Sunday, October 21, 2007

One Smooth Stone by Marcia Lee Laycock


Okay -- its time to tell us about that hunky hero in your book.

What's his name? He goes by Alex Donnelly but discovers he was born with another name

Why did you pick that name? I've always liked the name Alex. Donnelly seemed to fit him.

Give us a brief description of how he looks. He's average height, black hair and grey eyes. He tends to slouch a lot.

Is there anything unusual about his appearance? He has a white scar extending from the bottom tip of his left ear to his shoulder.

Who does he love? he slowly falls in love with a paralegal he meets when he returns to the city.
Why? He sees something in her he has been searching for all his life - peace.

Does this person love him? Yes, though she resists it at first

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him? Extremely, but he has never known them. He was raised in foster homes.

Where is he from? Born in Seattle, WA, but has lived most of his life in Vancouver Canada

Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude? No. He left it when a baby.

What does he want out of life? Peace and a sense of belonging.

What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.) Something happened in one of the foster homes he lived in. He feels a lot of shame because of it.

Did you write more than one story about him? I'm about to start book 2.

How would he describe you?
Hmm - interesting question. He'd probably describe me as someone who will someday make a good grandmother.

Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.
He has a lot of internal conflict that keeps running into the external circumstances in his life. He thinks he has a way out, but finds he has just run right back to where he started.

Please provide your website link.
www.vinemarc.com

What is the link to buy your book?
www.castlequaybooks.com

It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us. By the way, do you have a picture of him that you'd like to share?
You can catch a glimpse of him on my website - click on the cover to view the trailer

Marcia Lee Laycock
Author of One Smooth Stone
No matter how far you run, God will find you; no matter what you have done, God will forgive you.
www.vinemarc.com
www.marcialaycock.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Last Free Men - By Jack Everett & David Coles


Okay -- its time to tell us about that hunky hero in your book.

What's his name?

There are two heroes…

Marcus Uffin Gettorix, a young Romano-British man initially employed by the Roman Army as a scout on the northern border of Britain.

The other is a career centurion, Emelius Karrus, in his mid forties, intensely loyal, capable, dependable. This is the second century; Britain has already been occupied by the Romans for almost a century.

Why did you pick that name?

Marcus is the son of a mixed union; his father is a Senator in Britain as part of his career path, his mother is related to the ruling aristocracy of northern Britain - his name is typical of a mixed marriage.

Emelius is a real historic character, serving in Britain, probably promoted to Tribuen in the field and later serving in Persia.

Give us a brief description of how he looks.

Marcus is tall, and wiry - from his British side and dark haired, olive skinned from his Mediterranean ancestry. Like most of his fellow soldiers, he is tough and very fit. He wears British clothes to pass as a trader but has Roman military uniform which he wears for formal occasions.

Emelius is thickset, has Mediterranean colouring and black eyes. Again, his profession has made him strong and hardy. He wears military gear - a crested steel helmet over crew-cut greying hair, overlapping strip armour sewn to a leather tunic, a leather kilt, grieves and sandal-like hob-nailed boots. For ceremonial occasions, he has a set of helmet and armour decorated with brass detail.

Is there anything unusual about his appearance?

Marcus has an unusual mixture of looks because of his ancestry; blue eyes with dark skin and hair are striking.

Emelius is immediately compelling; he is one of the Legion's principal centurions at the peak of his active career and in the prime of life, his self-confidence colours his whole bearing and character, he stands out in any group.

Who does he love? Why?

Marcus falls in love with Asel, the daughter of a trader when he helps her escape from a prison camp.

Emelius has taken a local woman to wife; when he is posted elsewhere, he will make a small provision for her and leave her.

Does this person love him?

Asel has loved Marcus from the times he has come to her father's house but her father makes jokes about her feelings and she tries to hide them.

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?

Marcus' father is a distant figure, he returned to Rome when Marcus was a boy but letters are exchanged regularly - Marcus is unusual in having been taught to read Latin; the relationship is a pragmatic one. His Mother is very important, he visits her at her home whenever duties permit, helps with household tasks.

Emelius' family is the Roman Army, no contest.

Where is he from?

Marcus is from the Roman Empire's North West frontier: the area of present day Dumfriesshire in Scotland.

Emelius' antecedents are never mentioned; he signed up for a minimum stretch of 25 years in the army in his teens and this is his life. Having only the two names: Emelius Karrus, we know he is not from Rome itself, perhaps from Sicily.

Does his hometown affect his behaviour, thoughts and attitude?

Marcus is constantly beset by conflict; his two backgrounds make him an outsider in both the Roman Army and in his northern British tribal world, too often he can see both sides of an argument and his covert work as a scout (think of the old Western scouts used by the US army) is a life of deception.

Emelius rarely thinks of his early life. The Army has replaced family, his life is one of certainty, physical well-being and self-reliance.

What does he want out of life?

Marcus wants to settle down with a wife, a family and a farm and let soldiering become distant memories to tell his children - but not yet, when he is old, forty perhaps.

Emelius has what he wants from life, promotion would be good but not all the paperwork he knows it will entail; domestic life is comfortable but not essential - he is a soldier's soldier.

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

Marcus doesn't know what he is capable of… only the Druids know that secret and they aren't telling.

Did you write more than one story about him?

Not so far.

How would he describe you?

Marcus would think we're chair-bound elders.

Emelius would think we're soft-muscled scribes but might concede we have our uses.

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

As the story progresses, Marcus feels increasingly manipulated and insecure, a tool of the Gods that he scarcely believes in.

Officers like Emelius always have a healthy contempt for the political appointees who command them, he finds his disapproval well-founded. He also finds the hardest thing he had to do in Britain was pay his respects to the widow of his commanding officer.

Please provide your website link.

http://www.davidBColes.co.uk

http://www.JackLEverett.me.uk

What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.virtualtales.com/StoryProducts~tn~Last+Free+Men.html

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

Monday, October 1, 2007

"Ladies of Class"


What's his name? Chief Inspector Detective Richard Hayward

Why did you pick that name? As I am not the Author, that is hard to answer. Mum probably picked that name as she related a lot of her writings to some aspect of her life.

Give us a brief description of how he looks. Richard is tall, slim with dark hair. His face can change quite dramatically. He has a serious air that determines his position in the force. But the twinkle in his eye reveals his remarkable sense of humour that can take over, not always at the most appropriate time.

Is there anything unusual about his appearance? Not really. At the beginning of the story Richard is recovering from a broke bone in his leg. So he probably is not walking quite normally.

Who does he love? Why? Richard loves his wife Kate and of course his mother who is one of the characters throughout the story. Richard adores Kate, his first love. Kate is absent until the end of the story but she is always on Richard's mind. One can understand his devotion to Kate as events progress. Even feel his sense of loss that Kate is not with him to share his happiness for his promotion and move to their new home.

Does this person love him? Richard really believes that Kate loves him, however, at times there is a hint of doubt in his mind. As Kate entries the story towards the end, one really does get the felling for the depth of love towards Richard.

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him? Ella, Richard's mother plays an important part in Richard's life at the moment. In Kate's absence, Ella has taken care of Richard after his accident. She is assisting Richard in setting up his new home after his promotion and move to Burshill. At first Richard didn't feel the need for his mother to be doing so much. However, when he is called back to duty before his convalescence is up, to investigate the murders, he then sees the value and importance of all that his mother is doing.

Where is he from? Richard is originally from London, England.

Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude? Richard's background as a big town policeman and his reputation for 'getting the gangster', preceded him to the small town of Burshill. But he really does not act like a 'big time cop'. In some ways, even though his is probably the youngest officer to get his promotion, he is quite unassuming and at times, humble.

What does he want out of life? Probably the thing Richard wants most is for Kate and himself to enjoy a quiet life in their new home town and do his job well He was never really happy with all the fame and attention he was receiving in London.

What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.) Richard does not really appear to have any secrets, unless his somewhat unusual methods of 'catching the villain’' could be considered a secret.

Did you write more than one story about him? Yes, Mum did write another Detective Richard Hayward murder mystery book.

How would he describe you? I think Richard would describe Mum as a very private woman who was never without a book or pen in her hand. Avidly reading or furiously writing.

Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share. Richard was able to combine his thoroughness of investigation and questioning with diplomacy. Which added to his successes.

Please provide your website link. http://marjo-mumswritings. blogspot.com

What is the link to buy your book? www.vrpublishing.com

It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us. By the way, do you have a picture of him that you'd like to share? No pictures unfortunately.