Great questions, Claudine, and I hear you about work relationships being great tv fodder. I love my fantasy situations too. Unfortunately I can’t write them (well).
I liken my situation to that of Kalen Hughes (I LOVE her writing and did you know she’s offering free downloads of Something Wicked on her site? I also LOVE free, the best price going.). She is a costume historian. She simply can not have her Regency gals running around in gowns without corsets. Her readers might not care but SHE knows that would have been impossible, the gowns wouldn’t have fit.
That’s how I feel about putting my characters into situations that, in real life, would get them fired (or arrested or shot).
Would I ever write a novel with the heroine in a more powerful position?
I try to make the hero and heroine as equal as possible. However, in Invisible, my identity theft novel out in February 2009, the hero, Hagen, is completely out of his element. The havey-cavey world of hidden finances they’re diving into is Maeve’s turf. It is so much fun (and frustrating for Hagen), having this big, strong alpha male rely on my very secretive heroine.
In my third full length novel, which I’m completing pre-submission edits for, the heroine hires the hero. Yep. She’s his boss. Though he isn’t exactly employee material. Again, more of a consultant role. The non-fraternization rule plays a huge role in that novel.
How many stickers does my passport have?
Happily, not that many due to the new EU travel rules. I visited 6 countries on the latest trip (back home now, thank goodness) and only received 1 stamp. My current passport is 4 years old and has 39 stamps. That’s a good thing. I dislike having to replace my passport early because I’ve run out of pages (those visas take up full pages).
My favorite travel spot?
There are so many. The world is truly a wonderful place. My favorite beach holiday would be Bali. My favorite city to visit would be Istanbul. I would love to live in Chicago. I love to clothes shop in London, antiques shop in Hong Kong, eat pastries in Paris, cruise around Hawaii’s lava flows, and the list goes on.
Real people in my novels?
Yep. Anne’s best bud, Stanley, in Breach Of Trust, is based loosely on a buddy of mine. Philippe Lamont is based on one of my favorite hedge fund managers. Every heroine has a little bit of me in them. For Invisible, I was coming to terms with not being able to have children. I used that sadness in Maeve’s grief over the death of her friend. I think most writers tap into their own emotions.
Oh, and EVERY guy I know thinks he’s the hero in my novels. I have best buds volunteering to be cover models. I find it adorable.
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