September 2018: Favorite Heroine
~ Leslie Tentler ~
CTR asked:
QUESTION: Of your published titles to date, which heroine is your favorite and why?
Leslie Tentler said:
I’d have to say that my favorite heroine I’ve written so far is Dr. Lydia Costa in Fallen. Lydia is an ER physician at a large downtown hospital and is also the ex-wife of Atlanta homicide detective Ryan Winter, the novel’s hero. The two were once a happy couple but their marriage came apart after the tragic loss of their three-year-old son.
Lydia is brilliant and dedicated to her career, and is also exceptionally brave (as evidenced by her butting heads with an Atlanta businessman who is also on the shady side and is abusing his wife, who shows up in Lydia’s ER). On the outside, Lydia seems like she has it all together but, secretly, she is still struggling with grief for her lost child. I think that Lydia holds a special place in my heart because she is at once strong and, at the same time, so very vulnerable.
FALLEN was a difficult story to write because it does touch on some heartbreaking subjects. But the steadfast love that Ryan still has for Lydia—and that she realizes she still has for him—despite everything is tremendously uplifting. And, I might mention that their “second chance” story takes place while Ryan is being pulled into an investigation regarding a serial killer who is targeting police—something that the brave Lydia gets inadvertently pulled into, as well.
I think that Lydia may be the “most real” character that I’ve ever written. She’s flawed, she is self-medicating to try to deal with her pain, and she’s realizing that, in her grief and with her need to blame someone for her tragic loss, she let go of the man who loves her more than anyone else ever will.
There is such a balance between writing a character who is whip-smart and the best at her occupation, but at the same time is hiding the mess that she is on the inside. I’ve had many readers tell me that they cried through parts of FALLEN—unusual for a romantic suspense—but it also tells me that Lydia and Ryan’s story struck an emotional chord with them, too.
– Website – http://www.LeslieTentler.com
– Twitter – @Leslie_Tentler
Fallen
[Romantic Suspense]
The investigation becomes personal for APD Detective Ryan Winter when a colleague and friend is shot dead, the second victim in just weeks. But even as he finds himself being drawn deeper into the tense hunt for a serial cop killer, he is forced to re-examine his own shattering personal tragedy.
As an ER physician at Atlanta’s busy Mercy Hospital, Dr. Lydia Costa is no stranger to suffering. Still, the recent police slayings reopen barely healed wounds – and bring her face-to-face with her ex-husband, Ryan Winter.
As the body count rises and paranoia tightens its grip on the police force, Lydia and Ryan are pulled together by circumstances and fate…causing old passions to reignite despite their painful shared past. But as Ryan moves closer to discovering the killer’s identity, someone is watching, placing both him and Lydia in mortal danger.
Available in Ebook:
– Kindle – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NQERJF6/
– Nook – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fallen-leslie-tentler/1120554131?ean=2940150550469
– Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/ebook/fallen-77
– Apple Books – https://geo.itunes.apple.com/book/fallen/id929199397
More Authors Dish about their favorite heroines.
– Read the authors: https://coffeethoughts.coffeetimeromance.com/ad2018-sep-heroine/
0 COMMENTS
Willa
6 years agoOoh loved, loved, loved this book. Was such a great blend of suspense and romance and Ryan and Lydia’s story was so moving. Rooted for them all the way! ?