Today, Wild Women Authors feature The Cowboy’s Last Chance, a contemporary western romance, written by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy and published by the Wild Rose Press.
First, a bit about The Cowboy’s Last Chance:
When Vivian Blackburn, recently returned to Southwest
Missouri sets out to shoot pictures at a rodeo, she's not looking for a cowboy
but when she meets bull rider Calhoun Kelly, she's found one. They have an
instant attraction and rapport. They're compatible in every way but one – he
has a strong Christian faith and she lost hers after her parents died.
When Vivian experiences strange dreams that seem to
warn Calhoun of upcoming danger, she doesn't know what to think. Calhoun
decides to hang up his spurs at the end of the season but before he does, he
and Vivian are married. They decide they'll settle at her grandmother's old
farmhouse but not until he rides his last rodeo. When he's critically injured,
his life hangs in the balance. Will Vivian find her faith and pray? It's a
close call but time will tell.
We will begin with Calhoun Kelly.
Good morning! Let’s begin with where you are from. Rusk, Texas.
Tell us a bit about The Cowboy’s Last Chance. It’s about me. I'm
the cowboy—well, a bull rider really—but the “last Chance” is my younger
brother, Chance, who died in a rodeo accident a few years ago.
What did you think the first time you saw Vivian? I thought she was
beautiful, different from most of the gals who hang around rodeos.
What was your
second thought? I stopped her from ordering a chili dog at the concessions stand so she
wouldn't get sick. Those things can be deadly. I know I've suffered from a few.
Hah! So was it was love at first sight? Yes. I fell for
Vivian that first night and she seemed to feel the same.
What do you like most about her? Vivian is so kind
and sweet. She's looked out for me since the first and she's also very
intelligent. I can count on her, no matter what.
Important qualities in a life partner, that’s for sure.
How would you describe her? One of my nicknames for her is Pretty
Lady and she is. She's the kind of gal I dreamed I'd find but never
really thought I would.
How would Vivian describe you? She thinks I'm good
looking and I like that. She calls me Cowboy - which I am.
What made you choose to do rodeos for a career? I started young. All
three of us Kelly brothers did. It's all I know how to do and I've got a
talent for sticking on the back of a thrashing bull for 8 seconds.
What is your biggest fear? Dying in the arena
like my youngest brother.
How do you relax? Listening to music, mostly vintage
country, especially Johnny Horton and Johnny Cash, and fishing.
Who is your favorite fictional character? Cullen Bohannon from
that “Hell On Wheels” show.
What is the best piece of advice you ever
received? My older brother Lincoln urged me to quit rodeo before I got hurt
more than I already have, got killed, or became too old. I finally listened to
him but it took a long time.
Thank you for this, Calhoun. Now we’d like to chat with Lee Ann.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career
as a writer? A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is one of the first adult novels I
read although I was a child when I did. Betty Smith, the author, captured the
Brooklyn of her own childhood in the novel. I often have set novels in my
hometown of St Joseph. MO and even the ones set elsewhere are someplace I have
been and loved. Rusk is one of those towns.
Is there an event in your private life that you were
able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I have two major
things in common with Vivian. She's a former newspaper reporter and
photographer - so am I. She's very close with her grandmother and so was
I. I was also a broadcast journalist and covered a rodeo where one of my
co-workers (who I was dating at the time) rode a bull as a publicity stunt.
That was in the back of my mind when I first came up with this story.
Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear
about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? Actually, I have
three publishers, Evernight Publishing, World Castle Publishing, and The Wild
Rose Press. The Cowboy's Last Chance is a Wild Rose Press book. I had
heard positive things about them and decided to submit. I enjoy being one of
the Roses in the garden and the support from the owners.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? A biography of the
late singer Townes Van Zandt [Going Home In The Dark], Dean Koontz, and
anything upcoming by Carolyn Brown, an Oklahoma author who is one of my
favorites.
Last, what's up next and when can we expect to see it
on the shelves? Drake's Angel will be out in 2026 from Evernight Publishing. My Laredo
series featuring the Wilson Family will continue. The fourth book, The Heart
of Jacob Wilson, was released in November 2025 from World Castle
Publishing. There are more books in that series, and I have three other novels
in the submission process as well as two ongoing works in progress.
LeeAnn brought an excerpt for us:
Calhoun sprawled backward, pillows
propped behind his back, and called his brother. It rang twice before he picked
up the phone.
“It’s about time I heard from you.”
Lincoln’s East Texas drawl was more pronounced. “What in tarnation is going
on?”
“Same old, same old. Riding rodeo,
like always.”
“First time I ever called you when a
lady answered your phone,” Linc said. “And told me that you were worn out and
sound asleep. She refused to wake you, man, but she told me you had a rough
ride last night and wrecked. You all right?”
“Sore but fine, yeah.”
“She got me worried, little brother. I
already told Sasha that if I didn’t hear from you today or if you didn’t sound
right, I would head up that way.”
“Bro, I’m good.” Calhoun appreciated
his brother’s concern, but he wanted to blow it off. He didn’t want Lincoln
fussing over him. “Better than I’ve been in quite a while.” Although Linc
laughed, Cal knew he hadn’t fooled his astute brother.
“I smell a rat, Cal. There’s more to
this story. Either you’re hurt more than you’re letting me know or there’s
something with this gal. Which is it?”
“Busted.” Calhoun laughed. He never
could fool Linc for long. “I ain’t hurt bad or anything, but I landed on my
shoulder last night so it’s sore as a bear. And I’m hurting like any bull rider
but nothing serious.”
“I figured something like that. Is it
the shoulder you dislocated over at Paducah? And the woman? I hope she’s not a
buckle bunny.”
“You ought to know better than that.”
Linc had to be aware how little
Calhoun thought of the pushy women with their scanty clothing and desire to
take a cowboy home for the night, nothing more. “Same shoulder but it’s not
dislocated this time. It just hurts. And she’s the farthest thing from a bunny
you could find, Linc. Her name’s Vivian Bradburn. She’s a writer and
photographer from Missouri.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Very.”
LeeAnn and The Cowboy’s Last Chance can be
found at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004JPBM6I/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4543214.Lee_Ann_Sontheimer_Murphy
https://www.worldcastlepublishing.com/lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy
https://leeannsontheimer.blogspot.com/
Hi, Wild Women & Lee Ann. I enjoyed the interview. It was cool getting to know Calhoun, and you, too, Lee Ann!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting us! Looks awesome!
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