18 March 2014

Perfect Ride #newrelease March 18th #GLBT with @eva_lefoy and @shilohsaddler from @decadentpub

Blood, guts and tears on the bull riding trail

Yes sir, there’s plenty of harm that can come to a man sitting atop 1,600 pounds of pure power. A bull’s got his own mind and often an ornery disposition to go with it. When a man straddle a beast that size he’s mostly asking for trouble. Death and injury are common occurrences on the Professional Bull Riders circuit and most riders don’t escape the sport without breaking something. Garrett Anderson, the bull rider in Perfect Ride, breaks a leg when it’s slammed against the fence by the out-of-control bull, Spitfire. It’s not being mean to the character, it’s being true to life. Accidents happen and they don’t always feel good.

Of course, fellow author Shiloh Saddler and I added a bit of literary make-believe in our story. The bull’s not only mad as heck, it’s also been drugged. By what, you ask? You’ll never believe me. By who? Well, that’s another secret you’ll have to read to believe. Let’s just say bulls shouldn’t let other bulls shoot up and rodeo clowns aren’t always funny.

For Garrett, the injury to his leg comes at the worst possible time. He’s already feeling the necessity of retiring – at 32, he’s practically the oldest man on the circuit – and the run-in with Spitfire comes near the end of the year’s circuit. He’s got to have eight weeks to heal, but those eight weeks will play havoc with his score and his overall standing, pushing him out of the winner’s circle for the first time in… forever.

It comes down to this: Garrett must choose to either retire or fight his way back to the top. But at 32 and a body full of aches and pains from sitting on too many wild bulls, can he do it? Should he even try? Or should he just hang up his hat and walk away, back to the sandy haired cowboy he met in Sheridan, Wyoming on the dusty bull riding trail?

I bet you can guess the answer to that!

Stay tuned for an excerpt from Perfect Ride.

Thanks for reading!

Eva

The whole storyline for Perfect Ride is:

Professional bull rider Garrett Anderson lives for the next town, the next trophy and his next ride. When he rolls into Sheridan, Wyoming, the last thing he expected was to meet a cowboy like Cole—a man who corrals his heart and leaves him aching for the kind of love he’s been missing.

A bull tender on the PBR circuit Cole Richards secretly longs for a lover but wasn’t prepared for Garrett’s passion or the longing their one brief tryst kindles.  After he is shot and recovering in his hospital bed, Cole can only watch Garrett’s disastrous ride afraid it could be his last. Heartbroken when the battered and bruised bull rider leaves town, Cole knows better than to hope to see him again.

Attacked again and knee-deep in trouble, Cole wants only Garrett at his side. But can his bull rider trade fame and fortune for a lifetime with his one perfect ride?



Excerpt:

Garrett bit down on the mouth guard and squeezed the bull tightly with his legs. The gate swung open and Spitfire didn’t move. He acted like he’d already expended all his energy acting up in the chute. Come on. You’re supposed to be one nasty bucker.
The gateman closed the gate and Garrett had to reset. Freddy stood near him ready to offer any assistance. Garrett cussed under his breath and rewrapped his hand.
“Come on, Spitfire, it’s time for both of us to go to work.”
Garrett slapped the bull’s side, getting his attention. He nodded again to the gateman and this time they burst out of the chute, but he couldn’t spur until the bull settled his footing. When he did, Spitfire charged and weaved down the arena snorting and thrashing his head along the way. Every toss of the massive head brought those creamy-white horns dangerously close to his thighs and his guts. Garrett’s heart settled squarely in his throat and he struggled to breathe. Holding tight to the rope, and squeezing his leg muscles until he ached, he felt like he was being dragged by a runaway train. He wished the bullfighters would come in and shoot the crazy animal.
The bull didn’t slow down or change course. The steel barriers loomed closer and closer and closer. Should I bail? If he jumped, he’d have no chance at the money. He gripped the rope harder, his knuckles turning white, and hung on as Spitfire crashed into the heavily reinforced gate head on, horns clanging against the metal nearly pitching his rider off over his head. Garrett felt his arm pulled out of its socket and pain engulfed his shoulder. Then Spitfire spun and rammed Garrett’s leg against the gate. Garrett heard the loud crack over the roar of the crowd, felt the sharp stab of pain race up his thigh hard and fast to jolt his brain. More adrenaline flooded his system and the pain went away. His leg dangled uselessly against Spitfire’s side. Without it to help keep himself upright, he was entirely at the bull’s mercy. Garrett’s already hard breathing quickened. He felt the sickening surge of combined pain and panic clawing at his awareness. Just don’t get tangled up in the rope. With his broken leg, he wouldn’t be able to stand and would be whipped around like a rag doll. Now he could only grip the rope tighter and pray. His whole bull-riding career flashed before eyes going all the way back to mutton busting. A sour taste rose into his mouth. Was this going to be his last ride?
The bull snorted and bucked into a right-hand spin. The change of momentum threatened to push him into the well. Then he heard it. One of the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard or would ever hear. The buzzer sounded and Garrett let go of the rope with relief, crumpling to the ground. He laid there unable to move. With the ride completed, awareness of the pain in his leg took over. It was impossible for him to stand now, much less run. He gritted his teeth and attempted to crawl away from the bull, the pain so intense it felt like his leg was on fire. He finally gave up, crumpling into the dirt.


Perfect Ride is out now from Decadent Publishing.

By the way, Shiloh and I are currently editing book II, which is young bull rider Freddy’s story. Look for it later this year!

Bio:

Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.

Contact Eva:

Bio:
Shiloh Saddler likes to do research for her steamy romances first hand. She has invented a time machine and travels back to the 19th century on a regular basis. There are experimental settings on her time machine which could propel her into the future and even other worlds. She believes love and a good book makes anything possible.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

isn't that an ouchy excerpt? Glad it's not me!

Shiloh Saddler said...

Now that's some real PBR action!