A Cowboy for Keeps, the first book in my Colorado Cowboys series, is now available!
As I’ve shared the word about my newest series, some of my readers are surprised by the cowboy theme. And I’ve had to reassure everyone that, no, I’m not switching genres and writing westerns! This new series is another historical romance with my trademark plot twists, vibrant settings, and deeply emotional characters. But this time the package includes hunky cowboys!
In order to research the series, I decided I was long overdue for a vacation to Colorado. Let me tell you, the trip was such a trial (NOT!). Actually, I really love visiting Colorado. When I was a child, I lived up in the high country in Granby in Middle Park. Then my husband and I lived in Denver for a few years while he went to grad school. So in some ways, Colorado feels like home.
During the research trip for this series, I stayed in Breckenridge (and brought my family along for the fun!). We had a blast hiking, fishing, and visiting historic sites. As we toured South Park and the Fairplay area (the setting of the series), I was struck by the vastness of the grassland there and knew it would be the perfect place to set the ranch for this series. Here’s a picture I took that gives you a slight idea of the magnitude of the land and beauty up in the high country.
I loved the area and took notes on everything and also snapped way too many pictures! Here are a few more pictures from my trip (which, thankfully took place before 2020!).
For a chance to WIN a copy of my newest release, please fill out the Rafflecopter form!
Question for YOU? What fascinates you most about the West, the mountains, and/or Cowboys?
Jody Hedlund
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The scenery is amazing! Everything does seem so big!
I live in Colorado and love the mountains even though I live in Colorado Springs. My Dad was a cowboy in Montana growing up on his parents’ ranch. Two of his brothers became ranchers. There is till a Kibler family ranch near Sand Springs, Mt west of Jordan. i believe they use my grandpa’s old brand.
Being in the mountains feels like being closer to God. I love the peace and comfort that mountain air and views gives me.
The mountains and scenery in the West fascinate me because I live in Florida where it’s extremely flat!
I love the way a cowboy looks on a horse, there honesty, being family oriented and they are so hard working. Thanks for your great generosity.
I love the west! All of it. Especially nature, mountains, canyons, animals… so much beauty!
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I think it’s the vast open spaces and the beauty of the countryside that attracts me to the west. We have had a couple trips to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas and loved it! The beauty of the contrast between the flat lands and the mountains and all the critters we got to see makes us want to go back again. We had planned an extended trip to Utah to see all the national parks in the state in 2020. Took over a year to plan and one day to cancel all those plans. Some day!
Think cowboys are a draw to be because of the rugged life they live and their determination to keep the stock safe while enjoying the beauty of the landscape around them. Those characteristics have one envisioning cowboys and loyal, trustworthy, willing to work for their pay, love the outdoors and are generally kind. These are characteristics are what we look for in people we admire, try to be like and hope we have in our lives.
Thank you for the fabulous chance to win a copy of “A Cowboy for Keeps”! I would love to get in on this new series from the very start. On my TBR list and can’t wait for the opportunity to read it. Shared and hoping to be the extremely fortunate one selected.
I’ve not been in that area of the country, so I’d definitely want to go there. Photographs, I’m sure do not do the majestic beauty of the mountains justice. Plus, I’ve rarely seen snow, so that would be a real treat!
The mountains are absolutely breathtaking and so majestic.
I have family in Colorado and always enjoy being a ‘mile-high’ and basking in the beauty. Also, who doesn’t love a cowboy?? I mean just look at the cover of your book. YYYYYEEEEEHHHHAAAAWWWW!
We were able to visit Granby a few years ago! It’s so beautiful there! I think I love cowboy stories so much because I grew up watching Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Rifleman, etc. and cowboy stories transport me back to those days of cows, horses and the wide-open spaces of the West. Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I would love to see the different mountain ranges but my first love of the West will always be the cowboys. I grew up watching TV westerns with my Daddy so I love cowboys!
Thanks for this giveaway.
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
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I love cowboys
The West offers beautiful wide open spaces and cowboys represent hardworking heroes that are gentlemen. I’m old-fashioned but I still enjoy being treated like a lady by my handsome husband who is the epitome of a gentleman.
Such beautiful photos! I can see why you were excited to use Colorado as your setting. Sounds like a book I’d love to read!
Beautiful! I adore Colorado. I live further west in Washington though. I grew up dreaming of horses, cowboys, ranches, wild west adventures. It’s one of my favorite themes/time periods to read about. Congratulations on your new book!
The mountains are just so beautiful and have stood the test of time.
I was 21 years old the first time I saw mountains, in person. I will never forget the magnificence and awe I felt! Our God and creator set those mountains in place and they are a testament to His majesty and greatness. I hope that feeling never gets old, and that I feel it every time in in mountainous areas!
I love the beauty and the peacefulness of the West, the slower pace of life and the friendliness of the people. I traveled out West for the first time 5 years ago (to Montana) and it was amazing!
I also shared a graphic on Pinterest!
I’m always fascinated by the beauty of the mountains but also the challenges they presented to early settlers. Looking forward to your new book!
I recently took a trip out West, to British Columbia. Driving through the wild but majestic mountains was absolutely breathtaking, and I kept thinking “I can’t believe how awe-inspiring our Creator is!” I also have a love of history, so learning and reading about how people used to live – especially in the rugged West, where everything was new and people were scarce – fascinates me!
I love mountains! The Rockies are my favorite. I’ve been privileged to go to Grand Teton National Park and Glacier National Park. Our Ozark Mountains (hills) in Missouri are nice but nothing compared to the Rockies!
Such fascinating and beautiful pictures! Can’t wait to read this! Thank you for the opportunity 😊!
I guess what fascinates me most about the mountains is how remote they are and the adventure of the people who settled them, not settling for the comfortable life they knew but willing to go and see what was out “there”. Their reward was beauty worth painting and taking countless photos of and a sense of awe at the work of the Creator that they would have missed if they had just stayed put.
What interests me is the isolation, and how communities ultimately came together. We do, however, need to recognize who we pushed out to do so, and I’m seeing that acknowledgement in more stories.
I live in Kentucky and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. However, I loved when we drove through the western states. The mountains, and the flat areas, and the variety of browns in the desert. And who doesn’t love the romance of the cowboys mystique. I remember going to Houston back in the early 80’s and going to a “cowboy” hangout. Then years later my husband and I stopped in at a roadside diner and saw the real working cowboys there. What a world of difference between the two types of cowboys. LOL I prefer the real ones.
So beautiful!!! Thank you Jody for the giveaway!
Warmest congratulations on your new release, Jody!!
I am native to the west and have loved at the base of the mountains my entire life. The majesty of the land and beauty of the area are always fascinating. I remember being shocked when I learned that the geography was not the same along the United States. As such I’ve always lived in farm land and cowboys are a part of the everyday-I have high expectations of how my children should act.
Thank you for the chance to win! I’m fascinated by the ruggedness of the west, how vast it is and how tough the first settlers had to be to make a living on the land out there.
I love that the mountains are a wonderful reminder of our Wonderful Creator God’s handiwork. The West shows the adventurous spirit of those who moved to settle there. I always admire cowboys for their strong work ethic.
The wildness and beauty of it. I’ve always been fascinated with the American west – I hope to see it someday.
I’d love to go to Colorado. It looks Amazing. and looks like you had a spectacular time!
Some of the things I definitely would do would be Camping, camp fires, singing, hiking, and of course reading 📚!
I enjoy the beautiful scenery, the lesser amounts of concrete and congestion, and the fascinating history of the western states.
The majesty of mountains never ceases to astound me. And having grown up on the prairie, I enjoy ranch-set books.
I love the scenery and the feeling of slowing down. My favorite mountain view is the Grand Tetons. They are so majestic! I can’t imagine what the early settlers thought when they first saw them. It is so peaceful to just sit and take in God’s amazing creation.
I can’t wait to read this series! I love anything to do with cowboys!
We ran cattle in the San Luis Valley and Northern Colorado for about 40 years. We raised our family in that life and it really helped our kids understand how important hard work is. For several years we had a condo in Breck and loved visiting South Park.
What a gorgeous location for your series!
I lived in Boulder CO (1976-1978) & loved the mountains & seeing the wild life in Estes State Park! I enjoy reading about what the pioneers did to survive and how they stretched their food!
The mountains, the quiet, and the beauty of it all!
Hmm. The mountains are GORGEOUS!
The Lord blessed me to live in Colorado Springs for year. It was an amazing time. Congrats on your new series!
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So glad you and your daughters had a fabulous time.
I love the mountains. So much life in them. So much history. And the men that live in them and around them are hardworking wonderful men who made the west what it was.
I love the mountains for their beauty. It’s hard not to go there and not be impressed by them.
I think they are beautiful especially covered in snow.
I would say the landscape, such as the Rocky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Sandia Mountains, and Piedre Lumbre (Shining Rock) is what draws me to the West. I am amazed by God’s handiwork.
I love historical books set in the west! Mostly I enjoy reading/learning about the earlier days of our country and it’s expansion west,
I love horses! I like to read historical western books because of the simple way of life.
I live in the eastern mountains of WV so I would love to visit the western mountains. Thank you for sharing. Blessings
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There is a sense of the untamed in the old west and a frontier to be explored. It has an air of wonder. Add in unbelievably gorgeous mountain views and land as far as the eye can see and it does a heart good.
That is a lot of land. It is so vast; God’s creation is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
I like cowboy stories because they tell about down-to-earth, solid life. There’s not much room for fancy and flouncy stuff, everything is boiled down to the essentials that makes life simpler. It is good to read about hard-working, brave, determined people, even if they are fictional.
Cowboys for sure
Since I already have an awesome cowboy to call my own, I would have to say the mountains!
I’m not really fascinated by the mountains, the west , or cowboys, but do think the mountains are beautiful and it’s fun to read about hunky cowboys!
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The natural beauty is stunning. Thanks for sharing the pictures! Love the rope bed, but maybe not for sleeping on- ha!
The land- I love how the sky is open wide above and the land stretches out to the horizon below. It’s as humbling as staring out into the ocean. It’s powerful. In novels it always sounds so freeing. Plus- there’s always a bit of wild out west. Never a dull moment!
I love all the nature and wide open spaces. The people work hard, but have such a beautiful place to live away from all the noise and bustle.
I pinned this to Pinterest.
Love the scenery and the horses.
I think what fascinates me most is the overwhelming beauty of God’s creation. He is detailed, artistic, and loving enough to give us His gifts.
I live in the Denver metro area and love to drive through the South Park/Fairplay area. The beauty and vastness is truly breathtaking! You almost feel like you are stepping back in time, so I can appreciate why you chose this setting for the novel.
I can’t wait to read this! It sounds amazing!
I have friends in Colorado, but I have never been there. This needs to change! Love your books!
As much as I enjoy cowboys, I am more fascinated by the grandeur of mountains!
Love all the beautiful scenery. Thanks.
I’m not exactly sure what fascinates me about all of it. Maybe the way it is portrayed in historical books as an “untamed land” and “wild.” It’s harder to imagine the east like that before colonization, but with the still very open areas of the west, it is not as hard to imagine.
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I would have to say the natural beauty of the West is what fascinates me the most.