Stirring Up Trouble by Babette James

Most times, finding plot-sustaining conflict in a story is fairly easy. There’s a clear villain to defeat or a disaster to avert or maybe the hero and heroine even simply hate each other in the beginning of the story. 

Writing a romance often seems to be the exact opposite of the relationship conflict resolution we aim for in real life. In real life, we try to make things better. In fiction, we have to make things worse, really worse. But what about those quiet love stories where the hero and heroine don’t need to defeat a villain and save the world, but simply want their happily ever after? And more, what about those couples who fall in love in Chapter One? Sometimes it’s not so easy finding the conflict necessary to avoid giving the hero and heroine their happy ending too soon. Sometimes you have to find conflict in ordinary everyday life. Sometimes you have to dig deep to stir up the trouble.

 

In my first novel, Clear As Day, getting the conflict to work between Nate and Kay was the toughest part of writing their story. I had a couple who were already friends and lovers and who thought they knew each other very well. Nate was ready to propose. In theory, they just needed to talk to each other. But as Nate discovers, “Trouble was, everyone always made talking out a problem sound like it was so simple and solved everything, but actually doing it, and securing the desired outcome without screwing up, seemed about as easy as rowing upriver with a teaspoon.”

To come up with challenges, I had to keep focusing on opposites and putting roadblocks in their way. Nate is good-hearted, loving and loyal, why on earth would Kay not leap at forever with him? Oh, because she grew up in a dysfunctional family where love meant chaos and trusting meant pain. Nate’s done with traveling, so of course he’s offered his dream job that will take him away for months. When Kay starts to consider taking the risk of loving Nate, another couple’s marriage implodes in front of them, reminding her of her past. Kay and Nate painfully discover, despite the years of close friendship, just how much they didn’t know about each other and had assumed. Nate is faced with just how hard loving can be and Kay finds denying love doesn’t keep it from happening to her. They now needed to learn to really talk and listen to one another, take risks, and truly trust in one another, if their friendship was to survive and love they’d always really shared have a future.

In Summertime Dream, my new novel and a prequel to Clear As Day, I had the same problem, but different. This time my couple didn’t know each other in Chapter One, but they pulled the old love at first sight routine on me. Immediate happiness, right? Great for them, but not so good for me and making a strong story. I knew them from Clear As Day where they were already married and blissfully happy. How on earth was I going to make some conflict for this story of how they met? I had to dig into their characters again. Christopher was a good, kind, solid man. What could be his problem? Oh, he’s a workaholic focused on his career and has no time to deal with the dilapidated house he inherited, let alone settle down. But he could handle unloading a house by phone and email. Why bother even going to Falk’s Bend? Time to dig deeper—he never knew about this side of his family and his grandmother had erased this town from her past. He needs to know why. Then he meets Margie and all his neatly organized life plans are further turned on end.  

Then, there’s my heroine. Margie’s sweet, optimistic, believes in love, and comes from a close, loving family. She couldn’t possibly have any issues, right. Oh, her family is not only close and loving, but smothering and won’t let her spread her wings and find her independence. Why? She nearly died the year before and her fiancé broke their engagement, leaving her with some fears for a new relationship. Now the immediate attraction between them is a problem as well as a pleasure. So, I continued on looking for ways to trip them up with ordinary life. One character has the answer? Make the other too stubborn or afraid to listen or act. They both want to talk? Interrupt them. Have great chemistry? Make it impossible to be together. Christopher can’t see Margie fitting happily into his on-the-run life in Los Angeles and Margie is afraid to trust Christopher completely and doesn’t want to leave Falk’s Bend. His grandmother made difficult decisions because of love, now they need to decide what they are willing to do for love. 

If you’re an author, what are your favorite ways to maintain and increase conflict? As a reader, what story conflicts do you enjoy most? 

Blurb: 

The Fourth of July is over, but for these summer lovers the fireworks have just begun. 

An unexpected inheritance brings business consultant Christopher Gordon from Los Angeles to quaint Falk’s Bend. He’s carved a week from his demanding schedule to list his great-grandparents’ house for sale and explore his roots. However, disturbing family secrets and the sweet temptation of writer Margie Olsson derail his plans, challenging him to seize the elusive dream missing from his hectic life— love. 

A recent brush with death shook Margie’s life, but not her dreams and she’s ready to move forward. Only, standing up to her loving, over-protective family isn’t easy. Helping Christopher explore the derelict mansion and unravel his grandmother’s mysterious past should be a harmless fun taste of independence. But when her experimental summer fling ignites into unexpected love, how can her small town dreams work with his big city life? 

Excerpt:

Margie touched his shoulder and had him turn away from the mess to focus on the view toward the river.

Here the picturesque natural beauty of the property began: the land sloped gently down past the ancient summer house and purple martin houses to the reedy pond where a duck flew in and landed with a quack, and stretched on through weedy tangles of wild blackberry and rogue saplings to the ancient apple and plum trees sagging with unripe fruit, and beyond to the river invisible in the distance, marking where the Engberg’s farm began on the far bank.

Appreciation softened his tense face.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I fell so in love with this place when I was little and dreamed I’d live in a house like this someday.” Margie laughed. “Of course, in my dreams it was a bit less rundown.”

“I’d imagine so. Interested in buying?”

“Oh, if only I could, I would in an instant. I’m sure the property alone is worth far more than I can afford. It’s a huge piece of land. And the repairs and restoration...” Longing swelled. She sighed. Someone else would buy and live in her dream home.

Quiet fell between them for a while. Bees buzzed in the clover. Birds sang, chirped, and flitted. A hummingbird whizzed past. Two more ducks joined the first amid quiet bickering quacks. Dandelion fluff drifted by on an unfelt breeze.

A truck rattled down the lane, breaking the moment.

“Suppose we ought to head back...” Christopher turned, so close their arms brushed, but instead of retreating, he hesitated. Their eyes locked. Where dismay and frustration had filled his green eyes, want simmered. The heavy air electrified.

You need a change.

On a surge of bewildering crazy courage, she stretched up and kissed him. The brief brush of lips to lips left her shaken and her heart pounding, like she had just come up for air.

His eyes widened in his serious, craggy face.

No, oh, no. Blowing out a unsteady breath, she pressed a hand to her stomach. She’d carried her day’s adventure one impetuous step too far. Her heroines were the daring part of her. She’d never even kissed on a first date before, and this wasn’t even a date.

Before the apology fluttering in her mind could break free, he cupped her cheek and touched his mouth down on hers.

Thinking faded as feeling soared. His gentle touch sweet and fascinating, his lips warm and firm played over hers, unhurried in his caresses and enticing brushes. He laced his fingers into her hair, cradling her head in his hand. He tenderly nipped her lip and licked at her mouth, inviting her rather than taking.

She sighed, delighting in this lovely, reckless rush. Yes. Yes. Yes. Forget that they had just met. She could want again.

Gripping his shoulder, she accepted the heady invitation, and the kiss deepened into perfect.

 

Come fall in love at the river:

Summertime Dream is available on Amazon: http://viewBook.at/SummertimeDream

“Summertime Dream is a perfect glass of Lemonade on a hot day. Simple, elegant and beautifully written. I enjoyed each scene. Loved the chemistry between the characters and the house. Great story!” ~ Deborah Diez

 Clear As Day, (★★★★½ RT Book Reviews, ★★★★★ Top Pick The Romance Reviews) is available at:

 Amazon: http://viewbook.at/ClearAsDay

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4806

And at all other eBook retailers

About the Author:

Babette James writes sweetly scorching contemporary romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints. As a teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! Born in New Jersey and raised in Southern California, she’s had a life-long love of the desert and going down the shore. Babette now lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and extremely spoiled cats.

You can find Babette at:

Website: http://babettejames.com/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ltvyP

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BabetteJames

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/babette.james

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BabetteJamesAuthor

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B007KDJWV8

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/babettejames 

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/babettejames/ 

BABETTE JAMES -- Author

This cheery face belongs to my guest today, Babette James. She writes contemporary and fantasy romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints.

A teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! She lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and three extremely spoiled cats.

 What is your life like away from the computer? Tell us something about your household. Jazzie, my cat, wants to hear about your kitty-pusses.

Jazzie will be happy to learn my husband and I are owned by three very spoiled cats. Mittens, who is going on fifteen, always knows when a lap has become available. Gracie will be eleven and specialized in sleeping and mimicking a fur-covered football. Pookie, the baby, who will be nine in September, has decided it is his duty to wake me promptly at 5:00 a.m. every day so I won’t forget to feed him or give him his cuddles. I hand raised him from when he was one day old and he has been to school with me, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Mystic Seaport, although he did sleep through most of those events.

Between launching Clear As Day and trying to finish the next book, I haven’t been away from the computer much lately, but I like to experiment with bread recipes for my bread machine, and now, that the weather has warmed up, I’ll be out in the yard more often, trying to stay ahead of the weeds. I don’t watch much television, but I’m loving Once Upon a Time right now.

What is your writing schedule like?

I try to write and/or edit every day. I like to write very early in the morning before work and at night. Morning is great. My husband is sleeping and cats are snoring, and it’s just me with my coffee and writing, sitting in the peace and quiet. I usually write while in an online chat with my critique group and other writing friends. We’ll often do timed challenges to work on writing or editing and share snips of our work.

Do you ever dream of writing in a different genre?

I’d love to try Romantic Suspense. I have a story idea that I might work on in the future.

What part of the writing process brings you the most pleasure? The most angst?

I love writing the first draft, I enjoy the surprises of storytelling. I enjoy seeing a story grow out of a little idea, plots twist and turn, expand and shift, how one story can spawn into a series, and how the characters grow and reveal their lives and find their happily ever after. The first draft is all happiness, seeing that word count grow, finding favorite passages, fun lines. 

The most angst is definitely in the editing stages. All that lovely word count, those brilliant passages ( lol ), and fun lines now must be corrected, gutted, rearranged, whittled down, tightened up, fluffed, and polished. It seems endless and it’s easy to lose sight of progress when focused at the word and sentence level.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working hard to finish and submit the next story, currently called Love Burns, featuring two of Nate and Kay’s friends. This story takes off right from where Clear As Day ends. I love this couple’s chemistry, and I’ve enjoyed seeing their story come to life as they work through their personal trials and find their own happily ever after together. I also have two more stories started for couples out of this group of friends and I have a fantasy romance series in the works. Who needs sleep?

Has your road to publication been a walk in the park or a steep mountain climb? Give us some details?

My road was both long and short. I have been writing all my life, but unfortunately, I let anxiety and doubt divert me from seriously pursuing publication until recently.

Oh, Babette, I did the same thing. I wonder how many of us have allowed self-doubt to freeze our movement foreward as writers?

Interesting question. I realized I had a choice: I could just keep filing the story ideas away, never be published, and live with wishful thinking, or damn the doubts, start the scary process of submission and maybe still never succeed, but at least I wouldn’t have to live with the worse regret of never trying.

I have received several rejection letters since that moment on different stories, and each one delivered a different level of pain and frustration, but I determined to use them to make me tell a better story and make me a better writer. My first rejection letter was the best one and I will always remember that kind editor who took the time to write a few encouraging and critical comments in her letter and spurred me on to keeping hope and continue my efforts.

Those efforts brought success when The Wild Rose Press made the offer for Clear As Day. Let me tell you, the joy from that acceptance blew away the pain of every prior rejection. 

I know exactly what you mean. I recall the feeling, the elation, the OMG moment quite well. Now, tell us about your current release.

My new release, Clear As Day, is a spicy contemporary romance about two friends with benefits facing the fears and uncertainties of their changing relationship and is set against the background of the summer heat and cool waters of Lake Mohave.

Clear As Day is my debut novel and began its life as a short story I wrote back in college. It’s been a story of my heart in many ways, so seeing this story bloom and come to life as a full-length published novel truly has been a dream come true. Receiving the 4 1/2 star scorcher review from Romantic Times and being able to hold my book in my hands have been truly thrilling moments. I hope you enjoy Nate and Kay’s journey as much as I have.

Blurb: What’s a girl to do when her summer lover wants forever?

Haunted by dark memories of her parents’ volatile marriage, artist Kay Browning keeps her heart locked behind a free-spirit facade and contents herself with the comfortable affair she has every summer with easygoing photographer Nate Quinn.

The only trouble with her plan? This summer Nate’s come to Lake Mohave to claim the lover he can’t let go. He’s done with the endless traveling and settling for temporary homes and temporary loves. Kay’s always been more than just a vacation fling, and now he must convince this woman, who sees love as a course to certain heartbreak, to take that leap of faith and learn how safe love with the right man can be.

Excerpt:

She trailed her fingers over his collection of pebbles on the table, polished by sand, wind and water. Be happy. Be happy. How could she feel so happy and terrified at the same time? You’d think one would cancel out the other.

She would be happy. They would talk. She would sort out her mind.

Don’t worry, be happy.

She slipped on her leather sandals and picked up her sunhat, sunglasses and beach bag. “All set.”

As Kay and Olivia arrived at Spider Camp, Nate was talking and taking casual shots of Dave sitting on his boat. Dave waved. Nate stopped talking the moment she came into sight, his attention fixed on her in a way that rushed heat through her and kicked a happy tumble in her heart.

He waved. “Hey, babe!” He raked his gaze over her. “Stop right there.” He raised his camera and made swift adjustments. “Okay, move.” Rapid shutter clicks followed his order. “Oh, yeah. Beautiful. Slower. Perfect.”

He met her halfway and kissed her hot and hard. “I was about to track you down. You look great.”

“And you look happy.”

“Life is good.” He gave her another quick kiss. “I took some awesome shots today.”

Be happy. Kay smiled. She just needed to practice. Starting now. “Want a beer then to celebrate?”

“Sounds great.” Nate slid an arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, “Damn, I love this suit on you. Why does it always make me want to peel you out of it?” He caressed his hand down over her bottom, holding her close. He softly nipped her earlobe. “Between this one and that yellow-dot one, I am one happy man.”

Desire twisted and heated through her. Wanting him was so easy. That, at least, she never doubted.

“Let’s go swimming, so I can play. Hmm?” he murmured, with more little nips. “Please?”

Go on, practice being happy. Go swimming. Play. Relax. Enjoy. Love.

What was so hard about all that?

Nothing.

Kay tugged the knot of her pareu free and tucked the wrap into his hand. “Okay.” She pulled away from him and strolled off, slipping off her shirt and tossing it, her sunglasses and hat on a chair as she passed, kicking off her sandals as she reached the damp sand.

Running feet pounded up behind her, and Nate scooped her up in his strong arms. He charged laughing with her into the water and threw them both in, the cool shocking splash against her sun-heated skin driving a giggling shriek from her.

Laughter and friendly catcalls rang behind them from their friends.

Nate tugged her to her feet, his body hard and warm against hers. He shook the water from his hair. A big smile, alive with affection and delight, lighted his face. Mischief danced in his eyes. “Come on, follow me.” He swam with lazy strokes toward the moored boats and flipped around, floating on his back, waiting. When she followed, he kicked farther on, putting Lloyd’s and Dave’s boats between him and the shore. She caught up with him. The water here was breast deep.

He snagged her wrist and drew her close.

Links:

To learn more about Babette James and the stories she creates go to:

Website: http://babettejames.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BabetteJames

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BabetteJamesAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/babettejames

Youtube Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/E1ur-avq5YI

To purchase Clear As Day, go to:

The Wild Rose Press - eBook & Paperback: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=952

Amazon.com - eBook & Paperback:  http://amzn.com/B007RN9STW

All Romance eBooks- eBook:  http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-clearasday-677696-149.html