Sunday, June 06, 2010

The Codys: The First Family of Rodeo—Social Media Blitz Contest Today!

Dear Readers,

June kicks off the debut of Harlequin American Romance's first-ever six-book continuity series—The Codys: The First Family of Rodeo. In honor of this exciting occasion we're running a ONE DAY ONLY Social Media Blitz Contest here on the Harlequin American Romance Authors' blog.

Contest Scoop

Check out today's blog--Rebecca Winters discusses the first book in the Codys:First Family of Rodeo, WALKER: THE RODEO LEGEND. After reading her blog, post the following info:

www.harauthors.blogspot.com, Rebecca Winters and
WALKER: THE RODEO LEGEND

to your Facebook, MySpace and/or Twitter pages as well as your favorite blogs. The more places you link her post, the more chances you have to win! You can earn additional chances to win if you refer a friend and they in turn post a link to their favorite social media websites and blogs. Be sure to return to www.harauthors.blogspot.com and tell us where you're spreading the word so we can keep a tally of your activity.

Remember, the CONTEST IS TODAY ONLY—June 6, 2010!

Rebecca is giving away autographed books—both Harlequin Romance and American Romance. Plus, the grand prize winner will receive Rocky Mountain Chocolate! Remember, for each social media site you link to this blog and for each friend you contact who in turn spreads the word through their favorite networks, your name will be entered into a drawing. You have twenty-four hours to link us and win! Rebecca will post the winners in the comment section of her blog tomorrow. Be sure to return to see if you're one of the lucky winners.

And now here's Rebecca Winters' blog. Please keep reading!

~~~

Howdy Pardner from the Cody Stampede!

The cute little cowgirl you see in the middle with the tan cowboy hat is my darlin’ granddaughter Reese Burton. She’s here at the Denver Stock show with friends. Doesn’t she look great there watching the stockmen spray off those steers?

When her daddy sent me these pictures, I told him I was going to use this one to celebrate the launch book for Harlequin American Romance’s first-ever six-book continuity series.

The Codys: First Family of Rodeo

Everyone who loves rodeo enjoys milling around the grounds, checking out the bulls and horses. Some of the older gals enjoy checking out the Steer Wrestlers and bull riders, too!

Here’s Walker Cody, practicing for his event. Walker's the bulldogger in the first book of the series: WALKER: THE RODEO LEGEND. This guy’s a heartbreaker and a world champion bulldogger. He’s also a Marine who came back from war a wounded hero.

Come on and join me while I show you around. You’ve got to admit this is the prettiest country God ever created. When I saw this meadow, I knew it was the place where Walker yearned to come home to after the war.

A vision came to me of a mountain cabin built on John Walker Cody land years earlier at 10,000 feet. That’s where eight-year-old Walker and his siblings knew happiness sleeping in the loft while their grandmother cooked them trout they caught for breakfast. His fond memories include riding horses up there with his best friend and later on riding around double with a girlfriend. Now at 28, it’s his shelter away from everyone, his cave, his retreat, his fortress, his eyrie where he can try to heal his scarred heart and body before facing the world again.

Ya want to stay a spell and enjoy a week of rodeo? Cody’s the place!

Of course it won’t look all peaceful and quiet like this come rodeo season. A few miles away there’s another little fictitious town called Markton. From there you’ll come to the Cottonwood Ranch. There’s so much land, I envisioned a 600,000 acre spread in my mind as far as the eye could see and going right up the mountain. The rest came easy. A main ranch house here, bunk houses there, corrals, bullpens, you name it and the other gals writing for the series just kept addin and addin things like a fancy barn, a landing strip for their plane, a mechanical bull. It just grew and grew until…well…you’ll have to read all six books to capture the full flavor of a true rodeo family layout.

Walker needs help with his PTSD and decides to take up bulldogging again to fight it. But can he bring down a bull fast enough after being away six years?

One vet I know still suffers from it after many years, but with the help of a good psychiatrist and art therapy, he’s doing much better. Being around him gave me insights into Walker’s suffering. Here’s a sample of what he puts down on paper to get out his fear and emotions.

The picture of this dog walk-a-thon fit right into my story. I needed a setting where Walker and Paula, a grieving war widow with a two-year-old son Clay, will meet. What happens here throws three people together and lives are changed forever.

One of walker’s big challenges is getting back with his family again.

I come from a family of six children, and I’m second to the oldest. So is Walker. Being from a large family I was able to come up with some dynamics for the Walker family that defined my own. I had four sisters. My brother was the baby. Walker has three brothers, Jessie, Dex and Dusty, and his sister Elly who’s the baby. There were similarities I could incorporate. The rest came from the other authors as they developed their stories.

I had the luxury of doing the first draft of everything. That’s nice in one way because there’s nothing pre-conceived. You’re working from scratch. But as the other layers are added, you have to rework some parts until everyone’s satisfied.

Walker’s is a story of redemption through rodeo where wounds heal and happiness eventually triumphs.

Don’t forget to return next month for our second One Day Media Blitz Contest on July 16th when Marin Thomas blogs about book two in The Codys:First Family of Rodeo, DEXTER: HONORABLE COWBOY.

Write to me at http://www.cleanromances.com/ and share any thought or feelings. I’m signing off for now.

Yours till the Stampede is over!

Becky

16 comments:

Marin Thomas said...

Rebecca--Great post and love the pictures! I've spread the word on my Amazon Blog, my Facebook Page and Twitter plus sent out a short note to my newsletter readers!

I'm re-reading Walker:The Rodeo Legend and loving it!

Marin Thomas

Julie Hilton Steele said...

Loved Walker and have Dexter in my hands...just have to finish painting the house to get to read it. That is my reward. Off to post on my Facebook page through Goodreads.

Rebecca Winters said...

Dear Marin:
I've already read Dexter's book and just loved it too! Like Kathleen, I'm in awe of you and the other authors.. The stories you've come up with are so unique and wonderful!
I'm recording all the places you've posted because you're in this contest too.
Glad you liked Walker. You can't help caring about all the Cody siblings.

Rebecca

Rebecca Winters said...

Dear Julie:
The painting sounds amibitious. When you finish, you're in for a treat with Dexter.
Thanks for the compliment on Walker. At this point he's so real to me, I want to go watch him win the gold buckle at the Cody Stampede this July. Lol.
You're down for the contest.
Best,
Rebecca

Nancy J. Parra said...

Hi Rebecca,

This book sounds like a ton of fun! Being a Kansas girl, I do know rodeo. I'm going to tweet this- which means it will appear on my blog as well.

Best of luck and can't wait to read it.

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a wonderful series. I loved your story and the pictures, especially the beautiful meadow. I posted this information on our Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog loop so our members could stop by. I will definitely be back next month for Marin's One Day Media Blitz. Best of luck with this project.

Marilyn Baron
Petit Fours and Hot Tamales

Rebecca Winters said...

Dear Nancy:
Thank you for dropping by the blog and entering the contest.
I hope you do get a chance to read the series. When all the books are out, I want to read them in succession and savor each one myself. That's what I call FUN.

See y'all.

Rebecca

Rebecca Winters said...

Dear Marilyn:
I'm so glad you appreciated the meadow and other pictures. It's a photo from a Wyoming site. I saw it and just wwanted to go walking in those flowers and could imagine Walker doing the same thing.
It's been such an exciting series to write for. I hope you'll enjoy all of it!
Petits Fours-- When I taught French, I always gave my students a box for Christmas. Love the name of the blog post.
Good luck in the contest.
Ton amie,

Rebecca

Nicole's Book Musings said...

I tweeted it and posted it on facebook.

This series is right up my alley, I love cowboys. Ordered my copy of your book Rebecca and Marin's. Can't wait to start reading the series.

Rebecca Winters said...

Dear Nicole:
I love cowboys too. They have a mystique in romance that can't be denied. I surely hope you enjoy the books when you get the opportunity. Thank you so much for posting here. I've got you down for our contest.

Best,

Rebecca

CC Coburn said...

Hi Rebecca, looking forward to reading the whole series, it sounds fantastic!
Congratulations!
CC

Rebecca Winters said...

Hey CC--

Great to see your post here. Thanks for the support. I think it's a wonderful series (I've read five of six so far.) It's so much fun reading what the others did with their stories. Like Kathleen said, she had an idea and then watched the stories come alive. What a thrill.

Best,
Rebecca

Rebecca Winters said...

WE HAVE A GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

CONGRATULATIONS to NANCY J. PERRA

Second Place Winner!
Congratulations to NICOLE S.

Third Place Winner!
Congratulations to JULIE HILTON STEELE

Fourth Place Winner!
Congratulations to MARILYN BARON

Thanks to y’all for participating. Please send me your street address (no P.O. Box) to
becky485@msn.com

and I’ll send out your prizes. On live the Cody tradition! Yihoo!

Rebecca Winters said...

Terrific, Nancy. I'm thrilled for you. Thanks again for joining in the fun.

Rebecca

Nicole's Book Musings said...

Big Congrats to Nancy!! Congrats to all the other winners! And thank you for picking me as one of the winners! I sent an email.

Thanks for putting on this contest. Can't wait to start reading the series.

Rebecca Winters said...

Hi Nicole-- happy you could win a prize and hope you like it.

Rebecca