Thursday, June 21, 2012

Welcome D'Ann Lindun to Cowboy Kisses

A warm welcome to guest blogger D'Ann Lindun. Tell us about your romantic suspense, Wild Horses.


In 1971, the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act provided for the management, protection and control of all unbranded and unclaimed horses and burros on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

I live not too far from one of the areas in the US set aside specifically for the wild horses—The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near Grand Junction, Colorado.  For more than a century, mustangs have made their home there.  This range encompasses more than 36,000 acres and is currently supporting approximately 130 horses that roam the pinion-juniper covered hills and the sagebrush parks that make up most of the area.  These horses have an advocate group, Friends of the Mustangs, which helps ensure they stay safe from harm.  Not all the wild horses in the west are so lucky.

In Wild Horses, Martin Castillo is obsessed with protecting the mustangs that run wild on Arizona’s Apache-Sitgreave National forest.  The Bureau of Land Management has decided to round up the mustangs and send them to slaughter.  Martin could care less what the government thinks, and does everything in his power to protect the proud and free horses.  When two BLM agents are found murdered, and Martin disappears, his sister Castaña comes home to search, and literally runs into Jake Breton, FBI agent.

Wild Horses

Chapter One

            “Damn, it's hotter than the devil's backyard out here.”  Castaña Castillo took one hand off the steering wheel just long enough to swipe at the trickle of sweat running down the nape of her neck and adjust the volume on the radio.  One of her favorites, “Amarillo by Morning,” wafted from the speakers. 

            Not even George Strait's silky smooth voice helped ward off her exhaustion.  Castaña’s hands felt like twisted claws wrapped around the steering wheel, and the space between her shoulders ached until she prayed it would go numb.  The AC gasped out its last breath of cool air somewhere in the middle of Texas yesterday afternoon.  Both windows in her old Dodge were down, blasting June air through the cab like a roar from an open furnace.  An enormous red and orange sun sinking out of the Arizona sky made a blinding glare on the bug-splattered windshield.

            Her eyes burned from keeping them open.  She tried to rest last night, parked near the highway and huddled in her combination camper horse trailer, but worrying about her missing brother kept her awake until almost three in the morning.  According to a woman who refused to identify herself, no one had seen Martin for a few days.  The mystery caller implied he might be lying out in the forest hurt . . . or worse. 

58 comments:

Ciara Gold said...

Sounds like a great premise. Love the idea of the mustangs roaming free. Thank you for your informative post.

D'Ann said...

Thank you for having me today!

Allison Merritt said...

I love this book, D'Ann. Your writing is fantastic and the chemistry between Castana and Jake is HOT. ;)

Ella Quinn said...

This sounds like a wonderful book.

Toni Lynn said...

Sounds like an interesting story, D'Ann! I love horse stories!

Anonymous said...

Fab interview, D'Ann, and your book is a must read!

Alicia Dean said...

So happy for you, D'Ann. I really MUST read Wild Horses. It sounds fantastic. Wonderful blog post...best of luck.

BTW - OMG - LOVE that hot cowboy on the banner of this blog. Nice!

Anonymous said...

Love this book! Love everything D'Ann writes! Fantastic interview :) Wishing you millions of sales, my friend!

PS. Love the Cowboy Kisses pic :)

Joanne Kennedy said...

I'm intrigued, D'Ann! George Strait, mustangs, and a mystery: that works for me!

Anonymous said...

Wild Horses, sounds like a great read. Loved the info on the mustangs too! Things of this nature should make headlines around the world.
Neecy

christine warner said...

Excellent blurb D'Ann...it's hot and humid here today and reading your snippet made it even more so! lol

Congrats on your release!

Margie said...

Once on the way to Kah-neeta in Oregon, we saw some wild horses. It's one the most awesome sights ever to behold. I've only seen them the one time, but the memory is stamped on my mind. It is an awesome thing to bring this subject to the forefront, D. Good luck with your wonderful book.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Great beginning! So great that your Western romance is now published!

Sheri Fredricks said...

Awesome excerpt! What a way to get the reader to feel the heat. Congratulations!

Nikki said...

Great post, D'Ann! I hope Wild Horses is doing well, it's such an enjoyable story. Keep it up :)

Kristina Knight said...

The mustangs should definitely be protected! Love the premise of this book, kudos D'Ann!!

Liz Flaherty said...

Great post. Although I'm not an animal person (gasp), I want to see them protected. There are few things in nature more beautiful than a horse, and wildness just adds to that.

Shawn said...

Great post d'Ann. Keep those stories coming!

Mart Ramirez said...

Another great excerpt and spotlight! Just the beginning of many, many more fabulous ones to come! Congrats again!

Elizabeth Meyette said...

I vividly remember a wild horse running across the desert when I was driving from Yuma, AZ to the Yuma Proving Grounds. It was pure magic for this city girl.

Brenda said...

Excellent post, D'Ann. And your excerpt blew me away! Perfect teaser!

Peggy Bird said...

Liked learning about the backstory to your book. And the hot cowboy isn't bad either. You and Deb are awfully good at finding these men. LOL.

Paty Jager said...

We have BLM wild horse round ups in Oregon but the horses are put up for auction and there is a whole score of things a person has to do to be able to adopt them.

This sounds like a great read! Congrats, D'Ann!

Irene Preston said...

I love that you've grounded your book in some real-life drama!

Unknown said...

Hi D'Ann, I like that there is a real story in your story. Thanks for sharing the plight of the wild horses, I learnt something new.

D'Ann said...

Thanks for having me today, Ciara!

Melissa Limoges said...

Great post, D'Ann! And I thought the book was great and I loved you wove this topic into the story.

D'Ann said...

Thank you, Allie! That's nice of you.

D'Ann said...

Hi, Ella!
Thank you!

D'Ann said...

Thank you!

D'Ann said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
D'Ann said...

Thanks so much, Cait!

D'Ann said...

HI, Alicia! Isn't that guy HOT???

D'Ann said...

Ah, Jenn! You're so sweet!

D'Ann said...

Thanks, Joanne!

D'Ann said...

Thanks, Neecy.

D'Ann said...

LOL, Christine. I need to market this book in the winter!

D'Ann said...

I've never seen them here, Margie. But I've seen them in Arizona, and yes, they are wonderful.

D'Ann said...

Thank you, me, too!

D'Ann said...

Thank you!

D'Ann said...

Thanks, girlie!

D'Ann said...

Gotta get you on the back of one of my horses, Liz!

D'Ann said...

Thanks, Shawn! Working on it.

D'Ann said...

Thanks, Mart!

D'Ann said...

Hi, they are wonderful!

D'Ann said...

Thank you, Brenda!

D'Ann said...

Awesomesauce, Daryl!

D'Ann said...

I wish I found this man, too, but he belongs to the ladies here at CK.

D'Ann said...

We have them here, too, Paty.

D'Ann said...

Yes, I did! Thanks!

D'Ann said...

Thanks, Heather!

D'Ann said...

Hi, Chickie!
Thanks!

Unknown said...

The wild horse is as much a part of the West as the cowboy, in my opinion...

I loved this book!

D'Ann said...

I completely agree, Sara, and thank you!

D'Ann said...

Thank you, Ginger, and everyone, for having me here today. Thank you so much, friends, for coming out and supporting me again. Hugs and love!

Jenna said...

Wonderful beginning to your book, D'Ann. My TBR list now has one more on it. :) Loved the description in the excerpt. Next best thing to being there!

D'Ann said...

Thanks for coming by, Jenna!

Jacquie Rogers said...

Welcome, D'Ann. Best of luck with your new release!

Love the topic of wild horses--my dad caught his horse from a wild herd. That horse never did tame down very well and only dad could ride him. There's a real beauty in watching a wild herd run across the foothills. I think it's the gracefullness and freedom that speaks such a strong message.