Meet Bull Rider Ace Harris of Tempered Joy by author Pamela S. Thibodeaux in today’s #EggcerptExchange.

Pam’s Interview of Ace Harris:

How did you get your nickname, Ace?
My full name is Adam Craig Harris the Fourth which was shortened to AC then evolved into Ace. No wonder right? LOL!

Tell us about your job.
I am a bull rider and belong to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association but I’m going to college to be a veterinarian. My mother was a vet and I want to follow in her footsteps. Besides as heir to a ranch, those skills will always come in handy.

Where were you born?
The Cowboy Capital of the World–Bandera, Texas.

Do you have a favorite pet?
I doubt you’d call bulls pet sbut I think they are one of God’s most noble creatures and it’s a challenge yet an honor when I can master one even if it’s only for eight seconds.

Are you wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between?
As heir to the Rockin’ H, one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas, possibly the country, I’m considered rich but more than money defines my wealth. I am super-rich in family, friends and loved ones.

Tempered Joy blurb:

All around rodeo cowboy and heir to the Rockin’ H Ranch, Ace Harris is determined not to fall in love. He’s only loved one woman in his life, his mother, and no one can even come close to filling her boots.

Lexie Morgan thinks rodeo cowboys have rocks for brains and a death wish for a soul. A broken childhood and the death of her father and best friend leave her doubting and questioning God (despite her years of religious upbringing) and afraid of love.

Can two young people who clash from the onset learn to trust in the healing power of God and find love and happiness amidst tragedy and grief?

Excerpt:

Ace clapped his hands together and blew on his fingertips for warmth. “One more time,” he implored his father. “One more time, then we’ll call it quits.”

Craig nodded. “Okay Ace. That old bull is getting tired, so is this one.”

Ace grinned. “Old my foot, you love it and you know it. Makes you think of your younger days.”

Craig grunted. “My younger days were not spent chasing bulls.”

Ace laughed. “No? Chasing what then?”

“Never you mind,” his father replied with a grin while the ranch hands penned the bull in the chute.

Ace was gearing up for the last rodeo of the year before his final shot at the National High-School Championships. He’d been on top since before his freshman year and determined to stay there. When other boys practiced on mechanical bulls, he used real ones, because nothing compared to the feel of fifteen hundred pounds of muscle and madness beneath him. One could never predict what the bull was going to do. All he could do was prepare for the worst and hang on for all his worth.

Eight seconds was all he needed and eight seconds was his goal. Eight seconds that seemed like an eternity. He picked the biggest and meanest bulls on the ranch. When he stayed on, he picked another one, until he, the bulls, or his father gave out. Then he got up the next morning to repeat the process. High school, then college championships, and after that, the pros. He still hadn’t convinced his mother that he could do it, that he wanted it. Just for a while. He loved her and understood her fears, and often used his whole being to tease her out of them. But professional bull riding was his dream. He knew it would have to be a short dream. His life was ranching. As heir to the Rockin’ H, he understood what was expected of him. He understood the importance of it, and appreciated it. But this was something he wanted to do just for himself.

As a child he’d been the butt of many “shrimp” jokes. Born premature he’d always been smaller than other boys his age. Petted and coddled by his mother and older sister, and overprotected at every turn by his whole family, had not made matters any easier.

Time had given him height. Years of weight training and bull riding added breadth, width, and strength to his lean frame, and gave him a sense of self-respect and equality with his peers. He didn’t think of it as egotism or pride, he loved the sport. He loved the animals. In his opinion bulls were one of God’s most noble creatures and he enjoyed conquering something so majestic even if only for eight seconds.

Purchase Links:

Kindle http://amzn.to/1uto0eH
Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/1xwIx12
Nook http://bit.ly/11zMuVx
B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1vpUpoG
Smashwords http://bit.ly/14KH0bX

Author bio:

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Links:

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com
Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/