Read a Book, Help a Cowboy!

By Guest Blogger Shanna Hatfield

Shades of black randomly interspersed with hues of tan and gray surrounded me as I gazed over a sea of cowboy hats at the Las Vegas airport.

After working our way through the crowd, my husband, Captain Cavedweller, and I settled at our gate to wait for our flight. While he read the newspaper and jiggled his boot-covered foot impatiently, I observed those milling around. Like us, hundreds of cowboys prepared to depart after attending the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and many of the accompanying activities.

Each December, the city of Las Vegas takes on a country vibe as the rodeo comes to town, bringing hundreds of vendors, thousands of spectators, and a whole lot of fun.

As we sat at the airport that morning, the idea for a story began churning in my head.

Since so many of the cowboys who compete professionally spend a good deal of time traveling, I began to wonder how many of them flew from one rodeo to the next. If they were flying, it made sense that they might meet a girl at an airport who turned their head.

I began jotting down notes for a story idea and by the time we reached home, The Christmas Cowboy (Rodeo Romance Series Book 1) was born.

While researching details for The Christmas Cowboy, which involves a saddle bronc rider as the hero, I became aware of a wonderful organization — the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. 

 

For those unfamiliar with the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, the organization provides help to injured rodeo athletes. The men and women who are professional rodeo athletes know it isn’t a matter of if they get hurt, but when. Many of them are uninsured, so when an accident happens, it can be devastating physically, emotionally, and financially.

That’s when the JCCF steps in and offers a hand up to steps in offer financial assistance to rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries that leave them unable to compete for an extended time. Rather than worry about how they’ll pay their bills, they can focus on healing. One thing I especially admire about the JCCF is that 100 percent of the donations go to the cowboys who need it. They don’t take out administrative expenses or fees.

This is the sixth year for my  Read a Book, Help A Cowboy campaign that raises funds and awareness for the JCCF. Now through Christmas Eve, I will donate ten percent of the proceeds from every book purchase to the JCCF.

A wonderful addition to this year’s campaign is A Cowboy Christmas. The book features 300 pages of western holiday fun with more than 70 full-color recipes.

The jangle of spurs mingles with the jingle of sleigh bells in this celebration of Christmas—cowboy style!

Welcome home to a western holiday with A Cowboy Christmas. A collection of unique holiday décor, traditions, recipes, and guides for entertaining with ease make this your go-to resource for an amazing western Christmas. Filled with stories of real-life ranch families and rodeo cowboys, get a glimpse into their traditions, try their family recipes, and experience their lifestyles. From preserving memories of the past to tips for wrapping presents, discover the special touches incorporated throughout this book that make it a holiday keepsake you’ll cherish for years to come. Brimming with holiday cheer, recipes with full-color photographs, and one-of-a-kind ideas, this book is a wonderful celebration of the holidays that will help make your Christmas unforgettable.

Several of the rodeo cowboys featured in the interviews talk about how the JCCF offered a hand up to them and their families when they most needed the help. And a few of them shared their favorite holiday recipes!

I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peak at one of my new favorites!

Chocolate Chex Trees

These yummy and adorable trees are so simple to make and a great project if you have kids at home who need something to do. Set them on a disposable plate, foil-wrapped piece of cardboard, or a large sugar cookie wrapped in cellophane for gift-giving!

Ingredients:

3 cups Chex Chocolate cereal

6 pretzel sticks (the thick kind, made for dipping)

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup Nutella

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix the peanut but­ter, Nutella, but­ter, and pow­dered sugar in a bowl.

On whatever you plan to use for a base, mold the peanut butter mixture around the pretzel stick until it stands upright and forms a slight cone shape.

Hold it steady by using the tip of the pret­zel as a han­dle and begin insert­ing pieces of cereal into the peanut but­ter mix­ture in a sym­met­ri­cal pat­tern around the stick. You can tip the cereal pieces up or down, depending on your personal preference. Add more cereal pieces, stag­ger­ing them as you move upward, until you get near the top.

For the top of the tree, use broken pieces or cut them in half to get the smaller scale of branches near the top.

Use two pieces of cereal back to back to form the top.

Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 6 trees

A Cowboy Christmas is available from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Christmas-Western-Celebrations-Traditions/dp/1493042343

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-cowboy-christmas-shanna-hatfield/1129079346

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-cowboy-christmas/id1472443604

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-cowboy-christmas-15

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive their choice of any one digital book from the Rodeo Romance series.
To enter, please share one of your favorite holiday traditions.

About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes. When Shanna isn’t dreaming up sassy characters, twisting plots, or testing out new recipes, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller. She resides near Walla Walla, Washington. Find out more about Shanna at http://shannahatfield.com