Please welcome author Debby Grahl. She has a new release—a delightful contemporary western romance. Won’t you tell us about it? What was your inspiration for Mountain Blaze?
Thank you for having me. You ask what inspired me to write Mountain
Blaze?
My cousins live a few hours away in North Carolina near
Asheville where they graciously took my husband and me sightseeing. It was
Fall, and the spectacular display of color against the backdrop of the Smoky
Mountains was breathtaking. We decided to hike for a while and discovered a
scenic overlook which revealed a stream winding through the valley below.
We came upon a small ranch which had cabins to rent and
offered horseback riding. As we waited for the horses to be saddled for a trail
ride, my writer’s imagination replaced the nice older man with a handsome
cowboy. Now, what would be his story? As we rode through the lush woods, the
air fragrant with the smell of pine, Dillon McCoy took shape in my mind.
Afterward, we drove down the mountain into Waynesville. This
is a wonderful little town where I discovered Mast General. A fun,
old-fashioned country store, this has become one of my favorite places to shop.
We decided to stop in a café, and while sipping a delicious cup of coffee, I
noticed an attractive woman seated at an adjacent table. Her clothes were
stylish. She looked as if she had just walked off Fifth Avenue. Once again, my
writer’s imagination took over, and Diana Thompson was born. Now, what
circumstances could bring the cowboy and the wealthy city girl together? I
enjoyed creating their personalities, backgrounds, and tiny quirks that made
them unique.
In all my books, I like to have some type of mystery. Not only
do Diana and Dillon meet, there’s an outside force which is determined to keep
them apart and endanger their lives.
So what’s the story of Mountain
Blaze?
Disillusioned
by his wife’s betrayal, rodeo star Dillon McCoy comes home to the mountains of
North Carolina to lick his wounds. When he agrees to take over the family
ranch, the Lazy M, he’s unaware danger waits.
Diana
Thompson is having doubts about her engagement to Trent Sawyer. She agrees to
leave Chapel Hill and spend Thanksgiving with her friend Jenn at the Lazy M.
When Diana and Dillon meet, neither can deny their attraction, but both must
resolve past relationships while fighting their growing desire.
After
Dillon turns down an anonymous offer to purchase the ranch, attempts are made
on his life. When a body is found, Dillon sets out to discover who wants the
McCoy land enough to commit murder.
How about
an excerpt?
Diana nodded and
Flora fell into step behind Flame. They passed the last cabin, and the meadow spread out before them. Dillon drew
Flame to a halt and motioned for her to quietly come next to him. When she did
so, he pointed to three deer standing near some pine trees, and in the distance
were the snow-crested ridges of the Smoky Mountains.
Diana
caught her breath. “It’s magnificent,” she whispered.
“I
never get tired of this view. Because of this.” He indicated their
surroundings. “The last cabin we passed is another favorite of our guests.”
“It
all reminds me of a Christmas card.” Diana patted her pockets. “Damn,” she
murmured. “I don’t have my phone to take a picture.”
Dillon
gestured. “They’re leaving anyway.”
For
a minute, the deer stared at them, their ears alert, then bounded off into the
woods. “Oh, I must have made too much noise,” Diana exclaimed.
“You
didn’t do anything. They could smell us. I’m surprised they stayed as long as
they did. If it wasn’t so slippery, we could go out onto that outcropping of
rocks.” Diana glanced to where he pointed and shuddered.
“It’s
smooth on top, and you can see the stream that runs through the valley below,”
he continued.
She
shook her head. “I don’t mind heights if I’m a safe distance away. Out there,
I’d go into a full-blown panic attack. In fact, that’s why I never learned to
ski. You’d have to drag me kicking and screaming onto one of those chair
lifts.”
Dillon
smiled and Diana thought it the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. There was a
slight cleft in his chin, and fine lines formed at the corners of his eyes.
Diana inwardly groaned. The butterflies were
back.
“I’d
hold onto you. I wouldn’t let you fall,” he softly said.
With
his slow southern accent, the words sounded like warm honey rolling off his
tongue. The depth of his eyes and the sound of his voice mesmerized her.
The
horses stood side by side. Her and Dillon’s legs touched. He leaned toward her,
and the light aroma of wood smoke, hay, and his spicy cologne filled her
nostrils. Diana knew what he was about to do but had no willpower to stop him.
He cupped her cheek and their lips met.
Gentle
at first, his lips glided over hers. He increased the pressure until she opened
her mouth and his tongue slipped in. Diana moaned and wrapped her arms around
his neck. His arms around her waist, he deepened the kiss. Before she realized
what he was doing, without breaking their kiss Dillon lifted her from Flora and
placed her across his lap.
Cradled
in his arms, Diana clung to him, delicious sensations filling her. Her body
came alive in a way that surprised her. The only thing that mattered was this man and this moment.
Flame
moved, bringing her back to reality. Diana’s eyes fluttered open, and she
stared into Dillon’s, deep with passion and need.
Oh,
dear God, what was she doing? She barely knew Dillon, and there she lay
sprawled across his lap. What would he think of her? “Dillon, I…”
He
placed a gloved finger over her lips. When he spoke, his voice was low and
husky. “It’s not your fault. You’re engaged, and I shouldn’t have done that.”
She
swallowed hard and touched his cheek. “I’m just as guilty.” She should tell him
about Trent, and why she was here, but now wasn’t the moment. She needed to be
alone, where she could process what just happened.
“You
don’t have to explain.” He glanced away, then back. “I should promise that
won’t happen again, but I can’t. All
I can promise is I’ll try to behave.”
She
gave him a slight smile. “We’re adults. We should be able to control
ourselves.”
Dillon
cleared his throat and easily set her back on her saddle. “Whatever you say.”
As
they made their way back through the woods, Diana’s guilt threatened to consume
her. Not only did she enjoy every second of his kiss, she didn’t want him to
stop. One terrible truth she had no doubt about—if they hadn’t been sitting on
a horse, she’d be in his bed. What a complicated mess her life had become. If
she had her own car, she’d make some excuse and leave, but she couldn’t do that
to Jenn. Until she could make sense of her emotions, she’d try her best not to
be alone with Dillon.
“Do
other riders use this trail?”
“No.
This is all McCoy land. Our closest neighbor, the Duffys’ property, is in that direction.
They have a few cabins, and it’s possible one of their guests wandered over
here by mistake.”
“Isn’t
the ranch surrounded by fence?”
“No.
Only the areas that border public land.” Still frowning, Dillon resumed riding
toward the barn. When they were almost there, once again Dillon stopped.
“There’s someone ahead of us.”
“Jenn?”
“I
don’t think so. If it were her, she’d come to meet us.” He started forward.
“Stay behind me.”
The
trail widened, and in the distance a man in a parka stood. “I don’t think
there’s a problem,” Dillon said. “But stay back a little way.”
Curious,
Diana nodded. The
snow muffled the sound of Flame’s hooves as Dillon pressed him forward. When he
got within thirty feet of the man, he called, “Hello, can I help you?”
The Wild
Rose Press; November 2, 2020
Contemporary
Romance
306 pages
R-rated /
Spicy
Buy Links and Book Pages:
https://www.bookbub.com/books/mountain-blaze-the-carolina-series-by-debby-grahl
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55319289-mountain-blaze
Tell us about yourself.
Award-winning author, Debby Grahl, lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband, David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach and a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are New Orleans, New York City, Captiva Island in Florida, the Cotswolds of England, and her home state of Michigan. She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel, and, of course, romance. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books. His Magic Touch, a paranormal romance, was released by Wild Rose Press December 5, 2018. Her latest book, Mountain Blaze, was released November 2.
