A Match Made in Texas (38 page)

From the desk of Kristen Ashley

Dear Reader,

Years ago, I was walking to the local shops and, as usual, I had my headphones in. As I was walking, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” came on and somehow, even having heard this song dozens and dozens of times before, the lyrics suddenly hit me.

This isn’t unusual. I have to be in a certain mood to absorb lyrics. But when I am, sometimes they’ll seep into my soul, making me smile, or making me cry.

“You’ll Accomp’ny Me” made me smile. It made me feel warm. And it made me feel happy because the lyrics are beautiful, the message of love and devotion is strong, the passion is palpable, and the way it’s written states that Bob definitely has Kristen Ashley alpha traits.

I loved it. I’ve always loved that song, but then I loved it even more. It was like one of my books in song form. How could I not love that?

At the time, however, I didn’t consider it for a book, not inspiring one or not to be used in a scene. For a long time, it was just mine, giving me that warm feeling and a smile on my face at the thought that there is musical proof out there that these men exist.

Better, they wield guitars.

Now, from the very moment I introduced Hop in
Motorcycle Man
, he intrigued me. And as we learned more about him in that book, my knowing why he was doing what he was doing, I knew he’d have to be redeemed in my readers’ eyes by sharing his whole story. I just didn’t know who was going to give him the kind of epic happy ending I felt he deserved.

Therefore, I didn’t know that Lanie would be the woman of his dreams. Truth be told, I didn’t even expect Lanie to have her own book. But her story as told in
Motorcycle Man
was just too heartbreaking to leave her hanging. I just had no idea what to do with her.

But I didn’t think a stylish, professional, accomplished “lady” and a biker would jibe, so I never considered these two together. Or, in fact, Lanie with any of the Chaos brothers at all.

That is, until this song came up on shuffle again and I knew that was how Hop would consider his relationship with Lanie. Even as she pushed him away due to her past, he’d do what he could to convince her that, someday, she’d accompany him.

I mean, just those words—how cool are they? “You’ll accompany me.” Brilliant.

But Bob, his Silver Bullet Band, and their music did quadruple duty in FIRE INSIDE. Not only did they give me “You’ll Accomp’ny Me,” which was the perfect way for Hop to express his feelings to Lanie; they also gave me Hop’s nickname for Lanie: “lady”.
And
they gave me “We’ve Got Tonight,” yet another perfect song to fit what was happening between Lanie and Hop. And last, the way Bob sings is also the way I hear Hop in my head.

I interweave music in my books all the time and my selections are always emotional and, to me, perfect.

But I’ve never had a song, or artist, so beautifully help me tell my tale than when I utilized the extraordinary storytelling abilities of Bob Seger in my novel FIRE INSIDE.

It’s a pleasure listening to his music.

It’s a gift to be inspired by it.

From the desk of Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Dear Reader,

When it came time to decide which god or goddess in my Accidentally Yours series would get their HEA in book four, I sat back and looked at who was most in need of salvation. Hands down, the winner was Ixtab, the Goddess of Suicide. Before you judge the title, however, I’d like to explain why this goddess is not the dreary soul you might imagine. Fact is she’s more like the Goddess of Anti-Suicide, with the ability to drain dark feelings from one person and redeploy them to another. Naturally, being a deity, she tends to help those who are down on their luck and punish those who are truly deserving.

However, every now and again, someone bumps into her while she’s not looking. The results are fatal. So after thousands of years and thousands of accidental deaths, she’s determined to keep everyone away. Who could blame her?

But fate has other plans for this antisocial goddess with a kind streak. His name is Dr. Antonio Acero, and this sexy Spaniard has just become the lynchpin in the gods’ plans for saving the planet from destruction. He’s also in need of a little therapy, and Ixtab is the only one who can help him.

When these two meet, they quickly realize there are forces greater than them both, trying to pull them apart and push them together. Which force will win?

From the desk of Katie Lane

Dear Reader,

As some of you may already know, the idea for my fictional town of Bramble, Texas, came from the hours I spent watching
The Andy Griffith Show
. When Barney, Aunt Bee, and Opie were on, my mom couldn’t peel me away from our console television. The townsfolk’s antics held me spellbound. Which is probably why I made my characters a little crazy, too. (Okay, so I made them a lot crazy.) But while the people of Mayberry had levelheaded Sheriff Andy Taylor to keep them in line, the townsfolk of Bramble have been allowed to run wild.

Until now.

I’m pleased as punch to introduce Sheriff Dusty Hicks, the hero of my newest Deep in the Heart of Texas novel, A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS. Like Andy, he’s a dedicated lawman who loves his job and the people of his community. Unlike Andy, he carries a gun, has a wee bit of a temper, and is blessed with the kind of looks and hard body that can make a good girl turn bad. And after just one glimpse of Dusty’s shiny handcuffs, Brianne Cates wants to turn bad. Real bad.

But it won’t be easy for Brianne to seduce a little lawman lovin’ out of my hero. Dusty has his hands full trying to regain joint custody of his precocious three-year-old daughter and, at the same time, deal with a con-artist television evangelist and a vengeful cartel drug lord. Not to mention the townsfolk of Bramble, who have suddenly gone wa-a-ay off their rockers.

All I can say is, what started out as a desire to give Bramble its very own Sheriff Taylor quickly turned into a fast-paced joyride that left my hair standing on end and my heart as warm and gooey as a toaster strudel. I hope it will do the same for you. :o)

Much love,