Throwback Thursday - I am woman, hear me roar

I am woman, hear me roar

previously published at
July 30, 2011 by The Long and Short Of It 

random thoughts from Chelle Cordero

I am not Davie, Samantha, Caitlyn, Sudah or any of my other heroines… but I do admit they all share some traits with me (or at least I’d like to think so)

Each of the women I write into my novels has her own mind and is not afraid to voice her own opinions. She can be independent and still enjoys being taken care of. My females enjoy their sensual sides. They refuse to be simply accessories in some man’s life. And most importantly, any of the heroines I write into my novels would be willing to go to any length to help and protect her man.

I think the best example of a woman’s selflessness is Samantha “Sam” Chaunce in A Chaunce of Riches. Sam made a “bargain with the devil” for the sake of the man she loved. Now that he is back in her life, all he can see is her betrayal. Then things get complicated when the police suspect him of urdering er husband.

An excerpt from A Chaunce of Riches

“But why? You told me you loved me. You said you needed me. We were working towards a future…”

A tear rolled down her cheek. She remembered the things they had promised each other and it was sheer torture to hear him reminding her. “What kind of future did we have Ben? I was working selling donuts in a bakery and you were hoping for something better than a sales job at the hardware store. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together.” She never would have had the money she needed to make things right again.

“So it was the money?” Ben sat at the edge of his chair. “And you couldn’t even wait to tell me yourself? You just left.”

It was another car accident that had changed her world… again. Sam had little more than a broken arm and a minor concussion. Ben was in a coma and had a severe spinal injury. He almost died. There were so many complications. She couldn’t look at him. “I did what I had to do.”

“Are you that much of a coward?” She couldn’t answer him “And he was almost thirty years older than you. Was his money so attractive that you didn’t mind being with a man who was old enough to be your father?”

She looked up at him then. “Julian was… good to me.”

“He bought you.” Just like all those johns who had bought his mother. His voice was edged with disappointment and pain. “Sam, you sold yourself. Did you enjoy letting him put his hands all over you? Was it worth it? I really thought you were different from my mother.”

Sam opened her mouth to speak but decided to remain quiet. She refused to debate this with him any more. Putting the closed book back on the end table, she stood and threw the blanket onto the chair behind her. She couldn’t let him do this to her. She couldn’t let him past all those barricades she had built around her heart so long ago.

“I have contracted with your agency for your services. I think that is the only relationship you and I need to have…” She started to walk towards the door. She turned back to him. “Breakfast is at seven, Philip needs to be at school by eight-thirty. Please manage to find it in your talents to be civil with me in front of my son. He seems to like you and I want him to feel safe. But Ben, I won’t hesitate to have you replaced. Remember that.” She left the room without looking back.

Talk to them yourself...

Alli: We, the "characters" whose lives were discussed at length...


Davie: And intimately!


Lon: Okay, wait your turn - Alli, please continue.


Alli: Thanks Lon. Anyway, we all got together and decided that if you have questions about us, you should be asking us and not Chelle...


Paige: Chelle is the author... and actually I think she has done a fine job of representing us.


Brandon: Yes, Chelle has done a great job, but Allie is right - we need to start talking for ourselves.


Tom: I'm not too sure about this.


Caitlyn: Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. I think it's just fair to let the readers know that we are willing to talk to them directly.


Alli: Besides, Chelle is writing another novel and I don't know how much time she really has.


Paige: Yes, now that you put it that way, I guess it really helps Chelle out too.


Adam: It's a win-win situation.


Alli: Okay Lon, do you want to let everyone now what we are doing here?


Lon: Sure. The eight of us have gotten together and will be here all week to answer any questions you might have.


Tom: It just can't be something about any cases I'm working on like an open investigation.


Brandon: Well sure, but I think most of the questions will be about us and our lives and love.


Adam: What if they ask about Chelle?


Caitlyn: We all know her, right?


Paige: Yeah, I guess we do (chuckle).


Davie: Besides, Chelle always talks about us...


Alli: Okay, if you have a question for one of us, just leave a comment in the box below and we will make sure it gets answered during the week.


Lon: Just let us know who you are directing the question to.


Alli: Okay, I think we did it.


Davie: Please leave us your questions...


Caitlyn: In the meanwhile, come on everyone, lunch is waiting...


Davie: Do you think we'll have any questions to answer this afternoon?


Adam: I don't know, we'll check.


Brandon: Yes, we'll keep checking.


Caitlyn: Come on, lunch...


Lon: Bye for now, we'll be back.

Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real ; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

Forgotten is an unforgettable romance about two people, Caitlyn and Brandon, who meet by chance, love by choice and are torn apart by intrigue. Their romance survives a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt.

In Within the Law Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiance. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murderer who took his love from him.

Courage of the Heart shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. Adam and Davie's commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

What Malcolm has to say...

Hey there,

You know Keisha keeps getting upset with me but I really feel for Brandon - I mean the man loves his woman, he really does love her. But she gets all ticked off at him, yeah, maybe I can understand some of that but still, give the guy a break.

I am really trying to be buddies with Brandon, he's a pretty good guy. And I can relate to what he's going through... after all, I spent some time in Africa chasing Keisha. Oh yeah, Keisha is my lady and she's best friends with Caitlyn.

So Keisha got really ticked off with me the night of our wedding because I clued Brandon in on where Caitlyn was going to be. I was lucky because Caitlyn wound up covering for me - but you know, if she could give me that kind of a break, maybe she could be a little more patient with poor Brandon. Man, he really has it bad...

Well I'm interested in what you have to say about things. You know we could pop open a couple of beers and complain about the womenfolk. In the meanwhile I'm going to head off to bed. Keisha's already there and, well... I'm no dummy.

Guess I'll be seeing you around. In the meantime, check us out in Forgotten. Hey, you know what, here's a freebie... the whole crowd gets together again in another one of Chelle Cordero's books, Within the Law (due out Nov 2008).

Malcolm

The Story Behind Forgotten

Lying in bed late one night I watched my husband while he slept. Feeling so very grateful to have him in my life, I mused as to how different my world would have been if we had never met. And I thought that I couldn’t imagine waking up the next morning to find that my life with him had never existed. G-d forbid I should just simply forget.

I had an idea for a story where one person can’t remember his (or her) spouse. Then I developed the characters Brandon and Caitlyn and I decided to put them into one of the most disconcerting moments to realize that he had no idea who she was. Caitlyn was being seductive and tempting and enjoying the intimacy with the man she had married just the evening before when he asks her “Who are you?” At first she thinks he is joking, but when reality hits and she realizes he really can’t remember - then really he is no more than a stranger to her.

Definitely awkward. Then the problems are compounded when Brandon’s fiancée shows up and brands Caitlyn a liar and a con-artist.

Amnesia is a partial or profound loss of memory. Amnesia can br caused by trauma (external or internal), drugs or emotional upheaval. Recovery varies but most amnesias, unless they are caused by brain damage, usually abate with time. Total amnesia, also called global amnesia, is rare.

about FORGOTTEN by Chelle Cordero

None of Brandon Price’s success or wealth can buy him love or happiness. Young, naïve Caitlyn Smythe teaches Brandon he must learn to trust and be honest about himself if he wants a lifetime of happiness. Their romance survives a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt. Brandon learns what love, family and friendship is all about.

CHARACTERS

Brandon:
27-years old, successful self-employed Information Technology consultant. He does secret computer work for the government. Brandon was raised wealthy but is estranged from his father. He is a loner.

Caitlyn:
21-years old, an art student and artist. Caitlyn’s parents died when she was 12 and she was raised by relatives.

Coming Soon from Vanilla Heart Publishing

FORGOTTEN locations

Just a little bit of trivia about the locations used in my newest novel (coming out in July), FORGOTTEN...

Chicago - This is where Brandon grew up, he never returned there after he left home for college. (personal: I spent many holiday weekends visiting my dad's mother and step-father just outside of Chicago as a child.)

Las Vegas - The book opens in a hotel room in Las Vegas. (personal: I've never been to Las Vegas.)

New York City - Caitlyn and Brandon meet in NYC where they both reside, neither one of them is a native New York City-ite. (personal: I grew up in "da Bronx" and went to high school and college in Manhattan. My first real job was in the public relations office of a magazine publishing company in NYC.)

Tupper Lake - Quaint small town located in the Adirondack region in upstate New York. This is where Caitlyn grew up. (personal: The Adirondacks are one of my very favorite places with a lot of my own romantic memories with my hubby the summer we got engaged. Later, hubby had family who owned a house in Tupper and we visited frequently.)

Forgotten
by Chelle Cordero
July 14th, 2008