Happy Fall, y’all! This is my favorite time of year! Have the leaves begun to change colors where you are? If so, post pics!
For this post, let’s do some brainstorming. Imagine us sitting on hay bales around a camp fire, drinking hot cider and making s’mores. Now, let’s create some chaos for my characters.
I’m currently working on an opposites-attract story.
Here’s the blurb:
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When a bride and her famous mother-in-law get their wires crossed and contract two caterers for the upcoming nuptials, restaurateurs ADAM FRENCH, affluent owner of sleek, classy, upscale Ciao Down and JOSIE MILLER, down-to-earth, duct-tape-loving owner of ramshackle Redneck Ribs are caught in the crosshairs.
The groom suggests the two caterers have a cook-off to determine who gets the high-profile job. Hilarity ensues as, unbeknownst to them, Adam’s and Josie’s teams begin sabotaging each other for the coveted spot in Havenbrook’s wedding of the century.
Disaster strikes on contest judgment day, forcing the two stubborn competitors into combining their creative catering efforts to pull off the impending ceremony. In doing so they realize that opposites truly do attract and that their own happy forever may be only one kitchen faux pas away.
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For this post, let’s create some in-story conflict for these two.
The book opens with Adam coming into Josie’s diner to talk to her about selling the space. He plans to use it for a parking lot. Of course this sets them at odds immediately since her diner is sentimental to her and she considers Adam the competition.
What ELSE could happen to get these two on each other’s bad side?
Our heroine is feisty and says exactly what she’s thinking. By contrast, our hero is slow to speak and holds his cards closer to his chest.
How do you suppose each of them came to be this way?
What are some wrenches we could throw at them to keep them at odds through the story?
What nervous habit does Adam have that gets on Josie’s nerves?
What body language gesture does Josie have that brings back hard memories for Adam? What tragedy is it tied to in his past?
What else could Adam do to make our heroine put up walls?
What about our hero? What’s his reservation toward romance/relationships in general? What is it about the heroine that repels him?
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thanks for joining me today!
Blessings,
Cheryl Wyatt
USA Today bestselling author and RN Cheryl Wyatt writes romance with virtue themed with rescue. She’s grateful to be a worshipper of Jesus, a mom, wife, orphan/troop advocate, plus wrangler of words and spoiled Yorkies. She loves readers and cherishes interaction at: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor. Join her newsletter via her website: www.cherylwyatt.com.
Their stoves break, and the repairman only has parts for one of them.
her gesture: hands on her hips as she’s talking to him. in the past someone close to him did that and that meant what he said no longer mattered, they had made up their mind, so right off he knows she’s not listening to a word he’s saying. his gesture: He flips his hand in the air as she’s talking and she feels that means what she’s saying isn’t important, he’s going to get what he wants over her help, suggestions, ideas of how to work this out. his reservation toward romance: She’s got her own successful business, is able to make it on her own. The last person he knew like that up and left him without a word. He is definitely not going to settle for someone just like that who could do that again. one of them has a marketing strategy of some sort that the other one was thinking about but hadn’t implemented yet. He/she thinks the other one stole their idea?- (not sure about that…) she’s feisty and says what she thinks b/c she’s relied on others in the past and they’ve let her down so she just goes with it, knowing it’s all on her. No sense wasting time wondering what someone is thinking or means. whenever he’d say or do anything, someone would cut him down, or make fun of him, so he learned to keep his thoughts to himself until he knew for sure. Makes him know he’s fallen in love with her, but slow to say it out loud. Or in this case, by the end, he is so sure of it, he blurts it out, taking on a trait of hers, just to get it out there to see what she says lol.
Great to see you, Cheryl!! I need a hay bale and a campfire. It is chilly!! But no snow yet, sadly.
I love your premise! Partly because I love everything foodie. I can’t wait to see what you do with this… and what our readers will come up with.
Oooooh! Perfect!!!!!!! Maybe the repairman chooses to give it to Adam, who can pay more for it. Then the heroine gets frustrated because he’s new to town and she’s been here a long time and feels the business was disloyal to her-a longtime customer. What do you think?
Thank you, Val! It’s going to be SO fun to write. :-) I love your foodie and garden based books!
Yes, we need snow! I love these ideas. She is definitely the kind o person who says what she thinks. He, on the other hand, rarely says anything. Pulling words from him is like drawing water from a ten mile long well. LOL! Hugs my friend. I may put some snow in this book just for you. :-)
I would think that they would disagree over the food style as well. One might say the other makes unhealthy dishes, portion sizes are a big deal, messy foods, fancy foods, etc. Maybe one of them is meticulously tidy and careful with measurements, the other is a tornado in the kitchen and cooks with instinct and senses (what are measure spoons and recipes good for anyway?)
This post is making me hungry!
Yay! Snow! Maybe a snowstorm could keep them from getting what they need to operate their businesses and they have to share supplies to complete their orders or something.
That’s actually a great idea. I had a snowstorm ruin the last caterer’s roof though. Do you think readers would consider the stories too similar in that case?
Oh my goulash! I love these ideas. So….which one of them should be meticulous and which one should be messy?
maybe there is a mix up with a food order or orders with the wrong food going to the wrong person, He could do what my mother use to do which drove me mad suck air through his teeth.
maybe his parents had an issue where one was overly neat and one overly messy and this caused constant conflict in the house and as a child often was witness to fights. It was his mothers messiness and hoarding that lead to his father leaving and it has scarred him.
Those are great ideas! Thanks my friend!
I wouldn’t think so. Snow happens. And it messes things up. Like stuff being delivered late, or better yet not delivered at all! Remember that huge storm that kept UPS from delivering? Or was that just in our area lol. Things get canceled. People break things, including arms. Maybe one of them could slip and fall and break something? Or were shoveling and fell or something. Or making a snowman and something happened lol.
Good ideas, snow buddy! :-)