Proud to be an American

Tomorrow will be the Fourth of July! Where I live up here on the mountain, nearby is a lake. By the lake we have our own Fireworks Festivities. So all I have to do is sit on my back deck, settle myself with some snacks and a glass of Merlot and enjoy!

I just finished a story that is being considered for publication which takes place around the Fourth of July. I call it Stormbound because a fierce storms hits the eastern seaboard where the story takes place. This story is not erotic and in fact has very little sex, if any. But the characters were so much fun to work with that despite the lack of "sex" the story practically wrote itself.

Stormbound was actually inspired by a set of Christmas carolers I spotted in a small gift shop while vacationing in the area of Lake George, New York. Somehow the image of the old man with a long red and white scarf wrapped around his neck created a cluster of ideas and plot points that had me feeling as if I were simply recording the facts. In the book titled Writing The Natural Way talks about "clustering." I think that's what happened to me where I pretty much allowed my mind free rein to create a story that involved a group of quirky characters, each playing out their own scenario within the time frame of a storyline that occurs during a nor'easter. And within this time frame we get to see that character arc where each personality is altered or changed in some way by the end of the story.

Character arc is important in a novel. Otherwise the story become stagnant and simply goes no where. People change. Events change people. And this needs to happen at least within the pages of a story.

I also do this character arc thing in my book A Soldier's Fortune. Lia Martin, the heroine is changed at the end by the events that take place. Sean McIntyre, hero (Vietnam Veteran) is changed at the end as well . And even stubborn set in his ways Elia Stewart, into his eighties, is changed at the end of the story.

Here's the blurb to that story:

Lia Martin's father, Eliah Stewart, summons her to Split Maple Ridge, Vermont a place where years later still evokes memories of a dark love and an even darker betrayal. Knowing how his daughter feels about this place, Lia feels he would not have asked her to return unless for a good reason.

The name Eliah Stewart still grates hard against Sean McIntyre's soul, reminding him of the painful humiliation he had once experienced on that unforgettable night. Years later he would tell others he felt safer fighting in Vietnam than in those Vermont backwoods.

When unforeseen circumstances throw Lia, Sean and Eliah together under one roof, despite the reopening of painful past emotional wounds, a love still exists between Lia and Sean. The question is if love can survive once all truths of what really took place on that stormy summer night are exposed.

A Soldier's Fortune is a great read for this upcoming holiday reminding us of those who have served and are serving our country through good and difficult times. Right now we're into pretty difficult times. So instead of driving and using up gas, I suggest simply using that money to order some great reads. And doing it via a publisher's online site. Here are some publishers sites where you can obtain some great reads.

Aspen Mountain Press You'll find Goin' Down Anthology here

Forbidden Publications Look for me here either Marie A. Roy or Collette Thomas


Noble Romance I'm contracted here, so look for me here in the upcoming weeks.

Treble Heart Books - You can order A Soldier's Fortune here.

Enjoy the weekend!

Marie