Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Welcome Guest Blogger Sandra Dailey


This is a banner day at The Second Half! Today we welcome our first guest blogger, Sandra Dailey! Sandy is a fellow Boomer and romance novelist who is here to celebrate the release of her second book, Twice the Trouble. Take it away, Sandy!


Romance – The Imperfect Hero

How often are our real life heroes perfect? We all know every man has his flaws. If we say we love our man despite his imperfections, we fail. Eventually, when times get tough, those imperfections magnify in our minds.
When we can look past the scars to the core of the man and see him as perfect, we are in love.

My new release, Twice the Trouble is a light-hearted contemporary romance with plenty of humor. The main characters are rekindling an old romance that went terribly wrong. But, now they have two mischievous preteens to deal with, besides.

Over the years the main characters were separated, life wasn’t easy for either of them. My heroine, Lacey, and her children combine home life with hard work as they make their living on a small farm.

My hero, Alex, is a successful business man, living a life of luxury, but he hides terrible scars from a long ago accident. Pity, rejection and scorn has caused him to be self-conscious and insecure. In the scene below, Alex and Lacey are discussing his scars for the first time.

“There’s more to it than just my arm. It was pretty bad. Does it bother you?”
“I know it bothers you for me to see it, but it shouldn’t. It’s just a part of you, a part of your history.” Lacey began hammering again.
“You know, most people are grossed out by it. You and your kids act like it’s no worse than a scratch. I don’t get it.”
“Well, a lot of people are idiots,” Lacey told him. “When you work in this business you can’t be squeamish. We have animals attacking each other, having accidents, and being born deformed. They’re often turned out by the others to fend for themselves or die. Sometimes we get to them in time to help, sometimes not.”
“Well, that little story really brightens my day,” Alex grumbled.
“The moral of the story is: we’re not animals,” her voice lowered. “Although, you may not have guessed by the way my children behave.”
Alex measured, cut and placed another board before he spoke again. “You once said I was perfect. As you can see, I’m not perfect anymore.”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed in contemplation. “Oh, I get it. You thought I was referring to your looks. No, I was talking about your batting stance. Yeah, definitely, you had a great swing.”


Blurb:
Lacey Carlyle has worked for years to create the perfect blend of home, business and family. Now she risks losing everything when the land she farms is bought by the man who abandoned her thirteen years ago.
Alex has never understood why Lacey walked away from him. Now, he holds the deed to her farm and intends to make her pay. The only problem – two kids weren’t part of the plan.
Jenna and Jarrod may not see eye-to-eye but they are both determined to find happiness for their mom and keep their home safe.
Can Lacey and Alex put their pasts behind them and embrace a future together?

My question is: As a reader, how do you feel about heroes with scars and insecurities?

Twice the Trouble is currently available exclusively on Amazon. The official release from The Wild Rose Press will be on May 8, 2013. To pick up a copy now, go to: http://amzn.to/Wrxm6B
About the author:
Sandra Dailey is an avid reader and lifelong story teller.  She caught the writing bug after winning a short story contest.  The Chief’s Proposal was her first published work and now she’s added Twice the Trouble, but she has many more stories to tell.
Sandra currently lives with her husband in north Florida.
To contact Sandra Dailey:
http://www.facebook.com/sandradailey.author

11 comments:

  1. I put a scar on one of my hero's face. I think all our heroes have internal scars, but external scars help build the character. How they handle other peoples reaction tells the readers a lot and gives them insight without the author pointing it out!

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  2. Exactly, Jerrie. Without a few flaws, they're just a Ken doll.

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  3. That was a great excerpt, Sandra! I love a broody, tortured soul type of hero. It makes them real. Everyone has scars, and external ones can cause a slew of internal ones. What I enjoyed about this excerpt was it laid both of their characters out plain as day and I'm left with an ache for Alex and cheering for Lacey--she's a beautiful person and I haven't even gotten to know her yet! Thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Thank you, Niecey. Wait 'til you meet the kids!

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  5. Mm, flawed heroes, my favorite. I love the depth and realism flaws add to a character, following along as they grow and develop, their journey throughout the story. Great glimpse into both Alex and Lacey in the blurb!

    P.S. the blog looks great, Alison!

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    1. Thanks Melissa. Depth is the word I was looking for.

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  6. Sandra, I love reunion stories. I'm going to have to check this one out.

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    1. I hope you do, Linda. There's a lot of laughs and deep emotion in this one.

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  7. Reunions and imperfect men. Does it get any better? Good luck, Sandra.

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  8. Hi Sandra,
    Great storyline. I love tortured heroes, be they emotional or physical scars.

    Cheers

    Margaret

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  9. I'm fairly sure two mischievous pre-teens could make it very difficult to form a new relationship. Best wishes to you for great success!

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