More Drama Please!

I grew up feeding my imagination soap operas. My days were filled with the sinister escapades of Asa Buchanan on One Life to Live or wondering how Erica Kane was going to tell her latest beau that secret she'd been holding on to for the past six months. After getting home from school, I'd sit with my mom, engrossed in the dramatic story lines.  

I find that same drama, working its way into our writing.  We're nearing the halfway point in Book 2 of our series.  My co-author and I were doing some writing the other night, when she conjured up this mysterious new character.  She IM'd me the character specifics and a scene she'd written with him in it.  Like a runaway freight train we were barrelling down the tracks with a whole new mythology that could actually stand on it's own. The fantastic feeling of creating and taking new directions is beyond exhilarating!. Oh, and naps help recharge the creative mind when your in a slump. The first soap opera i ever saw was Dark Shadows, the original one on television. The imagery that conjured up in my very young imagination was far more than even than the TV show was airing. I'd sit and create in my head whole episodes that didn't even exist. Who new then I was doing what is now called Fan Fiction. I was too young to put it down in words. Then came all the other wonderful daytime dramas with the twists and turns of love and life. We talked about these characters almost everyday as if they were real, even though we knew they weren't. It fed our innate human need for gossip, drama and suspense. With the demise of some of my favorite soaps, (OLTL, AMC you will always live on in my heart) I am not surprised to see many people turning to even more dramatic shows like Sons of Anarchy or Dexter, True Blood or any number of nighttime dramas and finding the office water cooler talk revolving around them. People want and need the drama and the intensity, the escape and fantasy of our own everyday humdrum lives. It's a formula as old as Greek and Roman mythology. Those stories were told and handed down with just as much twists and turns as any drama today as any real student of mythology knows.

I make no apologies for the drama related in our current and future books. It fills a need. My own. My writing partner and i write for ourselves as any good writer should, but we humbly invite you to share in that ride and hope you enjoy the fantasy.

The Body Hunters (Volume 1) 

Constructing Danielle Labouleaux

When we started writing The Body Hunters we wanted to create a believable heroine and one you could easily imagine as your best friend.  Out the window went the whiny damsel in distress archetype, who can't think without a male present or the weak female being dominated and controlled by the male 'hero'.  Our girl is strong, confident, and smart.  She can ask for help, but she can definitely handle things on her own if need be.

When we conjured her up within the depths of our imaginations, we kept in mind those butt kicking females from movies and literature.  With me personally I thought of Ripley from the Alien series, who happens to be my favorite fictional heroine.  Danielle or Danny has a gift, which she uses to help people who've been wronged. She's independent, feisty, and doesn't dumb herself down to fit in with the crowd or current trends.  She's also got somewhat of a rebellious streak and likes to do her own thing regardless of what anyone has to say on the matter.

Along with those good traits, Danny is deeply flawed.  The girl has issues to say the least and she's far from perfect.  She's scarred both on the outside and on the inside, like a lot of real people. As our series continues, we'll start to pull back the layers to reveal who she really is and why she behaves the way she does.  I don't see her dysfunctional qualities as imperfections, but something that makes this character all the more human and believable.  She's a fun character to write, so hopefully you'll enjoy her as much as we do.

What Kind of Music do You Play When You're Writing?

To all the writers out there, I have this question:  What kind of music do you play when you're writing?
I listen to everything from hip hop and jazz to classic rock, so I've been known to throw on some Sade just to relax while I'm writing a scene.  Depending on the character I'm trying to channel or the scene I'm trying to write I have been known to throw on some AC/DC or some Led Zeppelin.  Are you the type to throw on some Mozart or Bach to get into writing mode?  Or is Jay-Z and Kanye West more your speed?  When you're trying to get some writing done, what kind of music are you playing?

Read the first chapters free at Amazon.com!

Happy Saturday to all! I'm thinking of Danielle Labouleaux's favorite music, She's a big fan of Sade but not above finding the humor in Gangnam Style! Her new favorite song though is Nelly Furtado's Spirit Indestructible, which would about sum it up for her. Question to any readers out there. What would you say Aiden Stones favorite song would be? How about Lucius Johnson's?

Enjoy your day! Raven Newcastle.....

Sparks Fly: Excerpt from The Body Hunters

Here is a small excerpt from my new book, The Bodyhunters
This is the point where our heroine, Danielle Labouleaux, meets our hero, Aiden Stone. Sparks fly to say the very least.   Enjoy!

The front page article for next month's issue of Body Hunters, covered a husband who had seemingly become the world's greatest magician because he had vanished from the face of the earth. His young wife, twenty-five years his junior, was the sole beneficiary of his lucrative automotive parts factory. For fifteen years she had lived the high life with her Latin lover. The former diner waitress had become a world traveler, visiting places most people only saw in glossy travel magazines. Developing an extravagant taste, she draped her body in the finest rags and baubles her deceased husband's money could buy. The woman's fairytale came to an end when her husband's body was finally found. He had been buried on the grounds of one of the factories, which had been closed for decades. Evidence was gathered, the Latin lover sang like a canary, and the woman was locked up for her husband's murder.

Danny knew most of the facts of the cold case were true, except how the investigators really got the evidence. She hated lying to her readers who consisted of mostly C.S.I. wannabes. With all the forensic reality shows and police dramas on television, everyone wanted to be amateur detectives. She also knew how they got the evidence had to be changed. The general public wasn't quite ready to learn that their tax dollars were spent on employing psychics.

Interlacing her fingers, Danielle stretched her arms forward letting the tension of the movement crack her knuckles for her. She had spent too many hours on her computer today hunched over the keyboard. Feeling at once tired and antsy, Danielle stood up from her desk and stretched hoping to untie the knots in her back. Her hands now on her lower back she pushed out a little and groaned a bit wondering what her chances were for early onset arthritis. The pain in her ring finger seemed to also start back up. Throbbing pain was turning into little sharp jabs.

The ring on her finger now felt like little tiny thorns in the inside circlet. She twirled the diamond ring around her finger unconsciously, hoping it would ease the pain. Of course Gerard would have a meltdown if he caught her not wearing the atrocious thing. The Doctor would have none of it. No fiancée of his was going to wear something that you had to carry a magnifying glass to see! But now the ring was too tight around her finger to remove without great effort. She would have to wait for the swelling to go down. "Funny," she thought, the pain and swelling really didn't start until she started wearing the pretentious thing.

Now it seemed as if it was drawing blood. She sat back down and frowned at the ring as she now consciously twirled it and tried to remove it. As if it knew what she was trying to do, the pain started to subside. Finally she was able to look back at her work on the screen, but by now her concentration had been broken by the loud obnoxious chiming of the doorbell disturbing her ruminations. It was a big house and Gerard wanted to make sure they could hear it from wherever they were inside. The bell chimed again, seemingly with its own sense of urgency.

Who the hell could that be at this hour? She grumbled to herself. Surely Gerard would not have forgotten his key. She padded in bare feet to the big oak door letting the coolness of the ceramic tiles chill her feet. The bell chimed a third time.

"I'm coming!" She yelled with a lot of attitude in her voice. If it was one of Gerard's reality show producers coming to kiss his ass some more, she was going to blow her top!

Danny swung the big oak door open and was startled by the sight. Two men stood in the doorway, one in a dark blue suit that looked like he had gotten it off the rack at some bargain bin. He was kind of pudgy and average height. His Hispanic features made him look like any number of men that lived in the area, but he also looked like he was right out of high school. The second man was totally different and exotic. He stood at the doorway, one large arm on the doorjamb, looking extremely casual. He was a mountain she noticed. He has to be at least 6'4, she thought to herself.

"I'm Agent Aiden Stone ma'am, and this is Agent Alejandro Ramirez. I believe we spoke the other night."

I didn't know mountains could talk. Danny mused to herself, "And I believe I told you I wasn't available, Agent Stone."

Stone had the gall to look amused. "And I believe I told you that I needed your help before you hung up on me."

"You're an agent you say?" Danny retorted, never letting the door handle go. "I can believe Agent Ramirez is an agent, but you Agent Stone, really? Jeans and a polo shirt? I was unaware of the new dress code policy at the bureau. OK boys out with the shields."

Danny was not one to mess around; she was a civilian now and for all intents and purposes was practically free of the Bureau. Whatever they wanted from her, they were not going to get it.

Alejandro fumbled with his wallet in his back pocket trying to look more experienced than he was. It was clear he was a rookie. Agent Stone stood straight, and all 6'4 of him made her realize how small she now felt. His skin tone was the color of a deep Hawaiian tan and he had a very island feel about him. She could almost smell the coconuts and ocean breeze around him. He stood before her looking very smug and confident. This irritated Danny as she watched him reach into the front pocket of his impossibly tight jeans, lifting his polo shirt slightly to show a little of his tight abs. She found herself staring a little and turned her head away feeling some heat on her cheeks. Both men now had their badges in front of her and she pretended to inspect them.

"Are you happy now?" Aiden asked, his tone sarcastic.

Danny folded her arms across her chest. "OK, fine, what do you guys want?" she inquired, growing more irritated by the moment.

"Can we come in?" Aiden asked. "As I said over the phone I need help on a cold case. We need to talk to you about it, just to pick your brain."

Figuring that the only way to get rid of the two G men would be to let them in and hear their story, Danny decided to let them in only for a few minutes. It would be kind of awkward explaining to Gerard why the Feds were standing on their doorstep.

Danny led the way to the great room with the big round chrome wall clock that now chimed 9:15 pm. Not wanting to keep them there any longer than she had to, she purposely failed to offer them anything to drink. Agent Ramirez was looking around the big room and was just grateful to be out of the heat.

"Phew!" Aiden whistled, "Quite the fancy digs you and the good doctor have got here!"

Danny didn't know whether to be offended or pleased. Alejandro looked like a lost little boy enveloped by the huge couch. She took the matching chair opposite the men. Agent Stone slid back into the sofa and stretched out his arm along the back of it looking like he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Those laser blue eyes of his were targeting her, and she suddenly wished she was wearing more than her AC/DC tee shirt and cotton shorts.

"Well, you've certainly done your homework. You know where I live. You know my phone number, whom I'm engaged to and where I used to work. Congratulations! You've now passed FBI 101. Now, what do you want?" Her tone took a very serious turn. Gerard was due home in forty-five minutes.

Finally the big man spoke. "Look I'm not going to fool around, I know the work you did and the special talent you possess. I need your help. We have a cold case and no leads. I was told by Agent Johnson that if I needed any help, you were the one to call."

Agent Ramirez looked a little puzzled, like he had wandered into the middle of a conversation.  "Agent Stone, what special talent are we talking about?"

Danny spoke up instead, "Agent Ramirez is it? A few years ago, the Bureau decided to try a little experiment. A few people with psychic abilities were recruited, and our talents were used to solve crimes for the federal government. Things didn't go quite the way they were supposed to, and the group was disbanded. End of story."

"Uh, you're a psychic?" Alejandro now directed his gaze to Danny. Aiden spoke up quickly.

"Yes she's psychic and a prodigy according to our superiors." he said.

"You mean like Professor X." the rookie asked, referring to the wheelchair-bound leader of the X-men of comic book fame.

Danny rolled her eyes at the agent's comment. "No, I can't read minds!" she quipped. "My specialty is forensics. I gather evidence and clues and can relay that information to the authorities."

"This is exactly why we need your help." Aiden informed her again.

"You're starting to sound like a broken record, you know that?." Danny complained, feeling his eyes on her, though much to her chagrin, she couldn't keep her eyes off him either. Everything about him was big. Trying to keep cool, she had a hard time forgetting what she and her girlfriends used to joke about when talking about guys with big hands and feet.

“Are you going to help us or not?" Stone asked impatiently. "We have a dead junkie prostitute, no evidence, no motive and no clues."

The big clock now chimed 9:30, and Danny knew she needed to move these gentlemen along. The last thing she needed was FBI agents sitting in the house when Gerard came home, especially with the topic where it was at that moment.

"I'm not making any promises, but leave me your card and I'll think on it. I'm not trying to get tangled up with the Bureau again." She didn't like the fact that they sought her out. She was very happy with her work from home with the e-zine. "I must ask that you leave now, I have a deadline for an article I'm writing."

"Ah yes, The Body Hunters, isn't it?" Agent Stone once again had that smug look on his face showing he knew her more than she thought.

"That's right Agent Stone. How clever of you to know!" She gave him a little glare before she got up and headed to the door. Agent Ramirez stood up quickly and stopped fidgeting nervously with his tie. He walked behind her like a lost puppy dog without really meaning to do so.

Agent Stone stood up from the huge black couch and left a very deep indent in the sofa due to his massive muscle mass. Danny knew she would have to turn over the cushion before Gerard got home hoping it would give it time to go back to its normal shape.

Aiden swaggered to the door where Danny now held it open, He reached into his front pocket and took out his wallet and placed his card between his index finger and middle finger. When he got to the door he stopped at the frame and looked back, holding up his hand with the card still between his fingers.

"Please, if you will help, here is my card. We are staying at a motel just 2 miles from here. Call me at any time."

"Like I said, I'll think on it. Goodnight Agents." Danny closed the big oak door behind her. She went to the big picture window in the great room and pulled the white-colored curtains aside to watch the agents depart in the standard four-door bland bucar. She laughed to herself at the thought that such an big man as Agent Stone was forced to drive such a vehicle and not, as she presumed, a huge SUV.

Here's another one of those character interviews that was so much fun!  I hope you enjoy it.  This time we're interviewing our hero, Aiden Stone, featured in our novel, The Body Hunters.

 Maurella Stevens interviews FBI Special Agent Aiden Stone

MS: Aiden Stone, I've been so looking forward to interviewing you!

AS: No problem, Maurella.   You can call me Aiden:

MS: Thank you Aiden.  I noticed in the book you took to calling  Danielle , Nani.

AS: Yes, she hated it at first but it grew on her!

MS: Didn’t she think you were being very forward at first calling her beautiful in Hawaiian?

AS: Yeah but she likes it!

MS: Speaking of what were you thinking when you blurted out “the” statement to her.

AS: Honestly, I don’t know, my mouth took over my brain, I had no other good reason to keep her in Dallas, I panicked and I said what I said.

MS: But you know what they say about stressful utterances, in the heat of the moment comments?

AS: No Maurella, please educate me!

MS: That when you utter something out of fear, passion, or stress it tends to be the truth. Was it Aiden?

AS: Um, well you may have got me there!  Of course by that point I felt something strong for Danny, and I know she  felt it for me!  She was walking back into a hornet's nest and I just didn’t want to see her hurt. I knew it could be explosive.

MS: And it was wasn’t it?

AS: Well, yeah! I was right! But I certainly couldn’t take any pleasure in being right; I had to face the fact that I had also with held information and that put her in danger in the first place.

MS: Was it a case of too little to late?

AS: Yes and of course Lucius getting in the way.

MS: Ah, yes Lucius, let’s talk about him a bit.

AS: Forget about the King of the Vampires.   I’d rather talk about you!

MS: Aiden! I see you never quite stop flirting!

AS: Just one of the things the ladies love about me!

MS: Back to Lucius if you don’t mind! He never really quite believed you . You had a major fight with him about Danny’s safety why do you think he reacted the way he did.

AS: He has his own agenda, and unfortunately no one is clear what that is! He acts like her father sometimes. Just because he was her dad's old partner, he’s really not that much older than her. Or me for that matter.

MS: Not a Braddah huh!

AS: Nope not a Brah! Look at you speaking my language! I see I'm leaving an impression on you!

MS: Ok Aiden, let’s not get carried away!

AS: Well you’re the one with the ticket to the gun show! (Aiden flexes his arm muscles)

MS: You are incorrigible!

AS: I believe Danny called me a jackass!

MS: I don’t know if I’d go that far just yet! But you also have your soft side too, you held real emotion for the women being killed and for Danny's feelings when things got heavy

AS: Well of course, there's a time and place for everything.  I may joke around but I know when its time  to be serious.

MS:  Do you feel it brought you two closer?

AS: Look what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and a shared harrowing experience is going to bring any two people closer. I would like to think that it did anyway

MS. Now we know you are psychic, that’s not a secret. Do you feel its hindered you any or have you come to accept who you are now?

AS: With Danny’s help I have been able to not only accept my gift, but expand on it and control it. At first I didn’t want it.  I thought I was nuts you know? Now I understand there are things that cant be explained and to use the gift for the betterment of others.

MS: Good philosophy!

AS: Now don’t get me wrong .  You've got to have great investigative skills and do a lot of leg work.   Cases just don’t solve themselves because I've got this gift so to speak. It doesn't work that way. There are still a lot of  forensics involved and putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

MS: Yes I can imagine!

AS: But I always make room for play! Can’t be work all the time! 

MS: That brings me to your reputation as a ladies’ man, you are quite the player!  Has that changed now?

AS: Let me take you to dinner and you tell me!

MS: Sure, can my husband come too?
AS: Husband? Ugh! Look of course I have feelings for Danielle, more than I want to admit. But you’ll have to stay tuned.

Interview with Danielle Labouleaux

Just for fun, my co-author and I created interviews featuring our main characters from our new book, The Body Hunters.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did coming up with questions and answers.

Maurella Stevens:  Ms. Labouleaux, thank you so much for taking time to interview today!, I have been looking forward to this interview!

Danielle Labouleax: You’re welcome! I’m glad to be here.

MS:  I want to start off by saying that I enjoyed your story very much; I’ll start by asking if you had to pick the one aspect of your personality that stands out, what would it be?

DL:  Oh my, um, I’d say my feistiness!

MS:  And why is that?

DL:  It’s the one part of my personality I enjoy the most, I don’t back down and will fight for what I believe is right.

MS: I can see that in the fight at the dinner with the doctors and their wives, how you handled the emotional aspect of it.

DL: It was very draining. I had to summon all of my energy to do It., the physical fighting and the anger I felt. I’d much rather do all the fun stuff! (laughter)

MS: Oh, you mean like the stakeout with Stone?

DL:  Of course! Who wouldn’t! (more laughter)

MS:  Speaking of Aiden Stone, how is he to work with?

DL: The guy is a clown! but a loveable clown, he starts off irritating but has a way of getting under your skin!  He raises that eye brow and you get a feeling that something naughty is about to happen.

MS:  Was it hard to keep focus with his antics?

DL:  Oh yeah, he is definitely a distractive force in more than one way! But I try to keep level headed about it trying not to leap before I looked.

MS:  You start off with a best friend in New York, Stephania? Why is it we only see her in the beginning and at the end?

DL: Stephania represents the start of my journey. The love I feel and need from this friendship after having lost so much in my life, she’s the breath of fresh air I needed. She encourages me to see a different side of myself.  And at the end, because every girl needs her bff!

MS:  Before we get to Gerard let’s talk about Lucius Johnson. There is something more to the two of you than what’s being said, isn’t there?

DL: Luc? We have a long surprising history; you’ll just have to stay tuned!

MS: So that’s it for him? No other hints?

DL: We worked together before, things happened. Nope can’t tell you anymore than that you’ll have to read the second installment!

MS: Okay then, on to Gerard. Was it love at first sight?

DL: I’d say smitten at first sight, I do believe he loved me and I him, but stars struck our eyes at first! As you will read though, nothing is as it seems with Gerard and me.

MS:  The drama that unfolds had to have taken the two of you to a dark place. Do you feel it left lasting emotional scars?

DL:  How could it not! But that is life; we either get strong or die!

MS:  Do you think at some point you’ll be able to forgive him?

DL:  To those who say to forgive someone, so you can be set free,  well that’s easier said than done. Over time we can all forgive those who didn’t do us right with the advantage of time and space. I can say the words but when I really mean them is another ballgame. I’m just saying.

MS: Out of everyone and everything that happens, who do you hold a soft spot for the most?

DL: Now this will surprise you, but Alejandro Ramirez. He’s so young and full of potential, you feel his dedication and willingness to observe and learn, also his ability to have an open mind. He doesn’t judge. I like that allot in him.

MS: When I interviewed the author Raven Newcastle, she stressed the point that you are not a wilting flower waiting for prince charming. That you are strong, but realize that you are going to need someone. Is that a fair assessment?

DL: Ms. Newcastle is right; I am not just waiting for the night in shining armor! Now don’t get me wrong! I’ll take him! On my own terms of course. Seriously I need a man that is willing to accept me for my strengths and my weaknesses, to bolster each other, not to dominate to feel superior; I think that is what most women want deep down. Love and physical love is great, but we have to be friends too, otherwise it’s just boring!

MS:  Do you feel that the role of women has advanced? Or in some ways has it gone backward in time.

DL: Oh, sure, I read in the 60’s and 70’s women’s liberation movement was necessary. My grandmother and even my mother had to mold to what society told them they could and could not do. The so called American dream was for white men only really. Women of all color and races were held down while being spoon fed lies about in this country you could achieve anything. So I feel that when women were able to move forward and strut their stuff, at the same time that minorities were also fighting back and making strides, it was a great time but a serious struggle for us. It was double barrel for women of color, to have to fight for rights within society and in her own home. So I am a product of that environment. I have to fight my battles and prove I’m strong, that’s what girls need today, we are still being force fed the ideal of what a woman is, from television and print media, but we ourselves are now guilty of it. We allow the images and attitudes to prevail. We are being our own worst enemy now and have the nerve to wonder why the next generation of females are believing the only way to get ahead is to slut it up! But I’m not so hardened that I can’t accept help especially if that help comes from a strong muscled pair of arms and hard body! (laughs) I can say I know what I like and I will go for it!

MS: So we can say Danielle Labouleaux isn’t afraid of being assertive when it comes to sex?

DL: Oh, no! You went there! (laughs) this is embarrassing!  I wouldn’t say assertive though more like borderline aggressive. (more laughter) I know what I like and I’m not afraid to ask for what I want! There’s nothing wrong with that!, I need someone that can keep up with me though! But don’t mistake my being aggressive with anything goes! It ain’t like that! I want the wining and dining, flowers don’t hurt but jewelry is nicer!

MS: Speaking of jewelry! That ring! I particularly found that to be very creepy! Don’t you agree?

DL: Oh yeah of course, not to give too much away. But outside of what happened to me, if it were any other situation I’d find such a piece of jewelry as an endearing act of love. Though can’t say I’d wear it all the time!

MS: Do you mind if we touch on your abilities a bit?

DL:  No go  right ahead.

MS:  You are a psychic, that’s been established. But you call yourself a forensic psychic, what’s the difference?

DL: I call it that because that’s the way I choose to use it, sure there are any number of so called psychics who claim for a price to bring forth loved ones for messages from beyond. Truth is most of our dear departed loved ones, really don’t hang around very long to talk to us, they’ve got better things to do now and leave the earthly living to those of us left to figure out. It amazes me that people clamor for advice and acknowledgement from those departed, but while they were alive, never really sought out or took their advice in the first place. And I look at it this way, if Uncle Joe was a jerk and an idiot in life, why do I want to have him give me guidance now that he’s gone? He was stupid then he’s going to be stupid now! (Laughs). No, I work with the wronged souls. And they aren’t always stuck on earth. They have the ability to go back and forth on this plane and the next. But they are granted time to resolve the wrong done to them, that’s why they will appear years even after their death when others have moved on and do not come forth for loved ones when reading is done. Many of these types of psychics prey on people and have many tricks of the trade to fool someone into believing that mom or dad or any number of close relatives are just ready and waiting to give you messages. It’s sad.

MS: Have you ever been asked to do a reading?

DL:  I’d never do one that was not in the scope of my work.  Now I can say that I have known people even within my own family who have had legitimate readings. But it comes and goes; there is no rhyme or reason to it. I can’t sit a bunch of people down in an audience and just have loved ones come thru, and I doubt many could. Even in my own work, it’s not a given.

MS:  Does that frustrate you when you can’t get a clear vision?

DL:  Oh of course! But over the years I’ve learned to go with the flow, it’s their time now  not ours and they have all the time in the world so to speak! (laughs).

MS: Well Ms. Labouleaux that is all the time I have, I thank you again for this wonderful opportunity to interview you, when Raven Newcastle picked you as a subject I see why she did, you are a delight! Thank you for your time and candor.

DL: Oh, you’re very welcome! Hopefully we can do this again soon!