Nashville But Definitely Not Naughty and Other Tales

Most of you know of my love for Nashville, and of course that wouldn't be complete without the story of my friendship with my narrator, Mr. J.D. Hart. He's "performed" all of my audio books, now nearing 30 in number.

J.D. and I kind of grew up together on the romance book narration collaboration. We'd not worked together before, I'd never created an audio book and J.D. had never narrated a romance book. His past as country-western recording artist, voiceover talent and actor made him a wonderful choice as a partner in this process - but I learned about all this after we got started.

Yes, you can say our friendship and collaboration was written in the stars.

We both come from different parts of the country - I knew nothing about Tennessee, or the music scene, what Being Southern was like, and he knew only a little about California from his travels here, and knew not much of my beloved Wine Country in Northern California.

Now, a trip to Nashville would not be complete without a wandering down Broadway, looking into the history of the area, and this visit, a visit to Franklin, Tennessee, where I hope to own a home some day. It's the kind of small town feel that I love.

I came out for the Naughty Nashville book signing, and J.D. sat with me during the event, also signing pictures and talking to readers about audio books and even singing with some ladies who knew more words to country music than I ever will know. J.D. knows all the oldies and, in my opinion, still sings professionally and could do so if he chose.

There is something about a place that has 8 kinds of biscuits, with 3 additional items, on their breakfast menu. Some of these would be a sacrilege in California. It's the kind of place where people look you in the eye, and money or wealth isn't readily displayed or even well thought-of. I can sit and eat a breakfast of cheese grits, pancakes, bacon and sausage, eggs and cold processed coffee, and of course biscuits, and actually feel good about myself! Had to buy the Tee shirt from Pucketts.

I wandered down Printer's Alley, found a neat bed and breakfast I'll try out next time, felt the ghosts of entertainment past. I didn't even mind my ears ringing from the evening before when J.D. and I did some tooling down Broadway. I sat under the picture of Crystal Gayle (my husband's buddies used to call me that when we were first married because I had long hair I could sit on), and sipped my fresh squeezed orange juice and listened to a great band at Tootsies at 9 AM. Now, that's living.

I've taken a little break this summer, so it's nice to get back to my heroes that haunt my fantasies and keep me warm with memories I'll have with me forever. But this trip was just as special as it usually is. And I get to spend time with my best friend.

When all is said and done, friendship is the most important gift I possess. Things come and go. But the gift of a connection to a new place, and a friendship borne of respect and admiration in all the right ways, is truly a miracle.

Oh yes, and here's the link the most recent novella we completed:  Love Me Tender, Love You Hard. Enjoy!

NASHVILLE SEAL IS MUSIC TO MY HEART

I have just released Book 2 in the Nashville SEALs series, Jameson, about an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who has a chance meeting with a group of SEALs finishing a training in Tennessee. They come to one of his concerts, and afterwards invite him to visit them in San Diego.

Jameson Daniels is loosely based on the life of my narrator, former CW singer-songwriter, and now award-winning actor and narrator/voice over talent, Mr. J.D. Hart. Most of you know he and I have become best friends over the course of doing some 24 audio books together. In the course of our conversations, a story began ruminating in my head. I was delighted when he gave permission for me to use some of those ideas as the basis for my character.

I've enjoyed learning about the music business, and on one trip to Nashville, got to sit in on a Country Diner taping, meeting such stars as Roy Clark and Larry Gatlin. We took a horse-drawn buggy ride one evening while he showed me the houses of music. We drove around streets filled with music history: where Elvis Presley made his first recording, where others wrote music, performed at clubs long torn down.

This is what I love about being an author. I had no idea that when I hired a narrator to do my audio books, that he would become my best friend, and would become the hero in two of my books. There are no accidents. Our close working relationship has brought color and variety into my life I never would have experienced.

Here's a short excerpt. We are finishing the audio book, which should be available about the end of the month. You can sample a little bit of Jameson's audio here (JD also sings on this trailer), or on my website, where snippets and book trailers for all my books are located. Enjoy!

Jameson Trailer

Nashville SEAL: Jameson:

The rumble and crescendo of the audience was something he’d forgotten how much he loved. He’d tried to explain it to people over the years, and, unless they’d been up in a big arena like that, there was no way to understand what it felt like to fly over the heads of the audience while he was singing. The sensation was similar to his jumps. There was no perception of falling, no feeling of depth until the end. It was as if the warm earth blew a blast of air straight up, cradling his body, while the horizon slowly rose, second by second. The rumble of the crowd and the energy of the open-air theater was similar. The adulation, the pinnacle of riding the moment when all their cheers stopped and it was your turn to shine. Your turn to command them like a king.

He hadn’t thought about all that until just now, as he waited back stage. He was grateful he didn’t know anyone scurrying around back stage. Tech girls and guys ran back and forth, some scantily clad. Pretty girls were all around and in abundance, eyeing him. He didn’t want to dis anyone’s wife or girlfriend, so he was respectful. He found all this activity distracting.

Thomas was nowhere to be found, and he hoped he hadn’t run into some trouble. Jameson opted not to take the limo ride, so drove over to the arena in a taxi, dodging the bevies of young girls at the security gates trying to spot a star.

He could do this for two nights. And then it was the pits of hell. How many people on the planet had a life like this, going from one extreme to another? But he knew what world he lived in, belonged in.

Feeling the rumble of the crowd and how it pushed against his heart as he waited for the introduction, he was amazed he’d been strong enough to make the decision to leave it all behind. But he was glad he did. In some moment of weakness, he could do something that would wreck his little family. No, it was better for him and for those he loved that he stay away from it all. This would definitely be the last time for any of this.

Sharon Hamilton