When the Hero Hasn’t Got a Clue…

With: Barbara White Daille

Congratulations to "Julie O.", the winner in Barbara's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

If we all had precognition or access to a crystal ball, we might be able to tell what life had in store for us, at least in our near future. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could anticipate what would happen?

Having that ability would certainly help me as an author. When it came to plotting a new book, I would be able to watch the characters in action and just take notes as the story events appeared before my eyes!

Both real and story people often have advance info, knowledge they either don’t realize they have or info they do have but stubbornly refuse to follow. 

A mom instinctively knows by her baby’s cry when something is wrong with the infant.

When dealing with the public, a police officer reads faces and tone of voice and body language.

A man may know he’s risking his life by slipping into his lover’s bedroom—but he defies her father, his sworn enemy, and enters the room, anyway.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have crystal balls. Instead, we have to go the normal route and let events in our lives happen as they’re meant to, at the time they’re scheduled to happen, in their preset order.

That could be why we get so much enjoyment out of reading. We see what characters face in their daily lives. And because we sometimes learn information before the characters do, we have fun watching how quickly they pick up on things—or not.

With a mystery or romantic suspense, we may spot the clues and even solve the case before the private eye or police detective.

With a romance, if the right hints are given, we can often tell how the hero feels about the heroine even before he knows, and of course the reverse is true for the heroine—though not always at the same time, which is half the pleasure in a romance! We watch them dance around each other, with one character attempting to deal with his or her feelings, all without letting the other know.

It’s not quite the same as looking into a crystal ball…

But isn’t it fun to have a bit of “precognition” when it comes to what’s in store for a hero or heroine? 

I’d like to share a peek at the heroine of my heroine of new release. When her ex shows up at her front door, she falls into this arms—after fainting, thanks to a bad case of the flu. Little does she know, there’s much worse in store for her…

Excerpt:

The teenage girl who had once fallen for Jason cringed and longed to reach for her makeup bag. But the woman she’d become lifted her chin and nodded at the reflection in the mirror.

Let him deal with her just the way she was now. It served him right for showing up unannounced after all this time.

She wasn’t about to recall the way her heart had pounded and her head had swum and a tremor had run through her when she had opened the door to find him standing in the hallway. They were all simply reactions to the flu—and anyone could have passed out after getting hit with all those symptoms.

She also wasn’t about to dwell on the past or worry about the intervening years or feel embarrassed by what had happened just a few minutes ago. She was going to get rid of Jason. Again. And hope this time he stayed gone.

As she turned to leave the bathroom, Scott began to yell.

“Help! Help! You’re not my daddy! Leave my sister alone!”

Every single word he screeched made her heart sink faster. She hurried down the hall and burst into the living room.

The baby lay in her playpen on the opposite side of the room, closer to the kitchen. Her beet-red face and gleaming eyes were sure signs she had woken up cranky and crying.

And, lost in thought, her mommy hadn’t heard a peep.

Scott had taken a stance with his back to the playpen and his arms outstretched toward Jason as if holding a wild animal at bay. Jason stood a couple of feet from him, his hands patting the air presumably to calm her son.

Fighting another wave of dizziness, she put her hand on the door frame. “What’s going on?” she demanded. 

COWBOY IN CHARGE

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Single mom Layne Slater thought she'd seen the last of Jason McAndry when he chose the rodeo over her and their unborn son. Now Jason's back in Cowboy Creek and just as handsome as ever. But Layne can't give in to those feelings again. She has to protect her children…and her heart.

Jason wants to try to make up for the pain he caused when he left. The least he can do is help Layne while he's home. Before long, Jason realizes he's finally ready to be the husband, father and man his family deserves. But can Jason prove to Layne that this time, their love is forever?

Find the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Harlequin | IndieBound | Kobo

About the Author:

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. 

Cowboy in Charge, the latest book in The Hitching Post Hotel series, is a brand-new release! Other books in the series will follow. A larger print reissue of A Rancher’s Pride, book one in Barbara’s popular Flagman’s Folly series, is now available exclusively from Harlequin, while the e-book version is available everywhere. And at the end of 2016, she begins a new sweet romance series for Entangled Bliss. 

You can find more info about Barbara and her books at the following locations:

Website  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog

Newsletter  http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter

Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille

Twitter  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Amazon author page  http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ

Harlequin author page  http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244  

Goodreads author page
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille

Giveaway alert! 
For every 10 comments (not including my own ;) ), I'll give away one autographed print copy of The Cowboy's Little Surprise, book one in the Hitching Post Hotel series. Please read on for important deets:


Giveaway is for US/Canada addresses, please. The more comments, the more chances to win - one book maximum per person. Comments will close at 11:59 pm. Eastern time on Monday, 7-11, because that sounds like a lucky date. :) ****WINNER(S)' NAME(S) will be announced in a comment here by Tuesday night, so RETURN HERE to see if you've won and for info on how to claim your book. Winners have till Thursday, July 14 to get in touch.