A couple of things went into writing Donuts & Detours. I was inspired by a young woman I once knew who hid her femininity and had a rocky past with her family of origin. I added that to another young woman who loved working on cars. Her parents tried to dissuade her from that line of work because she was a woman. She too had long hair and tended to dress more like a tomboy. So those two women inspired the character of Bethany Joelle.
Titus showed up in one of my books and he seemed like a great guy – so I decided he needed a story of his own. I did have to contact a friend who works on cars for information for the story. I think he thought it was an odd thing for me to ask, “How can I disable a car fast?” I also researched things like tow-trucks and single post hydraulic lifts. I’m lucky I can put the oil in my car and pump up a tire… A mechanic I am not, but I wish I had more knowledge of those things.
There’s a dog in the book. He was inspired by my own Maltese-mix, Spatzle. Fun to have some puppy love in a story.
I love the song The Stranger by Billy Joel and wished I could have used the lyrics in the story and other lyrics from his songs as epigraphs! The idea that there is a part of us that we hide away from the world I think is true in so many cases. We only let people see what we want. While it may not be a “Christian” song – I think there is some truth in there. In Bethany Joelle’s case that didn’t work too well for very long. Ultimately, we can hide as much as we want, but God can always find us.
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Susan M. Baganz, a Wisconsin native, chases after three Hobbits. Donuts & Detours is book six in her Orchard Hill contemporary romance series, where each book stands alone. She also has a Gothic Regency romantic suspense series available, where The Baron’s Blunder is a prequel and a free ebook. You can learn more by following Susan’s Silygoos blog http://www.susanbaganz.com, http://www.facebook.com/susanmbaganz. http://twitter.com/susanbaganz or http://www.pinterest.com/silygoos.
About Donuts and Detours:
Titus Rickmeyer has a servant’s heart. A mechanic and tow-truck driver, he’s used to coming to the aid of damsels in distress, including at the Garage Ministry. Why is he suddenly suspicious of the young man fixing cars and bringing donuts to the repair shop?
Bethany Joelle Hanson has been on her own for too long. Orphaned and dumped into foster care at a young age, she bounced around the system until she declared her independence at sixteen. She holds her secrets close and wonders if God has abandoned her. Working as an assistant baker at a local grocery store, she becomes the “boy” B.J. in her off hours to work on cars at the Garage Ministry where all the guys think she’s one of them.
But something about Titus threatens her long-honed desire to hide her femininity.She finds that cars are far easier to understand than most people.