About the Book

Book: Falling for a Humbug Cowboy (Vargas Ranch Book 5)

Author: Karen Baney

Genre: Contemporary Christian Cowboy Romance

Release date: November 5, 2024

Book: Falling for a Humbug Cowboy (Vargas Ranch Book 5)

Author: Karen Baney

Genre: Contemporary Christian Cowboy Romance

Release date: November 5, 2024

She’s the happiest person he’s ever met. His world has turned upside and he’s in no mood for Christmas. Will these coworkers find middle ground as they head into the holidays?

Reeling from a shocking family secret, Drake Vargas heads into the holiday season grumpier than he’s ever been. He can’t seem to get his footing and his new barista is way too much sunshine for him.

Candi Kaine loves Christmas! Nothing can stop her sunny disposition. As she starts a new job at Vargas Ranch, she’s determined to fix the grumpy, hipster cowboy who just happens to be her boss. Nothing will deter her from making sure he experiences a very Merry Christmas.

Will Drake find his joy again or has Candi Kaine finally met her match?

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About the Author

Karen Baney is passionate about writing stories full of flawed characters. She enjoys weaving together stories of second chances, redemption, and overcoming personal trials. As a transplant to Arizona, she loves researching the state’s history and finding ways to seamlessly incorporate real history and real settings into her novels. In addition to writing and speaking, Karen works as a Software Development Manager for a Christian ministry.

Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing. Karen and her husband, Jim, make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs, Bella and Daisy. Both Jim and Karen are active at Rock Point Church in Queen Creek, Arizona.

More from Karen

Inspiring My Christmas Mood by Karen Baney

In Falling for a Humbug Cowboy, I had a lot of fun incorporating classic holiday songs (and the occasional Christmas story) into scenes to add flavor and sometimes intensify the character’s feelings.

It was purely accidental at first. I love classic Christmas songs and during the holiday season my hubby and I listen to a lot of Holiday Traditions on Sirius XM.

So, when I described a scene where Candi helps Drake decorate the dining hall, I just wrote that she switched the overhead music to a Christmas station and belted out Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. The next thing I know, I’m three song mentions in. So, I decided to make deliberate use of songs.

When I was struggling to get in the mood to write a Christmas novel in the dead of summer (108+ in July in Arizona!), I loaded up my phone with several playlists. One of the first songs was Feliz Navidad and I knew I had to find a way to use it. It would be the perfect song to show off Candi’s fun personality and draw Drake out of his humbug mood.

I hope you enjoy this Christmas playlist from the novel with a few sneak peaks of how I used the songs:

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer – Candi belts out the tune while working.
White Christmas by Bing Crosby – Candi “crooned along with Bing Crosby, making a nice duet”.
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole – causes Drake to picture holding Candi close, swaying to the music.
Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives – playing while Drake helps Candi with a rush of customers.
Feliz Navidad – Candi dances around Drake until she gets him to dance and sing along.
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Dean Martin – Candi notices the not-so-humbug cowboy walking away, ratcheting up her interest.
Christmas in Your Eyes by Travis Shaw – playing during a special moment between Drake and Candi.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas by Michael Bublé – Candi’s lunch with a friend.
Mele Kalikimaka – Driving to Flagstaff together to play in the snow.
All I want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey – sets the stage for Drake’s proposal on July 25^th (Christmas in July).

What’s your favorite Christmas song? By a specific artist or any artist? Please share in the comments, I’d love to know. 😊

Author Interview

What book made you fall in love with reading?

I became a voracious reader of Christian historical romance while in junior high, though I enjoyed reading even before then. The first book I vividly remember is Janette Oke’s Once Upon A Summer. I LOVED that book because Josh was easy to relate to. I also loved the way Janette Oke weaves faith elements into her stories. So, when I finally decided to start writing, I knew I wanted to demonstrate a new or strengthening faith in each of my novels too.

Can you share 5 random facts about this book?

Candi is older than Drake by four years.

I referenced some of my favorite classic holiday songs.

I invented a sleigh ride desert style!

This is my first sunshine-grump novel.

I wrote it over the VERY HOT Arizona summer. #wouldNotRecommend

What was the inspiration behind it?

In Falling for a Humbug Cowboy, I wanted to touch on the theme of dealing with tough life circumstances during the holiday season. The first few years after I lost my mom, over twenty years ago now, were very hard. Everything from decorating the tree to holiday traditions evoked a mix of joy and sorrow. So, I explore some of those feelings and thoughts through both the bubbly Candi and the grumpy Drake.

What was the most challenging part of bringing this book to life? 

Most Christmas novels and movies tend to be set in wintery wonderlands with fun winter activities like chopping down a tree or playing in the snow. Well, Vargas Ranch is in the Arizona desert, where temperatures rarely fall below the 50’s during the day throughout the winter. So it was a challenge to keep the feeling of a Christmas novel while allowing readers to experience holiday traditions Arizona style.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

Forgiveness is so very important. Even in long-term strong relationships, people make mistakes, like Drake’s father keeping family secrets. His intentions were well-meaning even though they deeply wounded Drake. Without forgiveness, we end up wounding ourselves with bitterness and resentment.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next?

The best way is to sign up for my newsletter. I share sneak peeks of upcoming novels, excerpts from my backlist, new release info, and updates on free or sale priced books.

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