Untethered (41 page)

But I always need more than a good storyline and characters to love. I need a motivator! And whether it’s the enthusiasm of doing something for someone else or to simply entertain myself, I need still need a motivator! And let me tell you this—no matter how good Heath was at kissing Cricket, without my motivator I was toast for ever getting them to their own wedding!

And so
Untethered
sat on the proverbial shelf for a month or two more. And then it happened! It’s like that old saying, “When you least expect it…” and wham! There it was! Just out of the blue one day, there was my motivator—or to be more specific, my motivators.

And so I ask you this burning question: What do a plunger, the movie
Christmas Vacation
, livestock salt licks, liquid silver jewelry, laughter that nearly causes incontinence, hotel rooms, a plunger, the same plunger again, a black truck, a big silver truck, and my
Untethered
motivators all have in common? The answer is on the dedication page of
Untethered
itself—Danielle and Weezy!

Ah, Danielle and Weezy—angels of mercy, insightful gurus, and cherished, treasured friends! One day as I was reminiscing over something Danielle, Weezy, and I had giggled over, a little light went off in my brain. Actually, it was more like one of those flaming emergency flares! I wanted to do something for Danielle and Weezy that would convey to them the depth of my appreciation and love for their friendship, support, encouragement, loyalty, and inexplicable service to me. And since the thing I used to do as a gift for my friends was to write a book, I decided to write a book for Danielle and Weezy. And that book is the one you just read.

Untethered
may have too many exclamation points, and Heath may or may not have his shirt off too often (or not often enough). I didn’t bother counting the farm-girl swear words or checking to see whether Heath and Cricket’s wedding night moments were too steamy. I simply wrote the book as it played out in my mind—with Danielle and Weezy as my muses. I wrote it for them—for my cherished friends—for all the reasons I began writing in the first place!

I hope you enjoyed
Untethered
—because I truly enjoyed writing it! I’ll leave you now with a few little trivia snippets. So until we ride away into another sunset with another handsome hero together—adios, my darlings.

Untethered
Trivia Snippets

Snippet #1—If you ever were, or still are, a fan of the Canadian/Disney Channel series
Road to
Avonlea
and you think something in
Untethered
tended to remind you of some of those beloved
Road to Avonlea
characters, then go back through the book and highlight names of places and secondary characters. (Tee hee!) It’s my own secret little
Road to Avonlea
tribute!

Snippet #2—
Mrs. Maloney
was my babysitter from the time I was just a few months old until the age of three. She was a kind, plump, elderly lady who used to let me watch
Captain Kangaroo
each weekday morning. She served me wonderful, healthy lunches (though I do remember racing to the bathroom once with a handful of green beans and flushing them down the toilet when Mrs. Maloney was out of the room) and always made me feel safe. I was so little when she babysat me that my vivid memories of her are beginning to fade. But here’s one I found the other day in an old thingy I’d printed off twenty or more years ago:

Mrs. Maloney was an elderly lady who babysat me. I loved her! I can still remember the lay of her house, and I remember watching
Captain Kangaroo
on her big TV. I remember my Julie. She was a little girl my own age—a friend of mine that Mrs. Maloney used to watch as well. Julie and I would flush our green beans down the toilet whenever Mrs. Maloney left the room during lunch. I remember having to stay with Mrs. Maloney overnight once. I was frightened about being away from my parents for the night even though Mrs. Maloney let me sleep in her bed with her. Thankfully, I had good ol’ Muggins to cling to. (Muggins was a soft, plush, yellow, stuffed bunny that became my most treasured possession for a time.) At some point that night, I awoke to find I’d somehow let go of Muggins! I could find no trace of him at first. Panic ensued and escalated as I spied part of Muggins’s anatomy sticking out from underneath the slumbering form of Mrs. Maloney! Horrifying! Muggins—smothering to death under my babysitter! I woke Mrs. Maloney and retrieved my dearest Muggins, though it was some time before my breathing steadied and I was able to sleep again.

Snippet #3—
Our family loves door-ditching treats and presents! When our children were little, it was one of their very favorite family activities. Most of the time we would light a little votive candle in a jar or candleholder and leave it with our door-ditched items to make them more visible—and more fun!

Snippet #4—The whole “where babies really come from” thread in
Untethered
was inspired by a very enlightening evening my roommates and I experienced at Ricks College long, long ago in 1984.

Snippet #5—Yes. Mr. Keel is named for Howard Keel—who starred in so many wonderful MGM musicals in the 1950s!

Snippet #6—Several descriptions of the moon in
Untethered
were inspired by this something my mother wrote to me in an e-mail while I was working on the book. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, her exact quote may even appear in it.
“The moon is brilliant like a silver wafer in the sky.”–Patsy Reed

Snippet #6—In real life, my friend Weezy Ann rides a black Harley Davidson motorcycle. All four-foot whatever of her!

Snippet #7—In real life, my friend Danielle is a literal connoisseur of southwestern, Native American jewelry. And she wears it better than anyone else I know!

Snippet #8—As of the date of publication for this book, Danielle and Weezy are in possession of the plunger. Whether or not they
know
they have it is still a mystery to me and Kevin!

My everlasting admiration, gratitude, and love…

To my husband, Kevin…

Proof that heroes really
do
exist
!

I Love You!

Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books—including
Shackles of Honor
,
The Windswept Flame
,
The Haunting of Autumn Lake
, and
Beneath the Honeysuckle Fine
—has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”

Marcia, who was born in
Albuquerque
,
New Mexico
, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 

Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine

A Better Reason to Fall in Love

Born for Thorton’s Sake

The Chimney Sweep Charm

A Crimson Frost

Daydreams

Desert Fire

Divine Deception

Dusty Britches

The Fragrance of her Name

The Haunting of
Autumn
Lake

The Heavenly Surrender

The Highwayman of Tanglewood

Kiss in the Dark

Kissing Cousins

The Light of the Lovers’ Moon

Love Me

An Old-Fashioned Romance

The Pirate
Ruse

The Prairie Prince

The Rogue Knight

Romantic Vignettes-The Anthology of Premiere Novellas

Saphyre Snow

Shackles of Honor

Sudden Storms

Sweet Cherry Ray

Take a Walk With Me

The Tide of the Mermaid Tears

The Time of
Aspen
Falls

To Echo the Past

The Touch of Sage

The Trove of the Passion Room

Untethered

The Visions of
Ransom
Lake

Weathered Too Young

The Whispered Kiss

The Windswept Flame