Article and Interview by Elise Cooper
A Good Old-Fashioned Cowboy is the second in the Jasper Creek series written by Maisey Yates, Caitlin Crews, Jackie Ashenden and Nicole Helm. This is a compilation of authors who write about cowboy heroes and heroines. They focus on four best friends, similar to the authors views of each other.
The plot begins with these four friends deciding to return to their small hometown of Jasper Creek Oregon. The best friends, Hope Marshall, Charity Golding, Prudence (Pru) Riley, and Katherine (Kit) Hall had made a pact, if at thirty they were not happy with their lives they would return home. The catalyst for them returning was Hope being left at the altar. While at Grandma June’s farmhouse they find a 1940s magazine that give ridiculous tips on how to catch a husband. They decide not to use any cell phones or technology plus make house rules with penalties. Beyond that they decide to stay and open up shops with their special interest. For Hope it is a candy shop, for Kit it is a romance novel shop, for Charity it is yarn, and for Pru a gardening supply shop. Needless to say, they come in contact with someone from their past where sparks fly between them.
Although a different format than the first, A Cowboy for All Seasons, this one is a very enjoyable read with great banter between the friends as well as between the heroes and heroines. This is a highly recommended read.
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Maisey Yates: We stumbled across these old-fashioned dating tips. We thought about on-line dating and were all glad we dodged that era. We thought, what if we had these modern women who would have done online dating and then had that taken away from them? Now they need to rely on antiquated dating tips to meet people. It seemed like a really fun idea. They are not allowed cell phones or the Internet.
EC: It was a different format than the first book in the series?
Nicole Helm: This one had an overlapping timeline. In the last one we purposely didn’t have our characters interacting whereas in this one we purposely did it.
Jackie Ashenden: Also, in the previous book they were not all in the same house at the same time.
EC: Since there was an overlap, who wrote the dialogue of their character that was in another author’s story part?
Maisey: We know each other’s writing really well so we were able to put in what they would say. I could guess how that person/author would write their character’s dialogue. Since we read each other’s stuff we could correct anything that was wrong or off.
EC: It seemed all the friends were looking for their parent’s approval and did not want to disappoint them.
Maisey: True, I actually did not connect it until now.
Caitlin Crews: They wanted their parent’s approval, but when they returned it was on their own terms. Hope felt she had to marry someone that was in the same social and financial background as her parents. Kit’s father wanted her to have a “serious” bookstore of poems. Charity felt she had to live her father’s dreams of being an ER doctor. Prudence’s parents did not give her a piece of the ranch, but just gave it to her brothers.
EC: What about the shops?
Maisey: The candy store shaped Hope’s character. I thought of this true story where we went to a very small town in Iowa. There was a candy store where the owner was very rude. She had this really vulgar bumper sticker on her truck. Because it was on my mind, I thought of how a small town needs a candy store. Also, I like sweets. There is nothing too sweet for me.
Cailtin: I have walked into independent bookstores and have been unimpressed by the service and selection. I feel most people are romance readers but tend to appear snotty with their selections. The romance bookstore is filled with hope and love.
Nicole: Pru chose a store that connected her to the love of her family and the ranch. It was full of junk that she would have to clear out. We picked stores that we either like to go to or our characters would relate to. For me, the agricultural feedstore was related to Pru’s character.
Jackie: The yarn store was totally opposite of what Charity was about. A yarn store is peaceful, nice, and restful, while an ER doctor is full of stress. I do a lot of knitting and like Charity it is used to escape the pressures of life.
EC: How would you describe the heroine?
Maisey: Hope is sweet, hopeful, and cautious. While in Chicago she felt repressed. Now she is sad. I think she is also the guinea pig regarding the rules because she had to go first.ope
Caitlin: Kit is dramatic and wants the happily ever after. I put in this romantic quote, “romance is about hope, happiness, and redemption.” She is very honest and loyal. She had roles she played out whether as Kit or Katherine.
Jackie: Charity is the mediator of the group. In some ways she acts as a martyr, pretending everything is fine when it isn’t. She is the peacemaker, patient, and anxious.
Nicole: Pru has a strong personality. When she gets angry, she acts out. Her friends gave her the nickname, Pru-ricane, because she acts first and thinks later. She is judgmental, practical, and dedicated as well as stubborn and sarcastic. She does not like dealing with emotions.
EC: What about the relationships?
Maisey: Hope and Brooks were high school sweethearts. He is a self-made hero. This was a reunion story. When Hope is not around, he is assured and confident, but after seeing Hope again he became insecure.
Caitlin: Kit looked on Browning as a playboy type. He could have had anybody but fell heads over heels for this most unlikely woman.
Jackie: In the beginning Charity saw Garrett as rude. He was that way to protect his grandma’s legacy. Because of that conflict, the relationship started off as tense. In high school they both had a crush on each other, but neither let the other know.
Nicole: Grant was Pru’s brother’s best friend and older than she. He felt responsible about his family after his parents died. Because he was so serious, and a man of few words and she avoided emotions, the relationship did not have a romantic feel to it right away.
EC: What about the running salmon joke?
Maisey: I was in my kitchen and thought how I personally do not like salmon. I wrote that line after Hope stole the food for her cancelled wedding. I thought I would edit it out, but we all decided to run with it, and it became a plot point. There was a lot of salmon fury-LOL. Nicole, Jackie, and I do not like it, but Caitlin does.
EC: What about the illustrations?
Caitlin: My husband drew the shop pictures. In the last book he drew the trees that related to the different seasons.
Jackie, Maisey, Nicole: He drew the pictures perfectly.
EC: What about the next book?
Maisey: It is likely there will be another book. While I cannot confirm or deny, we are hoping to write another in the series. We have Grandma June magic on our side, so things usually happen.
EC: THANK YOU!!
