What is one of your favorite things about writing?
I love when a character pops up and insists I write their story or when a story takes on a life of its own and runs off in a direction I hadn’t planned.
When you’re brainstorming for a new story, what usually comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
Almost always the characters and the heroines seem to appear before the heros.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’ve tried, I really have, to learn to plot, but my brain refuses. I’m a pantser all the way.
When you’re writing, who is more in control, you or your characters?
Most of the time, I like to think I’m in control. Wishful thinking I’m sure, but it’s so fun when a character or two takes over a story.
What is the most difficult thing about writing?
Putting my butt in the chair and getting words on the page. I know that’s cliché, but for me, the more I work, the better I write. Facebook is my major distraction.
What do you like about writing series books?
I love series. Most of my books are filled with quirky characters living in small towns. Revisiting them is like going home again.
What is one of your favorite ways to learn about your characters?
Sometimes a character will appear fully developed like Rose Wasnowski in Radio Rose, but most of the time, I do character interviews and spend time as I write to get to know them.
Do you find it harder to write novels or short stories?
Novels are my go-to form of writing, although my contribution to the A Matter of Taste Anthology is a novella. Condensing the story line without skipping anything important or rushing the plot was a learning curve, but I enjoyed it.
Would you tell us about your latest release?
Gimme Some Sugar is my latest release. It’s a contemporary western romance featuring a pastry chef and a rancher and is available as a stand-alone and as part of the anthology A Matter of Taste, From the Sweet to the Spicy, A Romance for Every Taste
What are you working on now?
I’m working on two books, the prequel to my first book, Sugarwater Ranch, is about Sean O’Connell’s sister Frannie and the Saddle Bronc rider she falls in love with. The other is the story of Stevie Prentiss, the blue-haired twin in Radio Rose and takes up a year after Rose ends. I really love both women.
Do you have an excerpt from your latest release you would like to share?
Micah stood at the counter of the Five And Diner, as aggravated as he’d ever been in a life filled with aggravation. He was offering Cal twice the money the man made here, and the cook wouldn’t even consider his job offer.
Even after half a day of cooking over a grill, the cook’s T-shirt was snowy white. The man was a magician, and Micah needed him. “It’s only for a couple of weeks? I’ll find someone by then.”
Cal stared at Micah like he was an addle-brained calf. Without a word, he turned and filled his oversized, insulated mug with steaming hot coffee.
Micah pulled out his wallet and held out all the cash he had with him. “There’s a bonus up front.”
“Keep your money. Them cowboys yell if everythin’ ain’t just so. I don’t need that kind of aggravation.” Cal turned his back and wandered into the kitchen, effectively ending the conversation. Before Micah could move, the cook stuck his head out the swinging door. “You better not let Lorna hear you tried to hire me away. She’ll skin you for sure.”
Micah slapped his palms on the worn Formica. The counter had been scrubbed until little of the original color, maybe yellow, was left. What the hell was he going to do now? The ranch hands were willing to give him a couple of days to find a new camp cook, but they wouldn’t tolerate sandwiches for long. They worked hard and deserved to be fed a good, substantial meal.
Without ranch hands, he couldn’t get the hay baled or tend to the cattle. Without hands, he’d lose the ranch. Micah had been born and raised on the Circle W, and he intended to die there.
He wracked his brain. There had to be another person in East Hope, Oregon who could help him out, but who? A gentle hand touched his arm.
“Maybe I can help.”
Snapping his head up, he whirled around, almost elbowing the woman standing behind him. Pulling in a deep, slow breath, partly to gather some semblance of calm and partly to adjust to the tingle where her hand met his arm, he took a step back before speaking.
“Help me with what?” Did he know her? He was sure he didn’t, but man…
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you say you’re looking for a cook.” Golden eyes the color of whiskey stared into his. “I cook.”
He let his gaze wander over her, liking what he saw. She wasn’t a local. Her white blond hair was as short as a man’s on the sides and curled longer on the top and back. He hadn’t seen any woman, or anyone at all who wore their hair like this. Of course, tastes of the people of East Hope ran to the conservative.
Despite the severe hairstyle, she was pretty. Beyond pretty. Leather pants showed off her soft curves, miniature combat boots encased her small feet and a tight tank top enhanced her breasts.
When she cleared her throat, he jerked his eyes up to her face. “It won’t do you any good to talk to my breasts. Like most women, it’s my brain that answers questions.”
If the main characters in your latest release were invited to a masquerade party, what costumes would they wear?
You’d have to hogtie rancher Micah West to get him to a dress-up party and if you did convince him, he’d go as a cowboy. Cary Crockett would have a blast going as a biker chick.
What makes the hero of Gimme Some Sugar hot?
Tall, dark and muscular are enough, but what puts him over the top in the hotness category is the way he loves and protects his young daughter.
Would you give us a sneak peek at one of your upcoming releases?
Dragged from the luxury of deep sleep by an irritating rapping on the window, Frannie tried to open her eyes. Had she locked the doors? The annoying sound continued as she tried to shake the sleep from her brain. Keeping as still as she could, she felt beneath the seat for her brother’s twenty-two pistol.
Her mom taught her to shoot the gun when she was a teenager. She hadn’t fired it in years, but the sight of the gun might make whoever was knocking on her window in the middle of nowhere back away.
She jerked upright and pointed the pistol toward whoever was outside the truck. As her vision came into focus, she glimpsed the dark hair and handsome face of the man who had helped her at the rodeo. He stood in the glare of another rig’s headlights, and she had to squint into the light to be sure. That was him all right.
At the sight of the gun, he backed away, his hands raised in submission, but a smile stayed firmly on his face. “Don’t shoot, deadeye.”
“What do you want?” He was good-looking all right. Just the sight of his denim blue eyes set her heart to racing, but she wasn’t a fool. She didn’t know him well enough to trust him.
He rolled his hand. “Window.”
Her mouth tightened, and her mind whirled. With a quick nod, she rolled down the window a scant half-inch. Now she could hear him better.
The cowboy stepped closer. “Are you all right?”
The concerned look on his face helped her relax a bit. “Yes, I’m fine.” Her eyes traced the shape of his expressive mouth before she jerked her attention back to what he was saying.
“One of the boys caught a glimpse of your trailer in the camping area. Having trouble with your rig?” He leaned his forearm against the top of the doorframe, his gaze traveling over her face.
The look he gave her caused a shiver to travel down her arms. Now what had he said? “No, I kept nodding off.” She blinked then rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. “I was going to the sleeper. I remember pulling over and turning off the truck. I must have fallen asleep right here.”
“We’re going to Summerville, too. Want some help driving?”
Instinct had Frannie leaning away from this man even though she was locked inside her truck. “No, I’m fine.”
The cowboy’s laugh skittered over her skin and warmed her heart. “Hey, I’m not trying to hurt you.” He moved back a step and stuck his hands in his back pockets, staring at the toes of his boots.
Frannie checked the door locks once again, as if they might have opened themselves in the thirty seconds since she’d last looked.
He looked up, a slow smile moving across his face. “You’re a barrel racer.” It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. “I’ll bet you know my cousin, Amy Carter?”
Frannie’s head jerked up and she nodded without thinking about it. “Amy’s one of my best friends.”
“I’m Rob Carter.” He stepped forward again and rested one foot on the running board of the truck. “I got here a little over a week ago.”
Frannie’s shoulders relaxed for the first time since she woke to find a strange man looking into the truck’s window. She knew Amy and Rob were close even though they lived several states apart. She rolled down the window. “Nice to meet you, Rob. Amy told me you were moving to Dalhart.” Frannie almost felt like she almost knew Rob from the stories Amy had told her over the years.
“Do me a favor?” He looked at her, his muscular shoulders outlined by the navy T-shirt.
Still uncertain, she shook her head. “What?”
“I’m going crazy locked in that car with those boys, and you’re struggling to get to the next rodeo. I’ll help you drive if you save me from committing murder.” The warm smile on his face melted her reservations and revealed a dimple in his right cheek. She’d never let a stranger climb into her truck in the middle of the night, but Rob wasn’t technically a stranger.
She hit the unlock button and opened the door. “Okay, until Summerville then. By the way, my name is Frannie O’Connell.”
“I know,” he said. “Amy described you perfectly.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but what did she say?”
He just grinned at her. “You made a good run tonight. Nice horse. Now slide over, I’ll drive.”
She tried to sound stern as she stifled a yawn. “Hey, it’s my truck, and I’m awake now.” She closed her eyes for a moment as she turned the key and started the Dodge. The diesel engine rumbled to life. “I can handle my own rig.” Frannie climbed out and walked back to the trailer to check on her horse while the engine warmed.
“Yeah, I can see that, but I think I’ll drive,” he called to her. “I’d like to get there in one piece. I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours, and you can be boss again.”
“If you think you’re going to order me around, just get back in that car and head on down the road,” she said as she reached through the trailer window and gave Dreamer a pat. “I’m perfectly capable of driving.”
“Obviously not or you’d have seen the car when it pulled away.” Rob followed her to the trailer and was standing too close for her comfort. Her skin tingled despite the fact that he hadn’t touched her, and his scent filled her lungs. What had he said about the car he’d arrived in?
Frannie turned a circle searching the area around her truck. It was empty except for her rig. The car full of bull riders had gone. She’d been preoccupied arguing with Rob while checking her horse, and she hadn’t noticed. How had she not been aware of its departure?
She whirled to give Rob another piece of her mind and realized he was striding toward the truck. “Wait!” As he slid into the seat and slammed the door, Frannie followed at a near run.
Rob pointed toward the passenger side then set about moving the seat back to make room for his long legs.
“Get out of my truck,” Frannie said, her voice shaking with anger as she thumped her fists against the door panel.
“I have a better idea. You get in, and let’s get out of here. I told you I’d let you drive after you’ve slept.”
Too mad to think straight, Frannie glared at him through the window. Smiling back at her, he revved the engine. He was in her rig with the keys. She was stuck.
“Maybe there isn’t any harm in letting you drive for an hour or two.” The words dropped from her mouth like hail, cold and hard. Stomping around the front of the truck, she climbed into the passenger seat before he took off with everything she valued.
As he adjusted the mirrors, she got her first clear look at him. She’d found that men this good looking usually had an arrogant attitude and an opinionated point of view.
Except, he’d watched Dreamer at the rodeo and complimented her on the run.
It was unusual for rodeo cowboys to watch a barrel race, unless they were a husband or boyfriend. She closed her eyes and turned her face toward the window to hide her smile. Plus, he liked her horse. Nice.
Do you have a favorite character or characters you feel especially close to?
Tied To A Dream is the first book I wrote and the heroine, Frannie O’Connell is everything I’d like to be, tenacious and smart.
What are a few of your favorite book covers that have been done for your books?
My absolute favorite is the cover for Gimme Some Sugar. When I saw the photo I knew I had to have it.
Do you prefer writing your heroes, your heroines or do you like writing both equally?
I like writing both, but it is easier for me to write women. My husband helps with the male point of view.
If you were a shapeshifter and could become any one item owned by your latest romance hero (or heroine), what would it be?
I’d be Rob Carter’s bronc saddle from Tied to a Dream. What an adventure that would be.
If you could step into one of your books, which one would it be?
I’d step into a book I just started. It’s the first time travel I’ve attempted and it’s about a barrel racer who’s transported to the War of 1812. I love history and I find this little known war fascinating.
Would you tell us about yourself?
I was raised a city girl who loved horses from the moment I was born. After years of whining, I talked my parents into buying me a horse and haven’t slowed down since.
What are your favorite genres to read and write?
I write contemporary western romance, but I love humor-filled paranormal.
Where can we visit you online?
My website is www.stephanieberget.com. You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephaniebergetwrites/ and on Amazon on my author page at http://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Berget/e/B00CJYM8KK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
I’d love to chat with everyone.
When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?
I barrel race on my horse Cisco.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing on a lark, to see if I could five years ago.
Name three fictional characters (not your own) that you find hot. They can be from books, movies, or TV.
Oh, at the top of the list is Jamie Fraser from Outlander. He would be my second and third choices, too. Oh, and I’d consider Sheriff Longmire in a pinch.
What book are you currently reading?
I’m just about finished with Sandra Owens latest from her K2 Special Services series, Falling For Her. I love Saint and Sugar.
Do you have any pets?
We have a sweet Border Collie we call Dottie and two Munchkin cats, Martin and Magic. And I guess the team roping gelding, Snake and my barrel horse, Cisco could count as pets.
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