As I’ve rambled on about before, I need visuals when I’m working on a story. I had a lot of fun with the photos I used for The Cowboy’s New Heart and thought I’d share them with you today.
Jon Bon Jovi was my inspiration behind the lead character of Hart Hammond. Hart has sandy hair, a cleft in his chin, come-hither blue eyes and is in great shape for someone in his fifties. No wonder Denni Thompson finds herself attracted to him.
I saw the Versace ads Bon Jovi did long before I “cast” him as Hart Hammond. At the time I first saw the photos, I thought “Wow! He looks great for someone his age.” That led to me thinking about a character who looks and acts much younger than his years. When I decided to write a story about Denni Thompson finding love, this photo popped into my head and soon the character of Hart began to take shape.
My cousin Julie provided the inspiration for Denni Thompson. Although she is now a grandma, she’s young at heart, lively, and so much fun. And I don’t think she looks her age at all.
This is Julie with our beloved Aunt Robbie. Blessed with two boys and no daughters, Aunt Robbie has mothered me along with several of my cousins, including Julie. The way these two interact is what gave me the idea for the relationship between Denni and her mother, Ester.
Julie and Robbie are silly, fun, and quite often full of shenanigans. I love spending time with them!
Hart’s home is mentioned quite a bit in the story and this one was close to what I pictured in my head. Minus the trees. They’re in farm country, not the woods.
This foyer is how I envisioned Hart’s foyer looking – a mixture of logs, sheetrock and light.
His kitchen is large and open. Denni decides it is her dream kitchen. Elements of it are mine, too!
And we can’t leave out his fireplace where some important conversations and action take place.
Hart raises Belgian Blue cattle. If you’ve never seen one before, they are quite… different. Double-muscled, they look like they’ve overdosed on steroids or something equally as odd. Before you judge them too harshly, give their lean meat a try.
Hart also raises Appaloosa horses. Although I’ve never owned one, I’m a big fan!
Denni is a quilter. Hart commissions her to make a quilt for him and this was the one I used as an idea. Lone Star is a great pattern. My grandma made a Lone Star quilt for my parents and I remember seeing that quilt on their bed during my growing up years.
Denni also makes Hart a quilt with some underlying meanings. This was the pattern I used for inspiration.
From The Cowboy’s Autumn Fall, we know that Brice and Bailey are planning to wed.
And in true Thompson fashion, everyone gets involved with the details.
I won’t give away any more of the story, but I hope you have fun reading it. If you’d like to see more visuals about the book, go to Pinterest and check out The Cowboy’s New Heart board there!
