The Colter Sons Blog Tour: Q & A with Karen Baney + A Giveway

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for the first three books of the Colter Sons series by Karen Baney, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Books

Title: The Reluctant Cattleman
Series: Colter Sons #1
Author: Karen Baney
Publisher: Desert Life Media
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

A Love at First Sight Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Coming of age story set in Prescott, Arizona in 1887. 

As Sam Colter takes on more responsibilities at the family ranch, he believes he is a disappointment to his father. He feels like the misfit of the family. When a journalist shows up to interview his mother, secrets from the past threaten his fledging sense of security. Can he overcome his fear and doubts to accept his role as a cattleman and rancher? Will he allow himself to love the woman who turned his life upside down? 

Ellie Mae Thatcher moves to Prescott to start her career as a writer. When she misleads the Colters about her identity, she hurts the man she is falling in love with. Can she win back his trust and his heart?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Title: The Roaming Adventurer
Series: Colter Sons #2
Author: Karen Baney
Publisher: Desert Life Media
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

A Shotgun Wedding, Main Character Disguise Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Set in Prescott, Arizona Territory in 1890 – 1891.

Boisterous Boone Colter settled into his career as a surveyor when his older brother approached him to survey a route for a new railroad. When Boone hires Jack Bennett, he never expected to be forced to choose between his desire for independence and protecting Jack. Will he rise to the occasion? Can he find a way to strike a balance? 

Jaclyn “Jack” Bennett spent the last six years apprenticing as an assistant surveyor under her father. When her father asks her to give up her dreams, settle down, and get married, Jaclyn disguises herself as a man and flees to Prescott, Arizona. Except she never thought through how her choice would destroy the lives of those around her. Will she find a way to reconcile broken relationships?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Title: The Railroad Magnate
Series: Colter Sons #3
Author: Karen Baney
Publisher: Desert Life Media
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

A Love at First Sight Christian Historical Cowboy Romance. Set in Prescott, Arizona Territory in 1891 – 1893.

James Colter was a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the railroad industry. As he watches his younger brothers marry and start their families, his loneliness deepens. He has everything, except the one thing he longs for the most:  a wife and family of his own. When he dances with the daughter of an older friend, was it love at first sight, or will he put his personal dream on hold again to pursue his professional aspirations? 

Keri Glassman wants to follow in her parents’ footsteps. She dreams of becoming a contract attorney. When a handsome suitor invites her on a train ride, the course of her life is rewritten. Like her mother, she wants it all, a career, a loving husband, and a family. Can she find her own way or will her desire to please her parents threaten to destroy her hope for a lasting love?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in This Series

   

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About the Author

Karen Baney is passionate about writing stories full of flawed characters. She enjoys weaving together stories of second chances, redemption, and overcoming personal trials. As a transplant to Arizona in the late 1990s, she loves researching the state’s history and finding ways to seamlessly incorporate real history and real settings into her novels. In addition to writing and speaking, Karen works as a Software Development Manager for a Christian ministry.

Her faith plays an important role both in her life and in her writing. Karen and her husband, Jim, make their home in Gilbert, Arizona, with their two dogs, Bella and Daisy. Both Jim and Karen are active at Rock Point Church in Queen Creek, Arizona. 

Connect with Karen by visiting karenbaney.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Author Interview

Welcome, Karen! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving my readers a chance to get to know you and your Colter Sons series. 

Thank you so much for hosting me. 
 
I like to start these interviews the same way, with something fun to break the ice. Can you share 5 random facts about you that we will not find in your bio?   1. I love historical airplanes and my writing office is decorated with WWII airplane pictures. There’s a wonderful airplane museum near Tucson, Arizona, that my hubby Jim and I visit every year. Someday, I will work this into a novel.  2. I love photography. Despite the ease of using our phones as cameras, I still enjoy snapping pictures with my DSLR.  3. I am the griller of the family. The smoker in the backyard? Yeah, that’s mine. I cook an amazing smoked brisket with my homemade smoked mac n cheese. And I have worked this into at least one novel.  4. Arizona is the home of my heart. I met Jim here. We both grew up in the Midwest but fell in love with the scenic beauty and the climate of Arizona.  5. My favorite color flops between blue and purple. Even as a teenager, I could never truly decide which I liked more.  

5.  

When did you first discover you had a passion for writing? 

I always did well in English classes in high school and college. Writing came easy for me, at least in an academic setting. Then in 2010, I had surgery on my right hand (dominate one). I was at a crossroads in my life and my faith. That’s when the passion for writing novels was born. I had no idea what to write at first, so I started researching the history of Arizona. The story for my first novel, A Dream Unfolding took shape. And the rest is history! 

 

Colter Sons is a historical romance series, but you’ve also written some contemporary romance as well. How does your writing process vary between the two genres? Is there one that comes more naturally than the other?  

The research is the biggest difference. Even though I could take creative license when writing historical fiction, I try to avoid it. I meticulously research how people spoke, their mindset, the setting, climate, and history of a location. Since most of my historical novels are set in or near the real town of Prescott, Arizona, I work hard to honor the people who live there and their rich history. 

That said, I still research facts for the contemporary romances, too. 

For both genres, I typically start with in-depth character sketches. I know each character’s personality, their family background, main shaping events, and more before starting an outline. Sometimes the character and their back story strongly influences the plot line. 

As far as one genre coming more naturally than the other, I think they are equally natural, especially since I like writing character-driven stories. 

 
 
What type of research went into creating this story?  

Some of the Colter Sons Series research came from work I’d done on the Prescott Pioneers Series (the story of the parents of the Colter Sons) and the Desert Manna Series. 

The two main things I researched for this series were the railroads in Arizona and what a surveyor did back in the 1890s. I spent hours pouring over these topics to bring life to Boone Colter (Book 2) and James Colter (Book 3).  

One of my favorite finds was an out-of-print book on the complete history of the Prescott, Phoenix, and Santa Fe Railway which was headquartered in Prescott during the span of my series. Research on that railway strongly influenced Boone’s career and some of the settings in the first three books of the series. 

For books 4 – 6, I introduced several new towns in Arizona. I also gave Deacon (Book 4) a job as a livestock agent. This required enough research to understand the laws, regulations, and daily activities of an agent in the 1890s. 
 
When working on a series, how do you make sure to stay consistent throughout?  

First, I write a rough outline of the series. I develop the characters, at least at a high level, then choose the timeframe and settings. I write down the relationship between the characters. I typically name the series and the books before I start writing. This provides a unifying theme. In the case of the Colter Sons? That unifying theme is that they are siblings with a diverse set of personalities, insecurities, and ambitions. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about the series?   

 

The Colter Sons Series follows the children of Will and Hannah, who were first introduced in the Prescott Pioneers Series. Don’t worry, readers won’t miss a thing if they start with the Colter Sons Series. I fill in the gaps where needed. 

 

The books don’t follow the birth order of the sons (and surprise daughter). Because the first three books follow the real-life timeline of two different railroads near Prescott in the 1880s-1890s, it made the most sense to start with Sam, the second son, taking over the management of the family ranch. His younger brother Boone is wild and adventurous. A career as a surveyor fit, so his story (book 2) had to come before James, the oldest. James is a railroad tycoon and his story unfolds in book 3. The construction of his railroad comes at an economically turbulent period. Book 4 tells the story of Deacon and his best friend Grady as they hunt down the rustlers who murdered Grady’s parents. Book 5 is my favorite. We catch up to the prodigal son, Preston. His life is a mess and God wakes him up to face his responsibilities and change his heart. Book 6 follows the surprise daughter, Violet, after she faces a life altering tragedy. Throughout all the books, Will and Hannah make an appearance, gently speaking wisdom into their adult children’s lives. 
 
What was the most challenging part of bringing these stories to life? The most rewarding? 

 

Ironically, the most challenging thing was that I gave the Colters five sons and one surprise daughter. I agonized for weeks over leaving the name of the series as the Colter Sons, even though book 6 is about the daughter. Sorta wrote myself into a corner on that one. 

 

Another challenge in this series was writing it in the first person. I had read a historical series by Tess Thompson where she did the same thing, so I decided it was important to include the character’s name at the beginning of each chapter or point-of-view change. At times, I found myself slipping into the other character’s point-of-view and had to go back and rewrite a scene. 

 

The most rewarding thing? Sharing this epic family saga with readers. I hope you’ll enjoy the series as much as I did writing it. 
 
What do you hope readers will take away from the books?  

 

I hope readers will enjoy the romance that unfolds for each of these dramatically different sons. Their stories are as different as they are. And, like all my stories, I hope readers see a glimpse into the Christian life—with its ups and downs. No Christian walk is perfect nor free from trial. It’s how we learn to lean into God that makes the difference. I try to convey some aspect of this in every story I write. 
 
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next?  

 

Readers can learn more about me, my novels, and even what I’m reading on my website: www.karenbaney.com and blog www.karenbaney.com/blog They’ll find links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, other retailers, GoodReads, and more on my website. 

 

Readers who sign up for my newsletter will receive a gift. I also offer new free novellas, deleted scenes, and more for newsletter subscribers. 

Thanks again for hosting me and the Colter Sons Series! 

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each win all 6 books in the Colter Sons series (winner picks paperback or ebook)!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 3, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 10, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!