Hey, everyone. As promised, today I have the pleasure of hosting Jan Sikes to talk about her newest release Saddled Hearts. Jan is a good friend, an award-winning and talented author, and also contributes to Story Empire.
In case you missed it, she and I met in person a couple of weeks ago at an author meet and greet event. I felt like I’d known her forever and we had a blast.
Please welcome Jan to my blog today.
Hello, Joan! I am super excited to be visiting your blog site today. Thank you so much for offering to let me take over. I deeply appreciate your support.
Today I want to talk about the obstacles I faced when attempting to use a real person as a character in Saddled Hearts. It’s no secret that I am a huge supporter of Texas music and have become great friends with a lot of the artists. Deryl Dodd is one of the most accomplished songwriters in the business, having honed his skills with seasoned songwriters in Nashville for many years. He even played guitar in Martina McBride’s band for a period of time. Due to a catastrophic health issue, he came back home to Comanche, Texas, to heal and regroup. And he never left.
As I wrote Saddled Hearts and Buck Layne’s character formed, I knew I needed to use one of Deryl’s songs in the story.
“One Ride In Vegas” is a story song. The lyrics are listed in the book as I wrote a scene with Deryl and Colt singing together at a benefit. It is about a man’s dream, and while it specifically mentions bull riding and rodeoing, the message of the song could fit any dream.
When I approached my publisher about using Deryl and his song, I was met with some stiff resistance. But his willingness to sign the waivers of liability and my persistence finally wore them down, and they agreed to let me use it. I am deeply grateful to Deryl, as it added to the story.
Here’s a very short snippet:
“There’s a special song I want to do tonight. Not only to honor Colt, but his grandfather, Buck Layne, who I had the pleasure of knowing for a short time. Buck and others like him were the inspiration for this song. Hope you enjoy it.”
Sage drew in a breath and leaned forward.
Deryl strummed the opening chords. “He’s packed up his boots and his saddle. Seventeen, heading out on his own. He’ll rodeo from Cheyenne to Texas, dreaming of one ride in Vegas. One ride in Vegas.”
The band kicked in behind him.
***
Of course, Deryl didn’t know Buck Layne because he is a fictitious character.
Have you ever tried using a real person or song in a fiction book? How did you go about getting permission? Let’s talk!
BOOK BLURB:
Colt Layne owns the Layne Horse Sanctuary. He lives an idyllic life between caring for the animals and playing music with his band. That is until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. When someone murders the man, Colt is arrested. He’s been framed, but by whom and why?
He needs to talk with his deceased grandfather. But that’s impossible. Or is it?
Sage Coventry is gifted with the ability to communicate with the deceased. Skeptical but desperate, when Colt consults with her, he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips he longs to kiss.
The race against time to clear his name and save the ranch launches them on a mission that brings shocking revelations.
BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/_MQ9fYH5PrI
UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK: https://linktr.ee/Rijanjks
Connect with Jan:
WEBSITE: http://www.jansikes.com
BLOG: http://www.jansikesblog.com
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/jansikes3
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/jks0851/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7095856.Jan_Sikes
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-sikes
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sikesjan/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Sikes/e/B00CS9K8DK
Joan Hall 
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