His Secret Past  May 2008

One Night Changed His Life Forever

Mason Star spent his teens living the fast life on the road with his band. Tragedy struck one rainy night when his tour bus crashed and a young fan was killed. Fifteen years later, Mason is struggling with his own teenage son who wants to quit high school and with the local zoning board that wants to take his home.

Anna Walsh may be able to save his bacon but she just might ruin his life in the process.

Trailer:
His Secret Past Meets Sexiest Man Alive

Excerpt: His Secret Past

He went back toward where he’d parked his black Pontiac Firebird. It was the last thing remaining of his rough living Jersey boy days—he’d never been able to trade it in for a Subaru. He rested the poster display on the hood while he leaned on the car, patting the pockets of the suit jacket he’d worn in the hopes it would make him seem trustworthy. He might as well have worn camo.

Just when he pulled out a pack of Marlboros and his silver lighter, a breeze kicked up and he turned his shoulder as he put a cigarette in his mouth and flicked the lighter. He dragged the smoke deep into his lungs and held it there, eyes closed, feeling the burn and savoring the scent.

“Smoking’s not good for you.”

Mason startled, releasing the smoke before he was ready. A woman was standing in front of him. He’d been so absorbed that he hadn’t heard her come up. She was about Stephanie’s height, a little less than shoulder high, but that was the only thing the two had in common.

Where Stephanie was all neatly contained planes, this woman curved and swerved. Her light brown, gently curling hair was streaked liberally with dark gold and tumbled down her neck with smaller curls springing around her face. Her eyes, golden brown with a dark circle around the iris, tilted at the corners, contrasting exotically with her small, slightly upturned nose. He thought he’d recognize her if she was from the neighborhood—the way she filled her jeans was hard to overlook—but he’d better be civil on the chance she was one of them.

“I only take the one drag a day.”

“What?” The woman’s eyes widened in surprise and her expression was almost studious, like she was taking notes. She shoved quickly at the soft curls the wind had blown into her face, twisting and pushing them behind her ear. Mason caught the flash of chunky silver rings on slender fingers as her deft hands quickly and decisively tamed the curls. Woman 1, Wind 0.

“One drag,” Mason said. “I kicked the habit but I miss it. The smell of it, the taste, the fire.” He flipped the top of the lighter back and flicked the wheel, smiling at her through the flame. “If the day really sucks, I take two drags.”

He took a second long drag and then carefully ground the cigarette out on the edge of the trashcan next to the Firebird before tossing it in. “Haven’t had to take three yet, though.”

The woman studied him intently, seemingly unconcerned that he had no idea who the hell she was. He thought he’d have remembered her if they’d met before. And okay, she was round and sexy with her curvy hips and the black v-neck T-shirt shaping itself to her, but he didn’t pick up strangers on the street. He grabbed the display, intending to cut this encounter. She could be an old fan—that still happened, someone recognized him and approached. But this woman with her sharp, studying gaze didn’t seem awestruck like a fan.

“One drag,” she said. “That’s a fascinating detail. Weird and oddly masochistic, but fascinating.” She stuck her hand out. “Anna Walsh. Good to finally meet you, Mr. Star.”

Ambush number three. Suddenly that third drag wasn’t so far out of the question.

Top Ten Nine Facts

  1. I wrote the first scene parked on the shoulder of Interstate 81. I scribbled notes while my kids slept in the backseat.

  2. The book is set in New Jersey. I know. Not your first choice for romance. But I saw footage of an old Bruce Springsteen show and I wanted the myth of a shore band. Besides, I was a newlywed in Hoboken, so, you know, it’s romantic to me.

  3. My mom does the exact same thing with her eyebrow that Mason is doing on the cover. The EXACT same thing. The woman on the cover of Wanted Man was a perfect double for my sister. (She looked nothing like Rhian, either.) Yo, Harlequin art department. Back away from my family. This is getting creepy.

  4. Conventional wisdom says romances about musicians don’t sell. Come on, people. Let’s own our great American love affair with rock and roll. I’m not the only one out there harboring a hidden (or not so hidden) crush on Bon Jovi or Bono or Adam Levine or Jordan Knight or Rick Springfield…hee.

  5. I got intrigued by the possibility of a documentary film when I watched the movie, Some Kind of Monster about Metallica. No, Metallica is not my favorite band, but you have to see this movie. The human story behind the making of an album and the breaking and remaking of an iconic band is very affecting. I recommend both the movie and the book about making the movie.

  6. Anna gave me fits. I finally got her—who she was and why she was both scary and attractive to Mason—when I wrote a scene when they danced together. I'd love to hear if that scene works for you!

  7. Terri and Anna were sisters in the first draft. My real life sister called foul on that because my first book also used a dead sister. She claimed I had issues. Tried to take me to sister therapy. Eventually she agreed I could leave the sister in, but only if I named her after our brother. Heh. Jerry-->Terri…get it? Siblings...

  8. The first word of the book is ‘gnocchi.’ What’s a nice Irish girl doing rhapsodizing about Italian food? Blame it on my friend, Stephanie, and her grandmother. The two of them make the world’s greatest gnocchi, followed closely by the Lincoln Inn. Exit 178B (Avoca) off 81 South near Scranton.

  9. The stuffed polar bear, Peek, in this book is modeled on my son's bear. In Wanted Man, I used a stuffed cat named Nester modeled on my other son's cat. The kids get a kick out of seeing their real lives in print!

Photos and Inspiration

I really do love New Jersey. The gritty parts appeal to my coal town heart. (Have you ever seen a photo of Scranton? Gritty doesn't even start to tell the story.) On my last trip to Jersey, I grabbed some photos to give you a hint at the flavor of the landscape and towns that inspired the setting and my cousin sent me some extra views of Hoboken!

If you want to read more about this unique landscape, check out The Meadowlands by Robert Sullivan. In this book, the author explores the swampy wetlands just outside NYC on foot and by canoe. Fascinating and quirky stuff.