~ EMMA LANG ~

Happy Release Day!!!  CALEB is finally here.  It was a long wait but it was definitely worth it and we are so excited that the wonderful Emma Lang is here with us to celebrate.  Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to catch up on reading the series, if not, you have some homework to do.  Please help us welcome Ms. Lang to UTC today!

Readers seem to love vampires, dragons, SEALS and the like. But cowboys are interesting and sexy as well. What was it about cowboys that interests you as a reader and a woman?I have always loved cowboys, what I consider to be modern day knights, with an unbreakable code of honor. Since I was a young girl watching Big Valley and Clint Eastwood movies, I’ve been in love with the idea of cowboys. Now to complement that hard-as-nails cowboy, you throw in a badass chick, someone who is as strong, stubborn and smart as him. I <3 conquering the alpha male, but keeping all that he is, all that is cowboy.

For the purpose of introducing new readers to the series, can you describe the Circle Eight series for us?
I’m a series ‘ho (writing and reading) and my books are known for being family oriented. The Circle Eight was born from my need to write a family series based around a place (the ranch) and a family (the Grahams). I chose eight because if you turn it on its side, it’s infinity. And so, the Graham siblings, all eight of them, were born.
Readers will finally get Caleb’s book. What can we expect from your newest release?
CALEB is a different book than MATTHEW and BRODY. I let the characters tell their own story, they drive the bus so to speak. CALEB has less heat but more action, intensity and danger. The characters of Caleb and Aurora are both incredibly strong and they are like the hammer and anvil she uses. Hard and unyielding. When they finally realize what they have, you know it’s the forever kind of love.
Did you encounter any difficulties while writing Caleb’s story?
The story nearly flew off my fingers, it was so ready to be told. I did have to research blacksmithing and the craft as it existed in the 1840s but otherwise, Caleb and Aurora were almost racing through the words to get their HEA. 🙂
What would you say the best quality of Caleb? What would you say he needs to work on?
The best quality of Caleb is his honor – he truly believes in what he’s doing and has held onto that honor through a war and through being a Texas Ranger. He needs to work on his idea of what’s okay for a woman to do – obviously he has strong women in his life (Hannah, Olivia, Eva, Martha) but he has chauvinistic ideas that need to get knocked out of him. Potentially by hammer wielded by a lady blacksmith. 😉
Looking a little into the future, we know that Elizabeth & Vaughn’s book is next! What juicy detail can you share with us?
You spend more time with Elizabeth in Caleb’s book when she is sixteen. Four years fly by and she takes over the running of the business of the Circle Eight. When a con man lands on her doorstep, naked and supposedly an amnesiac, her world turns upside down. Vaughn is a charmer, a man used to tricking people to do what he wants. He’s about to meet a woman who is smarter, tougher and (nearly) immune to his good looks and charm. This book is fun but with danger and tough decisions to be made.
In Caleb’s book we find out more about what’s happened to Ben. His will definitely be a hard story to tell and a healing process. Do you have plans to write his story soon?
Benjy’s story will be the last – the final link in the circle eight chain. He has missed five years with his family, half his life, and it’s made his perspective on things different. It will take time for him to find his peace.
The heroes in this series are all quite different. Do you mold your characters after people you know or do they just come to you?
Every hero is a combination of people I know, people I’ve seen or overheard, and a good dose of my imagination. I give each of them a name, a birthdate, and a backstory, so they become very real to me, flaws and all.
Any crazy writing rituals?

I like to write sex scenes when listening to AC/DC. LOL.

caleb

A Texas Ranger, a lady blacksmith, a fierce passion, a dangerous game.

Caleb Graham has spent the last four years in too many dangerous situations to count. As a Texas Ranger, he knows no fear, or at least he never shows it. When he’s sent to force a blacksmith off government seized property, he runs face to face into the woman who will change his life.

Aurora Foster grew up on the very land the obnoxious Ranger is trying to throw her off of. Her parents and her husband died for it and there is no chance she would leave without a fight. A lady blacksmith might be an anomaly but she has the strength of the steel she forges and the courage to fight for what she believes is right.

When Aurora is inadvertently injured by Caleb, he seeks medical help from a neighboring ranch. The sprawling hacienda is full of the finer things in life and the one person Caleb never expected to see again… his youngest brother Benjamin. Forced to flee from a man who has kept the boy captive, the trio become traveling companions in a deadly game where no one wins.

Life turns upside down and sideways for Caleb and Aurora, caught in a game neither of them expected while they desperately try to save the boy who was lost to his family. Pursued and hunted, the three of them ride for the Circle Eight ranch. The unlikely pair of rescuers fight their attraction and for their lives.

EXCERPT

Caleb jumped to his feet the moment the first tree branch broke. He expected her to jump on him while he slept. What he didn’t expect was her to come slamming down out of the tree, screaming like a banshee and bleeding like a stuck pig.

“Son of a bitch!” She rolled to her side. “Goddamn fucking tree!”

Caleb was momentarily nonplussed by the cussing. Then he found his common sense. She had fallen a good twenty feet or more and needed help. He crouched beside her and waited until she stopped to take a breath. She even threw out a few curses he’d never heard.

“What happened?”

“I fell out of the tree, you jackass.” She pressed her hand to her side. Fresh blood oozed through her fingers.

“I realize that, Rory. What happened to your side? Was it a weapon?” He didn’t want to touch her until she was aware of what was going on. Right now she was still ranting and caught up in the shock of falling.

“Damn branch gouged me. I think I left a few important parts up there too.” She finally looked at him, her face a mask of pain. “I’m hurt really bad.”

“I can see that. Will you trust me to help you?” He held up his hands. “I promise not to hurt you on purpose.”

“This is your chance to bring me in belly down, Ranger.” Her voice was rough but her meaning clear.

“I won’t bring anyone in like that. You have my word on my mother’s grave.” His mind flashed to the idyllic spot beneath the big trees in the yard at the Circle Eight, where both his parents rested side by side. She must have seen something in his face because she nodded.

“It hurts. It hurts worse than anything I’ve ever done, even burning myself on the forge.” She loosened her hands and blood flowed steadily from her side.

He got to his knees and took a closer look at the wound. It was a jagged hole at least an inch in diameter with bark and dirt caught in the gore. She had to be in agony.

“I need to rip your shirt to get to it.” He needed to warn her.

“Rip it to shreds, just help me.”

He tore the shirt open until he could see more clearly. The blood wasn’t gushing but it was definitely still coming out in a steady stream. He pulled off his shirt and pressed it to the wound. She groaned and bit her lip.

“We need a doctor. That wound has to be cleaned and stitched. And we need to check for other damage inside.” He squeezed her hand. “Is there a doctor in town?”

She shook her head. “No. The only doc within fifty miles lives at the Garza hacienda. It’s about ten miles north of here.” She winced and sucked in a shaky breath. “You don’t have a shirt on.” Her gaze traveled his chest and it made him want to go find a new shirt. It was the pain making her act that way, nothing more. There wasn’t a possibility there should be anything between them. They were on opposite sides of the law and that was the end of it.

“Do you think you can ride ten miles?” He didn’t want to move her, but if he left her here, she might die before he could return. The possibility was real enough to make his blood run cold. Her antics in the smithy and the tree weren’t supposed to result in a life-threatening injury. Fate was a fickle bitch.

“I’ll do whatever I have to.” She waved a bloody hand in the general direction of the smithy. “First make sure the fire is low enough not to flare up and open the windows to air it out.”

He frowned at her. “You want me to take care of your business before I save your life?”

“That building is my life.” A few drops of blood stood out on her cheek like macabre freckles.

“Fine, but I won’t be as careful as you. We’re getting on Justice and riding for the Garza place.” He put her hand on the shirt. “Hold the pressure here while I do your bidding.”

She snorted. “I don’t think you’ve ever done anyone’s bidding.”

Caleb wasn’t about to tell her she was right. Damn woman already knew she was. He hesitated for only a few seconds before he sprinted for the smithy. The fire was still burning but it was low. He doused it with a bucket of water, knowing she would have to clean out most of the ashes to start it up again. That would slow her down for a while.

After he pushed open the windows again, he propped them open with the wooden planks she’d used. Ingenious really. With the hinges on the flap, she could open and close them easily. Even without glass, the windows were efficient. He left the building and ran back to her.

Her eyes were closed and he thought perhaps she’d passed out. However, as soon as he knelt beside her, her eyes flew open. They were glassy with pain and were an even more remarkable shade of amber up close. Flecks of a darker shade swirled in the depths.

“Did you check the fire?”

“Shut up about the fire, Rory. I’m going to pick you up and it’s going to hurt like hell.” He slid his arms beneath her knees and neck. “Are you ready?”

“No but that doesn’t matter. You sure you can pick me up? I ain’t a lightweight.” She appeared to be serious.

“You are a ridiculous female. Shut up about everything now.” He scooped her up fast so she didn’t have time to spout anymore nonsense.

She groaned and made a funny little sound like a kitten yawning. He got to his feet with the now unconscious woman in his arms. He had to get her to the Garza hacienda but he had no idea how to get there, only that it was ten miles north.

Shirtless, he walked over to Justice with the unconscious, bleeding woman in his arms. It wasn’t the first wound he’d seen but it bothered the hell out of him. Perhaps because she was a woman.

He didn’t have time to be soft. The woman truly needed a doctor and he had to move. Justice was well trained, standing by patiently, no matter the coppery smell of blood. Although he didn’t want to do it, he had to set her belly down on the horse. He vaulted into the saddle and then picked her up, rolling her over until she lay across his lap.

Her head lolled as he started off. He could only head north and hope to find the hacienda with the doctor. If he didn’t, he’d have a dead woman in his arms within twelve hours. The blood hadn’t soaked through the shirt but she was pale as hell. That might have been caused by the fall or the loss of blood. He didn’t know which and it frustrated the hell out of him.

There was a trail of sorts through the tall grass. It appeared wagons rolled through pretty regular. He followed the well-worn path at a trot. He really wanted to gallop but was afraid the jarring of the horse might cause more damage than the additional time to get where he was going. She was pretty torn up from the branch and more injuries were the last thing she needed.

“You need to wake up Rory. I don’t know where the hell I’m going.” He jiggled her a little and her hat fell off but she didn’t respond. No doubt when she woke up she’d be annoyed he lost the ugly thing. He wasn’t about to stop for it.

Without the leather cap, her appearance softened. She looked more like a female, with soft brown hair the color of a fawn’s pelt. Too bad it was cut short. Women should have long hair. It looked nicer. He would be sure to keep that opinion to himself or she might throw one of her hammers at him.

“You finished ogling me?” Her words were slurred but she was awake.

“Nope. It’s the first time you haven’t been talking at me. Good Lord, woman, but you could talk the bark off a tree.” He looked down into her eyes. “I hope I’m going the right direction but you passed out before you could give me details on how to find the Garza ranch.”

She tried to sit up and gasped. “Shit.”

“That’s another thing. You sure as hell cuss a lot for a female.”

“Oh why don’t you shut up, Ranger. Hell, man, I can’t imagine the outlaws you chase are on their Sunday best behavior.”

She had a point yet he didn’t concede it. If she was mad, she wouldn’t pass out again.

“I found a trail back yonder, maybe fifty yards from that big tree in your yard. I’ve been following it and hope like hell it’s the right direction.” He didn’t see anything that told him there was a big hacienda nearby.

“It’s the right way. Stay on the trail until you hit the creek, then follow it north about a mile. There’s a bridge across that leads into the ranch. There will be men at the bridge with guns. Don’t shoot them. Mr. Garza protects his property.” Her face relaxed and she snuggled into his chest. “You have nice skin.”

“Jesus.” He regretted not putting on another shirt. The woman was out of her mind with pain and that made her spout nonsense. “I won’t shoot anybody unless they shoot at me.”

“That’s a good policy.” She put one blood-crusted hand on his arm. “Can I call you Caleb? It’s such a nice name.”

He choked on his own spit. “You are really going to regret everything you just said. Probably want to throw yourself in the forge to purge it from your memory.”

She giggled, startling him. “Your lashes are ridiculously long, did you know that? Do you feel a breeze when you blink?”

He shifted her in his arms, wondering if it were possible another woman had taken her place in the tree. Where was the tough Aurora Foster who had kicked his ass a few hours ago? The silly girl who had taken her place put him completely off balance. He knew what to do with a stubborn woman, but a flirty one? He had no clue.

“Don’t make me tell you to shut up again. Stop talking now. You need to save your strength.”

She stuck out her tongue. He shook his head and kept quiet. The blood loss or the knock on the head from falling out of the tree made her foolish. Either way, she would regret what she said if she remembered it. He regretted it already and it wasn’t coming out of his mouth.

The easy assignment to push off a squatter had turned into a strange battle with an unusual woman and now a life-threatening situation. A ranger was prepared for anything, but this went beyond any of that. For God’s sake, she was flirting with him. He had no idea how to respond to it. She was the least feminine woman he’d ever met.

About Emma Lang

Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010.

Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses, as well as bookstores. Her path in life has taken several right turns, but she’s been with the man of her dreams for more than 20 years.

Beth works full-time and writes romance novels evening, weekends, early mornings and whenever there is a break in the madness. She is compassionate, funny, a bit reserved at times, tenacious and a little quirky. Her cowboys and western romances speak of a bygone era, bringing her readers to an age where men were honest, hard and packing heat. For a change of pace, she also dives into some smokin’ hot contemporaries, bringing you heat, romance and snappy dialogue.

Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. 😉

Beth loves to hear from readers so get to e-mail her [email protected]

BETH’S WEBSITE: http://www.bethwilliamson.com/
BETH’S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/authorbethw
BETH ON GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38231.Beth_Williamson

Welcome all to the CIRCLE EIGHT: CALEB BY EMMA LANG

~ THE MONTH OF COWBOY LOVIN’~ Blog tour, FEB. 2013

1.  2/1/13     Book Obsessed Chicks

2.  2/2/13     Coffee Time Romance & More

3.  2/4/13     Books & Kisses

4.  2/5/13     Love Books

5.  2/6/13     Mammawolf Blog

6.  2/7/13     Happily Ever After

7.  2/8/13     Chastity Bush’s Blog

8.  2/9/13     Makenwords Blog (LindaMcMaken)

9.  2/11/13    Skyla11377 Blog

10. 2/12/13 RELEASE DAY!!!   Under the Covers Blog

11. 2/13/13    Romancing the Book Blog

12. 2/13/13    Smutketeers

13  2/13/13    Happily Ever After Reads

14. 2/14/13    DayDreamZ Blog

15. 2/15/13    Scorching Book Reviews

16. 2/18/13    The Book Reading Gals

17. 2/19/13    Book Reviews and More

18. 2/20/13    Melissa Cutler’s Blog

19. 2/21/13    Smexy Books

20. 2/22/13    Dee’s Book Blog

21. 2/23/13    Ebookpushers

22. 2/25/13    Forever Book Lover

23. 2/26/13    Herding Cats & Burning Soup

24. 2/27/13    My Secret Romance

We have an ebook copy of CALEB up for grabs.

 

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Books have the power to unite people and that is exactly what happened with us! Our love for books have brought us together and we’ve become good friends in a short amount of time. We “met” online through Goodreads and decided to share our passion of books with fellow book lovers. And that is how Under the Covers came to be.

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44 Comments

  2. I love, love cowboys. I love them in a sexy cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a nice pair of blue jeans. Love a cowboy with a nice ass and a sexy southern accent. I also love to see a gorgeous man on a horse.

    Reply

    1. Hi Angie! I am eclectic music person – I listen to all genres. Most times I put the music on shuffle and enjoy. Sometimes country is the thing and other times rock. When I’m writing an action scene, I listen to dance music! 🙂

      Reply

  5. My favorite thing about Cowboys is how they are always gentlemen…even when they can be jerks it seems ingrained in them.

    Reply

  6. Cowboys themselves are generally hot. I especially love their southern accent and them wearing a worn pair of jeans. Great interview and can’t wait to read Caleb’s book. Thanks.

    Reply

  9. They’re just so rugged and sexy plus they’re good with their hands 🙂
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

    Reply

  13. thanks for the fun post and congrats to Emma on the new release! I think I like cowboys b/c they are rugged and tough 🙂

    Reply

  14. My favorite thing about cowboys is that they are hard workers cowboys are not lazy and they have the body to prove it.

    Reply

  15. Thanks for sharing & the excerpt gonna be another great book! The best things about cowboys are that they are real, hard working men that aren’t afraid to work for what they want and will do anything to keep what they love. They make for great stories 🙂

    Reply

  18. I love Cowboys because they are not afraid to be “real men” rugged alpha males!
    Thanks for this nice giveaway, I read so many beautiful comments by Kimberly Rocha.
    Happy release day!

    Reply

  19. The description for Caleb sounds great, would love to win and read this. What do I like about cowboys? Their tough guys but they are also protective and caring of what they consider theirs. Love a good cowboy romance!

    Reply

  20. Hi

    I love Cowboys in books – they are always so sexy and have that alpha thing going for them. They also are portrayed as loyal and trustworthy.

    Thanks for the chance

    Pam

    Reply

  22. ooo i love cowboys!! they are so rugged and not afraid of hard work. i love a man that is willing to get dirty and have callouses on his hands. The excerpt sounds awesome! thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply

  26. Hard to pick just one thing but I’d have to say how they take care of their women and remind me of the old American West

    Reply

  28. Everybody loves Cowboys! Their down to earth work ethic, connection to family!
    Suggested subject: NO gun control, including universal background checks!

    modularmates(at)comcast(dot)net

    Reply

  29. I love raw physicality of cowboys and how dedicated they are!
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    mestith at gmail dot com

    Reply

  31. All of the above!!! Sexy drawl, rockin hard bodies, and everything mentioned above. Thank you for this awesome giveaway!

    Reply

  35. Day-UM! The Cover is HOT! And the Excerpt, OH, Sexy Hot, What’s more to like than a Southern Cowboy!

    Reply

  36. I just love the rugged outdoorsy men with their boots and hats who don’t speak much but are ready for anything they might need to save an innocent from. 😀

    Reply

  37. They are hot and sexy in their cowboy hats and tight jeans. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    kandj7299 at verizon dot net

    Reply

  40. I like the muscles and that they know how to work hard and play hard. Thanks for the excerpt and interview! It sounds like a great story.

    Reply