Only in Texas
Page 37
THE DISH
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of Christie Craig
Dear Reader,
As an author of seven humorous suspense romance novels, I’m often asked how I come up with my characters. Since the truth isn’t all that fun to describe—that I find these people in the cobwebs of my mind—I usually just tell folks that I post a want ad on Craigslist.
One of those folks replied that she’d be checking out my ad and applying for the position of romance heroine. Right then I wondered if she’d ever read a Christie Craig book. Well, it’s not just my books—every good story is really a triumph over tragedy. (Of course, I have my own lighter spin of tragedy.) And by the ending of my books, my heroines have found a man who’s smoking hot and deserving of their affection, and they’ve experienced a triumph that’s sweeter than warm fudge. Friendships have been forged, and even the craziest of families have grown a whole lot closer. And I do love crazy families. Probably because I have one of my own. Hmm, maybe I get some of my characters from there, too.
Point is, my heroines had to earn their Happily Ever After. The job requires a lot of spunk.
Take poor Nikki Hunt in ONLY IN TEXAS, the first book in my Hotter in Texas series, for example. Her cheating ex ditches her at dinner and sticks her with the bill. She then finds his dead body stuffed in the trunk of her car, which makes her lose her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now, not only is Nikki nearly broke, she’s been poisoned, she’s barfing in public (now, that’s a tragedy), and, worse still, she’s a murder suspect. And that’s only the first chapter. Nikki’s fun is just beginning. You’ve hardly met Nikki’s grandma, who epitomizes those family members who drive you bonkers, even though you know your life would be empty without them.
As we say in the south, Nikki’s got a hard row to hoe. For certain, it takes a kick-ass woman to be a Christie Craig heroine. She’s gotta be able to laugh, because sometimes that’s all you can do. She’s gotta be able to fight, because life is about battles. (I don’t care if it’s with an ex-husband, a plumber, or a new puppy unwilling to house-train.) And she’s gotta be able to love, because honestly, love is really what my novels are about. Well, that and overcoming flaws, jumping over hurdles, and finding the occasional dead body.
So while in real life you may never want to undergo the misadventures of a Christie Craig heroine, I’m counting on the fact that you’ll laugh with her, root for her, and fall in love alongside her. And here’s hoping that when you close my book, you are happy you’ve met the characters who live in the cobwebs of my mind.
And remember my motto for life: Laugh, love, read.
www.christie-craig.com
From the desk of Isobel Carr
Dear Reader,
I’ve always loved the “Oh no, I’m in love with my best friend’s sister!” trope. It doesn’t matter what the genre or setting is, we all know sisters are forbidden fruit. This scenario is just so full of pitfalls and angst and opportunities for brothers to be protective and for men to have to really, really prove (and not just to the girl) that they love the girl. How can you not adore it?
Add in the complications of a younger son’s lot in life—lack of social standing, lack of fortune, lack of prospects—and you’ve got quite the series of hurdles to overcome before the couple can attain their Happily Ever After (especially if the girl he loves is the daughter of a duke).
If you read the first book in the League of Second Sons series, you’ve already met the sister in question, Lady Boudicea “Beau” Vaughn. She’s a bit of a tomboy and always seems to be on the verge of causing a scandal, but she means well, and she’s got a fierce heart.
You will have also met the best friend, Gareth Sandison. He’s a committed bachelor, unquestionably a rake, and he’s about to have everything he’s ever wanted—but knew he could never have—dangled in front of him… but he’s going to have to risk friendship and honor to get it. And even then, things may not work out quite as he expected.
I hope you’ll enjoy letting Gareth show you what it means to be RIPE FOR SCANDAL.
www.isobelcarr.com
From the desk of Hope Ramsay
Dear Reader,
In late 2010, while I was writing HOME AT LAST CHANCE, something magical happened that changed the direction of the story.
A friend sent me an email with a missing pet poster attached. This particular poster had a banner headline that read “Missing Unicorn,” over a black-and-white photograph of the most beautiful unicorn I have ever seen. The flyer said that the lost unicorn had last been seen entering Central Park and provided a 1-800 number for tips that would lead to the lost unicorn’s safe return.
The unicorn poster made me smile.
A few days later, my friend sent me a news story about how hundreds of people in New York had seen this poster and had started calling in reports of unicorn sightings. Eventually, the unicorn sightings spread from Manhattan all the way to places in Australia and Europe.
At that point, the missing unicorn captured my imagination.
The worldwide unicorn sightings proved that if people take a moment to look hard, with an innocent heart, they can see unicorns and angels and a million miracles all around them. As we grow up, we forget how to look. We get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily living, and unicorns become myths. But for a small time, in New York City, a bunch of “Missing Unicorn” posters made people stop, smile, and see miracles.
The missing unicorn and his message wormed its way right into my story and substantially changed the way I wrote the character of Hettie Marshall, Last Chance’s Queen Bee. Sarah Murray, my heroine, tells Hettie to look at Golfing for God through the eyes of a child. When Hettie heeds this advice, she realizes that she’s lost something important in her life. Her sudden desire to recapture a simple faith becomes a powerful agent of change for her and, ultimately, for Last Chance itself. And of course, little Haley Rhodes helps to seal the deal. Haley is a master at seeing what the adult world misses altogether.
I hope you keep your ability to wonder at the world around you—to see it like a child does. You might find a missing unicorn—or maybe a Sorrowful Angel.
From the desk of Dee Davis
Dear Reader,
Settings are a critical part of every book. They help establish the tone, give insight into characters, and act as the backdrop for the narrative that drives the story forward. Who can forget the first line of Rebecca—“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” The brooding house in the middle of the English moors sets us up from the very beginning for the psychological drama that is the center of the book.
When I first conceptualize a novel, I often start with the settings. Where exactly will my characters feel most at home? What places evoke the rhythm and pacing of the book? Because my books tend to involve a lot of adventure, the settings often change with the flow of the story. And when it came time to find the settings for DEEP DISCLOSURE, I knew without a doubt that Alexis would be living in New Orleans.
One of my favorite cities, I love the quirky eccentricities of the Big Easy, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with readers, including the Garden District and the French Quarter. Of course, Alexis and Tucker don’t stay in New Orleans long, and it isn’t surprising that they wind up in Colorado.
We moved a lot when I was a kid, and one of the few stable things in my life was spending summers in Creede. But because I’ve used Creede already in so many books, I decided this time to use the neighboring town of South Fork as the place where George has his summer retreat. And Walsenburg—one of the places we often stopped for groceries on the way to Creede—as the scene of Alexis’s family’s disaster.
I confess that Redlands, Tucker and Drake’s home, is a place I’ve never actually visited. But a dear friend lived there for several years and tells such wonderful stories about it that it seemed the perfect place for my boys to have grown up and developed their
love of baseball.
And of course Sunderland College, while fictional, is indeed based on a real place: Hendrix College, my alma mater. I spent a wonderful four years there, and I hope you enjoy your time at Sunderland with A-Tac as much!
For insight into both Alexis and Tucker, here are some songs I listened to while writing DEEP DISCLOSURE:
The Kill, by Thirty Seconds to Mars
Breathe (2 am), by Anna Nalick
Need You Now, by Lady Antebellum
And as always, check out deedavis.com for more inside info about my writing and my books.
Happy Reading!
Also by Christie Craig
Blame It on Texas
Raves for
Christie Craig and Her Novels
“Delightful… Craig hits all the high notes en route to happily ever after.”
—Publishers Weekly on Shut Up and Kiss Me
“Funny, hot, and suspenseful, Craig’s writing has it all. She’s the newest addition to my list of have-to-read authors. Warning: Definitely addictive.”
—Nina Bangs, New York Times bestselling author
“Craig is the jewel of my finds when it comes to new authors to add to my favorites list. Her characters draw you in immediately, make you care about them in no time flat, and her humor is to die for.”
—GoodBadandUnread.com
“Christine Craig writes delicious sexy romances that are as addictive as a can of Pringles; once you start, you can’t stop! Hilarious, romantic… entertaining from start to finish.”
—NightOwlRomance.com
“Craig is like chocolate: addicting and good for you. I dare you to dive in and not get a good laugh.”
—BookBitch.com
“Christie Craig will crack you up!”
—Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author
“4½-stars! Fast-moving, exciting, and suspenseful, with the many delightful characters Craig always provides.”
—RT Book Reviews on Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived
“Witty and fast-paced… Craig fills her new romantic thriller with a playful tone and quick banter.”
—Publishers Weekly on Gotcha!
“Highly entertaining… a humorous tale that is one part suspense and all parts fun.”
—RomRevToday.com on Divorced, Desperate, and Dating
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Contents
WELCOME
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
A PREVIEW OF BLAME IT ON TEXAS
THE DISH
ALSO BY CHRISTIE CRAIG
RAVES FOR CHRISTIE CRAIG AND HER NOVELS
NEWSLETTERS
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Christie Craig
Excerpt from Blame It on Texas copyright © 2011 by Christie Craig
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Second e-book edition: September 2011
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ISBN 978-1-4555-2782-3
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