The Men We Love to Hate to Love
First, let me start by thanking Kathy for having me on her blog today.
Next, to the nitty gritty. As an author, I write mostly suspense, crime fiction, and thrillers. By chance or design, I end up adding a touch of love and / or romance into each novel. Creating the man has to be one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of this profession.
Creating an Adonis that’s fabulously wealthy and that may or may not brood is elementary. That character is prevalent in a ton of romance novels and we, as readers, crave a man deeper than a wading pool. When writing Thicker Than Water, I sat down with my character sheets and went to work.
Then, something my grandmother used to say kept dancing around in the back of my mind. “We don’t love people for their assets. We love them in spite of their flaws.” And…she’s right.
Gino Salito, the local crime boss, is commanding as one would suspect. But P.I. Michelle Mott grows fond of him in a purely platonic fashion. He’s charming, dangerous and his attention aimed firmly at her actions. Despite the blood on his hands, and his reputation, she manages to find that softer side of him.
Enter Daniel Cardinale – the hot mess who steals her heart. Socially awkward but handsome, he manages to woo my Private Investigator, despite her best efforts. Daniel’s flaws come from some fairly deep seeded issues that come to the surface during the story. I never know whether I want to slap him senseless or have him strip. This made writing his character a ton of fun.
Some of my favorite sexy characters in print and on the screen have had some fairly serious flaws. Examples? Eric Northman from Trueblood, Noah Calhoun from The Notebook (book, not the movie,) Harvey Specter of Suits, Alex from Making Waves. The aforementioned men stole my heart but they were flawed, some more than others.
What about you? What male characters to you love to hate to love?
Title: Thicker Than Water by Kim Mullican
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 216 pages
Summary:
Blood may be thicker than water, but family isn’t necessarily who you’re related to. In this suspenseful mystery with a romantic twist, we follow Private Investigator Michelle Mott on her most exciting case to date.
Wisecracking Mott has been a loner since her parents died. When Daniel Cardinale walks into her office with her most interesting case yet, his world threatens to turn hers upside down. He needs her to find out who is sending him anonymous money and what the truth is behind his dead fiancé’s demise. If his case weren’t complicating her life enough, local crime lord Gino Salito has taken an interest in Mott.
Mott’s empty life begins to fill up with an unexpected and rag-tag group of people, and she’s afraid her dangerous life will take them away, leaving her alone once again.
In truth, it’s Mott’s life that may be the one at risk. She’ll have to hope that blood isn’t always thicker than water.
Purchase Links: Amazon * Paperback
Excerpt
I am about to die. I don’t mean in the Sylvia Plath-we’re-all going-to-die-sometime sort of way. In mere moments, the meathead behind the barrel of the handgun held to my temple will pull the trigger. The hammer will come down, igniting a tiny explosion that will send a lead ball tearing through my cranium. My brains, bones and blood will spray on the area beside me. I won’t even hear a click. I won’t feel a thing. Idiots. This is the least creative way to murder someone.
And the suicide note they had me write sounds nothing like me. No one is going to believe I committed suicide. If they watched one episode of one crime show they’d know I needed gun powder residue on my hands, not duct tape residue on my wrists. This has to be the worst faked suicide in history. That’s what you get when you hire steroid induced freaks with the IQ of a cannoli.
I should have known this would happen. Wrong guy in your bed, you get a little nosey and this is where you wind up. Cold barrel pressed against your temple by some guy who doesn’t even fully understand why his boss wants you expired. Nor does he care. He doesn’t even care that his boss is too much of a puss to pull the trigger himself.
I should be crying or begging for my life. But I’m not. I’m sitting here like a limestone statue: cold, calm…it’s sort of creepy, actually. Fear and panic should be knocking at my door. Instead an unexpected feeling of calm was all I had. Maybe I knew this was a possibility.
Author Bio
Kim Mullican was born in Northwest Indiana, where she was raised on the family farm. She attended International Business College in Fort Wayne before continuing on at Indiana Wesleyan University.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably cooking a meal for her rather large family. An assortment of children and pets keep her on her toes.
On the rare chance she and Mr. Mullican can pull away, you can find them on a quiet body of water, fishing poles in hand.
She’s a cross-genre writer offering, paranormal, mystery, suspense, thriller and more.
Author Links: Website * WordPress * Facebook * Goodreads
Giveaway
Ms. Mullican is giving away ONE Digital Copy of Thicker Than Water (mobi or pdf format only). To enter today’s contest:
You must Do TWO of the Following:
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And don’t forget to:
5. Fill out the form below by 5 PM Mountain Time Monday afternoon.
CONTEST OVER
*I am the only person who will have access to info that is submitted to me UNLESS a publisher or author has donated an eBook for the giveaway. For a prize donated by an author or publisher, I will forward your e-mail and format selection to the person responsible for distributing the eBook. In the event the contest form is not working, please leave your book selection in the comments below.*
It’s that easy! The winner will be selected using random.org. Ms. Mullican will e-mail one lucky winner the eBook of their choice in their preferred format. The winner will be posted HERE on Tuesday.
Thanks for the interview and excerpt and also the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! Sounds like a very interesting book!