Marie Astor - On the Rim of Love - Guest Post

Guest Post

Thank you for inviting me to The Plot Thickens. My name is Marie Astor and I am the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love and Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.

I often get asked how I develop the characters in my novels. I have to say that my character development process varies for each novel: some characters simply pop into my mind, while others take time to materialize. When I started writing my contemporary romance, Lucky Charm, I knew that wanted to write a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship. As I started to think about the friendship between the heroine, Annabel, and her best friend, Lilly, the characters of Annabel and Lilly started to crystallize in my mind. The two women could not be more different: Annabel is quiet and cautious, while Lilly is boisterous and easygoing – I enjoyed writing about their friendship, as I did about the different approaches to relationships that Annabel and Lilly took. And then, of course, it would not be a contemporary romance without the male leads – Annabel’s and Lilly’s beaus: Etienne and Simon who are the perfect counterparts to their ladies.

For my latest contemporary romance, On the Rim of Love, which takes place in British Columbia, the setting was the inspiration for character creation. I visited Banff, British Columbia two winters ago and I was instantly smitten by its beauty – the vast open spaces, the towering mountain cliffs and the white, sparkling snow that seemed to stretch endlessly. I have always thought that there is something very special about the atmosphere of ski towns, and I was charmed by Banff’s quaint streets and the wonderful people who walked them. An idea for a contemporary romance became to form in my mind: a big city girl meets a big-mountain skier who is rooted in his small hometown. By the end of my ten-day stay at Banff, I had jotted down an outline and notes on the main characters: Maggie and Taylor, as well as Taylor’s best friends: Shawn and Hannah. The hardest part was over: all that remained for me to do was to sit down and write Maggie’s and Taylor’s story.

Book Summary

Maggie Robin has been dating the irresistibly good-looking, successful Jeffrey Preston for two years. But when Jeffrey proposes marriage a week after Maggie’s college graduation, she is no longer sure if she wants to marry a workaholic TV producer.

Her doubts culminate when during a ski trip to British Columbia, Maggie meets Taylor Denton, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier who is the complete opposite of Jeffrey. It does not take Maggie long to realize that she has fallen in love with Taylor and she decides to break off her engagement with Jeffrey. But just when she thinks she has found the love of her life, an ill-fated misunderstanding tears Maggie and Taylor apart.

A week later, Maggie is told that Taylor has died in a tragic ski accident; yet, her heart refuses to believe in Taylor’s death. When Maggie returns to Taylor’s native town, she learns that Taylor is indeed alive, but has been seriously injured. Resolved to bring her lover back to life Maggie stands by Taylor’s side, convincing him to embrace life again.

Author Bio

Marie Astor is a die-hard romantic who wholeheartedly believes in true love, which is why she writes in the contemporary romance genre.
Marie is the author of contemporary romance novels, On the Rim of Love, Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.

In addition to being a writer, Marie is an avid hiker, an excellent swimmer, and a good skier.
Currently, Marie is working on her next novel - stay tuned for details! If you would like to receive updates about book releases and events, please visit Marie’s website at: www.marieastor.com or visit Marie at her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/marieastor.

On the Rim of Love – contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.

Available on Kindle for $2.99 (235 pages)

http://www.amazon.com/Rim-Love-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B005TOWI7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325643233&sr=8-1

Giveaway

Marie will be awarding a custom made jewelry set (necklace and earrings) to one randomly chosen commenter and to the host with the most comments (excluding the host's and Marie's) -- US / Canada only, please.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/11/virtual-book-tour-on-rim-of-love-by.html