Book four in the Marietta Fair series, Her Summer Cowboy by Katherine Garbera is available today and I am excited to share her story with you. I asked Katherine to be a guest on the blog today and she happily agreed.
Here’s Katherine Garbera to talk to us today about country fairs, country music and her inspiration for HER SUMMER COWBOY. Welcome Katherine!
Family is at the heart of my life. I grew up on a sprawling ranch in Central Florida where my parents raised three daughters alongside their Valencia orange crop. We listened to country music, especially John Denver, George Straight and Waylon Jennings. I’m not embarrassed to admit I cried the day I heard that Waylon died.
When I think of country fairs to be they are associated with all those wonderful foods that aren’t good for me…funnel cakes, sausage and peppers and anything deep-fat fried, but also country music. We lived a modest life in Central Florida so the only time we really got to see an artist performing live was at the fair.
My parents would get up there early, not a burden since we were used to getting up at the crack of dawn, and we’d wait to make sure we got good seats for the shows. The concerts when they started fed my imaginations with the songs of real emotions and the difficulties that I could hear in their voices.
From this place came the first inkling of an idea for HER SUMMER COWBOY. I wanted my heroine to be born of country royalty but rooted also in the heartache and problems that come from having been born dirt poor and gaining fame too rapidly. Emma Jean Wells shows up to say goodbye to her grandfather for the summer as he goes on his annual tour of summer fairs. Only this year she’s met by a sexy cowboy who says he’s her Gramps’ bodyguard and she’s like say, what? From that moment nothing goes to Emma’s plan. She ends up agreeing to perform with her grandfather (she used to be one of his back-up singers on tour) and finds herself writing music. The one thing she thought she’d never do again. She also finds herself fallen for Hudson Scott.
They’ve agreed on a summer affair once it becomes clear the attraction between them won’t be denied. It makes the most sense because their lives are in different parts of the country and they are both searching and not ready to settle down. But their hearts have a different agenda.
Thanks, Jane, for inviting me to your blog to talk about HER SUMMER COWBOY, but also thanks for inviting me to Marietta, MT and letting me write some stories set there. I hope you will all enjoy HER SUMMER COWBOY.
The road is the only home Hudson Scott’s ever known since he stormed out of Marietta, Montana when he was 18 years old after a blow out fight with his father. Can the sweet summer nights at the country fairs and a burning attraction to a tempting songstress teach him how to stop running and how to build a life with a woman he just might be falling in love with?
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Thank you, Katherine, for joining us today. Be sure to go grab your copy of HER SUMMER COWBOY today! Leave a comment to welcome Katherine and tell me about a summer romance you’ve had and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a print copy of Love Me, True and other Montana goodies.
Welcome Katherine! Sadly I’ve never had a summer romance before.
A summer romance that still lingers each and every summer. A delightful interlude which taught me about life and love.
I enjoyed this post and really enjoyed reading Her Summer Cowboy. I’ve had a couple summer romances, but none were so exciting and worthy of mentioning.
I really love to read her book for it sounds so good! I had a summer romance with a rodeo cowboy who I met when I was a waitress at this deli that I worked at in my hometown in Illinois. I had the best summer, met so many nice people in the rodeo business and who would ride bronco’s and bulls and also cowgirls that barrel racing. Are relationship ended for I was going to college and he was trying to win the Big Buckle, its been years that we talked but he found out my mom died in 1992 and he called me and so we reconnected and have a great friendship, not sure if will end up together but you just never know.
The summer after my sophmore year of college I worked as a camp counselor in northern New York for 8-9 weeks. This was many, many years ago, before cell phones, tablets, & laptops. My boyfriend was not happy that I was so far from home, which was northwest Indiana at the time. So he sent me weekly letters inside cards. So were cute & some were funny, but he always wrote about how much he missed me. He wasn’t quite so loving when I got back & we went back to college, but I will always remember how sweet that was of him. It really meant a lot to me, especially when I was homesick. Unfortunately he made me so mad a year or so later that I ended up throwing them away. I regretted it later on – but not now. And no, he is not the man I married.
Congrats to Katherine on the new release. I’ve had one where the relationship only lasted a few months after summer because we went to different schools.
No summer romances for me. Maybe one day?
Welcome Katherine! The only true summer romance I’ve had was a very long time ago, when I was fifteen. He was a friend’s older brother, who had just graduated (that sounds bad, but it wasn’t like that). I’ve always felt that if I had met him while he was still in school, it probably would have lasted longer. Still, it was a fun summer and I will always consider him my first boyfriend. Thanks!
Sadly no never
I had a summer romance the summer after my high school graduation. We both were working 2nd shift at a factory to make $ for college. We’d go to the beach every day, then he’d drop me at home first so we could both get ready for work, then pick me up again & drive us to & from work. Unfortunately, once it was time for school, we were both at different points in our lives; I was starting college & he was beginning his senior year. But I still have fond memories of my summer romance.
Welcome Katherine I loved Her Summer Cowboy right from the first page. My summer romance is going on right now and so new and exciting to me, diet coke on pellet ice with 2 shots sugar free Coconut syrup and a squeeze of fresh lime,shhh don’t tell its a secret romance might fade when winter hits.
Loved this story.
My summer romances ended badly, except for one–the guy I married.
Welcome Katharine! I look forward torreading your books. I love finding authors to read this way. My summer romance is with my sweetheart husband, not only summer but also fall, winter and spring.
My summer romance took me by such a surprise that I was so shocked by it, I didn’t realize until many years later, that he was the love of my life! We were just friends, good friends that met because I was his mom’s nurse. Our friendship grew through that, and I helped him survive his divorce, because I had already been on that roller coaster many years before. After his mom had passed we remained good friends, I had even set him up, with my girl friend’s on blind dates. A few years later our friendship was still going strong, he invited me to go out with him to celebrate the 4th, I invited a girlfriend
of mine, because I thought they would make a great couple.
But, to my surprise he had a
change in heart about how he felt about me, he took me out-
side that night to see the fireworks, and he kissed me. It took me by such a surprise because yes, I had thought about us as a couple but, because I was afraid I would lose my best friend, I never acted on it. I think we had a
wonderful romance, but it ended at the end of the summer, not because we didn’t love each other we did, and I still think of him quite often. But, I was ready for more than romance and he wasn’t at the time, I felt he needed more from life before
entering a long time relationship. We are still the best of friends, and I will always cherish that summer, it was a love I have never shared with anyone else. I believe it made me a better person, woman, and friend in my life.
The summer I discovered boys… first love was a guy from the church camp for adults that my mom took me to in southern Indiana. Out of a large group of young teens, there was this guy from Richmond. I don’t think we corresponded afterwards, it’s been too, too many years.
This story is going on my t-b-r list right now. I’m sorry to say I never had a “summer romance”.
I don’t think so. If I did it wasn’t memorable. I’m looking forward to your new release.
I had a summer romance with a new farm hand right before I started High School. He was sent to live with his dad. He helped my family on the farm. We spent many hours kissing on top of the hay bales that we had just stacked on the wagons or in the barns. He was the best at kissing. When we started school that Fall, my friends thought I was “ruined” because we hung out all summer!! He never tried anything beyond kissing with me because he knew my dad had a shotgun!
Never had one, but I still ended up with my soul mate:)
Welcome Katherine! You’re in a good group. Yes I did when I was about 14 so looking back it was real calm! But at the time just seeing him was fireworks!
A friend of mine just recommended these books!
Ah, summer magic of the heart is the best kind. Nothing sweeter than the electricity of that first kiss under the stars on a hot, still summer night. Here’s to great success with your book!!
Welcome Katherine…can’t wait to read “Her Summer Cowboy” loved all the Marietta Fair books so far so I know this one will be great as well. Best summer romance was with the boy whose grandmother lived across the street and he visited for a few weeks. Memories I will never forget.
Best summer romance…mostly in my mind. I was so shy when I was younger and everyone’s best friend later on.
Am looking forward to KG’s latest. I have enjoyed so many of her previous books so far. Comments I have written down include: loved it … I fell in love with him too! … made sense throughout … enjoyed that it wasn’t smooth sailing/both felt uncertainty … liked closeness of family … liked how she stood behind her values….
As for MY summer romances, they must not have made an impression on me since I can’t think of anything to share. After all, that was 35 years ago!
Summer Cowboy! Awwwww! I LOVE Cowboys anytime of year!
A young man was visiting family in my county during the summer between my Sophomore and Junior year. We dated on weekends and even corresponded over the next year but we never saw each other again. Of course, it wasn’t meant to be!
Every summer during my preteen and early teen years we would go to a ranch resort. My sister and I would fall “in love ” with the ranch hands. Was the same each year with different young boys. Meant nothing but was a lot of fun!
Another cowboy book! Yeehaw.
looking forward to it.
The summer romance of 1988 that resulted in my marriage! 🙂
Welcome Katherine!!! Never had a summer romance… 🙁
The book sounds great. Not really a summer romance but met someone on vacation in Hawaii and we dated for years. Still my good friend.
Hi Katherine,
I’m looking forward to reading Emma and Hudson’s story in HER SUMMER COWBOY. I love Montana! I’d be thrilled to win LOVE ME TRUE!
I spent the summer in between my Sophomore and Junior years of college in my hometown. One of the first days back I ran into a guy who had been a couple years ahead of me in HS. We started dating exclusively, even when I went back to college. Then out of the blue in November he called and said he couldn’t handle the distance and dumped me for another girl. A year later he saw me again and said he’d made a mistake. I didn’t take him back. I was then dating the man I eventually married.
Nope, no summer romance that I can remember…
Hello Katherine, your new book sounds great! Yes, I did have a summer romance and married him. He is a keeper for sure.
I really liked this story! I have never had a summer romance, but I certainly enjoyed reading about this one 🙂
Hello Katherine, book sounds great. I have never had a summer romance.
None to share
I love Marietta, MT and all the stories. I look forward to reading your book.
No summer romances. Boring.
No summer romance, but I do like to read about them.
Hi Katherine, so glad you are friends with Jane. I love reading all these rodeo and cowboy books. Parents had a lake house where we went every summer and had a special summer love EVERY summer. Those times were always special but ended when we went back to the City as summer ended.
I don’t think I ever had a summer romance all through my life. I think it would have been fun though.
Loving the fair books! I can not think of a Summer romance, so if I had any they must not have been memorable 😉
I enjoy the fair books very much. Never had a summer romance so sadly nothing to tell. Congratulations on the new release.
When I was 18 I spent the summer in London, England to learn English. There I went to school,I met a lot of new friends and I had a summer romance with a good looking Canadian guy. We had a lot of fun and it was very sweet, but unfortunately it did not last as we lived in two different continents. Years later, I vacationed in Canada with a friend and I met him again. He was not as sweet, but the funny part is that during that trip I met the man who became my husband and we have been happily married for 20 years now.
Back when I was a teenager we used to have a carnival and hometown celebration every year and I’ll never forget the summer that I got to ride on the ferris wheel with a senior in high school that I thought was the hottest guy in school. It was a very memorable occasion.
Book sounds good. Summer romances were virtually nonexistent for me. I married while pretty young.
I met my husband during the summer.. I guess he is my ultimate summer romance 🙂
I’ve never had what you might call a summer romance. Unless the you the romances in the books I read.
I’ve never had a summer romance. I did meet my husband during the summer when we worked together at a Dairy Queen over 15 years ago!
Sounds like a good read, will be adding to my list.
Just more of a summer time “mutual flirt” sort of thing. It was in high school; summer before senior year. 🙂
Can’t wait to read your latest Marietta story!
Hello Katherine, love your books!
My summer romance happend when I was living in Washington state & came down to California for a family function, he walked in and that was it…we went out the remainder of my trip , did the “You’ve Got Mail” and visits before I followed my heart and moved home and here we are married almost 11 years ! Turns out, this was the guy my Mom had been wanting me to meet and I kept declining
Welcome to Katherine! Congrats on your new book! I have never had just a summer romance, though I have had many summers with my husband. He is not all that romantic, but he is great and I do enjoy summers with him.
welcome Katherine; a few summer romances that have changed me.
Who won this lovely prize?
I loved reading all your stories! Thank you so much for sharing these great memories of your summer romance.
I’m sorry to be late announcing the winner. I thought I’d already done it but it would seem not! My apologies!
I drew #18 – Jean as the winner for this one! Congrats, Jean! Drop me an email with your full name and mailing details and I’ll get the prize on its way to you soon!
much love to all of you,
Jane