Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Deep End by Kathleen Duhamel (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT





It is my pleasure to share a guest post from author Kathleen Duhamel, who shares her thoughts on...




CREATING MEMORABLE HEROINES

By Kathleen Duhamel


A few years ago, when I began writing what became my first novel, Deep Blue, I had no idea it would ever be published, much less met with positive reviews. I also worried that my characters were too old to be relatable. Until recently, conventional romance and women’s fiction seldom featured characters past their thirties. When Deep Blue begins, Claire Martin is a 58-year-old “barely not starving” artist and her love interest is 62-year-old musician, Robert Silver. Would readers be turned off by the idea of these two enjoying a healthy love/sex life?

 Deep Blue is also not a conventional “romance” in the sense that not every problem in the relationship gets resolved before the last page. Life tends to get a lot more complicated when you’re attempting to balance the demands of children, grandchildren, health issues, career pressures, and aging parents, and I wanted to touch on these issues in the book. Surprisingly, the age issue I worried about turned out to be a bonus for some readers, who found the senior love story “refreshing.”

What began as one book has morphed into three, with Deep End, the third book in the trilogy, published in December 2017. As in the first and second books, what drives the plot is Claire’s emotional journey. While love is certainly part of that journey, she also is forced to deal with several unresolved issues in her life as a new wife and unexpected stepmother.



Here are my tips on how to create a strong female character that readers will remember.


Give her a spine.


She insists on solving her own problems without having to be “rescued” by her man.

However, she’s also a bit of a risk taker, and after being advised by her BFF to “go for it,” she begins an improbable, long-distance relationship with Rob. The same risk-taking behavior emerges in Book 2, Deeper, when she’s forced to acknowledge her husband’s eight-year-old love child and must decide if she’s willing to continue her marriage under vastly different circumstances.

Drawing on the same inner strength that got her through cancer treatment, she is ultimately able to express her disappointment and anger to Rob, while re-affirming her commitment to him and her new step-son.

The greatest test of her inner resolve occurs in Deep End, when a disaster forces her to confront the possibility of life without her beloved husband.


Give her a guiding principle.

Claire’s favorite quote, which also becomes her mantra, is from Goethe: “Nothing is worth more than this day.” It is the perfect summation of who she is and how she approaches her post-cancer life. Not even a life-threatening illness could take away her fun-loving spirit and her determination to live fully, the very qualities that initially attracted Rob to her.


Allow her to have flaws.

She’s far from perfect. Claire worries about her scarred abdomen, disfigured from cancer surgeries. She continues to obsess over Rob’s first wife, a brilliant screenwriter killed in a car accident. Doubts about her relationship and endless taunts by Baby Mama land her in legal trouble and cause her to lose a promising new client. Her loathing of the news media manages to gain her more publicity, instead of less.

Like so many of us, she tends to suppress her negative feelings until they erupt in a damaging way.  Although she struggles at times, the fact that she is able to move past her inner turmoil and re-focus on what is most important in her life makes her a well-rounded and likeable heroine, scars and all.

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by Kathleen Duhamel

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GENRE: Contemporary Women's Fiction

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BLURB:

After years of struggle and harsh criticism, happily married rock star wife Claire Martin has finally achieved the career success of her dreams. As the featured artist in an international traveling exhibit, she looks forward to her best year ever, while her husband, singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue, contemplates a return to touring.

Things are also looking up for Claire’s best friend, Denise Hrivnak, who’s planning her wedding to Robert’s musical partner, Art Hoffman. However, what should have been most joyful day of Denise’s life turns to tragedy when an unexpected event forces both woman to contemplate the terrifying possibility of life without the men they love.

Besieged by the paparazzi and sick with worry, Claire waits for answers in a Las Vegas hotel room, thinking over her improbable relationship with Rob and praying that love alone is strong enough to bring her beloved husband back from the brink.

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EXCERPT


Before Claire can say a word, I glance across the room to see the older man rise from his chair and begin ambling toward us. When he gets near our table he announces in an apologetic tone, “I don’t mean to disturb your meal, but there’s something I’d like to tell you, Robert, and I’ll never have this chance again.”



Let me guess. He has a friend/relative/colleague who wants to be a singer/songwriter/musician and would I mind listening to his demo? I produce a cursory nod and he continues.



“My wife was a big fan of yours.” His shoulder sag. “She died a few days ago.”



Claire gives him a sympathetic gaze.



“When she went into hospice care, she asked for her little CD player and all her Deep Blue CDs. I wanted you to know your music gave her some happiness and comfort during her final days. Your voice was the last one she heard before she slipped away.”



An enormous lump rises in my throat, rendering me incapable of speech. Claire blinks back tears.



“Do you mind if I give you a hug?” she asks.



Without waiting for an answer, my wife rises and wraps her arms around the grief-stricken stranger for a few seconds. She takes both his hands in hers and says, “Your wife was fortunate to have had someone like you in her life.”



“We were married for 37 years.” His quivering mouth attempts a smile. “I always thought I was the lucky one.”



Amazon



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kathleen Duhamel is a contemporary women’s fiction writer and the author of the Deep Blue Trilogy (Deep Blue, Deeper, and Deep End) as well as the novella At Home With Andre. She wrote and illustrated her first short story at the age of eight, and has been a writer for most of her life. Her love of the written word continued throughout her varied career as a newspaper journalist and editor, public relations executive, freelance travel writer, and owner/operator of two small businesses. A native of Texas, she has spent most of her adult life in Colorado. She lives in the Denver area with her husband, a geriatric standard poodle, and a spoiled cat. She is a lifelong devotee of rock and soul music, contemporary art, and popular culture.

Amazon link for At Home With Andre



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GIVEAWAY



a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here






69 comments:

  1. Congrats on the tour and thank you for the excerpt and giveaway.

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    1. Good to see you, JR, thanks for dropping by!

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  2. Enjoyed the excerpt. This book sounds really good.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Becky. Thank you for coming by!

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  3. I enjoyed reading about your book; congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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    1. Happy to hear that, thanks for popping in, Lisa!

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    1. Happy to do so. Good luck on the tour, Kathleen!

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    1. Always happy to share about books! Thanks for coming by, Victoria!

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  6. What is your favorite type of book to read? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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  7. Do you prefer e-books or print books?

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    1. Personally, I prefer print books, Becky! Thanks for visiting.

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  8. I really enjoyed reading the guest post, thank you!

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  9. Thanks for your wonderful guest post today. I also enjoyed reading the excerpt

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  10. What writers have inspired you?

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  11. Trying to work around the many issues with rafflecopter not working yesterday and again this morning. Anyway, thanks so much for the chance at winning and enjoy your Friday!

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  12. Thanks for sharing this giveaway and good luck on your book.

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  13. Enjoy this terrific Saturday and I sure appreciate this giveaway and opportunity to win. Thank you!

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  14. Music or silence while writing?

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  15. Sunday Blessing to you and your family. Thank you for all you do and bringing us this giveaway.

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  16. Sounds like a very interesting story.

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  17. What is your favorite genre?

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  18. Had the flu all day yesterday, not a good thing at all. Hope everyone else avoids it and back however to thank you for the chance at winning again.

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  19. What do you do to unwind and relax?

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  20. Hope your Tuesday is going great. Thank you so much for all you do bringing us such great giveaways. I understand it is not easy so I do appreciate all your hard work you put into this.

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  21. Do you have a favorite movie?

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  22. What was your favorite childhood book?

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  23. What books have most influenced your life?

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  24. Here we are at another Friday and how fast the week went by for me. Hope you enjoy your day and the weekend ahead. Thanks again for the giveaway.

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  25. Sounds like a great read.

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  26. Good Morning! Here I am back once again and still wanting to thank you for the giveaway and all you do.

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  27. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

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  28. Hello! Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and thanking you again for the giveaway.

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  29. Pen or typewriter or computer?

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  30. wow. emotional excerpt. my eyes teared up from just that little bit!

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  31. Good Monday Morning! Hope you had a spectacular weekend and I am back to thank you again for the giveaway!

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  32. What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

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  33. Hello! It's me again and in to thank you for the giveaway. Have a great Tuesday!

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  34. Are you a morning, afternoon or night writer?

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  35. What inspired you to write this book?

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  36. If you could go back in time, where would you go?

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  37. If a leading character doesn't have much of a "spine" I tend to get disappointed in such books.

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  38. How many hours a day do you write?

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  39. Do you ever get into a writing slump?

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  40. Can you imagine any of your books being made into a movie?

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  41. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

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  42. What is the hardest thing about writing?

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  43. How long does it usually take you to write a book?

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  44. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

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  45. I'm finally back to thank you once again for the chance at winning. Been pretty busy lately so missing daily entries.

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  46. Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?

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  47. Happy Saturday! Make it a super one and thanks for bringing us this great giveaway.

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    1. Hi, JR, I haven't been keeping up with answering, but I appreciate you coming by and commenting frequently.

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  48. What book(s) are you reading at present?

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  49. How did your cover come about?

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    1. You've asked some great questions, Becky! Thank you for your persistence, I will be curious to see if it pays off, lol. Have a great week!

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  50. Happy Monday! My kids have off school from so much snow yesterday. Fun times! Thanks again for the chance at winning.

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  51. Do you proofread/edit all your books or do you get someone to do that for you?

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  52. Hope you have an awesome Tuesday. Thanks again for the giveaway

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  53. What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

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  54. What do you think of "trailers" for books?

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  55. I appreciate the chance at winning this giveaway thanks so much!

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