Inspiration
In the fall of 2008, I discovered the crackship Johnny & Nadine. Johnny Zacchara and Nadine Crowell never shared more than a handful of scenes, mostly at The Black and White Ball, but their chemistry, plus the combination of grumpy sunshine created a small, but dedicated fanbase. I wanted to dip my toes in, and came up with the marriage of convenience idea set in 2008. I wrote a few chapters back then (sixteen years ago!) but then GH made a few story moves that just soured me on the show. Jason and Elizabeth had their tragic courthouse break up, and then they took Claire Coffee (Nadine) and Megan Ward (Kate Howard) off contract. Once I realized they were going with Nikolas/Elizabeth, I just completely tuned out, and These Small Hours languished.
I dusted it off when I came back in 2014, but I never really found the time or inspiration to revisit. I had to find a way to refocus it around Jason/Elizabeth as there was even less audience for Johnny/Nadine vehicle, and that took some time.
If you’re interested in more Johnny/Nadine, Huma wrote the gold standards. The Right Girl might be one of the best-written romances I’ve ever read.
But now, of course, here we are 🙂
Dedication
Mariah (fallinangelz21) for reading every single chapter three or four times and giving the best advice. There’s a Jason scene that happens around Chapter 9 or 10 that wouldn’t have been in the edits if she hadn’t given me the inspiration.