Today I'm happy to have Tamara Carlisle with me. Tamara is celebrating the release of her book, Away from the Spotlight, and has agreed to stop by and visit with us today. Oh, and Tamara will be awarding two $25 Amazon GCs to randomly drawn commenters during the tour! So make sure you leave her a message! Welcome, Tamara!
Away from the Spotlight includes a love triangle. So long as it doesn’t appear contrived, a love triangle can ratchet up the drama, show a side of a character that might not otherwise be shown, and/or spur a character to take or fail to take certain actions. And what woman wouldn’t love to have two men competing for her affections?
The Drama
Law clerk, Shannon Sutherland, meets co-worker, John Maher. Soon after meeting John, Shannon learns that John is in a long-term relationship and realizes she has no chance with him as a result. John and Shannon then settle into a close friendship. Unbeknownst to Shannon, John is equally taken with her, but remains in his relationship without Shannon knowing of his feelings for her.
As the novel begins, Shannon meets Will MacKenzie. Shannon and Will quickly fall in love. However, when Will and Shannon appear to have problems, John is right there. While still in his long-term relationship, John consoles Shannon and serves as a listening ear. Later, John’s girlfriend leaves him and he becomes single, but Shannon is no longer single. John tries to spend time with Shannon, taking advantage of the fact that Will is away for a period of time. Shannon realizes what John is up to and distances herself from him. However, when Will and Shannon again have problems, John is right there - again.
Who is Shannon supposed to be with? Will, whose career requires somewhat of an itinerant lifestyle and provides a host of complications? Or, John, whose career and lifestyle is identical to that of Shannon? While Shannon’s preference is clear for the most part, does the story play out that way? Does she have a choice?
In addition to the dramatic element, the love triangle serves the additional purpose of drawing the reader into Shannon’s life outside her relationship with Will. Shannon is no shrinking violet waiting to blossom under the love of a good man or be rescued by her prince. Regardless of how amazing her relationship with Will is, Shannon is an independent, well-educated, career woman with a life that is more than being someone’s girlfriend or wife. In that regard, she serves as a good role model and the story provides an example of a good relationship that complements a woman’s life rather than becomes a woman’s life.
Also, when Will sees Shannon and John together at one point in the story, he behaves in a way that shows what he was like before he met Shannon. Now that I think about it, to some degree, Shannon saves Will!
Catalyst for Action or Inaction
The involvement of a third party can also spur action or inaction on the part of one or more characters. In Away from the Spotlight, as I noted before, Will sees Shannon and John together at one point in the story. That incident serves to delay a reconciliation between Will and Shannon. Will’s subsequent behavior then places him right back in the path of Shannon and leads to that reconciliation, albeit after a delay.
Timing Is Everything
Shannon and Will meet when they are both at the right place at the right time. Both were single and ready to fall in love when they met. The timing between John and Shannon was off for a long time. Did it remain that way? You’ll have to read Away from the Spotlight to find out.
Thank you, Sarah, for allowing me to join you today!
EXCERPT:
“I promise nothing will separate us again. Just like it said in our vows, ‘Til death do us part.’”
“Well, about fifty percent of all marriages are ‘til divorce do us part.’”
“We’ll be in the other fifty percent.”
“How do you know?” I was still worried.
“Because I love you and I am not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. Unless you have any plans to break us up?”
“No. I wasn’t worried about me. I was worried about you.”
“We’re good then?”
“Yes, I guess so.” I could hear a little sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. “Other than Saturday, have you ever noticed how we have a lot of these kinds of conversations over the phone or out in public?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder why that is.” “Because when we’re alone together, we can’t keep our hands off each other,” Will said in a sexy voice.
“I guess that’s true. Do you think we’ll ever be able to have them when we’re alone together?”
“If you mean, ‘do I think that we’ll be able to keep our hands off each other at some point,’ I certainly hope not. But I do think we might be able to figure out how to multitask.”
Tamara Carlisle is a former attorney and business consultant. Away from the Spotlight is her first published work of fiction. She currently is working on two additional novels: one is about love in the music industry and the other is a work of paranormal fiction. Tamara currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her British husband and daughter. For further information, go to http://www.tamaracarlisle.com
Library Thing: http://www.librarything.com/author/carlisletamara
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tamara_Carlisle
Tamara’s Goodreads Author Page also includes a blog detailing trivia relating to Away from the Spotlight.
