Jeremiah Sheppard is in the house.

This week on Open Book Blog Hop we’re interviewing a character and I’m interviewing Jeremiah (Dog) Sheppard. Jeremiah is my hero in Moving to Love. He’s sexy, smart, owns Rolling Thunder Motorcycles and he’s finally found love after 45 years.  He agreed to sit down with me and chat and I thi ]]>

PJ:  Jeremiah, thank you for taking the time to sit and chat, I know you’re a super busy man, so we’ll be as brief as we can.

   JS:  Yes, thank you, but I’ve planned for this interview, so ask away.

PJ:  That’s very nice of you.  Let’s begin shall we?  What is the biggest obstacle you’ve ever faced and how did you overcome it?

   JS:  That’s a good one, because over time your biggest obstacles change.  I’ve faced many in my 45 years, going to war, my obstacles were staying alive and keeping my men alive.  Being a single father, my biggest obstacles were raising good men, keeping them out of trouble and healthy.  Recently, my biggest obstacle is getting the beautiful but stubborn Jocelyn James to go out with me.

PJ:  What is the one place you’ve never been to that you want to see some day?

   JS: I’ve never been to Hawaii and that’s a dream of mine. I’ve had friends who’ve gone and visited and they’ve told me about some of the fascinating things they’ve seen and done, like looking into a volcano. That’s something I’d never thought was possible but now that I know it is, I’d love to do that.

PJ:  Do you have a favorite kind of flower or plant?

   JS:  I’m not much of a flower person and, honestly, if you came to my house, you’d see, the landscaping leave much to the imagination.  Raising my boys and building Rolling Thunder has been my focus for many years now.  At the urging of my mom I did hire a landscaper to come in a few years ago and he did a great job of adding plants of varying colors that certainly make my house look more inviting, but I couldn’t name a one of them for you.

PJ:  Fair enough.  Tell me about a time you succeeded at something you really wanted.

   JS:  Well now, that’s an easy one.  I’d say that Rolling Thunder is something that I’ve wanted for quite some time.  I’ve worked my ass off building that business and making a nice living from it. But, now I have a new goal and that’s trying to break down the walls that Joci has erected around her heart. So, I’m very hopeful that the next time I see you, my answer will be very different than it is today.

PJ:  Hmm, she sounds interesting, maybe I need to interview her.  Now tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.

   JS:  Laughing.  You should interview Joci, she’s incredibly interesting. Okay, to answer your question, I failed to bring my best friend home from war.  Lance and I have been friends since we were little.  We went into the Marines together, went through boot camp together and deployed to Iraq together, but, we didn’t come home together.  What did I learn from it?  Well, I’ve learned that life must go on for the living. That to honor his memory I need to help others in his name, it’s where the Veteran’s Ride originally started.  I met a local Vet who needed some assistance.  At the time, I didn’t have the money to help him, so I did what I could do, organized a ride.  We raised enough money to help that fella purchase a prosthetic leg, and accessorize his vehicle so he could drive himself around. That made me feel so good and I thanked Lance for watching over us and helping me figure the situation out.  I help Veterans all the time now.

PJ:  Wow, that’s sad and awesome at the same time, thank you for your service and your community philanthropy.  Okay, finish this sentence. “When I turn 60, I want to ….”

   JS:  *Chuckling*  I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead.  I guess I’d say that by the time I’m 60 I hope to have grandchildren to play with, a loving wife to live with and that my sons are all happy and healthy and doing well in their lives.  Nothing earth-shattering there.

PJ:  Do you have a totem animal? If not, and you were going to choose one, what would it be?

   JS:  Well, since my nickname is Dog, and my last name is Sheppard, I’d say that by osmosis my totem animal would be a German Sheppard.

PJ:  Makes perfect sense.  How about this, what is your relationship with technology?

   JS:  My brother, Dayton, is and always has been a computer geek. Because of him, I’ve been indoctrinated into the world of all geekdom.  I can say that because I say it to his face. (Laughs).  Dayton has set up a state of the art security system in Rolling Thunder, and I’ve had been forced to learn how to use it.  I have a cell phone and I email, other than that, I don’t have the time to get too mired down in all the technical aspects of technology.

PJ:  Do you dream in color?

   JS:  (Looking at the ceiling a soft smile played on his lips.)  I guess I do.  I hadn’t thought of it, but, I’ll say yeah.

PJ:  (Chuckling) Okay, last but not least; In three words, describe yourself.

   JS:  Driven. Strong. Caring.

Jeremiah, thank you very much for sitting and chatting with me today.  I’m grateful for your time and I’m thrilled to have met you.

Let’s go see who my fellow bloggers have interviewed.

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