Article and Interview by Elise Cooper
His Texas Runaway Bride by Amy Vastine is the last in the Stop the Wedding series. It seems the author saved the best for last.
This story opens with the heroine, Willow Sanderson, about to walk down the alter when she realizes she does not want to be a Dallas trophy wife. She leaves and flees to the small town of Maple Grove Texas where she lucks out and finds a job as the nanny to the sheriff’s four-year-old son, Camden. She makes friends easily and is attracted to Sheriff Bryce Koller.
Willow becomes suspicious as to why Camden is always thirsty, has tingling in his fingers, and is told he has lost some weight. At first, her suspicions and recommendation that Camden be tested for diabetes is resisted by Bryce. But with her insistence they go to the pediatrician where the diagnosis is confirmed. The three of them fall into a routine where each care for the other.
Readers are spellbound, wondering will Willow go back to her fiancé or will she stay and become a family with Bryce and Camden. This is a very heartwarming book where the characters come alive.
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story and series?
Amy Vastine: This is the last book in the series, and I had not written about a runaway bride yet. I wanted a conflict right from the beginning and what better than a runaway bride.
EC: How would you describe Willow?
AV: She always did what is expected. Not a complainer. Thoughtful, dainty, calm, inquisitive, passionate, and positive. She grew up to be expected to be a people pleaser. She is hiding because she does not want to face the music of having a lot of people upset with her. Her fiancé and parents never asked her how she felt and seemed to not respect her.
EC: How about her parents?
AV: Domineering, dictating, demanding, and controlling. She never stood up for herself. She was always compliant, giving off the impression that her parents were doing nothing wrong. They were always judgmental.
EC: Did you get the idea for the Off-Limits room from “Beauty and the Beast”?
AV: I did not make that connection. I often think about if you lose someone special there is something that must be kept personal. It is a little “Beauty and the Beast.”
EC: How would you describe Bryce?
AV: Kind, protective, gentle, respectful, charming, and funny. He is a nervous dad. He is doing both the mom and dad stuff, which is very overwhelming.
EC: What about the relationship?
AV: They both have secrets, are stubborn, and are in denial. At times they act as partners. She is a good complement to him and vice versa. She recognizes that he has her back, is very forgiving, and is caring. She was always raised to a held to a higher standard, but he does not do that.
EC: What was the role of Bryce’s son, Camden?
AV: He is the reason they connected. He is also the reason that Willow comes full circle. She gets the chance to get back to nursing once again.
EC: Why give Camden diabetes?
AV: My dad and grandfather had diabetes. It could be something that a parent might not realize. But a medical professional might connect the dots. I wanted to put in the symptoms one could look for and there are a lot of ways to monitor it. I work at a school with middle schoolers and there are children with built in monitors into their arms. What my dad hated the most is getting pricked in the finger. So, I allowed Camden to have a better quality of life with the monitor.
EC: What was the role of the teenage dog walker, Daisy?
AV: She is a rebellious teenager. She was one of many ragtag characters that need a family. There is the grandma type neighbor, June, and Daisy and Camden and even the hero and heroine Willow and Bryce who need a family. They support each other and treat each other as a family. They take care of each other. In Daisy’s case she is gruff but caring and kind. She is street smart and will do well in life. In her own way she is industrious.
EC: Next books?
AV: I am working on the fourth book of the series I write with the other authors about the Blackwell sisters. It will be out in November 2024 and is titled A Cowgirl Thanksgiving. The general arc has sisters who were part of a rodeo performance group including trick riding. They had a little bit of a falling out as they got older. Now their mother is being inducted into the rodeo hall of fame. The five books have the girls reuniting to perform one final performance as a group to honor their mom. My character wants to deny her past life and is resistant to coming back. Melinda Curtis is writing the first book of the series coming out in the summer of 2024, Carol Ross the second one, Anna J. Stewart the third, I am the fourth, and Cari Lynn Webb is the last one.
I just sold a new series to Harlequin. It is set in the New England area based around a family-owned hotel. The first one comes out in the summer of 2025.
EC: THANK YOU!!
