Gail Pallotta – Real Life Romance & Excerpt – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Gail Pallotta shares how she met her husband and how her characters meet in her latest Romantic Suspense, Hair Calamities and Hot Cash which releases on Nov. 2. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy of her title,  Barely Above Water. Deadline: Sept 29th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Gail:

I met my husband, Rick, in Atlanta, GA.

I had grown up at the foothills of the North Carolina Mountains, where everyone knows everyone else, and little happens. Before I left home my parents preached on the evils of the big city and gave me many safety tips, among them, “Never get in a car with a stranger.”

At a social gathering we both attended, Rick meandered to me and chatted. In an hour he suggested we leave and have something to eat. I nearly jumped out of my skin. “No,” I said. He asked a few questions about my work and hometown and finally left with my name. I was listed in the phone book, but didn’t expect him to call.

He didn’t. His father did. He said, “I understand you met Ricky. He’s a good boy. He lives here with his mother and me. Ricky would like to come over and cook steak for you. What do you say?”

I agreed and unknowingly started a journey that led to the altar.

The widowed, young hairstylist in Hair Calamities and Hot Cash, Eve Castleberry, met her future husband under much different circumstances. Here’s how it happened while she washed Joyce Westmoreland’s hair and talked to her no good salesman, Durbin Brown.

***

The building shook. Metal crunched. Bricks fell amid loud scraping. My nerves vibrated like a blender.

Durbin’s mouth gaped.

Joyce sprang out of her chair, her blue eyes wide.

“Quick, under the vanity,” I yelled out.

Joyce shot to it like a bullet, but Durbin froze. I grabbed his spindly arm and pulled him behind me, the heels on his black boots sliding across the gray laminate floor. “Get under here.” I couldn’t help but use a harsh tone. He hunkered down, and I scooted in beside Joyce. He nuzzled into my shoulder and shivered like a wet puppy. My head spun as the walls shook, shards of glass fell, and sheetrock dust trickled into the air.

Finally, the structure stood still and quiet. I crawled out, and my legs nearly buckled under me when I stood. Joyce and Durbin followed. Then we all turned toward the shop window. Joyce and Durbin’s eyes widened. My heart sank and landed in my stomach like a rock. A blue car stuck through the wall and lower portion of the large glass pane. Two airbags filled the vehicle’s cracked windshield. I stumbled to a salon styling chair and dropped down.

Giveaway

First Jordan, now this. Would the ladies of Triville desert me for the big chain in Misty Gorge if I couldn’t fix their

hair for, for, for who knew how long? Who drove into Eve’s Clips? Was that person all right?

Joyce plunked down in the chair in front of the shampoo bowl. She appeared shaken, water trailing down the sides of her face from the half-rinsed hair. Durbin was as white as Triville’s winter snow, the smirk he usually wore gone. He collapsed in the seat underneath the upturned hair dryer as the door on the driver’s side of the car creaked.

A man with a trim athletic build staggered out and took unsteady strides around the camellia bush Jordan had planted. I swallowed my tears and stared at him. I recognized everyone in my community, and I’d never seen him. As handsome as he was I’d remember if I had.

About Gail: Gail Pallotta’s a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former Grace Awards Finalist and a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner, she’s published books, poems, short stories and articles. Learn more & connect:

Gail’s Newsletter                    Gail’s Website                   Gail’s Facebook                     Gail’s Twitter

About the Book – Hair Calamities and Hot Cash: New York stockbroker Philip Wells crashes his rental car into Eve Castleberry’s beauty shop in Triville, North Carolina. On the same day the young widow’s defective hair products cause wild hairdos. Philip’s attracted to the distraught top-notch hairstylist and asks her out. She starts dating him, but stops because she falls too hard for a wayfarer who’ll leave and break her heart. When there’s another catastrophe in the shop, Philip comes to Eve’s rescue and convinces her to go out as friends. Later he solicits her help to find the thieves who stole his client’s cash. Then they trail two of the FBI’s most-wanted criminals. Romance blossoms amid danger, suspense and Eve’s hair-brained plan to get back the money.

 About the giveaway – Barely Above Water: Award-winning author Nancy Mehl says it’s “a touching story of loss, hope and healing.”

Preorder your copy: AHair Calamities and Hot Cash – Amazon

Question for Readers: How did you meet your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, or best friend?

Come back Sept. 21st for Carole Towriss!