A Different Drummer--almost here!

I've been talking a little bit about this story for several weeks. Not only is it my first new release for awhile, it is one of those that seems a bit special, one that almost wrote itself when the characters spilled their tale as quickly as my fingers could fly over the keys and take it down. So I can't help but be excited about it.

Then, too, it is always a treat to be a part of an Amber PAX collection and see what some other writers have done with the theme that triggered your own idea. We have done several PAX collections with song titles, so music is not a new area but this time we may have ranged a little farther afield if the titles I saw in the announcement of the April 21 release are a clue. Obviously the musical tastes of the five authors vary widely as do the stories that come forth. For more on this you can check out the AmberPAX blog where each new group of tales is featured for the two weeks after it is released. That's at www.AmberPAX.blogspot.com

Anyway, Jest first appeared in another music tale I did, part of a Heartsongs PAX which was treated as both an Amber Heat and Amber Allure release since the main romance was hetero but there was a f/f/f scene in it. The title of that one was Take It Easy and yes, the heroine did pick the hero up in Winslow, Arizona! I grew up in central Arizona and normally associated Winslow with the Santa Fe railroad since it was a division headquarters with a lot of related rail stuff but as a huge fan of the Eagles, I did love that song and it was one of the first things that popped into my mind when the PAX began to take shape. Stormy drove an eighteen wheeler instead of a flatbed Ford but ...well, you can always go back and read that one. It is on my backlist page at www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat. bio_ODare.html

Before Different Drummer began to shape up, all that I had of Jest was a brief scene where Tom Holden, hero of Take It Easy, introduces Stormy, the heroine, to the members of his band. Still this somewhat mysterious and unusual young man intrigued me, and even then I thought he'd probably have his own story in time. And now he does! A Different Drummer is definitely Jest's story, for my readers can now discover his past and a bit of what makes him tick. But it is also Greene's story, another off-beat and troubled character who appeared as Jest began to share his life with me. The two of them are definitely an odd couple, but that's what makes it fun!  This one is much more character-driven than are many of my stories but that was fun too. Tomorrow I will give you an excerpt of their initial meeting and an idea of how different the two of them are!