Warning–hot beach house pictures ahead!
We’re just over ONE MONTH away from the release of HOT SEAL, DIRTY MARTINI so I thought I’d give you a peek into my writing process.
Hot SEAL, Dirty Martini is about a west coast Navy SEAL who put in his twenty years and is looking forward to a peaceful retirement in the beach paradise he just found for sale–a 1950s bungalow he wants to buy and renovate. Of course the heroine is there to throw a wrench into his plans because this is an enemies-to-lovers theme, but more about that later . . . this post is about the house itself.
When I write books and the setting or the buildings are a critical part of the plot, I always research actual sites in the location where the story is set. For instance, when I wrote Cowboy Blue (originally titled A Cowboy for Christmas) set on a cattle ranch in Colorado, I searched and found an actual ranch listed for sale in that area, and that listing provided pictures and facts such as number of acres and number and types of buildings, all that helped me with much needed details for the story.
For Hot SEAL, Dirty Martini I did the same and my search for beach bungalows driving distance to Coronado, CA yielded this little gem in Imperial Beach, which inspired the house in the story. I did take some liberties. The 1,000 square foot, 2 BR, 1 BA, turquoise 1950s bungalow is actually located a few blocks from the beach, but for my purposes I gave the property an upgrade and made it beach-front. (Writers can do things like that!) I also wrote the house pre-restoration, when in reality it looks like the owner has already done all the work. It’s pretty nice. I’d spend a few weeks there if they decide to Airbnb it!
Want to see pictures? I totally stole them all from the real estate listing, and good thing I did before they disappeared, because last I looked the house was in contract and no longer available for sale.
And so without further ado, I give you my inspiration for Navy SEAL Clay Hagan’s beach bungalow paradise!
HOT SEAL, DIRTY MARTINI (SEALs in Paradise) by Cat Johnson
In eBook & paperback September 18, 2018
AMAZON . IBOOKS . BARNES & NOBLE . KOBO . GOOGLE PLAY
He wants seclusion. She craves the spotlight. The deal they make could give them both what they need . . . if they don’t kill each other first. Home renovation has never been so hot!
Navy SEAL Clay “Dirtman” Hagan’s retirement plans are simple. Buy the dilapidated beachfront cottage he found listed for a song, fix it up, and live out his days in solitude. Everything is set until an anonymous bidder drives up the price of his future paradise.
TV talk show host Tasha Jones is flying high, until one word–CANCELED–sends her crashing. Now she’s looking to resurrect her career with a new home renovation show, if they can get around the obnoxious buyer standing between her and the perfect property.
When her competition turns out to be none other then the a-hole from her embarrassing drunken one-night stand, the battle for the property really heats up as the insults–and the sparks–fly. The producer notices the chemistry between them and decides the viewers will too and the concept for “Hot House” is born.
If Clay agrees to have the self-centered star and her cameras in his house for the duration of the show, he gets to walk away with the property in the end. If Tasha can put up with living in the house with the Neanderthal control-freak during the construction, she gets a hit show and her career back.
It shouldn’t be hard since the director loves when they argue on camera, which is good since they agree on nothing. Well, almost nothing. They do both agree that they pretty much hate each other and neither one wants a repeat of their one night together . . . So why does it keep happening?
Hot SEAL, Dirty Martini is a full length, standalone enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy with an HEA and NO cliffhanger. It is part of the SEALs in Paradise series world but you DO NOT have to read the other books to enjoy this one and there is NO specific reading order.