Character Spotlight ~ TL Higley's Sophia & Bellus

Today the spotlight shines on......................Sophia & Bellus



T L (Tracy) Higley's Seven Wonders series is brilliant! I love the combination of adventure, ancient history and romance and each book is equally fascinating. Be sure to pick up your own copy of Shadow of Colossus, City of the Dead and the newly released Guardian of the Flame.

I hope you enjoy this insight into the lightkeeper and her Roman soldier! Over to you, Tracy:~

Sophia

Brief physical description

Sophia’s in her early forties, a bit older than most of the main characters I’ve written. She has spent twenty years hiding from the world and denying her femininity, so she tends to dress a bit manly, and doesn’t bother much with her appearance. All that is about to change, however!

Actor/famous person to play the part

Sophia’s got a bit of attitude about her, and I see her as sort of a young Bette Davis. Tough-talking, but with hidden depth.

Strengths and weaknesses

She’s brilliant and underneath the tough shell, she’s compassionate. Sophia cares deeply about her country of Egypt, about her student Cleopatra, and about her late husband’s fellow scholars who are being sought by Julius Caesar. But her past has hardened her to relationships, and even though she cares deeply, she has a very hard time showing love.

Quirk (if any)

Sophia’s a recluse. She’s been hiding in her lighthouse in Alexandria for the past twenty years, and it takes an army to get her out!

Bellus

Brief physical description

Bellus is a Roman soldier, with all the muscles and wavy dark hair for the part! He’s got a killer smile that Sophia keeps trying to ignore, unsuccessfully it would seem. He’s been through quite a few battles with his general, Julius Caesar, and has become a weathered soldier who is looking for more than a soldier’s life these days.

Actor/famous person to play the part

Well, he’s Spanish, not Italian, but I’d have to say Antonio Banderas.

Strengths and weaknesses

Bellus is an anomaly in the Roman legion – a soldier who hates conflict. He does his job well, but he is a peacemaker at heart, and is baffled by the way Sophia is always trying to bait him into conflict. He has a pure love to give, but hasn’t yet found someone worthy of it.

Quirk (if any)

Bellus is well-read and loves to study philosophy, a trait which sets him apart from his fellow soldiers and makes him all the more intriguing to Sophia.

Your inspiration for both characters

Guardian of the Flame is the Beauty and the Beast story I’ve been wanting to write for years. I love this legendary story, in all its incarnations throughout film and books. Anyone familiar with the story will see the Beast in Sophia and the Beauty in Bellus. There are deeper truths here, too, about why we are drawn to this motif about a love that reaches out to transform us, even before we are worthy of love. I greatly enjoyed unfolding this relationship through the course of the story, watching Sophia change and open herself to love.

Background to the story

Guardian of the Flame is a Seven Wonders Novel, centering around the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The year is 48 BC. Sophia has spent nearly twenty years as the keeper of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, alone in her task and in her heart. But when the wealthy capital of Egypt is invaded by Julius Caesar and his Roman legion, Sophia’s peace is shattered and her lighthouse invaded. The Roman general would steal both her county and its queen, the Greek Cleopatra, and when his military strategy endangers the city’s best scholars and their secret invention, Sophia must discover a way to protect the men. But as the historic war erupts, tangling Sophia in its chaos, she finds that the Roman centurion instructed to invade her lighthouse is also invading her heart.
Now Sophia must do whatever it takes to keep him out – even if it costs her everything.

Thanks so much, Tracy ~ I adore these books and I can't wait to get into your new Lost Cities series!


On Thursday, the spotlight will shine on Denise Hunter's Sabrina Kincaid & Tucker McCabe from her latest release, Seaside Letters ~ woo hoo ;-)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Guardian of the Flame, Shadow of Colossus and City of the Dead

Character spotlights on Tessa (Colossus) and Hemiumu (City)

Interview with Tracy

Visit Tracy's website

Buy Tracy's books at Amazon or Koorong