/lnqq9ar
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/mrbra85
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/q8oymsh
Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/oco2pl5
E.E.: What’s the best birthday (or any holiday)
present you ever received?
BETH: Oh
that’s an easy one. My engagement ring. J I had just finished college a few weeks
earlier. My boyfriend (now my husband) had invited my family and I over for
Christmas Eve. He’d been acting weird throughout the event, which included my
family, his family, plus friends. I was annoyed with him for being irritable. Then he stood up and told everyone he
wanted to give me one of my Christmas presents early. And we just celebrated
our twenty-fifth anniversary. Woot!
E.E.: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
BETH: Depends on whether we’re
talking Disney or Grimm. I’ll go with Disney and say my favorite is Mulan. She
was the first strong female character (granted she was disguised as a man) but
she owned her strength, her destiny and loved herself for who she was, not who
people expected her to be. I like to think I make all my heroines that strong.
E.E.: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
BETH: I am a child of the
70s. My favorite was always Bugs Bunny. I love getting into discussions of my
favorite episodes – the Mad Scientist/Monster and the Marvin the Martian ones.
The Red Riding Hood is a close third. I can recite most of them by heart. Hee!
E.E.: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
BETH: I’m a huge movie
buff – in fact my college degree is in screenwriting. I had to really think of
what was the movie I would watch over and over – there are so many, it was
difficult to choose. I decided it was a toss up between Princess Bride and
Steel Magnolias. Two vastly different films, of course, but each holds a
special place in my heart. It’s “wuv, true wuv.” :)
E.E.: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be
a writer) who would it be?
BETH: Definitely would love to interview Stephen King. He
was the first writer I was truly affected by as a young woman. The stories he
spun taught me how to create a character arc, how to sow the seeds of a tale,
and how to structure a story. I really loved his book “On Writing” and I have
so many questions I’d like to ask him! Yes, I’m a nerd. *snort*
Today, Beth is giving away an eBook from her Circle 8 series (readers' choice) if you answer this question:
What is YOUR favorite fairy tale or cartoon character, and why?
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