I would love to introduce you to Jackson Cole, my hero from Shattered Visions, Book 1 Sienna Beach Storms series. Jackson talks little about himself and his Raelynn in this heart-stopping romantic thriller.
I’ve asked one of my most wonderful readers, Mary, to conduct this interview with Jackson Cole. No one knows my characters as she does. But before she takes over, I want to give you a brief description of Jackson Cole.
He carries himself like a soldier and stands proud with muscular shoulders, a strong chest, and a lean waist. He’s a couple of inches over six foot and has gorgeous bedroom brown eyes, is he ever going to blush when he reads this. Today, he’s wearing a dark, navy-blue sports coat with a pair of black denim jeans. He’s the kind of man that doesn’t like to draw attention to himself – who can’t check this guy out?
Mary, this show is now all yours.
Hugs,
Nancy C. Weeks
Mary
Thank you for being here today, Mr. Cole. I just loved reading about you and Raelynn Brooks. You don’t look very comfortable. Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?
Jackson
Please call me Jackson.
He runs a hand through his hair and then wipes his palm on his slacks.
This is a little weird. I’m not comfortable talking about myself. But Nancy and Raelynn asked me to be here, so here I am.
Mary
I promise to make this as painless as possible. If you don’t feel comfortable with a question, let me know, and I’ll move on. So, in Shattered Dreams, you play the hero, right?
Jackson
There’s only one hero in this story. Raelynn.
Mary
I want to talk about Raelynn. But first, tell me a little about yourself.
Jackson
I run a restaurant called The Pit Shop. That takes up my day. The rest of the time, I’m with my son and Raelynn. That’s all there is.
Mary
You own The Pit Shop, and you’re leaving out an ocean of information about yourself. For instance …Why did you choose to study medicine? A follow-up question: Why didn’t you go through with your residency to become a practicing doctor?
Jackson
That isn’t part of the story …
Mary
But it’s a part of who you are.
Jackson
In a nutshell, medical school was my father’s idea. My best friend, George Garza spent a year as an Army Medic. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, so I enlisted. Then my mom passed away unexpectedly, and my father had a heart attack months later. My sister moved home with my six-week-old nephew. It just seemed like it was time I returned home. My family needed me.
Mary
I don’t know many men willing to do something like give up a career for a family. That’s heroic …
Jackson
No, it’s my upbringing and what my mother taught me. Besides, I love this town and never intended to stay away as long as I did. I had planned to return and finish my residency, but things changed.
Mary
Yeah, they do. So, Nancy doesn’t want me to give away any spoilers, so maybe we can change topics. You came home and reopened your grandfather’s place, The Pit Shop. Skip ahead five years. You’re raising your nephew, and The Pit Shop is the hang-out for Sienna Beach. And then, Rae Brooks drops into your life. Tell me a little about how that happened.
Jackson
I guess Dropped into my life is the perfect description of how I met Raelynn.
Mary
She asks me to call her Rae. You are the only one …”
Jackson
I like Raelynn.
Mary
Tell me about that first meeting – what the romance world calls your meet-cute.
Jackson
There was nothing cute about the moment I met Raelynn that evening or the next day.
Mary
Sure, but something happened, right?
Jackson
I met many people as a medic and now as a volunteer paramedic. I want to help them. Once I’m sure they are okay either on scene or in the hospital, I go on with my life. I can’t carry what I do as a paramedic home. It affects my son and my father.
Mary
Of course. That makes sense. But with Rae, you couldn’t let her go.
Jackson
No. The night of the accident, I couldn’t sleep, and when I did fall asleep, I dreamed of her.
Mary
You didn’t even really meet her until the next day.
Jackson
But talking to her on the roadside, hearing her voice, that’s all it took.
Mary
Has that happened before after meeting a woman for the first time?
Jackson
Everything with Raelynn was like the first time. I’m crazy in love with her. That’s only the beginning.
At this point, Jackson is no longer focused on Mary but somewhere else.
When we’re away from each other, I ache for her. But, when we’re together, I can’t get enough of her. Without giving any teasers away, my son describes it perfectly—Raelynn’s magic.
Mary
Don’t stop there. Tell us about her.
Jackson
She is intelligent and funny …she laughs at my jokes, and when she’s with my son, there’s a whole new side of her that I love—Raelynn’s my life, my heart. I’m nothing without her.
Mary
You didn’t always feel that her connection with your son was a good thing, right?
Jackson
I can be an idiot. She was never a threat to him. She saved his life.
Mary
I know. But you can’t give her all the credit.
Jackson
I was there, so I can.
Mary
I see you glancing at your watch. I know we are running out of time, so just one more question.
Jackson
Ask away.
Mary
You and Raelynn are together, but there’s no wedding date, right? What are you waiting for?
Jackson
I read in one of Shattered Visions’ reviews that a reader described Raelynn and me as a happily ever after for now. There’s no now about it. We’re forever together. There’s something we’re working on that has to come first.
Mary
I read Shattered Visions a couple of times. I know what you’re trying not to say, and I get it. Do that first.
Jackson
For now, we need to focus on my son and my father if he lets us. He’s not recovered as much as he wants us to think.
He stands and holds out his hand.
It was a pleasure to meet you. You’re one of Nancy’s favorite people in her world.
Mary
We’re sisters, forever friends. You know something about that.
Jackson
I do. Thanks for having me here today. Nancy asked me to let everyone know she posted the complete chapter one on her website. It’s just the beginning of Raelynn and me. One of the readers said, “Describing it [Shattered Visions] as a thriller romance is accurate and very much an understatement.” While things got a little crazy, those few weeks with Raelynn were much more than that. I hope the readers will enjoy the rest of our story. Happy reading.
Mary
With that, he left. It will be a long time before I forget Jackson Cole. Next week, we get to meet Raelynn. See you soon.
I hope you enjoyed this character interview. You can pick up your copy of Shattered Visions and have it delivered to your reader on June 15th. If you are in Amazon KU, Shattered Visions will be available in KU release day.
