Character spotlight on Flannery McNeill & Jamie O'Connor

Kaye Dacus introduces Flannery and Jamie from her final story in her Matchmakers series, Turnabout's Fair Play.

Over to you, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Flannery McNeill has the looks and figure most women would envy—tall, blonde, and athletic. Although not a classic beauty, she has a cute sweetness that helps her make easy friends and attract all kinds of men. Of course, she’s not sure she likes that!

When Jamie O’Connor enters a room, he turns the head of every woman in the room. Though he’s a few inches under average height, his dark hair, gray eyes, and slow, sensual smile make him the subject of many women’s daydreams.

Actor/famous person

Like the other three female leads in The Matchmakers Series, the template that inspired Flannery’s physical description is a model I found on JupiterImages.com—which also happens to be the model the publisher used on the front cover!

Though I wrote a synopsis (a short one) for the series proposal more than a year before I started writing the book, I didn’t have a clear picture of Jamie in my head when it came time to actually start writing. Until I realized I had a TV obsession who would work perfectly—Alex O’Loughlin!

Strengths and weaknesses

Flannery is a confident, independent woman—a little too confident and independent for her own good, sometimes. She also has hangups about good-looking men, and a fear that her best friends’ marriages are going to ruin her friendships with them. But She also can admit when she’s wrong, and she goes out of her way to help others.

Jamie is popular and successful, well-known and a leader in his industry. At least, that’s how he appears to the outside world. Inside, he’s still the dorky thirteen-year-old who stutters and can’t talk to women. And when the façade of the successful businessman is stripped away . . . well, I can’t say too much, because then there’d be no reason to read the book!

Quirk (if any)

Flannery DOES NOT cook. In fact, though she has a high-end kitchen in her three-year-old downtown condo, she’s never even used her oven. She’s also very proud of her Irish heritage—but whatever, you do, don’t mention her namesake, author Flannery O’Connor! She absolutely hates that.

When Jamie is upset, if he’s sitting at a table, he presses his face down against it. This got him in trouble in junior high school when he did this in the school cafeteria and his forehead stuck to a sticky patch on the table. He’s also an avid fan-fiction reader.

Your inspiration for the characters

I sent in the proposal for The Matchmakers Series in June 2009. The series was built with two strong story ideas I’d already been working on for a while (Love Remains and The Art of Romance). But I needed a third story idea. I knew the heroine would be the third of the best friends. Because I was an editor who’d been laid off from my job less than a year before, I decided Flannery would be an editor. Since I worked in advertising/marketing for 13+ years before entering the publishing industry, I decided to make Jamie a Sports Marketing account executive at a large advertising agency.

Background to the story

Aside from being a romance, Turnabout’s Fair Play is a story about identity—finding or rediscovering who someone was created by God to be. And because one can only do that through loss and crisis, there’s plenty of both in the story. But there’s also plenty of humor and plenty of romance!

My image set on Flickr for this book: click here

Thanks for visiting again, Kaye :)

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Zarah & Bobby from Love Remains
Character spotlight on Caylor & Dylan from The Art of Romance
Review of Stand-In Groom
Visit Kaye's website
Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' Salvador & Shaw

Salvadore & Shaw

Ransome's Quest is the final story in Kaye Dacus' Ransome Trilogy so enjoy meeting the bad guys ~ pirates Salvador and Shaw!


Over to you, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Tall with dark hair, brown eyes, patrician features, El Salvador de los Esclavos is the very image of a swashbuckling pirate—right down to the scar across his forehead and down into his left eyebrow. On sight, he could pass for Spanish, but his accent marks him as English.

A tall man, with shoulder-length, straight hair that has been bleached by the sun, contrasting with the dark whiskers scrubbed across his jaw as if he has not shaven in several days, Shaw is the pirate everyone in the Caribbean fears. Behind his dimples and sparkling blue eyes beats the heart of the wickedest pirate to sail the Caribbean since Blackbeard himself.

Actor/famous person

Salvador: Rand Gamble

Shaw: Josh Holloway

Strengths and weaknesses

Salvador never set out to become a pirate, but when the ship he was on as a young man was taken by pirates, he was given a choice—join the crew or die. Because of the strong morals instilled in him by his family, as soon as he was old enough (and had enough money) he broke with that crew, bought his own ship, and gathered his own crew pirating the way he thought it should be done—which was to liberate as many slave ships as he could. Salvador’s biggest weakness is also his biggest strength—his sense of morality and ethics. . .and he’s lost many crew members over the years because of his refusal to do outright wrong.


What Shaw believes is his strength is, indeed, his biggest weakness: his desire for revenge. Believing himself wronged by others as a young man, Shaw has spent most of his adult life wreaking vengeance on others—even those with nothing to do with what happened to him in the past. What he lacks in mercy, he makes up for in pride and cruelty, knowing he is the most fearsome pirate to have sailed these waters in more than a century, since the end of the Golden Age of piracy.

Quirk (if any)

Salvador, because of that high sense of morals and ethics, keeps ledgers and account books detailing every ship he’s ever taken, each life he’s saved, each shilling he’s confiscated, never taking more than he needs to pay his crew and keep his ship in repair, and giving as much as he can to the slaves he liberates to help them start new lives.

For Shaw. . .is liking to hurt and demean others a quirk?

Your inspiration for the character

When the idea for the Ransome story—which became the trilogy—first came to me, I knew there would be a pirate. And I knew exactly who that pirate would be. (And finding the images of actor Rand Gamble cemented him in my mind!) But then, when the story expanded from one book to three, I knew one pirate wouldn’t be enough—so I needed another pirate. Since I already had Salvador, the “Robin Hood of the Caribbean,” I needed one who would provide a counterbalance to him—as bad as Salvador is good. And, when re-watching the first and second seasons of LOST, the character of Sawyer (portrayed by actor Josh Holloway) started giving me ideas for a pirate whose handsome, be-dimpled exterior is in direct contrast to the type of person he really is.

Background to the story

Ransome’s Quest is the conclusion of the action-adventure romance Ransome Trilogy, following Ransome’s Honor and Ransome’s Crossing.

The pirate El Salvador de los Esclavos has haunted the waters of the Caribbean for almost ten years. When he snatched Charlotte Ransome, it was a case of mistaken identity. Now Charlotte’s brother, Commodore William Ransome, whose reputation in battle is the stuff of legend, is searching for him with a dogged determination. But another rumor has reached Salvador’s ears: Julia Witherington Ransome has been kidnapped by the man feared by all other pirates—the pirate known only as Shaw. The violent and bloodthirsty savage from whom Salvador was trying to protect her.

When word reaches William of his wife’s disappearance, his heart is torn—he cannot abandon the search for Charlotte, yet he must also rescue Julia. Captain Ned Cochrane offers a solution: Ned will continue the search for Charlotte while William goes after Julia. William’s quest will lead him to a greater understanding of faith and love as he must accept help from sworn enemy and have faith that Julia’s life is in God's hands.

Thanks Kaye ~ your spotlights are always full of great detail!  Be sure to check out more images from Kaye's trilogy with her image set here and the book trailer.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on William Ransome & Julia Witherington
Visit Kaye's website
Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' Caylor Evans & Dylan Bradley

Caylor & Dylan

Kaye Dacus us back with her second Matchmakers contemporary romance, The Art of Romance. Enjoy a look behind her latest characters.

Over to you, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Caylor Evans is a woman who definitely stands out in a crowd—at six feet tall with short, wild, red hair, she’s not afraid of drawing attention (though she does get tired of being asked if she ever played basketball or volleyball). At thirty-five years old, she’s learned to accept her well-above-average height and hourglass figure.

At six foot three, Dylan Bradley is one of the few men Caylor’s ever met whom she doesn’t tower over. With curly dark hair, a few days’ growth of stubble, a couple of tasteful tattoos on his arms, and dark, expressive eyes, it doesn’t matter that he’s seven years younger—she can’t deny the attraction!

Strengths and weaknesses

Caylor’s the strong one, the one everybody else depends on. Caylor’s weakness comes from her strength—five years ago, she willingly gave up her life to move in with her grandmother after her grandfather passed away, because Sassy can’t drive due to poor eyesight. This strength of character has led to her weakness—of letting life pass her by, of becoming a workaholic (between her job as an English professor at a small liberal-arts college and a published author), and of scuttling every opportunity she might have at a romantic relationship because of her commitment to caring for her grandmother—who has a more active social life than she does!

Dylan’s strength lies in overcoming his weakness—in discovering that he’s spent his whole life letting others (his parents and his previous romantic partner) run roughshod over him, convince him he’s not good enough, that his dreams, his desires, his passions aren’t right, aren’t living up to their expectations. Of course, by discovering this, he is in danger of swinging the opposite direction—of assuming that everyone is going to treat him this way. . .including a certain sassy, redheaded English professor.

Quirk (if any)

Dylan and Caylor are both creative types. Dylan is always thinking in terms of art—of painting, of drawing. And he’s pretty sure that if he would just go ahead and give in to the temptation to draw Caylor, he’ll get her out of his head. Caylor’s the quintessential romance author—every situation makes her think of a new story idea. She even sneaks pictures of the cute electrician who comes out to the house so that she can add him to her file of physical “templates” for future characters. (Oops—maybe that part of her is a little too autobiographical!)

For both of them, getting lost in creativity is one of their favorite ways to de-stress, to relax, to get away from the conflicts and turmoil in their lives.

Your inspiration for the character

The inspiration for The Art of Romance came from my developing a “crush” (as I am wont to do!) on the chef I thought should have won the second season of Top Chef, Sam Talbot. He was so quiet, so unwilling to express his emotion—except through his art (food, in real life)—that my brain spent the entire season he was on developing him into a character. An artist. Someone who may not say much out loud, but has a definite, somewhat snarky, continuous monologue going on inside his head. That, and he’s cute, too!

I’d had an image in my mind of Caylor when I first came up with the story idea, based on a model with long red hair and a reserved demeanor I’d seen on a couple of plus-size clothing websites. But that image led to a character who was too quiet, too demure—and I needed someone different from my taciturn artist hero. Then my editor told me they wanted to use stock photos for the book cover, if possible, so I went “shopping” on my favorite stock-image website (JupiterImages.com) . . . and when I found this picture, I knew I had my Caylor.

Background to the story

English professor Caylor Evans moved in with her grandmother five years ago when Sassy’s eyesight became too poor to get her driver’s license renewed. Though she is now writing sweet/inspirational romance novels, Caylor still draws inspiration for her heroes from the portfolio of covers and sample images drawn/painted by Patrick Callaghan for the steamy romances she used to write (as “Melanie Mason”), and dreams of meeting a man like that cover model.

After losing his teaching position and being shunned by the fine-arts community in Philadelphia, artist Dylan Bradley has returned home to Nashville to regroup and determine the next step for his life. His grandparents offer him their guesthouse for as long as he wants it—along with plenty of opportunities to meet young women. Though it was years ago, Dylan is uncomfortable with the fact that his face—only slightly disguised—is on the covers of half a dozen steamy romance novels by Melanie Mason, the artwork he did to put himself through college under the pseudonym Patrick Callaghan. Especially after he meets Caylor Evans, a woman who has her life together in a way he only dreams of. Will Caylor and Dylan learn that the true art of romance is grounded in honesty and truth?

Thanks Kaye ~ you always provide lots of fun detail!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Zarah & Bobby from Love Remains

Review of Stand-In Groom

Character spotlight on Kaye's William Ransome & Julia Witherington from Ransome's Honor

Visit Kaye's website

Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' Zarah Mitchell & Bobby Patterson

Zarah & Bobby

Kaye Dacus writes stories that are centuries apart! From Regency to Contemporary romance, Kaye immerses her readers in lives and loves of her characters.

Enjoy meeting her latest couple, Zarah and Bobby:~

Brief physical description

Heroine Zarah Mitchell is what I like to call an average gal—she’s a little taller than average (about five foot eight) and that size that’s just between “normal” and “plus”—a size fourteen, which gives her a curvy, hourglass shape. The two features she dislikes most about herself are her frizzy hair and her nose, which she thinks is too big.

Hero Bobby Patterson is a former football player who spent many years in the Army before entering law enforcement. He’s quite tall, at six foot three, and muscular. But he’s not necessarily every woman’s ideal of attractive—with a heavy, square jaw and what another character describes as “aggressive” features, though he’s really a very nice guy.

Actor/famous person

The physical template for Zarah came from a Land’s End clothing catalogue from back in 2003:

The physical template for Bobby is Canadian actor Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Riverworld):

Strengths and weaknesses

Zarah’s biggest weakness is her inability to trust people—developed from a childhood of emotional abuse crowned by a broken relationship that left her almost incapable of forming relationships. But thanks to her grandparents, and the two women who would become her best friends, she healed and learned how to trust God, which has given her strength. Her strongest gift is the gift of serving others—though some feel that she does this to the exclusion of taking care of herself.

Bobby’s biggest weakness is Zarah. He regrets allowing himself to be manipulated into ending their relationship fourteen years ago, and now fears that the case he’s been given to investigate at work might make it impossible to see if they’ll ever have a chance at finding happiness together.

Quirk (if any)

For Zarah to have fun at a social event, she has to be the one refilling drinks or cleaning the kitchen—she can’t have fun unless she knows that everyone else is having fun.

When Bobby needs to clear his head, he runs—whether through the neighbourhood or on a treadmill in the workout room at his condo complex. For him, it’s like he can see his problems falling into place like bricks along the path in front of him as he runs.

Your inspiration for the character

This story came about because of my love for Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion—a story of two people who fell in love, wanted to marry, but were separated in such a way as to create hard feelings between them; then they come back together many years later. So the inspiration for both Zarah and Bobby came from Anne and Frederick—though there are pieces of me and other people/fictional characters mixed in to make them completely mine.

Background to the story

Nashville native Bobby Patterson has just returned home after many years away to take a position with the Tennessee Criminal Investigations Unit. His new job: lead a task force investigating potential real estate fraud connected with the Middle Tennessee Historic Preservation Commission. Zarah Mitchell, who’s worked at the Commission for more than a decade, is about to face a piece of history that could ruin the life she’s built in Nashville: Bobby Patterson—her first love and the reason her father kicked her out fourteen years ago. When Bobby realizes Zarah is part of his investigation, he is tempted to use his grandmother’s not-so-subtle setups as a way to learn if Zarah is involved in the fraud. Zarah, at her grandmother’s suggestion, tries to put the pain from the past aside to see if any love remains between her and Bobby. But when she learns he’s been investigating her, will she be able to forgive him a second time?

Thanks Kaye for this great insight into Zarah & Bobby :)



On Thursday, the spotlight shines on Pamela Griffin's Alison Stripling & Rafe Munroe from Love Finds You in Hope, Kansas.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Stand-In Groom

Character spotlight on Kaye's William Ransome & Julia Witherington from Ransome's Honor

Visit Kaye's website

Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Coming in 2011 from Barbour Books

Check out Barbour's 2011 releases with something for everyone ~ historical, contemporary, comedy and more all with romance added.

And can't do a post without saying that I have had the privilege of reading Digitalis by Ronie Kendig and as much as I loved Nightshade, Digitalis is even better!

Enjoy:~


Digitalis by Ronie Kendig

Former Marine sniper Colton "Cowboy" Neeley is recovering from a life of bad choices. Piper Blum, daughter of dissident Yakov Rosenblum, is in hiding--from life and the assassins gunning for her family. When she begs Colton to help extract her father from Israel, Colton petitions the group Nightshade to consider the mission. The team agrees, and soon they're deep six--straight into the Holy Land for a snatch-n-grab of Yakov. Will Colton and Piper make the treacherous trek out of hostile territory and into safety with their love--and lives--intact?

January, 2011

The Crossing by Gilbert Morris

From beloved author, Gilbert Morris, comes a new trilogy about the Civil War. Yancy Tremayne, son of an Amish man, joins General Stonewall Jackson’s troops, which leads to adventure and romance with a Southern belle.

February, 2011











Raider’s Heart by Marcia Gruver

Two brothers join forces with a band of outlaws and vie for one woman's hand. Duncan McRae can hardly stomach the raids made by his family of bandits. Hooper McRae knows what he wants and takes it by force. When their paths cross that of Dawsey Wilkes, the competition is fierce. How far will the brothers go to win her love? Dawsey is burdened by a mysterious family secret, confusing memories of a long-departed mother, a papa unable to cope with his loss, and her repulsion to the McRae brothers. Is her faith strong enough to see her through?

February, 2011






Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake

When three landowning women put an ad in the paper expressing their desire for healthy, hard-working husbands-for-hire to help them set up and run a sawmill, they never dreamed their tiny town would be overflowing with proposals from bachelors who responded promptly...and in person! Out of this logjam of potential suitors, which one will Evelyn Thompson choose? Jacob Grainger trails his brother's murderer to Hopesfall where, to keep his true intentions secret, Jacob pretends to court Miss Evelyn Thompson.

Will this lumberjack-turned-bounty-hunter find himself falling for the enterprising female?

March, 2011




Finally a Bride by Vickie McDonough

Love triumphs in Texas. Pastor Jody Chapman returns to Lookout with a new name, determined to make restitution for past misdeeds. Reporter Jacqueline (Jack) Hamilton is bent on uncovering the new preacher's secrets. Can Jody win Jack's heart before she discovers his identity? After spending ten years in prison, Carly Payton returns to Lookout. Garrett Corbett isn't interested in marrying a jailbird. But how long can he resist his attraction to Carly? Twice-widowed Christine Taylor isn't looking for a new husband. Can Rand Kessler find a way to change her mind? Will love find a way--the first, second, third time around?

April, 2011





Deep Trouble by Mary Connealy

Shannon Dysart is determined to restore her father's reputation by finding a city of gold. Deserted by her companions, she's set on getting on alone--that is, if she can find her way out of the deep pit she's fallen into. After being stranded overnight with a helpless female named Shannon, Zane Stanton suddenly finds himself wed to the driven fortune-hunter--and joining her on her treasure quest! Will Zane eventually give in to the increasing need to protect his fanatical wife? Will Shannon risk everything to find the gold? Will the newlyweds outwit the villains hot on their heels?

May, 2011





The Art of Romance by Kaye Dacus

Two crazy grannies scheme to untie their artistic grandchildren. When twenty-eight year old Dylan Bradley, a former steamy romance illustrator, meets Caylor Evans, he's trying to build up a new professional reputation while recovering from a bad breakup with an older woman. Meanwhile, thirty-four year old Caylor, having once written titillating romances under a pseudonym, now pens inspirational novels. When they form a professional alliance and Caylor's manuscript is paired with Dylan's proposed sketches for its book cover, suspicions arise. Can Dylan and Caylor discover the true art of romance while hiding secrets from their past?

May, 2011








Simple Choices by Nancy Mehl

Set your GPS for Harmony, Kansas, where unexpected events disrupt lives in the peaceful Mennonite community. Will Gracie Temple find she’s overstayed her welcome?

June, 2011











The Stars Remember by Christine Lynxwiler

Revisit the dynamic McCord family of Arkansas at a time when perfectionist son, Matthew, is forced to face his most costly mistake.

June, 2011

Coming in 2010 from Harvest House

Wanted to let you know about these releases from Harvest House next year!

Enjoy :)

Walker's Wedding by Lori Copeland

Abandoned by his fiancée hours before their wedding, Walker McKay is determined to never let a woman near his heart again, but he needs an heir to inherit his ranch after he is gone. Courting someone new is out of the question, so he’ll have to find a wife another way.

Wealthy heiress Sara Livingston wants to be married, but her suitors are deemed unsuitable by her unreasonable father. When the opportunity to fill the bill for a mail-order bride comes her way, she grabs onto it with both hands.

Will Sara’s deception and Walker’s wounded heart keep them from finding what they are looking for? Or are they truly meant for one another?

Releasing June, 2010

Ransome's Crossing by Kaye Dacus

Charlotte Ransome, desperate to reach Jamaica to see her secret fiancé, disguises herself as a midshipman for a convoy led by her brother, Captain William Ransome. Meanwhile, William and his new bride, Julia, face the rough swells of the sea and of marriage as they try to adjust to life together.

When yellow fever befalls Charlotte and her identity is discovered, she begs first officer, Ned Cochran, and Julia to keep her presence and illness from her brother. But could this secret create insurmountable waves between Julia and William? And will Ned’s tender care of Charlotte change the tide of her affections forever?

This smart, engaging tale is about holding on to faith during the journey to love and be loved.

Releasing June, 2010

Secrets of Harmony Grove by Mindy Starns Clark

When New York marketing executive Samantha Collins finds herself unemployed, she moves out of her pricey Manhattan apartment to sleepy Harmony Grove, Pennsylvania. She plans on running the bed-and-breakfast she had bought as an investment in Lancaster County. However, when the manager she lets go is later found murdered on the property, Samantha’s troubles take a serious turn. A handsome local wishes to befriend her, but can she trust him? And when her ex-boyfriend shows up, wanting to reconcile, can she cope with him in the middle of this crisis?

Samantha must learn to depend on the Savior she has recently taken into her heart. And she’ll need all the help she can get, because the secrets she uncovers in Harmony Grove threaten her livelihood, her safety, and ultimately her life.

Releasing October, 2010

Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus ~ Tracy's Take

Publisher’s Synopsis:

When professional wedding planner Anne Hawthorne first meets the handsome Englishman George Laurence, she wonders if God has finally answered her prayers for a husband. But when the “best man” for her turns out to be a client – and someone else’s to-have-and-to-hold – Anne quickly realises that planning his wedding will be no honeymoon. Can she remain professional while falling for the groom?

A personal assistant for a wealthy man who wishes to keep his identity – and his engagement – a secret, George Laurence has come to Louisiana to plan his employer’s wedding and pose as the groom. Not only is this a challenge to the tenets of his Christian faith, but he can’t stand the fact that he’s deceiving Anne, the first woman who ever made his heart really sing. Will George ultimately risk his career to keep the woman he loves?

And what will happen when Anne finds out the groom’s true identity? Can Anne and George find a way to a happy ending, or will this “I do” ruse destroy their chance at love?

What I thought:

Kaye Dacus displays her expertise in her craft with flair in ‘Stand-in Groom’. On the surface this book may appear to be an example of predictable Christian romance. However, dig a little deeper and Kaye deftly weaves deeper values and challenges the reader to action over issues that each one of us face at some point in our lives.

I love the way Kaye develops Anne’s character throughout the story. I also found the development of Anne and Laurence’s relationship to be nothing of the cliché I expected. Instead, Kaye has managed to construct her storyline in a way that feels entirely realistic. Anne and George encounter their fair share of communication snags throughout the story, which adds weight to what might otherwise be a light-hearted romance.

Throughout ‘Stand-in Groom’ I was challenged by Anne’s difficulty in pursuing forgiveness for the way she had been treated and I was inspired to be diligent in seeking out ways to communicate effectively with the people I love most. ‘Stand-in Groom’ highlighted, for me, the need to communicate thoroughly and with integrity that is God-honouring.

With thanks to Barbour Publishing for this review copy


Guest reviewer:~ My friend Tracy from Beyond My Picket Fence

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Kaye's William Ransome & Julia Witherington from Ransome's Honor

Visit Kaye's website

Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' Meredith Guidry & Major O'Hara

First an apology for the delay in this spotlight. My precious 93 year old Grandma had a fall resulting in a broken hip and arm. She has undergone surgery this evening and pulled through extremely well for a woman of her years! She has a wonderful faith in the Lord and although dementia has stolen her memory of most things her love of Scripture remains and she can quote verses with the best of them :)

Your prayers for her recovery would be appreciated.

Kaye graciously gave me all the time I needed to prepare this spotlight so I am pleased to bring it to you now ~ enjoy!


The spotlight shines on Meredith Guidry & Major O'Hara


Last week I brought you a spotlight on Kaye Dacus' Regency romance, Ransome's Honor and today a sneak peek behind the characters in the second book in her contemporary romance series, Menu for Romance!

Over to you, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Meredith Guidry

Executive Director of Events and Facilities at her parents' corporation, is thirty-four years old. She has strawberry blond hair and nutmeg-colored eyes, and is about average height and average build--with some nice curves. She wears mainly tailored business suits to work and classic/tasteful formal dresses when working black-tie events (several times per year)--but she'd much rather be in a paint-splattered pair of jeans and a T-Shirt and work boots and working on rehabilitating the craftsman bungalow she just purchased.

Think Julie Bowen.

Major O'Hara

Major is a thirty-eight-year-old Executive Chef who also works for Meredith's parents' corporation. He's 6'1" and built a lot like John Wayne in his earlier film years--solid but not necessarily “fat” (but who trusts a skinny chef anyway?). He has golden-brown hair and violet-blue eyes, and when he smiles--oh, those dimples! When he's asked to host a cooking segment on a local TV show, he realizes that pretty much everything in his closet is blue--which is a good thing, because it only serves to emphasize those blue eyes.

Think Tyler Florence.

Strengths and weaknesses:

Meredith's strength and weakness stems from the same personality trait: she wants to please people, especially her parents. It's given her a strong work ethic and makes her a boss people love to work for. But it's also made her the kind of person who won't say anything when she feels like someone's taking advantage of her (especially her parents, in the capacity of her job), which does create conflicts for her.

Major has a secret he's kept from most people he knows: his mother is a schizophrenic who lives in a nearby assisted-living facility. He's learned over the years of having women break up with him as soon as they learn about his mother that it can be the death-knell of a relationship, so even after he realizes he's fallen for Meredith, he keeps the secret--ostensibly to protect Meredith, but in reality because he's embarrassed by his mother. Major's strength, though, comes from his genuine care and concern for everyone around him--instilled in him by his mother.

Quirk (if any)

Major and Meredith both love John Wayne movies: Major his war movies, and Meredith his westerns. In fact, when Meredith finds a stray puppy and takes it in, she decides to name him Duke, John Wayne's nickname. And Major's full name comes from a character in a John Wayne movie, Flying Leathernecks.

Your inspiration for the character

When I wrote the first draft of Stand-In Groom (Book 1 of the Brides of Bonneterre series), I needed to surround the heroine with family--as an orphan, sticking close to her extended family would be important to her--and I wanted her to be best friends with a cousin about her age. Enter Meredith Guidry, who was not only her cousin and best friend, but her protégé--Meredith worked as Anne's assistant event planner when Anne worked for Meredith's parents' company, Boudreaux-Guidry Enterprises, before Anne started her own business.

Then I wrote a scene when Anne goes over to have dinner with George, cooked by a caterer she wants George to test out for the engagement party. It needed to be someone Anne had a past with . . . but a past that in no way interfered with her life now. So when Major O'Hara first appeared on the page, he was a married man.

But then, as I delved deeper into the story during the two-year-long revision process, I began to realize that not only was Meredith growing in importance, but that Major was as well. And as Major grew in importance, I realized I had the perfect opportunity to develop a character who would be a good romantic interest for Meredith.

So the wife got nixed, and Major's role got beefed up--and he became not just any caterer, but a chef who worked with/for Meredith.

Background to the story

After eight years of unrequited love, Meredith Guidry decides it's time to move on, to try to find someone who'll love her in return. So she makes a prayerful New Year's resolution to meet someone new and end her single status by year's end. And when the handsome contractor she hires to finish remodeling her house asks her out, it looks like her prayer may have been answered. But dating the handsome contractor doesn't seem to do anything to lessen Meredith's feelings toward a certain chef she works with every day.

Executive Chef Major O'Hara has foresworn relationships, knowing he could never saddle the woman he loves with a family situation like his. When he's offered the opportunity of a lifetime--to open his own restaurant--he must weigh his family responsibilities and feelings for Meredith with the desire to move forward in his career. Should he leave his comfortable job--and Meredith--for this once in a lifetime chance? And can he create a menu for romance to win Meredith back before he loses her forever? Will God serve up a solution before it's too late?

Thank you again, Kaye for stopping by at Relz Reviewz. It has been a pleasure and hope to see you here again soon!

I hope to have a special spotlight on MaryLu Tyndall's Hope Westcott and Nathaniel Mason from the just released The Blue Enchantress, over the weekend depending on my time at the hospital ~ stay tuned!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Kaye's William Ransome & Julia Witherington

Visit Kaye's website

Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Special Extras from Kaye

More on the inspiration behind Menu for Romance can be found here: http://kayedacus.com/2009/06/08/menu-for-romance-the-inspiration/

And more on my character-casting process for this series can be found here:

http://kayedacus.com/2009/06/10/menu-for-romance-the-character-casting-process/

Images of characters and settings can be found on my Menu for Romance set on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42643214@N00/sets/72157615768017941/

Character Spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' William Ransome & Julia Witherington

Today the spotlight shines on Capt. William Ransome & Julia Witherington


Kaye Dacus follows her contemporary novels with a Regency Era romance about a proud Naval captain and an heiress to a Jamaican sugar plantation. For lovers of historical romance, all the ingredients are present so what are you waiting for?

Enjoy this insight into William and Julia! Thanks, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Captain William Ransome

Thirty-four years old. He's been at sea since he was twelve, serving under Captain, then Admiral Sir Edward Witherington. Though I never give his exact height in the novel, he's not overly tall--after all, if he were, he'd be hitting his head on those low beams in the ship! William has dark, wavy hair and intense, pale-blue eyes. And he looks good in a uniform!

Think Paul McGann.

Julia Witherington

Though she'll be thirty in just a few weeks, Julia can still pass for a much younger woman. Not classically beautiful--her round cheeks and slightly pointy chin keep her from that--she has deep green eyes and luxurious, thick hair the color of polished mahogany with sunlight bouncing off it.

Think Anna Friel.

Strengths and weaknesses:

William is trustworthy, loyal, and honorable--sometimes to his own detriment. After all, it was his overly heightened sense of honor that made him decide to walk away from Julia instead of proposing to her twelve years ago.

Julia holds on to the past a little too much--whether it's refusing to admit that her twin brother, lost at sea at age fifteen, is truly gone or making the decision to never forgive William for breaking her heart. But she also took over the running of her father's sugar plantation in Jamaica as a teenager when her mother succumbed to melancholia and could no longer handle it. She is a protector by nature--and tries to protect both her inheritance and William from the machinations of her unscrupulous relatives.

Quirk (if any)

Because of his position as someone who must maintain tight control over a crew of more than eight hundred men, William has learned to mask his reactions and emotions. Great for on board ship, not so great for the drawing room.

Julia would rather talk about the tariffs on imported sugar than fashion, making her an oddity in the level of society in which she now finds herself. She can plan a dinner party for twenty with ease, but could not for the life of her pick out a morning dress from a walking dress.

Your inspiration for the character

The inspiration for the entire trilogy came from my infatuation with the character of Lieutenant William Bush, as portrayed by Paul McGann, in the Horatio Hornblower movies. In the third movie in which he appears, he tells Horatio that he doesn't know if there's ever a good time for a naval officer to marry--which of course got my creative wheel turning. What kind of woman would it take to make him change his mind? And out of that seed grew William Ransome and Julia Witherington.

Background to the story

When young Julia Witherington doesn't receive the proposal for marriage she expects from William Ransome, she determines to never forgive him. They go their separate ways--she returns to her family's Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy.

Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object--his most trusted captain and the man who broke Julia's heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand-pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she never imagined happens: She starts to fall in love with him again.

Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires, and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era.

Thanks Kaye - I am in the middle of Willam and Julia's story now :) Looking forward to getting back to it!

Tomorrow I have a special spotlight on Randy Singer's Jason Noble from his newly released, The Justice Game - it is great :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Kaye's website

Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Special Extras from Kaye

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/v/mEkwnzBtM7g

For more information and images of characters in Ransome's Honor, visit: http://kayedacus.com/2009/06/11/ransomes-honor-the-character-casting-process/

To learn more about the inspiration behind the Ransome Trilogy, visit:

http://kayedacus.com/2009/06/11/ransomes-honor-the-character-casting-process/

And for more images of the characters and settings in the Ransome Trilogy, visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42643214@N00/sets/72157615767545921/