Today, Kathleen Y' Barbo
visits Lagniappe to discuss
her latest release, Firefly Summer.
Welcome, Kathleen!
Tell us a little about Firefly Summer
A new cowboy romance from award-winning
author Kathleen Y'Barbo.
Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!
Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…
Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.
How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?
Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!
Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…
Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.
How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?
Do you listen to
music when you write? If so, what's on your writing playlist these days?
No! I used to be able to listen to classical music—Vivaldi
was a favorite—but even the classics seem to bother me now. I don’t need
absolute silence, but there’s something about music that divides my attention.
For Christmas, do you
prefer white lights or colored lights on your Christmas tree?
Definitely white! I have such a mish-mash of ornaments, most
of them with great sentimental value but little design sense, so I love having
the plain white illumination to set those off.
Give readers your
brand/tagline and share how you came up with it.
Fiction with a Southern accent is my tag line, and except
for a few exceptions, also the brand that you find in my stories. If you’ve
ever spoken to me, a tenth generation Texan who sounds like it--you’ll know
why!
If you weren't a
writer, what would be another dream job?
I am so blessed to already working at my other dream job.
When I’m not penning prose, I’m a paralegal. I’ve worked in all sorts of areas
of law, from insurance defense to criminal to probate, but my favorite is
family law.
What author's books
do you enjoy reading?
I have so many favorites! Right now I am reading a new contemporary
novel called The Girl Who Chased the Moon by the fabulous Sara Addison Allen.
She writes the most magical stories, and her characters are unforgettable!
Do
you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any
advice on how to deal with the bad?
I do NOT read my reviews unless I accidentally stumble across
one or someone I trust, usually my agent, my editor or my publicist, sends it
to me. No writer creates a novel that is loved by everyone, so personal
preferences will always dictate the response from readers. Either way, I do not
make it a general practice to respond to reviews.
What
can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
This may seem like an odd request from a writer who doesn’t read
her reviews, but readers can be a huge help to us just by posting a nice
review. I don’t think readers always understand how much power public opinion
and word of mouth has. If you like a book, talk about it to others, either by
posting on Goodreads, Amazon, and other places or just by telling your friends.
Where
did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing come from?
I began as a reader, thanks to my parents who were both avid
readers. My love of the written word goes way back to the grand old Gates
Memorial Library in Port Arthur, Texas where I can still recall the smell of
books in the air and the cool marble floor beneath my bare feet—until my very
proper mama made me put my sandals back on. When I was older, I rode my bike to
the Hebert Library in Port Neches, Texas to grab the latest book and spend
hours reading it. Now I fill my Kindle with stories, so reading is a love that
has not diminished over the years.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Up next is A Texas Christmas, a multi-author book
of historical romances set in Texas
during the Christmas season. Next month, my novella Autumn Skye, the second
book (a novella) in the Pies, Books & Jesus Book club series will be
released in a fabulous collection called The Boy Next Door. In 2016, look for at
least one more story in the Pies, Books & Jesus Book Club series.
Please include buy
links and your website/FB/Twitter etc links.
LIGHTNING
ROUND
NCIS or CSI? DEFINITELY NCIS! Jethro or Pride (NCIS New
Orleans) win every time. Love Hetty (NCIS LA) but the legal inconsistencies on
that show drive this paralegal bonkers.
Y’all or You Guys?
Y’all all day every day. By the way, the plural of y’all is all y’all. You’re
welcome.
Grits or Hash Brown
Potatoes? Grits, especially cheese grits. Extra points if they’ve got shrimp on
them.
Crawfish or Crawdads?
Girl, are you serious? Everyone who has spent any time in Louisiana knows the
proper name is mudbugs. But I’ll go with crawfish.
YOU'RE SO RIGHT, KATHLEEN! BUT I HAD TO CONSIDER ALL THOSE POOR SOULS WHO'VE NEVER SPENT ANY TIME IN LOUISIANA!
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more
than fifty novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad.
A tenth-generation Texan, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award
as well a Reader’s Choice Award and Book of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.
Sadie’s Secret, a Secret Life of
Will Tucker historical romantic suspense novel and the winner of the 2015 Romantic Times Inspirational Romance
of the Year, is in stores now: http://harvesthousepublishers.com/book/sadies-secret-2014/
For another book with ties to Kathleen’s home
town of Port Neches, Texas, Firefly Summer, the first novel in
the contemporary Pies, Books & Jesus
Book Club series features a character with the same name as her mama—Bonnie
Sue. And a very similar personality. Check out the book here: http://amzn.to/1LhPdeq
When not wearing her writer’s hat, Kathleen is a
paralegal, a proud military wife, and an expatriate Texan cheering on her
beloved Texas Aggies from north of the Red River. Connect with her through
social media at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
Kathleen, thanks for sharing!
Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe.
Answer Kathleen's question to be eligible to win a digital copy of Firefly Summer!
In FIREFLY SUMMER, each Pies, Books & Jesus Book Club members are required to bring at least two pies to every meeting when it is her month to host. If you were a member of the book club, what pies would you bring to the meeting when it is your turn?
I pray you find
"a little something extra"
in each of your days.
Marian
