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Sunday, April 10, 2016

The Anatomy of a Boxed Set- Come Love A Cowboy by Kathleen Ball #ASMSG #CLAC

Come Love A Cowboy is my forth boxed set. I was honored and excited to be invited to each. You've heard the old adage- women can't work together. Total nonsense. Many of the boxed sets made USA Today best seller lists. Since most sell at 99cents readers have wondered why we do it.


I do it for the exposure. I do Western romance sets with other authors in the hope that their fans will soon become my fans. If the set is good it works. Are we under valuing our work- you bet but sales of my other books from the new fans make up for it. 


If you have a good leader, strong writers, and everyone willing to market, that is the secret to success. You need to see the big picture, not just your book. You also have to have a thick skin. The group may not like your idea and that's fine. If you can go with the flow it can be a great experience.


My Newest Boxed Set is 

Come Love A Cowboy

ONLY 99cents  Kindle Unlimited


Eight stand-alone Contemporary Western Romance novellas from Bestselling and Award-Winning Authors.

From firefighters, bronco busters, and wealthy ranchers to bad boys, we have them all for you! If you've ever wanted to fall in love with a sexy, alpha cowboy of today...now's your chance.


On sale for $.99 via Amazon: http://myBook.to/Come-Love-A-Cowboy

Luke’s Fate by Kathleen Ball

Meg O’Brien hoped never to lay eyes on the one man who broke her heart. To her dismay, Luke Kelly arrives at her ranch a much different and broken man. Can Meg ever forgive his callous treatment of her and help Luke become the man he used to be?

Grant Me The Moon by Caroline Clemmons
All Tory Fraser intended was to show her high school history club students a local archeology dig. How could she know the excursion would involve a murder?

Three for The Win by Keta Diablo

Hollis should have known better than to fall for a bone-melting man like Stede. He’s gone now and Eli is left to pick up the broken pieces of her life.

Border Affair by Hebby Roman

When his partners’ daughter is kidnapped in México, a self-made millionaire must confront his feelings about their affair and the future of their relationship.

Leaving Necessity by Margo Bond Collins

Mac has one week to convince his ex-girlfriend Clara not to sell his oil company. In this high-pressure reunion, can they strike love again?

The Shape of Destiny by Julie A. D’Arcy

A young male shape shifter. A beautiful female ranch owner. Can love be born in a web of deceit?

Bad Boy, Big Heart by Andrea Downing

She’s a New Yorker escaping her parents. He’s a Wyoming cowboy supporting his dad. One summer, two young people—three months to find love.


Desert Heat by Patti Sherry-Crews

A single mother struggling to keep her guest ranch puts her own desires on hold. When a handsome and persistent fireman sets his sights on her, she must decide how much she’s willing to give.


Luke’s Fate
By Kathleen Ball



Blurb:
Meg O’Brien hoped never to lay eyes on the one man who broke her heart. To her dismay, Luke Kelly arrives at her ranch a much different and broken man. Can Meg ever forgive his callous treatment of her and help Luke become the man he used to be?

Excerpt:

“You’ve changed,” he said, his voice soft and low.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He hesitated. “You used to be easy to read. You wore your emotions on your sleeve. Now I don’t know what you think except you want me gone. I can understand why. I mean I left you just as we were starting something good, something I had hoped would be permanent.”
“Permanent?”
 “You must have known how I felt about you. I was just waiting for you to grow up so I could start dating you.”
Tears filled her eyes. All this time she had thought he didn’t find her appealing. “You left without a word.”
“I know, and I’ll be forever sorry for hurting you.”
Tears trailed down her face, and she closed her eyes willing them to stop. “Why?” Her voice squeaked.
Luke shook his head. “I wish I could tell you but I can’t.
Meg wiped away her tears. “Can’t or won’t?” She waved her hand at him. “You know, don’t, just don’t. The whole town thinks I drove you away. I’ve lived the last five years with people whispering behind my back. I don’t even bother going into town unless I have to. Now  I’m foreman of this ranch, I’m perfectly content with my life. I do what I love, and people stay out of my way.”
Luke’s stare was intense. “Is that what you want? You want people to stay out of your way? Hell, Margaret Mary, I thought you’d gone on with your life. I expected to find you with a husband and babies. Even I got married.” His face shuttered as he turned away.
Married? No one had told her. Her mouth opened but there were no words. She folded her arms in front of her trying to keep from flying apart and her stomach threatened to rebel. What a fool, she’d been, thinking all this time that something tragic had happened to him, thinking he’d be back for her if he could, and the whole time he’d been married.
Of course, he would have dated while he’d been gone, but marriage… Her thoughts had never strayed that far. How stupid, of course he’d be married. If imagining it would have been too much for her, the reality was shattering. Her body began to shake, and she clasped her hands together trying to still herself. After a few large swallows it worked, but the lump in her throat stayed.
 Well, where the hell was his wife now? She should be here wiping her husband’s nose instead of leaving it to others. He had the gall to come here when he had a wife? Her stomach dropped. Was he planning to build a house on his land and live there, raising a family?
Everyone had told her to get on with her life but she refused to listen. Damn my stubborn hide!

Luke’s Fate started as a free Sunday serial my publisher had on their website. I added a new part every week and it ended up with 366 parts before it was done. Not only did I have to keep readers entertained, I had to keep it exciting for me to write each week. It’s packed with action, romance and suspense. I hope you enjoy it.






  Sexy Cowboys and the Women Who Love Them...

Finalist in the 2012 and 2015 RONE Awards.

Top Pick, Five Star Series from the Romance Review.

Kathleen Ball writes contemporary and historical western romance with great emotion and

memorable characters. Her books are award winners and have appeared on best sellers lists

including:


Amazon's Best Sellers List, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Desert Breeze Publishing and

Secret Cravings Publishing Best Sellers list. She is the recipient of eight Editor's Choice

Awards, and The Readers' Choice Award for Ryelee's Cowboy.
Winner of the Lear diamond award Best Historical Novel- Cinders' Bride

There's something about a cowboy....

***Order of my Books***
Lasso Spring Series

Callie's Heart
Lone Star Joy
Stetson's Storm

Dawson Ranch Series

Texas Haven-- can be found in the Cowboy Mine boxed Set
Ryelee's Cowboy


Cowboy Seasons Series

Summer's Desire
Autumn's Hope
Winter's Embrace
Spring's Delight

Cinders' Bride
Keegan's Bride
The Greatest Gift

Cowboy Mine Boxed Set
Silver Belles and Stetsons Anthology


Follow Kathleen Ball on Amazon

5 comments:

  1. Hi, Kathleen! I appreciate the inside view into working on an anthology with other writers and the strategy involved in such matters as pricing. What I love about anthologies is how a group of story-tellers can get one theme and take it in such different ways. It was a pleasure working with you and the other ladies on Come Love a Cowboy. I waited to read it just like everyone else, when it came out. I'm half way through now and can say each story I've read so far is top-notch, starting with Luke's Fate.

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  2. Hi Ginger and Kathleen,

    Lovely post and I so agree with Kathleen about working and writing together on an anthology. I guess I would be considered the 'leader' of Come Love A Cowboy (more like the organizer) but I assure you a leader does not make a boxed set. It's a cooperative effort like Kathleen said, organization, willingness to promote and market for the greater good of all and of course, most important, great stories. The authors in Come Love A Cowboy were a joy to work with (some I've worked with before). If you haven't dipped your toes into the 'anthology' scene, can I suggest you do so? Oh, and find a group you know meets the above, organization, promotion and marketing savvy and fantastic stories. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

    The authors of Come Love A Cowboy hope you enjoy our latest efforts. Please leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads if possible.

    Blessings, ~Keta Diablo~
    http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com

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  3. I agree with every word, Kathleen--it was a thrill to be asked to join the anthology, I've learned a huge amount from y'all, and had a great time into the bargain. And thanks, Ginger, for showing us off!
    Andrea
    http://andreadowning.com

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  4. Kathleen, I really enjoyed your novel in this anthology. I'm proud of COME LOVE A COWBOY. We offer a diverse selection that readers can love.

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  5. Thank you, Ginger, for hosting us. And a big thanks to Kathleen for setting this up and writing an awesome story. I like that most of the authors in the anthology came on and talked about their experience. Our anthology has been a whole lot of hard work, a bunch of fun, and an awesome reading experience, when you see the diverse and excellent stories in this anthology! I, like everyone else, am very proud of this anthology and enjoyed writing with the other fabulous authors here.

    ReplyDelete

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