TAYLOR’S GROVE, KENTUCKY STORIES

One of my favorite Harlequin sisters is Pamela Hearon. She always has a smile to share and a good read. I have a special treat today. Pamela is sharing how she "gets lost" as a writer. 

You can catch all her GLIAS interviews here. Interested in a book? Just click the cover.

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GET LOST in 
TAYLOR'S GROVE, KENTUCKY
by PAMELA HEARON

It’s easy to get lost in a wonderful story. How many times have I been reading a great book and finally look at the clock to find several hours have passed with me totally oblivious to the clock’s movement? In my lifetime of reading, it’s happened more often than I can possibly count.

But until I became a writer, I was unaware of just how lost in a story I could get.

In my book THE SUMMER PLACE, I introduced a secondary character named Tara O’Malley, who’d grown up as the child of the preacher at the only church in the small town of Taylor’s Grove, Kentucky.

At the time I wrote those words, I didn’t think about the road I had turned onto or how far it would take me into a world that hadn’t existed until that moment. But, by the time I finished writing that book, Tara’s story—and Taylor’s Grove, Kentucky—was occupying a huge section of my imagination. Although Tara’s journey took me to Paris (MOONLIGHT IN PARIS), it also kept bringing me home to Taylor’s Grove where the people of the town had taken on distinct personalities. They’d become not just characters, but individuals. Friends.

I got to know complete families, and before long I learned that Tara’s sister, Thea, was in love with Gil Rice. Gil’s sister Bree had some interesting ways of controlling her life, and soon I was writing her story—HIS KIND OF PERFECTION.

Because Taylor’s Grove is so small, some of the residents work in nearby Paducah, which happens to be my hometown. That was the case with Maggie Russell, who lived in Taylor’s Grove but owned a beauty salon in Paducah with her business partner EmmyLou Creighton. When the time came for Maggie to move her son to college, wow! … the sparks between her and her ex flew and MY WAY BACK TO YOU flew off my fingers.

Bree’s high school friend, Audrey Merrill, moved back home to take care of her mom after her dad’s death. When I went to Taylor’s Grove Elementary School with Audrey the day she enrolled her daughter—the day she learned that Mark Dublin would be her daughter’s teacher … the day she explained to me that Mark Dublin was the person responsible for her sister’s death—I realized neither she nor Mark could ever get beyond the tragedy unless I got them RIGHT WHERE WE STARTED.

Wild woman EmmyLou Creighton made an appearance in that story, also, and stole the show. It became obvious to me that EmmyLou wouldn’t let me rest until I’d given the readers her story, so I placed the telling of it IN EMMYLOU’S HANDS.

Taylor’s Grove, Kentucky, with its friendly ambiance and Southern hospitality, is a place I love to visit. At first glance, it seems such a quiet, serene little place. But move beyond those wide front porches through the front doors, and you’ll find that it certainly has its share of captivating inhabitants—and every one of them has a story to get lost in.

Here’s a snippet that highlights EmmyLou’s quirkiness:

“Do you want me, Sol?” The hesitancy in her tone threw him. Experience had taught him that people generally projected their own emotions onto others. He took a deep breath and shifted to the side so he could look her in the eyes. He wished he hadn’t when he saw the flicker of fear. She was having second thoughts. Had it finally caught up to her that this flirtation could develop into something serious? If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up saddled with a man who would never be whole.

“Do you really have to ask?” he questioned.

“It’s just that…” She took a step back, and his heart sank. “You’re not like other guys.”

He hadn’t expected her to be that direct, but he should have.

“We slept together all those years ago.” She eased back a little more, and he saw the shine in her eyes even in the meager light of the cloudy night. “And the next morning, you couldn’t wait to get rid of me. Then you never called me again.” Her voice grew stronger. “I’ve never had another guy treat me like that. It made me furious. Made me dislike you, and yeah, I’ll admit I’ve badmouthed you a lot. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to start something we can’t finish, because you are the very worst thing that has ever happened to my ego.”

Sol’s heart leaped at her words. She wanted him. Wanted to give this thing between them a go. He took her hands. “EmmyLou Creighton Fuller, if you can’t see how much I want you, then you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground.”

 Her eyebrows drew together in question. Not at all the reaction he’d expected, but why should that ever surprise him with this unpredictable creature? “That saying’s always confused me. I mean, most people take it at face value and assume you’re talking about an actual hole in the ground. Like one you’d dig. But ass is another word for donkey, which is another name for burro, b-u-r-r-o. But a burrow, b-u-r-r-o-w, is a hole that an animal digs in the ground, so if you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground, could it mean that you don’t know a burro from a burrow?” Her eyes grew wide. When she tilted her head, he realized she was expecting an answer.

~ ~ ~

I hope EmmyLou brought a smile to day. She did mine every day I wrote her. J And finally, I have exciting news coming in my next newsletter! Be sure to sign up at FB_Pamela Hearon Author or Pamela Hearon Website. Until next time (which I think is scheduled for October), Happy Reading! 

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