Sing Me a Song...

I love music. In junior high it was Rick Springfield. In the eighties it was hair bands: Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Motley Crue, Poison. Now it's country: Kenny, Toby, Brad, Eric, Justin, Carrie. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I love to sing. I'm one of those people who sing along in the car...which isn't always good since I drive a convertible! If I'm in a bad mood, music cheers me up. Songs inspire my writing. So far this summer I've been to three major concerts. Songs provide the backdrop to our lives.

It was nearly impossible to pick two songs out of the millions (billions?!) out there.

But here's what I came up with.

I Swear - sung by John Michael Montgomery. Before my husband and I were even dating, this was the very first slow song we danced to. At the country bar where we met, we called these type of songs 'belt buckle shiners'. It became our wedding song: the first song we danced to as husband and wife. Everytime it comes on, I get 'that feeling'. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I call him. Or e-mail him. Just to let him know I'm thinking of him and I love him even more now than the day we danced to this song in front of all of our family and friends. The day we pledged our lives to one another. If we're together...we stop what we're doing and dance.
I'll give you everything I can,
I'll build your dreams with these two hands,
And we'll hang some memories on the wall
And when there's silver in your hair,
You won't have to ask if I still care,
'cause as time turns the page,
my love won't age at all.
I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky - I'll be there
I swear, like a shadow by your side - I'll be there
For better or worse - 'till death do us part, I'll love you with every beat of my heart
I swear.

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy - sung by Kenny Chesney. This song started my love affair with John Deere tractors. One of my favorite things to do on vacation in Missouri every year is climb on up and take it for a ride. Nothing runs like a Deere.
Well she ain't into cars or pickup trucks
But if it runs like a Deere man her eyes light up
She thinks my tractor's sexy
It really turns her on
She's always starin' at me
While I'm chuggin' along
She likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land
She's even kind of crazy 'bout my farmer's tan
She's the only one who really understands what gets me
She thinks my tractor's sexy

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

C is for Country Music

It might sound overly dramatic to say Country Music defined my life, but in a sense it's true.

Growing up, my folks listened to country music. I hated it. Although, my first concert-going experience was to a Kenny Rogers concert. We all got dressed up and the whole family went.

Inevitably, almost as a sign of rebellion, I found a different outlet for my musical taste. In junior high it was Rick Springfield and then in high school the advent of the 80s hair bands had my sister and I going to a different 'metal' concert almost every month. We had a blast. I was definitely an 80s head-banger. It even continued into college where, much to my roommate's chagrin, I had a life-sized poster of Jon Bon Jovi on my closet door. (Jon Bon Jovi still does it for me!)

After I graduated from college, I happened to take a trip to Texas to visit a high school friend who was going to school down there. It was then that country music came back into my life. And there it stayed.

From then on I was hooked, and it led to so many other things, which really did lead me down a certain path in life:

I met my husband at a country bar. We learned to dance together. And fell in love. He's my best friend in the whole world and I owe it all to the music I listen to. (The bar eventually became the setting for my first novel: This Time for Always.) We made friends at the bar (which sadly is closed now) that we still keep in contact with today. Some were even in our wedding. Some of our most memorable moments while dating came while at "Country Thunder", a multi-day outdoor concert/camping experience.

I really do think John Deere tractors are sexy thanks to Kenny Chesney.

Most of my books have somewhat of a country feel. Their corresponding soundtracks are always country. If my hero isn't a cowboy, or something else close to it, he at the very least drives a pick-up truck or wears boots. Certain country songs have sparked ideas which have turned into complete stories.

I even work out to country music most of the time: Toby Keith and Eric Church can rock with the best of them.

And I've learned to love all of those old country classics my parents used to listen to.

There are many folks out there who don't care for country music, but as for me, without it, I wouldn't be who I am today.

Until next time,

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com