Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss

Spotlight on Lori Wilde

May 27, 2014

Return to Cupid, Texas

With the publication of Love with a Perfect Cowboy, my Cupid, Texas series comes to a close. I’m going to miss writing about those cowboys, and the Davis Mountains. There is no other region in Texas like the Trans-Pecos. It’s completely unique, and the people who live there are a different breed—rugged, independent, hardworking, and stoic—molded by the extremes of climate and topography. It’s a place of austere beauty that has captured the hearts and imagination of renowned artists from around the world.

As research for the books, my husband, and I traveled to the Davis Mountains in our RV, and we experienced some of the adventures you’ll read about in the book. We rode our all-terrain vehicle in the desert, just as Luke and Melody do. What fun we had! And the gear Melody wears is the same gear my husband decked me out in.

We visited the MacDonald Observatory, and a late night star party was inspiration for the same event that takes place in the book where Luke and Melody slip off into one of the observation domes. When we toured the domes, I leaned over to whisper in my husband’s ear, “Can you imagine making out in here?” Let’s just say, Melody and Luke benefitted from my romantic fantasies.

Some of the scenes in New York were also based on real life experience. Just like Melody, I too, tried to drag suitcases down Sixth Avenue in the rain. I don’t recommend it. And a cowboy (no, not the naked cowboy, but a real cowboy) I spied on the streets of Manhattan inspired the book’s opening scene.

Just like in the book, there is a “no kill” animal shelter in Fort Davis, and I wanted to honor the dedicated work that they do by featuring the shelter in the book as part of Cupid’s bachelor auction. I named the head of my fictionalized shelter, Angi Morgan, after a friend and fellow author, who fosters homeless animals.

Alas, something very sad happened to us in the Trans-Pecos. We lost our beloved New American Shepherd puppy, Daisy, who was attacked by a bigger dog as we walked her on a leash. We rushed her to the vet, but our tiny girl did not survive.

Daisy’s death was so very hard, and I left a bit of my heart in Davis Mountains that day. Most everyone in the close-knit town of Fort Davis—the town upon which Cupid is loosely based—heard about our loss, and several people came by our RV to express their condolences. And the veterinarian never cashed the check we gave him.

I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the kindness we were shown by strangers in our time of grief. I can only hope that my books capture, and portray, the western spirit of this caring community in the way it deserves.

Cupid, Texas

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Love at First Sight

#1

ALL OUT OF LOVE

All Out of Love

#2

SOMEBODY TO LOVE

Somebody to Love

#3

LOVE WITH A PERFECT COWBOY

Love With A Perfect Cowboy

#4

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