Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Meet the Characters from The Shadow of Mudflap


When I begin writing on a new project, my favorite part is creating the characters. I get to spend hours on Pinterest finding visual inspiration which tends to be the starting place for writing a story. For this novel, MF sent me a list of twelve characters with names, ages, and careers. I then took those characters and created their relationships, personalities, and the entire story around them.

THE SHADOW OF MUDFLAP is a story with a HUGE cast of characters and I thought it might be fun to introduce you to a few of them today. I’ve posted the inspiration photos of Mudflap and Shanae here, but you can see the rest of the inspiration photos for THE SHADOW OF MUDFLAP on my Pinterest board for the book. 


Shanae:


(Kate Beckinsale...inspiration)


Raised by her single father who was a racecar driver. She grew up in a man’s world, surrounded by speed and adrenaline. It rubbed off a bit on her. She was recruited into the Department of Homeland Security in college by a childhood friend, Zach, who she knew from the tracks. He was also a race kid who went into the FBI.

Her cover is that she is a medical trauma nurse on a medevac chopper team. When the call comes for the Foxtrot team, it’s code for the spy team to move into action via the chopper. Most times those “medical emergencies” go to a specialized hospital which is actually a front for a DHS compound, so no one knows that they aren’t actually picking up patients, but instead going on missions. She does serve on the trauma team for the hospital for real too. So double the jobs, double the pressure….and they are both high-pressure jobs.

As Shanae, she’s sweet and quiet and unassuming, although when she gets riled up Shadowfox tends to come out. Shanae is daisies and cowboy boots.

As Shadowfox, she’s kick-ass, aggressive, and extremely sensual. She always gets her man and it’s usually by his balls. Shadowfox is blood red roses and stiletto boots with knives tucked into the top of them.

 


Mudflap:


(Justice Joslin...inspiration)


His parents had TC (7 yrs older), then twins Mia/Sarah (5 yrs older). TC went on to be an NFL pro, the twins went to med and law school. They were ALL perfect at the point where MF needed to make some life decisions. He was clueless and had no idea what he wanted to do.

Mudflap was an accident. Daddy got turned on by a Mudflap girl (never made any sense since a mudflap girl is a silhouette, but mom’s version of the story, and she was pregnant and hormonal so no one questioned it to her face) and had unprotected sex with mom...then to top it off, dad was out hunting when mom went into labor. She wasn't a happy camper about any of it, so she named their boy Mudflap. (It's okay, she's since forgiven him for being born.)

But due to his inauspicious beginnings and perfect siblings, he's felt that he's never lived up....so hasn't even tried. He graduated from high school and, without his parents’ knowledge, joined the Army (that's what screwups do, right?) Regardless of how he sees himself, he's anything but a screwup. In the Army he quickly rose up the Spec Op ranks and became an elite sniper. But after 8 years in the military he came back to Lubbock and joined the fire department.

He's been in Lubbock 4 years and has a nice life with a great group of friends who he plays poker with every week.

 

Here are some of the other main characters you will find in the Pinterest files:

*Seth Mills/ 28yrs / CIA – Shanae’s ex

*Stetson Higgins/ 35yrs / Firefighter close friend – lives in apartment complex next door to Brooklynn. A confirmed bachelor.

*Brooklynn Tyler/ 20yrs / Secretary – lives next door to Stetson

*TC Davidson / 37yrs / Football Coach – Mudflap’s older brother.

*Andrew Ward/ 40yrs / Doctor/Assassin - Crush on Shanae and is part of the Foxtrot Team
*Benny Holman / 20yrs / Quarterback on Football Team –Like most guys his age, he’s all about sex and girls.

*Misty Davis/ 22yrs / Stalker of MF – visits fire station constantly bringing food and stuff;
*Riley Banks/ 33yrs– lawyer; poker buddy; A&M grad

*Lisa Hicks/ 30yrs – golf pro

*Derek / 25yrs– roommate and unrepentant flirt. Derek tends to be the voice of reason. He sees a lot more than most give him credit for. He’s a marketing executive.
*Shanae’s Foxtrot Team

  • Jeremy Compton – Foxtail; (pilot),

  • Cord Ellison – Sunfox (flight paramedic), California surfer dude.

  • Andrew Ward – Foxglove (doctor), Second in command at LiFT

  • Michael Turner – Firefox (back-up pilot and paramedic); large, muscular; into sports and poker; used to run wildland crews in Colorado

  • Quirk Mitchell– Quirk; computer/technology guru

  • Daniel Stanton – Foxhunter; head honcho at LiFT

  • SAM- computer at LiFT- Australian male or British female depending on who it’s talking to 


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Interviewed for THE SHADOW OF MUDFLAP



I think all of you know by now that THE SHADOW OF MUDFLAP is a partnership between M.F. Smith and I that came together through his radio show on KLLL, Lubbock. This morning, the team from the show: Jeff, Kelli, and Mudflap interviewed me. I thought you may want to listen. It's in two parts. Just click the links below to hear it.

Interviewed Christi Snow About Book Part 1 071613

Interviewed Christi Snow About Book Part 2 071613

And don't forget: the book releases AUGUST 19, 2013 and ALL the proceeds will benefit the Lubbock Red Cross.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

5 Weeks until THE SHADOW OF MUDFLAP Release

My co-author, M.F. Smith, has some EXTREMELY talented connections...i.e. his kids. His son, Scott Smith, wrote this gorgeous song for the release of the book. I am in complete awe!! It brought me to tears the first time I listened to it. I hope you all like it as much as I do... (press the link below and the audio will start playing)

Mudflap


The Shadow of Mudflap Song by Scott Smith


Verse 1

Well I saw her pretty face

It was beautiful to me

Thunder at my feet

And lightning in the air.

 

Well her face is like a rose

A whisper in the wind

The night full of stars

Her light shines within

 

Chorus

And I saw the light

I’ll tell her that I love her

That she’s the one tonight

Oh I hold her tight

With the crazy world around us

I won’t give up the fight

 

Verse 2

The bullets fly around me

And my heart starts to go

But for your love I keep fighting

There’s no better thing I know

(Repeat Chorus)

 

Bridge

Love never fails

Love never breaks for me

I’ll never quit

Never give up on you

Forever will be

Just you and me always

We were meant to be

(repeat chorus)

 

Scott doesn't have a website yet, although I definitely foresee this in his future, but he does work a lot with his talented sister (also M.F.'s daughter), Anna Averitt. Here his the link to her Facebook page so you can keep up with what both these talented musicians are doing!

 

And don't forget, it releases in only 5 weeks!!!


All proceeds will go to the Lubbock Chapter of the Red Cross.



Story Description:


To us, first responders are heroes. But for them, risking their lives is a normal, everyday thing.

Mudflap:

Born the baby of the family, Mudflap has always had something to prove to emerge out of the shadows of his older siblings. He spent eight years as a Special Ops elite sniper and is now a firefighter. But at his heart, he’s just a normal West Texas good old boy who loves his beer, women and football, until the Department of Defense calls him up to say they need his skills again.

 

Shanae:

Shanae is a first responder of a different sort. She’s a trauma nurse who works on a medical evacuation helicopter team. But while she lives a life full of adrenaline every day, it’s just a cover for her real life, where she hides in the shadows and is secret agent, Shadowfox for the Lubbock Foxtrot Team (LiFT). She’s living the kind of life that most people think exists only in movies and books.

 

Working for two different branches of the government, Mudflap and Shanae are in a race against time and the terrorists who threaten the very heart of West Texas life, football. They’re working toward the same goal, but find themselves in a confrontation against each other and the lies they’ve each had to hide behind. Can love win out in the end or will the cost be each other and their very lives?

 

First responders are heroes every day, but this story tells the tale of when they become even more and find love along the way. The key is for them to stay alive so that they can complete their mission and just maybe live happily ever after.

On an ordinary day, they save lives. On an extraordinary day, they save the country.