Interview with R.C. Ryan

For our newest All About Cowboys interview, we are thrilled to welcome romance author, R.C. Ryan. This particular interview is in partnership with Forever Romance, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, and is another way to help celebrate the most recent Cowboy of the Month (COTM). If you are new to the site or aren’t otherwise familiar with the COTM campaign, you can find out more on the Forever Romance website, where you can learn about the books they’ve already chosen, as well as see what’s coming up next.

This month’s Cowboy Hero is Ben Monroe from Cowboy On My Mind, R.C. Ryan’s latest release and the first book in her new Montana Strong series. Ben is a rancher and sheriff’s deputy in Haller Creek, Montana and you can read all about him on Forever’s website. In fact, you can find a fantastic hero profile on Ben as well as read an awesome excerpt of the book. And if you’ve read Cowboy On My Mind and you’re on social media talking about Ben or any of the previous or upcoming COTM heroes, be sure to use #CowboyOfTheMonth so Forever Romance and I can see it!

Okie Dreams Readers…Be sure to read to the bottom of this post, because Forever Romance is giving three lucky U.S./Canada readers a full set of The Malloys of Montana series by R.C. Ryan. Each set includes print copies of Luke, Matt, and Reed, the three titles—and Cowboy heroes!—in The Malloys of Montana series. And trust me when I tell you, that’s a set you want to own!

MEET R.C. RYAN

Author of Cowboy On My Mind

New York Times bestselling author R.C. Ryan has written more than ninety novels, both contemporary and historical. Quite an accomplishment for someone who, after her fifth child started school, gave herself the gift of an hour a day to follow her dream to become a writer. 

In a career spanning more than twenty years, Ms. Ryan has given dozens of radio, television, and print interviews across the country and Canada, and has been quoted in such diverse publications as the Wall Street Journal and Cosmopolitan. She has also appeared on CNN News, and Good Morning America. 

R.C. Ryan is a pseudonym of New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ryan Langan. 

You can learn more about R. C. Ryan and her alter ego Ruth Ryan Langan at:
RyanLangan.com as well as follow her on Twitter and Facebook

ALL ABOUT COWBOYS

An exclusive interview with R.C. RYAN

We often hear about “the cowboy code,” what do you think it is and how do you think it pertains to romance heroes today?

RC/Ruth:  The true cowboy reveres women and children, respects and cares for the land, his herds, his wranglers, and guards his heart.

What part of that code do you think appeals to romance readers and why do you think it resonates the way it does?

RC/Ruth:  I think my readers see a cowboy as a present-day Highland warrior, doing battle with the elements to survive, fighting for his turf, protecting his loved ones. 

How do you think this code of ethics helps you in creating the emotional entanglements the heroes in your stories face?

RC/Ruth:  All my heroes have flaws, but the one thing they must have is integrity.  They’re constantly having an emotional battle of wills: their desire to ravish the woman they love while still upholding their need to protect her.

Have you ever intentionally written a hero that went against “the cowboy code” and if so, why did you choose to take that route and what kind of impact did it have on your hero’s emotional journey?

RC/Ruth:  In my current series, Ben, in Cowboy on My Mind, is a bad boy gone good.  He’s the consummate brawler who is forced to suppress his desire to enjoy a good knocked-down, dirty fight in order to respect the badge he wears as a lawman.  Ben was a juvenile delinquent who, along with his brothers, broke into a rancher’s house to steal food and clothing for their escape from a bleak existence. Instead of returning them to their hell, the rancher ended up adopting them and teaching them a better way of life.  They spend their lives trying to live up to his strict code of ethics.

What do you think is the major appeal of the cowboy romance hero?

RC/Ruth:  We still revere those brave men and women who turned their back on civilization to cross mountains and deserts, to risk it all for their own brand of freedom.  To those of us in our cozy cities, we see the American cowboy as a courageous soul who risks it all for his own piece of heaven.

If you could choose one trait that defines a cowboy romance hero in your mind, what would it be and why?

RC/Ruth:  He is a man who puts the welfare of others above his own.  He’s a risk-taker. We will always love and celebrate heroic actions.

Who is your ultimate cowboy hero and why do you love him?

RC/Ruth:  In this series, Montana Strong, it’s Mackenzie Monroe, a man burdened with grief who is actually considering ending his life when he confronts three angry, desperate boys in need of unconditional love.  

Do you have a favorite cowboy book or cowboy quote to share? (We’ll take cowboy-themed recipes, too!)

RC/Ruth:  I loved the old-time Westerns.  True Grit.  Shane.  And Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove.  They had everything.  The quiet hero. The good and evil. The great love. 

Read our book review of R.C. Ryan’s Cowboy On My Mind as well as an find an excerpt from the book here

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

For U.S. and Canada residents only!

Enter to win one of three print sets of The Malloys of Montana series by R.C. Ryan—Luke, Matt, and Reed. Winners will be chosen at random from all entries received. Make sure we have your name and a reachable email address so we can contact you should you win.

* This giveaway is sponsored by Forever Romance *

Leave a comment below about your favorite cowboy romance hero and you’ll be entered to win one of three print sets of The Malloys of Montana series by R.C. Ryan.

* NOW CLOSED *