PROTECTING HER CHILD
By
By
Debby Giusti
“What happened to my baby?”
Wealthy heiress Eve Townsend is close to death. But before she dies, she has to know: what happened to the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-four years before? Did she inherit her mother’s life-threatening disease? Medical researcher Pete Worth is ready to find answers by tracking her down. And when he finally locates Meredith Lassiter, he finds her widowed, pregnant and on the run. The loan sharks who killed her husband want her dead…and Pete is the only one standing in their way.
My area of the country has been deluged with rain. Drastic changes in temperature have spawned tornadoes that force us into our basement as sirens blare a warning to find shelter. Trees have been uprooted, streams have overflowed their banks and hail has caused damage to vehicles and property. All great fodder for a suspense writer to use in upcoming books.
Weather plays an important role in my stories. My first book, NOWHERE TO HIDE, featured a hurricane that trapped the heroine and her son in an ocean cave. In SCARED TO DEATH, a tornado struck while the villain stood over the hero and heroine with a loaded gun. MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA had a snowstorm that blanketed the city and impacted the hero’s ability to fight off the villain. Wind and rain played a role in COUNTDOWN TO DEATH, and the book I’m currently working on ends with an ice storm.
Writers strive to up the stakes and put their characters in threatening situations. Inclement weather compounds the problem and is a universal danger readers understand. If you want to increase the tension in your story, take a tip from Mother Nature and make the weather miserable. Throw in tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, hail and ice to enhance the suspense and improve your story.
Visit me at http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/ where I’m also blogging today.
14 comments:
In honor of Tax Day, I've brought a coffee cake and sweet rolls. The coffee's on and there's an assortment of teas. Help yourself to the goodies and enjoy the day.
Wow, I like the one with frosting. Let me lick my fingers and I'll start typing again.
The LIS I'm revising now has a tornado. The one coming out in Aug has a snowstorm. I don't think my regular LI had a weather black moment, but going back in time I've had a flash flood one. hehehehe
Debby, what a good idea. I haven't really used the weather as advantageously as I could. Hmmm. Maybe I'll throw in a hurricane into the book I'm working on. Its set in Florida. I'll have to do some research and see if I have the right season. Thanks. And I'd like a slice of the cake.
Hey Pam,
I brought birthday cake and ice cream in honor of my daughter's birthday!
Happy Birthday, Liz!
Sounds like you and I agree about hitting our characters with bad weather! The worse the weather, the harder they have to struggle and the more satisfaction I get when they emerge triumphant at the end of the story.
Hi Terri,
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the cake. Have some ice cream too!
Yes, add a hurricane to your WIP! You'll love putting your characters in danger. Remember lightning is a problem in FL! Tornadoes too!
Terri -- in case you haven't investigated hurricane season...it's June 1 to Nov 30.
Hi Ellen,
Thanks for the info!
You're welcome...and just because those are the "official dates" doesn't mean they can't come earlier as Arthur did last year in May or later in December as one did in 2007 (I think). And yes I do keep track since I live along the Texas coast where we have had our share.
The Texas coast is beautiful, Ellen. How close are you to the ocean?
As much as I love the water, I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature. I often think of Galveston Island and the havoc that has befallen that place of beauty.
The city I live in is on a bay open to the Gulf of Mexico and I am about a mile from the bayfront. And Padre Island National Seashore is a barrier Island that helps protect us. You can google Corpus Christi Bay to see where I am.
Sounds wonderful, Ellen!!! Now when I read your comments, I'll always envision the Gulf and gentle breezes coming off the water! :)
Thanks Debby. My current ms is set in Houston, Texas. The hot, humid weather has already played a factor in the book, but a good old-fashioned storm might have to make an appearance later. Great advice!
Hi Jill,
Thanks for stopping by. A Texas storm will be a great way to up the tension at the climax.
I also like a fire, explosion, too.
Margaret
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