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Be careful what you wish for

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Meet Gary Garrison, a good friend, who once asked me to put him in one of my books. Since we’re such good friends, of course, I said YES!

Gary’s first preference, he stated, was to be a cover model, shirt ripped opened and chest bared. Hairy chest or not, was negotiable. He said we could Photoshop that as desired. And he wanted his long, thick mane flowing behind him in the wind. I told him that last request could prove to be a problem. However, there are wigs and extensions, so that hurdle, too, could be scaled.

But I needed to find the perfect character for him. I mean, he’s a good friend! As I was writing the Belle Meade series, that perfect opportunity presented itself. Gary was made for this role!

But first, some quick backstory…

Gary is a professor at Belmont University here in Nashville where he teaches with my husband Joe. That’s Joe photo bombing our picture. 🙂

A while back, due to a foreign clerical error, Gary’s name was listed in a publication as Gray Garrison instead of Gary. Well, of course, once his colleagues got a hold of that, Gray became the preferred moniker. And the nickname stuck.

That’s when the character of Old Gray was born.

Here are some of Old Gray’s most powerful scenes in the Belle Meade novels:

Yep, Old Gray is a broken down old gelding, sway-backed, and knock-kneed. ; )

And my personal favorite….

When To Whisper Her Name, book 1, released, Gary said he feverishly scanned the novel looking for his name, but couldn’t find it. Perplexed, he reached out. I told him to check more carefully—and look for the name Old Gray. : )

Gary is such a kidder (if you can’t tell by that gleam in his eyes) and we’ve had fun with this through the years. But do be careful when you ask an author to include you in her book. You never know what you might end up being!

READ MORE ABOUT THE BELLE MEADE NOVELS

Do you enjoy learning about “behind the scenes” details in novels? Has anyone in your life ever given you a nickname that’s inadvertently stuck?

Blessings from my corner of Nashville, friends,

Tammy

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In a town battered and bruised by war, one woman embarks upon an impossible search – and one man must face the past in the very place that almost destroyed him.

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Tamera Alexander

Novelist at Novelist
Novelist, wife, mother… USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander has loved the lure and power of story for as long as she can remember. Now she enjoys creating stories set within the real history of the post-Civil War South and the rugged, panoramic vistas of America's West.
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Comments

  2. I did enjoy reading that! (Gary may me a jokester, but you must be one too to have put him in the book that way!! And no, I have no nickname.

  4. I love your joke on your friend, especially when he had to find himself in the story! That’s a good one!

  5. That’s hilarious! And he made it into three books, not just one! I’d say you were quite generous. LOL

  6. That’s hysterical, Tammy. I was once asked by a symphony fundraiser to auction off the chance to be a character in one of my novels. I was very surprised when people actually bid on it!

  8. This series is actually next on my TBR, so I love having this little tidbit to enjoy as I read it!

  10. Oh, Tammy – – I love this story! And I’m sure your friend was quite honored, all horsing around aside. 😉

    Seeing those examples you used makes me want to read those books again, which I’m sure I will since all your books stay on my Keeper Shelf!

    Thank you for this smile today! Sending hugs to you, Patti Jo 🙂

  11. This has been so much fun to read this morning!! Thank you!
    Sadly, the photos were not available for some reason so I had to use my imagination. 🙂
    This photo thing has happened before so I don’t know if this is my computer and phone or something else.

  13. I’ve had the same dentist for 40+ years. For many years, he asked when I was going to put him in a book. When that started, I was only writing historicals, and I asked him if he really wanted to be the dentist with his knee on a patient’s chest and a pair of pliers in the patient’s mouth. LOL! Finally, he (his name and as a dentist) made it into one of my contemporaries. Now I can tell him to be thankful I didn’t make him a horse.

  14. I loved this back-story! I love your books, but haven’t read this series. Guess I need to remedy that & meet Old Gray up close & personal. 😉
    And yes, I’ve got a nickname that several sweet old men gave me when I was just a little girl. Pickle. We were having a church campmeeting & had a dinner at our house. My mom made incredible homemade spaghetti sauce & I guess I was enjoying the dill pickles. The nickname stuck! Now that I’m in my 40s, I don’t get called Pickle very often anymore, but when I do it brings back special memories & makes me happy. 🙂

  17. Love learning details about the books I read. That story was funny. My name is Brenda Levena but all my family and some friends call me Brenda Lee. When I was younger my Daddy always called me Punkin.

    • Brenda, I love knowing that about you. And Punkin…so sweet. Glad we’re family here. ; )

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