Author Spotlight: Jane Porter

Last week I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing She's Gone Country by Jane Porter.  Today I have a the honor of sharing a guest post with you.

One of my favorite things about writing SHE’S GONE COUNTRY was the setting.  I love Texas.  And I love big sky, wide open spaces, and miles of golden fields spreading out in every direction.  My grandfather was Texan, too, and a cattle rancher so I've always been pretty comfortable in jeans and boots. 

Most people don't know that I love country music and wrote SHE’S GONE COUNTRY to a  playmix of Brad Paisley,  Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,  Trace Adkins, Keith Urban, and Martina McBride.

Years ago I worked for American Airlines and one of my favorite memories of working in and out of DFW was a weekend spent in San Antonio.  I found everything about San Antonio irresistible--touring the Alamo, the Riverwalk, restaurants, and by far the best Tex-Mex food I've ever eaten in my life.  Texas definitely brings out the cowgirl in me, a cowgirl that was shaped by vacations on our ranch 40 miles east of Paso Robles, California.

Vacations on the family ranch meant we were essentially camping.  There were no phone or TV.  No dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer.  Dinner was grilling outside.  Breakfast was pancakes.  And showers were short because all of our water came from the well pumped by a battered old windmill.

It was on the ranch that I learned about campfire stories, building jigsaw puzzles, and playing a mean game of Gin Rummy.  The ranch meant riding horses and hiking and looking for pollywogs in the creek below the house.  We tramped through the dry grass with little rattle snake bite kits in our back pockets and knew exactly what to do if we came across a rattler sunning himself on rocks or the grass. 

My kids have never been to the ranch.  But I think it's time.  They think roughing it is life without an Xbox.  Wait until they experience a couple weeks without a radio or a TV!

Thank you Jane, I look forward to reading more of your work.  

Please check out Jane Porter's website at www.janeporter.com