DARBY is the second book in The Ghost Mountain Ranch series. Tell us about this series. What ties the books together?
Several years ago, I decided to give a story to Hank, the head wranglers at the Six Buckles Ranch in Montana. The story didn’t have such a happy ending, but it was a way for me to have Hank leave the Dawson family and go to Ghost Mountain Ranch where I knew he would meet his high school sweetheart Darby York.
The three books that I wrote after HANK tell the story of Darby and her two children Slade (named after her first love) and Kelsey. Darby is estranged from her father but comes home to the ranch at the urging of Hank and Kelsey. There she uncovers clues about her mother’s past. The next two stories in the series are complete romance, but they also reveal the mystery about what happened to Darby’s mother.
What's your inspiration for this series?
My husband and I visited a Montana dude ranch in 2016, so the Ghost Mountain Ranch is sort of a combination among several ranches. When I wanted to add a mystery to my new western series, my editor suggested doing something about the anti-war movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I read a few history books on the subject and came up with a complicated back story for Darby, her mother, and Darby’s family.
Tell us more about your heroine, Darby York. What in her past influenced her to be the woman we meet in the story?
Darby was very close to her mother. When her mother commits suicide, Darby feels guilty and thinks she’s somehow responsible. She flees the Montana dude ranch where she grew up and ends up working at a Kentucky horse farm where she meets and marries the wealthy owner. I wanted her life in Kentucky to be happy. She has children and a doting husband who indulges her passion for art. When the story starts, I wanted Darby to resist returning to Montana because of the guilt she’s never resolved.
Several years ago, I decided to give a story to Hank, the head wranglers at the Six Buckles Ranch in Montana. The story didn’t have such a happy ending, but it was a way for me to have Hank leave the Dawson family and go to Ghost Mountain Ranch where I knew he would meet his high school sweetheart Darby York.
The three books that I wrote after HANK tell the story of Darby and her two children Slade (named after her first love) and Kelsey. Darby is estranged from her father but comes home to the ranch at the urging of Hank and Kelsey. There she uncovers clues about her mother’s past. The next two stories in the series are complete romance, but they also reveal the mystery about what happened to Darby’s mother.
What's your inspiration for this series?
My husband and I visited a Montana dude ranch in 2016, so the Ghost Mountain Ranch is sort of a combination among several ranches. When I wanted to add a mystery to my new western series, my editor suggested doing something about the anti-war movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I read a few history books on the subject and came up with a complicated back story for Darby, her mother, and Darby’s family.
Tell us more about your heroine, Darby York. What in her past influenced her to be the woman we meet in the story?
Darby was very close to her mother. When her mother commits suicide, Darby feels guilty and thinks she’s somehow responsible. She flees the Montana dude ranch where she grew up and ends up working at a Kentucky horse farm where she meets and marries the wealthy owner. I wanted her life in Kentucky to be happy. She has children and a doting husband who indulges her passion for art. When the story starts, I wanted Darby to resist returning to Montana because of the guilt she’s never resolved.
What about Hank Slade, wrangler at Ghost Mountain Ranch? What's a wrangler? What kind of man is he?
A wrangler is someone who looks after horses or other animals on a ranch. On a dude ranch, a wrangler will get the horses ready and lead trail rides for the guests. Hank Slade is a loner. He’s been a wrangler at the Dawson’s ranch for years. Hank is unlucky in love. He had two loves—Darby and Liz Dawson, the wife of the ranch owner who has recently remarried. Taking the head job at Ghost Mountain Ranch gives Hank a new purpose in life. He doesn’t count on Darby coming back into it.
What inspired you to write about older protagonists?
A wrangler is someone who looks after horses or other animals on a ranch. On a dude ranch, a wrangler will get the horses ready and lead trail rides for the guests. Hank Slade is a loner. He’s been a wrangler at the Dawson’s ranch for years. Hank is unlucky in love. He had two loves—Darby and Liz Dawson, the wife of the ranch owner who has recently remarried. Taking the head job at Ghost Mountain Ranch gives Hank a new purpose in life. He doesn’t count on Darby coming back into it.
What inspired you to write about older protagonists?
I understand older protagonists better because I am older myself. I also like to give characters a second or third chance in life. We don’t get our lives right from the beginning. As Hank says, we learn from our mistakes.
Which character in the series is your favorite to write? Why?
I enjoyed writing about Darby and having her come to terms with her past. She runs away from her fears until she must confront the truth and her feelings.
Which character in the series is the hardest to write? Why?
I think Slade was the hardest to write. He’s unsure of himself but becomes a man working at the ranch. I hope I made his growth in self-confidence realistic.
Which character in the series is your favorite to write? Why?
I enjoyed writing about Darby and having her come to terms with her past. She runs away from her fears until she must confront the truth and her feelings.
Which character in the series is the hardest to write? Why?
I think Slade was the hardest to write. He’s unsure of himself but becomes a man working at the ranch. I hope I made his growth in self-confidence realistic.
Blurbs ~
HANK:
On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living.
DARBY:
Thirty years ago, Darby Heston fled her family’s Montana dude ranch. Now she must return to help her father. Would the boyfriend she’d abandoned still be there? Hank Slade has never stopped loving Darby, but is he willing to risk his heart again? Secrets tore them apart once. Given a second chance at love, will more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?
SLADE:
Slade Heston is spending the summer as a hired hand at his grandfather’s dude ranch, trying to figure out life, not fall in love. Laurie Chastain is supposed to write promotions for the ranch, but she has a secret goal. What did a 1970s radical resistance group have to do with her grandfather? Laurie’s only clue leads her to Ghost Mountain Ranch. Will their growing attraction be enough to protect Slade and Laurie from the ghosts of the past?
KELSEY:
Kelsey Heston’s using the skills learned at her family’s Kentucky horse farm to improve tourism at her grandfather’s dude ranch. But what is her old college sweetheart doing here? Max Lee has come to Ghost Mountain Ranch searching for a missing woman. Instead, he finds Kelsey. But old secrets are stirring, secrets someone might be willing to kill to keep. Can they finally lay the old ghosts to rest, or will the echoes of a decades-old murder destroy their second chance at love?
Bio ~
Whether it is the Bluegrass of Kentucky, the mountains of Montana, or Medieval England, Jan Scarbrough brings you home with romances from the heart.
The author of two popular Bluegrass series, Jan writes heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms, and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion—horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books and the excitement of a Bluegrass horse race or a competitive horse show.
Jan leaves her contemporary voice behind with two paranormal gothic romances, Timeless and Tangled Memories, a Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart finalist. Her historical romance, My Lord Raven, is a medieval story of honor and betrayal.
A member of Novelist, Inc., Jan self-publishes her books with her husband’s help.
YOU CAN BUY THE GHOST MOUNTAIN STORIES HERE:
https://books2read.com/HankGhostMountain
https://books2read.com/Darby
https://books2read.com/SladeGhostMountain
https://books2read.com/Kelsey
YOU CAN FIND JAN HERE:
Website http://janscarbrough.com/
Blog http://janscarbrough.com/blog/
Newsletter http://janscarbrough.com/contact/
Amazon Author URL https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Scarbrough/e/B001K8768A
Bookbub Author URL https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-scarbrough
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Romancerider/
Twitter https://twitter.com/romancerider
AllAuthor https://allauthor.com/profile/romancerider/
https://books2read.com/HankGhostMountain
https://books2read.com/Darby
https://books2read.com/SladeGhostMountain
https://books2read.com/Kelsey
YOU CAN FIND JAN HERE:
Website http://janscarbrough.com/
Blog http://janscarbrough.com/blog/
Newsletter http://janscarbrough.com/contact/
Amazon Author URL https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Scarbrough/e/B001K8768A
Bookbub Author URL https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-scarbrough
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Romancerider/
Twitter https://twitter.com/romancerider
AllAuthor https://allauthor.com/profile/romancerider/
Thank you, Jan, for joining us today and for sharing your Ghost Mountain Ranch series with us!
4 comments:
Thank you, MJ, for having me on your blog. This series gave me headaches writing it, but it was worth it in the end!
I enjoyed the post and meeting the characters in Darby. I'm glad this book has older characters. They're easier to relate to nowadays, since I'm older as well.
I'm sure it was! They sound like very interesting characters! Can't wait to have an opportunity to read this series! Thanks for being my guest!
Yes. I've seen a lot or readers respond in the same way to books with older characters. Thanks for joining us today, Kara! Hope you have a spectacular weekend!
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