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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Christine Rimmer, Late to the Party...


Yep. I'm late getting here today. Once a month, every fourth Tuesday, I blog here on Tote Bags.

I know that. I plan on it. I do. I have calendars, after all. I keep schedules. I keep track of where I'm supposed to be and when.

Too bad, in this case, I put my reminder to post here on my four-month dry-erase planner and then, er, well, somehow...I erased it. How could that have happened? No clue. And yet, most annoyingly, it did.

But anyway, I'm here now. A little frazzled, because, being way too anal for my own good, I hate to be late anywhere....

What shall we talk about?

Heroes are always fun. I think I've mentioned before here that I like to "cast" my heroes and heroines. Must be my theater background. Before I settled down to write romance, I was a mostly unemployed actress. To the left? His name's Raoul Bova--in real life, I mean. He's the visual inspiration for my current hero, who happens to have amnesia.

No kidding. In the opening of this book, my hero has no idea who he is or where he came from or how he happened to be wandering in a blizzard in the Sierras with his body battered, a wound on his forehead--and wearing a lightweight jacket, a cashmere sweater, expensive dress shoes and summer-weight slacks. Luckily, before he passes out and almost dies, he will stumble upon one Tessa Jones, throwing dishes at a cedar tree and cussing out some guy named Bill.

The book is called The Stranger and Tessa Jones and will be coming out next January. I'm really having fun with it. This is my first amnesia story. I am, you might say, an amnesia virgin--creatively speaking, I mean.

I'm loving it as my hero gets to be someone totally different than the man he is in his "real" life. He gets to discover love as a kinder, gentler sort of guy.

Yes, the alpha male within will surface. And it's the nature of the amnesia story that the truth of the character will out in the end. But in the meantime, what a journey he and this woman named Tessa will share.

I do enjoy writing--and reading--the classic plots. Marriage of convenience, secret baby, single dad, mistaken identity, baby-on-the-doorstep. And amnesia. Love'em all.

How about you? Have a favorite classic plot? Love the classic stories? Hate them?

Whatever your preferences, here's to a happy month of great reading. I'll be back in four Tuesdays. Ready to party. On time!

--Christine

12 comments:

Jane said...

I first saw Raul Bova in "Under the Tuscan Sun." He definitely left an impression on me. I do enjoy amnesia stories. Some other themes I love are revenge, military/secret agent and pretend marriages.

Estella said...

Your book sounds like a good one.

Pat Cochran said...

I enjoy amnesia stories, as well as
military, medical, and just about every theme I've come across. I'm
a bookaholic and though I admit to
the addiction, I never want to be
cured of it!! The only book I ever
started, and didn't finish, was
"Peyton Place." Maybe someday I'll
try it again!

Pat Cochran

Christine Rimmer said...

hey, Jane! Raoul was so sexy in Under the Tuscan Sun. So very sexy...

Oooo. I forgot pretend marriages. Def a fave for me, as well.

Christine Rimmer said...

Estell, thank you! I'm having such fun with it.

Christine Rimmer said...

Pat, good ones. There are so many excellent romance situations. An excess of riches--but then, you can never have TOO many romance stories.

Peyton Place. I remember when my 70-year-old (at the time) Grandmother read it. She kept madly turning pages, clucking her tongue, muttering, "Who reads these things?" Hullo. *She* did.

Gigi said...

I enjoy the misunderstood hero stories. But then again all guys are misunderstood a bit.
Love a book with good secrets.
As long as the book isn't gory or violent I usually enjoy them.
All I ask for is a happy ending.

Maureen said...

I love the marriage of convenience plot.

Cherie J said...

Sounds like a great story! Some of my favorite classic plots are ones based on fairy tales. It's so cool to see how different authors handle them. I really enjoy the lover's to friends plot as well.

Christine Rimmer said...

Gigi, so true about men! and a happy ending is a must.

Christine Rimmer said...

Maureen, oh yes! MOC is my absolute all-time fave and I've written maybe, oh, twenty of them.

Christine Rimmer said...

CherieJ, I so agree. There's so much below the surface in a fairytale, so many ways an author might go with any given one.