Character Spotlight ~ Angela Meuser's Emily Van Arsdale & Tracen Lake

Emily & Tracen

Angela Meuser's debut novel is hitting shelves now so enjoy this sneak peek behind her characters.

Over to you, Angela:~

Brief Physical Description

Emily is an actress who played Wonder Woman in a movie--so think young Linda Carter. She's very petite with dark curls she'd recently cut to chin length and bright blue eyes. Her cheekbones pop out when she smiles, which she does a lot.

Tracen's appearance is based on actor Josh Duhamel. He's got messy medium brown hair streaked lighter by all his time in the sun and hazel eyes. He's tall and lean--a whole foot taller than Emily.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Emily is spry and agile, which makes her a good stunt woman. She likes a challenge though she runs away when she gets scared. She's kept herself busy with work--too busy to have time for family even though that's the thing she wants most in life.

Tracen is loyal and stable, which is why he has a chip on his shoulder about all the celebrities that visit Sun Valley. He is the only one of his large family to remain in the area, and he strongly believes in "home sweet home" rather than "home is where the heart is."

Quirks

Emily is allergic to dairy and wheat. As a child she was very sick. Once the doctors changed her diet in 4th grade she was able to participate in sports for the first time and she's been active ever since. Her aversion to coffee is not from an allergy but because she always burns her tongue and spills on herself--driving her costume designers crazy.

Tracen suffers from the Achoo Syndrome--a real ailment that causes him to sneeze whenever he looks at the sun or bright lights--so he is always wearing sunglasses.

Jor-El (I have to throw Jor-El in here because he is very quirky and because I love him so) is a chubby kid who rides a unicycle and collects comic books. He has a huge crush on Emily since she played a comic book superhero in a movie

Inspiration

The idea of writing about a stuntwoman comes from the Trampoline class I took at University of Oregon. Many of the students went on to work as stuntmen in the film industry. I wasn't that good...but I imagined I was.

Originally the story was set in Sweet Home, Oregon, which is on a river between two lakes in a state where it rains a lot. I thought, "This story has to be about water." So I put them in a raft. I was a little overwhelmed when the publisher asked me to relocate the story, but the theme still fits Sun Valley, and I think the change works even better with Tracen's intolerance to the sun and his disdain for celebrities.

Background to the story

Nothing specific I need to share under background, so how about future ground? I honestly don't think this storyline itself is anything remarkable, but the characters make it great. I fell in love with all my characters (just wait until you meet Howie and Honey), and I'm hoping to write romances for two of Tracen's four brothers. They are just so fun to hang out with.

Thanks Angela for sharing about Tracen and Emily :)


On Monday the spotlight shines on Amy Clipston's Miriam Lapp & Timothy Kaufmann from A Place of Peace.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Angela's website and blog

Buy Angela's book at Amazon or Koorong