WWA Feature: Kara O'Neal's The Cowboy's Embrace

Wild Women Authors welcomes Kara O'Neal back with The Cowboy's Embrace, the latest in her Pike's Run series. First up is Deacon Tolbert.

Where are you from? I was born in Alabama, spent the best parts of my childhood in New Mexico, but I’ve lived in Texas most of my life and it’s been good to me.

What did you think the first time you saw Lily Spero? I can’t remember. We grew up together, and she was my childhood friend. We were very close. Like ham and potatoes. I thought we’d be friends forever, then our families were killed. And we were…separated. 
What was your second thought? I can tell you what I thought the second time she walked into my life. We were older, and I didn’t know who she was at first, but I thought she was a vision. She was so beautiful and graceful. She was a rose among the thorns of the wild.

Did you feel it was love at first sight? It might have been. But when I found out who she was, I ran. I couldn’t face her after…what I’d done. And then I didn’t delve into how I felt the moment I set eyes on her again.

What do you like most about Lily? She’s tough. She nails me to the wall repeatedly when I get thick-skulled, and keeps me going. She’s talented. She’s got several poems published, and I love reading the pictures she paints with words.

How would you describe her? Loving. Love always comes first with her.

How would she describe you? Stubborn. Hard-working. Steady. But stubborn would be the first word she’d use.

What made you choose ranching as a career? The wide open spaces and the freedom. I like the solitude it gives me, as well.

What is your biggest fear? Losing the people I love.

How do you relax? Riding across the range. There is nothing like a Texas sky.

Who is your favorite fictional character? I’m not much of a reader. I enjoy my wife’s poems, but that’s all I’ll sit still for.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? This came from my wife: 'God isn’t a God of chaos.' I needed to hear that, and I remind myself of that whenever my past takes over my thoughts.

Thank you for taking time to speak with us, Deacon. We'd like to talk to Kara for a bit. What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Anne of Green Gables is a major influence on me, as is Little Women, but these came early in my life. As an adult, I found Jane Austen; her novels are truly literary magic.

What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Bordersville is a real community, and it’s a part of this book. It is a historical place, one that deserves recognition and landmark status. I had to write a story that included this amazing community.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Oh, goodness. Here we go: The White Princess, Infidel, The Velvet Hours, The Lost Wife, All God’s Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw, Katherine, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I have just submitted book eleven in the Pike’s Run Series, Destiny’s Secrets. I am hoping to hear a release date soon!

To purchase The Cowboy's Embrace, go to:

https://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Embrace-Pikes-Run-Book-ebook/dp/B07F2NHCJB/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1535933111&sr=8-5&keywords=kara+o%27neal

To learn more about Kara O'Neal and the stories she writes, go to:

Website: www.karaoneal.com.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kara-ONeal/e/B00FL19TH8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465007993&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/kara+o'neal?_requestid=845025

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor