I feel a deadline breathing down my back so this is going to be short, but dang it, I’m getting excited.  In less than a week, April 29th to be exact, my novella Breeding Season will hit the stands in the Kensington Aphrodisia anthology called Only With A Cowboy.  The cover, ah the cover!  I’m going to try to upload it here but in case that doesn’t work, here’s the important details.  Except for the title which is yellow and our names (P.J. Mellor, Melissa MacNeal, and me, Vonna Harper) in white, it’s all a dusty blue.  What shows–and is the only thing that matters–is this hunky torso of a cowboy.  At least we assume its a cowboy because he’s wearing a cowboy hat and has a length of rope slung across his neck.  The poor man doesn’t have a shirt–maybe the local cowgirls ripped it off him.  His jeans are unsnapped and the zipper at half mast.  The fabric over right knee is torn and ragged, leaving skin exposed, darn it.  Can’t see the left knee but hopefully it’s a matching set.

I have to share how my contribution came about.  My editor asked if I’d like to contribute to the anthology so of course I jumped at the chance.  But the truth is, although I was raised in the country, had a horse (or rather she had me) and belonged to 4-H, I don’t know nuttin about busting no broncs or whatever it is they do on ranches.  But a dear friend is married to a fifth generation beef rancher so I picked Gail’s brain.  No surprise, what grabbed my attention was the breeding part of the operation, specifically those massive bulls that are about twice the size of steers and singleminded.  Hmm, I thought, what if the hero’s bull got loose and stormed ripe for action in the middle of the heroine’s cows?  I’m not going to give away the plot.  Let’s just say that h/h are inspired by the bull’s aggression and the cows’ willingness.  Not a particularly serious tale but one I had a blast writing.

Okay, back to the salt mines but first a question.  On your personal hunk scale, where do cowboys rate? 

Vonna

www.VonnaHarper.com