A Premise for the Story

Last week, I did a little brainstorming on a premise for the story and came up with an idea that I really liked. I still need to flesh it out a whole lot more, but wanted to share my initial ideas. 

You can also check out an overview of the premise in Episode 20 of my Author’s Diary. 

The Premise of the book will center around a group of firefighters working in Old Town Tomball, Texas. Ultimately, I’m setting up the story to have the option of being a series where each firefighter would be featured in his/her own story. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

The characters are yet to be named, even though I do have some ideas. So for now, the male love interest will be known as Firefighter 1 (or FF1) and the female love interest will be known as News Anchor (or NA).

The story will probably begin with FF1 watching the news where his childhood best friend is the news anchor and is wildly successful, dating a professional basketball player and hasn’t been back to Old Town Tomball in 15 years (when some critical event happened).

He’s pining over her secretly while his FF friends are remarking how great she is and can’t believe they used to be friends. They bombard him with questions about her: has he spoken to her, do they keep up. He’s sullen. No, he hasn’t  heard from her in 15 years.

The discussion gets interrupted when a distress call comes in about a fire at the assisted living facility.

This is the same facility where News Anchor’s estranged mother has been living for past 10 years.

NA doesn’t know this, but FF1 has been checking in on NA’s mom even though he knows News Anchor has cut ties with the woman.

The fire is a tough blaze. The firefighters rescue the inhabitants and some are badly hurt including News Anchor’s mom. As FF1 is getting NA’s mom into the ambulance, mom cries out for news anchor saying she’s sorry, so sorry.

Not sure if mom will survive. FF1 decides to reach out to NA and tell her what happened, that the blaze covered in the news was the facility where her mom lives and she might want to check on her. NA blows him off and says she doesn’t care, but then ends up coming back to Old Town Tomball.

While NA’s mom is in the hospital, FF1 and NA reconnect as he tries to get her to forgive her mother before it’s too late. Along the way, FF1 finds out that NA’s relationship with the professional basketball player is casual and unfulfilling.

NA starts to spend more time in Old Town Tomball with FF1 and is reminded of how much she enjoyed his company. They realize that they have feelings for each other, but they both hide it from the other.

NA remains stubborn and refuses to forgive her mom for the “critical event” that happened in the past. She refuses to go to the hospital to see her mom.

FF1 finally convinces her to do it and when she does, it’s right before her mom has to go into emergency surgery. FF1 helps NA see that she can and should forgive her mom, but when she tries to tell her mom, the woman is in a coma and can’t hear her.

FF1 comforts NA and their feelings for each other grow deeper, which they confess to each other while the mom is in surgery. 

NA is very upset and FF1 is super supportive. They are the perfect couple.

Then a miracle happens! The mom survives the surgery and is lucid to talk to NA and receive her forgiveness. They reconcile and vow to make up for lost time. FF1 and NA realize that they want to be in a relationship and commit to a new life exploring their new found love. 

It’s an HEA and Christmas miracle!!!

So that’s what I have so far. I have a lot of work to do before November 1 to flesh out a skinny outline of the story using this premise as the starting point. 

Let me know what you think by dropping a comment below!