Character Spotlight ~ Camy Tang's Tessa Lancaster & Charles Britton with giveaways

Camy Tang's new sassy suspense series begins with Protection for Hire and is available now from Zondervan.

Synopsis

Tessa Lancaster's skills first earned her a position as an enforcer in her Uncle Teruo's Japanese Mafia gang. 

Then they landed her in prison for a crime she didn't commit. 

Now, three months after her release, Tessa's abilities have gained her a job as bodyguard for wealthy socialite Elizabeth St. Amant and her three-year-old son.But there's a problem or two . or three .. 

There's Elizabeth's abusive husband whose relentless pursuit goes deeper than mere vengeance. There's Uncle Teruo, who doesn't understand why Tessa's new faith as a Christian prevents her from returning to the yakuza. And then there's Elizabeth's lawyer, Charles Britton, who Tessa doesn't know is the one who ensured that she did maximum time behind bars. 

Now Tessa and Charles must work together in order to protect their client, while new truths emerge and circumstances spiral to a deadly fever pitch.

Enjoy meeting Tessa & Charles - you're going to love them!  Thanks Camy :)

Brief physical description  

Tessa has light brown hair, naturally straight, a bit slick, won’t stay up easily. She has brown eyes (amber) with green flecks and a faint dimple on the left corner of her mouth when she smiles. Her father was English, Scottish, and a little Italian.

Charles has golden brown curls and blue-green eyes. He gets his high cheekbones and roman nose from his father. He’s lean, with wide chiseled shoulders.

Credit: exposay.com

Actor/famous person

Tessa: Jessica Alba

Charles: Matthew McConaughey, specifically in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

Strengths and weaknesses 

Tessa is strong, independent, and capable, but she also has a bit of a temper that she has to struggle to keep in check.

Charles is loyal and responsible, with a bit of a wild streak that he has repressed for most of his life because of his abusive father. He can be a bit legalistic and judgmental, but he’s quick to own up to his mistakes.

Credit: Bell'Alimento

Quirk (if any) 

Tessa has a scary love of weapons, a throwback to her days as an enforcer for her mob boss uncle.

Charles defies his Louisiana heritage by loving cannolis more than beignets.

Your inspiration for the character  

I came up with Tessa’s  character after watching shows like Alias and Covert Affairs. I love heroines who can kick butt! But I also love the humor and drama that comes with family interactions, kind of like The Sopranos, so I combined Alias with the Sopranos and came up with Tessa and her mafia family.

I developed Charles as a total opposite to Tessa, which was fun. At the time, I had just watched How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days again, and I love Matthew McConaughey’s face, figure, and that syrupy drawl! So I cast him as Charles.

Background to the story

Tessa Lancaster’s life is like a Asian sitcom version of The Sopranos. Her Uncle Teruo took her under his wing after her Caucasian father ditched her family when she was ten. It’s just a little too bad that Uncle is the godfather of the Japanese yakuza in San Francisco, but well, nobody’s perfect.

Credit: hisks

Tomboy Tessa always got along better with her male cousins rather than delicate girls like her younger sister, Alicia. As she got older, she excelled in fighting and her uncle unofficially recruited her to do “jobs” for him, although she never killed anyone. Her mother and sister were appalled and embarrassed that she was working for her uncle. To Tessa, it seemed as if the two most important women in her life wanted her to be who she’s not and judged her for it.

Then Uncle’s son killed his girlfriend in a rage. Tessa willingly took the blame instead and went to jail for him, pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Tessa was in prison for a total of seven years, but after four years, a fellow inmate led her to the Lord. The story opens when Tessa is released from prison. Her uncle doesn’t understand her new faith and wants her to continue working for him, but she refuses, wanting to get a “real” job and go legitimate. She agrees to help Elizabeth, a Southern belle who is trying to escape her abusive husband and reclaim her inheritance money.

Elizabeth’s lawyer happens to be Charles Britton, who had been the law clerk at Tessa’s trial. Affronted by the lesser charge of manslaughter when it was obvious to him that Tessa was guilty of a host of other crimes, Charles convinced the judge to add two years to the agreed sentence. Those extra years prevented her from saying goodbye to her beloved aunt and attending her funeral. Now that he has to work with Tessa to help Elizabeth, Charles doesn’t know what to make of this “new” Tessa who is so different from the woman he had helped to send to prison.

Throw in Charles’s and Tessa’s family drama, a few crooked lawyers and some testy mafia, and you’ve got a fun, suspenseful adventure about two people discovering how to become a new creature in Christ.

Fun, as always, Camy ~ many thanks :) 

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Sushi for One?, Only Uni, Single Sashimi, Deadly Intent & Formula for Danger
What's Cooking? with Camy
Interview with Camy
Visit Camy's website and blog
Buy Camy's books at Amazon and Koorong