Meet Burk Harmon from BURK'S SURRENDER, a Christian Romance Book

Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

I’m Burk Harmon, City Manager for Harrison, North Carolina. People around here like to tease that I look a lot like Drew Scott from the Property Brothers. I actually do have a twin brother, Beck. He just moved back to Harrison and married his high school sweetheart.

Tell us about where you live and why you choose to live there.

Harrison is a sleepy suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. We moved here after our father’s death. He was a popular golfer, and the sports community and media blamed my mom for his suicide. Neighbors here tend to protect each other. They rallied around my family so I was proud and honored to come to work for the city. I interned here during college, and then I was offered the Finance Director’s job when I graduated. My old boss finally convinced me to apply for the City Manager’s job when he retired, and …here I am.

What is a quirk of your personality that most people wouldn’t know?

I like my clothes pressed, even my jeans.

What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your happily-ever-after?

The biggest obstacle was convincing Lacie to relax her “no dating” policy. But then it was risking a decade long friendship to woo her into a future together as man and wife, as family. It was a challenge to show Lacie that all men were not created equal, but I think I finally did it. Not sure what swayed her in my favor. Maybe it was agreeing to escort her and fifty seniors on their trip to the mountains? Or the private picnic lunch I arranged? Or tutoring her daughter with her math homework?

Tell us about your special lady. What makes her special?

She’s beautiful, on the inside as well as the outside, and strong yet gentle. She’s a single parent and a wonderful mother to Violet even though she didn’t have the best example. As Assistant Parks and Rec Director, she works with the seniors, and she treats them all with respect and dignity, with as much tenderness and affection as if they were all her grandparents. The men in her life, men who should’ve loved and protected her, taught her that she couldn’t depend on us, so she covers a world of hurt with that make-my-heart-stop smile.

The first time you saw her, what did you think? Did you like her immediately, or did she have to grow on you?

I met Lacie after I officially came on board after graduation as the Finance Director. Lacie worked in Parks and Rec and used to bring in the cash they collected late in the afternoons. Her visits were the highlight of my days, still are, and I always made time to talk. Seemed like she needed a friend. Back then, she was only twenty one, a single parent of a toddler. It took a while before she took me up on my offer to fix some things around her Grandma Wilma’s house and to help Violet with math homework. It took her Grandma Wilma even longer to come around. Good thing Violet was in my corner.

Coming SEPT 18 with Pelican Book Group

Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her "no dating" policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

The Best Part of Traveling is...

While our two sons were young, we lived in Florida, where seasons and cooler temperatures were non-existent. So, every winter break we loaded the car with heavy coats, sleds, and Christmas presents, and traveled to some faraway state, hoping to find snow.

After arriving at our destination, we would tuck all the presents under a miniature artificial tree and turn on the sparkling lights. Then, we’d snuggle in front of the fireplace and cheer for our favorite football teams or watch a movie, sipping hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles. In the morning, we’d all scramble to the window to see if it had snowed during the night. Nothing beat that first sight of freshly fallen snow, clean and pure, and shimmering like diamonds.

Now that hubby and I are empty nesters, we travel quite a bit more than we did when the kids were young. We’ve taken to cruising every year and have enjoyed visiting Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. We’ve tried new foods, explored new cultures, experienced unfamiliar situations, deciphered foreign languages, and encountered wonderful people along the way.

As much as I love traveling, the best part for me is…wait for it, wait for it…

Coming home. That sweet feeling that wells up as I walk in the door. Home, where everything is familiar, where our dog roams the yard without a leash, where I don’t need to pull up a map on my cellphone. Home, to a soft mattress and pillows shaped just the way I need them, coffee just the way I like it, and local restaurants with food and words I recognize. Home, to precious family nearby, where we don’t have to rely on Internet connections to chat or Google Hangouts to soak in their sweet faces. Home, to the comfort of a routine because that’s the way I roll.

Beck Harmon, fictional hero of Beck's Peace, left home and wandered for ten years, seeking peace over his father’s death. Our motivation might be different, but he would say the same about his travels. The best part was coming home.

Which states/countries have you visited? What’s your favorite aspect of traveling? Least favorite?

Coming JULY 24
with Pelican Book Group

Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn't blame her best friend for running away. She can't even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck's disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy's expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he's just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy's heart, but she worries he'll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy's trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

Crazy about Writing: Interview with Graham Decker #RorisHealing

“Graham Decker. Great to finally meet you.” I try hard not to blink at the strong odor, a mixture of cleanser, steel and rubber, as we shake hands, his grip firm and confident.

The man lapped a track at almost two hundred miles per hour. His grip should be firm, and with the number of wins and top five finishes he’d accumulated, he’d earned the right to be confident.

“Come in. Please.” With his trademark smile, Graham gestures for me to enter his office and sit. “Is this your first time visiting Graham Decker Racing?”

“Yes. What gave it away?”

He chuckles, the sound genuine and down-to-earth, as he settles way back in a leather chair. “Might’ve been the wrinkled nose. If you’d like, my assistant can give you a tour after we’re done.”

“That’d be great. So tell me a little about yourself, Graham. Besides the fact that you’re a highly competitive racecar driver. Everybody knows that.” I push the record button on my phone and set it on the desk.

“Let’s see. I just got married.” Graham’s face lights up and he leans forward abruptly. As if he couldn’t wait to ditch me and head home.

I couldn’t blame the guy. I’d seen pictures of his wife. “Rori, right?”

He nods.

“Wasn’t her father the—”

“Yes.” The warm welcome slips away. His jaw snaps closed tight as a jail cell.

Hmm. Interesting, but I better switch tracks. “So do you still live in Charlotte?”

“No. In Harrison at the Forever Family Animal Sanctuary. Rori’s like a llama whisperer. She works wonders with the animals that come to live with us.” Pride laces his tone. “Actually, that’s how we met.”

“Through your non-profit?”

“Yes. My sister does a fabulous job running the Foundation, but she was on bed rest because of complications with her pregnancy. She asked me to make a site visit since Rori had applied for a time-sensitive grant.”

“Not the typical way to pick up a woman.”

He smiles, wistful like, as if he remembers something special. “Rori’s anything but typical. And so was our meeting.”

“Care to elaborate?”

His mouth stretches to a grin. “Nah. She values her privacy and might not appreciate me sharing all the details. Let’s just say it involved mistaken identity and a llama delivery and leave it at that.”

He was going to leave me hanging with that juicy tidbit? I make a mental note to redirect later. “Ohhhkay. So how did you know Rori was the one? After all, you’ve been married before, right?”

“Yeah. That didn’t turn out so well, but it was my fault. God wasn’t at the center of that relationship. Unlike with Rori.” He scrubs a hand across his whiskered jaws, his expression lightening as if the sun just came out. “And Rori didn’t recognize me.”

Really? How was that possible? I have no words.

He steals a glance at the clock and drums a pencil against the desk.

I’m losing him. “So was it love at first sight?”

“Definitely on my part, but not so much hers. We had some issues to work through before she’d commit.”

“Like what?”

“For starters, I had to prove that I wasn’t going anywhere. That I could be there for her—” His cell phone buzzes, and he checks the number. “Excuse me.”

I can’t help but eavesdrop. I lean forward slightly, refusing to miss any opportunity for a scoop. Besides, I’m sitting close enough that I can almost hear her voice. At the very least, my recorder might be picking up their conversation.

“Jumbo did what?” He launches from the chair, banging my phone off the desk.

So much for that. I bend over, retrieve the recorder, and hit the off button. It didn’t take a doctorate degree to know that this interview was over.

“No problem, sweetheart. I’m just finishing up here. Be there soon. Love you.” He disconnects, mashes a cap on his head. “It’s been a pleasure, but—”

“I understand.” I do. Really. The guy’s practically still on his honeymoon. No wonder that fat grin is plastered across his face. Jealousy sprouts and curls up my spine like a weed. “Hey, does Rori have any unattached sisters?”

On his way to the exit, Graham angles over a shoulder. “Sorry. Just twin brothers, Beck and Burk.”

He dives into a sports car and cranks the engine, those high-performance tires squealing out of the parking lot. Nope. He doesn’t look the slightest bit sorry to be going home.

Rori's Healing

Coming June 5 with Pelican Book Group

****

Available on JUNE 5
with Pelican Book Group

Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?

Crazy about Writing: Snickers had her cria today!

Rori’s Journal

Date: Monday, October 15

Snickers had her cria today. Oh my stars! She’s just beautiful, and just as sweet as her mama. I hope Snickers will rub off on Jumbo. Haha. Probably not. Poor Jumbo had such a tough life until he came to live here at the sanctuary. People can be so vicious and cruel. Isn’t that why I’m here? So, I don’t blame him for being a bit cantankerous.

But I bet the new vet could!

<Laughing out loud now.> You should have seen the on-call doc Corbin’s office sent to help. Unlike any vet I’ve ever met. I mean, really, what vet shows up at a working ranch in a fancy sports car? And the man never even dragged his medical equipment out to help with the delivery! Maybe the trunk wasn’t big enough? Or Corbin told him I was qualified? Whatever, but he sure looked a bit green around the edges. Must’ve had a long night with calls, but he handled Jumbo’s poor manners with grace and humor.

Other than appearing tired, he was mighty nice to look at. Thick dark hair. Heavy stubble on firm jaws. Cocoa-colored eyes that sparkled with kindness. A deep rumble for a voice. <insert dreamy sigh> Not that I’m looking.

But he was here when I needed him, the first man besides Burk or my stepdad, and plans to come back as a volunteer. Yeah, right.

Anyway, Graham, the vet, named the cria, Reesie. Think it was from all the chocolate I stuffed in my mouth?

Until tomorrow, Rori

****

Available June 5
with Pelican Book Group
Amazon Pre-Order

Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?

Crazy about Writing: Twitter 101

A few weeks ago, I shared What Happened to All My Peoples?, and a friend suggested that I offer a brief introduction to Twitter. While I definitely don’t claim to be a Twitter expert, my experience might help someone find value in the social media site that I use most, even over Facebook and Pinterest. Twitter doesn’t absorb much time and has the potential to be far reaching.

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Unlike Facebook which promotes lengthy posts, Twitter embraces brevity with tweets limited to 140 characters or less. Less, if you'd like people to share your posts or retweet (RT). To share, you just click RT (the two arrows that form a square) or modify it and type MT in front of the original tweet. Generally, if someone RT’s something of mine, I pay it forward and RT something of theirs versus replying with a “thanks.”

RT = Retweet

MT = Modified Tweet

So that you're not wasting valuable real estate, you can shorten links by using tools like bitly or ow.ly. And just like with every other social media site, pictures play a big role here as well. A favorite (star) means someone likes your tweet or they're saving it to read later.

Much like Instagram, hashtags are popular on Twitter. I joke around that I think in #hashtags. See? lol. A hashtag is just a conversation, topic or phrase such as #amwriting or #amediting. Google to find hashtags, check to see what’s trending, or jump right in with something fun and unique!

When possible, be strategic in your tweets and include names and hashtags. For example, when I presented a workshop at a local library, I tagged the library system. They retweeted along with a reader’s group, and that day my name and profile was put in front of 61k tweeters. Not a bad return for the one minute it took to compose the tweet, right?

Twitter users follow other tweeters, rather than friend them. Following someone doesn't obligate them to follow you back, unlike Facebook. Twitter prompts you with suggestions of who to follow. I recommend clicking on a profile first and checking their tweets. Who wants to follow someone who tweets the daily max of 2400? (I can’t even imagine!) Those tweeters would inundate your feed. And why bother to follow someone whose only interaction is through Facebook or whose tweets are all “buy my product?” Also, once you follow 2k, you will be restrained by a follower to following ratio, which you can learn more about here. TMI?

Be aware of eggheads and tweets by someone with no followers, and if you get a message like “somebody’s spreading nasty rumors about you,” don’t open the link.

As your Twitter account grows, lists are helpful to manage the people you follow, and lists can be public or private. Some ideas for lists might be friends, family, news, celebrities, etc. If you pull those special people into a list, you will always catch their updates.

Sound off. Did I miss a topic you’d like to see covered?

Did this post give you the courage to give Twitter a try?

Crazy about Writing: Beaver Pond Newspaper

Lifestyle, May 1, 2015

Meet Tate and Shelby Malone, owners of Beaver Pond’s newest and funkiest art boutique, From Junk to Treasure

By James Collins

Recently, I met with Tate and Shelby in the most eclectic art boutique Beaver Pond has ever seen. What most people would consider junk or toss in the trash, Shelby Malone revives and repurposes into unusual art pieces. Clothes, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, pallets, you name it. They’re all here.

Shelby and Tate sat across from me, practically sharing the same space on a revitalized couch. His arm was draped across the back of the couch and his fingers toyed with the tips of her apricot hair. Newlyweds of just a few weeks. Meet Tate and Shelby Malone…

“So tell me. Where did you two first connect?”

A slow grin slides across Tate’s face, and Shelby’s face sports a bright pink hue.

This I can’t wait to hear.

“The men’s restroom,” Tate replies.

OK. That was rather unexpected.

“I tend to be rather clumsy. Tate came to my rescue that time—”

He laughs.

“Well, lots of times actually,” she amends. “Growing up, my parents joked that their insurance company always required extra coverage for me.”

“You both work at Beaver Pond High School, right?”

“Yes. Shelby decided to keep teaching full-time, and I’m a guidance counselor.”

“Did you grow up wanting to be a counselor?”

“Not exactly,” Tate’s jaw clenches.

“He had a wonderful role model. Just like he is to the students in Beaver Pond.” Shelby casts an adoring look at her husband.

“You rose above the homeless statistics to graduate from a top-rate college.” I skim my research notes for the counselor’s name. “Mr. Harris, wasn’t it?”

Tate stiffens. His thick eyebrows narrow. “Yes.”

Shelby pats his thigh in a comforting gesture, and he visibly relaxes back against the couch.

“Was it love at first sight?”

“Yes!” Shelby nodded, as if her ‘yes’ wasn’t emphatic enough. “But, not so for Tate. He took a little convincing.”

“That’s not quite—”

“How so?” I ask, interrupting Tate.

“For starters, he’d given up dating.”

“Not into the bar scene?”

Grimacing, he shakes his head.

“It’s tough when the ones who are supposed to love us let us down, isn’t it?” Compassion warms her face. She turns to her husband, her knuckles skimming his whiskered jaw. “His parents’ abandonment created this emotional barricade. He worried about losing the people he loved, and he mistakenly assumed his disadvantaged upbringing would keep me from loving him. As if I cared about material things.”

“That seems rather obvious.” I glance rather pointedly around the space filled with recycled treasures.

“Her parents actually bought a store for her! How could I compete with that?” Tate asks, brandishing a palm.

“I could see how that might present a problem. So what happened with that?”

“They only put down a deposit to hold it. They didn’t actually buy it. Besides, it was in Promise Lake. I told them my heart was here, in Beaver Pond. With Tate.”

“You did?” Tate’s words come out soft, as if only meant for her, but his deep voice carries.

She nods. “I had to show him that I wasn’t going anywhere and that things weren’t important. He was.” Although her words indicate she’s speaking to me, her head is turned towards Tate.

Tate smiles, kisses the top of Shelby’s head.

Thick lashes shutter over ivory cheeks, but only for a few seconds before she focuses on me. “He lived through horror, but he never gave up. He’s the kind of man teenagers can look up to because he gives 100%. He taught me that dreams don’t always come wrapped in shiny packages like we expect. Sometimes you just need to let them go, and then they come back to you, a hundred times better than what you imagined. He’ll make a wonderful daddy someday.”

Tate’s chest puffs up, and a clump travels down his throat. “And Shelby…she saw into my soul and reinvigorated my wounded spirit much like she does with her art. Where everybody else sees junk, she sees treasure.”

And there you have it, folks. The real deal. Tate and Shelby Malone, owners of From Junk to Treasure.

****

Available 5/1 by Subscription
to Pure Amore

Did you enjoy meeting Tate and Shelby? Friends, I'm so excited to share May's Pure Amore release, When Hope Rises, with you!

Art teacher Shelby Coltman transforms junk into treasure and longs for a place to showcase her creations. She’s thrilled when her friend volunteers to room with her. Shelby can finally buy a storefront. Unfortunately, Kennedi’s brother can't seem to let go.

Abandoned as a teenager, guidance counselor Tate Malone has become surrogate and over-protective father to his sister. Life is great until Shelby Coltman wheedles his impressionable sister into sharing an apartment. Raised in wealth, the beautiful Shelby could never understand poverty or rejection, and Tate doesn't appreciate her uprooting his sister.

When Shelby hands over her savings to a homeless student, will God obliterate Tate's fears and deliver all of Shelby’s dreams...when hope rises?

Crazy about Writing!

With the exception of promoting blog posts, I've been somewhat MIA on social media these days. I blame it on marketing for four releases this year. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

When I received my promotional copies for When Hope Rises, I realized that I pumped the bulk of my efforts into my Harmon Heritage series and Rori's Healing, which releases on June 5th. But When Hope Rises releases on May 1st as part of Pelican's Pure Amore subscription. What does that mean?

It means I have five pdf copies of When Hope Rises to give away! 

Pelican Pure Amore's May release

Art teacher Shelby Coltman transforms junk into treasure and longs for a place to showcase her creations. She’s thrilled when her friend volunteers to room with her. Shelby can finally buy a storefront. Unfortunately, Kennedi’s brother can't seem to let go.

Abandoned as a teenager, guidance counselor Tate Malone has become surrogate and over-protective father to his sister. Life is great until Shelby Coltman wheedles his impressionable sister into sharing an apartment. Raised in wealth, the beautiful Shelby could never understand poverty or rejection, and Tate doesn't appreciate her uprooting his sister.

When Shelby hands over her savings to a homeless student, will God obliterate Tate's fears and deliver all of Shelby’s dreams...when hope rises?

Want one? Here's your chance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crazy about Writing: Why Pure Amore? by Dora Hiers

So you’re browsing the bookstore and a gorgeous cover screams at you to pick it up. You don’t recognize the author’s name, but intrigued by the back cover blurb, you buy it and hustle home. Settling back in your recliner with a steaming cup of tea, you dig into the pages, quickly becoming immersed in the plot and enjoying where the story’s taking you…until you find yourself peering through the bedroom door.

What do you do? Do you keep reading or slam the cover down on the book? Do you read more books by that author or publisher? And what do you do with the book? Hide it from your kids? Donate it to the library? Toss it in the recycling bin?

Pelican Book Group recently launched a new imprint, Pure Amore. Pure…as in undefiled, wholesome. As in romances you can trust won’t propel you through the bedroom door. Books you can feel safe leaving out on the table in plain sight, without fear that your preteen might skim the pages.

Topping out at 45k words, these petite gems feature heroes and heroines between 21-33 years of age, one or both sexually pure, and Christians from page one. No preaching, no conversion scenes, no controversy, no judgment. Just two flawed characters trying to hold tight to ideals the world no longer values.

I’m thrilled that two of my books, When Love Triumphs and When Hope Rises are included in this line. How could I resist the opportunity to create stories with hunky heroes who just might need a little shove from a feisty heroine to overcome their fears?

Take Tanner Random, from When Love Triumphs, for example. After years of being a Navy SEAL, he’s back in Promise Lake to care for his abandoned niece. He hopes Winter will recognize that he’s not the same guy she rejected years ago, that he buried his old ways along with his best SEAL bud. But even if she does, he has his niece to care for now…and an alcoholic father who rarely leaves his chair or strays far from a bottle of whiskey. Does the same gene course through his blood?

Or Tate Malone, a guidance counselor in When Hope Rises. Growing up, Tate lugged buckets of water home from a nearby park for bathing and cooking, and studied by candlelight. His parents had moving down to an art, knowing the exact number of rent payments they could skip before being evicted. Then, just before his junior year, they moved again…without telling him. He gave up dating after his last girlfriend called him a freak for refusing to be intimate. When Shelby seeks his help for a student, he’s forced to confront his insecurity...would she abandon him, too?

 

We each have fears and flaws, experiences and struggles, hopes and dreams. We bring all of that with us into our relationships. We love, we laugh, we argue, we fall short...in every way.

Sure. We mess up. But that’s not the end of the story. The end is so much better, sweeter. There’s…Grace. Forgiveness. Restoration. Hope. Love. And perfect love covers it all. That’s why I write, and that’s what I hope readers will take away from all my stories.

Pure Amore…available by subscription, a book delivered to your mailbox or inbox every month for an entire year.

It’s your turn. Do you prefer romances where the bedroom door is closed?

Why or why not?

Blurb for When Love Triumphs:

Police Officer Winter Evan and Navy SEAL Tanner Random are wrong for each other. Winter fears the water. Tanner skims through seas for a living. So four years ago, Winter convinced herself she’d be better off not worrying about his months at sea and his increased cajoling for physical intimacy.

But when she walked away, she lost a giant chunk of her heart.

Now Tanner’s back in town to care for his abandoned niece. No longer a SEAL, he’s sticking to the safety of the North Carolina mountains as a paramedic. Should Winter risk losing her heart all over again? Will God help them build what started years ago into something solid and secure? When love triumphs...

Blurb for When Hope Rises:

Art teacher Shelby Coltman transforms junk into treasure and longs for a place to showcase her creations. She’s thrilled when her friend volunteers to room with her. Shelby can finally buy a storefront. Unfortunately, Kennedi’s brother can't seem to let go.

Abandoned as a teenager, guidance counselor Tate Malone has become surrogate and over-protective father to his sister. Life is great until Shelby Coltman wheedles his impressionable sister into sharing an apartment. Raised in wealth, the beautiful Shelby could never understand poverty or rejection, and Tate doesn't appreciate her uprooting his sister.

When Shelby hands over her savings to a homeless student, will God obliterate Tate's fears and deliver all of Shelby’s dreams...when hope rises?