Who hasn’t had an animal they identified with, or described someone else by the traits of one? So I thought it would be fun to show four characters from MALICIOUS MISCHIEF as the animals I believe they would most identify with. I hope you’ll agree. ~Marianne Harden
RYLIE KEYES: The heroine of MALICIOUS MISCHIEF, 1st in the Rylie Keyes romantic mystery series, is a budding PI. Rylie is also rather unlucky in love and somewhat flaky in the job department. But heart, she has lots. She laughs. She shares hilarious adventures with her sidekick Solo, and she’s playful. So much cuteness in one redheaded package, you’ll see. So I perceive Rylie as a kitten. No one controls a kitten. By their sweetness, they push their love on us. We take it, gladly. We can’t help it. They’re just that cute.
SOLOSOLO NAMULAU’ULU: Awed and anxious over a troubled world, Solo is a Samoan circus-bike riding wannabe. Sadly, the downpour of not living up to his mother’s career expectations swamps him, but you won’t know it. He’s so funny. He’s so kind. Of course, his great size amazes people. They can’t fathom why he rejected the NFL. “It’s professional football, man! What’s wrong with you?” Nevertheless, their irritation doesn’t faze Solo. He still feels the sharp claws of guilt after hurting a quarterback during a high school game. No, this gentle giant never wants to harm again. So to my mind, Solo is a placid humpback whale.
DETECTIVE THAD TALON: You won’t be able to doubt the depth of his feelings for Rylie, but you’ll know he’s hiding something. Everyone has secrets and his are big ones. He walks a road of mystery because he must. But he’ll take steps, anyway, to win your trust, and even use the quiet melody of his charming Scottish accent to rope you in. It is, of course, important for some people to lie wait and watch—and hunt. So I see Talon as an eagle, even his name supports this belief.
OFFICER ZACH O’NEIL: I wish I could tell you how much Zach grieves killing a man in the line of duty. And now, a hush of his own life has fallen upon him. Still his eyes of friendship never leave Rylie’s face, yet there is something besides buddy-love in that gaze. Rylie knows it. Rylie shares it; the safety of someone trustworthy demands no less. Thus, these two will face Zach’s troubles together, just as they tackled together the complexities of their childhoods. And somewhere along the way, they’ll confront their true feelings for each other—one way or other. So for the big brother he was to Rylie in their youth, and for the tortured guardian his is to her now, Zach is a German shepherd.
Marianne loves making people laugh. True, she should probably spend time on an analyst's couch, but she’d rather spill loads of fun into her books. She’s rarely at a loss for words, which is wicked cool for a writer. And it would be poppycock to say she didn't laze away her wonder years dreaming of far-off places.
Over the years, she’s traversed the insanely fun back roads of Australia and New Zealand, trekked the wildly exotic landscapes of Asia and Africa, soaked up the blistering Caribbean sun, survived bitter Arctic cold to witness the Northern Lights, and lost a wee bit of her heart to the awesomeness of Europe.
Her goals in life are simple: do more good than harm and someday master the do-not-mess-with-me look. She roosts in Washington State with her husband and two children.
MALICIOUS MISCHIEF is her debut mystery. Still curious, please stop by: http//www.marianneharden.com
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