Tell Me a Story … Wild Horse Springs

I’m delighted to welcome New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas back to Thoughts in Progress to talk about her latest release, WILD HORSE SPRINGS, the fifth installment in Jodi’s Ransom Canyon series.

◊ WILD HORSE SPRINGS by Jodi Thomas

◊ Series: Ransom Canyon, Book 5

◊ Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

◊ Genre: Western, Romance, Contemporary

◊ Publisher: HQN Books (January 24, 2017)

◊ Language: English

◊ ISBN-10: 0373799276

◊ ISBN-13: 978-0373799275

In the heart of Ransom Canyon, sometimes the right match for a lonely soul is the one you least expect 

Dan Brigman may not lead the most exciting life, but he's proud of what he's achieved: he's a respected lawman, and he's raised a bright, talented daughter on his own. But finding a lone, sparkly blue boot in the middle of a deserted highway gets him thinking maybe the cowgirl who lost it is exactly the shake-up he needs. 

After losing her baby girl, Brandi Malone felt like her soul died along with her daughter. Now singing in small-town bars to make ends meet, she's fine being a drifter—until a handsome sheriff makes her believe that parking her boots under his bed is a better option. 

College grad Lauren Brigman has just struck out on her own in downtown Dallas when a troubling phone call leads her back home to Crossroads. Her hometown represents her family, friends and deepest hopes, but also her first love, Lucas Reyes. Will Lauren's homecoming be another heartbreak, or a second chance for her and Lucas?

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Jodi and she joins us to talk about always listening to stories. Welcome, Jodi.

Once I was listening to a woman’s story of being a part-time spy in the early computer game. My husband leaned close and whispered, “You know she’s lying to you, don’t you?” I nodded. I knew, but her story was so good I didn’t want to stop listening.

“Tell me a story.” Seems to be the cry of my lifetime. When I was a kid, I used to sit around with the adults listening to their stories. Hard times farming.  The war. Things they used to do for fun. I loved them all. My favorites were ones that started with Remember when…”

I had an Uncle Austin whose stories always grew. By the time he told one two or three times, I wouldn’t recognize it and I’d been there at the time. Like the time he caught a groom who fainted or how he broke horses in Norway after his ship was shot out from under him.

My father used to say if you shook Austin you wouldn’t get two cents’ worth of truth out of him, but I loved my uncle and his stories.

So, as I became a writer I started to notice that writers put their stories down in books and some people walk around telling theirs like they are the truth. Both live in an imaginary world; some just make a living at it.

When I was in grade school, I walked home every day. My mother would always ask what I saw on the journey, and I’d describe all kinds of things. Then, she’d smile and say, “Truth or Story?” When I grew up, I realized she didn’t care which it was. The important thing was that I knew the difference.

Most of the time my characters walk close beside me. They are in the back of my mind even when I’m living in the real world. Many times I cry with them or laugh with them but at the end of the day if the question comes, truth or story, I know the difference.

So why do they seem so real? Maybe because they are made up of parts, traits, worries and dreams of real people.

Step into WILD HORSE SPRINGS and meet my people. They might even remind you of yourself.  -  Jodi Thomas 

Jodi, thanks for joining us today and sharing this insight into your writing. I like knowing stories are a mixture of all these things.

Author Jodi Thomas

Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with Jodi, here’s a bit of background on her.

A fifth-generation Texan who taught family living, Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Jodi traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 

The stories Jodi has committed to paper have earned her an impressive list of distinguished awards.

With a degree in Family Studies, Jodi is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics.  Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Jodi enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A & M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer In Residence.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Jodi said, "When I was teaching classes full time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher, or nurse, or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place."

For more on Jodi and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for stopping by today during Jodi’s visit. Do you enjoy hearing stories from others? As a youngster, did you enjoy listening to the stories of the elders in your family?