IDEAS INTO BOOKS

People often ask authors where we get our ideas. My friend Bobbye Terry (who also writes as Daryn Cross) answers that she gets hers from a small idea factory in Ohio. Yes, she does have a fun sense of humor. I sometimes say a fairy sprinkles magic dust onto my keyboard. In reality, even the smallest event can present the kernel of an idea.

For instance, when I was a student at Lubbock High School, I took theater. My teacher, Mr. Black, was terrific as an instructor and as a person. He and his wife were on their way back to Lubbock from Dallas when they encountered a fierce rainstorm. In a basically flat terrain, heavy rains produce flash floods as the water heads for the usually shallow creek- and riverbeds.

Between the Texas towns of Snyder and Post (founded by cereal magnate C.W. Post), the railway is built on a raised earthwork dike that acts as a dam for floodwaters as roiling torrents rush for the local fork of the Brazos River and to Sandy Creek. Mr. Black was driving through this water and watched in horror as a watertight VW bug was swept away. Fortunately, the VW lodged on the railway bank. Mr. Black was in an old, old (teachers don’t make much money) Renault, and water came in one door and exited the other. Still a frightening experience for he and his wife, but they made it home safely.

Aurora

Years and years later, my husband and I were returning from visiting our parents in Lubbock and heading toward home in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. We passed by the spot mentioned above after a downpour. It reminded me of Mr. Black’s story, and started me thinking. What if a woman traveling through this area was caught in a downpour like that? What if she was able to leave her car, but the vehicle was swept away? What if she had to walk along the railroad looking for help?


That’s how Aurora O’Shaunessy leaped from my imagination into a book called BE MY GUEST. She’s on her way to Colorado with the intention of buying a gift shop from a family friend. Aurora has definite plans for her life. This stage doesn’t include romantic complications. First, she wants to get her business firmly under control, perhaps then she will be open to love. Hmmm, when did life ever follow our plans?



Rancher Will

 One Sunday the newspaper had a feature on an elderly rancher whose horse fell, trapping the rancher on a red ant bed. Ouch! The horse was all right, but the rancher--in addition to numerous ant stings--broke his leg. His fighting spirit allowed him complete recovery. But what if the rancher was young and handsome? What if he was a widower with a child? Enter Will Harrison, a rancher whose wife died of leukemia. At least he has his daughter Kelly, his ranch, and extended family. But when a beautiful woman is his guest and the floodwaters have them cut off from the rest of the world, he realizes his family is right. Although he'll always love his wife, it’s time to move on. Can he convince Aurora to give up Colorado and remain with him?


Available on Smashwords
and Amazon Kindle


In reality, the small idea factory is not in Ohio, but in the writer’s imagination. We can’t help ourselves--everything makes us think PLOT! Every news story, documentary, non-fiction book, and family story fuels our muses. BE MY GUEST was first published by Kensington. Now that the rights hav reverted to me, I’ve published it on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents.

Here’s an excerpt from BE MY GUEST:

The clock on the dashboard displayed one o'clock when Aurora was free to concentrate on lunch in Snyder. Clouds gathered and rumbled with thunder over the West Texas town. Aurora's empty stomach rumbled with them. After a hazardous morning, fatigue overshadowed her usually cheerful nature. She passed by the fast food places before she spotted the family restaurant recommended to her by the Texas State Trooper a few minutes ago.

Cars and trucks filled the parking lot. What a lucky break, she thought, when she spotted illuminated taillights and a car backed out of the prime parking slot at the entrance. Aurora saw the lone man in the dusty red pickup truck facing her, waiting for the space. He sat in the very same type and color truck used by two ruffians who had terrorized her earlier in the morning. Although she knew this man could not be one of those two men, an unreasonable anger bubbled up in her directed toward all cowboys, especially those in red trucks.

Her normally pleasant nature turned aggressive and she zipped the Mustang into the vacated park before the less maneuverable truck could occupy the space. The man honked the truck horn at her as she got out of her car. She just smiled and blew him a saucy kiss as she hurried into the restaurant. After all, any real gentleman would have let a lady have the only space in the first place, she told her nagging conscience.


Her conscience would not be quieted so easily. She must be in shock from her morning encounter. Never had she acted so rudely. Regretting her impetuous actions already, she thanked goodness the exchange occurred with a stranger and not someone she might meet again.


Seated in the corner booth, Aurora ordered a hamburger, French fries, and a large Dr Pepper. While she waited for her food, she reviewed the items listed under the town of Snyder in her Texas guidebook. Suddenly, she sensed someone standing beside her booth. As she looked up--and up--a huge cowboy with most of his left leg in a cast leaned his crutches against the side of the booth. He slid onto the seat beside her, which pinned her in the booth with him.


Aurora scooted to the right as far as possible. "Hey, who do you think you are? This is my booth, and no one invited you to share it with me!"


"Your car's sitting in my parking space, so I'll sit in your booth," he said calmly as he removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through sandy brown hair. He turned in his seat to hang the hat on the hook at the end of the booth by his crutches.


Aurora blushed when she realized this must be the man whose parking space she mischievously stole. Oh no, how terrible. He must have had to park a long way from the door and hobble in on those crutches. How embarrassing. The one time in her life she acted rudely, her victim turned out to be a man handicapped by a leg cast and crutches. Still, he had his nerve sitting beside her without so much as a "may I."


Her chin came up defensively. "Okay, I apologize. If you used one of those disability placards on your rear view mirror, people would know you have a problem."


"Lady, my problem is that you stole my parking space," the cowboy said coolly. He lifted his left leg so that the cast-encased foot rested on the seat facing them, then swiveled to gaze at her.


Aurora smelled the cowboy's after-shave mixed with the clean scent of his breath when he turned his face toward her. His stone gray eyes met hers. She saw anger drain from his eyes, replaced by stunned amazement. He leaned toward her.


Her awakened senses rocketed into response. Each thread on the sleeve of his blue chambray shirt seared where it touched her arm. For a moment Aurora had the astonishing thought that this cowboy might lean further forward and kiss her right here in public. Equally astonishing, but fleeting, came the thought that she wouldn't mind a kiss from this man. Her tongue flicked across her lips and she gave herself a mental shake, unable to turn away from his mesmerizing gaze.


What can you be thinking? You have absolutely no business falling for some good-looking cowboy out here in the middle of nowhere. Get a grip on yourself.


Her heart quelled the voice of reason within her mind. Aurora’s her stomach somersaulted from butterflies to flip-flops as she stared into the cowboy's wide gray eyes. She broke his gaze and peered at her folded hands a second before she threw them up in capitulation.


"Okay, Okay. I just don't know what came over me. I know you saw the parking space first, but I'm on Bubba-overload. Look, it's a long story, but it's been a real killer morning. Once again, I apologize and plead temporary insanity" She placed her hands palms down on the table.


His gaze raked over her, and one eyebrow elevated. "Well, well. I'm almost convinced there's remorse here. Almost--but not quite. Would you like to explain to me what 'Bubba-overload' is and what it has to do with me?"


"Listen, I apologized. Let's just drop it. Okay?" Surprised at the petulant tone in her voice, she adjusted the dark green scarf that held the hair back from her face


The man peered at her steadily, his voice polite but firm when he spoke. "No, ma'am, we can't drop it. I think I deserve an explanation after that 'Bubba' line. It sounded very much like an insult to me."


This man obviously had his hackles up and wanted a full explanation. After her morning's adventures, she found herself impatient with this cowboy, even though her mind recognized his request sounded reasonable. Finally, Aurora swiveled at her waist to face him as much as the limited space allowed. "Oh, well, if you insist. You wore that western hat and were in a pickup truck. At a glance, you looked like the typical red-necked Bubba. All you lacked was a big wad of tobacco bulging in your cheek."


She raised her hand and shook a finger at the man as if he were a delinquent school boy. "Listen, I've had my fill, and then some, with you guys. You follow me, whistle at me, lean out a truck window to sing to me, shout, or wave to me. I even receive various very rude gestures and get mooned. Believe it or not, I do nothing either to initiate or encourage any of this behavior."


A skeptical smile appeared and he raised his eyebrows. A flush of color heated her face at the memory of her behavior in the parking lot. She held up one hand to stop any comment he might make before she continued.


"Oh, I know, I acted brashly with you outside just now. Let me assure you, that's entirely unlike me. In fact, it's truly a first. I've never, ever done anything like that before."


She shook her head in wonder. "I don't know what came over me. As I said, it must have been temporary insanity due to Bubba-overload."


She pinched the fabric on the leg of the neatly creased blue denim jeans she wore. "Look at me. My jeans aren't skin-tight. They’re not painted on me." With a tug at the hem of her hunter-green knit top, she added, "My shirt isn't too tight, it has three-quarter sleeves, and the neck isn't low or revealing."


Aurora moved her knees and elevated a foot to display canvas shoes. "I'm wearing my little Keds, not flashy pumps with stiletto heels. All in all, I think I'm dressed very sedately and not at all in a provocative way."


The cowboy slid his glance slowly up and down her then back to her face before he smiled a slow, lazy smile that lit up his eyes and brought a dimple to his cheek. He reached over to grasp her untouched water glass and took a drink from it, his eyes returning to her face as he sipped the icy water.


Her own mouth opened as she watched his mouth against the rim of the glass. The tip of her tongue slid against her upper lip as the water slid into his mouth. She could almost feel his lips as they received the liquid. To hide the rising turbulence in the pit of her stomach, Aurora glared at him. In vain she tried to avoid thoughts of his stare or the dimple that appeared with his smile.

She forced herself to concentrate on her defense. "Um, I just drive along in my little blue Ford Mustang, enjoying the scenery and minding my own business. I do nothing to call attention to myself. I even try to be a good sport about the immature behavior some guys display."


She took a deep breath. "I try to take it all in stride and just keep on schedule but"--Aurora slammed her hands against the top of the table--"this morning, two very frightening Bubbas tried to run me off the highway and hijack me or my car."


His eyes widened and his mouth gaped, but she continued, "I'm only here because a State Trooper happened by in time to interrupt my abduction. Frankly, that scared the life out of me. The longer I thought about it, though, the angrier I became. By the time I got to this restaurant, I had completely lost my cool."


Aurora took a deep breath and gazed at her hands. She recalled the fright that consumed her when she realized the two men followed her. Only quick thinking on her part prevented the two ruffians from succeeding at their attempt to run her off the road and get her out of her car. She shuddered to think what might have happened if not for the State Trooper. And never, never would she forget the faces of those two men!


She waved her hands in a fluttery motion. "When I saw you in a truck the same color as the one that ran me off the road...well...I guess I just went bananas, berserk, crazy. That's why I'm pleading temporary insanity." Aurora leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her.


At this moment the waitress appeared with their food. Aurora stared in amazement as the waitress set the burger, fries and Dr Pepper in front of her and a duplicate of the order in front of the man beside her.


The waitress flashed what she probably thought of as her most seductive smile at the man. In a low, honeyed voice, she asked, "Anything else today, Will?"


He seemed unaware of the invitation in her voice or the hopeful sparkle in her eyes. "Not right now, Norma Sue, thanks. Go ahead and leave the check now and save yourself time."


When the disappointed waitress left, Aurora appraised Will. How could he fail to notice the waitress’ blatant invitation? Had he any idea how attractive he was? Hold on, this guy might be too good to be true.


Aurora gazed over he shoulder at the departing waitress. "How on earth did she know what to bring you? When did you give her your order?"


"When I came in." He leaned across her to get the salt and pepper. Will paused to flash her a truly breathtaking smile and the bottom fell out of her stomach again. "I also told her you’d pick up the check.”

To purchase BE MY GUEST for only 99 cents (and I hope you will), here are the links:

The Smashwords buy link is http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36811?ref=CarolineClemmons

The Kindle buy link is http://www.amazon.com/BE-MY-GUEST-ebook/dp/B004M8T1EC/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321284462&sr=1-3

Thanks for stopping by!

SUMMER SALE PLUS A GIVEAWAY!

Big news for today's blog!  

First, please join me Thursday and Friday at Sky Purrington's beautiful blog for an interveiw with the characters of my July release, HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME. Sky will be interviewing Courtney Madison, the heroine, on Thursday and Derek Corrigan, the hero, on Friday. Stop by her blog and leave a comment which includes your email. I'll be GIVING AWAY a PDF copy of HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME to one person who comments on either day. You can find Sky's blog (and it really is very pretty) at http://www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: Pardon me for promoting my own work. What else can authors to do to convince you to buy our books?

I do love a sale, don't you? ALL FOUR of my backlist titles are on sale at both Smashwords and Kindle for only 99 cents. What a deal!  (Two more will be added next month.) Imagine a full length novel for less than a dollar.

SNOWFIRES is a contemporary romance set in West Texas and Dallas. Penelope Tucker has been the mainstay of her immediate family since the death of her mom. Her father was a gambler who lost everything before he died of a heart attack. If not for Penny's grandfather, she would have lost her home. Now Trent MacLeod has purchased the family business shares her father gambled away. Worse, Trent is determined to take the company in the opposite direction her father had mapped. She knows her father was foolish, but she believes in his business judgement. She vows to fight Trent's plans, but her first attempt strands Trent and her at an isolated cottage in the worst snowstorm of the decade. I took the kernel of this idea from a trip my family made to West Texas one winter. Fortunately, we were stranded at my mom's and not alone in a stranger's home.

BE MY GUEST is a contemporary romance set in and near the small West Texas town of Post. Aurora O'Shaunessy is on her way to Colorado when floodwaters sweep her car off the road. She barely escapes before the vehicle washes down the river. Will Harrison rescues her from the muddy flood and takes her to his home. By the time the water has receded, he knows he wants to keep her in his life forever. Can he convince Aurora to share his life? The idea for this book came from trips we made from the Dallas area to West Texas. The fork of the Brazos River, which is normally mostly dry along this area, becomes a raging torrent in a heavy rain due to the raised railroad bed along the Snyder to Post highway. I knew someone whose car was washed onto the railroad bed. Fortunately, that family was safe and didn't lose their car, but in heavier rains the road is very dangerous. That's Jimmy Thomas on the cover, by the way. He says he's appeared on more book covers than the famed Fabio ever did.

The next two are among my favorites of the books I've written. Sigh. Although I write contemporary mysteries. contemporary and paranormal as well as historical romances, these next two historical reads hold a special place in my heart. If you haven't already, I do hope you'll give them a try.

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE begins in 1878 and is Book One of The Kincaids.
Pearl Parker bakes bread and pastries and also serves as the local midwife and healer for a small isolated community in Tennessee. Since her grandmother died several weeks ago, Pearl and her siblings have experienced a series of mysterious attacks. Drake Kincaid is the heir to his parents' large Texas ranch...if, that is, he marries before his thirtieth birthday only weeks away. He reponds by vowing to find the most unsuitable wife available on his horse buying trip to Tennessee and Kentucky. In Pearl, Drake believes he's found the perfect woman for his marriage of convenience...until Drake realizes that in her startling violet eyes he sees a beautiful woman with a generous soul. Their life together may not have started with hearts and flowers, but Drake and Pearl soon learn that real love, with a breathtaking dose of passion, will make their marriage a true romance. The idea for this story came from a few sentences my grandmother told me about a girl from her village in Tennessee. I don't know what happened to the girl who inspired the story, but I decided to write her a happy ending.

THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND is Book Two of the Kincaids and is set in 1885. Gambler Nate Bartholomew is in trouble...again. He barely escapes an angry mob prior to being buried alive and clawing his way out of his grave. When he reaches St. Louis, he learns his stepmother has died and he's been left out again. The gambling house that should have been his has gone to a young woman who sells the place, though she hardly needs the money. He vows to get his own back.
Sarah Kincaid came to St. Louis from Texas to help her real mother, who was dying. She realizes Nate is following her, but she enlists his help rescuing three children and getting them to her home in Texas. By the time they arrive, Sarah wants Nate to remain with her. Nate wants to remain with Sarah and the children, but he's already set a major con in motion to cheat the Kincaids and their neighbors. How can he make it right without one of his cohorts killing him? During the time I was plotting this story, our minister gave a sermon on Nathan/Bartholomew and how he changed his name because he was a "new" man. I liked the idea and used those names for the hero. 

These SALE books are available from Kindle at
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=154606011#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=Caroline+Clemmons&rh=n%3A133140011%2Cn%3A%21133141011%2Cn%3A154606011%2Ck%3ACaroline+Clemmons

and Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Caroline+Clemmons 

Thanks for reading! Y'all come back.

BE MY GUEST AVAILABLE SOON ON SMASHWORDS!

Big news! At least, big for me. I'll soon add another book to Smashwords. My contemporary romance, BE MY GUEST, originally appeared in 1998. But the one about to go on Smashwords is a revised and expanded version.

BE MY GUEST cover features
Jimmy Thomas as the
rancher hero Will Harrison

I came up with the idea on the drives back and forth to visit our parents in Lubbock, Texas. We drove through Post and Snyder on every trip. That landscape’s rugged beauty appeals to me. I’m fascinated also with the Caprock formation. Driving through the area always incited the desire to ride a horse across the country. (Yes, I like to ride--as long as someone else will saddle, brush, clean hooves, muck stalls, etc.) That ranching country just begs passersby get out of the car and climb on a horse. Because the land appears to be flat, even though it isn’t strictly level, heavy rainfall produces flooding. The railroad bed, raised to resist floods, increases the danger by acting as a dam and forcing water to rush toward streams and rivers. Definitely a land of extremes, but a fascinating one.

Original book cover

BE MY GUEST was first published as part of Kensington’s Precious Gems line in their ill-fated attempt to compete with Harlequin/Silhouette. The books were a short 55,000 words. When friends told me about the line (this is one value of belonging to writing groups), I cut all the suspense from my book to get the word count down and submitted it. I wasn’t happy, because I’d had to delete a key part of the plot, but I definitely wanted to sell a book! The result was not a book I especially liked, but it made me a published author. Hooray! I could play with the big kids! Mediocre analogy, but you get the idea.

Area near BE MY GUEST setting

Now that Smashwords is available, I edited the original version of the novel and it will soon be available at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36811 The bad thing is, every time I read this book--it seems like I’m up in the hundreds of times now--I find an error I missed. That's the delay or the book would be available today instead of later this week. Honestly, when I know what it’s supposed to say, I must gloss over those mistakes. When I worked for a newspaper, we weren’t allowed to proof our own copy for just this reason. Anyway, warts and all, I’ll be happy to have BE MY GUEST available again via Smashwords if for no other than sentimental reasons. The cover model is Jimmy Thomas, who has modeled for more romance novels than Fabio. Jimmy's website is http://www.romancenovelcovers.com/ and his prices are quite reasonable. The background is a photo I took of Texas wildflowers. My genius husband combined the two.


Here’s the blurb:

Aurora

Aurora Kathleen O’Shaunessy comes by her flaming auburn hair naturally, and this independent city woman has an inner fire to match. Nothing stops Aurora--that is, nothing short of a Texas flash flood. This super-organized businesswoman might be running from the past, but she’s using this journey to stop and smell the roses--rather the spring flowers in bloom across the Texas prairie--before she buys a business in Colorado.

Rancher Will Harrison rescues her from the raging waters and she’s his guest for the next thirty-six hours. That’s long enough for Will to fall head over heels into major bumfuzzlement, and he has a hunch she might feel attracted to him. He has a plan to keep her around until he convinces her to move out of the fast land and in to his life forever.


Here’s an excerpt of their initial meeting in Snyder, Texas before the flood:


The clock on the dashboard displayed one o'clock when Aurora found herself free to concentrate on lunch in Snyder. Clouds gathered and rumbled with thunder over the West Texas town. Aurora's empty stomach rumbled with them. After a hazardous morning, fatigue overshadowed her usually cheerful nature. She passed by the fast food places before she spotted the family restaurant recommended to her by the Texas State Trooper a few minutes ago.

Cars and trucks filled the parking lot. What a lucky break, she thought, when she spotted illuminated taillights and a car backed out of the prime parking slot at the entrance. Aurora saw the lone man in the dusty red pickup truck facing her, waiting for the space. He sat in the very same type and color truck used by two ruffians who had terrorized her earlier in the morning. Although she knew this man could not be one of those two men, an unreasonable anger bubbled up in her directed toward all cowboys, especially those in red trucks.


Her normally pleasant nature turned aggressive and she zipped the Mustang into the vacated park before the less maneuverable truck could occupy the space. The man honked the truck horn at her as she got out of her car. She just smiled and blew him a saucy kiss as she hurried into the restaurant. After all, any real gentleman would have let a lady have the only space in the first place, she told her nagging conscience.

Her conscience would not be quieted so easily. She must be in shock from her morning encounter. Never had she acted so rudely. Regretting her impetuous actions already, she thanked goodness the exchange occurred with a stranger and not someone she might meet again.


Seated in the corner booth, Aurora ordered a hamburger, French fries, and a large Dr Pepper. While she waited for her food, she reviewed the items listed under the town of Snyder in her Texas guidebook. Suddenly, she sensed someone standing beside her booth. As she looked up--and up--a huge cowboy with most of his left leg in a cast leaned his crutches against the side of the booth. He slid onto the seat beside her, which pinned her in the booth with him.


Aurora scooted to the right as far as possible. "Hey, who do you think you are? This is my booth, and no one invited you to share it with me!"

"Your car's sitting in my parking space, so I'll sit in your booth," he said calmly as he removed his Stetson and ran his fingers through sandy brown hair. He turned in his seat to hang the hat on the hook at the end of the booth by his crutches.


Aurora blushed when she realized this must be the man whose parking space she mischievously stole. Oh no, how terrible. How embarrassing! He must have had to park a long way from the door and hobble in on those crutches. The one time in her life she acted rudely, her victim turned out to be a man handicapped by a leg cast and crutches. Still, he had his nerve sitting beside her without so much as a "may I."


Her chin came up defensively. "Okay, I apologize. If you used one of those disability placards on your rear view mirror, people would know you have a problem."


"Lady, my problem is that you stole my parking space," Will Harrison said coolly. He lifted his left leg so that the cast-encased foot rested on the seat facing them, then swiveled to gaze at her.


Aurora smelled the cowboy's after-shave mixed with the clean scent of his breath when he turned his face toward her. His stone gray eyes met hers. She saw anger drain from his eyes, replaced by stunned amazement. He leaned toward her.


Her awakened senses rocketed into response. Each thread on the sleeve of his blue chambray shirt seared where it touched her arm. For a moment Aurora had the astonishing thought that this cowboy might lean further forward and kiss her right here in public. Equally astonishing, but fleeting, came the thought that she wouldn't mind a kiss from this man. Her tongue flicked across her lips and she gave herself a mental shake, unable to turn away from his mesmerizing gaze.


What can you be thinking? You have absolutely no business falling for some good-looking cowboy out here in the middle of nowhere. Get a grip on yourself.


Her heart quelled the voice of reason within her mind. Aurora’s her stomach somersaulted from butterflies to flip-flops as she stared into the cowboy's wide gray eyes. She broke his gaze and peered at her folded hands a second before she threw them up in capitulation.


"Okay, Okay. I just don't know what came over me. I know you saw the parking space first, but I'm on Bubba-overload. Look, it's a long story, but it's been a real killer morning. Once again, I apologize and plead temporary insanity" She placed her hands palms down on the table.


His gaze raked over her, and one eyebrow elevated. "Well, well. I'm almost convinced there's remorse here. Almost--but not quite. Would you like to explain to me what 'Bubba-overload' is and what it has to do with me?"


"Listen, I apologized. Let's just drop it. Okay?" Surprised at the petulant tone in her voice, she adjusted the dark green scarf that held the hair back from her face


The man peered at her steadily, his voice polite but firm when he spoke. "No, ma'am, we can't drop it. I think I deserve an explanation after that 'Bubba' line. It sounded very much like an insult to me."


This man obviously had his hackles up and wanted a full explanation. After her morning's adventures, she found herself impatient with this cowboy, even though her mind recognized his request sounded reasonable. Finally, Aurora swiveled at her waist to face him as much as the limited space allowed. "Oh, well, if you insist. You wore that western hat and were in a pickup truck. At a glance, you looked like the typical red-necked Bubba. All you lacked was a big wad of tobacco bulging in your cheek."


She raised her hand and shook a finger at the man as if he were a delinquent schoolboy. "Listen, I've had my fill, and then some, with you guys. You follow me, whistle at me, lean out a truck window to sing to me, shout, or wave to me. I even receive various very rude gestures and get mooned. Believe it or not, I do nothing either to initiate or encourage any of this behavior."

Cowboys--gotta love 'em!

A skeptical smile appeared and he raised his eyebrows. A flush of color heated her face at the memory of her behavior in the parking lot. She held up one hand to stop any comment he might make before she continued.


"Oh, I know, I acted brashly with you outside just now. Let me assure you, that's entirely unlike me. In fact, it's truly a first. I've never, ever done anything like that before."


She shook her head in wonder. "I don't know what came over me. As I said, it must have been temporary insanity due to Bubba-overload."


She pinched the fabric on the leg of the neatly creased blue denim jeans she wore. "Look at me. My jeans aren't skin-tight. They’re not painted on me." With a tug at the hem of her hunter-green knit top, she added, "My shirt isn't too tight, it has three-quarter sleeves, and the neck isn't low or revealing."


Aurora moved her knees and elevated a foot to display canvas shoes. "I'm wearing my little Keds, not flashy pumps with stiletto heels. All in all, I think I'm dressed very sedately and not at all in a provocative way."


The cowboy slid his glance slowly up and down her then back to her face before he smiled a slow, lazy smile that lit up his eyes and brought a dimple to his cheek. He reached over to grasp her untouched water glass and took a drink from it, his eyes returning to her face as he sipped the icy water.


Her own mouth opened as she watched his mouth against the rim of the glass. The tip of her pink tongue slid against her upper lip as the water slid into his mouth. She could almost feel his lips as they received the liquid. To hide the rising turbulence in the pit of her stomach, Aurora glared at him. In vain she tried to avoid thoughts of his stare or the dimple that appeared with his smile.


She forced herself to concentrate on her defense. "Um, I just drive along in my little blue Ford Mustang, enjoying the scenery and minding my own business. I do nothing to call attention to myself. I even try to be a good sport about the immature behavior some guys display."


She took a deep breath. "I try to take it all in stride and just keep on schedule but"--Aurora slammed her hands against the top of the table--"this morning, two very frightening Bubbas tried to run me off the highway and hijack me or my car."


His eyes widened and his mouth gaped, but she continued, "I'm only here because a State Trooper happened by in time to interrupt my abduction. Frankly, that scared the life out of me. The longer I thought about it, though, the angrier I became. By the time I got to this restaurant, I had completely lost my cool."


Aurora took a deep breath and gazed at her hands. She recalled the fright that consumed her when she realized the two men followed her. Only quick thinking on her part prevented the two ruffians from succeeding at their attempt to run her off the road and get her out of her car. She shuddered to think what might have happened if not for the State Trooper. Never, never would she forget the faces of those two men!


She waved her hands in a fluttery motion. "When I saw you in a truck the same color as the one that ran me off the road...well...I guess I just went bananas, berserk, crazy. That's why I'm pleading temporary insanity." Aurora leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her.


At this moment the waitress appeared with their food. Aurora stared in amazement as the waitress set the burger, fries and Dr Pepper in front of her and a duplicate of the order in front of the man beside her.


The waitress flashed what she probably thought of as her most seductive smile at the man. In a low, honeyed voice, she asked, "Anything else today, Will?"


He seemed unaware of the invitation in her voice or the hopeful sparkle in her eyes. "Not right now, Norma Sue, thanks. Go ahead and leave the check now and save yourself time."


When the disappointed waitress left, Aurora appraised Will. How could he fail to notice the waitress’ blatant invitation? Had he any idea how attractive he was? Hold on, this guy might be too good to be true.


Aurora gazed over her shoulder at the departing waitress. "How on earth did she know what to bring you? When did you give her your order?"


"When I came in." Will leaned across her to get the salt and pepper. He paused to flash her a truly breathtaking smile and the bottom fell out of her stomach again. "I also told her you’d pick up the check.”


Writing this book was fun. Of course, it was work, too, but I enjoyed the work. This is what I love doing, writing my stories and seeing them published in one form or another. What more could a writer ask? Oh, yeah, there’re buckets of money, notoriety, New York Times list, fan clubs, public acclaim...stop me before I slit my wrists! LOL Actually, as long as I'm with Hero and I can sit at my computer and write, I’m happy.

Am I Seeing Things?

Have you ever seen a mirage? Remember the old western movies where people stranded in the desert believed they saw water only to discover it was actually more sand? Or when you’re driving on the open road on a particularly hot day and you see shimmering water on the road ahead? Those of us in the Southwest are used to road shimmer. That’s not exactly what I mean. This is about an astonishing experience Hero and I had a few years ago. When I mentioned it to a friend, she suggested I share.

View of the Caprock from Hwy. 84.
There are numerous windmill farms along the
Caprock because the wind usually blows here.

Hero and I were driving between Snyder and Post, Texas on Highway 84 toward Lubbock. On the left is a raised bed for the railroad tracks to prevent the tracks from being washed out in the occasional flood. (See my old 1998 short romance, BE MY GUEST, in which the heroine’s car is washed off this highway.) On the right are ranchlands and farms. Technically the terrain is rolling prairie, but most people think of it as flat as a pancake, which is why it floods in a heavy rain. Other than a few creeks and a wide branch of the Brazos River with almost no water in it under the highway, there’s nowhere for the rushing rainwater to go. The land changes just past Post when you drive up onto the Caprock and then you’re on the high plains, dubbed the llano estacado, or staked plain, by early Spanish explorers. Oh, it still looks flat, but you’re at a higher altitude on the Caprock.


Minus the tall trees, this is the mirage we saw.
Isn't it gorgeous?


Only a few months before, Hero and I had driven to Estes Park, Colorado to attend a meeting. Loved that place! Sigh. But, back to this drive from Snyder to Lubbock. We left Snyder pointed toward Post, when there appeared a huge mirage in front of us that exactly mirrored the mountains we’d seen on the way to Estes Park. And I mean exactly! The mirage was so clear that we could see individual boulders, crags, the tree line, and snowcapped peaks. The mountains looked as if we would drive right up to them if we remained on Highway 84. Incredible! If we hadn’t seen it, you could not have convinced either of us it could happen. As we drove, it remained perfect for at least fifteen minutes. Gradually, the edges began to soften, then the image faded and gently evaporated. Once again, nothing to look at but rolling prairie and blue skies.

We wondered what a first-time traveler on that highway thought. Imagine his or her surprise. In the two photos above, you can see the vast difference between the real landscape and the mirage. By the way, I owe an Australian author whose name I’ve forgotten an apology. She wrote a romance long ago about a hero who saw the heroine in a mirage. I thought it was a crazy story line, which just proves that nothing is impossible.

Have your ever seen a mirage like this or had an incredible experience while traveling? I’d love to hear about it if you have.