I deleted the blurb of the book, but the rest of the post is here. Be sure to FOLLOW them on Twitter: @BVSBooks .
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Thank you for inviting me to your blog. Like most authors, I
enjoy talking about my books and love the opportunity.
You had asked, “What steps did I take to make my heroine
someone the reader would like?”
I find women like Olivia intriguing. She’s a different breed
of heroine. Sure she kicks butt like many other heroines, yet she almost has a
man’s mentality when she deals with death and sex. She’s cold, confident, and
focused until she completes her job. Afterwards, she looks around for a way to
unwind with an anonymous partner.
Okay. All of that we can see in the beginning of the book.
So we need to know what makes her tick. The best way for any author to do this
is by back story (background information about a character given in the
narrative) but no one wants to read a lot of narrative that doesn’t move the
plot forward. That would actually be boring.
So as you read along, you’ll begin to see cracks in the
shell she’s built. Small glimpses are revealed of a woman learning to deal with
a past colored by abuse and neglect. From a trash bin baby to being raised in a
poor orphanage, she refuses to feel sorry for herself. She’d learned to use
every weapon at her disposal, including her body.
We watch her kill her target and then moments later, her
body begins to give her telltale signs her job is getting to her. Her hand
shakes, her body trembles. Deep inside she understands why it happens, but
fights it. She feels she has no other alternative. Her deadly skills are what
saved her from certain death by the evil man who controls The Circle.
Let me show you an example.
She looked out the window at the crowd gathering at the
end of the pier. She jerked her gaze away. Concentrate on anything but the
finished job. Think of the gun she loved to control. Think of the power she
held. Think about sex. A strong, hard, hot male body always helped. Think about
getting away and planning the next job.
She reached out and caressed the two marks she’d made on
the butt of the rifle. Time for a third. Her fingers shook; tears
threatened her composure. Drawing her hand into a fist, she took a few deep
breaths and then with well-practiced precision broke down the rifle and placed
the sections into her luggage. Another tremor started at her hand and vibrated
down her torso, before she knew it her whole body shook. Why couldn’t her body
cooperate? She’d done worse, been worse.
It’s truly amazing how a few words can make a difference.
For me, I know anytime I read a romance, the heroine or/and hero are guaranteed
to grow and change. I’ll keep reading, because if nothing else, I’m interested
in seeing how they change. One good example is Anita Blake in Laurell
Hamilton’s vampire series. I didn’t like Anita at first, but I kept reading
expecting change and she did — actually several times throughout the series.
Now back to CIRCLE OF DESIRE. So
knowing Olivia will change, I want to find out how she deals with finally
coming against a man who refuses to be manipulated by her sexuality. Collin realizes
nothing about Olivia is dull. As he wonders one time in the book, she fascinated him. Like a snake charmer
fascinated a cobra. Now the question was, was he the snake charmer or the
cobra?
Though he gives in to her allure in the beginning, he fights
his attraction. Yet he actually uses it as a carrot for her good behavior. But it takes more for her to cooperate. So he uses
the one thing against her that reveals the goodness she hides from others. It’s
her one weakness. What is that? Sorry. You’ll need to read the book to find
that out.
I’m such a tease.
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