SHARING MY HOMETOWN AND MY BOOK

This post is late going up because my computer attacked itself. Actually, a virus attacked, and it took a while for my sweet Hero to evict the evil virus. Usually, I schedule a post days ahead. Wouldn’t you know the time I’m down to the wire, the computer gets sick? I simply cannot understand why people think it’s fun to attach a virus to some unsuspecting person’s email. Good heavens, people, get a life!

Many of you know that, for the most part, I grew up in West Texas in and near Lubbock. My family moved there from Southern California when I was seven. The area is an arid, oftentimes dusty place, but a good place to live. My family were blue collar and lived on the wrong side of the tracks. All my friends were from similar households, so I had no clue we were poor. Why would I? My parents made certain I had everything I needed and most of the things I wanted. And after all, we gave to the Salvation Army to help the poor. Yes, I was naïve, but happy.

Lubbock, Texas known as
The Hub of the Plains

Growing up in West Texas imprints that locale into your blood. It’s called “the Land of the Tall Sky” and carries with it a certain freedom. When I lived in Florida, for instance, I always felt the sky was too close to the ground. Silly perhaps, but I am not the only one who has had this experience.

In the Land Of The Tall Sky,
you can see miles and miles
of nothing but miles and miles

Another thing I like about the area around Lubbock is that you can see miles and miles. Unless you are in a ravine or canyon, like Yellowhouse Canyon, the land is flat with few trees. When I talked with my editor in NY about being able to see a mile away, she doubted me. But it’s true. We were discussing my heroine in HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME and her being able to see the home of a friend.

One thing I don't like about West Texas is a sand or dust storm. Yikes! For asthmatics like my family, you can't get your breath. It's as if grit has replaced all the oxygen. There's a dust storm in HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME and in THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP. They happen, and they are chokers.

HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME rights have reverted to me now and it has a new cover. My Hero is currently uploading it to Amazon. Ramona Lockwood, of Covers by Ramona, designed the new cover. No, there are no mountains in the Lubbock area. There is a playa in the book, though. I love the colors of this cover.

Here's the blurb:

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.

Rancher/entrepreneur 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?

This is the first of three books planned for the Texas Home series. In HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME, Derek Corrigan has been searching for his sister and mother for years. In the second book, FINDING MY TEXAS HOME, Derek Corrigan’s sister finds him—and meets Derek’s best friend, Rusty McCullough. The third book is RETURN TO MY TEXAS HOME and features Rusty’s sister Elaine McCullough and the return of her high school secret crush, Chance Stewart.

HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME will be available for purchase from Amazon in a couple of days. If you haven’t read it, please give this sweet contemporary romance a try.

Thanks for stopping by!