C is for Chloe

Chloe is the heroine in Debra's One Great Night.

She's ready, he's not; it's a battle of the sexes with a twist. reads the tag line for this story.

"I want you to be my sex tutor." is the opening line.

In the story, Chloe creates quite the bucket list for herself, with this show-stopper as the number one item. She's almost thirty and feels like she's never experienced real passion. On the outside she seems wild and carefree and totally sure of herself. On the inside, she's vulnerable and insecure. Here's a peek inside her head at the beginning of the story:

She shrugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone always talks about how great sex is, but to be honest, I don’t know what the fuss is all about.” Maybe it was her. Maybe she
was doing it wrong. “So.” She toyed with the napkin under her drink. “It’s kind of on my bucket list. To have a night of really great sex.”. . .“Well, there are other things on my list, too. I want to get this one out of the way.” To silence the everpresent whispers of self-doubt plaguing every relationship she’d ever had.

I couldn't just pair her with any old guy who would take advantage of her crazy plan. Jason, who sees through the sassy exterior to the hidden uncertainty beneath thinks of her like this:

Yep. T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
One, because he hadn’t been lying earlier when he told her he’d never had a one-night stand. And he wasn’t about to start with his best friend’s baby sister. Second, and more importantly, even his body’s instinctual reaction to her sexy flirting couldn’t make him forget the flash of vulnerability in her eyes earlier. Would she ever tell him why she was so insistent on going through with her crazy plan? There was more to it than bragging rights with girlfriends. If she told him, would it explain why she played the vamp and tease to hide that vulnerability?

And throughout most of the story, even though she's never quite sure of herself, her faith in Jason is one thing that never waivers.

He clicked off the set with the remote. “Nope. We have more important things to do.”
“Like checking something off my list?”
“Yep.”
Chloe’s heart pounded. Was it finally time? She licked dry lips. “Well it’s about time, Williams.” Then she paused. “Wait. You said we were going for a drive.”
“We are.”
Was he planning on taking her to a hotel somewhere? Wasn’t that kind of sordid? “Why can’t we just...um...do it”—she gulped—“here?”
“Here won’t work for what I have planned.” The low drawl made her knees weak.
She swallowed. “Remember, I’m pretty much a beginner. I think here is fine. Unless you want to go to your place?”
“We can go wherever you want.” He threaded his fingers through the loose hair at her temples and tilted her face up. “You’re in the driver’s seat.” The deep blue of his eyes scrambled her brain.
She lost herself in the depths for long drawn out moments. “Then I want to stay here.”
He smiled, but shook his head. “Not an option for what I have in mind.”
Yikes. She was in over her head. Like she’d always known. Better to be in familiar, comfortable surroundings. “Really, my bedroom’s right down the hall about ten feet away.” She gestured. “Won’t that be easier?”
“Nope.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead.
“Come on.” He tugged her hand.
“Jason, really, I—”
“Trust me.”
Calm settled over her, stilling the twist of nerves. She did. Enough to follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.

Chloe and Jason's story was definitely a fun one to write. I was thrilled when it won the honor of Best Contemporary Short in the 2015 IDA Contest. :)

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

S is for Sharlie

Sharlie is the heroine of Debra's This Time for Always.

Just as I have a soft spot in my heart for my first hero, Sharlie will always mean a lot to me too. Sometimes I agonize over what to name my characters, but this one was there from the beginning. The name might have even been there before the story.

I always thought I made the name up, but if you Google it, you get some interesting results.

Think Baby Names gives us this information:

What does Sharlie mean?

Sharlie /shar-lie/ [2 sylls.] as a girls' name is of Old German derivation, and the name Sharlie means "free man". Sharlie is a version of Charlie (Old German): pet variant of Charlene and Charlotte. Sharlow is a conventional surname.

In my story, Sharlie's full name is Sharlina. Again, a name I pretty much just made up at the time.

The meaning is a bit interesting to me, as part of Sharlie's story arc is that she moved out of her wealthy father's house, thus freeing herself from his influence and control.

A wiki shares this about the name:

Sharlie (Slimy Slim, The Twilight Dragon of Payette Lake) is the name given to a reptile-like sea serpent much like the Loch Ness Monster that is believed by some to live in the deep alpine waters of Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho. The first reference to the sea serpent may be the belief of Native Americans, predating western settlement of the area, that an evil spirit dwelled in the lake. The first documented sighting by western settlers occurred in 1920 when workers cutting ties at the upper end of the lake thought they saw a log in the lake. The “log” began to move.

Hmn? My Sharlie is tall and blonde with no resemblance to a monster of any kind. So this one just made me laugh.

Then I found a blog called Sharlie's Angels about a woman with Cystic Fibrosis who received organ transplants that saved her life. And while my Sharlie isn't an organ recipient or an organ donor, she does give a baby up for adoption, thus preserving the life of an innocent child and giving a deserving couple the chance to have the family they always dreamed of.

So, no...I guess I didn't make Sharlie up all on my own. But, in some ways, the name will always be mine.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

P.S. This has NOTHING to do with this post, but I just learned this week that One Great Night came in first place in the 2015 International Digital Awards contest in the short contemporary category. Yay!!

O is for ONE GREAT NIGHT

Debra's One Great Night was a fun story to write.

"I want you to be my sex tutor."

The opening line for OGN came to me out of the blue one day. I wasn't thinking about starting a new story, didn't really have a particular plot in mind, but suddenly those words were circling around in my head. I decided I had to use them. The story of a gal who asks her brother's best friend to 'show her around' in the bedroom flowed from there. It was one I wrote in a disjointed manner, writing whatever scenes popped into my head, so definitely not chronologically. I've written other books in a similar way, but this one was probably the most 'all over the place' one of all.

There was one scene I was purposely saving for last. With a title like One Great Night, the love scene had to be amazing. And it scared me. Normally I don't mind writing love scenes, and mine always tend to be on the spicy side. But I knew this one had to deliver big time. It was the culmination of the entire theme of the book.

In the end it turned out...well, great. (LOL) One of the only love scenes I've written where my editor didn't tell me to add more emotion because parts of it were reading like a 'how-to' manual.

Another reason I like this book is it has my absolutely most favorite cover of all my books. The cover artist nailed the characters and the feel of the story perfectly. Which doesn't happen often.

All in all, it made for one great project!

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

J is for Jessica, Joe, Jason, Jake, and Jesse

Apparently Debra likes names that begin with J.

I never really thought too much about it until I sat down to write my J post for this blog series. A lot of my characters have names that start with J. I didn't plan this. Or do it on purpose. It just kind of happened. So I might as well introduce them to you by sharing their portion of the blurb for their story:

Jessica Hart is the heroine in This Can't Be Love.
After the disastrous end of another dead-end relationship, all Jessica Hart wants is solitude and time to heal at her grandfather's mountain retreat. Instead she finds Zach Rawlings. Zach is everything she wants to escape. As she gets to know him better, she realizes there's more to him than meets the eye. But can she trust her heart to a man like Zach?

Joe Mason is the hero in An Unexpected Blessing.
Joe Mason is the town's bad boy. Literally. He's just returned from a four year stint in prison. He wants nothing more than to put the past behind him and get on with his life. He's had a secret crush on Katy since grade school, but when Katy's parents hire him to be their handyman, she's less than thrilled to have him around. But soon, through her young son's eyes, Katy discovers the good in Joe. As their feelings for one another deepen, small town gossip and prejudice threaten to ruin everything. Will Joe's past come between them, or will they be able to get beyond it and hold onto a love neither expected?

Jason Williams is the hero in One Great Night.
Call him a bit old-fashioned, but Jason Williams has never had a one-night stand. And he's not about to start with his best friend's baby sister. To save Chloe from herself, he will pretend to go along with her crazy scheme. But what happens when the charade becomes all too real? For his libido and his heart.

Jake Hawkins is the hero in This Feels Like Home.
Jake's got one goal--earn enough points to ride on the pro circuit--and he won't let anyone stand in his way. Especially not a sophisticated city lady who thinks bull riding is crazy. Women like Amber are the reason he's perfected the art of loving and leaving. So why can't he get her off of his mind...or out of his heart?

Jesse Rhodes will be the hero in the yet-to-be-written "Written in Rock", the first book planned for a new series I'd like to write.
Jesse is a country rock star on a roll. Right now he's the biggest name in country music. Publicity is all part of the game, but he hates the press. He blames the tabloids for the failure of his marriage. So the heroine is going to be a reporter. Should make for some interesting conflict I hope.

So, in addition to all of these J names, I noticed another trend. I tend to end many of my blurbs with a question. Now isn't that interesting? (LOL)

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

P.S. Starting tomorrow (9/11), One Great Night will be entered in TRR's Readers' Choice Awards - Winter 2015. For the first round, it needs 50 nominations. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd head over to http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=18838 and vote. Thanks!

Snippet Sunday - A Peek into Debra's Current Release

Chapter One

“I want you to be my sex tutor.”
Jason choked on his beer. “What?”
Chloe Harris waited until he met her gaze again. “So, will you do it?” The background noise from the crowded bar filled the charged silence as she held her breath, waiting for his answer. Country music blared from the speakers set around the dance floor. Glasses and bottles clinked. Conversations overlapped, individual words indistinguishable in the cacophony.
“Do what?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard right the first time.
She sighed. “Be my sex tutor.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why do you need a sex tutor?”
“To make sure I’m doing it right.”
This time Jason’s beer spilled down the front of his shirt. He dabbed at the spot with a napkin. “Dammit, this was a new shirt.” He closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, his expression was pained. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this. Hell, I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. But what makes you think you’re doing it wrong?”
She shrugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone always talks about how great sex is, but to be honest, I don’t know what the fuss is all about.” Maybe it was her. Maybe she was doing it wrong. “So.” She toyed with the napkin under her drink. “It’s kind of on my bucket list. To have a night of really great sex.”
He closed his eyes again. It almost looked like he was praying. The dark sweep of his lashes curled over the lids. Why did men have such impossibly beautiful eyelashes, while women spent oodles of money on mascara and torturous curling devices? Obviously God had a sense of humor.
Finally he opened his eyes. Even the dim light in the bar couldn’t hide their vibrant blue. “Bucket list? You’re only twenty-six.”
“Twenty-seven. It’s just something I want to do before I’m thirty.”
“That gives you three years.”
“Well, there are other things on my list, too. I want to get this one out of the way.” To silence the ever-present whispers of self-doubt plaguing every relationship she’d ever had. She leaned closer. “C’mon, I hear you’re really good.”
The bottle froze halfway to his mouth. “Where did you hear that?”
“Maureen Brockman and Leslie Granger both said you were fabulous.”
With deliberate care he set the bottle down. “You asked them how good I was in bed?” The words were forced out between clenched teeth.
“I had to do my research. I want someone who knows what he’s doing.” She settled back in the chair. “So, will you do it?”
“You can’t be serious.”
Chloe lifted her chin a notch. “Why not?”
“Because this is totally insane. If you want to do something crazy, get a tattoo.”
“That’s on my list, too.” She looked at him, then down at the table. She traced the pattern of the wood grain with her index finger. “I just want to do this first. And I figured you’d be the perfect guy to help me.”
“What in the world would make you think that?”
“Well, for one, you’re a high school science teacher, so you know all about chemistry and stuff.” She batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner.
“Ha ha.”
“All kidding aside.” Her serious tone underscored the words. “I know you. I trust you.” More than she trusted herself.
Something played in his eyes, but he shook his head. “Chloe, take a minute to stop and listen to yourself. You’re asking me to have sex with you.”
“I know.” It had taken months to work up the courage.

One Great Night - available now from The Wild Rose Press.

Cover Me Happy!

Debra received the cover for One Great Night!

As you know, I've been waiting for the cover for One Great Night for a while now. I don't think it was taking longer than usual, more it was just me being impatient.

So I was pleased as punch to get an e-mail with the subject line referring to the cover a few weeks ago. Turns out it was an e-mail from the cover artist, introducing herself and asking for some further input. She said she had a good idea of what I wanted based on the cover information sheet I had filled out, but wanted to check in to make sure she was definitely on the right track. She gave me her Facebook page and web-site to browse, and asked me to choose a few covers I thought had the right feel for my book.

When I first looked at other covers she'd done, I was a tad worried. She creates covers for a lot of erotica, including male/male and female/female romance. Many of the covers were very explicit and showed way too much flesh for what I would be comfortable with for one of my stories. My stories are definitely spicy and rated R, but they most definitely don't cross over into the X category. But as I looked further, I did find some examples that were more in line with my style.

So I e-mailed her back and gave her the names of the books I thought had the feel I was looking for. She said she'd search through some images and come up with some ideas.

A few days later she sent me not one mock up, but four mock-ups of my cover. The images were the same, but she'd played with the colors on the title and author name. I loved them all and had a hard time choosing. In the end, I actually came up with a slightly different color scheme. She in turn came back with two more options, just with the shading/shadowing of one of the words.

This was the most involved in creating my cover than I'd ever been, and it was fabulous to have so much input. I am extremely pleased with the result, as the characters are right on and I think it perfectly fits the tone of the story: sexy, flirty, and fun. I honestly can't stop looking at it. I've printed out a copy for my desk, I saved a copy on my phone, and when it comes up on my desk top (I have the covers of all my books rotating through), I minimize whatever I'm working on so I can stare at it for as long as it's on the screen.

So without further ado, I give you the cover for One Great Night...

And the tag line and blurb, just so you get a feel for the whole package!

She's ready, he's not; it's a battle of the sexes with a twist.

At twenty-seven, Chloe Harris has never had a night of really great sex. Before she turns thirty she wants to check that particular item off of her bucket list. She's known Jason her whole life. More importantly, she trusts him. Who better to help her with her plan?

Call him a bit old-fashioned, but Jason Williams has never had a one-night stand. And he's not about to start with his best friend's baby sister. To save Chloe from herself, he will pretend to go along with her crazy scheme. But what happens when the charade becomes all too real? For his libido and his heart.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

A Holding Pattern

Debra's latest project is at a stand-still.

Things were moving along at a fairly quick pace with One Great Night. We went from query to contract in about a month. Not too shabby.

Once the contract was signed, I got my first round of edits pretty quickly, and we soon progressed through a second round, and then onto pre-galley and galley. During that time, I also completed my MIS and cover art info sheets. Things were really rolling.

It wasn't long after that the galley corrections were completed.

And now...we're waiting. On a release date, and more importantly, a cover.

I really thought I'd have that cover by now. Every week when I write my blog I think, 'Next week I'll be able to post my cover.' But it's been weeks. And I'm still waiting.

I'm anxious, and it's just hard because at this stage, everything is out of my hands. All I can do is wait.

I'm sure it hasn't been an overly long time, but I'm getting antsy. I'm ready to see the final product. And seeing my covers for the first time can be nerve-wracking. Most of the time I've been satisfied. Last time around, however, I was not thrilled. Especially with the first attempt. I've made my peace with the final cover, but it's definitely not one of my favorites.

One Great Night is a fun, flirty, sexy book. I'm really hoping the cover reflects that. I was assigned a new cover artist for this one. With the previous eight, I've had the same artist. This time around I didn't request the same gal, but left it up to fate. Only time will tell (hopefully soon) if my gamble paid off.

So...here I hold. Waiting. Anxiously. Maybe next week I'll have a cover to share...

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Now Available:

The Corral Boxed Set: from The Wild Rose Press

Galley a Go Go

Debra is one step closer to finishing the final stretch of things to do on One Great Night.

Over the weekend I received the galley files for One Great Night from my editor. I was a little surprised, because I thought I'd be seeing the project in pre-galley format first, but I guess we skipped that step. Now's the time for looking at minute mistakes: misspellings, grammatical errors, misplaced punctuation, etc. Essentially line edits. It's not the time for changing anything about the story or even rephrasing lines or substituting words.

It's exciting and scary all at the same time. It's exciting because a galley is almost the last step before getting a release date. (I'm still waiting on a cover, too.) It's a bit scary because the time for tweaking and changing has passed. The story won't be changing...even in a small way...at this point. It is what it is.

Because of that, I approach this step of editing in a different way. Instead of reading from the beginning to the end, I read from the end to the beginning. I start with the last page. This way, my mind is not wrapped up in the story, and those pesky errors I mentioned tend to stand out more. Another way to do it is to read all of the odd pages and then all of the evens. Anything that breaks the flow of narrative.

I think no matter what the stage, everyone has their own system for editing. I've been to lots of sectionals and heard lots of presentations on it, but it really all comes down to finding what works for you. Writing is a very personal thing. Even in the editing stage.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Warp Speed?

Things are moving along quickly with Debra's One Great Night.

Received contract signed by the owner of The Wild Rose Press. check

Received, filled out, and sent Manuscript Information Sheet and Cover Art Information Sheet. check

Received first round edits from my editor. check

Worked through her suggestions and sent them back. check

Received second round edits from my editor. check

Looked through them. check

Will work on my end of second round edits when I return from being out of town. in progress

Yep. Things are scurrying along. Good times!

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Ten! (Count 'em!)

Debra inks a new contract with Wild Rose.

Tacked to one of the bulletin boards on my computer desk is a postcard from fellow Wild Rose author, Donna Michaels. I grabbed it from a goodie table once, and tacked it up as inspiration and a goal to work toward. The card featured her book covers. At the time, ten were represented on the card. She's penned far more by now. But I always looked to that card with a 'wouldn't it be great if I had ten books to put on a postcard?' thought in mind.

I am proud to say that as of late last week I can now create a postcard with ten covers representing ten of my own titles! (Go ahead and take a moment to Happy Dance with me...)

I got the official notice on Thursday...some awesome news at the end of a not-so-awesome long, long day so it was doubly exciting...and then signed and sent the contract on Saturday. Now I can add One Great Night (coming soon) to all of my e-mails, blogs, etc. And I might just make that postcard to celebrate! Why not?! Having written, and what's more SOLD, ten stories is no small accomplishment. Heck, maybe even chocolate and champagne are in order. (Let's take another moment to toast...)

I've started to imagine the postcard in my head. I'll group my stories: three from The Corral Series, three holiday novellas, two stand alone full-lengths, a short story free read (Yes, I'm counting this as part of the ten. It had an official contract and is listed on my author/buy page at TWRP so it counts!) and the latest, One Great Night, another stand alone, but in novella format. Kind of fun, don't you think?

Soon, edits will arrive and away we go!

And I found out this week TWRP just made a deal with a Japanese company to start printing our books in other languages (How fun is that?!) and that TWRP will soon have pre-ordering of their new titles available at Amazon and other on-line book sellers.

So all of this, plus the fact that I actually wrote about 350 words of something new this week, brings back the rush of excitement involved in being an author. It takes away the second-guessing of "Do I really want to do this anymore?" Yep. I do.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com