Hi! I’m Kara O’Neal, and I love books. I read all genres and have lots of favorites, but if a story doesn’t have a couple falling in love and living happily ever after, it doesn’t make the cut. (Usually.) I love romance, but especially historical romance. I like to learn about daily life in different eras. One of my favorite authors is Pamela Morsi. I also love Mary Balogh. Her Slightly series is wonderful!
I didn’t think I’d ever be an author, and if not for my family, I might not be. They are my inspiration and my cheerleaders. I’m married to my own prince charming (twenty-six years!), and we have three children. Rachel is an orchestra teacher, Jake is majoring in animation, and Noah is a chess master and competes in Latin competitions. When Noah told me he was going to take Latin, I asked him why. He said, “Because I won’t have to speak it.” (That boy.)
I work at a middle school in Texas. I am in charge of the Special Education department, and our teachers make miracles happen. While I’d love to be a full-time author, the dedication of my co-workers makes me glad I do what I do. I would miss them so much if I quit. (So, I won’t.)
Often, people ask me how I manage to write. My answer is that I love telling stories. I love creating characters. And I especially love my home state and using it as a backdrop for romance. The Texas landscape and its people can be quite the inspiration. When a story develops in my mind, I have to start writing. And then it just flows.
The easiest book to write was Katie’s Gamble. I understood those characters from the very beginning. The hardest was The Deputy’s Damsel, mostly because I had no idea how I was going to get Katia out of trouble.
My favorite hero is Lonnie Davis, because he’s like my husband. My favorite heroine is Emma Prescott, because she was first, and she’s got so much courage. (And she really has no idea how brave she is.)
My fans tell me one reason they love my books is because I write strong women. I don’t intend to do that. And what I mean by that is that I don’t set out to empower women. I write about people. People who are trying to achieve their dreams and forge their futures. If I write strong women, it’s because the ladies surrounding me in real life get stuff done. They just do what needs to be done. So that’s what my heroines do.
The men in my stories are, hands-down, worth every word. They are masculine, kind, and protectors, and just like the men who are in my world. Texas has amazing landscapes, but this state produces amazing men, as well. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else.
My characters – some more than others – have Christ at the center of their lives. My books don’t meet the criteria for Christian romance, but prayer and attending church happen in my books. I can’t write stories without Christ. My faith is an integral part of me, and I know that I wouldn’t be an author if it hadn’t been His will. Jesus Christ is my center, my rock, and I’ll always try to do His will, no matter the cost. May God bless you and keep you. Thank you for your support. – Kara O’Neal
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Title – Welcome Home
Author – Kara O’Neal
Genre – Historical Romance
Publisher – Kara O’Neal
Book Blurb –
Emma Prescott, determined and selfless, flees from wealth and her murderous father, wanting the love and forgiveness of poor cotton farmer, Kyle Lonnigan.
Although Kyle refuses to forgive her for her part in his father’s death, Emma stays and works her own farm. Over the next several months, Emma proves to Kyle she is not the spoiled girl he remembers.
Emma’s sudden re-entrance into Kyle’s life only conjures long-buried painful memories. Kyle does his best to avoid her, needing to keep the pain at bay, and stopping her from reminding him of their last moments together before bullets shattered their world. But, he is unsuccessful. The love he denies is too strong, and soon Emma and Kyle are tumbling headlong into the past and passion.
Excerpt –
Cool air brushed over Kyle as he stood outside and away from the revelry. When Emma had walked in, the space had suddenly become too confining and he’d had to get out.
He lost count of how many reels he’d missed as he leaned against the outside wall of the barn. All he could think about was her, and the way she looked with her lavender dress, soft hair, vibrant eyes, dazzling smile…
She was femininity in all its glory.
He closed his eyes and recalled the last time he’d seen her as beautiful as she was tonight. Her dress had been much fancier, much more expensive. Her hair had been more elaborately styled, and her eyes had been full of desperation…need.
A need for him. A need for his love.
That night, all of society had been at her father’s house, drinking, waltzing and showing off their money. But it had been just the two of them outside, standing in the moonlight, the scent of roses wafting around them. His hands had been at her waist, while hers were wound around the back of his neck.
He still felt her, even after two years.
He gritted his teeth against the pain of the memories but couldn’t force himself to stop thinking. Emma Prescott, the girl who’d turned into a beauty before his eyes, had willingly stepped into his arms. She’d been desperate and afraid, ready to do anything to escape the marriage her father had planned for her.
She’d told Kyle, “I couldn’t possibly marry anyone else but you. I love you, Kyle. Can you, will you…love me back?”
Tears had sparkled in her eyes, and her voice had been a whisper, a lover’s hungry caress.
He’d stood there, with his arms around her, the cool, satin fabric of her dress reminding him of who she was…and who he was. However, for one blessed moment, for one happy moment, he’d thought they could be together. He would tell her he loved her, had always loved her.
Then the sound of gunshots had ripped through the air, shattering his life, contaminating what she’d said to him. Proving she was nothing more than an exact copy of her selfish, controlling, manipulative father.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub) –
Author Biography –
Born and raised in Texas, the state had to be the setting for my first series. From the food to the fun, like floating the rivers, it is the fire in my blood that inspires me. My family and friends take center stage in my books. My sisters and best friends are my heroines, and my husband created my favorite hero. Love and family are the point of my stories, and I seek to entertain, relieve stress, and inspire people. Books can take one on a journey that one can relive over and over. I am extremely grateful to those authors who did that very thing for me. I learned and I fell in love with their words and characters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Please visit me at www.karaoneal.com.
Social Media Links –
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Title – Katie’s Gamble
Author – Kara O’Neal
Genre – Historical Romance
Publisher – Kara O’Neal
Book Blurb –
Katie McCord bears much weight on her shoulders–single-handedly running her family’s business, McCord’s Confectionery, and caring for her three younger siblings. And her little shop is in trouble, which forces her to seek help from her brother, Johnny McCord, a notorious gambler living in New Orleans, or lose everything.
Rowdy Denton might be a gambler working for Johnny McCord, but one look at Katie’s sweet innocence tugs at the ache and guilt in his heart. For his peace of mind, he’s determined to get her out of the opulent hotel and brothel kept by her brother and back to the little town in Texas where she belongs—far away from Rowdy.
When Johnny refuses to sell his share to Katie, he sends Rowdy to her hometown to cause her further trouble. But, instead, Rowdy finds himself working as her hired hand and helping her keep everything together.
Katie knows Rowdy has another purpose for being in Echols. He works for her brother, after all, and is a gambler himself. So, why is he helping her? When she discovers the answer to her question, she races back to New Orleans, prepared to make the biggest gamble of her life.
Excerpt –
“Miss McCord?” the steely-eyed, rough, gunslinger inquired, his voice hard and gruff.
“Y-Yes. I’m Katie McCord.”
He jerked his head at the doors. “You need to go.”
She gulped and curled her hands into fists. “I need to speak with my brother.”
The fellow shook his head. “No. And this is not a place for a lady like you. You need to go before it’s too late.”
Was he concerned about her safety? If so, then the best thing would be for him to let her see Johnny. “I would like nothing more than to leave, sir, but I can’t until I talk with my brother.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “That’s not gonna happen. Best to give up.”
The thought of what she might lose if she left here without Johnny’s half of the confectionery drew her up. She lifted her chin. “I can’t afford to. Do you know where he is?”
He didn’t reply, only watched her with a hard glint.
“Please, take me to him. I can’t stress the importance enough.”
That muscle jumped again. “I’m sure you have your reasons, but McCord won’t see you.”
His flat statement punched her in the stomach, and she felt panic rising within her. “He can’t ignore me. Please.”
Something flashed behind the rigid light in his eyes, but it disappeared so quickly that she had no time to determine what it was. “Miss McCord, I suggest you leave before the evening crowd arrives. Find yourself a safer hotel or return to your home.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub) –
Title – Miss Green Eyes
Author – Kara O’Neal
Genre – Historical Romance
Publisher – Kara O’Neal
Book Blurb –
Annalee Gillespie has had her world shaken. Her father has died, leaving her as the sole owner of the Circle G. But when the will is read, she’s given the shock of her life. She must make the trek up the Chisolm Trail with her foreman, the most irritating man in creation, and complete the tasks given to her, or control of the Circle G falls into another’s hands.
Ewan Judge, while capable, smart, and frustratingly handsome, has needled and teased Annalee throughout the years, but somehow she has to learn to get along with him. He is, annoyingly, the best cowboy in Texas. So, she accepts the challenge and finds herself in the midst of more than one enemy.
Excerpt –
She turned toward the gate, took one step then halted in her tracks.
Ewan was bracing his forearms on the fence, watching her.
How long had he been there? If the past twenty minutes hadn’t been private, she was going to tell him exactly what she thought of that.
Setting her jaw, she started briskly toward him.
He straightened as she got closer. When she reached him, he quirked his lips at her. “I know that look. I’m in for it, aren’t I?”
His dry tone irked her, but she refrained from being baited into scolding him over it. “How long have you been here?”
He shrugged. “Just a few minutes. I stayed behind to talk with Jacobs.” He glanced over her shoulder toward the graves. “Came here to pay my respects before heading home.”
Could she believe him? She never knew if he was telling the truth when it came to their…banter. He always seemed to be teasing her through veiled comments and slightly mocking looks. When he’d called her Knobs all those years ago, she’d declared war, and he’d been very willing to charge headlong into battle. Neither had surrendered.
“That’s kind of you,” she replied, though her tone carried a trace of doubt. Not about him wanting to pay his respects, but about how long he’d been there.
He made no comment about her suspicion and silence fell between them.
A breeze came through, pulling at some locks of her hair. She pushed her handkerchief into her skirt pocket and let out a sigh. She looked toward the road, thinking about what her father had charged them with. “So…we’re traveling companions.”
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