When I was kicking around ideas for the hero in my new book, Sunrise Surf, releasing July 31, I decided to make him a surfer, mostly because I’d chosen the book title last year and wanted surf to have some significance to the story.
However, I wanted the hero to be a guy with integrity who can carry a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.
Just before I started writing this book, the news featured details about a huge multistate drug bust that has been dubbed the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history. That gave me the idea to have Logan be a state police officer working undercover as the laid-back, no-cares-in-the-world surfer named Bodhi.
The only problem with making him a surfer was that I knew nothing about it, except how much I smile when I hear the song “Wipe Out,” which really doesn’t count for anything.
So, I started doing research about surfing and learned about waves, boards, surfer slang, sharks in Oregon (ack!), and wetsuits.
I’m a very visual learner. I wanted to watch a documentary or movie about surfing. I stumbled across Chasing Mavericks, a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity.
Not only did I learn about surfing, I learned about someone who impacted the lives around him. Jay was a 15-year-old surfing phenomenon who wanted to ride the Mavericks surf break in California, one of the biggest waves on Earth. He trained with surfing legend Frosty Hesson, and a photo of his wipeout on the Mavericks became the cover of a surfing magazine. Jay went on to become an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. The day before his twenty-third birthday, he was free-diving in the Maldives and died. No one is sure what happened. In honor of his life, of the inspiration he gave to the people he encountered, a Live Like Jay movement began.
Live Like Jay embodies living a life of passion, positivity, and authenticity.
The thing about this movie that I randomly decided to watch is that I unknowingly watched it on the anniversary of his death date. It gave me goose bumps when I started doing research about Jay Moriarity the next day, which would have been his birthday. Even typing that just gave me goose bumps.
By now, you are wondering what an undercover state police office pretending to be a surfer has to do with anything western.
Well, not a lot, except Logan, the hero, grew up on a ranch in Central Oregon and our surfing cowboy still loves to rope and ride any chance he gets.
I hope you’ll check out Sunrise Surf!
When a police officer posing as a surfer and a doctor wading through the unchartered waters of parenting a teen join forces to dismantle a drug operation, anything is possible.
Oregon State Police Officer Logan Wright swaps his badge for a board, posing undercover as a homeless surfer to infiltrate a deadly drug ring. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Seaside’s rugged coastline, he struggles with his dual life, especially after meeting a beautiful doctor who turns his head and touches his heart. Troubled by the fine line between duty and authenticity, Logan fears sharing the truth of his identity will drive her away.
Laken Hayes is a devoted doctor, fiercely protective of her teenage nephew, and determined to keep her hectic life in balance. But when a free-spirited surfer enters her world, nothing will ever be the same. Unexpectedly drawn to the charismatic man, Laken finds joy in his upbeat outlook on life while inadvertently becoming entangled in the web of Logan’s mission.
As their connection deepens and mysteries unravel, Logan faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: will he continue the deception to protect his cover or reveal his true self to the woman who has captured his heart?
Join Logan and Laken as they navigate a tide of secrets, false identities, and a wave of fast-moving danger in Sunrise Surf, a wholesome small-town romance that proves love may be the ultimate risk worth taking.
I found the idea of Live Like Jay so inspiring.
What is a slogan, saying, or something that has inspired you?