Help me welcome Ana Morgan to Five on Friday. Don’t forget to check out her books and follow her on social media. Remember how important reviews are to authors, so please review the books you read on Amazon or your favorite retailer.

Blade Masters has finally spotted his ideal Dakota Territory ranch, where he can live alone, forget his cheating ex-fiancée, and bury the shards of his shattered heart. All he needs to do is sweet-talk the ailing owner, and his spitfire daughter, into retiring.

If she weren’t desperate, Stormy would never hire a cowhand. She’s learned the hard way that she’s happier working her family’s ranch alone. But, the greedy banker who holds their mortgage just demanded payment in full—or her hand in marriage.

Will this handsome drifter protect her? Or does he have designs of his own?

The Night Owl Reviews:

“Stormy Hawkins” is a rollicking good time. It’s an old-fashioned western with just the right amount of heat to it make feel modern. Stormy is a sassy, hardworking woman. She’s more at home in pants and boots than a dress. Blade is very much her match. The story runs the gamut from steamy to suspenseful. Villains threaten our couple at every turn. Blade and Stormy are quite the pair and misunderstandings abound. The author pens some sensual love scenes and touching moments. The dialogue is entertaining and the action is pretty much nonstop. This book was hard to put down. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one in the series.

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When she was small, Ana Morgan’s dream was to know something about everything. She has studiously waitressed, driven a school bus, run craft service on indie film sets, wandered through European castles, wired a house, married a Marine, canned vegetables, and studied the stars. She knows how to change a flat tire but prefers a gallant, handsome stranger who strips off his jacket and spins the lug nuts for her.

Ana embarked on her writing career by crafting succinct cooking directions for her Secret Garden soup mixes—and graduated to lyrical essays about living on a small organic farm for her CSA’s weekly newsletter. Eventually, she realized she wanted to write what she loved to read—steamy romance novels.

She and her husband eloped six weeks after they met and moved from southern California to northern Minnesota. They taught themselves how to milk cows (at first by hand), and raised three go-getter children. One is an award-winning woodworker. Another is IT super-smart. The third is an actor-director-producer.

Ana edits for a regional literary publication, The Talking Stick, and currently serves as president of From the Heart Romance Writers.

Ana’s Five on Friday Questions

Do I read horoscopes?

In my early 20s, natal astrology made sense of my life when nothing else did. Solar return, transit and secondary progression readings helped me survive tough times and make good use of happy times. My children insist on next-year forecasts as each year comes to a close. I do real-life readings professionally, and I generate horoscopes for my main characters as part of developing each character’s profile.

Ann: I think WOW is the only thing I can say. I had a character write horoscopes for the local paper, but I’ve never generated any as part of my character’s profiles. Not a bad idea.

Do you belong to any critique groups?

I belong to two critique groups. I have learned so much from critiquing others’ chapters. And I really benefit from crit partner feedback.

Ann: Amen. I love the diversity of states, age, and gender I receive from the online group I belong to. And my local group offers me completely different feedback. Both groups are helpful in different ways. When I speak to writing groups, joining a critique group is one of the top five things I recommend.

Are the names of characters in my novels important?

I think so. I look for names that convey an image. Blade Masters—sounds dangerous, sharp-edged and strong. Stormy Hawkins—impulsive, fiery temper, old-time values. Galen Thomas—Galen for doctor, healer. (Thomas is what he chose.) Angel Foster—she is left for dead and goes back in time, she’s an orphan. I try to do the same for secondary characters, as well.

Ann: I agree names are a big part of the story. I spend a lot of time researching Texas names since all of my stories are set in the Lone Star. I love the name Blade! Hey, I’m a Texas girl, so I gotta love a cowboy!!

What is a strong memory from childhood?

My family lived in Germany when I was young. One summer, we vacationed in a tiny Swiss village. Milk cows would be herded down from the hills and along the main street. They’d turn into their barns for milking. I picked wild berries. It was unforgettable. When my hubby asked if I would move onto a small farm, I remembered that summer and said, “Yes!”

Ann: What a wonderful memory! 

I’m a new color in the crayon box. What is it?

Right after each of my children was born, I draped purple silk over the bassinette. The silk softened the brightness of both daylight and overhead electric lights, IMO, easing the transition from womb to world. I’d love to be that color. I’d call it angelic purple.

Ann: Love that!!

Thanks, Ana for taking part in Five on Friday. I enjoyed learning more about you…and I LUVED your book cover. I sang that in opera for effect!

 

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