I love character interviews. You
get to know the character outside the story and see what makes them tick.
Luanna Stewart is my guest today on Books, Chocolate and Wine. She’s brought
Heather James, the heroine in her novel, Portrait of a Girl.
Tell us a bit about
yourself.
My name is Heather James, I’m
single, and have just been orphaned. I was living out west but when my dad died
I had to come to Portland, the one in Maine, to settle his affairs. I had to
find a job too, so I’m working at a cute little bakery downtown. I’ve just been
given the title of Head Bread Baker, lol. I also bake the other stuff we sell,
like cookies and muffins. I swear I’m gaining weight just by breathing the air
in the shop.
Well, there’s happy, and then
there’s happy, right? I’m sad that my dad died, and so suddenly I didn’t get a
chance to talk to him before, you know, the end. And it turns out there’s all
this stuff about him and his life that I didn’t know. I found a journal that
he’d been using, but it’s the start of a new year so there’s not much there.
Oh, and I just got this weird phone call from some old guy who said he was a
friend of Dad’s, but I’ve never heard of him. I think he’s French, and he wants
to meet me. Something about the conversation gave me the creeps so I hope he
doesn’t call back. I’m doing okay but I really need to figure out what I’m
doing with my life. As soon as all Dad’s bills are paid I’ll be moving on, to
somewhere warmer!
What makes you angry?
The state of the world, the
state of the environment. The state of my life. Something strange is going on
and I don’t know what it is. So I don’t know what to do about it. I guess I’m
more frustrated than angry. No, I am angry. I’m angry at Dad for leaving me
with this mess and all these questions. And absolutely no clue how to go about
finding the answers. He used to be wealthy, like stinking rich, and he died
without a penny to his name. His house used to be filled with beautiful
furniture, and artwork all over the walls. And when I got here for the funeral,
the house was practically empty. Where the heck did it all go? His lawyer is
worse than useless, “client confidentiality” bullshit. He didn’t mind giving me
his bill though. I ended up having to put Dad’s house up for rent and I’m stuck
living in the tiny place near the gate that used to be for the gardener. It’s
okay, cheap to heat anyway. I guess I was lucky to find a renter so quickly,
and the guy keeps to himself. Except when he’s walking his dog.
Do you have a weird
habit?
Nope. Well, define weird, lol. I
don’t have the time or energy for doing much besides eating, working and
sleeping. But I like to crank up the radio and pretend I’m performing live in
front of a few thousand fans. My cat, Samson, doesn’t appreciate my singing.
And it’s a good thing I live so far from neighbors. Except for Tony, the guy
renting the big house, but he’s hardly ever around.
Describe your
bedroom.
Dang, you don’t want to know.
I’m really not a messy person, but getting up at four in the morning and
working all day before falling into bed by eight at night doesn’t leave much
time for housework. There are two bedrooms upstairs in my little house, I use
the biggest. It’s got those pitched walls so I’ve bumped my head a few times.
But it’s cosy. The other room is even smaller and I’m storing a few of my dad’s
things in there. Just boxes of junk really, and I need to sort through them. In
my room I have a double bed, a chest of drawers, and a nightstand – all of
which I scrounged from the big house. It’s all cheap stuff and I won’t be
taking it with me when I leave. The only cherished item I found in the house
was a quilt I remember being on my parent’s bed when I was little. I think the
pattern is called flying geese, and it’s in shades of blue.
Name three things in
your fridge right now.
Butter, strawberry jam, and a
few wrinkled apples.
Daddy had a secret, and it could
be the death of her.
When her wealthy art dealer
father died, Heather James was expecting a fortune. Instead, his bank account
was empty and Heather’s working in a bakery, wondering exactly what happened to
her father's millions...until someone tries to kill her.
Tony Simons is on the trail of an
art theft cold case that's practically giving him frostbite. He's hoping that
by sticking close to Heather—the daughter of his deceased prime suspect—he'll
find the answers he needs. Instead, he's finding himself distracted by a
gorgeous woman who drives him crazy in every way imaginable…
Now Tony's in serious trouble.
Even if Heather can't—or won't—tell him where the stolen paintings and money
are, she may well have stolen his heart.
And now someone wants her dead…
Reviews for Portrait of a Girl:
Portrait of a
Girl is a wonderful and engaging thriller-suspense full of more twists and
turns that a roller coaster.
By Jessica {Bottles & Books Reviews} on July 16, 2015
Portrait of a
Girl is a riveting romantic suspense novel.
By on
October 21, 2015
This is my
first read by Luanna Stewart. I have found a great new author! Portrait of a
Girl was fast paced, angst-y, and freaking HOT!
By on
August 18, 2015
Great story! It's full of twist and turns and a lot of
action. I loved the romance between the art thief's daughter and the agent sent
to spy on her.
By on
July 29, 2015
Buy Links: Entangled
Publishing, Amazon,
BN,
iTunes, KOBO
Excerpt from Portrait
of a Girl
“You’re a
photographer? The rental agency guy wasn’t clear.”
“Yes,
freelance. Here are some of my recent shots.” He woke up his computer, and the
screen was filled with small pictures that appeared to be all black and white.
“These are for a travel magazine doing a feature on New England winter
vacations.”
Tony pressed
a few keys, starting a slide show of the pictures in full size. She leaned close,
drawn in by the stark beauty, the contrast of light and dark, an icicle hanging
from a tree limb, and a column of smoke from a chimney.
“Oh, I love
this one.” The picture was of the harbor and a dock, with mist rising from the
water.
She could
almost feel the chilled moisture on her face.
“I took that
a few days ago.” He pressed another key to stop the slide show on that picture.
Dang, he was
good. Well, he’d have to be to earn a living. He probably got to travel all
over the world, much like she’d done. Except she hadn’t had a profession
requiring travel. More like lack of profession in her case.
She smothered
a yawn. “Sorry, it’s way past my bedtime.”
She didn’t
miss the way his gaze traveled over her body at the mention of bed. She was
fairly sure there’d been a spark of interest. She’d checked him out pretty
thoroughly, too. She was definitely interested. He had the build she most admired,
judging by how his jeans and sweater fit. Toned muscles, and six feet tall.
Perfection.
“Yeah, I’ve
noticed you keep early hours.” He crossed his arms over his chest, pulling her
gaze to his biceps and shoulders. No way he got those muscles just taking
photos.
“Comes with
the job—I work at a bakery in town.”
He motioned
with his head to the plate of cookies sitting on the mantel, safe from Delilah.
“Hence the cookies.”
“Actually, I
baked those at my place. Just now. They might still be warm.”
His brows
rose, and he grabbed a cookie, consuming half with one bite. “Mm, that is
good.”
“Thanks. I’m
always trying new recipes, so you may get more.” She bit back another yawn.
Dang, her work hours were messing with her chance of a social life. “I’ll let
you get back to your work.”
She retrieved
her jacket and went to the door, sensing Tony right behind her. Not the spooky,
unseen menace from earlier. More a warmth, and a desire to lean into him. He reached
past her to open the door, brushing her arm. She sucked in a breath. He smelled
of wool, ginger, and warm skin. She forced herself to not turn her head. Not look
at him. He was too close. Heaven only knew what her body would do; it seemed
out of her control. She called a quick good-bye and jogged down the steps.
Thank goodness the frigid air cooled her body. She glanced over her shoulder. He
stood framed in the doorway, hands in pockets, a smile on his lips.
Oh yeah, she’d be doing more baking.
About Luanna Stewart: Luanna
Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood.
As soon as she discovered her grandmother's stash of romance novels, all plots
had to lead to a happily-ever-after.
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna now lives in
Maine with her dear husband, two college boys and two cats. When she's not
torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious.
Writing under the pen name Grace Hood, she has two
novellas published with The Wild Rose Press. She is excited to have a book
published under her own name with Entangled Publishing.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.luannastewart.com
Social Media Links: https://www.facebook.com/Luanna.Stewart.nau
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Luanna_Stewart
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/luannastewart/
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/luanna_stewart
Good morning! Thank you, Ruth, for inviting me to drop by today. I had fun picking Heather's brain for the interview.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview!
ReplyDeleteHi Red, thanks for stopping by!
Delete