Casting Your Characters - Hero pick for Ellie's Legacy

I'm borrowing part of Michelle Lee's Blog...cover artist for Books We Love and the talent behind my beautiful covers for that publisher.  Michelle asked those of us who wanted to participate to find a picture of the perfect star to play a hero in our book.  I'm sharing with Michelle's permission:

First up on the Red Carpet - we have Tyler Bishop.

Blake Shelton

Character Name:  Tyler Bishop  

Book:  Ellie's Legacy

Author: Ginger Simpson

About Tyler: Handsome and rugged, Tyler is totally bamboozled by Ellie.  One minute she's a flirt, the next minute she acts like she's angry with him.  Although he wants to please her father and show he can be the best foreman ever, Ty's being there seems to be a burr under Ellie's saddle and he's really attracted to her...just not sure if the feelings are mutual.  He tries looking out for her best interest, but that just makes her think he's bossy.  No matter what he does, he's damned.

Ginger's Casting Pick: "I pick handsome country western singer, Blake Shelton to play the role.  He's definitely a good ol' boy with the looks, charm, and definitely the witt to try to do battle with Ellie."

Tyler's Shining Moment: 

It appeared as though Ellie had turned into a full-grown woman overnight, kind of like the newborn foals in the spring. One minute they were awkward and gangly and the next they had filled out and turned into something spirited and beautiful.

Oh, Ellie wasn’t a horse, but she did have spirit, and she certainly was a beauty. The thought of all those curves in the right places and the memory of her luscious lips awakened a distinct part of his body. He tugged at the crotch of his trousers and moved back to the mirror to put on his tie.

If luck was on his side, in a few hours he’d be holding her in his arms, and maybe on the way home, he’d steal another kiss or two.

With that in mind, Ty went outside, stopping at the flowerbed next to the porch. It was only fitting he give his lady something special, but only a few late bloomers remained. Luckily one stood out among the wilted. Carefully, Ty plucked a pale pink rose to give to Ellie in celebration of the occasion.

BLURB:  Tomboy, Ellie Fountain is determined to stop the conniving neighbors from their plot to take her father’s land. She’s an only child, Fountainhead is her legacy. The handsome ranch foreman, Tyler Bishop, is a burr under her saddle and a barrier to her future. Her pa treats him like the son he never had, and Ellie is jealous. She’s out to prove she’s as good as any man at ranching… but her biggest threat may not be the polecats that are killing the cattle and taking potshots at her….it might be her heart. 

If you need a ready made cover or even a banner or two, make sure and check out Michelle Lee's talent:

Meet Tyler Bishop

Today, I’m featuring a little about Ellie's Legacy, one of my historical romances. I can't refer to it as a 'western' because the story takes place on the wrong side of the Mississippi.  *smile*  When my hubby and I moved to TN from CA, we lived in Sparta for a year.  I was so inspired by the history of the area that writing this book came naturally when Ellie showed up among the characters in my head and started yapping at me.  This story, previously named, Sparta Rose, was honored as the Best 2009 Historical at Love Romances Café and received lots of positive praise. It was a fun story to write because Ellie is such a feisty heroine.  Today, you get to hear from the hero, Tyler Bishop in an improved version of the story.  Enjoy.

Interviewer:

We’re very pleased to have Tyler Bishop with us today.  Mr. Bishop is the hero in Ginger’s Simpson’s historical romance, Ellie's Legacy.  So, Mr. Bishop, welcome to Dishin’ It Out.

TB – “Ty, please.  Mr. Bishop was my father.  And thanks for the welcome, but I’m here under duress.”

INT  - “Really?”

TB –“I have things waiting to be done.  Cows need to be moved to another pasture, fences need mendin’ and the longer I dawdle, the more I stand to lose favor with my boss, Ben.”

Int – “Ben?  Would that be Ben Fountain, father of the heroine, Ellie Fountain?”

TB – “Yep, that’d be right.  There’s another reason I need to get movin’… Ellie.  For some reason, that little filly is out to get me.  Seems every time I chew the fat with her pa, she gets her nose out of joint.  I never met someone so… so…what’s the word I’m looking for.  You know, someone who wants to prove they can do everything better than the next feller?”

INT – “Oh, you mean competitive.”

TB – “That’s her in a nutshell.  Just wait till you read the story.  She even went out, bought a gun and learned to shoot.  She’s says it’s cause of the polecats next door, threatening to trespass on Ben’s land, but I say different.”

INT – “Really?  Why do you think she bought the gun?”

TB – “To try to show me up, of course.  She already thinks she can ride and rope as good as any man, but Lord knows, she could stand to dress up a bit.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell there’s a girl under that big ol’ hat and the layer of dust.”

INT – “Does she always dress in men’s clothing?”

TB – “Well she did until I invited her to a dance.  Ben sort of pushed me into it, but down deep I wanted to go with her.  She looked mighty pretty, all fancied up, but instead of the evening turnin’ out like I planned, she went and got herself in trouble again.  She should have listened to me about those pesky Bryant boys.”

INT – “What kind of trouble did she get into?”

TB – “I may be greener than most folks you know, but I ain’t about to divulge Ginger’s whole story.  Ellie is a real tomboy, and she stays madder than a wet hen at me most times, but I’ll just say, I think she finally realizes there are just times a woman can’t match a man’s strength.”

INT – “Well it sounds like I’ll have to buy my own copy if I want to see how this turns out.”

TB – “You’re right welcome to visit Amazon where it's only $2.99.  That’s where Ellie and my story is being sold. I’m not real savvy when it comes to the Internet, but I wrote this down.  *fishes in pocket*.  Let’s see, http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson.  That's the page where you can see all of Ginger's stories.   I thank you for the time, but I best get going.  I fear talking about Ellie is going to change my life, and not for the best.  That woman has a mouth like you can't believe, but dagnabit, I can't help but look at her with cow eyes half the time. I'm a feared I'm smitten.

INT – “Thank you, Ty, and please visit us again.”

Meet Tyler Bishop from Sparta, Tennessee

Interviewer:
We’re very pleased to have Tyler Bishop with us today. Mr. Bishop is the hero in Ginger’s Simpson’s upcoming release, Sparta Rose. So, Mr. Bishop, welcome to Dishin’ It Out.

TB – “Ty, please. Mr. Bishop was my father. And thanks for the welcome, but I’m here under duress.”

INT - “Really.”

TB –“I have things waiting to be done. Cows need to be moved to another pasture, fences need mendin’ and the longer I dawdle, the more I stand to lose favor with my boss, Ben.”

Int – “Ben? Would that be Ben Fountain, father of the heroine, Ellie Fountain?”

TB – “Yep, that’d be right. There’s another reason I need to get movin’… Ellie. For some reason, that little filly is out to get me. Seems every time I chew the fat with her pa, she gets her nose out of joint. I never met someone so… so…what’s the word I’m looking for. You know, someone who wants to prove they can do everything better than the next feller?”

INT – “Oh, you mean competitive.”

TB – “That’s her in a nutshell. Just wait till you read the story. She even went out, bought a gun and learned to shoot. She’s says it’s because of the polecats next door, threatening to trespass on Ben’s land, but I say different.”

INT – “Really? Why do you think she bought the gun?”

TB – “To try to show me up. She already thinks she can ride and rope as good as any man, and lord knows, she could stand to dress up a bit. Sometimes it’s hard to tell there’s a girl under that big ol’ hat and the layer of dust.

INT – “Does she always dress in men’s clothing?”

TB – “Well she did until I invited her to a dance. Ben sort of pushed me into it, but down deep I wanted to go with her. She looked mighty pretty, all fancied up, but instead of the evening turnin’ out like I planned, she went and got herself in trouble again. She should have listened to me about those pesky Bryant boys.”

INT – “What kind of trouble did she get into?”

TB – “I may be greener than most folks you know, but I ain’t about to divulge Ginger’s whole story. Ellie is a real tomboy, and she stays madder than a wet hen at me most times, but I’ll just say, I think she finally realizes there are just times a woman can’t match a man’s strength.”

INT – “Well it sounds like I’ll have to buy my own copy if I want to see how this turns out.”

TB – “You’re right welcome to visit Eternal Press. That’s where Ellie and my story is being released on February 7th. I’m not real savvy when it comes to the Internet, but I wrote this down. *fishes in pocket*. Let’s see, http://www.eternalpress.ca Ain’t got no idea what that means, but Ginger said to share it with ya’ll. I thank you for the time, but I best get going. I fear once Sparta Rose debuts, my life is gonna change.

INT – “Well, we hope it's for the best. Thank you, Ty, and please visit us again.”