MEMORIES FUEL WRITING

When I was a girl aged from about 11 to 13, going to spend a week with my aunt and uncle who lived south of Lubbock was a vacation. My parents would take me to my uncle’s house on a Sunday, and my uncle would bring me home later in the week. My cousins were older than I was, but I was a daydreamer and made up my own adventures and wasn’t lonely. To me, my aunt and uncle were wealthy. I realize now that they were comfortably well off, but not wealthy.

West Texas Cotton Field near Lubbock
Vacations spot?

Actually, my uncle was a cotton farmer, and lucky enough to have irrigation for his crops. I loved "helping" him check the irrigation. He had an old Jeep and riding in it was fun. He was very tolerant. Since his and my mom's dad died when my mom was six, he was sort of like her substitute dad. He was twelve years older than she was, and she was the youngest sibling and probably pampered and spoiled.

Happy memories inspired me to write HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME in a fictional area near where my aunt and uncle had lived. HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME, is a sweet contemporary romance and is a twist on Cinderella. Here’s the blurb:

Courtney Madison

Courtney Madison has battled poverty her entire twenty-five years but is determined to make a safe and happy home for her teenaged brother after the recent death of their mom. Her mom’s illness left Courtney with a mountain of hospital bills, her formerly sweet brother Jimmy is now cutting class and hanging with a rough crowd, and she’s just learned she’s being downsized in two weeks. Hanging on by the threads of a fraying rope, she learns she’s inherited two million dollars from a kind elderly man she befriended when he was in the hospital across the hall from her mom. She thinks her inheritance in West Texas is the answer to all her prayers--but Courtney learns that while money improves her life, it doesn’t guarantee happiness. This modern Cinderella encounters problems even a fairy godmother couldn’t imagine.

Derek Corrigan

Rancher/entrepeneur Derek Corrigan has incredible instincts for flourishing in the business world. With women, not so much. In fact, his friends bemoan he’s King Midas where money is concerned, but his judgment of women is pathetic--evidenced by his late wife and now the flamboyant woman he’s been escorting of late. As far as Derek is concerned, all he wants is to be a good dad to his children Warren, aged 8, and Meg, aged 5. Derek suspects the worst of his new neighbor and vows to fight his attraction for her. The only way he can protect his children and himself is to keep his private life very private. Besides, he knows what women do to him--they always leave and take chunks of his heart with them. He's been there, done that, had the vaccination and is cured. Isn't he?

Here’s an excerpt from HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME:

Set up: Derek surprised both he and Courtney when he asked her to the Winter Madness Ball held at the local county club.

They joined the others circling the room and Derek pulled her into his arms. He looked down at her while they twirled to a waltz. His beautiful cobalt eyes held passion and tenderness. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.
His arm tightened, snuggling her to him. His lips brushed her hair and she thought he murmured her name. Contentment washed over her, sending her encounter with Janelle far away.
A samba followed. He put both hands on her hips and she rested her hands on his shoulders. They moved as one to the rhythmic beats. Erotic fantasies invaded her mind. Tropical isles, sun drenched beaches, surf gliding gently over their entwined bodies.
In the middle of the next number, a fox trot, Derek guided her to the edge of the ballroom floor and out into the lobby. Gently, he pulled her into a shadowy corner before he pressed his lips to hers. For Courtney, they were alone in the universe.
He pulled her closer and she melted at his touch. She slipped her hands inside his jacket and wound both arms around him to knead his back, oblivious to anyone else in the world.
As he slowly raised his head, she felt herself pulled into those deep blue eyes.
Her senses reeled from his kiss and she struggled to maintain at least a shred of her sanity. “You’re a prominent person here, and this is a public area.”
“You’re right, but I couldn’t wait a second longer to kiss you.” He pulled her head to his chest. “Let me hold you a few moments longer.”
With his arms gently caressing her, she rested against his chest. When at last she raised her head to meet his gaze, he exhaled in resignation and brushed his lips across hers. “I know, I know. We should rejoin the others.”


HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME is available from The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook at
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=638
and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online stores.

Thanks for reading. On Wednesday, I have a new guest author for you, so please return.