How long have you been writing?

I’ve always made up stories in my head, and the minute I learned how to write them down, I started doing it. I began writing seriously for publication in 2007, and sold my first book in 2009.

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I think my books are powered by dialogue. So I’d have to say the conversations between the people in the book. And also, a lot of talk of food and small mammals.

What projects are you working on at the present?

Right now I’m working on the last book about the Donnelly brothers, in the Copper Ridge series, Christmastime Cowboy.

Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?

I think good books always inspire me to write. In the beginning it was Miranda Lee, Sharon Kendrick, Penny Jordan, Lynne Graham, those great Harlequin Presents authors who make me fall in love with the line, and made me want to write the books so badly. I think reading books by Elizabeth Hoyt and Lisa Kleypas always make me feel inspired. I’m in awe of what they do with language and character. Nicole Helm writes the most wonderful family dynamics, Megan Crane is a master of world building and Jackie Ashenden is the queen of the deep, internal conflict. Reading those books always inspires me to reach for more in my own writing.

What do you like to read in your free time?

The above mentioned authors! LOL. I’m a huge Historical Romance reader. Lisa Kleypas, Elizabeth Hoyt and Julie Anne Long are my favorites. In contemporary Nicole Helm, Jackie Ashenden and Megan Crane (who also writes dystopian romances I love!)

FUN STUFF

How many donuts are you capable of eating in one sitting?

I have a lot of follow up questions. How many can I eat comfortably? How many can I eat without regard for my well being? Is this a competition? Because if it’s a competition…the most.

What is your go-to method for getting rid of hiccups?

Taking a mouthful of water and turning upside down to swallow it. It works every time!

Do you have a favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

Samoas. Which I guess are a very divisive cookie. It’s a love or hate thing. I am in the love camp.

This or That?

Winter or Summer? Winter. Summer and I have a limited tolerance for each other.

TexMex or Italian? Italian. Though I’d choose Mexican food over Italian food. Just not TexMex.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate.

Fried or Scrambled? Scrambled. With ketchup and cheese.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Find out more about Maisey and her books, as. well as all of her social media links, at her website: http://www.maiseyyates.com.

Title: Slow Burn Cowboy    Author: Maisey Yates

Genre: Western contemporary romance

Imprint: HQN          On-sale date: April 18, 2017

In Copper Ridge, Oregon, a cowboy’s best friend might turn out to be the woman of his dreams…

If Finn Donnelly makes a plan, he sticks to it. After his brothers left Copper Ridge, Finn stayed behind, determined to keep their ranch going by himself. And when he realized his feelings for Lane Jensen were more than platonic, he shoved that inconvenient desire away. It was easy…until it wasn’t. Suddenly his brothers are coming home to claim their share of the property. And Lane is no longer just in his fantasies. She’s in his arms, and their friendship is on the line…

He’s been her buddy, her handyman, her rock. But until that one breathtaking kiss, Lane somehow overlooked the most important thing about Finn Donnelly—he’s all man. They’re right together, no matter how much his volatile past has bruised him. Finn wants to hold Lane’s body, but he doesn’t want to hold her heart. But Lane is falling fast and now she’s got a plan of her own…to show Finn there’s nothing hotter than friendship turned to slow-burning love.