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The character of Van Rawlings started as somewhat of a joke. I needed a name for Zach's younger brother in This Can't Be Love. He is mentioned once briefly, and that's all he was ever meant to be: a sidebar to Zach's story to give a little background into his family. He got the name Van in 'honor' of a reality tv show chef we used to watch with friends. And laugh about when he came on the screen. An inside joke if you will.
However, when I decided to go ahead with my holiday spin off stories set at The Corral, I knew I was going to incorporate some minor characters that were mentioned in the main stories and have them take the lead. For whatever reason, Van popped into my head to be the hero in the Christmas story. I paired him with Maggie, a newbie, and the story evolved from there.
Van is a divorce lawyer who has no interest in marriage since he spends his days seeing the darker side of things. Maggie is too busy being the administrator for the Reed Adoption Fund to have time for a relationship. But when fate brings them together at Christmas time, things are about to change.
Here's the blurb:
Maggie Pearson has no time in her busy life for love, but an immediate attraction draws her to a mysterious stranger at The Corral, a local bar. However, any romantic feelings are ruthlessly squashed when he accuses her of having an affair with his brother.
As a divorce lawyer, Van Rawlings has seen the ugly side of marriage too many times to believe in love. But having gotten off on the wrong foot with Maggie, and genuinely contrite over his faux pas, he offers to help her with an upcoming Christmas charity dinner. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes he's never met anyone like Maggie, who gives so generously of her time.
Can Maggie and the magic of the season help Van believe again? In Christmas and in love.
I reread the story on my Kindle last week for the first time since I turned in my galley approval, and I have to say, I'm still very pleased with the way Van's story turned out!
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
This sounds like my kind of story, Debra, and I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThe cover artist did a beautiful job capturing the fell of the story. I love the colors as well.
DeleteReading your story in final form must feel great, Debra! The cover is warm and inviting. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI do always go back and read my own stories once they're published. I know not all authors do that, but it's exciting and satisfying for me to read it as a 'real' book, even though I'm familiar with the story.
DeleteSounds like a great book, Debra!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I definitely enjoyed writing it.
DeleteDon't you just love it when a minor character demands a story of their own? I think it means you've created a star in the making without even realising it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to think about it. I've been going back through the original stories trying to find minor characters to use as leads, but Van certainly jumped up and said, "Me me me!" and I wasn't expecting it. :)
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