Background Checks on Some of My Characters

Here are some of the backstories and fun things you may not know about my sleuths and key characters in my four series.

Delanie Fitzgerald – Delanie floundered a bit after college, and she couldn’t find a job that she liked. Much to the chagrin of her police officer father and brother, she decided to become a private investigator. She works with her partner and sometimes-computer hacker, Duncan Reynolds to keep her fledging business solvent.

Charles “Chaz” Wellington Smith, III was only supposed to appear as the sleazy strip club owner in book one, but my critique group and readers loved him as a foil for Delanie. So he appears in all the books in the series. He is gross, slimy, and has bad table manners, but he’s Delanie’s best cash-paying client. (And he’s not all bad, he cat-sits for his elderly neighbor.)

Jules Keene – She left Fern Valley to attend James Madison University, where she earned a degree in interior design. And that’s where she met her friend and computer guru, Gwen “Pixel” Pierce. After college, she moved to Washington, D. C. for a marketing job, and she married the Idiot, Rick Benson. (Rick shows up in book 6, Hazardous Links and Hijinks and needs Jules’s help to clear him from murder charges.)

Jade Hicks – Her parents died in a horrible car crash when she was in the seventh grade, and she moved to Mermaid Bay to live with her grandmother who ran the town’s Christmas Shoppe. After college and her grandmother’s passing, Jade returned to the cozy beach town to take over the shop, and she moved into her grandmother’s bungalow. Jade knew Nick in school, and they briefly dated. They reunited when they both returned to town (and he became the sheriff).

The Pearly Girls - These are some of my favorite characters to write. They are the four gals who were friends with event-planner Cassidy James’s grandmother, Evelyn Jamison. The five gals were fast friend since elementary school, and they survived the generations, marriage, and rearing kids. Some of their best memories were hanging out at Evelyn’s family’s infamous honky-tonk.

The Pearly Girls are Ruthann Charmichael (former bookkeeper), Kate Carlson (a former nurse), Aileen Roberts (former elementary school teacher), and Roxie Matthews (the cougar of the group). The four band together to help Cassidy run the event business after Evelyn passed away. Ruthanne is the nervous Nelly and goodie-two-shoes of the group, but she’s always ready for a good time. Kate is stoic and pragmatic, and she’s the voice of reason for the four. Aileen likes to tint her hair to match her favorite colors. She always wants everyone to have a good time and to enjoy the moment. Roxie is the wild one of the bunch, and she has quite the active social life. These four are fearless, and they often get themselves in sticky situations.