Welcome to Through Stephanie's Eyes. Today we have a very special guest. She's not only a fabulous author of romantic suspense, she's one of my personal friends. Amber Lea Easton has also joined another group of friends of mine: The Four Seduced Muses. Today will be The Temptress's very first post there so make sure you check that out as soon as you leave here. ;)
Amber's here today to tell us a bit about her romantic suspense novel Reckless Endangerment and how she came up with characters dealing with a very real issue Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Let me turn over the reins to her so she can tell you all about it in her own words.
PTSD, Paralysis, and Human
Trafficking—Creating True-to-Life Characters
Amber Lea Easton
War
doesn't end once a Marine sets foot back on US soil. Battle takes a toll, not
only physically but mentally as well. Self-doubt affects heroes as much as
anyone, only they know how to conceal it better than most. In my latest
romantic suspense novel, Michael Cedars faces the concept of never walking
again and questions his ability to be the man his wife married.
When
writing this novel, the characters were my main priority because I knew they
would drive the plot. I needed to research paralysis and partial paralysis.
What kind of surgeries and physical therapy would be involved in recovery? More
than that, what is the emotional toll that takes on a man who once commanded
men in battle to know he may not be "whole" again?
Add
other layers of his wife, Hope Shane, who's not willing to let go of their
marriage without a fight and a human trafficking story she's chasing as an
investigative reporter. Research about sex trafficking, post-traumatic stress
disorder, and physical therapy served to form the characters from their
mannerisms to their reactions in every scene.
There's
a saying that goes, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
That holds true for the story of Michael Cedars and Hope Shane. I felt their pain, their frustration, their
fear, and their hope with every rewrite and each word. In order to create fully
fleshed out characters that readers will not only cheer for, but also cry for,
an author must make them flawed in a way that is believable and forgivable.
Human beings aren't perfect. Neither are heroes. Maybe that's why heroes are
held to a high standard. We know they are mere humans, but they do things for
the sake of justice or love that others wouldn't dare.
Reckless Endangerment Blurb
Sometimes heroes fall and take the ones they love down
with them. Colonel Michael Cedars and reporter Hope Shane fell in love in a war
zone, but then the world blew up, and splintered their lives in two.
Michael Cedars returns home from Afghanistan wounded and
unsure where he fits in this 'new normal' of civilian life. Unsure if he'll
walk again, he questions his abilities as a man, husband, and father. Accustomed
to giving orders, he's thrown into a world where he doesn't know the rules
anymore and no one is respecting the officer in the room.
Hope isn't one who gives up easily—not on her marriage and
not on the innocent victims of a human trafficking ring she's investigating. As
the danger of her story intensifies, she struggles with her own post-traumatic
stress disorder and a husband who resists her love.
Danger intensifies as Hope searches for truth and justice.
Everyone she loves is at risk. Will her reckless pursuit of the human
trafficking ring jeopardize their lives?
Michael knows she needs him, but doubts his ability to be the hero she still believes him to be. Is he still the man she married or has he become a liability that could get her killed?
Excerpt
“I’m
sick of not having a say in what I do or don’t do. You can’t do this. Just because I’m trapped
in this chair doesn’t mean I don’t have a say about my life and I want you out
of it. Get the hell out and leave me alone. I don’t want to be married to you
and, unless something’s changed in the good ol’ USA, you can’t stop me from
divorcing you. Listen closely, babe. I. Don’t. Want. You.”
Rage
consumed him. Rage for what could have been, what should have been, for a life
lost. Rage for everyone acting like he had no rights anymore, like he couldn’t
make his own decisions. He tossed the
wedding ring and pictures across the room.
Looking
horrified, she covered her mouth with her hands and walked to where the frames
smashed against the floor. As she bent,
her bag spilled, contents ranging from liquid soap to a flashlight scattered
across the tile. She fell to her knees, hands shaking as she scooped up the
items. Broken glass crunched beneath her.
Hair shielded her face from view, but he knew she cried.
He
remembered another time with her on her knees when that bag had saved his
sanity. Bombs had rocked the walls. Blood had dripped into his eyes. Dizziness
weakened his legs. From that bag, she’d retrieved bandages, protein bars, and
bottles of water. He had thanked God for her and that oversized bag.
“I’ll
make sure I call next time,” she said in rushed, quiet voice, “wouldn’t want to
inconvenience you.”
“I’m
sorry.” He dropped his hands to the arms
of the chair and stared at her bent head.
“I don’t know how to handle any of this anymore, Hope, especially you.”
She
froze at his words. “Especially me, huh? I’m the one constant in your life, if
you haven’t figured that out yet. Despite all the bullshit, here I am. Me,
stupid me, still needing you as much today as I did a year ago.”
His
chest caved in at the sight of her eyes glistening with tears. He wanted to
take it back, every word.
“I
don’t know how to do this, how to be married, how to be back in the States, how
to be a civilian again, how not to walk,” he admitted.
“You
break my heart,” she whispered.
“How
could I possibly break your heart?”
“By
not seeing how strong you are, how much you mean to everyone in your life, how
worthy you are to be alive, how heroic you’ve been, how much I love you.”
“Don’t
say that.”
“Maybe
I need to stop trying to hold on. Maybe you’re right.” Sighing, her shoulders slumped. “We were this close,” she held her fingers an
inch apart, “to having a life together when everything blew up in our faces.
Literally. What else do I have to lose, right? I already lost my dignity when I
begged those damn bureaucrats to let me see you in Germany. And when I say begged, I mean I begged,
pleaded, bartered, whatever I could possibly say or do to get in and they told
me that you,” she pointed at him, “said no, you told them I lied about being
married to you. McGee backed you up. I looked like a fool and a liar.”
“I’m
sorry,” he whispered.
“Now
you’re doing it again, denying me. You’d rather sit in this place alone than
admit to the world that I’m your wife. It’s true.” She nodded, gaze gluing him
in place. “I gave up my everything for you. My life. My pride. My dignity. I
gave it all up for you.”
“Why?”
he choked out the question. “I did everything to get you to let me go. I don’t want you to give up anything for me;
can’t you see that? You were born to be in the spotlight, dodging bullets,
charming your way into and out of trouble. I’m an anchor to you now; you know
it but refuse to admit it. I want you to forget me. Why won’t you let me go?”
She
closed her eyes, face tilted toward the ceiling. “Because maybe I went crazy
over there. Maybe we weren’t this close,” again with the fingers, “to having a
life together. Maybe we were already there. Maybe it wasn’t conventional, but
it was real, it was us. Maybe I misunderstood sex for more. Maybe I thought
that our wedding meant as much to you as it did to me. Maybe I’m the biggest
fool to walk planet earth.”
“But
now I’m broken so...”
“Yeah,
that’s right.” Nodding, she looked away
and brushed the back of her hand over her eyes.
“And I’m too shallow to be the person you need, right? Too superficial?
I know the truth. I know that you should be capable of limited mobility, that
you are not trapped in that chair, that you have sensations in your right leg
and have even managed to stand for a brief period of time here and there.
Didn’t you think I’d do some research on your injuries? I may have kept my
distance, but I have a knack for getting people to talk to me, remember? Yes, you’re in a wheelchair, but your
situation isn’t hopeless. You’re the one
who gave up, but for the life of me I don’t know why. It’s not like you. You’re a goddamn colonel
in the Marine Corps. You don’t surrender, so what’s going on with you?”
Her words stung. He had heard them for
months now and he didn’t know the answer. He couldn’t explain anything to
anyone, not even himself.
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About the Author
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published author of both nonfiction and fiction. She spent years working in journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial sector. She has three published romantic suspense novels—"Kiss Me Slowly", "Riptide", and "Reckless Endangerment"—and a contemporary romance novella, "Anonymity." Her memoir about surviving the suicide of loved one, "Free Fall", published in September 2013.
Easton is also an editor and professional speaker. Links to radio interviews can be located on her website, http://amberleaeaston.com, and her videos about romance writing have been showcased internationally on the Writers and Authors television network.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She gives thanks daily for the view outside her window and healthy children. As long as she's writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."
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