By: Daco
RT Reviews
rates THE LIBRA AFFAIR 4 our of 4 ½ STARS!
“Debut author Daco weaves a
convoluted spy game, rather like a Jason Bourne movie – only instead of the
usual male secret agent, we get Jordan Jakes...”
“BAKE
A PIE, MAKE A SETTING: the right ingredients make a delectable story”
Setting is important because it creates the mood and flavor of
a story. Like a pie crust, it is the backdropthat defines where the story
starts and finishes as well as how it develops along the way. Choosing the
correct setting for any story is not unlike baking an apple pie. The right kind
of apple makes the pie, the wrong one only makes soggy mess.
When starting a romantic suspense novel, it is important to setup the story so
that the reader can identify not only the genre, but also who the characters
are. You order applie pie, so you have expectations about that first bite. If
it turns out to be a coconut cream, well, you’re probably not going to eat it
unless it’s your second favorite pie. Location dresses the characters
without having to spell out the details. If you place a woman CIA covert
operative in Iran, you immediately sense that her degree of freedom will be
limited and that she will be working within a dangerous situation. Behavior,
dress, and the ability to blend in with the local culture will be key to the
success of her mission. Placing the same spy in Huntsville, Alabama without
considering any other factors does not invoke the same degree of intrigue. To
engage the reader, it is important to establish elements of suspense right from
the start. Like a good crust, little flaky, not overdone, setting is the starting
point.
All stories have pauses and sprints. While most suspense novels tend to move rather quickly from start to finish, developing deeper emotions requires a pause for characters to reflect on what is happening and also to consider the needs of the other characters. It would be difficult for the heroine to be breaking up with the hero while they are dodging bullets. Although this may happen in stories, a more plausible break up is when the heroine breaks the news in a more sincere manner, as taking a bullet to the chest or leg might not be the most appealing time to tell the hero he's history. Nor is a chase scene the right time to tell the hero that it's time for sex, even though he may appear to be the sexiest man alive at the time he is rescuing the heroine. That said, often times it is fun to have a scene where you do mix up the setting and pace. Think of it like adding smoked bacon to the apples; for some people it's the absolute bomb, but it probably doesn’t do much for an apple pie. Pacing is important because it guides the reader when to speed up and when to take a breath.Ready for pie, yet? Right, we need the ingredients.
So why choose the settings of Washington, DC and the Middle
East for The Libra Affair? Choosing a setting is like choosing the type of pie
we want to bake. For a suspense novel, we need the ingredients of power,
danger, and intrigue; like apples, cinnamon, and sugar. When we think of spy
stories, the first powerful image that comes to mind is Washington D.C.: Capitol
Hill, the Pentagon, and all of our national monumental treasures. No words are
necessary to establish the backdrop of power. Add the Middle East to the mix
and danger is introduced. Throw in NASA, SpaceX, and the CIA, and intrigue is
created. Walla!Perfecto!
THE LIBRA AFFAIR is the hero's and heroine's love story. On a larger scale, THELIBRA AFFAIR is about establishing world economic balance. Starting the story in Washington D.C. makes sense because it is the most powerful city in the world and gives credibility to the plot the Americans and Russians are concocting to level the international playing field. Heading into Iran mixes the ingredients. If all goes as planned, the pie will be served up warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Setting can be established not only by a place, but also by the use of landmarks, structures, and entities. The hero in THE LIBRA AFFAIR, Ben Johnson, is a NASA scientist whose laser experiment is scheduled to fly on SpaceX to the Space Station to perform testing on the destruction of space debris. Because he is employed by NASA, a governmental agency that denotes science and space exploration, it identifies him as smart and in touch with real issues today. When the heroine, Jordan Jakes, arrives in Tehran and drives past the Azadi Tower, the gateway to the capital city of Iran, this represent "freedom amidst the chaos" and the question of freedom is immediately raised. Like an apple pie, only add the ingredients that are necessary to the story; landmarks are like the fruit of a pie, you don’t add green peppers to the mix because it muddies the taste.
THE LIBRA AFFAIR is the hero's and heroine's love story. On a larger scale, THELIBRA AFFAIR is about establishing world economic balance. Starting the story in Washington D.C. makes sense because it is the most powerful city in the world and gives credibility to the plot the Americans and Russians are concocting to level the international playing field. Heading into Iran mixes the ingredients. If all goes as planned, the pie will be served up warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Setting can be established not only by a place, but also by the use of landmarks, structures, and entities. The hero in THE LIBRA AFFAIR, Ben Johnson, is a NASA scientist whose laser experiment is scheduled to fly on SpaceX to the Space Station to perform testing on the destruction of space debris. Because he is employed by NASA, a governmental agency that denotes science and space exploration, it identifies him as smart and in touch with real issues today. When the heroine, Jordan Jakes, arrives in Tehran and drives past the Azadi Tower, the gateway to the capital city of Iran, this represent "freedom amidst the chaos" and the question of freedom is immediately raised. Like an apple pie, only add the ingredients that are necessary to the story; landmarks are like the fruit of a pie, you don’t add green peppers to the mix because it muddies the taste.
Daco’s debut novel released in eBook on April 8th, 2013,
print to come later this year, is a romantic suspense entitled, THELIBRA AFFAIR.
HER MISSION: Launch Libra.
HER OBSTACLE: Love.
Nothing can stand in the way of
Jordan Jakes launching a missile in a remote desert of Iran. Not even Ben
Johnson, the NASA scientist she’s targeted. Against all odds, Ben follows
Jordan, placing not only the mission at risk, but also the fate of the world.
Everything hinges on the strength of their love.
Short EXCERPT:
Chapter
1
“But you kissed that guy.”
“It was a game. A stupid bar game.”
Jordan’s heart began to race, but she spoke in a calm, deliberate voice as she
gripped the phone in her hand. “You were working, remember?” This was the
hardest breakup speech she’d ever delivered, but it wasn’t her choice. It was
time for Jordan Jakes to go to work.
He struggled to speak. “Jordan, I — ”
“Ben,” she interrupted him, “let’s not
make this any more difficult than it has to be.” She knew he was trying to tell
her that he loved her, but he was paralyzed by fear of rejection. It was better
this way. If he actually said the words, she knew she’d drop to her knees and
sob.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft,
emotional. “I overreacted … ”
“A relationship is built on trust.” Her
stomach clenched. “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.” As she said
the words, she felt the sting of irony in her lie.
Why couldn’t her target have been the
typical lab coat scientist? Why’d he have to be Isle of Mann’s perfect blend of
Scotch and Nordic served with a twist of dark brown curls? And why’d he have to
look at her that way with those melancholy eyes of his?
“That guy you saw going crazy, that
wasn’t me,” he tried even harder.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Her heart
was breaking and there was nothing in the world she could do about it.
That first night at the bar when he’d
sauntered over to her like he didn’t have a care in the world and asked, “What
will you have?” the only answer that came to her mind was you. I want you …
forever. But that was a dream, a dream that lasted exactly one year, and now
the dream was ending; she had accomplished exactly what she’d been sent to do.
There was never going to be a forever, no matter how much she wanted it.
She was leaving him and it was time to
make this final.
The bell hanging on the front door to
the dry cleaners jingled. She’d worked as a clerk in this lousy job for the
past year, too. But it was the perfect cover for her: no stress, no brainer, no
suspicions.
“Can’t we talk about it?” he said.
“Over dinner?A bowl of beef barley?”
“No.” All Ben needed now was closure —
to hear her say it was over and beyond repair. Not a dot, dot, dot.
“I don’t want you to go,” he said.
She didn’t want to go either, but when
Chou, her Chinese handler, called a week ago and said, “It’s time,” any fantasy
of her sticking around vanished. It had taken the American Central Intelligence
Agency and Jordan three long years to get into bed with the Chinese National
Security Bureau, and now that the Chinese trusted her, a boyfriend who had been
solicited as no more than a pawn in an international game of espionage and cold
war could not stand in the way of accomplishing the rest of this mission.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and all
major eBook retailers.
Author Bio:
Daco was born at the Bethesda
Naval Hospital in Maryland and raised in Wernher von Braun’s Rocket City of
Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a B.A. and M.A.S. from The University of Alabama
in Huntsville and a J.D. from Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. When not
practicing law or encouraging her children to become scientists, she spends her
time writing novels.
On the Bookshelf:
Currently reading: The Tailor of Panama by John le Carre
A few waiting on the shelf: The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber; Lost and Found by Amy Shojai, Sweet Little Lies by J.T. Ellison
How to find her on
the web:
Website:www.authordaco.com
Twitter: @AuthorDaco
Goodreads:
Daco
Facebook:
Daco author
Contact
email: authordaco@gmail.com
.jpg)
