Ginger
invited me to tell you how I came up with the story idea for one of my books. I
write books set in Texas, usually with a rancher as the hero. Since I live in
North Central Texas amid cutting horse and cattle ranches and I see cowboys on
a daily basis, writing books set in the west appeals to my sense of history as
well as my location.
On
a trip home to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex from a visit in our hometown of
Lubbock in West Texas, we were in a hard downpour as we drove from Post toward
Snyder. I remembered a high school teacher’s story of seeing a watertight
Volkswagon swept off the road up onto the high railroad bed. The family inside
the VW emerged safely, but their car eventually floated away on the swiftly
moving floodwater. My teacher’s old leaky Renault was safe, so he could help
the flood victims.
Every event sends an author’s mind playing “what if” for story
ideas. That day, instead of worrying about our car being swept away (my husband
is an excellent driver and we were in a heavy car), I started playing around
with the flood and what if a woman were swept away and had to walk toward
safety on the rails and what if a rancher saw her... You can see how this story
emerged to become BE MY GUEST.
I love the topography just below the Caprock area. My favorite is
around Benjamin and Guthrie with the red clay ravines and the 6666 Ranch. But I
also love the land between Snyder and Post where the Caprock is visible and the
highway passes over little creeks and a fork of the Brazos River.
Since I have trouble controlling my weight (or trying to), I
wanted a heroine who could eat all she wanted without gaining. Not all fiction,
because my mom could and my brother can. Sigh. I always wished I had looked
like a young Maureen O’Hara with thick auburn hair. My grandmother and uncle
had red hair, but I started blonde which turned mousy brown and is
now...ahem...enhanced by lovely blonde highlights. ;-) You see how I created my heroine, Aurora
O’Shaughnessy.
The hero, Will Harrison, is a rancher. Easy peasy. I know a lot of them
and an image popped into my head. But I needed to make helping Aurora more
difficult, so I broke his leg. No, not me personally, but I created a fall
which left him with his leg in a full cast. And what is it about a cast? You
can’t get it wet! Yet he had to get Aurora out of the floodwater and to safety.
Here’s
a blurb for BE MY GUEST:
Aurora
Kathleen O’Shaunessy comes by her flaming auburn hair naturally, and this
independent city woman has an inner fire to match. Nothing stops Aurora--that
is, nothing short of a Texas flash flood. This super-organized businesswoman
might be running from the past, but she’s using this journey to stop and smell
the roses--rather the spring flowers in bloom across the Texas prairie. A brush
with two rough men doesn’t faze her. But a handsome rancher with a precocious
daughter makes her rethink her plans.
Rancher
Will Harrison rescues her from the raging waters and she’s his guest for the
next thirty-six hours. That’s long enough for Will to fall head over heels in
major attraction, and he has a hunch she might feel the same. He has a plan to
keep her around until he convinces her to move out of the fast land and in to
his life forever. He plans to ask her to marry him at his birthday celebration.
First, he has to save her from two rough kidnappers who have other plans for
Aurora.
An
excerpt of BE MY GUEST:
The
clock on the dashboard displayed one o'clock when Aurora found herself free to
concentrate on lunch in Snyder. Clouds gathered and rumbled with thunder over
the West Texas town. Aurora's empty stomach rumbled with them. After a
hazardous morning, fatigue overshadowed her usually cheerful nature. She passed
by the fast food places before she spotted the family restaurant recommended to
her by the Texas State Trooper a few minutes ago.
Cars
and trucks filled the parking lot. What a lucky break, she thought, when she
spotted illuminated taillights and a car backed out of the prime parking slot
at the entrance. Aurora saw the lone man in the dusty red pickup truck facing
her, waiting for the space. He sat in the very same type and color truck used
by two ruffians who had terrorized her earlier in the morning. Although she
knew this man could not be one of those two men, an unreasonable anger bubbled
up in her directed toward all cowboys, especially those in red trucks.
Her
normally pleasant nature turned aggressive and she zipped the Mustang into the
vacated park before the less maneuverable truck could occupy the space. The man
honked the truck horn at her as she got out of her car. She just smiled and
blew him a saucy kiss as she hurried into the restaurant. After all, any real
gentleman would have let a lady have the only space in the first place, she
told her nagging conscience.
Her
conscience would not be quieted so easily. She must be in shock from her
morning encounter. Never had she acted so rudely. Regretting her impetuous
actions already, she thanked goodness the exchange occurred with a stranger and
not someone she might meet again.
Seated
in the corner booth, Aurora ordered a hamburger, French fries, and a large Dr
Pepper. While she waited for her food, she reviewed the items listed under the
town of Snyder in her Texas guidebook. Suddenly, she sensed someone standing
beside her booth. As she looked up--and up--a huge cowboy with most of his left
leg in a cast leaned his crutches against the side of the booth. He slid onto the
seat beside her, which pinned her in the booth with him.
Aurora
scooted to the right as far as possible. "Hey, who do you think you are?
This is my booth, and no one invited you to share it with me!"
"Your
car's sitting in my parking space, so I'll sit in your booth," he said
calmly as he removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through sandy brown hair.
He turned in his seat to hang the hat on the hook at the end of the booth by
his crutches.
Aurora
blushed when she realized this must be the man whose parking space she
mischievously stole. Oh no, how terrible. He must have had to park a long way
from the door and hobble in on those crutches. How embarrassing. The one time
in her life she acted rudely, her victim turned out to be a man handicapped by
a leg cast and crutches. Still, he had his nerve sitting beside her without so
much as a "may I."
Her
chin came up defensively. "Okay, I apologize. If you used one of those
disability placards on your rear view mirror, people would know you have a
problem."
"Lady,
my problem is that you stole my parking space," Will Harrison said coolly.
He lifted his left leg so that the cast-encased foot rested on the seat facing
them, then swiveled to gaze at her.
Aurora
smelled the cowboy's after-shave mixed with the clean scent of his breath when
he turned his face toward her. His stone gray eyes met hers. She saw anger
drain from his eyes, replaced by stunned amazement. He leaned toward her.
Her
awakened senses rocketed into response. Each thread on the sleeve of his blue
chambray shirt seared where it touched her arm. For a moment Aurora had the
astonishing thought that this cowboy might lean further forward and kiss her
right here in public. Equally astonishing, but fleeting, came the thought that
she wouldn't mind a kiss from this man. Her tongue flicked across her lips and
she gave herself a mental shake, unable to turn away from his mesmerizing gaze.
What
can you be thinking? You have absolutely no business falling for some good-looking
cowboy out here in the middle of nowhere. Get a grip on yourself.
Her
heart quelled the voice of reason within her mind. Aurora’s her stomach
somersaulted from butterflies to flip-flops as she stared into the cowboy's
wide gray eyes. She broke his gaze and peered at her folded hands a second
before she threw them up in capitulation.
"Okay,
Okay. I just don't know what came over me. I know you saw the parking space
first, but I'm on Bubba-overload. Look, it's a long story, but it's been a real
killer morning. Once again, I apologize and plead temporary insanity" She
placed her hands palms down on the table.
His
gaze raked over her, and one eyebrow elevated. "Well, well. I'm almost
convinced there's remorse here. Almost--but not quite. Would you like to
explain to me what 'Bubba-overload' is and what it has to do with
me?"
"Listen,
I apologized. Let's just drop it. Okay?" Surprised at the petulant tone in her voice, she adjusted
the dark green scarf that held the hair back from her face
The
man peered at her steadily, his voice polite but firm when he spoke. "No,
ma'am, we can't drop it. I think I deserve an explanation after that 'Bubba'
line. It sounded very much like an insult to me."
This
man obviously had his hackles up and wanted a full explanation. After her
morning's adventures, she found herself impatient with this cowboy, even though
her mind recognized his request sounded reasonable. Finally, Aurora swiveled at
her waist to face him as much as the limited space allowed. "Oh, well, if
you insist. You wore that western hat and were in a pickup truck. At a glance,
you looked like the typical red-necked Bubba. All you lacked was a big wad of
tobacco bulging in your cheek."
She
raised her hand and shook a finger at the man as if he were a delinquent school
boy. "Listen, I've had my fill, and then some, with you guys. You follow
me, whistle at me, lean out a truck window to sing to me, shout, or wave to me.
I even receive various very rude gestures and get mooned. Believe it or not, I
do nothing either to initiate or encourage any of this behavior."
A
skeptical smile appeared and he raised his eyebrows. A flush of color heated
her face at the memory of her behavior in the parking lot. She held up one hand
to stop any comment he might make before she continued.
"Oh,
I know, I acted brashly with you outside just now. Let me assure you, that's
entirely unlike me. In fact, it's truly a first. I've never, ever done anything
like that before."
She
shook her head in wonder. "I don't know what came over me. As I said, it
must have been temporary insanity due to Bubba-overload."
She
pinched the fabric on the leg of the neatly creased blue denim jeans she wore.
"Look at me. My jeans aren't skin-tight. They’re not painted on
me." With a tug at the hem of
her hunter-green knit top, she added,
"My shirt isn't too tight, it has three-quarter sleeves, and the
neck isn't low or revealing."
Aurora
moved her knees and elevated a foot to display canvas shoes. "I'm wearing
my little Keds, not flashy pumps with stiletto heels. All in all, I think I'm
dressed very sedately and not at all in a provocative way."
The
cowboy slid his glance slowly up and down her then back to her face before he
smiled a slow, lazy smile that lit up his eyes and brought a dimple to his
cheek. He reached over to grasp her untouched water glass and took a drink from
it, his eyes returning to her face as he sipped the icy water.
Her
own mouth opened as she watched his mouth against the rim of the glass. The tip
of her pink tongue slid against her upper lip as the water slid into his mouth.
She could almost feel his lips as they received the liquid. To hide the rising
turbulence in the pit of her stomach, Aurora glared at him. In vain she tried
to avoid thoughts of his stare or the dimple that appeared with his smile.
She
forced herself to concentrate on her defense. "Um, I just drive along in
my little blue Ford Mustang, enjoying the scenery and minding my own business.
I do nothing to call attention to myself. I even try to be a good sport about
the immature behavior some guys display."
She
took a deep breath. "I try to take it all in stride and just keep on
schedule but"--Aurora slammed her hands against the top of the table--"this
morning, two very frightening Bubbas tried to run me off the highway and hijack
me or my car."
His
eyes widened and his mouth gaped, but she continued, "I'm only here
because a State Trooper happened by in time to interrupt my abduction. Frankly,
that scared the life out of me. The longer I thought about it, though, the
angrier I became. By the time I got to this restaurant, I had completely lost
my cool."
Aurora
took a deep breath and gazed at her hands. She recalled the fright that consumed
her when she realized the two men followed her. Only quick thinking on her part
prevented the two ruffians from succeeding at their attempt to run her off the
road and get her out of her car. She shuddered to think what might have
happened if not for the State Trooper. And never, never would she forget the
faces of those two men!
She
waved her hands in a fluttery motion. "When I saw you in a truck the same
color as the one that ran me off the road...well...I guess I just went bananas,
berserk, crazy. That's why I'm pleading temporary insanity." Aurora leaned
back and crossed her arms in front of her.
At
this moment the waitress appeared with their food. Aurora stared in amazement
as the waitress set the burger, fries and Dr Pepper in front of her and a
duplicate of the order in front of the man beside her.
The
waitress flashed what she probably thought of as her most seductive smile at
the man. In a low, honeyed voice, she asked, "Anything else today, Will?"
He
seemed unaware of the invitation in her voice or the hopeful sparkle in her
eyes. "Not right now, Norma Sue, thanks. Go ahead and leave the check now
and save yourself time."
When
the disappointed waitress left, Aurora appraised Will. How could he fail to
notice the waitress’ blatant invitation?
Had he any idea how attractive he was? Hold on, this guy might be too good to be true.
Aurora
gazed over he shoulder at the departing waitress. "How on earth did she
know what to bring you? When did
you give her your order?"
"When
I came in." He leaned across her to get the salt and pepper. Will paused
to flash her a truly breathtaking smile and the bottom fell out of her stomach
again. "I also told her you would pick up the check.”
If
this story tempts you, I’m happy to share that it’s only 99 cents! What a deal,
right? Here are the buy links:
Amazon:
Smashwords:
Thanks
to Ginger for letting me be on her blog. Thanks to you, readers, for stopping
by. Happy trails.
9 comments:
Ginger, thanks so much for hosting me at your great blog.
This sounds great, Caroline! And it's one of yours I haven't read yet. Will have to check it out.
Caroline,
Enjoyable interview, and I love your premise. I think Texas has had a few of those sweeping away rains lately. Thanks for taking me back to my drives to Lubbock when my son attended Texas Tech. Driving through the desert is an experiences. Take care and I wish you continued success! *Hugs*
Love you!
Caroline,
Thank you for being my guest today and offering up such an interesting post. I can always tell when someone has fashioned their blog to make it more personal, and this is just the type I enjoy the most. I've posted to FB, Google, and Tweeted. I hope I've helped increase your visibility because you are definitely a talented author and blogger.
CAROLINE--oh, I feel so at Home! The caprock, my lord, how many times did we drive up that from Mineral Wells to Levelland where we lived? When I was a kid, I know I asked every single time we approached it, "Now, what is that called, Daddy? And what does it mean?" Just to hear him explain it all to me once more.
You have such a wonderous (one of those fancy words we should not use) way or writing..very easy to read, and it just moves along smooth as glass. Now, another book added to my list. Man...not enough time--but I'm taking my Kindle to Las Vegas when we go to "get away from it all."
Carolyn and Ginger,
Thanks for the fun post and entertaining excerpt! Beautiful photos of Texas, Carolyn. I'll have to talk dh into taking a drive through the red canyon areas. Love those red hills. Wonderful inspiration for stories about Texans as well as for oil paintings.
*Hugs*
Caroline, I loved reading about real life Texas! Also, enjoyed the excerpt of BE MY GUEST :) I think Maureen O'Hara is perfect to envision as Aurora. I love those classic looks. :)
Hugs,
Mary
Caroline, your book sounds great. I love the excerpt. It's going on my TBR list for sure!
I'm on my way over to pick up my copy, Caroline. I love all your books! Wow, what a beauty Maureen O'Hara was! I admire her athleticism and determination--and used her for the 3rd book in my series, so I know I'm going to love reading about Aurora. :)
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