HERO OR VILLAIN?
BY PATRICIA ROSEMOOR
Even as he reaches for what looks like a gold crescent encrusted with emeralds, another diver shoots out of nowhere, hand driving into the still-buried motherlode and coming up out of the sand with a bejeweled gold dagger. He strikes out. ...the intended target the first diver's air hose. Cordelia Ward awakened in a cold sweat, her wrist throbbing with heat, the yacht rocking gently beneath her.
And so starts the second contemporary half of WRITTEN IN THE STARS. In Sherrill Bodine’s historical half, the villain places a curse on the hero and heroine. In my present day half, Cordelia’s dream vision warns her of one man’s duplicity. But is it Innis, the salvager, or Morgan, the pirate? Both men want Cordelia, but which is the potential murderer and how can she stop that from happening?
How does one write a character who could be either hero or villain? More importantly, how does one write TWO characters who could be either?
It’s a balancing act. Not only do both men need to have good qualities, both men need to say/do/think things that make them seem suspicious.
Morgan certainly can seem a little ruthless: Glaring out the porthole at his competition, Morgan decided he would do whatever it took, even if he had to get close to Cordelia Ward for information. The idea of getting really close to her made his blood rush even faster—she was a beautiful, exciting woman. He wanted a taste of that. But would a taste be enough for him? Not that his desires would let her stop him from getting what he deserved.
And what about Innis: This treasure hunt was his chance to get everything he ever wanted, starting with Cordelia and ending with the infamous celestial girdle, the jeweled prize of The Celestine motherlode.
After all, who had a better right to claim it than a descendent of the House of Lennox?
Forewarned by her dream vision, Cordelia must sort things out and learn to trust her heart...
Have you ever had an experience with a “bad boy” and were you able to figure out if he was really bad or just someone who needed your good influence?
About Written in the Stars:
“A passionate tale of destiny, danger and dark magic—and a love so powerful that it conquers time.” Mary Jo Putney, New York Times Bestselling Author.
‘A love so deep that it can last through centuries?
In 1601, Lady Elizabeth York’s star-shaped birthmark proclaims her a child of magic. When she arrives at Dunham Castle to marry Carlyle, heir to the Duke of Lennox, but finds enchantment in the eyes and touch of Will Grey, the Duke’s bastard son. Bewitched by Elizabeth, Will defies all for their love, and his jilted half-brother places a curse on them both.
Searching for a treasure ship sunk long ago, present-day marine archeologist Cordelia Ward is pursued romantically by both salvager Innis Foley and treasure hunter Morgan Murphy. She is haunted by a murderous nightmare where one man is the killer and the other the victim, but which man is her enemy, which her soul’s mate? Can a journal that belonged to her ancestress, Lady Elizabeth York show her the answers…in time to save her true love?
Chased by evil, two women discover their own magic to fight the villain’s curse on the Posey rings that draw them to the men they are destined to love.
Written in the Stars Excerpt:
He leaned into her so close his breath laved her face. “How about I make you an honest offer—a partnership.”
She stuck her right hand against his chest and backed off. “I don’t think so. You and I have very different goals.”
“I thought we both wanted to find the motherlode of The Celestine.”
“I’m a marine archeologist and—”
He captured her hand before she could remove it. “And I’m a pirate?”
“I didn’t say that, but you are looking for treasure, while I am looking for artifacts.”
“Not that I see the difference, but how about I offer you this.” From his pocket, he pulled a diamond-
studded gold chain from which hung a crescent moon set with sapphires.
Cordelia’s eyes widened.
“Exactly.” He took her right hand from where he’d trapped it and placed the artifact in her palm.
The touch of metal and jewels to her ring electrified Cordelia. Startled, she gasped at the power but wrapped her fingers around the jeweled moon so she wouldn’t drop it. Her heart beating too fast, she took a closer look and recognized its age. This was no modern copy of something old.
Fearing he’d found this on his earlier dive, would somehow beat her to the motherlode, she panicked.
“All right, partners, then, but we need to work out details—”
Before she could finish, he curled his fingers over her hand with the crescent and kissed her.
Her wrist burned.
Her ring tightened.
Her head went light.
The chain trapped between their hands connected them like a live wire, kept them from pulling apart.
The current spread to every pore of her body, to her head, to her toes, to her feminine center.
She had never felt so alive, so sure of herself.
Until the kiss ended.
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books
All About Patricia:
With 90 novels and more than seven million books in print, Patricia Rosemoor is fascinated with “dangerous love” – combining romance with danger. She has written various forms of romantic and paranormal romantic thrillers, even romantic horror, bringing a different mix of thrills and chills to her stories.
Patricia has won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America and two Reviewers Choice and two Career Achievement Awards from RT BOOKreviews, and in her other life, she teaches Popular Fiction and Suspense-Thriller Writing, credit courses at Columbia College Chicago. Three of her Columbia grad students and two students from other venues are now published in novel-length fiction.
SKIN is her first original indie thriller. With 53 Harlequin Intrigues since 1985, she is now writing romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing.
Welcome to Word Wranglers! Ninety novels is truly amazing--congratulations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz, nice to be here. Actually, this is 94. Haven't updated my bio lately :)
ReplyDelete