#IWSG: Titles or Characters

It's the 1st Wednesday of June. Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. 

Thanks to this month's awesome hosts:  Beverly Stowe McClure, Tyrean Martinson, Tonja Drecker, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

This month's question is: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

First, I want to thank everyone who gave me so much support in February and March, when the winter blahs/blues had me down in the dumps. Your thoughtful advice and good wishes pumped me up and made me work through it. BTW, my daughter gave me a "happy lamp" for Mother's Day so winter won't get me down again. 😎

Now to the question. Perfect timing. The short answer is sometimes the title and sometimes the character. For my work-in-progress, both the title and characters were a problem. I went through many titles, never liking one that much. It started as “Kate’s Story”—my catchall name when I don’t have a title, just call it by the main character’s name. Because some of the story takes place camping, I thought of “Unpredictable Nature” yet I was never totally happy with that. As I reworked the story, it became more obvious that the story centered on an accountant's discovery. That's when the title smacked me up the side of the head: Numbers Never Lie.

This story also had character name problems. When I started the book fifteen years ago, the main character’s name was Kate. Now, I have a daughter-in-law whose name is Katy. It would feel weird to write romantic sections using her name. So, she became Maggie. The other main character started out as Alex. I have a mystery series where the female P.I.’s name is Alex. So, scratch that one. I wanted a Scottish first name to go with Campbell. That's how he became Andrew, nickname Drew.

Here’s the blurb for Numbers Never Lie.

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that—an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack leave behind?

Now that I’m almost through revising/editing, I’m happy with my final choices. The plan is to release this book at the end of this month. So . . . I’m organizing a blog tour. If you are interested in hosting me, here's a form to fill out.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtq0uq2nARRiSy1Gb85U0MgUhoACL-7HA5oaM23wY9zkqEjQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks so much for all your support!

A reminder: I'm always happy to help you celebrate a new release. Just drop me a note at dmburton72 (at) gmail (dot) com


Until next month, happy writing.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

NUMBERS NEVER LIE Character Sketch: Ben

Before I let you know more about one of the characters in my work-in-progress, I need share the brainstorm I got last week. A new (and improved) title. What used to be Unpredictable Nature is now Numbers Never Lie. When I started this story back in 2003, the focus was on camping with the girls. I’m a better writer now than fifteen years ago. (I should hope so.) As I’ve been editing and revising this story, it hit me that Jack’s discoveries while doing an audit is pivotal. Audit, numbers. Number Never Lie. (In fact, I didn’t realize until today that I used that phrase during Jack’s character sketch.)

Back to the character sketches. I’ve already shared Maggie’s, Drew’s, and Jack’s. Now, it’s Ben’s turn. While he’s a secondary character, Ben Voorheis plays a large part in the story.

Here’s a physical description of him from the story:

He enveloped her [Maggie] in a one-armed bear hug. He smelled of cologne—a heavy, exotic scent—and mint. Though about the same height as Maggie, Ben Voorheis was burly and about a year older. His blond-white hair, blue eyes, and ‘apple’ cheeks were a testament to his Dutch ancestors who—like so many—settled in West Michigan.

Ben met Jack at the big-name accounting firm where they first worked after college. They became friends, eventually left the firm, and started their own accounting business. They were a good match. Ben was more of a people person than Jack, while Jack had a stronger drive. They each had their own clients. Though Ben brought in more, he shared. Ben’s best quality is his loyalty to his friends.

Five years ago, when he and Jack began their business partnership, Ben fell for Maggie. When she let him know she wasn’t interested in that type of relationship, he backed off. Sort of. Though he often joked how she’d ruined him for other women, he never lost his romantic interest in her.

A stupid stunt on his motorcycle sidelined Ben for several weeks, Hospital and rehab left him unable to perform his business duties. As they always did when one became overloaded, the other stepped in. Jack took on the audit of one of Ben’s clients, and one of his friends.

Here's the blurb:

A shocking secret brings danger to Jack Sinclair and his sister Maggie. 

As kids, they were the fearless threesome. As adults, Jack's an accountant; Drew, a lawyer; Maggie, a teacher and camping troop leader. Returning from a weekend camping trip, Maggie receives horrifying news. She refuses to believe her brother’s fatal car crash was an accident. If the police won’t investigate, she’ll do it herself. Convincing Drew Campbell to help is her only recourse.

Drew Campbell was too busy to return his best friend’s phone call. Too busy to attend a camping meeting important to his teen daughter. Too busy to stay in touch with Jack. Logic and reason indicate Jack’s accident was just that--an accident caused by fatigue and fog. Prodded by guilt, he’ll help Maggie even if he thinks she’s wrong.

A break-in at Jack’s condo convinces Maggie she’s right. Then her home is searched. What did Jack leave behind?

I’ve been sharing snippets from Numbers Never Lie every weekend since February 3^rd. Stop by every Saturday or Sunday to read something new.

Thanks for stopping by. This is going to be a busy week, blogwise. Tomorrow, I’ll be at Paranormal Romantics, writing about my Muse.

On Friday, it’s my turn over at The Roses of Prose where I’ll talk about my progress this month (compared to my miserable February).

On Saturday, I’ll share another snippet from Numbers Never Lie.

Today, my friend Susan Coryell’s latest mystery, A Murder of Principle, was released. See my review.

On Thursday, Shannon Lawrence visits.

In between all the blogging, I’ll be chugging along on Numbers Never Lie.

Monday Morning Musing: Character Sketch - Jack

For the past three weeks, I've been sharing bits and pieces of my work-in-progress, a romantic suspense tentatively titled Unpredictable Nature. It started with sharing a snippet on Weekend Writing Warriors (WeWriWa). Then on Mondays, I shared a little about the main characters. Last Monday was Drew's turn. Now, it's Jack's, Drew's best friend and Maggie's brother.

With his younger sister, Maggie, Jack Sinclair grew up in a typical Midwestern subdivision. At age 8, Jack and his family relocated to a Grand Rapids (Michigan) suburb because of their father’s job. The first kid Jack met was Drew Campbell who knocked his block off, just to get the point across that he was in charge of the neighborhood. That’s how their lifelong friendship began. The two boys were inseparable, except for camping and Boy Scouts. Whereas Drew bailed out of Cub Scouts after a disastrous first campout, Jack earned every badge and became an Eagle Scout. Of course, he did. Jack always finished what he started.

Jack and Drew were college roommates and only after graduation did they go their separate ways—Drew as a lawyer and Jack, an accountant. Five years ago, Jack left a big accounting firm and with his friend Ben Voorheis formed a partnership. They each had their own clients. But when Ben’s motorcycle accident sidelined him, Jack took over.

Numbers never lie. They were black and white, no in-between. That suited Jack perfectly. He liked when things made sense. Which made his audit of his partner’s client disturbing. Certain things didn’t make sense. If what he feared was true, he and Ben were in big trouble.

Here are a few snippets from Maggie’s point of view that give you a glimpse into Jack’s personality:

His combination Christmas and birthday gift to her a couple of years ago was a sophisticated sound system. After he set it up, he’d left detailed—printed, no less—instructions for its use. That was Jack. Always covering the bases. Heaven forbid, he leave anything to chance. Even his sister’s CD player.

***

She looked around Jack’s perfectly neat living room. She always complained that he’d taken minimalism to new heights. Nothing, not even dust, marred the surface of the lamp table. No knickknacks, no forgotten glass or coffee cup. Magazines neatly stacked on the coffee table. The yellow National Geographic provided a splash of color next to copies of The CPA Journal.

All perfectly normal, perfectly Jack.

***

As she turned to leave, she saw that the pantry door wasn’t firmly shut. Nothing inside appeared to be disturbed. Everything looked the way it always did, cans and jars lined up perfectly straight, an inch from the edge of each shelf. Categorized. Vegetables with vegetables, pasta sauce next to alfredo sauce. She didn’t bother to check the spices. They’d be in alphabetical order. Her OCD brother wouldn’t have it any other way.

Are you intrigued? I hope so. As you can see from the progress meter on the right of this blog, I’m over 2/3 finished with Unpredictable Nature. Come back next Sunday for another snippet from the first chapter. Next Monday, I’ll share a little about Jack’s business partner, Ben. Have a great week.

Monday Morning Musing: Drew

Two weekends ago, I started sharing bits and pieces of my work-in-progress. Besides sharing snippets on the weekends, I'm also sharing a little about the main characters. Last Monday was Maggie's turn. Now, it's Drew's.

Lawyer Andrew (Drew) Campbell grew up with Maggie and her older brother Jack. The boys were best friends and did their best to torment little Maggie or ditch her at the first opportunity. Her persistence to keep up with the boys (and her natural athletic ability) made her an asset on their sandlot baseball games--the only time they let her play with them. Drew and Jack stayed friends into adulthood.

Between Drew's over-cautious mother and his wife's fastidiousness, Drew didn't get down and dirty. He golfed, he swam (in pools). He also flunked out of Cub Scouts. A year after his wife's death, he's trying to make a "normal" life with his fourteen-year-old daughter. Without knowing the details, he agrees to help chaperone her camping group. A perfect bonding time for the two of them. Here's a short excerpt:

“What do you mean no toilets?” Drew Campbell stopped on the dusty forest path, hooked his sunglasses on the placket of his golf shirt, and stared at his daughter.

“Dad-dy,” Ellen said. Was she only fourteen? She did exasperation better than his administrative assistant. “I told you we were camping.”

Not for a moment would Drew reveal that camping was not what he remembered her saying a week ago. She said she wanted him to come along on an outing with her little group of friends. He figured a hike, picnic lunch, and then home for supper.

After taking a call on his cell in the parking lot near the trailhead, he’d gotten his first surprise. That’s when he found out about the “no electronics rule.” No cell phones, no iPods. All were locked in the vehicles. Only the leader carried a cell phone and only for emergencies.

He got his second surprise when he opened the hatch of the Navigator. Five backpacks. Five backpacks with bedrolls. He’d transported four girls. It didn’t take a law degree to figure out who the fifth backpack was for. He was in deep shit. But what could he say in front of Ellen and her friends?

“Of course, sweetie. I knew we were camping,” he lied.

“Yeah, right, Dad.”

She didn’t believe him? What happened to the adulation for him that used to be in her eyes? The “Dad is perfect” look.

As he’d done several times in the past three hours, he took out his handkerchief, looked at it in disgust, and tried to find a clean spot. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. It was hot and sticky, more like August in Michigan than June. Drew intensely disliked sweating. Clean sweat—in a gym—was all right. Not this . . . dirt. More than sweaty, he hated being dirty.

Drew is in for more surprises. This story, tentatively titled Unpredictable Nature, is a romantic suspense. More on that next week.

Enjoy the week. Here in West Michigan, we're finally getting a break from ten straight days of snowfall. And the sun is shining. So rare and welcome.

   

Monday Morning Musing: Maggie

This weekend on Weekend Writing Warriors (WeWriWa), I shared the beginning of my work-in-progress, a romantic suspense. Tentatively titled Unpredictable Nature (previous tentative titles: Maggie's Story and The Camping Trip), I wrote this story several years ago. Then, “life” intruded, and I set it aside. Until now. Being written so long ago, the story needs updating. Technology has changed so much. No more Palm Pilots or flip phones, for example. Still, I’m having fun revisiting an old manuscript. If all goes well, this story should be released in the spring. After this weekend's snowfall, spring can't come soon enough.

Along with sharing snippets each weekend, I thought I’d share the main characters here on Mondays.

First up is Maggie May Sinclair. Named after the Rod Stewart song, she’s in her mid-thirties and divorced. She teaches high school English and coaches the girls’ baseball team. She also volunteers as a Little League coach and PeeWee hockey referee. To say she’s athletic is an understatement. With all those activities, she doesn’t have time to date. Not that she’s interested. As she says, been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.

After their parents’ died, she and her brother inherited the family home. Since Jack had a condo and didn’t want the trouble of home ownership, Maggie lives in the home where she grew up in a Grand Rapids (Michigan) suburb.

An activity Maggie didn’t volunteer for but was dragged into by her best friend is co-leading a camping group of girls, now in their early teens. After four years together, their goal has been a week-long trip to Isle Royale, an island and National Park in Lake Superior. But when her friend’s family is transferred to Colorado, the group’s enthusiasm wanes. They still meet at Maggie’s to talk. Lately, “talk” has been about resuming the trip. They figured if they prepare enough, their former leader will return to make the trip with them.

Maggie and Jack grew up camping with their parents and then with Scouts. Jack earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and Maggie earned Girl Scouts’ highest honor, the Gold Award. While camping is in her blood, taking eight girls on an overnight camping trip is a big responsibility. One she won’t take alone. The only parent who volunteered was Drew Campbell, Jack’s best friend. The guy who, according to Jack, wimped out of Cub Scouts. The same guy who told fifteen-year-old Maggie she kissed like a goldfish.

Next Monday, I’ll share a little about Drew.

Have a great week.

Today, I’m over at Diana Rubino’s blog, sharing a little something about Mothers. Stop by if you get a chance.

How Long Does It Take?

How long does it take to write a book? That’s a question I’m often asked in interviews. It’s also a question I ask when interviewing an author. The simple answer is: as long as it takes. In reality, it’s a lot more complicated. I used to think the answer varied according to the writer. Some people are slow writers. Others can produce a novella (under 40,000 words or approximately 160 double-spaced pages) in a couple of weeks.

It also depends on the author’s outside-of-writing life—a job, young children, other demands on the writer’s time. I’m always amazed by the dedication of those writers who can balance family, outside job, and writing. Writers who rise at 4:30 a.m. to write for two hours before their regular day begins. Or who sacrifice sleep to write after the family has gone to bed.

I’m fortunate that I’m retired from outside jobs and have an understanding spouse. The only “demands” on my time are the grandchildren who don’t spend near enough time (according to moi) visiting. When they do, my writing is set aside. So why haven’t I finished the darn novella I started three years ago?

I’m more inclined to believe how long it takes to finish a book varies according to the book. Some stories won’t let go. And some are pains in the rear. The latter is the case with what was originally “Christmas in Space.” It started as a short story for The Roses of Prose 2014 holiday “anthology”—a month of short stories posted on the blog.

Turning a short story into a novella should be a piece of cake. Right? You have the basic plot. You have the characters. Easy? Wrong. Like many writers, I’ve discovered (the hard way) it is easier to start fresh than to rework a piece, whether it’s a novel or a short story. After three years, I am still working on this novella.

What’s wrong with me? The story? Not really any one specific thing. I’ve left it to write three full-length novels and two more holiday short stories as well as many, many blog posts. I’ve also “finished” it several times. Still, I wasn’t satisfied with the completed work.

Then I went to my local RWA chapter’s Retreat From Harsh Reality. In a previous post, I mentioned how our speaker Christie Craig told me what was wrong with this project. No, she hadn’t read my story. In one of her talks, she reminded me what I hadn’t done—delve deeply (or more deeply) into my main characters.

Did that ever spur me on. I thought I knew my characters. Since the story is told through one person’s point of view, I delved into her character. What I hadn’t considered (enough) was her second in command and her lover. Why would he devote eight years of his life to go on a one-way trip to a new planet? Was he a thrill seeker? Was he escaping a difficult life or event? Did he have pioneer spirit? Why would he leave everything and everyone forever? Was Marsh like Sara an only child whose parents were dead?

Answering those questions gave me a better handle on Marsh and, more importantly, the story. As much as I like action-adventure, I’d forgotten one important (the most important) aspect of my work. Character.

Going back to my original question. How long does it take to complete a story? How about as long as it takes the writer to remember the tenet of a good story. It’s the character, stupid.

Now retitled, Christmas in Paradise is the story of six astronauts embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. They are the hope for the future. Pioneers setting off to establish a new home for the inhabitants of an over-populated, depleted Earth.

Who Are You?

Have you ever taken those personality tests on Facebook? You know, which character in Firefly, Downton Abbey, etc. are you? What did they tell you about yourself?

photo from wikia.com

I’m guilty of doing them. I say guilty because I should be writing instead of playing games. That means I shouldn’t be playing solitaire either. But I digress. 

I only play if I know the show/movie/book. Like Firefly. I wanted to be Kaylee. I love her. She’s such a free spirit. According to the game, I’m Zoe. That was a surprise. Zoe is a leader. She’s strong, loyal, and she carries a big gun. Most importantly, she always has the captain’s back. I wouldn’t mind having Captain Mal’s back. But Zoe is so serious. I want to be a free spirit. Oh, well…

Why do we play those games? Sure they’re fun, but do they really tell us anything we don’t know about ourselves?

Sometimes I think we know the characters in our books better than we know ourselves. For our hero and heroine, we do character charts, we know their background (all the way back to childhood), we know their faults, their weaknesses, their strengths. Readers think we make up all that stuff. To some extent, yes. My characters “tell” me more than I make up. When I get stuck, I “interview” the character. As the “reporter” I type the questions then answer as the character. Oh, my. The things I learn.

With the characters we make up, we can examine their lives objectively. With our own? We know who we want to be, the traits we want the world to see. But really, who are we?

By the way, I’m The Chosen One. According to the game “What’s Your Patronus?” mine is a stag, the same as Harry Potter’s. Now I can’t wait to find a game for The Matrix. Will I be Neo?

Meet Lynn Cahoon

Today, I’d like to introduce you to St. Louis author Lynn Cahoon. I met Lynn through an amazing group called Authors Helping Authors. As many of you know, I seriously rooted for the Cardinals last year for two reasons—my mom was from St. Louis and they beat the Rangers in the playoffs against the Detroit Tigers. Yay, St. Louis.

Lynn, please tell us about yourself.

The official version? Lynn Cahoon is a contemporary romance author with a love of hot, sexy men, real and imagined. Her alpha heroes range from rogue witch hunters to modern cowboys. And her heroines all have one thing in common, their strong need for independence. Or at least that’s what they think they want. 

Other than that, I work a day job, listen to books on cd on an hour commute – best invention ever! – and play wife to my husband of four years when I’m not attached to my computer.  I’m the mom of a born-to-love-Seattle son and two Pomeranians who believe my role in life is to take them for a walk. And buy the dog food.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a storyteller, but I only told the stories to myself. I’d imagine what if… and by the time I was done, I’d slayed the dragon, found the treasures, and won the heart of the prince.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

When I’m writing? I’m always writing. I have so many books started, waiting for me to get time to schedule them in. I heard Shannon Butcher talk once and she mentioned she knows what she’s writing for the next two years. I can see how you’d get there. I’m doing a third (at least) book in both of my series that debuted this year. The second books are already written and The Bull Rider’s Manger is sold. My other editor is reading Return of the Fae, the second in the A Member of the Council series. Currently, I’m writing a cozy mystery I started at the beginning of the year before I sold the two romances.

So, back to the question – I try to (and yes, Yoda, there is a try…) write first thing in the am before I drive to work. Then again at night until I reached 1000 words. If I wasn’t working on a self-imposed deadline (I want to enter the cozy into a mystery contest October 15^th), my word count goal would be lower – 500 words. Weekends I double that.

Great output, even if you didn’t have a full-time day job. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

See answer above. Honestly, I spend way too much time on the computer. Both at work or at home writing, reading, marketing, tweeting… all that stuff. But I have a five year plan. At the end of that, I hope to be writing full time which will allow me to do other things with my ‘free’ time.

What does your family think of your writing?

Again, see answer above.

Just kidding. My husband is very supportive, even jabbing me when I’ve been slacking a bit and not writing. He sees my success as a way to fish full time. My adult son has been amazingly supportive. And I’ve gotten a lot of support from more distant relatives. However I still get the comments about writing a ‘real’ book.

Can’t please everyone! LOL

Isn’t that the truth. How do you come up with ideas?

Ideas are everywhere. My accountability partner says I have Bright and Shiny Disease, I’m always talking about how this or that would be a great story. When my husband and I went to Cincinnati for a baseball game, we walked through Fountain Square. In the middle is this big fountain (duh) but a woman is perched high on the top of the fountain, her arms outstretched with water flowing out of her open hands.

At the time, I was plotting the second book in my magic series – A Member of the Council. I knew a few things. I knew the two main characters were going on a quest to seek out Coven X and Parris’ family. I knew the bad guy would fall in love with a minor character and get her pregnant. But I didn’t know what they were looking for, where they would go, or why. So I kept bouncing ideas off my husband. When I saw the statue, I knew she’d be part of the story. When I got home, I started writing. My editor’s reading the book right now. I hope she loves it as much as I do.

The city hall building will be in a book somewhere, sometime.

I love that term “Bright and Shiny Disease”. I think I have it, too. LOL What is the single most important part of writing for you?

Remembering it’s my story, even through all the revision processes. I let my characters take me on their journey, good or bad, they run the show. And I know, others are going to say, You’re the writer, not your characters, but when a scene isn’t working for me, usually it’s because I wanted something to happen and my characters either aren’t there yet, or don’t want to do it.

A few days ago, while I walked at my morning break, I thought about my WIP and the young woman (Christina) who’s staying with Mia, my main character. Christina’s got a secret and I thought I’d revealed it during a late night conversation in the last chapter. I thought maybe I needed to go back and fix that, since I’m only on chapter six. While I walked, I realized that the reveal was a lie. Christina isn’t talking to her estranged mom, she’s been sent there on a quest from her brother – Mia’s ex.

Are your stories driven by plot or character?

Definitely character. I’ll start with a character or a setting and think, who is this person? Why is she showing up in my head? What’s her story? Sometimes they even tell me.

How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?

Can I say not well? I’m driven. So I work until I burn out and then I sit and eat potato chips and watch Tivo’d shows until I bore myself back to my own stories. Mostly I just try to keep going and doing a little at a time – that gives me momentum.

Tell us about your latest book.

I’m writing a cozy mystery set in a small mountain town in Idaho next to the famous Sun Valley. I love writing about home as well as mixing in history of an area to give readers a taste of the glamour years when all the stars visited for ski vacations. And, my main character loves to cook. So I get my foodie on while I’m writing. Of course there’s a touch of romance mixed in, just because everyone deserves the chance at a happy ever after. My characters are a lot like me in that way, when they are working out a problem in their heads, they keep their hands busy, creating a new version of a treat. A few days ago, I made spicy sausage potato soup for dinner, mostly because my writing was giving me fits.

Here’s the blurb about Lynn’s current book, The Bull Rider’s Brother:

On a girl's night out, Lizzie Hudson finds herself comparing her life as a single mom with her best friend's successful career when James Sullivan, the cowboy who got away, walks his Justin Ropers back into her life.

Seeing him shakes Lizzie's world but James is in for an even more eventful weekend: he learns he has a son. James has enough on his plate trying to manage his brother's bull riding career. Can he learn to redefine family and become part of Lizzie's life before she gives up on him and marries another?

And a teaser excerpt from The Bull Rider’s Brother

“I’ll be there in a minute.” James knelt down next to the kid. He had a new straw hat. Staring at the sheep, James picked up a piece of straw and put it in his mouth like a toothpick.

The kid watched James and mirrored his actions. He, too, picked up a piece of straw and started chewing.

James grinned. “You riding tonight?”

“Yep.”

“First time?”

“Yep. Gramps bought me a new hat. He says I’m big enough.”

“I rode at your age.” James laid his arms on the rails of the pen.

“You did?” The boy cast a glance downward and away, kicking the dirt with his toe before he asked, “Were you scared?”

“Heck, yeah. I worried I’d fall. Then I was scared I’d make a fool of myself and bawl my eyes out.” James peered at the barn toward where his brother stood talking to group of men. “I didn’t want my brother to tease me.”

“My mom doesn’t know. Gramps said it was our secret.” The kid bent his head towards one of the men talking to Jesse. “Do you think it’s okay to have a secret from your mom?”

“As long as it’s a good secret. Is she coming to the rodeo? Will she be here to watch you?”

“Yep. Gramps says she’ll shit a brick when she sees me.” The boy grinned.

“She probably will.” James laughed and held out his hand. “I’m James.”

“I’m JR.” The boy shook his hand, stood up from his crouch and headed toward the men near Jesse. Turning around, he called, “Are you going to the parade?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I’ll see you then. They throw lots of candy and you even get an ice cream cone at the end.” He waved and took off at a run. When he reached the crowd around Jesse, he grabbed an older man by the knees.

       Now that’s love.

Buy link – http://www.amazon.com/The-Bull-Riders-Brother-ebook/dp/B008195C2I 

Or Print - http://www.amazon.com/Bull-Riders-Brother-Lynn-Cahoon/dp/1440544603

Or Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bull-riders-brother-lynn-cahoon/1110496092?ean=9781440544590

Love the excerpt. What a guy! Thanks so much, Lynn, for being here today. Before you go, where can readers find you?

My website and blog –A Fairy Tale Life- at www.lynncahoon.wordpress.com

Or FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor

Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon