behind-the-bookwith-colleen-thompson

Colleen Thompson Dishes on the Hero of Triple ExposureTriple Exposure

I could tell you that my latest romantic suspense, Triple Exposure (Leisure, Aug. 2008), began with a visit to the gorgeous landscape around the tiny town of Marfa in West Texas. Or I could say it started with my husband’s stories about the famous mystery lights there that seem to rise up from the desert plains some evening. Or I could say I was inspired by the Academy Award-winning films Giant, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood, all of which were shot in and around this beautiful location.

But that would be lying because the true inspiration for the story came from an image of its hero, one extremely sexy man. I have no idea where the character of Zeke Pike came from, but one day he was simply there, a huge and brawny hermit of a desert craftsman, with his shirt off (with the heat, of course, completely unaware that anyone was watching) as he polishes an incredible table he’s just hewn of desert mesquite inlaid with turquoise rivers. And though I immediately wanted that table for my own, it wasn’t the furniture that had me drooling.

Although a couple of years passed between the original idea and the time I actually sat down to write it, the image was so strong that the scene where fine art photographer/heroine Rachel Copeland stumbles upon and captures it was the easiest part of the entire book to get on paper.

Here’s a snippet from it, where Rachel is torn between the knowledge that Zeke would never allow her to take the shot (though she has no idea his reclusive ways protect a dangerous past) and what she sees as she approaches the open door of his workshop:

 

Inside, working on a piece of furniture, was a sight to make a nun weep. Even Rachel, who would rather have a root canal than a naked man in her life at the moment, gaped dry-mouthed as she watched the shirtless Zeke lean forward to oil a heavy tabletop. As the sun’s rays gilded him in profile, the cloth in his hand glided like a lover’s over curves and natural imperfections. While muscles moved beneath the surface of his skin like restless spirits, he expertly stroked the brilliance from the reddish wood.

Knowing she could never reproduce this moment — that the instant he saw her, he would don his shirt and growl another warning to stay clear of his private rooms — she lifted her camera and clicked away, losing herself in the play of light and shadow filling her frame.

Even as she took the photos, she knew they would be special. Just as she sensed that Zeke Pike would pitch a fit if he had any inkling she was photographing him and not his work.

He did say you could take pictures of anything inside the workshop or the showroom. Lame or not, the excuse got her through to the moment she recapped her camera lens and cleared her throat loudly to be heard over Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”

Sure enough, everything changed as soon as Zeke looked up. Grabbing a denim shirt off of his workbench, he said, “Sorry. Gettin’ a little hot in here.”

You ain’t whistlin’ Dixie, she thought.


So what about you? Do you appreciate the strong, silent type as much as I do? And what about a man who’s really good with his hands? J

To learn more about my romantic thrillers, please stop by my website at www.colleen-thompson.com or POP in at my blog at www.boxingoctopus.blogspot.com. Meanwhile, thanks so much to the Chicas for inviting me to play! It’s fun to be here.