When bloggers and readers asked me to come up with a dream cast for She Belongs to Me, I hemmed and hawed...tried to fight it...didn't want to try to put a face on my main man.
After all, he's not a Hollywood actor. He's a construction company owner, police detective, ex-military… Where am I going to find a famous face for that. Well...I found someone close... He's the new Diet Coke man. So without further ado, let me introduce you to my first dream character, Jordan
Monroe, the Southern gent from She
Belongs to Me.
Excerpt from female protagonist’s POV the first time she meets
Jordan:
Wow! Now she understood
Amy’s grin and offer to assist. The man at her table was a real looker. Not in
a generic Hollywood way. He was a genuine all-American, but striking male. The
man’s face, chiseled and sculpted to perfection, stared back: square chin, high
cheekbones, and angular nose, all framed by a neatly trimmed beard trailing up
his jaw that only added to his rugged look. His hair was a deep brown, almost
black, and cropped short, military-style. His build resembled an officer of
some sort. His shoulders were broad and held back in perfect posture, and based
on their width, she now understood the need for a larger booth.
His
eyes were the best, though. He had a lightly tanned complexion with dark brows,
and beneath thick eyelashes were a set of arresting steel-blue eyes. They were
beautiful. The shock of electricity that shot through her, though, was
incapacitating. She couldn’t think; ‘wow’ wasn’t quite enough to describe what
she felt. Her feet felt as though they were rooted to the wood floor below her,
and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d just gawked at a complete
stranger.
Meet Jaynee, my female protagonists through the eyes of Jordan:
Never
having asked a waitress out before, he wondered how he would go about it. Men
probably hit on her all the time. She was pretty, a natural beauty, even
without makeup. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail, but a few strands had
escaped. He felt the urge to tuck them behind her ear just to touch her hair.
But
her eyes were her most incredible feature. They were a deep hazel, like cat’s
eyes, standing out in contrast to her olive skin. Her body was also perfect,
not like all the bony, thin girls he’d seen around here. She was petite, but
shapely, about five-three he guessed. He liked that too. She was perfect for
his six-foot frame.
Where
was his imagination going already? Perfect for what…dancing? He chastised
himself, but knew he couldn’t let her escape without at least attempting to see
if there was anything under her cover, as his mother had always put it. Was she
just a simple-minded waitress? She didn’t sound unintelligent. No matter the
looks, he could never deal with ignorance. He needed someone with whom he could
relate.
Again,
his thoughts were uncontainable. He’d only just met this girl and was already
sizing up whether she was worthy. She’d probably think he was an ignorant hick
anyway. Women loved his southern accent, but were always surprised when there
was more behind his drawl than just a country boy.
Jaynee loves music and loves to sing, so when Jordan is trying to reach
her, he sings her a song. Although I don’t mention the song, I ran a contest to
see if readers could guess it, and most of them got it right.
Excerpt:
“Jaynee,
love, I’m here for you, as always, as I promised from the start. You don’t have
to explain anything; just return to me, please. I told you before, nothing else
matters but you. I love you. I don’t care what happened. I only want you back
in my arms, and I know you want me too. I know you still love me.” He ran his
fingertips over her skin, caressing her arm. There was nothing else to say.
“Would
you like me to sing to you? I heard a country song the other day. It’s sad in
the beginning, but it has a happy ending. It reminded me of us. It’s about a
husband who’s asking his wife if he still gives her everything she needs and
does he get another chance.”
In a
low whisper, Jordan sang the words in Jaynee’s ear. He didn’t like his voice,
but she’d always commented how much she enjoyed it and how she thought he
sounded like Garth Brooks. He reflected back on all the occasions they’d sing
together driving to the mountains. She loved singing, and he loved listening to
her…it meant she was happy, even when she was singing sad songs.
The song is Do I by Luke
Bryan...and after I watched the video again, I realized that the male character in the video could have pulled off the lead for Jordan too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5GVa1yWYZM
Book Description:
A passionate romantic-suspense of love, betrayal, and obsession, She Belongs to Me will have you falling
in love and wondering if you can trust anyone right up to the last page.
Charlotte police officer Jordan Monroe is used to being in
control. Ever since his father died, he has provided for his mother and sisters
and even hired his two brothers-in-law to help run his successful construction
company. On a chance business trip, however, he meets the one person who throws
his life into a whirlwind--Jaynee.
Jaynee has lived a tragic life and has sworn off all men. That is
until a rugged southern gentleman lands in her seating area, refusing to take
no for an answer. From the moment they meet, Jordan sweeps her off her feet,
assuring her that happiness exists. But can she really escape her past?
Five years later, Jordan finds Jaynee on their back porch with a
gunshot wound to the head. While Jaynee lies in a coma, Jordan has to go back
to their beginning and figure out what went wrong. Did he push his wife to the
edge, or has her past come back to haunt them?
She Belongs to Me is my first release and the first novel in my Southern Romantic-Suspense Collection. From there, all the
stories have a slight connection to each other, so you can continue the journey
and meet different protagonists with different issues and tragedies to
overcome. Every story has a mystery, there's always a gentle message, and above
all, there's always romance and suspense.
For more information or to download, visit...
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