I’m counting down the days until my debut contemporary romance, Personal Assets, is finally out in the world (August 26 – less than two weeks!). Until then, I’ve had to reflect back on it—a book I originally wrote in 2007 and then did major revisions on in late 2012—in order to write a bazillion guest blog posts. That has a gal really searching out the bits that make her work (hopefully) special.
The Texas Nights series is—obviously—set in Texas, but doesn’t feature what many romance readers would consider true cowboys. Instead, I write heroes that are my idea of “normal” Texas men. So if I’m not writing about cowboys and horses, why does Texas make such a fabulous setting for a contemporary romance novel?
- The state is so large (268,000+ square miles), I can always find an appropriate location for my story.
- Texans are big and bold, which makes for fun and flawed characters.
- The language, albeit Southern, has some special nuances that make for such great dialogue. Examples: “I think she’s come down with the conkus of the bonkus.” This phrase was a favorite of my mom’s and means she’s sick. “That boy is eat up with the dumbass.” Commonly used by my dad to describe my ex-brother-in-law and means he’s an idiot.
- The food—be it barbecue, Tex-Mex or Southern cooking—makes the story come alive for me. My characters are often defined by what they eat, drink and cook.
- The undercurrents in small Texas towns are always there. Yes, people are helpful and friendly, but there’s plenty of gossip and speculation and drama going on in the background. And us Texans do love our drama.
These are only a few of the reasons I love writing my stories in a Texas setting. Do you read Texas-set romances? If so, what’s the appeal?
—
Today is International Lefthander’s Day. My mom was the only lefty in our family, which she always claimed made her the only one of us in her right mind!
