XIII by Keith Gaston

What's her name?
Mary Jamison

Why did you pick that name?
Mary’s name comes from a relative of mine.Give us a brief description of how she looks.
She looks like Demi Moore, she stands at five ten, and usually wears her long hair in a bun.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?
She looks like Demi Moore.

Who does she love? Why?
She’s still in love with her late husband, Eric. He was killed during a botched federal sting operation.

Does this person love her?
Always

Tell us about her family.
No family, Mary was an orphan. Though she is very close to the family that works for her at a bed and breakfast; Eula, Edward and their daughter Diane.

Where is she from?
Mary is originally from Dearborn, Michigan but later moved to Devereux (fictional town) where she was placed into the Friday House Orphanage.

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?
She grew up in a tough environment and became a bit of a loner because of it.

What does she want out of life?
To be left alone with her thoughts and to live a simple, quiet life.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)
That she had thought of killing herself on more than one occasion.

Did you write more than one story about her?
No.

How would she describe you?
She would say that I watch too many cartoons.

Keith (D. K. Gaston)
http://www.dkgaston.com/
www.myspace.com/dkgaston

Cobweb on the Soul - Nadene Carter

What’s her name?

Abigail (Abby) Carlson is the heroine in my novel, A Cobweb on the Soul

Why did you pick that name?

I went to several baby name sites and pulled up names that mothers gave their daughter back in 1977 when my heroine was born. I already had the bare bones of my story plotted out. The name, Abigail, was on that list, and it fit this character of this story.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.

Abby stands 5 ft. 8 inches, has shoulder-length auburn hair, and gold-flecked brown eyes.

Where does she work? Does her work add anything to the story?

Abby is an architect with the McNeil Clark architectural firm in Park City, Utah, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Her work allows the reader to see another side of Abby’s personality as well shows how she reacts in this setting.

How would a friend or co-worker describe Abby?

Positive traits: Type A personality, can do attitude, dependable … almost to her detriment, kind, patient but with a breaking point.

Negative traits: Impulsive, so hard working that people sometimes take advantage of her, sometimes over-thinks things, lets old memories gnaw on her.

Who does she love? Why?

Jared Norton is Abby’s love interest, but … he is a cop, and she has long-standing issues with cops in general. She thinks she has put all that behind her until she discovers the body of a teenage girl who resembles her sister, Lianne, who disappeared nine years ago.

[A clip from the novel]
Abby studied the contour of the face she’d come to love. What was he thinking? Usually she didn’t care for a mustache, but the way Jared wore his neatly trimmed and not at all ostentatious gave him a classic look. A most handsome thirty-two-year-old man, and the contrast between his soft hazel eyes and strong square jaw often got him an admiring glance from the casual passerby. He took some good-natured ribbing from the guys because of the unsolicited attention that came his way.

How did they meet?

[A clip from the novel]
(Abby) smiled at the memory of the first day she met him last fall when she moved to town. She had sped along Kearns Boulevard to catch up with the mover’s van before it reached her condo, and a policeman had pulled her over. She turned on the charm and talked her way out of a ticket.

While the officer wrote up a warning, someone stopped to talk to him, obviously someone from the department, because he had a portable red light on the dashboard of his car. He was so strikingly handsome, in a rugged sort of way, it was difficult not to stare. He met her gaze with an equally appraising look of his own. It made her think of that old song . . . I was looking back to see if he was looking back at me . . . something or other.

Does this person love her?

Yes, but … he so mourns the past that he misses the joy in the present. Even after all these years, he still grieves for Cindy (his first wife who was killed inside their apartment in a robbery gone bad). How can (Abby) possibly compete with that image of perfection?

Tell us about her family and where she is from.

Frank and Birdie still own the ranch outside Greeley, Colorado where Abby grew up.

[A clip from the novel]
She thought of her father’s words: ‘One acre or a hundred takes ’bout the same machinery to run. Remember that, Ab, when you get rich enough to buy a place of your own’. Her eyes refocused from mental images of the Colorado ranch where she grew up back to the Bradford Estate.

Does where she grew up affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

She has retained the work ethic and dependability she learned while growing up and working with her father on the family farm.

What does she want out of life?

Abby is to the age where she would like to be married, but she is hesitant to go there until she is very sure of the man she loves.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)

[A clip from the novel]
As a child, Abby never tired of hearing her mother tell the story about the day they brought ten-day-old Abby home. Frank and Birdie had waited such a long time to adopt, and they accepted the likelihood that Abby would be their only child. Then Lianne had come along.

Lianne. Abby still remembered the day they brought her home to live with them. At first, five-year-old Abby had been so excited to have a little sister, but her enthusiasm quickly cooled. Lianne was tiny for being almost three years old and so pretty, long blond curls and a smile that melted everyone’s heart, and they all made such a fuss over her. Abby recalled feeling ugly by comparison. With a stab of guilt, she also remembered wishing Lianne hadn’t come to live with them, a regret buried deep in her soul, one that she had never shared with anyone.

What does Abby do that makes her a heroine in your story?

Abby unwittingly becomes a target for a serial killer. He kidnaps Megan, Abby’s best friend’s three-year-old daughter, and uses the child to try to control Abby. Abby uses her brains, spunk, and courage to defeat this killer.

Did you write more than one story about her?

I have a sequel planned for Abby, but it is still in the simmering stage.

It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.

For more information, visit - http://www.nadenecarter.com/

Jill Nelson Introduces Desiree Jacobs

Jill Nelson shares information about her heroine with us.

What's her name?

Desiree Jacobs

Why did you pick that name?

I wanted something melodic that was a bit off the beaten path and yet not strange or hard to pronounce.Give us a brief description of how she looks.

She’s a petite dynamo with shoulder-length sable hair and hazel eyes. For facial features, think a miniature Gina Davis with the high cheekbones and full lips.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?

Her appearance isn’t unusual, but her occupation is. She’s quite physically fit because she’s a legal cat burglar. Ah, I see the furrowed brows. How is this possible?

Desi is the CEO of her family business, HJ Securities, a museum security company that serves world-famous museums, governments, and the wealthy the world over. She regularly performs and succeeds at sanctioned heists, though no one can know about the unsanctioned ones. Some consider her the best cat burglar in the world.

Who does she love? Why?

She loves the man that started out as her arch-nemesis, Special Agent Anthony Lucano of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ironically, considering his risky occupation, one of their greatest bones of contention is his fears for her safety because of her impulsive and daring nature.

Desi also loves her father, the man who raised her alone after the accidental death of her mother when she was an infant. Hiram, the founder of HJ Securities, is murdered at the very beginning of Reluctant Burglar, book one in the To Catch a Thief series, so mentioning that isn’t a spoiler. However, his memory haunts Desi throughout the series on multiple levels.

And she loves her best friend and premier employee, Maxine Webb. Max is a West Texas ranch gal with fly-away red hair, an accent you could cut with a knife, and a genius for electronics that leads to all sorts of interesting gadgets.

Does this person love her?

They all love her more than their own lives. Hiram proved it literally. Tell us about her family.

Oops, see above! I could add, though, that the Jacobs are pretty alone in the world. With her father gone, Desi becomes an orphan in a profound sense. Reluctant Runaway, book two in the To Catch a Thief series, deals with the generational consequences of choices for good or ill and contains a few surprises along the line of family ties.

Where is she from?

Desi’s hometown is Boston , Massachusetts . She was born and raised there; however, her business takes her all over the world. Reluctant Burglar is set primarily in Boston , and some in Italy , but subsequent books take readers to Washington , DC , Albuquerque , NM , and Mexico .

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

Her international upbringing tempers any tendency toward regionalism, though I suspect she has that unique Boston accent.

What does she want out of life?

She wants to honor God in her lifestyle, honor her father’s memory by prospering in the business he left to her, and enjoy a future full of love with the man she’s passionate about. Naturally, all hell tries to sabotage these goals.Did you write more than one story about her?

Reluctant Burglar released in September 2006, Reluctant Runaway in March 2007, and Reluctant Smuggler is due out in January 2008. Desi and Tony are the central characters in all three. Each is a complete caper that can stand alone, but to follow character and relationship development, it’s nice to start with book one. Book excerpts, a video trailer, a monthly contest for free books, and purchase information are on my web site: http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/.

How would she describe you?

Ooh, great question!

I’m the benevolent dictator who dreamed her up—literally.

I woke up in the wee hours one morning all tense from a dream where I saw a woman in black sneak into an estate. She took a painting off the wall and replaced it with an identical painting. Oddly enough, I knew that she had stolen the forgery and put the genuine back. I also knew that, if she were caught, disaster would follow for many, not just herself. The dream was so vivid, I began to play with it in my waking mind, asking two particular questions.

What career would this woman have to give her cat burglar skills without making her a crook? Museum security expert became my answer.

What dire predicament must she be in to cause her to do something so bizarre? The answer became the plot for Reluctant Burglar.

All the Best,

Jill
http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/

HOW TO SUBMIT

Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.

What's her name?

Why did you pick that name?

Give us a brief description of how she looks.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?

Who does she love? Why?

Does this person love her?

Tell us about her family.

Where is she from?

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

What does she want out of life?

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)

Did you write more than one story about her?

How would she describe you?

Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Please provide your website link.

What is the link to buy your book?

It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.

Feel free to email your answers to nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com and I'll add your information. They will be posted, but not all at once. That will give everyone an opportunity to get plenty of exposure.

Nikki Leigh
http://www.nikkileigh.com/