a lead character in the contemporary romance novel Aquamarine Tonya Claiborne was first introduced in my earlier contemporary romance novel, The Betrayal. She was the seventeen-year-old sister of Annette Claiborne, one of the antagonists, and I created her almost as an afterthought. Like her cousin, Emily, Tonya is an aspiring musician. She also has another talent; … Continue reading “Meet Tonya Claiborne”
from the contemporary romance novel Aquamarine Spring break is coming up fast, but Tonya may have to change her plans at the last minute, and Evan isn’t pleased. Please enjoy this sample read from Aquamarine. *** Evan greeted her with his usual kiss when he arrived. “Ready to go?” he asked. “In a minute.” … Continue reading “A Spring Break Scene”
I’ve noticed a trend with my two most recent contemporary romance novels. My lead characters chose to get involved with the wrong man for the wrong reasons. This got me to thinking. Why do we do this in real life? Loneliness I think loneliness is a big factor. I’ve known people, both men and women, … Continue reading “Making Bad Romance Choices”
As the old year comes to an end Tonya and Mike are on opposite sides of the country. Mike is performing in New York while Tonya has a gig at a hotel in Beverly Hills. During a break, however, she’ll discover that she has an unexpected ally. Marina Martindale *** A New Year’s Scene from … Continue reading “New Year Scene from Aquamarine”
Tonya’s holiday turned bittersweet after George thwarted her plans to spend it Mike. However, her other friends have a special Christmas surprise in store for her that is guaranteed make her smile. Marina Martindale A Christmas scene from the contemporary romance novel Aquamarine Tonya spent the next few days jamming with Shawn and helping Jacque … Continue reading “A Christmas Scene from Aquamarine”
It’s Tonya’s first Thanksgiving in Los Angeles. George will be spending the day watching football, while Tonya’s mother and stepfather have come to visit her. Tonya meets her parents at their motel, and they drive up to Santa Barbara to spend the day with Mike. As the turkey is cooking, the conversation takes an interesting … Continue reading “A Thanksgiving Scene from Aquamarine”
the manipulative villain from the contemporary romance novel Aquamarine When it comes to people hiding their real intentions behind a charming facade, no one does it better than George Monroe. He’s one of the most diabolical villains I’ve created to date. He almost makes the homicidal Craig Walker, from my contemporary romance novel, The Stalker, … Continue reading “Meet George Monroe”
We authors are told to write what me know, and so far nearly every lead character I’ve created is an artist of some kind. Gillian was a painter. Carrie was a photographer. Most recently, Tonya was a musician. Or they’re like Cassie and Stephanie, and they work with artists. Many of my leading men characters … Continue reading “So Why All the Artists and Photographers?”
a lead character in Aquamarine Mickey Lee Janson, also known as Mike Jablonski, was originally intended to be minor character in my contemporary romance novel, Aquamarine. However, like Jeremy Palmer, from The Reunion and The Journey, Mickey, or Mike, as he prefers to be called, had other ideas. Characters sometimes have minds of their own, … Continue reading “Meet Mickey Lee Janson”
but at the time I couldn’t Aquamarine is, in some ways, the contemporary romance novel I wanted to write a few years ago, when I wrote The Scandal. The Scandal is the story of Lauren McAllen, a soap opera star who wants to break into the movies while Calvin Michaelson, the main antagonist, would live … Continue reading “It’s What I Wanted to Write”