The Journey to Jordan by Debbie Lee









The inspiration for The Journey to Jordan happened out of a passing comment during a random conversation at my writer’s group one Saturday morning.  I don’t even remember what we were talking about. The idea started to form on my way home and forty-five minutes later, I had the bare bones plot, the names of the two main characters, the last line of the book, and the title.  I was thrilled.  I have a difficult time with titles and usually leave them for last, so I was pleasantly surprised when that didn’t happen this time.
             
My inspiration for Luke Kincaid was Carter Oosterhouse from HGTV.  It helps me to use images of celebrities or pictures from magazines when I’m looking for my main characters.  It gives me a visual to refer back to throughout the process.  My inspiration for Jordan was a picture I’d cut out of a magazine.
             
I’d like to let you know also, that I credit God with all my inspirations and help in creating the stories I write. I believe He uses situations like my writer’s group, songs, bits and pieces of conversations I overhear in the store, a picture, etc., to help me.


Journey to Jordan Blurb:

She’s guarding a secret...one that, if it’s discovered, will destroy everything she’s worked so hard to gain.

In order to claim her inheritance, Jordan Shaw is forced to return to her hometown. She changes her name and opens a flower shop, praying no one will ever learn the truth about her past. But when she meets Luke Kincaid, her carefully-constructed walls come tumbling down...even though she’s convinced he’s married.


He’s in love with two women at the same time...one of whom he’s never even seen.

When Luke wanders into Jordan’s flower shop to buy a gift for his mother’s birthday, Jordan falls off a ladder and into his arms. But this encouraging beginning quickly turns to anger and accusations. What could he have possibly done to make Jordan hate him? And how can he have such strong feelings for her when he also finds himself falling for M.J.—a troubled young woman he has met only through her long-lost diary?

Debbie Lee tells about herself:


I was born, raised, and graduated high school in South Dakota. I have lived in California and Colorado, eventually landing here in Yuma. I raised two wonderful daughters, who have grown up to be very special young women. My oldest, Nicole, is busy working and has recently started a new life in Texas. My youngest, Katie, is a Sgt. in the Marine Corps, currently stationed in California.

For the last 23 years, I have worked for the State of Arizona as an Administrative Assistant.

I had never had any writing aspirations in high school or as a young adult. But at age 52, in March 2009, I began to get these ideas, like movie clips in my mind, for lack of a better description. I thought my imagination was working on overdrive. But they persisted. Finally, I felt God urging me to write these scenes down. And, that they say, is how it all began. Ideas for more books kept popping into my head, and so I knew there was no doubt that this was the real deal and what I was meant to do. Ideas will come at the strangest times; while driving down the road, while just drifiting off to sleep, or just overhearing a conversation in a store.

Writing can be fun and exciting, waiting to see where the characters take you next. But, it can also be frustrating when you hit a block and can't figure out just the right word to express what you are trying to convey to the reader or how a certain scene should play out. As I mentioned before, it is very similiar to seeing a movie play out in my mind. I'm trying to write down all the description and all the dialogue for the reader so they can "see" what I see. All in all, I do really enjoy the process of creating a story.

I write contemporary romance, with a little humor and maybe a twist here and there tossed in. I do not have any explicit sex scenes in my books. There is passion between the two main characters, but I don't feel the need to spell out the details. I finished my first book in about a year, and shopped for an agent with no success while I worked on my second book. It has been a challenge working full-time and trying to write. My second book took me a little longer than a year to complete. I had joined a local group of other writers called The Yuma Writer's Group. They helped me learn what I was doing well and what I needed to work on, and I also read more about my craft.

In February 2012, I submitted my second book and was accepted by Black Opal Books publishing company out of Oregon. These last few month have been spent editing and preparing my book for release. I am so very excited that the time has finally come! My book, The Journey to Jordan, has been released for sale at www.blackopalbooks.com; Amazon; Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, KOBO, and a few others. Depending on the website, it is available in paperback and ebook format.

My favorite author is Debbie Macomber. She is such a wonderful storyteller, and she's the kind of writer I aspire to be. She tells wonderful stories about interesting people that could be your neighbors, your familiy, your friends, or your co-workers. They are real, everyday people, who have real lives, and real issues and challenges.

I'm very excited to see where God's plan takes me on this new adventure! I hope to retire in a couple of years and write full time from the porch of a log house nestled in the pine trees somewhere.


Debbie Lee


Thanks for visiting me today, Debbie! I loved what you had to say about the inspiration for this book.

Comments

J. L. Greger said…
Your book sounds perfect for Valentine's Day.

You're lucky to get to do a blog with Marilyn. Her blog is well read.
Congratulations on your second book.
JL Greger
Unknown said…
Thanks J.L.!

Yes, I'm excited and thankful to Marilyn!

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