With Valentine’s Day coming soon, if you’re the kind of reader who likes a seasonal flair to their To Be Read list, but also wants to support local authors, then you’re in luck. St. Andrews author Chelsey Faye has four books in her Bad Luck Cowboys series to choose from.
St. Andrews author Chelsey Faye has published four novels in her Bad Luck Cowboys series
“It’s a cowboy romance series, an interconnected series, and it’s set in the world of rodeo, with each book following a different couple,” said Faye.
Right now, she has four books in the series — Reining in Never, Reining in Fear, Reining in Forever, and Reining in Christmas. There’s also a prequel novella called Reining in a Cowboy, which is available for free to newsletter subscribers.
The stories follow a group of friends, but each book has different protagonists falling for each other.
“I try to put a lot of different emotions into my books. I like writing about relationships, the messiness. I like getting my heart broken and put back together with each book. That’s basically what I try to bring to each one,” said Faye.
She’s been a published author for just over a year now, with her first novel coming out in the fall of 2024.
Her love of writing came from her love of books and movies.
“I’ve always been a reader and avid movie watcher. It never occurred to me to write a story, though, even though I want to be consuming them basically 24 hours a day. When I went to university, though, I was actually in the filmmaking program, and I got to try screenwriting, and I loved it. I ended up pursuing the advanced screenwriting track, and I did really well with that, but with a script, you really don’t get the full experience unless it’s made into a movie,” said Faye.
She thought about it and thought writing a book might be something she would eventually try.
“It turned into, ‘I really want to write a book one day.’ But then, of course, life gets in the way with delays. And then all of a sudden, I’m at home with two very young children, and I felt like my brain was dying, and I needed to work it. I’m like, ‘You know what? Now’s the time to write a book,’ and so I did,” said Faye.
As for inspiration, it comes to her from the world around her.
“My first book was actually inspired by a song that I heard. I loved this song, and listened to it over and over again, and I thought, I want to write the story,” she said.
Readers should know that these books are adult contemporary romance novels, and they should be prepared for adult content.
“It’s a bit more spicy. There it is, open door on the page. I don’t get too graphic with them. They are on the sweeter side,” explained Faye.
For authors in our community who are working on their first books, Faye has some advice.
“Learn the craft. When I decided to write it, I read books on writing books. I watched author-Tube, I learned whatever I could, and that really helped to spark more ideas of how to do it. Then just give it a go. Keep practicing. Sit down and write. It’s going to be terrible at first, but hopefully I get better with each book,” she said.
As for what’s next for Faye, she says the series isn’t over just yet.
“I want to do one more book in this series, just because I’m not done with the characters. I’m way too attached to them, and then I actually have a spin-off series planned that I haven’t started yet, but will keep it in the same world and revisit some of these characters, but add in some new ones. Then hopefully I’ll explore some more fantasy ideas and take my time with them,” she said.
Faye encourages readers to check them out to see if they’re what you’re looking for.
“They’re good stories. They’re simple stories, they’re heartfelt stories. You’re going to get a full range of laughs, crying, all of it,” she said.
If you’re interested in purchasing Faye’s books, she does sell at local markets occasionally, but the books are primarily available on Amazon. You can check out her complete lineup at www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCHNRHJB?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk or by looking up the series on amazon.ca.
