Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A Man Like Him

Today's special guest is Rachel Brimble. Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013.

16 Marsden Place with Omnific Publishing is her first romantic comedy since 2010.

She has just signed a further three-book contract with Harlequin Superromance.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England…although she hopes a dream visit to Canada might just change her mind!

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!


AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

What is the location of your story? How did you select that particular location, and what research was involved?

A Man Like Him is the second book in an ongoing series with Harlequin Superromance set in the fictional UK seaside town of Templeton Cove. The town itself is loosely based on a small town in southern England where I used to holiday as a child. For the most part though, the geography is a product of my imagination and a mix of several places I know well.
I wanted to write stories set near the coast because I think water, cliffs, heat and snow near the ocean provides a lot of possible danger to add to my stories.

You allude to Angela's mysterious past. Can you tell us anything about that without giving away the ending?

The whole premise of this book is about escaping the past – not just from Angela’s point of view but Chris’ too. Angela is running from hers, both physically and mentally. The suspense is whether she will ever manage to outrun the demons that chase her. Her past is very symbolic throughout the novel, and one that I hope many readers will relate to.

How did you develop Angela's and Chris' characters? How do you decide on names, physical, personality and emotional characteristics? 

Names for my characters is always a really difficult task and I often change them several times as I’m writing until the right one comes through loud and clear. I start each new book by browsing the internet for images of my hero, heroine and villain (if I have one), I then complete a character sketch for each which, more often than not, brings about their goals, motivations and conflicts…and their all-important backstories.

What are you working on next?

I am currently writing the first draft of the fourth book in the Harlequin series – this will be a Christmas 2014 release, which I am very excited about. This is my first Christmas set story and after a horrible spell of writer’s block is now going smoothly. I hope I haven’t just tempted fate, lol! This is a mainstream romance rather than suspense and features two brand new characters as well as a surrounding cast of existing characters.

I love Templeton Cove!


ABOUT THE BOOK

Changing her life...again

After two years in hiding, Angela Taylor knows her independence is worth it. As long as she can escape her past, she has everything under control. Until a flash flood hits the park where she works, and hot Chris Forrester shows up the exact moment she needs a hero.

Chris proves he can save lives-and weaken a girl's knees. But how can she make him understand that she's off-limits, that getting close to her will endanger his life? Her happiness or his safety: it shouldn't even be a choice.

Because when you love someone, you protect them, no matter the cost. At least, that's what Angela keeps telling herself....


AN EXCERPT


Chris unlocked the door and his breath caught as he gripped the doorframe. “Jesus.”

The rain came down in sheets. A moving gray mass against a pitch-black sky. The continuous blare of the park’s emergency siren and people’s screams filled the air, sending his pulse into overdrive. He stared in disbelief, his body immobile. Families with young children, of no more than seven or eight, waded through water that reached the adults’ knees. Toddlers cried on their father’s shoulders. Dogs lay silent in their owner’s arms, ears flat.

Chris looked toward his feet. Illuminated by the light spilling from the kitchen, the water had already reached the steps below the door, swirling fast and unwelcome in a red-brown torrent. His lifetime love of water diminished. This wasn’t a swimming pool but most likely the result of the river adjacent to the park breaking its banks. The park was situated at the very bottom of the surrounding mountains. They were trapped in a damn sinkhole, miles from the beach and with nowhere for the water to escape.

He slammed the door and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to focus. The rain thrashed down in all its cold and heavy destruction. It would rise quickly and dangerously contained within a five or six mile circumference. There were houses, shops, parks…a school. He needed to do something, anything, to help. He was a strong swimmer, an instructor, a trained lifeguard.

Snapping his eyes open, he shoved away the heavy sense of foreboding stealing through him. Water was unpredictable. It gathered strength and power quickly, making it one of nature’s most dangerous destructors. People were going to die. Mothers, children…

Tightening his jaw, Chris sprinted into the bedroom. Fully awake and alert, he pulled on shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt. His mind whirled and his pulse thumped an erratic beat at his temple. The telltale warning of an impending disaster swam icy-cold in his blood as the rush of the water and the screams of people outside echoed inside his head.

He hurried into the kitchen and grabbed his backpack from a storage cupboard. He filled it with water and fruit, scissors, tape and a basic first aid kit from a shelf above. Tossing the strap over his shoulder, Chris took a deep breath and re-opened the door. The steps had vanished.


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