G is for (Heather) Graham

A Civil War series sparked Debra's love of the genre.

I can't say for sure if it was the first Civil War romance I ever read, but it's definitely one that went on my keeper shelf. Along with the second and third books in the series.

Published back in the early 90s, the three-book series centers around the Cameron family during the war. (The family was first introduced in other titles, so when you look up the series on Amazon, the Civil War books are actually considered books 4, 5 & 6 of the entire Cameron Family Series.) Which means not only did these stories spark my love of Civil War romance, but it was also another set of books that made me want to write my own series someday. And I still have an inner desire to write a Civil War story one of these days. If I can get over my fear of doing the research and not getting things wrong.

So today I thought I'd share a few tag lines from the covers. Such classic, flowery prose. And I love how they use such similar wording to tie the series together.

One Wore Blue is the first book in the series and features Jesse Cameron as the hero.

Her rebel spirit defied his Yankee soul. His traitor's touch ignited raging passions.

He was a traitor to his cause...a traitor to his love...but the battle would be fought against her own yearning heart.

And One Wore Gray is the second book in the series and features Daniel Cameron.

Her Yankee pride ignited his rebel passion. His searing gaze touched her northern heart.

Amidst the smoke of bitter battle...their passion burned hotter than the fires of Atlanta.

And One Rode West is the third book in the series and features Christa Cameron (Jesse and Daniel's sister).

From the bitter aftermath of war...to the promise of an untamed frontier.

From the devastation of war she followed her heart to a dangerous and dazzling frontier.

It's been a while since I've read these stories, but writing this makes me want to revisit them again.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Favorite Books

Okay, this one is even trickier than choosing a favorite movie. There are simply so many books out there, to narrow it down is nearly impossible. To be honest, I'm not really a big fan of the classics,(I know, I know, I can hear your shocked gasps.) but there are books out there I've become attached to and think of as my own classics.

As a kid I devoured Nancy Drew books. In fact, I'll still pick them up today if I need a quick read. I'm in the process of establishing the entire collection. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are also still among my favorites.

When I started reading "grown up" books, I headed straight for romance. I had a subscription to the American Romance line from Harlequin. Each month four new shiny silver and blue books were delivered to my house. Heaven on earth. Through these stories, I developed my love of the hunky hero, the sassy heroine, and the happily ever after. I dreamed of writing one of my own someday. For many, many years, romance was the only genre I read (outside of reading for classes and such).

When I became a writer, I found myself straying a bit from reading only romance. Part of the reason is, as we've mentioned, when I'm writing, it's difficult to be reading something in the same genre. But romance will always be my first love. In romance I enjoy contemporary the most. One of my favorite sets of books is an old SuperRomance series: Calloway Corners - Four stories by four different authors that follow four sisters - Mariah, Jo, Tess, and Eden. (My copy of Mariah is completely beat up because I've read it so many times.) In historicals my all time favorite is Heather Graham's Civil War trilogy: One Wore Blue, One Wore Gray, And One Rode West.

As I've mentioned before, I love vampires. I first fell in love with them in Linda Lael Miller's trilogy: Forever and the Night, For All Eternity, and Time Without End. These days it's the Twilight series (which I just finished reading for the eighth time) and the Sookie Stackhouse series.

For action-adventure, there's no one better than Clive Cussler. His Dirk Pitt stories are my favorites in that genre.

Obviously, I could go on...but I think we'll leave it at that for the day...

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com