Birchwood Falls is a small Iowa town, idyllic and old-fashioned. I even drew a map of the town.
As you can probably see, my drawing skills are rudimentary. I don't even do a decent stick figure. But it made taking my characters around town easier. The center courthouse is a classic small town fixture.
The first book in the series was Lost and Found. Hunky Marine Marc Rahn enlisted after his high school graduation to escape the pain of his parents’ fatal car wreck. Now on leave after eight years and multiple Middle East deployments, he returns to his small hometown to put to rest his suspicions that the “accident” might actually have been anything but.
What he doesn’t expect is an intriguing
flash of a pierced nipple from a new neighbor on move-in day. The breast’s
owner, Phoebe Barnes, is a beautiful young jazz singer who plans to make it big
in the music business. Her early years in foster care made her hungry for
attention and fame, and she’s out to achieve both at almost any cost.
Despite their differing paths, Marc and
Phoebe quickly give in to the sizzling attraction between them. But will their
passion turn deadly when the person who killed Marc’s family decides two
murders might not have been enough?
I fell in love with Marc and Phoebe and was thrilled when Ellora's Cave accepted their story.
The Real Deal is the second in the series. Marc's best friend from high school needed a love story. A run-away bride filled the bill. When her fiancé is busted at a
gentlemen’s club, Norah Ballard calls off the wedding. Shocked and humiliated,
she takes the first train out of Chicago and ends up in a picturesque small
town called Birchwood Falls.
Here's a short excerpt from The Real Deal:
“…Falls, Ioway. Ten minutes.”
She jerked out of a surprisingly deep sleep at the
conductor’s clipped announcement. It had been unusually quiet on the train, no
babies crying, no kids racing up and down the aisles to disturb her. Amazed
she’d slept the night through, she blinked her eyes out of a muzzy-headed
stupor, not sure why the conductor’s call woke her this time. She yawned,
stretched the kinks out and gazed out the window all the while taking deep
breaths to quell the thumping of her heart from the sudden awakening. As a
counterpoint to her emotions, the train puttered slowly along a rushing river,
water leaping and sparkling in the morning sunshine. A glance across the aisle
showed rocks and greening foliage on the side of a hill.
“Birchwood Falls comin’ up,” repeated the conductor.
She heard the rustling of clothing and thumps of
suitcases hauled down from the overhead bins. Outside the window, now that
they’d passed warehouses, the sun hit her full force and lit the town with an
enchanted glow. Enchanted glow? Where did that come from? Nothing in her life
was enchanted right now and it was supposed to be. Right this minute she should
be enjoying married life. This was to have been her honeymoon and a month off
work. She teared up at the memory of her beautiful expensive gown. What a
waste. Again she realized she missed that more than the SOB groom. Brought
roughly back to reality when the train came to a halt at the station, she
glanced out the window, spotting a sign.
Birchwood Falls—You’ve Come Home.
A sign. An omen? The town literally glowed in the
sun. Like Brigadoon. She’d recently seen a revival of the classic
musical, the story of two hunters discovering the magical Scottish town as it
materialized from the morning mist. Just as Birchwood Falls appeared to her,
aglow and radiant in the sunrise. The beginning of a new day. A new life?
She froze in her seat for a moment staring at the
sign. This town called to her. In a daze, she gathered her suitcase and jacket.
Alighting from the train, she stepped out onto the wooden platform, bemused at
not knowing what the future held. She watched as the train rumbled down the
tracks leaving her in this strange place. Alone for the first time in her life,
she had no plans, nowhere to go and nothing to do. She cracked a slight smile
at her unexpected freedom. She’d have to find someplace to eat, then a place to
stay.
Then cold hard reality hit her
and she shivered abruptly with fear. She’d have to find a doctor and get tested
for STDs. Garrett might have endangered her life. God forgive him, because she
never would.
So when Norah saw a beautiful small river town outside the train windows, then the sign,
Birchwood Falls -- You've Come Home
I thought of Brigadoon. And small town home.
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lostandfound-1417151-340.html
The Real Deal is available here:
EC - http://www.ellorascave.com/the-real-deal.html
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00RVY0AGW
My blog, listed below, has descriptions of all my books. Feel free to browse.
Jane Leopold Quinn
My Romance: Love With a Scorching Sensuality
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/1DfiXkP
4 comments:
Can't wait to read this one, Jane. And I love your map. It's much better than any I've drawn.
:-)
Thanks, E. I actually loved making that map and naming the streets.
Love that map. I've always toyed with the idea of making one. I think it adds a really nice visual to the fantasy.
I wish there'd been a way to put it in the book. If you're going to invent a town, you should invent a map. ;-)
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