Guest blogger: Jodi Thomas

On 3 April 2012, my new story Just Down the Road was released.  I was walking the floor waiting for the birth of this book because I feel like it’s the best I’ve ever written.  A friend of mine commented that, over the last 36 books, I’ve said that a few times before, and I probably have, but I work to make each one better and this one shines.

For those readers who love stories that wrap around your heart, you’ll love this one.  It’s about the people of a small town who, though they think they live private lives also interact and change those around them.  I’ve really never thought of the people in my books as characters, for me they are people, as real in my mind as my neighbors.  They are wise and foolish, and loving … and unforgettable.

My story opens with a rancher named Tinch Turner who is grieving the loss of his wife and best friend the only way he knows how, by working too hard and fighting just as hard.  He’s lost the light in his world and sees himself as just waiting to take his last breath.  Only problem is, he runs into is a doctor who sees her job as fighting to keep people alive, even him.

Doctor Addison Spencer moves in just down the road from him and before either realise it they both become involved in the same cause.  One little boy pulls them together and makes them both forget their own problems because his needs are so great.

Just Down the Road is about letting go of the past and stepping into new beginnings.  It’s about learning to recognise what’s important in life.  What lies closest to your heart.  The stories in this little town blend together as the people touch each others’ lives and I think when the reader finishes, they’ll be surprised how much my characters have grown to matter to them.

I hope everyone will walk into Harmony with me, stop off at the diner and stay a while.  You might just feel right at home.

Enjoy my newest story,

Jodi Thomas

When Tinch Turner lost his wife, he gave up on living. Now he spends his nights brooding, boozing and brawl-ing. When one of his escapades lands him in the ER, he finds himself staring up at the beautiful new doctor in town. For the first time in years, he feels a spark, but Addison Spencer wants nothing to do with the unruly rancher—or any man for that matter. She’s only in Harmony four months, long enough for the trouble she left behind to be over. But then a vulnerable little boy barrels into both of their lives, forcing them out of the past —and into a future where love is just down the road…

Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 34 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, Welcome to Harmony won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

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