Characters: Getting to Know Marcus Vroc

Copyright: Milica Sekulic

Ahhh, Marcus Vroc, with his long, white hair and steel-colored eyes, he manages to carry his tall & wiry frame with the air of solid stone. He is one nasty vampire, and yet Liz can't get him out of her mind. He entices her at every turn while he's alive, and torments her dreams after his death.

Marcus is the first supernatural creature Liz ever meets. He's the cause of her car wreck and manages to take out several people at the hospital in order to get to her. Luckily, he didn't make it that far before Rick swooped in and took Liz home. At that point, Liz still didn't know what was going on, so she had no idea Marcus was a vampire, only that this preternatural creature intrigues her.

Liz soon discovers that Marcus has a nasty past filled with murder and conquests. He is her birth father's lackey, sent to collect her for Gregory. Instead of taking her by force like he intended, he quickly sees that a smoother, gentler way might just be better for him. He's soon in Liz's head, as well as her head.

But then he pushes her too far and brings Rick into play. That's the last straw for Liz. You don't put her friends in danger's path!

Marcus Vroc may be dead by the end of book one, but you will still see plenty of him throughout the rest of the series.  As a matter of fact, you'll see a lot more of him in the upcoming Book 7 late 2015 or early 2016.

If you've read book 1, let me know what you thought of Marcus Vroc. What would you like to see from him in the upcoming book?

Characters: Getting to Know Annalise Baker

Image by Teresa Laing @ sxc.hu

I started this blog series a while back and haven't kept up with it, sooooo here's a new one.

Annalise Baker is Liz's mother. She is descended from very talented and powerful witches, but never seemed to have any powers of her own. Powers seem to skip generations in Annalise's family.

Annalise and Liz's step-father, Matthew, had a rough marriage both before and after Liz's conception. She finally divorced Matthew after 15 years of marriage and terrible abuse and torment.

When Adele, her best friend, drags Annalise away from home for a girls weekend, she meets Gregory. She quickly falls for him and unexpectedly falls into his bed. Thus, the conception of our hero.

When a gypsy soothsayer informs Annalise and Adele that the fate of her new daughter is in peril, the scared mother does the only thing she can to ensure a long life for her child. After several years of slowly dying from cancer (presumably), Annalise Baker passes on to the afterlife. This is where we meet Annalise.

In spirit form, she advises, informs, and helps our hero understand the new world she has been thrust into, and in the process finds her soul mate.

We hope Annalise and her soul mate are living out their happily ever afterlife!

Characters: Getting to Know Adele Brickman

Adele Brickman may only live a short time in book 1 of the Liz Baker series, but she's an integral part of Liz's life. Hell, she's the person who introduced Liz's mother to the vampire Gregory (Liz's bio-dad).

Adele had a rough childhood, but you wouldn't have known that if you didn't know her personally. Once she was old enough to get a job she was out of her parents' strict religious house. She and Liz's mom, Annalise, were the best of friends. One night when the two ladies were out on the town, Adele met the love of her life and Annalise met a demon of the night. Liz never knew any of this until after Adele's death at the hands of a murderous vampire, and Adele's massive fortune was willed to Liz.

Adele loved Liz like a daughter, but after Annalise's passing Adele turned her world toward the bottle. She had lost her husband and her best friend; her parents long since buried. She had no one left so she spent all her lucid hours sitting at the counter of Liz's bar.

Adele had a hard life, but that didn't prevent her from making sure Liz was well taken care of long after her death. Adele had more secrets than Liz knows: demons, fortunes, witchcraft, gypsies, and many more. Will Liz ever discover everything about Adele? And if so, will she be able to survive knowing everything Adele went through to secure a future for Liz and her sister?

We honor Adele Brickman.
Daughter. Wife. Best Friend. Loving "Aunt". Wealthy Benefactor.

Characters: Getting to Know Rick Curry

It's been a little while since I've done a "Getting to know..." I think the last one was about Chad.  Ahhh... Chad.  *Dreamy*

*Cough* Oh, sorry. Rick... yeah... let's get to Rick. Rick is a hottie himself, but as Liz shows him, he has nothing on Chad. We all feel bad for Rick, but he bounces back quite quickly.  Maybe a little too quickly.  Hmmm....

Rick Curry is the kind of blond hair, blue eyed cutie with a sparkly smile that can make you swoon, but you know it won't last, and one of Liz's oldest friends. They've known each other since grade school. He was a tag-along pest until be finally broke Liz's barriers down and she welcomed him into her confidence. They went through a lot as teenagers, but it wasn't until their 20's, and some terrible relationships for them both, that Liz saw Rick's boyfriend potential.

For years, Rick and Liz would play the on-again-off-again relationship game. Rick wanted more from her than she was willing to give. He finally realized that if he wanted to have any sort of relationship with Liz, he'd have to play it by her convoluted rules. At one point he even got a tattoo of Liz's zodiac sign because she'd mentioned to another woman that she liked guys with tattoos.  Yeah, that was a stupid move.

Rick is a small town factory worker. He's 100% country boy with his jeans, boots, and pickup truck. He likes small town living and can't imagine ever leaving Tremmel Crossing, Georgia. He wants to settle down with his love, in a nice house and yard, and have a brood of little ones. This is not in line with Liz's ideas of her future. And when Rick gets a little too clingy/bossy, she ends their many years of back and forth. But will it be forever?

Characters: Getting to Know Chad Langford

Today we're going to learn a little bit about Chad Langford.

Chad is the resident bouncer in Liz's bar, Athena's Ambrosia. At first look, he appears sullen, sour, gruff, but in truth he's a tender soul who wants nothing more than to live a happy life.

Chad Langford was a police officer on the Tremmel Crossing police force when something awful happened. To this day it's a deeply held secret as to what that something was. All we do know is it resulted in Chad "retiring" from the force in his early 30's with a substantial amount of compensation and a lot of mental baggage to last him a lifetime. Liz hopes one day he'll feel safe enough to tell her what happened, but she doesn't push him for the information.

Thirty-five with the rock hard abs of a twenty-five year old, all the ladies love Chad, though he'd rather most of their attentions were elsewhere. His hazel eyes and close cropped hair offer an aura of roughness to his sexy exterior, without a hint of his true inner self. Chad might be a fighter, but he'd rather be a lover. He wants the "Happily Ever After," but will he ever really get it? And will that be with Liz?

Feel free to ask Chad any questions you think of and we'll see if he's up to answering.  :D

Stay tuned next week when it'll be Rick's turn at Getting to Know the Characters of Liz Baker's world.

Characters: Getting to Know Liz Baker

Welcome to the first installment of Getting to Know the Characters. I will try to do one character each week, probably on Thursdays, from the Liz Baker series. We'll start it off with...

Meet Liz.  She's our reluctant heroine in my Liz Baker series.  Liz's life was simple; she thought she was content. Lingering thoughts in the back of her head suggested she might enjoy a more eventful life though.  But she knew she didn't want the husband, family, and white picket fence in her small town of Tremmel Crossing, Georgia. The town was too bland, too boring.

That is, before Liz found out the truth...

Born Lizbeth May Baker, she is the offspring of a human woman with Gypsy heritage and a male vampire with a god complex, though previously thought to be the prodigy of her abusive stepfather. Liz has an older sister, Jesika, who lives hours away and held a grudge against her for many years.

Liz owns a bar called Athena's Ambrosia. This is her pride and joy. She designed and decorated it from the ground up. She loves her loyal staff members like family, and they'd do almost anything for her. She has many loyal patrons, as well; people she's known for years, looks out for when they've had too much, and listens to when they tell the stories of their lives. Liz loves Athena's and all who enjoy their time there.

With a love of brightly colored nail polish, tight jeans, corsets, and tall leather boots, Liz commands attention from any she finds worthy of her curvaceous endowments, and doesn't bat an eyelash at a rambunctious romp in a cemetery. That's where she first discovers the dangers and secrets of her true parentage, and thus, her crazy, wild future in life.

To start your trip into Liz's life check out Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1). It's always only $0.99 on Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, and Smashwords.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask Liz post them below.  :D

Writing a Liz Baker story.

My character, Liz Baker, is currently my favorite character to work with. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't say that out loud. Will it make my other characters jealous? Should I treat all my characters equally? Nah! Liz is my favorite!

That being said, she sure as hell can be a difficult character to work with. She's stubborn, demanding, hates to be set on the sidelines when I just don't have the time to deal with her, and she gloats terribly when I come crawling back apologizing for not finding time to work with her. Yeah, she's difficult, but ultimately that's what makes her fun.

I have a routine when it comes to writing a Liz story. I require quiet, no distractions, and loud music. Sounds contradictory doesn't it? Quiet and loud music. LOL! Well, basically I need other people to be quiet and my music to be loud. It's so difficult to stay in a scene when people are roaming around or trying to talk to me. This is why I work when the children are asleep, not here, or playing outside.

I keep saying that one of these days I'll have an office, with a door that locks. And then once my music is on I won't hear anyone. Then I remember that by the time I have that office my kids will be moved out into the world themselves and there won't be anyone to distract me. LOL. Oh well, you deal with what you have and move on.

Anyway, back to Liz. She's my favorite and I plan to work with her for many more books to come. I'm currently working on book three in her series, and already have plans for two more. I see several adventures in her future.

I hope those of you who enjoy Liz and her world aren't suffering too much with the lack of a new story. I'm *planning* on book 3 being ready or very close to ready for release by the end of the year. Now if I could find the right title for it... Any suggestions?

Wanna Know Wednesday #38

Good morning readers.  I hope that this morning finds you happy and healthy.  There are a lot of germs floating around this area right now.  Kids are out sick left and right at the girls' schools.  Luckily (fingers crossed), my kids haven't caught anything since that one cold right after school started.  I hope it stays that way.

The rain has stopped today.  It was very foggy when I took the kids to school, but that should burn off when the sun comes up bright and shiny.  Once I see how the day is going to be, I'll decide if today's the day for fall photos.  I just love the colors of the trees around here.  Bright yellows, oranges, & reds on fire all around.  It's quite lovely, but only lasts for such a short amount of time.

Yesterday I shared the logic behind my two week wait between writing one book and the next.  Today I'm going to share some insights into my newest leading lady, Liz Baker.  Liz is a cocky, self-aware, confident, knows what she wants (for the most part) kind of gal.  She's fun and I really enjoyed getting to know her.  This week's Wanna Know Wednesday is....

What Liz Would Do

1. Liz would tell someone to get out of her damn bar just for sitting on her expensive pool table.
2. Liz would have sex in a graveyard in the middle of the night.
3. Liz would wear a sexy Halloween costume out in public without caring what others thought.
4. Liz would be able to pull off that sexy Halloween costume because she doesn't give a damn what other people think.
5. Liz would tell someone to fuck off if they looked at her with even a hint of disrespect.
6. Liz would sacrifice her entire world for the people she loves.
7. Liz would happily stare at a sexy, shirtless man, letting her mind wander to naughtier things, even in the most inappropriate of moments.
8. Liz would call her cat a spoiled brat while still rubbing its tummy & enjoying its purring.
9. Liz would buy everyone in her a bar a round of drinks just because she's having a good day.
10. Liz would happily rule the world with a gentle touch, but an iron attitude when needed.

If you'd like to read what readers are saying about my new book & series starter, Time for Death, be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter that goes out next Wednesday.  I've shared comments from my readers and I just love how they've expressed their enjoyment of the story.  One has demanded that I get right to work on book 2 so she can read it, too.  LOL.  Just a few more days!  *Smooches*

Okay, that's it from me for today.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter (I love getting new subscribers) so that you can read all the good stuff the readers are saying. 

Have a fabulous Hump Day!

Monday Morning in Christie's Wet World!

Good Monday morning all! I woke up to yet another wet morning. I do see some blue skies peeking through, so hopefully the day will turn out pretty anyway. *Fingers Crossed*

So far this morning I've washed 2 loads of laundry, took the kids to school, had breakfast with the youngest, and texted with Tim. I need to wash the sheets, clean the ceiling fans, make some phone calls, do some writing, and figure out what I'm going to make for dinner tonight (need time to thaw something).

Ooohhh, speaking of writing!! Over the weekend, I finally discovered the ending to Time For Death!! FINALLY! It has taken sooooo long for the ending to come to me. Usually my stories flow out fairly quickly, but this one has been dragging its feet on me. Finally, Liz has decided that her story can end. I'm soooo looking forward to getting this story finished so that I can move on to the next one. I have so many projects in the works right now, but I like to finish one completely before finishing the next. I work best that way.

So anyway, Liz has finally finished her adventure with Marcus. Now I have to go back and hit the editing schedule hard. Edits take almost as long as the actual book writing. However, I think edits are easier than the first draft because you're not coming up with a brand new story. You're just fixing, changing, adding, deleting from the one you've already written.

Nonetheless, Time For Death has an ending and I'm thrilled to pieces about it. Tim seems pretty happy about it as well, since that means he won't have to hear me complain about fictional characters not dong what I'm telling them to do. LOL! It's a good thing he loves me so much, or else he'd probably think I'd gone crazy all these months. LOL! Luckily, he understands my creative process an just lets me work through it in my own way... even if that means him listening to me bitch about people who don't exist outside my imagination. LOL.

Okay then, I better get busy for today. I always have so much work to do and so little time each day to do it all in. So no lolly-gagging about for me! I hope that you have a fabulous day and that the sun shines brightly on your life.

To all the moms, I hope that you had a great Mother's Day yesterday and that you were shown just how much you're loved. :-)

.

Thank You Thursday

Last week's Thursday entry was my "To Hell With..." post. This week I'm going in another direction with my "Thank You" entry. Today's list is a compilation of things I'd like to thank the universe for. :-)

1. Thank you for my wonderful husband.
2. Thank you for my beautiful daughters (even though it took so long to conceive #1 & #3).
3. Thank you for fat free fudgsicles. Mmmm...
4. Thank you for the support of friends and family.
5. Thank you for sunny, warm, Spring days. I'd like to enjoy some very soon, please.
6. Thank you for sex! Without it I'd be bored, and have nothing to write about.
7. Thank you for my wonderful characters who won't stop pestering me until I get their stories on paper as quickly as life will allow me to.
8. Thank you for love. It's such a key component in living life to the fullest. If you aren't loved, and loving someone else, then you can't truly know what life is all about.
9. Thank you for unlimited text messaging. LOL! It gives Tim & I the opportunity to talk all throughout the day.
10. Finally, thank you for gracing me with a life that I love, people that I cherish and cherish me, and enough sense to realize just how happy I really am. :-)

What are you thankful for this week?

.