A Rancher To Trust Blog Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for A Rancher to Trust by Laurel Blount, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: A Rancher to Trust
Author: Laurel Blount
Publisher: Love Inspired
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 17, 2019

Searching for forgiveness…and a future. 
Suddenly a husband…and a father? 
This bachelor is ready to claim his instant family.

 After learning his ex-wife isn’t so ex after all, rebel turned rancher Dan Whitlock is determined to prove he’s a changed man…but Bailey Quinn is just as set on finally ending their marriage. When tragedy makes Dan the guardian of little orphaned twins, he and Bailey are drawn back together. But can she forgive the past and open her heart to the family she’s always wanted?

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Christianbook 

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Laurel Blount lives on a small farm in middle Georgia with her husband, their four children, and an assortment of very spoiled animals. She divides her time between farm chores, homeschooling, and writing. She's busy, but she's never bored!

Laurel writes inspirational contemporary romance, and A Rancher to Trust is her fourth title for Harlequin’s Love Inspired. She’s the recipient of the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence and has been a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Award, the Holt Medallion, and the New England Reader’s Choice Award. She’s represented by Jessica Alvarez of Bookends Literary Agency.

Whenever she's not working, you can find Laurel with a cup of tea at her elbow, a cat in her lap, and a good book in her hand.

CONNECT WITH LAUREL: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Hi Laurel! First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and allowing my readers the chance to get to know you and your newest book-A Rancher To Trust- a little bit better. I always like to start these interviews with something fun… tell us 5 random facts about yourself that we WON’T find in your bio!

Oooh!! Fun! Okay!

1. I met my husband in my senior art class. We were both dating other people at the time but became friends over my lopsided paper-mache unicorn. Hugged him goodbye the night of graduation and didn’t see him for four years. Bumped into him when I was home for the summer after college, and we were engaged three months later!

2. I love watermelon so much that when I was expecting our first child, my sweet husband began buying them six at a time.

3. My “flapper” grandmother danced with Winnie the Pooh as a teenager—or with Sterling Holloway, Pooh’s original voice. She said they were the two best dancers in their “set” up in North Georgia, and everybody thought they should date, but they never did.

4. My desk is perpetually messy while I’m writing a book. The messier it is, the closer the book is to being done. Then I clean it up and start all over again!

5. I keep so many tabs constantly open on my internet browser that my children fuss at me about it--and I never keep my email inbox decently organized. I am a technological hoarder!

Let’s talk writing! Did you always know that you were born to be a writer or is that a passion that came about later in life? 

I’m a bit of a late-bloomer as a published author, but I’ve always loved writing! When I was a little girl, I wrote fairy tales and poems and kept them in a box under my bed. I still have the little scribbled notebook of poems and a tattered copy of a story called “Widow Widdlewaddle and the Princess.” Sweet memories.

In addition to writing, you’re also a farming, homeschooling mom of four! Sounds busy! How do you find the time to write? What does your writing routine look like? 

I wake up really early! I get up about four-thirty in the morning and head to my teensy office in the back of the house. I have my quiet time—and some much-needed coffee—and then I get to work. I write until about 9:30, when I stop and start my homeschooling day. Back when we had a cow in milk, I rose half an hour earlier to fit milking in, too! I usually revisit my desk in the afternoon when homeschooling is done and answer emails, check social media and package up giveaways to mail, etc. I’m busy—but I’m usually not bored!

A Rancher to Trust is your fourth Love Inspired book. What was your reaction to that first book being published? Has that excitement changed any with each additional book?

Oh, I’ll never forget that phone call! I was chatting on the phone when Harper Collins NY popped up on my caller I.D. I can still show you the spot in my kitchen where I squealed, hung up on my bewildered sister, and learned that Love Inspired wanted to buy my book! That first sale was extra special, but honestly, each new book is a thrill. 

I enjoy picking up a Love Inspired book because I know I’m always going to get a good clean romance and walk away feeling inspired. What was the inspiration for this story, and what do you hope readers will take away from it?

 Bailey Quinn, the heroine in A Rancher to Trust, made her debut in my first Love Inspired, A Family for the Farmer, and I liked her so much that she popped back up in every book I wrote. The spunky organic grocery store owner was well known and loved by all the other characters in Pine Valley, but I wondered…what if Bailey was keeping a secret—a big one? What if the thick wall she’d built up to protect her heart turned out to be the barrier blocking her from the life—and the love—she’d always longed for? Fear, regret, and guilt can be very strong negative forces in our lives—and their best antidotes, as Bailey and Dan Whitlock find out, are faith, hope and love!

I have found that writers are so often some of the best readers. What might we find if we were to take a look at your ‘to read’ pile? 

You’d find a towering stack of books! If it falls over on my in my sleep, I’m a goner! I’m an electic reader, and I’m usually reading more than one thing at a time! Right now, I’m reading Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge, Her Last Chance Cowboy by Tina Radcliffe, The Essential Amish Cookbook by Lovina Eicher, and Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes. 

Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we go, what can we expect next from you? Any upcoming projects that you are able to share? 

I’ve enjoyed chatting with you! And oh, yes—I’ve got a project underway that I’m really excited about! Unfortunately, I can’t share anything quite yet—and it’s killing me!  (Apparently, I’m not as good at keeping secrets as Bailey Quinn!) But I promise the minute I’m able to spill the beans, I’ll be sharing all the details at the top of my lungs—and in my newsletter ! 

Thanks so much for having me! This has been fun!

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(1) winner will receive A Rancher to Trust “Merry Christmas from Georgia!” Prize Pack that includes: Paperback copy of A Rancher to Trust, signed by author, Georgia necklace, Swint’s Deep Fried Pecans, Southern Pecan Coffee, Dickey’s Peach Jam, and Turkey Creek Hot Sauce!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight December 16, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on December 23, 2019. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

 

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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