Off The Moon: Home – A Special Fit

A big Hello to Lindsay and all the Romantics. Is it me or does that sound like a music group?

I’m glad my blog tour, hosted by CRR Promotions, stopped here at the Pink Blog. Since I try to adapt my subjects to each blog as possible, I searched my mind for a “special” theme related to my new book, Off The Moon, and came up with Home. Not just any home, but the right home, the home where our characters find a special fit.

How many of you have moved homes more than once? More than that? According to TimePage.org, my generation is that of the nomad. We’re risk-takers. We came from “an unprotected background” and have a tendency to be alienated. Trying to fit somewhere when you have the natural tendency to be a nomad can be difficult. Look at the way so many of us are constantly on the move. Few of our parents, other than those with travel jobs, strayed far from their home base and families. If they needed more space, they built on. Moving was rare once a household was established. And yet, it’s hard to find many of us who have lived in fewer than three homes during our lives so far. I’ve lived in ten different dwellings, but fortunately am now settled until I’m too old to maintain the place. Of course, things change and you never know.

I’m one who believes a home chooses us as much as the other way around. It’s much more than a place. It’s a feeling. Of all of those places I’ve been, only two have been truly comfortable. Most were okay for temporary purposes. Two were near soul-killing. It was the place. I didn’t fit. Something inside when I was young told me the state where I grew up was not where I belonged. The east called out. As I settled in a place I chose, a place that felt comfortable, I made an incredible discovery: things that bothered me in those other places hardly have an effect here. My whole inner nature feels more at peace.

So how do we relate that to our characters?

Ryan, my POV character, was an Army brat and talks now and then about having to move. He especially mentions one place he felt at home. It still calls out to him even though he’s grown up and has chosen New York City as his residence. He likes NY, not only because his job is centered there, but also because it reminds him of nomads (which he is, also). Residents go about their own business, not connecting to each other and not noticing that he doesn’t connect. He fits and he doesn’t, and it’s a comfortable place to be. He visits his brother’s family in Vermont now and then and enjoys the visit but remains detached from the place. It may be his family’s home, but it’s not his. He is never fully at ease there (for reasons beyond place but we’ll stick with place for this post) and relaxes upon return to his NYC loft.

And then he finds Kaitlyn, an unwilling transport to the city. She’s homeless and even more disconnected than Ryan. The difference is that she doesn’t deal with it as well as he does. She needs connection. She needs Home. Ryan senses it in her. It draws him in and pushes him away. As other people become involved in the decision of where she should be, against her will, Ryan has to choose to give in or to fight.

“You can’t tell someone where their home is. Trust me, I know. I lived in lots of houses. Lots of towns. It’s only home if it feels like it to you, not because someone says it’s supposed to be. This one was her choice.”

By the end of my stories, my characters not only find their special mate, but they also find their special place: their true home. I suppose I do so because it has been such a deep issue personally.

How about your special place? I would love to hear Home stories!

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PREORDER Off The Moon now!

http://www.elucidatepublishing.net/books.html

free US shipping through Nov. 27, discounted outside US

Off The Moon website:

http://www.lkhunsaker.com/OffTheMoon/main.html

Also, be sure to check my blog for novel-related features. I have an interview with NYC drummer Gino Scalmato up, as well as an interview with singer/songwriter Vicki Blankenship. More to come! http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

Off The Moon

LK Hunsaker

"Riveting" Ryan Reynauld is immersed in a world of music, parties, and temporary companionship. Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern is objecting to the way his music is produced. That is, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of family and friends, and through media attacks and fan protests, Ryan determines to care for her himself, making a promise that threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery begins by allowing your world to implode.

Elucidate Publishing
November 2009
Print ISBN 978-0-9825299-0-4
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9825299-1-1

Thanks for letting me chat here today, Lindsay!

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Next up: Pushing Boundaries with Trauma and Genre
hosted by Maryann Miller, Nov. 21
http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/

The full tour itinerary is available at http://www.classicromancerevival.com

Don't forget to leave your comments!  One person from each blog will be drawn to receive a signed, mailed copy of the short story LK has written as a bit of a prequel to Off The Moon, called Toward The Sky, plus there will be a signed print book drawing for anyone who comments on at least 8 blogs! Winners will be posted at http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1520
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Travel through books

I always loved the “journey” a good book took me on – if the author’s words grabbed me just right, I was able to believe that I was anywhere in the world the story took me even if it involved time or intergalactic travel. I felt like I was able to see a foreign city that I had never visited or lived in a time long before I was even born. My library card was always my passport.

Just like the common quip we so often toss out when we hear of someone else’s vacation plans – “pack me in your bags” – opening a good book gives me many of the advantages without being cramped in a suitcase!

I am by nature a “homebody” and feel quite comfortable in my own setting. I’ve had some delightful travel adventures, more than some and less than others. With the advantages of modern technology and the internet, I have also virtually visited many other interesting locales. Some of these other locations seem to become so familiar to me that I have been able to use them quite successfully in my own writings.

It was amusing when a reader of my second novel, Forgotten, commented how well she remembered some of the sights I described in Las Vegas, When I told her I had never been there myself she was quite surprised. I’ve had similar experiences with my novel Hostage Heart and my settings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Little Rock, Arkansas. Between listening to my husband’s tales about parts of Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and virtual visits to both cities mentioned, I felt quite comfortable setting my stories there. It was an actual online real estate listing that gave me the information needed for the Little Rock home that the hero bought.

Of course there are the places where I have been, all flesh and blood of me. Even then I find that re-visiting the spot via the net is helpful. LOL, I grew up in New York City and I remember the first time I went to visit the famous tourist attraction Empire State Building, I was already a teen-ager. Just like the beautiful parkland near where I presently live, most people seem to take “their own backyard” for granted, I had many friends who had NEVER been to visit the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty or many of the fantastic museums throughout the city. So a virtual visit helps to refresh the memories and sometimes even introduce new sights.

Traveling though books should be more than just describing a setting or listing the buildings that the place may be known for. Each town is an experience with colloquialisms, food, climate, manners and more. My research includes more than a few local pictures and tourist listings. I also research local restaurants especially where I can see a menu, I check local real estate listings so that I could understand what the homes are built like, I check the weather and the schools. It’s especially interesting to get a look at online newspapers for the area when they are available.

By the time I am done with all of my research, I feel like I’m ready to move in!

From Hostage Heart:

Ryan ate Veal Grillades over rice with a side of hush puppies. He watched the people around him and was fascinated by the variety of cultures that made up Louisiana’s Creole population. All day he had heard a variety of French words, smelled fragrant Cajun cooking, saw lots of Carribean-influenced architecture and enjoyed Zydeco, Blues and Cajun music coming from every tavern. Combined with traditional southern hospitality, he figured it must have been an interesting place to grow up. He had done his share of traveling, especially since he joined the agency, but he was a New York boy through and through.

He wondered where he and Deanna would settle and raise their family. He decided he definitely wanted more children although he was sure she’d like to wait a bit for the next one. Of course that was all assuming she would say yes. He was nervous. The ring box was in his pants pocket, he wanted to keep it close to him until he could slip it on her finger. Then he would just keep her close. He didn’t want to wait long to get married, he had lost too much time already. Maybe they should just go to the local Justice of the Peace. If Deanna had dreamt of a big wedding, they could always do that after the baby was born.

He checked his watch again. It was still several hours before she would be at work. Ryan realized he was going to drive himself crazy until he got to see her, until he got to propose. He had cafe-au-lait, coffee with cream, and another beignet for dessert. After the meal, which he realized he ate more out of nervousness than desire, he decided to take a walk in the area. As he walked down the street he passed a tavern with soft blues being played. The name on the tavern was ‘Laisez les Bons Temps Rouler’, Let the Good Times Roll. He was tempted to stop in but he didn’t want to propose with bourbon on his breath. He felt tongue-tied as it was.

Ryan walked. He walked past the university and he headed towards the Mississippi River beyond it. An old–fashioned paddle boat was slowly making its way up the river. Nerves were driving him and the later the hour got, the more nervous he became. Finally he headed back to the hotel. It was dark and his feet were hurting him. The lobby was getting emptier and it was still too early for Deanna to be on duty. He went up to his room, took off his shoes, turned on the television and set his alarm for one-o’clock just in case he dozed off. This way he wouldn’t pounce on her as soon as she came in, he’d give her a chance to settle first.