In all these years of marriage, my husband James's love for B-Western movies has rubbed off on me, especially an appreciation for the stunt work involved, to the extent that my longest-running series features Lucas Hallam, a private detective and Western movie extra who works in 1920s Hollywood. (Hallam is a supporting character in my story "Tinseltown", from the PRESENT FOR A COWBOY anthology.)
I love writing action scenes, so when I set out to write "Guarding Her Heart", I wanted to include the sort of spectacular stunt that took place in so many B-Westerns: a great stagecoach chase scene culminating with the coach plunging off a cliff. You can see two amazing stunts from the 1938 serial Zorro's Fighting Legion.
Of course, in a story no stuntmen or horses are actually at risk, but I hoped to achieve the same sort of pulse-pounding thrills, as the movie trailers put it. And Grant and Julia have plenty of other thrills coming their way in "Guarding Her Heart" as well...
BLURB:Julia Courtland was on her way west to marry a man she had never met. Henry Everett, the marshal of Flat Rock, Texas, was the grandson of her uncle's best friend. It seemed like a good match for both of them, and the wedding was scheduled to take place on Valentine's Day.
Grant Stafford thought the young woman who got on the stagecoach at Buffalo Springs was the prettiest thing he had seen in a long time. She wasn't too friendly, mind you, but she was sure easy on the eyes. Not that Grant had time to worry much about such things. He was the shotgun guard on this run, but more than that, he was an undercover Texas Ranger on the trail of the vicious outlaw gang responsible for a string of stagecoach robberies.
Fate threw Julia Courtland and Grant Stafford together on a cold February day in West Texas, but it also threw deadly obstacles in their path. A runaway team, a terrible crash, and bullets flying through the air threaten to steal not only their lives but also any chance they have for happiness. If they're going to survive, they will have to learn to trust each other . . . and maybe steal their hearts back from fate.
EXCERPT:
The sharp crack of a rifle shot interrupted Grant. Beside him, Scalphunter grunted and rocked back against the seat. The old frontiersman struggled to hang on to the reins.
Grant searched for the source of the shot, but at the same time his worried gaze darted to Scalphunter. A red stain spread on the old man's shirtfront, blossoming like a crimson flower.
From the corner of his eye, Grant spotted a man standing on top of a boulder with a rifle. He lifted the shotgun and touched off one of the barrels just as the man fired a second shot. This bullet hit the brass rail running around the top of the coach and spanged off. As far as Grant could tell, his buckshot didn't hit anything.
More shots cracked. They had driven right into an ambush. A bullet creased one of the horses and made it let out a shrill whinny as it leaped ahead.
That was all it took for things to get even worse. The team bolted, leaving the road behind and taking off across the flats.
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Zorro's Fighting Legion, loved that one. B-movie Westerns are so much fun and boy did you capture that in your blurb. Dang it, here I thought I had all the books lined up for my winter coccooning and now...oh well, I can add another.
ReplyDeleteNow back to the reading and writing. Thanks for another good book to curl up by the fire with, if I had one. Guess I'll make do with candles. Doris
Thank you so much for coming by and visiting, Doris. You summed it up B-movies are just fun.
DeleteLivia, action scenes are something I have to work at to make them come out right. You always seem to manage to pull them off effortlessly. I love B-Westerns! Some of those old movies are just the very best. Guarding Her Heart is a wonderful tale--really enjoyed it a lot!
ReplyDeleteCheryl
LOL! And I have to really work on the romance scenes. I do hope you get to feeling better soon.
DeleteI love those runaway stagecoach scenes in the B-movies, and the cowboy launching himself onto the horses to stop them. I'm thrilled to see all the Hearts and Spurs stories being published separately. If anyone hasn't read this, they need to jump on these amazing Valentine tales. Another awesome cover, too, Livia!
ReplyDeleteKirsten, I'm always amazed at the stunts they managed to do without all of the computer animation they have now. It's crazy that an actor like Yakima Canutt survived to live a long life. Thank you for the kind words.
DeleteI guess when I think of old westerns the movie Flaming Star comes to mind. I loved that movie. It was a movie with real life tragedy. One that you could relate to through out the years. In your description you can almost hear the crack of the rifle and the thudding of the horses hooves as they run away with the stagecoach.
ReplyDeleteBarb, I had to go over to Amazon and buy Flaming Star. I was just a kid when I saw that one, and I'd like to see it again. Thank you!
DeleteIt takes great expertise to write an action scene that makes the reader's heart thump. It's quite a feat. Congratulations!! All the best to you and yours in the coming New Year, Livia.
ReplyDeleteSarah, just close your eyes, hold on to your seat and type. Thank you so much for your kindness. The New Year is going to be AMAZING!!!
DeleteLooks like another winner, Livia. I look forward to reading it. Best of success.
ReplyDeleteLoved the movie clip. It seems strange now, but I remember how exciting and realistic those movie scenes seemed to be. Kept me on the edge of my seat every time.
Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott