My Favorite
Character in Free of Malice
I was recently asked who was my favorite
character in my book, “Free of Malice.” Some folks thought it would be Laura,
the protagonist, but it’s actually the criminal defense attorney, Thomas
Bennett.
Do we love him or hate him? Do we trust
him or suspect him? And why is he doing pro-bono work for a journalist – what’s
in it for him? At one point, Laura says, “he sounded sincere, but there was
this little nagging voice inside of me—aren’t most psychopaths also charmers?”
My editor, Jan Risher, may have said it
best, “This book is not a traditional whodunit. The author pulled off a tough
balance of having me both suspect yet somehow root for the lead male character.”
My
best friend from college, Thomas Barnette (not a psychopath, by the way), was
my inspiration for the lawyer character. He and I met our first day at Georgia
Tech – we were both lost trying to find the civil engineering building - and
we’ve been friends ever since. We make an odd pair, I’ll admit – he’s a black,
gay, Christian guy and I’m a white, straight, Jewish gal, but we have that kind
of connection where I’ll be thinking about him and the phone will ring.
We
were so focused on our studies at school that I didn’t really learn about
Thomas’ creative side until after we graduated. One day he popped a CD into the
player in his car and asked what I thought. The singer reminded me of a cross
between Lionel Richie and Seal and I really liked it. When Thomas said it was
him, I didn’t believe him at first. He actually had to start singing in the car
to convince me.
From
that point on we talked a lot about him cutting a full CD. He already had quite
a few of the songs, many of which he wrote, but there were a also some covers.
So, one day I pulled out my computer and started tallying up the work ahead of
him to finish the CD – the mixing, mastering, photos, production, etc. and came
to a number. The next day, I kid you not, I received a check in the mail for
some deferred salary for nearly the exact number. I took it as a divine sign
and we were off to producing his debut album.
In
my book, the Thomas character takes Laura to hear him sing at Eddie’s Attic in
Atlanta. At that point, you can pull out your QR reader or go to my website, www.freeofmalice.com/music-let-me-breathe.htm, and hear the first
song from his album, "Let Me Breathe." I thought it would be an added
treat for the reader to get to hear Thomas’ voice, plus he sang at my launch
party and we are doing a few joint events around town to promote the book and
the CD.
Who
knew when our paths crossed that first day of college that we would have such
an enduring friendship, and that we’d find a way to blend our creativity and
support one another. So, my favorite character – that’s easy – was based on one
of my favorite people.
by Liz Lazarus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Suspense / Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Laura
Holland awakes in the middle of the night to see a stranger standing in her
bedroom doorway. She manages to defend herself from the would-be rapist, though
he threatens to return as he retreats. Traumatized with recurring nightmares,
Laura seeks therapy and is exposed to a unique treatment called EMDR. She also
seeks self-protection— buying a gun against the wishes of her husband. When
Laura learns she could have gone to prison had she shot her fleeing assailant,
she decides to write a hypothetical legal case using the details of that night.
She enlists the help of criminal defense lawyer, Thomas Bennett, who proves to
be well versed in the justice system but has an uncanny resemblance to her
attacker. As the two work together to develop the story, Laura's discomfort
escalates particularly when Thomas seems to know more about that night than he
should. Reality and fiction soon merge as her real life drama begins to mirror
the fiction she's trying to create.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Run. Run faster. As much as I strained my legs to move, they
were immobile, like I was waist deep in quicksand.
Why can’t I move?
I tried to scream for help but my mouth was full, like it
was stuffed with cotton—no sound would escape.
I felt something clutching my shoulder. No, it was someone.
He was pushing me forward and then yanking me back. I tried to jerk away but he
had a tight grip, like a vice.
I have to break free.
The tugging got harder, more forceful. He was calling my
name— over and over. He knew my name.
“Laura, Laura.”
I jolted awake—my husband’s hand still on my shoulder.
“Honey, wake up. You’re having another bad dream.”
Slowly, I turned over in bed and looked at him—his dark
brown eyes were fixated on me. I could see them clearly as the light from the
bathroom brightened our bedroom.
For a month now, we had slept with this light on.
I could see the small wrinkle on his forehead. I loved that
wrinkle though wished he didn’t have good reason to be so concerned. I was
enduring the nightmares, but he had to deal with my tossing and mumbling in
terror.
I remember when we first met—ten years ago in chemistry lab
at Georgia Tech. He had walked up to me with those warm eyes and a charming,
confident smile and asked, “Want to be partners?”
Two years later he took me to Stone Mountain Park, rented a
small rowboat and, in the moonlight, he pulled out a diamond ring and asked me
again, “Want to be partners?”
Life had seemed just about perfect.
Until now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Liz
Lazarus is the author of Free of Malice, a psychological, legal thriller
loosely based on her personal experience and a series of ‘what if’ questions
that trace the after effects of a foiled attack; a woman healing, and grappling
with the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.
She was
born in Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering
degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in
their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General
Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a Managing Director at a strategic
planning consulting firm in addition to being an author.
Free of
Malice is her debut novel, set in Atlanta, and supplemented by extensive
research with both therapists and criminal defense attorneys. She currently
lives in Brookhaven, GA, with her fiancé, Richard, and their very spoiled
orange tabby, Buckwheat.
Available
On:
Amazon:
Barnes
& Noble:
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4 comments:
Thank you for hosting
A great story line. Looking forward to working it all out.
I loved your comments and I really enjoyed the excerpt.
I really enjoyed reading this post. Real friends who truly support you are absolutely priceless. I wish you a happy Sunday! :)
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