Hey! I had the opportunity to hang out with Katrina Kylie and ask her some questions! Now, I’m sharing her answers with you, so you can learn more about her and her books!! Enjoy!
Do you have any pets? I have so many pets. A dog, cat, five chickens, and two horses. The dog, Chewie, knows he’s my favorite.
Beach or mountains? Definitely mountains, I never get tired of the smell and sounds of pine trees. Many of my books are set in the mountains (although I have a few beach ones, too), including the book I’m about to share with you below. Jackson, Wyoming is just south of the Teton mountains and boy, they do not disappoint. I had the chance to visit there a few months ago and those peaks were absolutely incredible.
How did you come up with the title for your book (and what is the title)? Summer Break with the Billionaire was fairly easy to name because I knew I wanted it to be on a guest ranch in Jackson, Wyoming for the billionaire hero’s vacation, and the heroine works her summer college breaks as a wrangler at the same ranch.
How quickly did you connect with your MC? Whitnee is a cowgirl at heart, just like me (or maybe I’m a wannabe), and because I love spending time around horses, I really tried to embody the soothing, beautiful spirits our favorite horses possess. I couldn’t help pouring a lot of that into Whitnee’s character.
What part of writing this book did you struggle with? There is personal tragedy in this story for Cutler and life-long challenges for Whitnee that are faced head-on in this story, and sometimes writing about that sort of personal pain is difficult because I feel a share of it, too. But I love how Whitnee and Cutler work through it together and find their happily ever after in the end.
I also struggled with the practical side of a billionaire’s lifestyle… what on earth would that be like?
Katrina Kylie is a Utah, USA native who loves all things horses, chocolate, and romance. She and her husband claim four rambunctious kids, a puppy, and five chickens. You can expect a sweet happily-ever-after from each of her books.
Where can we find you online?
Amazon
Bookbub
Facebook
Fan Newsletter
Thank you for spending time with me today! It’s been a pleasure having you on the blog and getting to do this interview with you. Do you have any final words for our readers? Authors truly love and appreciate readers. Every time you buy a book, recommend it, or leave a review, you’re helping an author. Thanks for having me here today.
This has been great, hasn’t it? Katrina is so sweet! I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and sharing a series with her. As an extra treat, she sent an excerpt from Summer Break with the Billionaire for us to enjoy! Read on.
Cutler moved to the other side of his personal jet and shook his head at the jagged peaks piercing the deep blue sky like the otherworldly teeth of some giant beast. They were very aptly named, for they were indeed among the grandest of God’s creations that Cutler had ever seen.
Then he laid eyes on her.
To say the woman checking him in at the Marigold Ranch was lovely was a severe understatement. He swallowed as she turned deep green eyes his direction. “Welcome to the Marigold, we’re happy to host you, mister…?”
“Jones,” he squawked. Was it just him, or was the ranch house on the warm side?
“Jones,” she repeated, running her finger down a column in an account book. Hastily his hungry gaze devoured her satiny smooth skin, full, curvy lips, and – Great, now he felt like a creeper as she caught him staring.
Her gaze narrowed but she graciously ignored the awkward mishap. A looker like her was probably used to it. “Cutler Jones?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Perfect. If you’ll follow me…”
Boy, would I ever.
Cutler held the door open, smiling in what he hoped was a friendly way as she slipped past. She could absolutely compete with those primped women you see on tv, the ones in beauty pageants. Yep, she could win the whole fandangle in just her ranch clothes.
“Oh. Thank you.”
Out of the ranch house she led him, swinging a key dangling from a ceramic cowboy boot in one hand. Cutler clutched his bags and exerted every ounce of self-control on not checking her out.
“So, where are you visiting from?”
“New York.”
“Ah. I’ve never been, but it seems like a whole lot of concrete. Not many horses, either.”
He couldn’t disagree.
“Is this your first trip to Wyoming?”
He fell into step beside her, cutting his ground-eating stride in half to match hers. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You came at a great time, summers in Jackson are simply heavenly.” She led him along a row of copycat cabins, each with a porch just large enough for two chairs and a side table. “Here we are, cabin number four –“
“Who’s there?”
An older woman, perhaps in her early sixties, filled the door frame as his gorgeous hostess shrieked, “Oh, I’m so sorry!”
“That’s alright, but… well, do you need something?” Audience laughter from a sitcom rerun bubbled in the background behind her.
Miss Wyoming yanked the key from the door knob and stumbled back – directly into his abdomen. She whirled so quickly his toes took a stomping. Utter mortification darkened her cheeks.
“Oh no!”
Cutler chuckled. It would take a lot more than a one-hundred-pound female to ruin his day.
The poor woman in the doorway just looked confused.
“I thought this cabin was vacant but obviously I made a mistake. I apologize, Nancy, I didn’t mean to startle you. Now I know why I couldn’t find the other key,” she laughed weakly.
Nancy smiled. “No harm done. I wouldn’t mind rooming with that fella one bit.”
Miss Wyoming held up her hand. “No, no, Mr. Jones here has his very own cabin. If you’ll excuse us…”
Back ramrod straight, she pivoted on her heel and practically jogged to the next cabin in line. All was quiet inside. Miss Wyoming stared at the door as though willing it to be vacant before tipping her face up to him. “Why don’t you set your things down and wait right here while I go get the appropriate key.”
“Alright, sure.”
She hesitated. “Mr. Jones, I’m really sorry about running into you and… well, stepping on you, too. We don’t normally double up guests in the cabins, either. It’s been a day.”
“Please, call me Cutler. We all have days like that. I’ll forget about it if you will.” Her lovely green eyes flitted over his face, heating him from the inside out. “Thank you, Cutler. To be completely honest, I’m just a wrangler here. I prefer working with the horses, not handling all this hospitality stuff. Some days – like today – I think it would be easier to just throw a rope around you and lead you to the corral for the night,” she laughed weakly. “Not that you’re an animal…”
Her fumbling set a chuckle in motion. Wow. Gorgeous and funny.
Wrapping his hand around her upper arm, Cutler said, “Seriously, don’t worry about the mix-up. But if I ever feel like chomping on hay, I’ll let you know.”
He didn’t miss the way her gaze lingered on the touch or the relaxed lowering of her shoulders. “Yes, good,” she smiled. She walked away, leaving Cutler to study the place. Marigold Ranch certainly wasn’t a large spread, nor was it fancy, but it possessed undeniable charm. The one-bedroom cowboy cabins were constructed out of wide logs like miniature authentic mountain lodges. The thing Cutler liked most about them was the fact that it was extremely unlikely anyone he associated with would think to stay there. The Adirondack chair was covered in dust but Cutler decided then and there not to worry about getting his clothes dirty as he rested his six-foot-two-inch frame upon it. Ah, but the sun slanted just right, reaching him beneath the porch’s overhang. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Animals, that’s what it smelled like. Not car exhaust and cigarette smoke like the Big Apple or crisp pine and crystal-clear water as he’d expected, but livestock. And it was quiet… so very quiet, enough that he could hear the breeze whistling through the boughs and grasses. He wasn’t aware wind could make such sounds.
Regina Walker 