Rink Rat

A few years ago at the Romance Writers of America convention, Harlequin gave out the convention bags. They have pictures of Harlequin covers on them, including some vintage books. I love my bag. Anyway, I noticed a hockey book on the Harlequin bag. I looked it up online and now have in my hot little hands a copy of Rink Rat (copyright 1951).

As a Harlequin author who wrote a hockey dad book, I was intrigued. I have to share a few tidbits.

1. From the back cover: Look behind the scenes of professional hockey...into the dressing rooms.

Okay. What? Really? I'm so in for that. (Except, I've been in the car with a hockey bag before and I really believe a hockey locker room must...well...reek. Maybe that's why we're just looking and not actually going behind the scenes.)

2. More from the back cover: Why did the young man from the back streets of a prairie town fight his way to the very top and then...but that's the story.

Back cover copy is a bit less obvious these days, but I like this direct approach.

3. One more from the back cover: Against the background of the fastest game on earth is laid an ADULT story

The caps are really on the cover, just like that. It's code, right?

4. Serendipity: The heroine in my hockey dad book is named Clare. Mr. MacMillan's heroine is named Claire. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? (Those caps are mine.)

5. Okay, here are the first few sentences: Cave Durrell was born in Spadina City, Saskatchewan. His mother died early and his father, hitherto considered a man most likely to succeed (he being both personable and brilliant) was so broken up by it he sought surcease in looking upon the wine when it was red, white, brown or just any convenient color.

Hitherto? Surcease? Nice. I like the way the back story is coming out gradually.

I will read more and keep you posted on Cave's doings. (I'd keep you posted on the dad and the wine he looks upon, but he dies in the next paragraph.)

P.S. Harlequin has some of the vintage covers for sale on notebooks and other merchandise. I like the Doctor Scott notebook because it mentions the author's previous book, Nurse Ellen.

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