Saturday, September 06, 2014

SMALL TOWN CHARM GUEST BLOGGER #3: Jan Scarbrough

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The Cats of Heart to Heart
By Jan Scarbrough



Heart to Heart is part of a four book Ladies of Legend series called Return to Legend. The premise of all four stories is the return to Legend, Tennessee, a fictitious town created by authors Maddie James, Magdalena Scott, Janet Eaves and me.

When I wrote the story of Heart to Heart, about an animal communicator and her relationship with the owner of six cats, I knew the cat characters were critical to the story. I thought it might be fun to honor a few of cats I knew, as well as those of my Legend co-authors.

Tinkerbelle
Last winter dogs killed a cat named Tinkerbelle at the barn where I take riding lessons. The character of Tinkerbelle is my way of honoring this sweet, little cat.
Notes: Long hair pale gray – gentle – likes attention and being the center of things
Quote: “The gray cat had followed them into the living room and continued its leg rubbing routine. Jeremy clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to kick the animal off his pant leg. This was his best Armani suit, for crying out loud. He didn’t want cat hair on it.”

Attila
My cat hero is named after Magdalena Scott’s companion of the same name. Magdalena often writes emails about Attila, and that gave me the idea of using the name in my book.
Notes: Male, Maine coon – big cat, sturdy, rugged – uneven, shaggy coat, long tail carried proudly, large, well-tufted paws – intimidating size – brown tabby with white underbelly and white paws
Normal cats have a total of 18 toes, with five toes on each front paw and four toes on each hind paw; polydactyl cats may have as many as eight digits on their front and/or hind paws.

Calliope
Calliope is one of Maddie James’ cats.
Notes: Calico – long hair – knows she’s beautiful – princess - tri-colored
Quote: “The top of the desk was empty except for a longhaired, tri-colored calico cat stretched out in the center preening herself. A tiny pink tongue licked a white paw in a leisurely manner. The cat didn’t even look up to greet them.”

Clio
Maddie James has a second cat named Clio. The real Clio is a tortoiseshell female. I changed Clio’s color in the book and his sex.
Notes: Orange tabby with white bib – nervous – comes up for affection some times after gets to know you
Quote: “The last cat in the room, an orange male tabby named Clio sat next to the water fountain watching the other cats in the room with a worried gaze.”

Jinx
I gave my husband a fiftieth birthday gift—a black cat named Jester. You can tell where I found my character Jinx.
Notes: Black cat – prowls, sneaky, pops up expectantly
Quote: “Jinx, the sleek black cat prowled the perimeter of the kitchen as if he couldn’t stay in one place for long.”

Gloria
My favorite cat of all time was Gloria. My daughter, the veterinarian, brought her home from college at Thanksgiving one year. Knowing my daughter is dangerous, because she has a knack for placing homeless pets. How do you think Maddie James got her two cats?

Notes: Tortoiseshell – female, this color is typically reserved for cats with relatively small or no white markings.
Quote: “Gloria was the oldest cat in the house, a tortoiseshell in color—reddish orange and black—with a distinctive orange stripe down the bridge of her nose.”

Heart to Heart by Jan Scarbrough When Jeremy’s aunt gives him a second chance, he must decide if he believes in the unbelievable and the pet psychic who teaches him about faith…and love.


Thursday, September 04, 2014

SMALL TOWN CHARM GUEST BLOGGER #2: Bobbye Terry

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Bobbye Terry
Welcome to Briny Bay, North Carolina
By Trixie Frye and Roxie Turner


“Hi everyone. My name is Trixie Frye. I’m the second born in a wild and crazy bunch of siblings. Our oldest sister got out of our little bayside town early while the gittin’ was good, and who knows if she will ever be back. However, my sister, Roxie and baby brother, Jack, still live in Briny Bay, North Carolina.  It’s not that we don’t love the stuffin’ out of our little dysfunctional home. It’s just that the place defies explanation. I mean, if you knew it recently gained notoriety for having  the highest per capita murder rate on the Eastern seaboard, you’d probably think just setting your dainty little foot on our sandy soil would be enough to make you seriously consider increasing your life insurance. But, as sure as I am Southerner, you don’t have to worry your pretty little head one tiny bit. Why, we don’t even lock our doors at night.”

“She’s right you know. Roxie Turner here. Nobody from Briny Bay’s gonna’ bother you unless it’s one of our town drunks, and they’ll just crawl up on your porch and sleep it off.”

“It’s my turn to talk, Roxie so stop your yapping. As I was saying, when it comes to As upstanding, everyone except my couch-potato husband, Floyd, and his bunch of misfit sports buds go to church on Sundays. And, thank the Lord for donations at our last picnic social, we even have a pet cemetery. No, we don’t deserve this bad press. Truth be told, we have gone and gotten a bum rap just because of a few mutilated bodies that had the unmitigated gall to end up dead here. Coincidence,  sheer coincidence. You see, it all started with Georgia Adam’s murder. She was Roxie’s lifelong nemesis and Georgia up and croaked in the town landfill with a knife through her eyeball. “

“That’s enough sister. It’s time for me to take over this conversation. She was my nemesis and I did almost go to the big house over this unfortunate misunderstanding. You see, readers, most of the town folk are convinced I, Roxie Turner, the younger prettier sister, am the reason for our sudden surge in the death toll. I don’t understand how rumors get started. Someone out there obviously doesn’t follow the International Snoop Guidelines. When I tell someone the latest gossip, I make sure they repeat it back to me for accuracy before I let them loose to spread the word. Anyway, who knew somebody would take me seriously when I said I was going to kill Georgia. I mean, really? I’d just been saying I’d snuff her for a couple of decades. If I were really going to do it, don’t you think I’d gone ahead back then when our feud started? It would have been an easy task to just blow her up or push her off the cliff into the bay.”

“Now, Roxie, my honest-to-God need to get all the facts on the table requires I, the smarter more detailed sister, butt in, that is, respectfully submit additional information. You see, it’s not just that you always wanted to run down Georgia so she was deader than road kill on a one-hundred degree day, but that you have an uncanny way of stumbling over dismembered body parts and corpses and then feel the need to touch them. Whoever invented baggies never knew the ghoulish ways some people like you might use them.”

“Trixie Frye, stop trying to turn our audience against me. Tell you what, readers, why don’t you read Buried in Briny Bay and decide for yourself? It’s in the Small Town Charm, Love and Mystery boxed set for just $.99. It’s cheaper than a piece of Trixie’s lemon icebox pie and a lot easier on the waistline. We’d love to hear what you think, and come to see us sometime.”

   

Buried in Briny Bay by Bobbye Terry Roxie Turner finds herself up to her neck in trouble her lifelong nemesis, Georgia Collins, is discovered buried in the town’s landfill. Worse, with her characteristic Southern sass, Roxie has been saying she’d kill Georgia for more than twenty years.


I had Janet Evanovich, Julie Garwood, Jill Shalvis and Pamela DuMond all grouped together for this category. But I think the crazy sisters, Roxie and Trixie just had to come out on top. What a feel good book Buried in Briny Bay was, as it kept me smiling from the first page till the last. Another Look Book Reviews Award, Best Book to Bring on Smiles

Bobbye Terry is a multi-published author of romantic comedy, fantasy and suspense—writing where southern charm sometimes meets macabre reality. Her awards include Eppie finalist and two-time finalist of Detroit's Bookseller's Best Award.
   




Tuesday, September 02, 2014

SMALL TOWN CHARM BLOGGER #1: Magdalena Scott

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Hello!

I'm so excited to have a story included in this new boxed set.

It's the first set I've been a part of that includes not just romance, but also mystery. What a great idea! 

My book Midnight in Legend, TN is a sweet romance.


This story actually began as a writing exercise with Maddie James, Jan Scarbrough, and Janet Eaves. One Saturday we decided (via email) to each create a character from the name of our first pet and the street we lived on as a child.

My character was named after my beautiful black cat, Midnight. That name helped me decide what the character would look like: Tall and slender with super-black hair, porcelain skin and black eyes. The writing exercise progressed as each heroine was given a profession. We each decided where our heroine would live, and who her hero might be.

The details changed over time, including some of the names. Eventually the fictional town was named Legend, Tennessee, a map was drawn, and the four stories were published.

Since then, many more characters have strolled the streets of Legend. Jan Scarbrough's Heart to Heart, in this boxed set, is the 29th book, and the 30th book, by Maddie James, will release in October.

Thirty books! That seems quite a milestone, and I'm immeasurably grateful.

Having four authors writing a series could be a challenge, but our friendships have grown right along with the number of books. I wonder if that's part of why Legend, Tennessee is a place readers love to go.

~*~

Magdalena Scott lives in her own fantasy world of Magdalenaville, Indiana, and spends her time
writing stories with small town settings. As a lifelong citizen of small town America, Magdalena knows that life in a “burg” is seldom dull—if you’re paying attention. There is mystery, romance, scandal, and the occasional unexplained occurrence. Step into Magdalena’s world and find out what’s hidden just below the surface of those tiny dots you can barely see on the map.

Visit her website or connect via Facebook or Twitter.

Midnight in Legend, TN by Magdalena Scott. Midnight Shelby has grand ideas to help her adopted hometown, and she's not going to let a stick-in-the-mud realtor get in her way.