Readers—and writers, too, for that matter—often ask me where I get characters for my stories. In Missing Deposits, I had a couple of friends I wanted to include without actually including them, if that makes sense.
The couple who hosts Carly and Mike on their working vacation are named after very good friends—first names, only. Their last name came from a desire to design a brand that I could draw. A Lazy L, in brand terms, is one that lies horizontally.
I had a picture in my mind of what the host couple looked like—surprisingly like my friends. Except I couldn’t find a picture online of what these people really looked like, until I found a photo of a man who was stocky and a woman who was slender, both wearing old time revolvers on their hips. I had my couple.
One of the characters, who I started out not really liking at all, is named after somebody I used to know who was really difficult to get to know. One of this person’s defense mechanism was to hold people at arm’s length. I thought this character would make a really good suspect or villain. Funny how things change once we know why people act the way they do.
The hippie couple, Kenny and Melody, came from nowhere. Or at least, that’s how it seemed. Yet I could see them as clearly as if they were sitting across the desk from me. And while Melody looks like the ringleader, we get to the real essence of her character by the end of the story. People are not always how they first seem.
The marshal was another instance of not know who but knowing what. By that I mean I needed a lawman with good investigative skills who’s on the tail end of his career and doesn’t really want to break a sweat to solve what’s obviously an open-and-shut case. Think Jesse Stone on his worst day. Except, unlike Jesse, Marshal Minot doesn’t have a good side.
About Missing Deposits: Carly looks forward to a vacation when Mike is hired to assist a rancher in western Colorado catalogue his mineral rights following the discovery of several large deposits. However, Carly soon learns that the real wealth—and the real danger—aren’t below ground. Someone is out to keep a secret bigger and more profitable than gold and copper. And they’re willing to kill for it.
About Leeann: Leeann Betts writes contemporary romantic suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical romantic suspense. In the Money is the tenth title in her cozy mystery series, and together she and Donna have published more than 30 novellas and full-length novels. They ghostwrite, judge writing contests, edit, facilitate a critique group, and are members of American Christian Fiction Writers, Writers on the Rock, and Sisters in Crime. Leeann travels extensively to research her stories, and is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary LLC.
Merry Christmas! Welcome to the next blog in this Christmas Round-Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer on this Google Form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win one of three amazing prizes! First place is $300 Amazon gift card, second place is $150 Amazon gift card, third place is $75 Amazon gift card!
Sure wish I could enter instead of giving you this great opportunity to win a little something for yourself. At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.
Now on to the fun stuff! Let me introduce you to my Christmas novella, Mistletoe & Murder. I enjoyed writing a tighter romantic suspense story with a Cyrano de Bergerace storyline. Alec Stratman, recently retired from a decade in the Army, comes home for the funeral of his beloved Great-Aunt Heloise only to find out she’s been murdered.
As a second-generation emigrant, Isabella has to contend the loss of her employer and mentor but also the suspicion of the police and relatives who see her as a schemer out for Heloise’s money. Little does Isabella know that Alec was the man behind the words her former fiance—and Alec’s Army superior—used to woo her during a deployment.
With a houseful of scheming relatives, Alec has little time to confess his duplicity to Heloise’s housekeeper, Isabella Montoya. Alec and Isabella have to navigate the secrets that threaten to derail their budding romance while searching for the truth about Heloise’s death.
I’ve always enjoyed writing modern versions of older
stories, such as having an O’Henry twist in my Christmas short story, “Christmas,
Cold & Gray,” which readers can get for free when signing up for my newsletter.
Now, it’s time to
continue the scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at
this link. What kind of sandwiches does Isabella serve? When
you have the answer, fill out this form and
head on to the next blog!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Richard L. Mabry, MD , who is telling us all about his Christmas book Silent Night, Deadly Night. You can find it at this link. Remember that the round-robin will end on December 16th at 11:59 PM EST!
Stranded for the Holidays by Lisa Carter — Running away led her right where she belonged. A new mom for Christmas? She’s everything they’ve wished for. Runaway bride AnnaBeth Cummings needs shelter for the holidays when a blizzard leaves her stranded, and rancher Jonas Stone’s happy to help. But his son’s been wishing for a mommy for Christmas, and town matchmakers are convinced Annabeth and Jonas are perfect for each other. As the storm clears, city girl AnnaBeth will have to decide: does her heart now belong in the country? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson — After a knockout first date where Cassie Everson and Jett Bentley claim to not want kids, both come home to find three children dropped in their laps. . . each. While struggling to keep their heads above the parental waters, and without wanting to break up their relationship, they decide to do the mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong? (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
Home for Christmas by Candee Fick — After an embarrassing failure, a prodigal retreats to a secluded cabin in backwoods Missouri where he encounters an intriguing young woman and an old guitar. When the message in the music touches his heart, will he make it home in time for Christmas? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Getting Out of the Comfort Zone: Ayanna by Barbara James — While interning as a hospital chaplain, a young military officer falls for an EMT who is an antiwar activist. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Children’s:
Battle In The Valley by Susanne Blumer — The church bell tower transports Chip, Caroline and Billy back thousands of years to an ancient battlefield. There they meet a young shepherd destined to be king and a giant warrior bent on his destruction. Will the children survive the upcoming fight and make it back to Palmetto Island in one piece? (Middle-grade from Sutton Avenue Press)
Historical:
Hope Unchained by Carol Ashby — When a former legionary and a gladiator are hired to escort a young woman on her quest to rescue her brother and sister from slavery, more chains are broken by forgiveness and love than any of them thought possible. (Historical from Cerrillo Press)
Historical Romance:
The Major’s Daughter by Regina Jennings — In a western land run, an adventurous socialite stakes a claim on an orphaned outlaw’s chosen land, so he decides to stake a claim on her heart. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])
Sew In Love by Debby Lee, Jacquolyn McMurray, Darlene Panzera, and Kimberley Woodhouse — When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their sewing lead to love? In Hearts Sewn with Love, during the California gold rush, a beautiful seamstress finds her heart torn between the men who want to marry her and the one fortune hunter who won’t. In Woven Hearts, a shirtwaist factory fire survivor struggles to provide for her family despite the disastrous misguided intentions of the handsome union organizer who tries to help. In A Language of Love, a milliner with thick Irish accent and a renowned baseball player with speech impediment meet at the office of a language teacher. But the issues with their backgrounds that first brought them together will also drive them apart. In Tailored Sweethearts, a parachute seamstress struggles with her faith in desperate circumstances. A fighter pilot teaches her to hope in her darkest hours. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear — During the clash between Union and Confederacy, quiet Tennessean Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to nurse both Rebel and Yankee wounded who seek refuge at her family’s farm. She is determined to remain unmoved by the Yankee cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee. The MacFarlane family fits no stereotype Joshua believed in; still he is desperate to regain his footing—as a soldier, as a man, as a Christian—in the aftermath of his debilitating injury. He will use his time behind enemy lines to gather useful intelligence for the Union—if the courageous Rebel woman will stay out of the line of danger. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
Romantic Suspense:
Silent Night Suspect by Sharee Stover — Suspected of a crime she knows she didn’t commit… All she wants for Christmas is to remember. Blood on her blouse. A gun in her hand. A cartel leader’s dead body in front of her. Widow Asia Stratton can’t remember what happened—just that she’s been framed. The only way to prove her innocence is to work with her ex-sweetheart, Nebraska state trooper Slade Jackson. But can they clear her name before this Christmas turns even deadlier? (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Speculative:
Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig — After a catastrophic explosion, Kersei Dragoumis awakens in a derelict shuttle, alone, injured, and ignorant of the forbidden technology that has swept her into a nightmare. The brand she’s borne since childhood burns mysteriously, but the pain is nothing to that when she learns her family is dead and she is accused of their murders. Across the quadrants, Marco Dusan responds to the call of a holy order-not to join them, but to seek a bounty. Gifted-or cursed-with abilities that mark him a Kynigos, a tracker sworn to bring interplanetary fugitives to justice, Marco discovers this particular bounty has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with prophecy. One that involves the hunter as much as the hunted. (Speculative from Enclave Publishing)
Thriller/Suspense:
Laynie Portland, Renegade Spy by Vikki Kestell — Laynie must fight to earn her place on the task force—even as unfolding events expose a looming danger. Wolfe’s task force has a leak . . . one that threatens them all. (Suspense, Independently Published)
Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month: