By D.V. Stone (Guest blogger)
Does
life inspire writing? Absolutely! Hi, my name is Donna, and I write
as D. V. Stone, and I’m so happy to be here today. Former parts of
my life inspire the book Rock House Grill as an Emergency
Medical Technician and small restaurant owner. And workplace romance?
Yep, though mine was a bit different. I’m happily married for
twenty-six years. So where was I twenty-seven years ago? In prison.
Ha,
got ya!
I
was an EMT in a women’s state prison. Since I was newly divorced,
my co-workers conspired to fix me up with a New Boot. Yes, he was
cute, but I was still recovering from a nasty divorce a year earlier.
The last thing I was looking for was a romantic relationship. Well,
those nurses and correction officers were sure this guy was the one
for me. They insisted he wanted to go on a date with me, and to get
them off my back, I finally agreed. Come to find out they were
pestering him too. These would be matchmakers kept telling him,
“Donna, the EMT (that’s how I was referred to by everyone,
including inmates) wants to go out with you.”
Well,
our first date was my annual squad dinner in March. Guess what? They
were right. We became inseparable and engaged by May and the
following May married.
Many
years later, as a couple, we invested in a coffee shop called
Heavenly Brew, which is in a scene from my book. We also bought a
small restaurant.
EMT
Shay McDowell in Rock House Grill has similar concerns. On a hot
summer night, she’s called to the scene of an accident where Chef
Aden House has wrecked his beautiful Camaro. I couldn’t name the
car in the book, trademarks you know, but my sweet ride is Snowball,
a dazzling white Camaro.
In
another interesting coincidence of real-life mimicking fiction,
during the time I was writing about Aden’s recovery from leg
injuries, my dear Pete was too. Talk about hands-on research.
Pete with his crutches
Rock
House is the first book of the Impact Series. Each one will focus on
a different couple, First Responder, and a music theme. All of these
are important to me. I love romance and Happily Ever Afters. There
will be threads like Heavenly Brew and familiar characters. Jazz
House is next up, and after that, I think the third will be Blues
House. I’m also considering branching off on the musical theme with
Honky Tonk Hold-Out. Who knows? Next year I retire, and we’ll be
traveling around the country in our 5th Wheel trailer.
Well,
I hope you enjoy reading about me and Rock House Grill. I’d love to
give away a token of appreciation to your readers. Three gift bags
holding a notebook, a sweet treat, and a signed bookmark. Just leave a comment with your email if you want one!
Blurb
One
man’s choices—One woman’s impact
Aden
House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow
down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and
emotionally. He’s rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.
Shay
McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles
volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef.
She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the
man she helped save.
Can
love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they
face?
Excerpt
“Easy,
you’re going to be okay.” A soft voice eased through the chaos
around him. The owner of the voice grabbed his arms and held them in
a firm but gentle grip. “I’m right here with you. You are not
alone.”
“Can
hardly m-move.” His voice slurred. “C-can’t see anything.”
“You’ve
been in an accident. I’m an EMT with the ambulance squad,” the
velvety voice calmly explained. “You can’t see well because we’re
under a tarp. Hold still, okay?”
“‘K.”
A small light flickered at the edge of his vision. It shone into a
bag next to him. Penlight.
“You’re
restrained to a board. It’s to keep your head from moving and
causing more injury.” She continued to talk to him. The voice
reached down somewhere inside him, calming and peaceful, so he
focused on it. A glow from spotlights on the outside lit whatever
covered them. The shadow gave the woman the appearance of a halo—like
an angel.
About
Me
Hi,
my name is D. V. Stone. I am a multi-genre author of two
independently published books. Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar is
a fantasy romance. Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake
is a mid-grade paranormal. Recently, Rock House Grill was
released by Wild Rose Press. I also host Welcome to the Campfire and
A Peek Through the Window, both weekly blogs. Here’s a little more
about me.
Born
in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a
time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout
her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met
and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and
moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed
from the local shelter and their cat Baby.
D.V.’s
career path varied from working with the disabled to become a
volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency
rooms and then in a women’s state prison. After a few years, she
took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a
specialty coffee shop in Sparta NJ, and a small restaurant in
Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks, and she ended up back in the
medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.
During
the poor economy, she was laid–off from a long-time position she
cared about. Devastated, D.V. wondered what to do with her life.
Finding comfort in her love of reading, she realized it was now time
to follow her dream of writing. It’s been a long road but worth
every minute of it. Now a published author, she also works in a
people medical office again.
“Thank
you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the
pages to one of my books, I hope you’ll be swept away by the story
and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on
hope.”
~ D.V.
Stone
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