COURAGE IN OUR WRITING; COWARDICE IN OUR LIVES by Rolynn Anderson

I've been looking forward to today for more than a week. My dear online friend, author Rolynn Anderson is here to talk about her series and newest release, SWOON.

This train is moving too fast for me to step off.  Yup, I’m deep into writing a series on a boutique funeral planner (FADEOUT and SWOON), and I’ll be writing a third book for sure (FAINT).  Maybe a fourth.  Most of you know by now that I conceived of the series after planning my own father’s funeral in 2005, striving to personalize my dad’s sendoff.

 

To the concept of boutique funerals, I added light suspense and a complex plot.

 Mixed in romance, of course. 

 

 

Roman is a definitely a keeper.

 

 

 

Introduced a cute, but mysteriously gifted Scottie named Elwood.

 

Gave my heroine, Jan Solvang, a fainting disorder and a few other challenges.

 

But here’s the thing.  The topic is death and funerals, a subject most of us prefer not to talk about, much less plan for.  My character builds her own obituary in her thirties, for heaven’s sake.  She knows how to look death in the eye without blinking.  Give her a room of grief-stricken people and she’ll turn sadness into celebration.

 

My heroine isn’t me.  I have not written my obituary, updated my will, thought about a ‘ceremony,’ or made a decision on the ash/burial question.  I am rendered mute by grief.

 

Am I alone with this…being courageous in my writing, but cowardly in my life?  Will it take book three or book four to spark my growth arc?

 

This writer wants to know:  Have you gained courage from your characters? 

 

“Don't miss SWOON by Rolynn Anderson! If you like an interesting cast of characters, a heavy dose of mystery and a lot of fabulous surprises, you'll be happily turning pages late into the night.ˮ

~ Brenda Novak, NYT and USA Bestselling Author of WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES

 

****

Her dead clients won’t rest in peace.

When the dead tell tales, Jan Solvang’s first reaction is to RUN!  But then she gets caught up in their mysteries.

Jan’s a boutique funeral planner, new to risk, hired to bury a missing woman and memorialize an infamous man.  Yet when she digs for clues to write their eulogies, she disturbs family secrets and unmasks killers.

Roman Keller, hard-driving documentary writer, is in complete control of his life and his stories, until he falls for Jan, a woman who trusts her dog, her faint-dreams, and her instincts more than she trusts him.

 

Can they make the sacrifices necessary to cement their relationship or will the mayhem caused by the dead ruin their second chance at love?  

 

Web/buy site for SWOON: http://www.rolynnanderson.com

Kindle:  amzn.to/TH69yy

 

Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/252721  

MAIN CHARACTERS WITH VULNERABILITIES by Rolynn Anderson

Tonight I shall say good-bye to a friend. A friend who's kept me company for the last week as I've drifted off to sleep. Even when my bronchitus was at its worst, this buddy never let go of my hand. I've enjoyed getting to know this lierary companion, a romantic suspense named FADEOUT. Knowing Rolynn, auhor of FADEOUT, was guesting here today, I wanted to read all of her book so I could tell you about Jan, who the hero calls Jazz, and Roman, a driven man who cuts no one any slack. As these characters became real in my mind's eye, I enjoyed how Rolynn showed me the weakness, hang-ups and quirks both characters possessed. And, page after page, these weaknesses somehow became strengths. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed her character development. Secondary characters added a stern realistic and often tenderly comical dimension to the story.

Oh, and the dog. LOL Let's not forget the dog. The day serious, take-no-prisoners Roman got down on his stomach to lay not one, but two doggie biscuits on the floor in front of one wiley schnauser to keep him from biting him--again--was a visual that made me laugh until I cried. I could just see his exasperated expression. The set of his jaw.

So, I'm tickled to have Rolynn here at Vintage Vonnie today...

I’m halfway through reading Vonnie Davis’ new MONA LISA’S ROOM enjoying how Vonnie develops her heroine, Alyson.  Since Vonnie writes romantic suspense, as I do, and MONA LISA’S ROOM releases in early November (my FADEOUT came out this month), we’re both on edge, hoping our heroines resonate with readers. 

 

Do they represent what it means to be human?  To me, part of that ‘reality’ means the heroine has vulnerabilities.

 

Alyson, in MONA LISA’S ROOM, has come out of a disappointing marriage that has left her feeling unloved, old, not sexy and worried about her ability to choose appropriate men to be with.  She’s become a person who wears flip-flops instead of heels.

 

My character Jan, in FADEOUT, left her long-time boyfriend to take care of her dying mother.  Her mother’s gone, now, but Jan’s been living in a house empty of furniture for six months.   Why can’t she buy a bed so her boyfriend can sleep with her when/if he visits?  She was once a big company executive;  why  can’t she make decisions and take action anymore?

 

Vulnerabilities.  Alyson and Jan enter our stories confused, hurt and lacking confidence.  They live in a world turned upside down by events they can’t seem to control, no matter how smart they are.  And that’s where the suspense in our stories begins. 

 

I can’t wait to finish Aly’s story; I hope you’ll enjoy Jan’s journey in FADEOUT.  Here’s the cover and here’s the blurb.

 

BLURB for FADEOUT by Rolynn Anderson:

Jan Solvang has spent her life avoiding conflict and commitment. Six months ago, she left a marriage proposal and a job in Seattle to care for her dying mother. Now she's stuck with her mother's California house and her mother's dog, filling her mother's shoes as a memorial planner with her estranged father.

 

Roman Keller thrives on conflict, writing documentaries that reveal the flaws of the famous. Jan’s challenge is to help him write a positive eulogy for a grandfather he disliked, but Roman is more interested in her other client: a powerful attorney with a dark past his family wants buried with him. If Jan stands behind the family and Roman goes for the exposé, who’s in danger and who wins?

 

The tension between them pulls tighter as each discovers the other is keeping secrets.  But if they tell the truth, will they destroy any chance for love?

 

SUSPENSE SPIKED WITH ROMANCE

Web: http://www.rolynnanderson.com

FADEOUT in print & download at

Wild Rose: http://tinyurl.com/8b9wyau

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9yo9wwq

TRAVEL HORROR STORY -- PART TWO

We got into our rental car and drove through storm ravaged streets to reach our hotel. Because of airline delays, we'd missed Bob's viewing, which was just as well given Calvin's reluctance of seeing the body of his friend, once a vibrant and jovial soul.

Other alumni of Calvin's high school class were flying in for Bob's funeral from Texas and DC. We'd agreed earlier to stay at the same hotel so we could also visit during our time there. We met the next morning for breakfast. We each had airline horror stories to share thanks to the system of storms that whipped through the southern states the previous day.

When we went to leave for the funeral, the battery on our rental car was dead. We ended up calling a taxi to get us to the church for the services.

Bob's widow had told me during a phone call the color scheme of the funeral was black and ivory, that friends and family were to wear either black or ivory. The color scheme also pertained to the flowers. Only black and cream flowers were allowed around the casket. Flowers of different colors were set to the side of the sanctuary. I confess to ignorance in this area, not knowing if this was a regional or racial preference.

As we sat, waiting for the service to begin, Calvin's hearing aide broke. Thus, he couldn't hear the sermon or any remarks made to honor his best friend.

That night in our hotel room as he tugged off his t-shirt, one of the ear pieces to his glasses broke off. There was no way we could repair them. "What else can possible go wrong?" he grumbled on his way into the bathroom. A few minutes later, the commode overflowed. Yes, folks, the trip had gone to pot.



The following day, when we went to check in at the airport to fly home, the lady at the desk said we still owed for our tickets. Thank goodness I'd printed ticket confirmation when I booked online. She pressed several keys and fiddled and fumed until she found her sought for information.

Unfortunately when she entered our information, she entered us as buying a one-way ticket minutes prior to boarding which sent up red flags to homeland security. They were waiting on us once we passed through normal security screening. I suppose the fact that I was leading Calvin around since he couldn't see well without his glasses only added to our plight.





No, this is not me!!

Security guards seperated us and began questioning. Now remember, Calvin's hearing aide was broken, so he could not hear what was being asked. And with his glasses broken, he couldn't even see the man's mouth move to know the man was speaking. At one point I heard the security guard scream, "What's wrong? Can't you speak English?" Calvin has a Masters in English and can speak it quite well, thank you very much.

Seeing that he needed help, I said to the guard questioning me, "Excuse me, I'll be right back." I left him to hurry over to the guard questioning Calvin to explain that without his hearing aide and glasses, he really was at a disadvantage. The rude guard looked at me as if I were insane.

Meanwhile, the guard I'd just walked away from must have thought I was trying to escape and he called for backup. Security guards, their hands on their sidearms, came running toward me as I tried to explain to Calvin's guard why he couldn't answer his questions. We were both slammed up against the wall and frisked. At the time, I was 60 and Calvin 76, neither of us had ever been frisked before. Suddenly, fear rushed in! OMG, we're grandparents for heaven's sakes...law-abiding senior citizens. This IS America, isn't it?

Two security guards grabbed me and hauled me to the other side of the area. Calvin yelled, "Get your filthy hands off my wife." Probably not the wisest thing to say at this point, but one must understand my husband is very protective. He was once more slammed up against the wall and roughed up. I'm crying.

They tore the linings out of my new shoes, searched my handbag and, of course, raised their eyebrows when they found Calvin's insulin and needles. They threw away my lipstick--we all know how dangerous a tube of lipstick can be. By now I had images of being locked away--forever. We were shoved around, yelled at and repeatedly searched. Then, that suddenly, they said we were free to go and they walked away from us.

Calvin and I embraced as he kept saying, "My God, my God, I can't wait to see the hills of home." Over the intercom came our names. The airlines was holding the flight for us and this was our last call. We ran to our gate, fearful we'd miss our flight. Thankfully we made it. So, tell me, what's your travel horror story?