Tour Stop & Giveaway: Horseplay by Mary Karlik

Horseplay by Mary Karlik is a sweet, playful, wholly emotional companion to Mary’s popular Hickville High series. Penny Wilson is trying to make a name for herself the only way she knows how—riding horses and winning. Problem is she can’t seem to keep her mind on her goal, not with too cute, strangely comforting Ty Jackson around. Hired to help out on her family’s horse farm, Ty is a distraction she can’t afford. Can Penny find the focus she needs to win? Will she discover that there’s more to life than competitions and the “in crowd”?

Join Mary Karlik and the Killion Group as we celebrate the release of Horseplay with this 16 stop Book Blast from March 21st to 25th. Included in this book blast is exclusive content, a spotlight of the book, and a giveaway. One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card!


Title: Horseplay by Mary Karlik
Hickville High Series Book Four
Publisher: GPK Publication LLC
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult,
Length: 232 pages

Summary:

Three weeks after her longtime boyfriend dumps her, high school senior and queen bee Penny Wilson declares she is over him and finished with dating. But life without her ex is more difficult than simply repeating a few affirmations. A queen bee needs a king, or she wobbles dangerously close to the edge of the popularity ladder. To make matters worse, her dad announces he’s hired Wrangler-wearing calf roper Ty Jackson to work on their English horse farm. Never mind his curly blond hair and six-pack abs—he’s a rodeo team bottom-runger and no way is Penny going to admit she knows him, let alone allow him into her social circle.

Ty convinces her he can teach her to connect more deeply with her horse and settle her nerves in the show arena. But as they work together, Penny discovers that while she might be riding better, being around Ty does nothing to settle her nerves. Will a hush-hush relationship with Ty make matters worse with her dad? And what if her friends at school discover Ty is more than just a farm hand? Because between her show ambitions and her social status, she’s walking a fine line—and the price is everything that matters to her most.

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Excerpt

“Dad hired a farm hand to help out with the chores. You’ll never guess who.” The words had barely tumbled from my lips when my view was filled with Wrangler jeans and an oversized belt buckle.

Ty Jackson.

Flashing an aw-shucks grin, said farm hand straddled the bench across from me. “Hey, my dad said you needed a ride home.”

“Uh—yeah.” I wanted to get this little meeting over as quickly as possible. We were the Smart Populars and a vast chasm separated us from the Wranglers—members of the rodeo team. “My dad thought that since you’re going to be working for us, we could ride together.”

“Makes sense.” He drummed his fingers on the metal seat, apparently completely unaware that his time at our table was up.

We all stared at him, but he just kept looking around. One by one we shifted uncomfortably, the way you do when the sermon is too long in church or when you’re waiting for the bell to ring and the teacher is still talking. He didn’t get the hint.

“Is there something else?” I asked.

“No. I’ve just always wondered what the view was like sitting at the beautiful people’s table.”

Determined to not let this snide remark get to me, I rolled my eyes. “Where do you want me to meet you, Ty?”

“Back parking lot.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

He stood and shrugged. “Later.”

As he left our table, Holly stared after him, practically drooling. “Did you have to rush him away?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Have you ever looked at Ty Jackson?”

I nodded to her in a duh kind of way.

“No. I mean since the seventh grade.”

“Why?”

She pushed her curls behind her ears. “Hello, he’s totally hot! Like Dierks Bentley hot.”

“So, he’s got curly blond hair… and I guess his face is nice to look at…”

“I bet his abs are ripped. He’s built like a god.”

“Who wears wrinkled shirts. Besides, Holly, he’s a Wrangler.”

“Yeah, and don’t they fit his butt nice.”

My gaze focused on Ty’s backside as he walked away from our table. “Holly.”

“So he’s a Wrangler. You have horses, you drive a dually.”

“Hello—cowboy equals Bubba,” Emily said, waving a hand.

“Maybe, but I can definitely appreciate him for the fine specimen of one hundred percent drool-worthiness that he is,” Holly shot back.

“You can have him,” I said. “I don’t like cowboys, their big buckles, or their stupid pearl snap shirts. I hate the way they hang around their trucks after school spitting tobacco onto the parking lot.”

Holly sat there all dreamy-eyed, and smiled. “Ty doesn’t dip.”

“What?”

“Ty doesn’t dip. Look at his pocket—no Skoal ring.”

I tore a hunk off my grilled-cheese sandwich, popped it in my mouth, and focused on his rear. Not a bad sight, but I’d never admit it.


Author Bio

m karlikFollowing a career as a nursing instructor, award-winning author, Mary Karlik earned an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. A native Texan, Mary loves horses, dogs, cats, country music, and small town diners. Although she has recently relocated in northern New Mexico, her heart remains in the Lone Star state.

Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Amazon


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1 Comment

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One Response to Tour Stop & Giveaway: Horseplay by Mary Karlik

  1. Timitra

    Thanks for sharing