I'm a full-time writer without a car.
Okay, gun to my head, we HAVE a car, but my husband takes it to work, so during my work hours I'm without it. That means that most of my research has to happen online, or be within walking distance of my home...
Luckily, our local fire hall is just down the street, so after dropping my son off at school one morning, I walked a little further and stopped in at the fire hall. One thing I didn't know was that security in fire halls is actually pretty tight! They don't let you just waltz in, but while I was explaining who I was and what I wanted (which never sounds believable for some reason! "Hi, I'm a Harlequin author, and..."), the Deputy Chief cleared his throat from a doorway and said,
"Can I help you out with something?"
This meeting of our DC inspired the opening scene of A FIREFIGHTER'S PROMISE. It was just such a great set up, that I had to use it, and our DC's job allowed the perfect amount of flexibility for my plot, that my hero very quickly became a Deputy Fire Chief, too.
The DC was a wealth of information and the perfect gentleman. Meeting him made me proud of our little town and the brave men and women who protect it.
This is how a book is born. This is also how I get my exercise. ;) If I had a Fitbit, it would be proud.
***
When the baby
he rescued seven years ago returns---with his widowed adoptive mom---Deputy
Fire Chief Matt Bailey can't turn them away. Desperate to escape the reminders
of his failure in the line of duty, Matt is close to leaving town. But one look
at Rachel Carter and her son, Christopher, has him second-guessing his plans.
Rachel is a mom in need of a hero for her son. But as much as she wants the two
to bond, she's determined to keep her distance from Matt. After losing her
husband on the job, she promised never to love another fireman. Yet somehow she
finds herself drawn to the one man she should avoid.
You can see more from Patricia Johns at her website or on Facebook.
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