On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Support Your Local Sheriff
Will he pass the daddy test?
With his job in jeopardy, it couldn't be a worse time for Sheriff Nate Landry's recent past to come back to haunt him. But it would take an army to stop SWAT team leader Julie Smith. The fellow cop—and sister of his ex-fiancée—wants one thing from the beleaguered lawman: custody of the toddler son that Nate didn't know he had.
He may not be natural daddy material, but he quickly takes a shine to little Duke. And then there are the feelings Nate's been hiding for years. Only now Julie's running for sheriff of Harmony Valley—against him. Time to retreat? Not if he wants a future with the woman he loves.
Guest Post by Melinda Curtis
My mom had a huge crush on James Garner. Why? Why not!
James Garner was handsome as all get-out. He was a versatile leading man, able to play serious roles as well as ones drawing on humor and heart. And he took on acting roles on both the big screen and the small one. He was immensely popular from the 1950s to the 1970s, and just when my mom was lamenting his so-called retirement, in 1984 he returned to the big screen in an older man-younger woman film called Murphy’s Romance. And when he played the older lead in The Notebook in 2004, my mom was thrilled. She loved that he was drawn to play honorable characters doing what was right in hard situations.
I can mark the years by James Garner. Sundays of my youth with Mom asking me to sit and watch James Garner in movies like The Great Escape and Support Your Local Sheriff. Weekends when she’d come babysit and ask me to order DVDs from Netflix of his TV series – Maverick, The Rockford Files – so she could hold a baby and pace through their colic while watching “her man.” Telling the kids to let Grandma have a turn at the TV watching whatever James Garner show or movie we’d taped for her.
So when it came time to brainstorm ideas for the happily-ever-after journey of Sheriff Nate Landry in my Harmony Valley series, I kept coming back to James Garner. I’d already written myself into a corner when Nate played a small role in One Perfect Year. Before she died, crafty Mae had read Nate as if he’d had a weak hand in a high stakes poker game. She guessed that Nate had left a bride at the altar. And then in her final wishes, she left Nate a pink wedding dress. How clever I thought I was!
And then came time to write Nate’s book with that backstory (and a few reader requests to do something with that pink wedding dress). Who needed ice cream to have brain freeze?
But there was the image of James Garner in the back of my mind, along with one of Mom’s favorite movies with him in the lead – the romantic comedy/western parody Support Your Local Sheriff. I spoke with Mom about the characteristics she loved about Mr. Garner – his strength and humility, his sly humor and the way he didn’t rush to shoot someone or throw the first punch. These were characteristics I’d put into Nate prior to his book. But one stumbling block remained – how to set up Nate jilting a bride at the altar that wouldn’t make readers (or me) hate him.
What did I do? I channeled Mom’s hero and created a heroic reason for Nate walking away from the altar. And just like a James Garner character, Nate didn’t – and wouldn’t – tell anyone about his past. Not until his past is staring him in the face. Literally. In the face of a child he didn’t know he had.
We all have larger than life heroic archetypes we love – the warrior, the billionaire, the betrayed gritty lawman. Sheriff Nate Landry is a quieter type of hero. He’s a man trying to do the right thing when doing the right thing isn’t the easiest thing to do.
You’ve heard about a family man-crush. What are some of yours?
Melinda Curtis is an award-winning USA Today bestseller. She writes sweet romance for Harlequin Heartwarming, sweet romantic comedy and sexier contemporary sports romances. Find out what happens with that pink wedding dress in her October Heartwarming release Support Your Local Sheriff. Sign up for her email newsletter and receive two free reads!
Other Books in the Series
USA Today and Amazon Bestselling Author, Melinda Curtis is the award winning author of contemporary romance that spans the sexy scale - from sweet romance to sweet romantic comedy (written under the Melinda Curtis brand) to fun, sexier romances (written under the Mel Curtis brand).
Melinda loves writing romances about women who don't realize how strong they are until a hero comes along to show them, while simultaneously capturing the wry humorous power struggle of falling in love (because, really, who lets the man have the last word?).
- 1 winner will receive autographed copies of Time for Love, A Memory Away, A Man of Influence, and Marrying the Single Dad
- US Only. International will receive ecopies.
Support Your Local Sheriff
(Harmony Valley #10)
by Melinda Curtis
by Melinda Curtis
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
October 1st 2017 by Harlequin HeartwarmingWill he pass the daddy test?
With his job in jeopardy, it couldn't be a worse time for Sheriff Nate Landry's recent past to come back to haunt him. But it would take an army to stop SWAT team leader Julie Smith. The fellow cop—and sister of his ex-fiancée—wants one thing from the beleaguered lawman: custody of the toddler son that Nate didn't know he had.
He may not be natural daddy material, but he quickly takes a shine to little Duke. And then there are the feelings Nate's been hiding for years. Only now Julie's running for sheriff of Harmony Valley—against him. Time to retreat? Not if he wants a future with the woman he loves.
Guest Post by Melinda Curtis
My mom had a huge crush on James Garner. Why? Why not!
James Garner was handsome as all get-out. He was a versatile leading man, able to play serious roles as well as ones drawing on humor and heart. And he took on acting roles on both the big screen and the small one. He was immensely popular from the 1950s to the 1970s, and just when my mom was lamenting his so-called retirement, in 1984 he returned to the big screen in an older man-younger woman film called Murphy’s Romance. And when he played the older lead in The Notebook in 2004, my mom was thrilled. She loved that he was drawn to play honorable characters doing what was right in hard situations.
I can mark the years by James Garner. Sundays of my youth with Mom asking me to sit and watch James Garner in movies like The Great Escape and Support Your Local Sheriff. Weekends when she’d come babysit and ask me to order DVDs from Netflix of his TV series – Maverick, The Rockford Files – so she could hold a baby and pace through their colic while watching “her man.” Telling the kids to let Grandma have a turn at the TV watching whatever James Garner show or movie we’d taped for her.
So when it came time to brainstorm ideas for the happily-ever-after journey of Sheriff Nate Landry in my Harmony Valley series, I kept coming back to James Garner. I’d already written myself into a corner when Nate played a small role in One Perfect Year. Before she died, crafty Mae had read Nate as if he’d had a weak hand in a high stakes poker game. She guessed that Nate had left a bride at the altar. And then in her final wishes, she left Nate a pink wedding dress. How clever I thought I was!
And then came time to write Nate’s book with that backstory (and a few reader requests to do something with that pink wedding dress). Who needed ice cream to have brain freeze?
But there was the image of James Garner in the back of my mind, along with one of Mom’s favorite movies with him in the lead – the romantic comedy/western parody Support Your Local Sheriff. I spoke with Mom about the characteristics she loved about Mr. Garner – his strength and humility, his sly humor and the way he didn’t rush to shoot someone or throw the first punch. These were characteristics I’d put into Nate prior to his book. But one stumbling block remained – how to set up Nate jilting a bride at the altar that wouldn’t make readers (or me) hate him.
What did I do? I channeled Mom’s hero and created a heroic reason for Nate walking away from the altar. And just like a James Garner character, Nate didn’t – and wouldn’t – tell anyone about his past. Not until his past is staring him in the face. Literally. In the face of a child he didn’t know he had.
We all have larger than life heroic archetypes we love – the warrior, the billionaire, the betrayed gritty lawman. Sheriff Nate Landry is a quieter type of hero. He’s a man trying to do the right thing when doing the right thing isn’t the easiest thing to do.
You’ve heard about a family man-crush. What are some of yours?
Melinda Curtis is an award-winning USA Today bestseller. She writes sweet romance for Harlequin Heartwarming, sweet romantic comedy and sexier contemporary sports romances. Find out what happens with that pink wedding dress in her October Heartwarming release Support Your Local Sheriff. Sign up for her email newsletter and receive two free reads!
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
USA Today and Amazon Bestselling Author, Melinda Curtis is the award winning author of contemporary romance that spans the sexy scale - from sweet romance to sweet romantic comedy (written under the Melinda Curtis brand) to fun, sexier romances (written under the Mel Curtis brand).
Melinda loves writing romances about women who don't realize how strong they are until a hero comes along to show them, while simultaneously capturing the wry humorous power struggle of falling in love (because, really, who lets the man have the last word?).
Tour Schedule
Tour Giveaway
- US Only. International will receive ecopies.
- Ends November 1st
