by Beth Abbott
Q3; How far ahead do you plan your books?
A; By the time I’m about halfway through writing a book my mind is already thinking ahead to the next book. In Saviours, for example, Hannah makes a simple statement quite early on, and that had me thinking about what the next book would be about. In real time, that was probably around September 2018. No sooner I’d finished writing Saviours than my mind was full of ideas, quite strong ones, about new characters and the plot. To make sure my mind stayed focused on Saviours through the editing month, I wrote a four-page synopsis of the next book, so I wouldn’t forget any of it. As I write this, the deadline for uploading the final version of Saviours is just fourteen hours away (midnight 21/12/2018). By morning I will have started writing chapter one of *****.
Q4; How do you cope with American English versus British English?
A; With great difficulty!
I’m British, so obviously I mostly write what we think of as ‘proper’ English (apologies to all my American readers who probably want to slap me for that statement). Words like though/tho and colour/color are typical examples. What I always try and do is use American terms for my American characters and British terms for my British characters. I know I don’t always succeed, but it’s not for the want of trying. It’s just a case of ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. I always ask people to let me know if there are words I’m getting wrong, and I’ve changed plenty over the last three years thanks to my wonderful American readers helping me. I still occasionally get people referring to my ‘typos’, but actually, where I’m from, that’s how we spell things.
*The exception that makes the rule in everything I’ve said above is the word ‘asshole’. I’ve been told off for not spelling it ‘arsehole’, which is the British version, but for some reason I just can’t do it. When I read it spelled that way in other people’s books, I find it jarring, and it’s one of those words that pulls my attention away from the story. So, call me all the arseholes you like… I’m not changing it. Sorry!
Q5; Which male character would you pick for yourself, if you could have your choice?
A; Obviously, it goes without saying that all of the best bits of each of my male characters have been drawn straight from my hubby. Well… most of them, anyway…!
That being said, if I had to pick one (if I could have two, I’d include Drew on my list) it would have to be Danny. Ask anyone who’s been in a successful relationship for a long time (I’m talking decades here!) and the one thing that gets you through the good and the bad, sickness and health is laughter. My husband has made me laugh every day for more years than I’m prepared to admit here (we were teenage sweethearts…awww), and I think Danny’s (often appalling) sense of humour is what tips the balance towards him rather than Drew.
Q6; How tall are you? (I only ask because Hannah is tiny, yet she seems to be such a big character in the family.)
A; I always used to be 1.67m, which is just under five foot six. (Which I’ve always thought is fairly average.) But when I got measured at the hospital earlier this year, apparently, I’m only 1.65m now, so I’ve lost an inch somewhere. I’m still a lot taller than Hannah, though!
Q7; Has your husband read all of your books?
A; Erm… that would be a no. He started reading the first book, but apparently was traumatised as soon as he got to the sex scenes. In fairness, he’s not much of a reader, and if he picks up a book it’s more likely to be a biography of a serial killer than romantic fiction.
Q8; What do your friends and family think about you writing sex scenes?
A; What, you mean apart from the disclaimer I put on my Amazon bio at my husband’s request that the sex scenes come from my imagination not my real life? LOL.
I think a few of them wonder about me, especially after reading Concealed and Healing. So, I’ll put it out there, no, I’ve never had a threesome, nor am I into BDSM or spanking. While I have nothing against either, as is obvious from my books, they’re just not for me.
I am, however, firmly of the belief that as a society we need to change our attitudes to sex, if only for the improved mental health of the next generation.
Kids these days are still being raised by parents whose only steer in terms of having the ‘birds and the bees’ conversation is either ‘No sex before marriage’ or that sex is somehow immoral or wrong.
How confusing is that when they can just switch on their computers and watch so much pornography with just a few clicks?
I’m not going to get into the ‘sex before marriage’ debate, because that decision should be the choice of every individual. My characters do have sex before marriage, but they’re not promiscuous.
What I would advocate though, as a parent, is that we should talk to our kids about sex and explain the difference between making love to your partner, and what porn channels would have them believe is normal. We should reinforce that sex can be loving, enjoyable and fun with the right partner, but that it should always be consensual and safe.
It’s not advocating promiscuity to let your kids know that for most people, enjoying sex is a normal, healthy part of adult life.
Q9; Do you have time for any hobbies, and what are they?
A; I used to read a lot, but rarely have time now. I guess my favourite non-book related thing is going to the cinema with my BFF. We go once a week and try and get to see the latest releases. Of course, life and book-work often gets in the way, but we do our best.
Q10; If you could travel anywhere, where would you like to visit?
A; So many places!
These days, so many places are considered ‘unsafe’ for tourists, which is a shame because a lot of them would have been on my bucket list.
We’ve been lucky enough to travel quite a bit through America and Europe, but there’s so much more to see. We still want to drive across America and back, from coast to coast, taking in as many states as we can, travelling to places we haven’t already been to. We’ve spent a lot of time in Florida and California, and we’ve toured around parts of Arizona and Nevada, so we’ve got another 44 of the contiguous states to pick from.
I’d also like to travel around all the major European cities and take a river cruise on the Rhine or the Danube.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand will appear on my bucket list at some point, but probably when the last of the kids have flown the nest and we’ve got time to explore properly without hearing ‘Are we there yet’ every five minutes.
Thanks to;
Taylor, Sue, Carol, ‘The Brats’ Mum’, Russell, Big J and others for the questions.
Cast of Characters
Male Characters
(All male ages given relate to age when they have their own story, even though we may have met them in an earlier book. Female ages given when we first meet them in their own book.)
Name: JT or Jon Thornton (former Captain Alpha Company and CEO of Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’3” tall, dark brown hair, royal blue eyes (age 36 in own story) Born leader. Close friends with Ryan Tucker having saved his life.
Romantically involved with: Alice Bailey, age 28, 5’5”, black hair, dark brown eyes (mother from Philippines, father Colonel Joseph Bailey - Alpha & Bravo Company Commander)
Appears in: All books. Own book – Concealed
Name: Luke Roberts (Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’4” tall, dark brown hair, one blue eye one split eye blue/black (age 32 in own book) (Parents Sally & Carl make regular appearances) Serious and thoughtful following murder of his twin Casey.
Romantically involved with: Ellen Thomas, age 28, 5’6”, blonde hair, blue eyes (expert at languages)
Appears in: All books. Own book – Invisible
Name: Danny Simons (Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’5” tall, brown hair, blue eyes, cheeky grin (age 30 in own book) Crazy, funny, competitive (with Matt)
Romantically involved with: Hannah Jord
an, age 23, 5’0” blonde hair, green eyes (daughter of Carolina Jordan – CJ) (expert on anything computer related)
Appears in: All books. Own book – Anonymous
Name: Matt Johnson (Sniper, Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’6” tall, dark hair, brown eyes – larger than life in every way (age 30 in own book) Adores his wife and son. Issues with PTSD.
Romantically involved with: Suzy Johnson, age 24, blonde hair, blue eyes (Outspoken extrovert) (Son Charlie, 6 months old at start of Book One Invisible)
Appears in: All books. Own book – Healing
Name: Drew Dixon (Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’3” tall, dark hair, brown eyes (age 32 in own book) Physiotherapist and counsellor, always willing to help. More serious of the Dixon men. Bisexual.
Romantically involved with: Tony Dixon (see below) and Vicky Morris, age 30, 5’11”, Red hair, lost foot in helicopter crash (former helicopter pilot)
Appears in: Concealed onwards. Own book – Healing
Name: Tony Dixon (briefly Captain, Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’3” tall, blond, blue eyes, lost foot in Afghanistan (age 32 in own book) Cheerful and light-hearted. Bisexual.
Romantically involved with: Drew Dixon and Vicky Morris (as above)
Appears in: Concealed onwards. Own book – Healing
Name: Thomas Payne (Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’2” tall, brown hair, hazel eyes (age 40 in own book). Older and wiser and more serious. Regularly referred to by Marcus as ‘the miserable old fart!’.
Romantically involved with: CJ or Carolina Jordan, age 43, 5’2”, blonde hair, blue eyes
Appears in: Anonymous onwards. Own book – Living
Name: Marcus Adams (Alpha Company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’2” tall, dark brown hair, golden eyes (age 34 in own book) Close platonic friendship with CJ, flirty, likes winding Thomas up.
Romantically involved with: Dr Sara Winston age 28, 5’6”, dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, (almost deaf – wears hearing aids) (daughter of British Foreign Secretary)
Appears in: Anonymous onwards. Own book – Impossible
Name: Tuck or Ryan Tucker (Former Major in US Marine Corps now owner Stalwart Security Services)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’2” tall, light brown hair, light grey eyes (age 45 in own book) Owner of Stalwart, serious and responsible, close friends with JT.
Romantically involved with: Candeda or Candy Morales, 36, 5’6”, black hair, dark brown eyes, (formerly Naval Intelligence & FBI & Krav Maga Instructor level)
Appears in: Anonymous onwards. Own book – Relentless
Name: Zach Tucker (US Army Ranger)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’7” tall, white blond hair, ice blue eyes, (AKA Gigantor) (age 36 in own book). Suffers with PTSD. Prone to opening mouth and inserting foot!
Romantically involved with: Sacha deMarco, 25, 5’5” tall, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, Italian heritage
Appears in: Impossible onwards. Own book – Relentless
Name: Brandon Campbell (US Army Ranger)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’4” tall, auburn hair, hazel eyes (age 40 in own book) (widowed father of Hayley) Newly widowed and devoted to his daughter, has close friendship and shares house with Sara and Marcus.
Romantically involved with: Bella Hammond, Age 38, 5’6”, dark brown hair and eyes, Spanish heritage. Widow with two kids.
Appears in: Impossible onwards. Own book – Deceived
Name: Jordan Kenny (US Army Ranger)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’6” tall, African American twin (think young cross between Denzel & Idris) (age 31 in own book)
Romantically involved with: Abbey Russell, age 26, 5’5”, father African American, mother British, stunning blue eyes, single mom to Baxter.
Appears in: Relentless onwards. Own book – Retribution
Name: Sam Kenny (US Army Ranger)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’4” tall, African American twin (think young cross between Denzel & Idris) (age 31 in own book)
Romantically involved with: Aisha Raman, age 28, 5’10”, Chicago born Pakistani/Irish supermodel.
Appears in: Relentless onwards. Own book – Shattered
Alex Morales – Son of Candy – age 23
Physical appearance/personality: 6’1” tall, Spanish heritage, black hair and dark brown eyes. Gentle soul, polite and respectful, with a hint of mischief. Adores his mother and Nana, and has joined the Marines to follow in Tuck’s footsteps.
Romantically involved with: Sophia Diminov, age 24 – doctor and daughter of billionaire Gregor Diminov. 5’7. Strawberry-blonde hair with stunning green eyes.
Appears from Impossible onwards. Own book – Allegiance
Name: Gregor Diminov – Russian Billionaire based in Philadelphia
Physical appearance/personality: 6’2” tall, Dark brown hair, blue eyes (age 44 in own book). Father of Sophia and Serge. Philanthropist and businessman (with a soft spot for rabbits!)
Romantically involved with: Tulli Mazur, 5’6”, auburn hair, grey eyes, age 28. Polish by birth, emigrated to US as a teenager with her parents, sisters, and brother.
Appears from Allegiance onwards. Own book – Breathless.
Name: Hollywood AKA Don Hillwood (US Marine Corps)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’6” tall, dark brown hair, hazel eyes. Age 38 in own book. Good looking ladies’ man.
Romantically involved with: Nikita (Niko) Federova, 5’10”, blonde, blue eyes, age 24. Russian, single mother to Roman, aged 3.
Appears from Deceived onwards. Own book – Angels.
Name: Kellen Davis (US Marine Corps)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’6” tall, dark brown hair, steel grey eyes. Age 32 in own book. Funny and caring.
Romantically involved with: Micky Koslova, 5’8”, long black hair and blue eyes, Russian military intelligence.
Appears from Deceived onwards. Own book – Saviours
Name: Kristian Bellikov (formerly Russian special forces (Spetsgruppa A – counter terrorism))
Physical appearance/personality: 6’4” tall, shaved head, blue eyes. Age 37 in own book. Qualified helicopter pilot – worked for Gregor Diminov before joining the Guardians.
Romantically involved with:
Appears from Allegiance on. Own book –
Name: Yuri Bellikov (formerly Russian special forces (Spetsgruppa A – counter terrorism))
Physical appearance/personality: 6’3” tall, shaved head, blue eyes. Age 39 in own book. More serious of the brothers. Worked for Gregor Diminov before joining the Guardians.
Romantically involved with:
Appears from Deceived on. Own book –
Name: Logan McDonald (formerly Delta company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’3” tall, dark copper hair, blue eyes. Age 33 in own book. Dour Scot, loyal to team-mates.
Romantically involved with:
Appears from Angels on. Own book –
Name: Evan Williams (formerly Charlie company)
Physical appearance/personality: 6’4” tall, dark brown wavy hair, brown eyes. Age 32 in own book. Welsh joker, takes very little seriously.
Romantically involved with:
Appears from Deceived on. Own book –
Other Characters of note from the Alpha Company Women Series –
Claire, JT’s secretary
Colonel Joseph Bailey, Alice’s father, formerly in charge of Alpha and Bravo teams
Joey (Joanna) and Andrew, Alice & JT’s children
Jonathan and Casey, Cara and Louise, Luke and Ellen’s twin boys and twin girls
Lilly, Rose and Adam, Danny and Hannah’s children
Charlie and Taylor, Matt and Suzie’s son and daughter
Cameron, CJ and Thomas’s son
Dylan, Candy
and Tuck’s son
Kelly, Tuck’s daughter from his first marriage
Rocco Tucker, Sacha and Zach’s son
Casey Roberts, Luke’s murdered twin brother
Hayley, Brandon’s daughter
Jenny Winston, Sara’s mother and Luke’s aunt
Douglas Winston, Sara’s father, the British Foreign Secretary
Connor O’Shea, Stalwart Senior Operator
Clive Davis, Stalwart Senior Operator
David Roan, British Police Officer, London Metropolitan Police Force
Cole Arthurs, FBI Bureau Chief, Philadelphia
Ashleigh, CJ’s Personal Assistant
Nina Llewellyn, Abbey’s friend who tries to help her escape
Corey and Catharina Hammond, Bella’s children.
Stuart Mullally, Ranch hand working for Bella Hammond
Lara and Mischa Mazur, Tulli’s sisters, kidnapped/held captive by Rafael Castille
Niels Larssen and Kazumi (Kaz) Ito, Interpol agents
Drago, Ilya Federov’s lieutenant
Roman Federov, Niko’s son
Abram Petrov, Drago’s friend from Russian Special Forces