I’ve been AWOL from this blog lately, thanks to multiple deadlines and an ongoing bout with a bad knee, but today I completed work on my novel for  2015 and finally have a day off. Not that the manuscript is ready to turn in–far from it. There are rewrites a-plenty that must be finished before November 1st, but it’s always a great feeling when the whole story is down on paper, and saved to the flash drive.

Many of my colleagues choose a photo of their heroes to guide their writing, but I work in the opposite way. I begin with a general idea of my hero–age, profession, etc, but I like to get to know who he is before I lock myself in to his physical description.By the time I finish the story he has revealed more of himself to me.

For this new as yet untitled novel, the hero is a Savannah,  Georgia lawyer who defends my heroine on a murder charge. He owns a failing plantation on St Simon’s Island, and is attempting to revive the island by attracting a group of investors to build a resort there. But he’s hiding a tragic secret that comes to light as he defends my heroine. After spending almost a year researching and writing the story, I decided that this shot of  actor Orlando Bloom captured the essence of my fictional  19th century lawyer Philip Sinclair. Next week I’ll share a photo of my heroine.

Till then, happy reading!