#charity

I love when an author comes to visit. Today I am happy to host Shanna Hatfield, an accomplished author of sweet romance. She is here to tell us about her inspiration for The Christmas Cowboy, her first rodeo-themed romance, and to raise awareness for a worthy cause she supports – the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.

Rodeo Inspiration
Shanna Hatfield, USA Today Bestselling Author

Inspiration can strike writers in all shapes and forms, but as a visual person, sometimes seeing one simple thing can trigger an idea.

Several years ago, my husband, Captain Cavedweller, and I settled at our gate to wait for our flight home at the Las Vegas airport. As I looked around, I realized I sat amid a sea of cowboy hats. Like us, hundreds of cowboys prepared to depart after attending the Wrangler National Finals.

Each December, the city of Las Vegas takes on a country vibe as the rodeo comes to town, bringing hundreds of vendors, thousands of spectators, and a whole lot of fun.

As we sat at the airport that morning, an idea for a story and accompanying series started to take shape.

Since the cowboys who compete professionally spend a good deal of time traveling, I pondered how many of them flew from one rodeo to the next. If they were flying, it made sense that they might meet a girl at an airport who turned their head.

I began jotting down notes and by the time we reached home, The Christmas Cowboy (Rodeo Romance, Book 1) was born.

The sweet western holiday romance tells the story of Tate Morgan, a successful saddle bronc rider, who falls in love with Kenzie Beckett, a corporate trainer he frequently runs into at the airport. Despite their mutual attraction, the relationship is going nowhere fast. Kenzie has sworn off men in general and good-looking, charming cowboys in particular.

As a big fan of rodeos and a dabbling photographer, I turned to images I’d snapped of the rodeo and crowds to flesh out the details of my story. Pinterest is one of my favorite things in the world. I’ll never make most of the recipes I’ve pinned or attempt even a sampling of the craft projects, but Pinterest gives me the ability to create story boards for each book I write in a visual way that inspires me.

While researching details for The Christmas Cowboy, I became aware of a great organization — the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund (JCCF). From my initial research, I knew I wanted to do something to help promote such a great cause. That’s when I decided to donate a portion of my book sales.

Read A Book, Help A Cowboy – Special Event and Giveaway

This is the ninth year for my Read A Book, Help A Cowboy campaign that runs from October 1 through December 24. During that time, 10 percent of the net proceeds from all my book sales are donated to the JCCF. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period. Because of the JCCF, wounded athletes are given the assistance they need to recover instead of worrying about finances.

To help raise funds and awareness for the JCCF, a kickoff party is held each November. Join us for a day of guest authors, games, and giveaways on November 10 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wholesomeheartsevents

Also, enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card: https://tinyurl.com/22cowboyschristmasentry

Learn more about the Read A Book, Help A Cowboy Campaign and the JCCF at: https://shannahatfield.com/give-back/

And check out the two new releases in the Rodeo Romance series coming this holiday season. Watch for Taming Christmas in the Christmas Wishes & Cowboy Kisses boxed set, and Savoring Christmas releasing November 10.

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers.

Follow her online at:
ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter | Pinterest

Today, as part of a tour organized by iReads, I am happy to turn the spotlight on The Florentine Deception, a techno-thriller by Carey Nachenberg, who has decided to donate all of his proceeds from sales of The Florentine Deception to charities to help underprivileged and low-income students. Sounds like a good read and a great opportunity to support a worthy cause.

Description

floreingdecep._UY250_ A seemingly mundane computer clean-up leads to an electrifying quest for an enigmatic—and deadly—treasure in this gripping techno-thriller.

After selling his dorm-room startup for millions and effectively retiring at the age of twenty-five, Alex Fife is eager for a new challenge. When he agrees to clean up an old PC as a favor, he never expects to find the adventure of a lifetime waiting for him inside the machine. But as he rummages through old emails, Alex stumbles upon a startling discovery: The previous owner, a shady antiques smuggler, had been trying to unload a mysterious object known as the Florentine on the black market. And with the dealer’s untimely passing, the Florentine is now unaccounted for and ripe for the taking. Alex dives headfirst into a hunt for the priceless object.

What starts out as a seemingly innocuous pursuit quickly devolves into a nightmare when Alex discovers the true technological nature of the Florentine. Not just a lost treasure, it’s something far more insidious: a weapon that could bring the developed world to its knees. Alex races through subterranean grottos, freezing morgues, and hidden cellars in the dark underbelly of Los Angeles, desperate to find the Florentine before it falls into the wrong hands. Because if nefarious forces find it first, there’ll be nothing Alex—or anyone else—can do to prevent a catastrophic attack.

The author is donating all of his proceeds from sales of The Florentine Deception to charities to help underprivileged and low-income students.

1,620 books sold, $8,173.00 donated as of December 31st (with $182 pending)!

Let’s help him reach his goal of selling 2,000 books and donating $10,000!

Visit http://florentinedeception.weebly.com/charities.html to see the list of charities.

Buy the audiobook: Amazon ~ Audible

Buy the book: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Giveaway

Click here to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 5 copies of The Florentine Deception; Winners can choose between print, ebook or audiobook (open internationally).

About the Author

Carey Nachenberg is Symantec Corporation’s Chief Engineer and is considered one of the inventors of Norton AntiVirus. As Chief Engineer, Carey drives the technical strategy for all of Symantec’s core security technologies and security content. He has led the design and development of Symantec’s core antivirus, intrusion prevention and reputation-based security technologies; his work in these areas have garnered over eighty-five United States patents.

Nachenberg In addition to his work in the cyber-security field, Carey has also recently published his first novel, a cyber-security thriller entitled “The Florentine Deception,” and is donating all proceeds from sales of the novel to charities supporting underserved students and veterans. Carey holds BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles, where he continues to serve as Adjunct Professor of Computer Science.