Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "When Love Collides"

Thank you so much for supporting Michelle this week during the spotlight for "When Love Collides." We hope you enjoy this excerpt. Leave a comment, today, Saturday, and Sunday, on the excerpt post and I'll pick one winner out of the hat to receive a PDF copy of Michelle's story, "When Love Collides."

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Moderator

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From the corner of her eye she saw him make a fist. The sight of his tension made her breath catch. "I know you cared about me as a good friend should. You were always so kind to me and I hurt you. I regret that."

"Lot of good it did me," he muttered, his stare holding fast to something behind her.

She couldn't keep her chin from quivering. Biting the inside of her cheek, she attempted to hold back more tears. This appointment wasn't going well at all. The more she said, the angrier he seemed to get. A scowl from anyone these days reduced her to a puddle of sopping tears. She hated that, but couldn't seem to control her emotions.

Blinking, he swiped his hand over his face. "I have people waiting. Let's get back to the exam, okay?" He sighed. "I shouldn't have allowed my feelings to get involved."

Her throat swelled further and she could barely speak. His feelings? What did he mean? She covered her face with her hands and tried her best to regain control.

"Here," Scott muttered.

She glanced up. He handed her a tissue and their hands bumped.

"Thank you," she rasped, stretching the tissue as she blew her nose.

His voice softened. "You're welcome."

She sniffled, wiping her face and grabbing some fresh tissues.

"It might not seem like it, Rocky, but I forgave you a long time ago." He shifted his gaze to the wall. "Don't worry about it."

Her throat squeezed when he'd used his pet name for her. She didn't believe him, but held on to a shred of hope that he really would forgive her someday and they could be friends again. At least he said he'd forgiven her. It was a start.

"Can, um, we... talk later?" While staring at Scott, she wiped her nose.

He cleared his throat, something she remembered him doing whenever he got nervous. "First let's see if we can identify the cause of your symptoms so they can be treated. Can you please lift your hair?"

Scott removed a gadget from his pocket and turned on the light with the flick of his thumb. He slid his stool closer and leaned forward to check inside her ears for fluid. A shiver raced up her spine when his breath encountered her neck.

Author Spotlight - Michelle Sutton talks about "setting"

When I wrote When Love Collides years ago, I had it set in another state. I ended up pulling it off that series and making it a stand-alone book. Part of that required a change of location, so I decided to switch it to the county where I live. There is a lot of unpredictable weather in Arizona during the summer monsoons in the high desert, so I thought that would fit the mood of the story. Sometimes Raquel gets in a mood and it's because she can't control her symptoms. You can't control monsoons either. You just work around them.

There is the opening scene where Raquel is shivering on the table and feeling like a drowned rat. She's just glad she doesn't know anyone at the clinic. So what does a good writer do? I make sure that the one person she doesn't want to see her looking like a drowned rat is the person she runs into. Then when they meet again the next day and Scott is waiting for her, he's a nervous wreck. I toss in some thunder when he's already jumpy and moody and it works very well for the setting. There are other times when things start to look hopeful and bright. That's when the clouds go away, the sun starts beaming, and a rainbow appears in the sky.

Once I started making the weather as unpredictable as their emotions each day, I think it added to the tension between them and the fear of not knowing what to expect. It fits the story well, which is why I love the cover. In it the hero is holding an umbrella over the heroine in a protective gesture, which is very symbolic of their relationship. So that is how I use the setting to compliment or add to the emotion in the story.

Author Spotlight - Character Interview with Raquel from "When Love Collides"

Natalie Portman inspiration
for "Raquel"

Welcome to Desert Breeze Publishing's blog today for your interview. Tell us a little bit about your nickname.

Raquel: You mean Rocky? That's a nickname Scott gave me years ago. It's kind of ironic because lately I haven't felt strong at all. Not only is my body weak, but it's easy for me to get depressed about it.

Chronic illness can cause depression. So what do you do when you're depressed?

Raquel: Sometimes I cry for no reason. I really hate that. I don't want to be perceived as weak, but it's hard when everything looks sad and bleak, you know?

I hear you there. Tell us about what you love about Scott?

Raquel: He's a faithful guy and an amazing kisser. I've never met anyone I can trust like I trust him. He doesn't say one thing and mean another. He's always there for me. I know he's human, but in some ways he seems perfect, and I know I'm not, so sometimes that makes me depressed.

What about the fact that he loves you? Doesn't that help cheer you up?

Raquel: As long as I don't focus on my illness, yes. I would love to be cured, but there is no cure. Sometimes I worry that Scott will get tired of having to take care of me. He says not to worry about tomorrow, for it has enough worries of its own.

Yes, I recall Jesus saying that to his disciples. So are you going to trust God in this? That if He wants you and Scott to be together for the rest of your lives then He'll work things out?

Raquel: If there is one thing I've learned from these crazy, unpredictable symptoms is that I can't make it a day without God. So while it's aggravating, it does keep me dependent on Jesus. That's not a bad thing. Now if He would just heal me… But even if he doesn't, I've committed my life to serving God.

That's a great attitude to have. Thanks for joining us today, Raquel.

Author Spotlight - Character Interview with Scott from "When Love Collides"

Tom Hardy, Inspiration for "Scott"

It's good to have you here today on Desert Breeze Publishing's blog. Are you nervous?

Scott: Not at all. I've gotten past my initial fear of talking about my past with Raquel. I no longer get a lump in my throat or tearful now that I've settled in my heart that we're meant to be.

Are you normally an emotional guy?

Scott: That's the crazy thing. I hadn't gotten tearful in almost ten years. Then Raquel returns to my world and I'm almost a basket case at first. The upside of this is once I sorted through things and forgave her for hurting me, I was thrilled at how alive I felt around her. I really do think God has a mate picked out for us. Sometimes it just takes a while for us to figure that out.

So are you two getting married?

Scott: That's the kicker. I want to, but she's putting up a bit of a fuss about it. She's worried that I will be straddled with a woman who needs to be taken care of and can't do anything for me. She's wrong, of course. I'm working on helping her to see she is lovable regardless of what she can do for me.

That must be a bit challenging at times. Do you think she'll come around and finally get past the fear?

Scott: I do. I think she has been beaten down so much by her ex that she has a hard time seeing herself as worthy of me even though it's been a long time since he died. She says I don't need her and that I've got it all. Well, she's wrong. Without her it feels like I've got nothing.

How sweet! Thanks for joining us today, Scott.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Michelle Sutton

STEPH: I don't know much about "When Loves Collides." Can you tell us about it?

MICHELLE: It's a story about a young woman who has a history of poor choices she has made, one of which was marrying a man who turned out to be abusive. The story begins ten years later after the husband has been dead seven years, but the lingering issues from his abuse remain. Complicate that with the fact that she has weird health issues and a good man from her past steps in to provide support and encouragement (and he happens to have always loved her, but she didn't know it) you have a love story with some powerful emotional content.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

MICHELLE: Goodness, I wrote this story back in 2005, or maybe 2006. I don't remember, but I'd say about four to six months.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for the novel?

MICHELLE: Much of it came from my own life. My mother had MS. I did dump a nice guy for a jerk (and found out later the nice guy had been in love with me.) Who knew? I missed that somehow. I thought it would be fun to write a story about what might have happened if I ran into him again. That was the skeleton structure for the plot. Most of the story is pure fiction.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research for the story?

MICHELLE: Not really. I lived with someone who had MS. I have lots of friends that are PAs (physician assistants) and I lived with my grandmother when I was younger and in college (like the story about her living with her aunt when Raquel first knew Scott.)

STEPH: Raquel has been hurt. What are her strengths as the story opens?



MICHELLE: She is determined to keep her aunt at home and out of a care facility. She is also determined to make things right with her past and talk to Scott about why she left and ask for his forgiveness.

STEPH: How is the hero, Scott, attracted to Raquel? What pulls him toward her? What do they share?

MICHELLE: There was always something Scott found attractive about Raquel, mainly her personality. She was tender and sweet and though a bit skittish, she was a very loyal friend (up to the point when she left town anyway.) He found her vulnerability a powerful draw and he wanted to be there for her. What he didn't know (at the time) was that being raped by a man before she'd met him had a lot to do with that "sad look in her eyes" that made him want to hold her and put a smile on her face.

STEPH: What do you hope resonates with readers when they finish the novel?

MICHELLE: That love is about your commitment to the other person's well-being and you can't earn love. It's about how a person feels when they are with you. It can't be earned by being the perfect woman despite what the media depicts. It's either there, or it isn't. But love isn't very strong without trust backing the relationship. To truly love someone, there must be trust.

STEPH: How important was the setting to the story?

MICHELLE: It rained quite a few times (heavy monsoon rains) in the story, and as with those unpredictable storms, sometimes in life emotional pain hits us just as hard and unexpectedly.

STEPH: Hollywood is calling. Cast the lead characters.

MICHELLE: I wish! Okay, well, hmm... I suppose that Scott would be Tom Hardy (Inception) and Raquel would be Natalie Portman (V is for Vendetta)

STEPH: Fun Question: Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

MICHELLE: Nah, I don't keep them, so why bother?