Chasing Down a Reluctant Heroine
By Lynne Gentry
Authors love to
introduce their characters and I’m no exception. I can’t wait for you to meet
Dr. Lisbeth
Hastings, the heroine of my new book Healer
of Carthage.
Lisbeth is a driven,
young professional with her life as a doctor all planned out. However, that was
before her tragic mistake. I won’t say too much about the mistake (after all I
want you to read the book) but I will say her error in judgment thrust her into
a world stranger than anything her archeologist father ever dug up in one of
his forgotten caves.
You’d think the
threat of medical malpractice would have humbled this young intern a bit, but …
well … I’ll let you be the judge of her current emotional state.
She’s the one being
drug to the baths of a third-century villa.
Be warned … she’s
ticked.
Me: Excuse me, Dr. Hastings. Could I
speak to you for a minute?
Lisbeth: In case you haven’t noticed,
I’m a little busy. Hey, what is this place?
Me: It’s a bathroom.
Lisbeth: A bathroom? It’s bigger than
my entire apartment back in Dallas.
Me: Nothing is too good for the wealthy
Roman, Cyprianus Thascius.
Lisbeth: Roman?
Me: Calm down. I’m sure you’ll come to
appreciate every amenity I dropped into this story.
Lisbeth: I don’t want to appreciate
anything. I want you to get me out of this nightmare.
Me: Well, I can’t. I put you into the
third century to change the world.
(Lisbeth has crossed her arms and is tapping
her foot. She seems a bit too snarky, but I can see how unexpected time travel could
have a tendency to make someone a tad defensive. Besides, if I sent Lisbeth
home before she met the handsome hero what kind of love story would this be?)
I take a deep
breath and continue.
Me: Maybe I went overboard a bit with
the floor-to-ceiling murals, cascading water, and exquisite tile mosaics, but I
actually toured the ruins of a Roman bath in England and thought the Romans
masters of luxury. In fact, I think you’d find their medical knowledge equally
as impressive. Frankly, Lisbeth, I’m jealous.
Lisbeth: Jealous?
Me: You’re going to wear some of the
most beautiful gowns, have the most amazing adventures, and meet the most
incredible hunk, and—
Lisbeth: You’re obviously not the one stuck
in the past, half drowned, stripped to your birthday suit, and staring at woman
coming at you with a metal claw.
Me: (Looking
quickly over my shoulder, I sigh with relief.) Oh, that’s not a claw. The Roman’s
call that a strigil.
Lisbeth: A what?
Me: An exfoliation tool. First a slave
slathers you with oil, then scrapes the blade over your skin … Lisbeth …
Lisbeth … wait. I can explain.
(As she tries to bolt past me, I really have
no choice but to push her into the tub. I’ll try to take up this interview once
she’s dry, but I don’t have high hopes. Lisbeth Hastings seldom cooperates...with
anyone.)
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imh1AwR698Y
Lynne Gentry has written for numerous publications. Her newest novel, Healer of Carthage, is the first in The Carthage Chronicles series. She is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright with several full-length musicals and a children’s theater curriculum to her credit. Lynne is an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer whose first love is spending time with family.
Author
Contact info:
Website: http://lynnegentry.com/
Facebook: Author Lynne Gentry
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Simon
& Schuster: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lynne-Gentry/412732530
Healer of Carthage: A Novel (The Carthage Chronicles)