N is for Nick

Nick Jameson is the hero in Debra's New Year's Eve story.

I feel like I know Nick pretty well. In addition to starring in his own story, he has cameos in just about every other story of the main Corral series and the holiday spin offs. Sometimes by name. Sometimes by just 'the bartender'.

In writing his story, though, one comment my editor made was about not knowing him very well. I think that's an overall dilemma in a short story. Nick's clocks in at just over 8,000 words. With a narrative that short, there isn't a whole lot of time to really dig deep into a character's psyche. It's more of a 'what you see is what you get' kind of situation.

In fact, most of what we know about Nick comes from the heroine's POV. Here we're in her head on the opening page:

Nick would make someone a good husband. Not her of course. It wasn’t like that between them. Although she couldn’t deny the hint of attraction that simmered right beneath the surface, hooking up with Nick, as good as it probably would be, wasn’t worth risking their friendship over. Lovers came and went. Truly good friends were much rarer and harder to find.
Besides, she knew Nick. He wasn’t interested in settling down. He wasn’t a player in the strictest sense of the word, but happily ever after with one woman wasn’t on his radar anywhere in the near future.

I did have some fun throwing in some phrasing that went along with Nick's career of bartender, and hopefully put us deeper into his POV when we do get into his head.

His mouth went dry and his head buzzed like he’d had too many shots of Jager.

The idea burned through him like a sip of perfectly aged Tennessee whiskey. Smooth with a warmth that spread until it consumed him.

It was like someone poured one-hundred proof tequila on his already shriveled soul. And shoved the worm down his throat for good measure.

...with an intensity that built like a shot of liquid cocaine burning into his belly.

New Year's Eve at The Corral makes its debut on December 14.

In the meantime, Halloween at The Corral had its worldwide release yesterday!

Get your copy at:

The Wild Rose Press: (It's on sale there for $1.00!)
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

J is for Jack-O-Lantern

A peek at Debra's upcoming Halloween at The Corral.

Kelly, our heroine, is dismayed to learn Dan, our hero, has never carved a jack-o-lantern. And even though she's having trouble figuring him out, one thing she's sure of. No one should miss out on one of Halloween's most classic traditions.

Dan opened the door to the biggest pumpkin he’d ever seen. From behind the massive gourd came Kelly’s voice. “Want to give me a hand here?”

He took a brief moment to appreciate her long, slim legs covered in faded denim before taking the pumpkin from her arms.

“Thanks. Take that inside. The kitchen table should work. I’ll be right back with the rest.”

“The rest?” But she was already halfway down the sidewalk.

A heavy weight, present since he’d walked away from her in The Corral’s parking lot last night, lifted from his chest. He placed the enormous pumpkin on the kitchen table. Finding her on his doorstep was a pleasant, if unexpected, surprise.

The front door opened, then closed. Booted footsteps thunked on the hardwood in the hall. Kelly appeared in the doorway with a cardboard carton in her arms. She set the box down. “Whew. I’m glad you have
a ranch.” She nodded toward the pumpkin. “Good. You have a table. I wasn’t sure if you had a galley kitchen. That would have made things tricky.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, because I’m glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”

She flashed him a grin that was at once impish and sexy. “We’re going to carve a pumpkin.” She brandished a wicked looking knife from the box.

His breath caught. His light-as-air heart beat faster. She’d listened. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "That sounds like fun."

Halloween at The Corral makes its worldwide debut on October 5.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

D is for Dan Jenkins

Dan is the hero in Debra's upcoming Halloween at The Corral.

By the time I introduced Dan as a VERY minor (as in he's mentioned once and has no speaking part) character in This Feels Like Home as a bull riding buddy of Jake's, I already had plans for my spin off series of holiday stories. I was kind of 'hedging my bets' and throwing in some characters I might want to use in a future story. Other than the fact he was a bull rider, I didn't know a thing about him.

When it came time to write the Halloween story for my series, I decided it was Dan's turn to be the hero. The first thing I did was give him a last name. Jenkins popped into my head so I went with it.

Then, of course, I had to flesh out his character. In the back of my head I had this idea of using the Halloween theme of costumes that hide who you really are. So, Dan became a man of many 'faces'. As a bull rider, and a damn good one at that, he is somewhat of a celebrity in his hometown. He has legions of adoring fans, mostly women, but he never is sure if they like him for himself or for his fame. If they'd get to know him, they'd learn he is a down-to-earth guy, despite the fact that he comes from a wealthy family. And although he's considered somewhat of the black sheep of this snobby family, he still loves them and is willing to don a suit to go have brunch at his parents' house because it makes his mom happy. Before 'running off' to join the rodeo, he was a premed major at a prestigious college.

Because of these many 'faces', Dan isn't really sure 'who' he is.

And neither is Kelly Harper. At first, she thinks he's a good ol' boy with an ego the size of Texas, and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Been there done that and learned her lesson in the past with an ex-fiance. But as she gets to know Dan, she discovers layers to him that she never dreamed existed. Layers she really likes. If she could figure out who the 'real' Dan Jenkins is, maybe she'll be brave enough to trust him with her heart.

The cover, which I've shared before, turned out so absolutely perfect for this story, I am in awe each and every time I look at it.

Here's the opening paragraph.

Great. An impromptu meeting of the Dan Jenkins Fan Club gathered a few feet away. The combination of floral perfume, hairspray, and cosmetics made Kelly Harper want to gag. As did the simpering, coquettish smiles on the faces of the groupies clustered around this little corner of Texas's hometown celebrity.

Halloween at The Corral debuts this fall.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

U is for Uber Excited

Debra received another cover this week.

To say I was thrilled to get the cover for my Fourth of July story last week was an understatement. When I opened my e-mail and found the cover for my Halloween story just a few days later, I was over the moon! Apparently my cover designer was behind a bit on the Fourth one and ahead of schedule on the Halloween one.

To make it even more exciting...I mean, how often do you get two covers for two different stories within a week?...the cover is absolutely wonderful. It fits the story so perfectly I can hardly believe it. Not to mention, since it's Halloween, it has a fall theme, and fall is my favorite season. (Not that I'm in a hurry for it to arrive at this point and time. I plan on enjoying the summer ahead to the fullest!) The colors are so rich and vibrant. I can't stop looking at it. I keep sneaking peeks on my computer and phone throughout the day. It's definitely my favorite cover of the series.

So, without further ado...here is the cover for Halloween at The Corral.

And here's the tag line and blurb so hopefully you'll see why it's not only visually stunning, but fits the theme of the story to perfection...down to the jack-o-lantern in the corner, since there's a scene in which the hero and heroine carve one.

You don't need to wear a mask to hide who you really are.

Kelly Harper has no interest in egomaniacs like Dan Jenkins. She also has no patience for the entourage of groupies that follows him while he basks in their attention. Her experience with her ex-fiancé has taught her to steer clear of guys like Dan who see women as no more than a pretty face to parade around.

Dan Jenkins is something of a local celebrity. His charm and good looks ensure he never lacks for female company, but truth be told, he finds their attentions shallow and superficial. No one really bothers to get to know who he really is. Trouble is, Dan's not sure he really knows who he is.

Will Kelly be the one to figure out who Dan really is behind the good ol' boy facade? If so, she just might discover a man she never expected. A man worthy of giving her heart to.

Until next time (maybe I'll have stopped gushing by then...),

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com