Black, White and Shades of Blue - Shannon Curtis

Have you ever had one of those days when you looked in the mirror, and thought you totally rocked your outfit, only to have others stare at you in horror as you strut your way through the day?

Welcome to my world. I’m colour confused (not to be confused with colour blindness). I can’t tell my blues from my purples, my pinks from my oranges, etc.

So for my second novel, Guarding Jess, writing about a woman who not only knew her blues from her purples, but who could also advise others on what to wear, was a real stretch for me (cue my close friends and family rolling on the floor, laughing). I was initially drawn to writing about a character who was an etiquette and image consultant through a really bad customer service experience with a really rude employee at a phone company, and I discovered that talking, behaving and communicating successfully went hand in glove with personal presentation.

I learned of my…quirk…the hard way. I wore an outfit to work that didn’t co-ordinate. At all. A kind friend took me aside one day to ask me why I’d worn a purple blouse with a certain skirt. That was my first clue that something was wrong. (What do you mean it’s not blue? I won’t even mention the shoes.)  I’ve had many similar situations occur since then – so many, in fact, that I generally have to ask others ‘does this go together?’ before leaving the house.

I discovered a whole new world of beauty and creativity when I researched this story – clothing styles, shoes, handbags – I discovered a hidden desire for Olga Berg handbags and Christian Louboutin shoes, and I’m not sure how to recover from this affliction.

My heroine, Jessica Pennington, does not have this problem. In fact, she’s the opposite. She knows the right thing to say at the right moment, manages to look fabulous with a minimum of effort, and sees fashion shopping is a necessity, not a punishment. Yes, I know, this is the kind of woman you’d love to hate (hence her stalker), but despite appearances, she isn’t perfect. This imperfect Miss Prissy was the ideal mate for my hero, Noah Samuels – a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is kinda a guy – who doesn’t see the point in saying stuff just for the sake of polite conversation.

Oh, and he totally rocked, in and out of his clothes. Let’s just say that he convinces Miss Prissy to try a little naughty on for size, and leave at that.

Sigh.

I loved writing about these two – one who knew exactly what to do and when, and one who said and did what he wanted, and damn the consequences.

Anyway, getting back to totally rocking an outfit (not) tell me, what fashion trend would you like to see resurrected? Fluoro socks? Shoulder pads a Boeing 747 could land on? Safari suits?

Leave a comment and Lee will select a winner for a copy of my second romantic suspense novel, Guarding Jess!

Feel free to drop by my website, www.shannoncurtis.com, for more information on the McCormack Security Agency series!

***Shannon's winner is Di!  Congratulations!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your name and mailing info!***