Lucky in Love

Lucky in Love introduces us to Beau "Lucky" Luckadeau, who's been pretty lucky in life except when it comes to love. How has that shaped his character?
Lucky could make grass grow in the Sahara and carve a ranch out of nothing but rocks, mesquite and chow chips. That has made him confident. On the other hand the only time he came close to finding to finding his soul mate he let her slip right through his hands. He's not even sure she was anything but the figment of his drunken dreams. With that kind of insecurity he lets a gold diggin' bitch sneak upon his unlucky and self-doubting side.

Millie has some personal issues of her own and must reconcile past betrayals before she can reveal her true feelings for Beau. What makes them the perfect couple?
Love pure and simple. She loves him and he loves her and if they can jump all the hurdles life throws out to trip them up, they'll make it all the way to that golden anniversary.

Lucky in Love has many elements of a Cinderella story. What inspired this modern fairy tale with a twist?
A man and a woman arguing over a barbed wire fence on an Oklahoma back road. The woman's body language left no doubt she was close to climbing the barbed wire fence first and his frame second. "What ifs" set up shop in my head. What if he was engaged to someone else and she was pregnant? What if the fiancé was a bonafide, guaranteed bitch and the girl doing the arguing was his true soul mate? That would make them both pretty unlucky in love. So what would it take to reverse the situation? It went from there to Lucky in Love.

While Millie might be the "Cinderella" of this story, she is anything but demure-she even flies her own plane and is a bull rider. How did you balance Millie's competitive and strong edge with her softer and nurturing side?
All women have two sides. One that would fight a forest fire with a cup of water and expect to have enough left for a drink when the fire was put out; the other that would nurse an ailing baby kitten back to life so her daughter wouldn't cry. Women everywhere put their lives on a balance scale every day. Milli is the poster child for all of them.

Lucky in Love is the first in a trilogy about the Luckadeau brothers. What was your favorite part about writing a family series?
If I shut my eyes and try to think of one absolute favorite part, I can't do it. I loved writing all of the books from the time Milli first saw Beau across that barbed wire fence until Julie and Griffin worked out their differences in Getting Lucky. A family series is like a fancy box of Godiva chocolate truffles. You don't have to be sad when the first chocolate is nothing but a faint taste because there's still more in the box.

Texas and Oklahoma play prominent roles in your novels - they're almost like characters! Why makes the West such a great setting?
Oklahoma and Texas are very vocal characters! No doubt about it. They're like two siblings who argue and bicker but whatever fool starts a fight with either one best be ready to whip them both. The West is a great setting because it has a pulse of its own; a laid back style of its own. Give us some sweet tea, pecan pie and family all around us and we're a happy lot. Don't mess with any one of those things, especially family, or you've got a big problem. Come sit a spell on our front porch while we tell stories and you'll see why it makes a good setting for a western romance book.

What is the most important element in Lucky in Love?
Love conquers all: the good, the bad and the indifferent; yesterdays, todays and tomorrows; sorrows, joys and everything else in life.

What do you think is the appeal of cowboy heroes?
There is something about cowboy boots, hats, belt buckles and a deep sexy voice. It could be because they see a modern day knight-in-shining armor. Cowboys protect their women even if the woman is sassy, brassy and strong; they have broad shoulders to catch tears; they have big hearts and when they fall in love they fall hard; and they can two step around a dance floor and ... well, how much room do you have for this interview?

Can you give us a sneak peek at what you're working on next?
Yes, ma'am. That would be the Honky Tonk series for Sourcebooks. It's about an old beer joint named the Honky Tonk down in Palo Pinto County, Texas. The Honky Tonk Series kicks off next June with I LOVE THIS BAR. HELL YEAH, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED, and HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS will follow right soon after. There's a very feisty bar owner in each book that swears the only way she'll leave the Honky Tonk is when they carry her cold dead body out the door and she'll have her fingers wrapped around a cold bottle of Coors beer when they do. And four headstrong, hunky men who convince them to leave long before that happens.