Coming up with the idea for The Final Ride was trickier than getting the idea for Give the Lady a Ride. As I said before, I wasn’t planning to write a sequel to Give the Lady a Ride, much less an entire series. I had to come up with a whole new conflict, whole new goals for my characters.

For part of the conflict, I had to continue to rely on the misconceptions New Yorkers have about Texans and vice versa. So far as I know, most folks from New York think Southerners in general are poor and unsophisticated and that Texans in particular are the least sophisticated and we all dress in cowboy boots and Stetsons. And, so far as I know, there are a big chunk of Texans who regard anyone from the North, and from New York in particular, as “damn Yankees” who can’t tell a snake from a garden hose and believe that their sirloins come from Cellophane. I reckon we’re all wrong about each other, but the misconceptions and mutual snobbery make for a fun story.

Adele Cameron

So I invented Adele Cameron, Patricia’s aunt on her mother’s side, to step in and add some pressure to her life.

All Patricia wants is to discover what the new “normal” is for a New York socialite-turned-Texas ranch owner. What’s her place on the Circle Bar? What will she do with herself, considering she’s never worked with cattle or vegetable gardens, doesn’t know how to cook, and is allergic to all things domestic, including laundry and housecleaning?

Well, if Aunt Adele gets her way, “normal” will be what it’s always been–back in New York. Adele’s mission on the ranch is to get Patricia to return to Manhattan and resume her role as her US Senator father’s social coordinator. Believe me, the woman has a few tricks up her sleeve, and the Texas battle between the Yankees is on.

But if I made things rough only on Patricia, I wouldn’t have much of a story.

Colton Royder

So, add to the mix Talon’s promise to Patricia that he wouldn’t ride bulls again–not after the last ride sent him to the E.R. Now we complicate the problem. The town expects him to ride; Adele wants him to, if for no other reason than to force him to break his promise; and Colton Royder dares him to, because, according to Colton, the reason Talon doesn’t ride is because he’s a coward.

How does a man endure that much pressure? If he keeps his promise to Patricia, he’ll never silence the rumors Colton started. But if he doesn’t keep his promise, he risks losing her. He’s between the horns and the hooves on this one–and the whole ordeal came from my own daydreams.

In the next few weeks, I’ll share the stories of all the characters in the Circle Bar Ranch series, from the minors to the mains. If you’ve read Give the Lady a Ride, you’ll know most of them. All the ones you loved from that novel are back in this one. Can’t wait to reintroduce you and to share them with my new readers. And I’m totally excited about introducing the new characters.

I love creating people! Best part of the job.

Until next time, here’s the obligatory ad, complete with links:

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