Author Spotlight: Barbara Ankrum Is Here with Holiday Joy!

Liz Flaherty, you are Barbara’s winner this week! Barbara will be in touch with you. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! We love talking to our readers!

I’m having the best fun this week welcoming my fellow Tule authors into the spotlight with their Christmas romances! Today, it’s Barbara Ankrum, here with her newest Hardestys of Montana novel!

Barbara Ankrum has a thing for the West and has written both historical and contemporary romances, all set in that magical place. Twice nominated for RWA’s RITA Award, her bestselling books are emotional, sexy rides with a touch of humor. Barbara’s married and raised two children in Southern California, which, in her mind, makes her a native Westerner.

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Hi everyone!
First, of course, thanks, Nan, for hosting me again. I so appreciate you sharing your friends with me!

I’m back with Book 3 in my Tule series, The Hardestys of Montana. It’s a Christmas story called The Cowboy’s Miracle Baby. With my first two books in the series already out there in the world and the last two coming soon, I’m so excited for you to check out this series. First, it’s really the closest together I’ve ever written a series before with all the books out within ten months. And second, I fell madly in love with this family, and I hope you do, too.

This book belongs to the youngest of the four siblings, Cami Hardesty and the temporary town large animal veterinarian she unexpectedly falls in love with, Gus Claymore. Gus is a widower and dad to a little girl, Eloise, who has followed him for the past two years as he takes temporary gigs around the country, essentially running from anything permanent and hoping to leave his grief behind him.

And Cami is a girl who has trouble saying no—she’s a little over-committed, over involved and mediator to all family members. But finding an abandoned baby at the dress rehearsal for the Christmas pageant she’s directing might be the straw that breaks her. Gus happens to be there, too, and becomes her ally in trying to find the baby’s mother. They are both hoping to keep the baby out of the system but are fighting the clock before it’s too late. But…what if they don’t?

Meanwhile, Christmas is happening in Marietta whether they’re ready for it or not and little Eloise—a Santa non-believer—just might discover that Christmas magic is still alive and well in Marietta when her fondest, secret wish shows a chance of coming true. And don’t worry. All the other Hardestys you’ve come to love appear in this book, too.
I just love Christmas stories. I did not discover this joy until later in my career, when I began writing for Tule Publishing, but there’s just something about that season that is special. My first Christmas book, Holiday Hearts previously titled, The Christmas Wish, (From my Canadays of Montana series) was made into a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Christmas Movie which was such a thrill for me as a writer. And I’ve since optioned a few more—fingers crossed. But it’s really the books I love writing.

I think it’s because we all feel that magic in the Christmas season is … possible. That things can happen during Christmas that we might not accept any other time. Maybe that’s just me. But my Christmas books always have something a little magical about them, whether it’s a magical feather, a mysterious Santa Claus, or an angel like in my Angel Chronicles series with two Christmas books! So, whatever your Christmas story taste runs to, I hope you enjoy my emotional, magical Christmas books.

Stay tuned for the emotional and fun series finale in February with Book 4, The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart, now available for presale!

GIVEAWAY: To enter to win an e-copy of The Cowboy’s Miracle Baby (or any of my ebooks if you’ve already read this one!) just tell me what your favorite kinds of Christmas romances are. What tropes do you like to read? Winner will be drawn on November 15th. Please check back to see if you’ve won! Thanks for playing.

The Cowboy’s Miracle Baby

Cami Hardesty might have a problem saying no.  Not that she doesn’t love her full life teaching school, herding six-year-olds in Christmas pageants, and helping on her family’s guest ranch. But finding an abandoned newborn at a pageant rehearsal accompanied by a note asking for Cami’s help might just be the thing that breaks her. No one recommends she champion the child. But how can she say no to this infant who needs her and awakens an unexpected want? When the town’s temporary vet takes her side, Cami imagines a life she never had.

For years, Gus Claymore has taken temporary vet gigs and carefully avoided entanglements after the passing of his wife. But Christmas in Marietta blindsides him—the baby’s plight, his young daughter’s hunger for roots and family, and his unexpected and unwanted feelings for Cami. Love? He didn’t think that was in the cards for him again. He has a pending job in Denver, and now an impossible choice.

Can this one lost baby be the Christmas miracle that changes all their lives?

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