Monday, June 17, 2013

Meet Tessa Berkley

            Hi everyone, today we have Tessa Berkley with us to tell us about her Historical Western from The Wild Rose Press Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose. Good morning, Tessa.  
             Good Morning all, I'd like to first thank Becca Dale for having me today. 
             You are more than welcome, Tessa. Glad you could drop by. Please tell readers a litte about yourself.
           My name is Tessa Berkley and I've just had the pleasure of releasing my fist book with The Wild Rose Press entitled Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose, a historical western romance.
            Why historical westerns you ask?
            All my life, I've felt drawn to the American west. The power of the men and women who dared to tame a wild land, to take on nature, or their fellow man when most lived by their own creed governed by their own rules or lack of rules completely intrigues me. So, it should come as no great stretch that I studied history at our local University. 
            For those of you who have picked up a copy of Castillo's story, you've probably already noticed that Trace embodies several characteristics of famous actors. He is a U.S. Marshall aka Matt Dillion. He has a roguish smile similar to Henry Darrow of The High Chaparral. But most of all, he is a man of honor. I think he gets that from John Wayne. 
            Trace is a bit cynical. He's seen the world at its worst and had his heart broken.  He opens the story by running afoul  of our heroine, Mary Rose Thornton. A hot headed Irish lass who could  be played by Maureen O'Hare.  Trace tells Mary Rose's brother, "Women cause trouble on the trail." He just doesn't know what  he's in for.  I'll leave you with a bit of Trace Castillo and Mary Rose.

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            Trace spied a bench partially hidden beneath the boughs of a willow tree. “Over there.” He motioned with his hand and escorted her to the bench. “Sit.”
            She sat down and looked back. “What is so important, Marshal, that you brought me out here, away from my guests?”
            “Miss Thornton,” he began, “do you think it’s advisable to return to the freight office?”
            The air filled with a stunned silence. “Excuse me?” she whispered. He detected a hint of laughter with her disbelief. When he didn’t speak, her eyebrow rose in mild contempt.
            Trace’s mouth pulled to a straight line. “You have experienced the tragic loss of your
brother, whom you clearly adored, not to mention being injured. Surely, you don’t expect to walk into—”
            Her hostile glare stopped him cold. “Go on.”
             He recognized the trace of contempt in her voice. Her eyes were cold and stormy, and he knew he stood on dangerous ground. But she was being pigheaded, and he intended to prove his point. “A freight office is a place where men hang out, rough men. The type of men who would walk over you as soon as look at you.”
            She rose to her feet and stood nose to nose with him. The faint scent of vanilla surrounded them as, eyes ablaze, she lashed her words like a whip. “Don’t you dare tell me it’s not my right to work,” she hissed. “My brother may be dead, but I own that freight company. It is my blood, my sweat, my life!”
            “Your life,” he scoffed. “Your death, Miss Thornton, if you keep up with this foolhardy attempt.”
            She flashed him a look of disdain. “You pompous windbag.” Her nostrils flared and color crept into her cheeks. “Don’t you preach to me! I intend to honor my brother’s memory by making Thornton’s the best freight company in Texas.”
            Her fire set his blood aflame. Any other woman would have run in the opposite direction. In defiance, she stepped closer, glaring up at him, the color of her eyes deepening from blue to deep indigo. In their depths a sparkling of fire leaped and could not go unchallenged. Unable to control his movements, Trace reached out and grasped her by the waist, his broad hands nearly spanning her middle.
            “Oh, yes.” His words tumbled over his lips, deep, throaty, and laced with desire. “You’ll make a name for yourself. Every unmarried man, every scoundrel, and every hot blood in southwest Texas will turn up on your doorstep. They will watch the tilt of your head, the sway of your skirts, and try to catch the shimmer of fire in that fine head of hair.”
            Beneath his stare, her eyes widened. Not from fear, but with understanding of what his words meant. He searched her face but didn’t hold back. “They won’t stop there,” he continued, pulling her toward him. “Not until they have a taste of heaven.” He felt the warmth of her hand upon his chest setting the skin below it aflame as she tried to push him back. Ignoring the pressure, he leaned closer. Her mouth opened to signal a protest, and before she had time to stiffen her arm and push him away, his lips descended upon hers.
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            Please look me up on Facebook and on Twitter @tessa_berkley

            You can even join my newsletter by clicking over to my website and following the links on the first page. Stop by and say hi. I'm in a pretty generous mood today, so one lucky commenter on this blog will win a copy of Castillo's FieryTexas Rose. So be sure and leave your email addy so I can get in touch with you.

Thanks,
Tessa

24 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me today, Becca. I can't wait to meet your readers.

    Tessa

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  2. Loved Matt Dillion and there is nothing hotter than a cowboy or lawman. Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose sounds great. Congratulations on the release.

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    1. Hi L. C.

      I'm sorry to get back to all of you this evening but of course Mother Nature decided to have some fireworks of her own. LOL I grew up with all those wonderful cowboys of the 60's. I tell you as I was writing this one, I thought about John Wayne and James Drury, Doug MacClure and Tim Matheson from the Virginian. Thanks for coming by.

      Tessa

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  3. OOOoooo I love me a hot historical western! Great excerpt, congrats on your release! I may have to check this one out myself ;)

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    1. Hey Olivia,
      Thanks for coming by.
      I'm real excited about this book. It was so much fun to write. I got to channel my inner John Wayne.

      Tessa

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    2. I *heart* John Wayne, I think I've seen all his old western movies.

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    3. Yep,

      The true American Hero. My favorite - Angel and the Badman.. sigh swoon.

      Tessa

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  4. I love historicals. I love westerns. I think you just hooked me! ;)

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    Replies
    1. Hey Deena,
      Thanks so much for coming by. I love westerns too.

      Tessa

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  5. Sounds like a great read. Congratulations on your new release!

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    1. Lt. Camlann,

      Thanks for coming by and for the congratulations.
      You are all so awesome.

      Tessa

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  6. Well now, Tessa had me at the Castillo name (okay, another series, but she still had me!). Plus, Tessa knows the way to my heart - Oreos. All Oreos, all the time. I love her writing even without sandwich cookies and this excerpt was awesome!

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    Replies
    1. Valerie,

      Hand to heart. You are the best. Thanks for coming by. I am so honored to have you here. We must indulge in an Oreo weekend sometime soon.

      Tessa

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    2. It's a deal! I'll make sure to bring the squirty cheese and Triscuits, too. They help form the perfect trifecta of snacky goodness. Good luck with the new release in the meantime!

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    3. Yes ma'am,

      I'll pack those in my bag and have 'em ready LOL.
      Thanks you. I'm enjoying Trace Castillo story very much.

      Tessa

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  7. Sounds pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing with us!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for coming by, Kate.

      I'm thrilled you liked it.

      Tessa

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  8. OH this book looks right up my alley. :) Congrats on your first release. Nothing feels better :)

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    Replies
    1. Dominique,

      Thank you so much. This is high praise. I am honored.

      Tessa

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  9. Westerns are my favorite! I keep planning to write one, but keeping....forgetting to.

    Looks so great! Congrats.
    Stephanie Beck

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    Replies
    1. Hi Stephanie,

      Oh I hope you'll remember one day to do so. Doing some research, I think I have a new respect for luxuries like toilet paper, telephones, lights and of course air conditioning. Thank you so much for stopping by.

      Tessa

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  10. Tessa, I'm hooked on this story already. Great excerpt! Congratulations on your new book.
    Between The Pages

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lynda,

      Thank you, ma'am.
      I loved writing this story.

      Tessa

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  11. WOW, what a great two days I've had. I've enjoyed meeting each and every one who left a comment. All the names were placed into my cowboy coffee mug and these were drawn.
    Winner of Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose - L.T. Camlan

    Other winners will receive a copy from my backlist.
    Stephanie Beck
    Dominique Eastwick
    Thanks to everyone who took their time to come out and say hello. I am honored.

    Tessa

    ReplyDelete

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