Behind the scenes: Dream Weaver

A reluctant blacksmith/witch, a burly bear shifter/firefighter hero… There’s a lot to love in this suspenseful paranormal romance with magic, shifters, and wounded hearts. Read all about “the making of” Dream Weaver here!

THE CHARACTERS

As you probably know, my Spellbound in Sedona series focuses on three sisters who own a ranch in Sedona, Arizona. Abby is the middle of the three sisters and the one with the toughest childhood. She was originally inspired by Rae Ripple, a real-life metal artist. Unlike Rae, however, Abby can be a little grouchy because of her need to protect her wounded heart – and her fierce determination to be a good mother to her daughter, Claire.

The trick in creating a hard-knock, oft-burned heroine is to convey the challenges she’s faced in life without turning the story into a downer or a rant. On the contrary, it has to be fun and light-hearted. It’s equally tricky to make a gruff, grouchy heroine relateable. But, whew! I’m proud to say I did it – with help from little Claire, who helps Abby’s warm, loving side shine through.

Even trickier was figuring out exactly what kind of magic powers Abby possesses. Like her half sisters, she has a dragon shifter mother and a warlock father, but that still leaves lots of wiggle room for what type of witch she is. Obviously, it had to relate to metal (given her love of blacksmithing), but I was hell-bent on making her a dream weaver too. At the same time, I had to respect that Abby wouldn’t want to go messing around in other people’s heads, dreams, or lives. She’s the ultimate “Leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone” personality type. So, I had to figure out what form the dream weaving aspect of this story would take. That took forever, but I love how it all turned out. No spoilers here, but I hope you’ve read the story and found the ending as compelling and resonant as I did.

A character as complex as Abby calls for a really special hero, especially since she’s dead-set against ever trusting another man again. It took me a while to get Cooper calibrated to exactly what Abby needs – a guy who is strong yet sensitive, assertive yet patient, and generally the yin to her yang. Also, he also has to be great with kids – so basically, the perfect man! But that can be pretty hard to pull off while also ensuring the character is believable and has depth. I’m proud to say I accomplished that too, by adding details like why he wears flannel shirts, how he deals with his family, and his dedication to firefighting.

Dream Weaver is a slow-burn romance by necessity, because a woman as guarded as Abby isn’t going to suddenly open up to just any man. He has to win her trust over time, and that’s exactly what Cooper does without actually setting out to do so. That, in turn, demands a compelling, suspenseful story with great villains and a fast-moving plot. Which brings me to…

THE STORY

Like many other last-book-in-a-series I’ve written, Dream Weaver took a lot of figuring out before it all came together. It took me forever to decide what object Abby could put her blacksmith skills to use in creating – something that the villains want to get their hands on too. I’ve lost count of how many blacksmithing videos I watched, not just to be able to get the metal shop scenes right but also to scout for cool (and magical) objects that would help drive the plot. That object also had to tie in with the vortexes in this story as well as the firefighting aspect. And, boy, was I stumped! But lots of brainstorming, patience, and faith in this story helped me finally crack this very hard nut. And actually, that’s really fitting for a story featuring a heroine like Abby and her special brand of dream weaving. I won’t elaborate here so as not to drop any spoilers. Suffice to say, I ended up including two very different, unique, and magical objects in this story. I hope you found them interesting, too!

ON LOCATION IN SEDONA

Beautiful Sedona has no shortage of amazing locations, and this story brings our hero and heroine to two prominent points in particular: Devil’s Bridge and the Airport Mesa vortex. The scene at Devil’s Bridge has a special place in my heart because it echoes my own, real-life hike to that natural rock arch (sadly, without the hunky bear shifter hero of my dreams). I really did drive those backroads to reach the trailhead and strike out on foot before dawn, and the sun really did peek over a mesa to shoot rays of light at the bridge when I arrived. Devil’s Bridge can be swarming with tourists at midday, but at dawn, I had the place to myself. A magical moment, for sure! Of course, the menacing cougars and storm in that scene are fictional, as is the ranch and metal shop in this story. Too bad, because I would love to visit them both!

MY FAVORITE SCENE

As usual, I have a lot of favorite scenes, from Abby and Cooper’s initial head-butting, banter-filled scenes in the metal shop to heart-warming moments with Claire (especially details like the orange juice and rescue train) to the pizza dinner where they start letting down their guard. The final scene also ranks high on my “favorites” list because it’s so damn heart-warming – and (hopefully) even inspiring.

But my absolute, tippy-top favorite scene is when Abby and Cooper work in perfect harmony in the metal shop, taking turns to hammer the heated metal in a quick, steady rhythm. Abby resented being stuck with an assistant, but she quickly figures out Cooper can be mighty useful (pun intended) in the workshop. You can find a video clip of a blacksmith team working in this “smith and striker” style here.

CROSS-LINKS WITH OTHER SERIES

In Fire Dancer, book 2 of the series, Abby and her sisters met members of Twin Moon wolf pack, and young Claire hits it off with Lana Hawthorne’s daughter, Tana. We see those friendships continue and expand during the events of Dream Weaver. Another new cross-link is established in the bonus scene of Dream Weaver, in which Abby and family meet the bear and wolf shifters of the Blue Moon Saloon. It’s one of dozens of bonus scenes available exclusively to newsletter subscribers, so make sure you sign up for an exciting new series coming soon! if you haven’t already.

By the way, it’s no coincidence that I’ve set several series in the same area of Arizona. All three – a ranch, Sedona, and Prescott (home of the fictional Blue Moon Saloon) – were my favorite places to spend time when I lived in the area. I still go back regularly to re-visit old haunts and explore new corners of this stunning part of the world.

So, there you have it – a look behind the scenes of Dream Weaver. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? And if you have… Well, stay tuned for a exciting new series coming soon!

PS - If you enjoyed this story and series, please remember to spread the word and post a review. Thank you!