HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO
IT'S COMPLICATED!
It's Complicated
Contemporary Romance
by Joyce M. Holmes
Release date: December 4, 2017
He wants a real relationship, she's afraid to love. It’s complicated, but is it impossible?
She’s a children’s counselor devoted to helping others; he’s a stubborn client reluctant to accept her assistance. He wants a warm and loving relationship; she prefers to keep things physical. Professional boundaries dictate neither of them can have what they want.
Having grown up with no one but herself to count on, Maggie Lapage carefully guards her feelings. Professionally, she goes above and beyond to give others the support she wishes she'd had as a child. When she develops a forbidden attraction to a client’s father, she does what she thinks is necessary, to save his family, and to protect her own heart.
Tom O’Shay finds his life caught in a nightmare when he risks losing custody of his daughter. It goes against his character to seek help, but he doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t mean he has to like it. Everything changes when he falls hard for his daughter’s counselor, and he suddenly has two fights on his hands. One for his daughter, and another for the woman he loves.
It’s complicated, but is it impossible?
~~~oOo~~~
GUEST POST
The Inspiration behind It's Complicated
by Joyce Holmes
The Inspiration behind It's Complicated
by Joyce Holmes
Maggie
Lapage, my female character in It’s
Complicated, made her first appearance in Show No Weakness as a young co-worker of Joely Sinclair. Maggie had
a knack for stirring up trouble. She called it helping people. Others might
call it meddling. But she always had the best intentions. Several of my readers
told me how much they loved her feisty personality, and their comments inspired
me to write her story. I had a scenario in my head where she’d fit perfectly
and, from there, the story quickly came together.
The
storyline formed easily, but accurately portraying Maggie’s character was a
little more of a challenge. She’s young, urban and loves all the girly-girl
things I know little about. She’s tall and fashionable and very outgoing.
Again, not anything I can easily connect with. I blogged about my dilemma at
the time (https://joyceholmes.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/definitely-not-a-hip-young-urbanite/).
Secondary characters are easy and fun to write; they can be quirky and even a
little outrageous without necessarily needing to reveal what made them this way.
Lead characters require more depth and motivation. I really wanted to do right
by Maggie, because after everything she’d been through, she deserved it. Yes,
she was impulsive and just a tad of a busybody, but once her background and motivations
were made clear, her personality quirks became understandable and relatable.
I once knew
a young man named Thomas. He was very much his own man and stubbornly
independent, sometimes to his detriment. Thomas left this earth far too young,
and to honour his memory, I named my male character, Tom O’Shay, after him. I
also gave Tom some of that same quiet strength of character and stubborn
independence. Who better to pit Maggie’s helpfulness
against than someone who abhors needing help?
My
inspiration for the storyline came from the place where all my stories come
from. The desire to convey a real life
situation full of emotion, which tugs on the heartstrings, and eventually
finishes with a satisfying happy-ever-after. Hopefully, my readers will find
that I accomplished this goal with Maggie and Tom’s tale, It’s Complicated.
~~~oOo~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joyce Holmes lives with her husband and very small dog in the beautiful Okanagan region of British Columbia. Photography and blogging about her travels are two of her passions, along with visiting her kids and grandkids. When she's not dreaming up stories in her head or planning her next great adventure, she’s off enjoying the great outdoors.
Links:
~~~oOo~~~
GIVEAWAY!
A $10 Roane Publishing gift card!
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.
