July 11, 2006

Honky-Tonk Girl

“Try,” by Lily Burana

Waylon and Willie said it themselves: Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.

Daryl Heatherly heard them loud and clear.

The tattooed twentysomething with a cowgirl twist is the heroine of Lily Burana’s debut novel, Try (that’s “guts” in rodeo talk).

An ambitious painter fresh out of art school and a busted-up romance, she heads home to help sell the family ranch.

Back in Cheyenne, Wyoming,  she reunites with her brother; her feisty, libidinous, cowboy-chasing best friend; and a herd of colorful residents who fill the local watering holes and gather at the town arena. Faster than you can say “honky-tonk hottie,” Heatherly’s being courted by J.W. Jarrett, a handsome, rugged rodeo champ with more than a little old-fashioned charm.

At first she resists, as she knows all about the drama, violence, and bad behavior of the rodeo circuit. But Jarrett’s got try and won’t accept defeat.

They’ll never stay home and they’re always alone.

Saddle up and find out.

 
Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.