6 Questions From the Porch Swing for Rosemarie Mercer

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Today, Marita's mother, Rosemarie Mercer, joins me on the porch swing. As we begin, she's very unhappy with me, as a series of maternal responsibilities of my own delayed the writing of this post, and I had to reschedule her to this afternoon. So, with apologies, I'll begin.

Where will we find you when you’re not on the page of the book we’re reading?

Rosemarie: Well, today you will find me re-arranging my schedule in an effort to accommodate this blog post. Usually, I'll be busy with my volunteer work, at church, or perhaps even at home with my husband, Judge William Mercer, who is retired, but still plays a vital role in the community. 

What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you?

Rosemarie: I suspect there is quite a bit you'd be surprised to know about me. Unlike my daughter, I believe in discretion and prefer that my private life remain private.

What are your thoughts on children?

Rosemarie: Today's children are spoiled. Parents simply do not discipline them. When I was raising my granddaughter, she had limits. Charlotte understood, even from a young age, that there are consequences that accompany bad behavior.

What regrets do you have?

Rosemarie: I regret that my daughter chose to rebel and reject everything her father and I stand for. 

Whom do you admire? 

Rosemarie: My husband, of course, and the ministers at our church. They do God's work.

It seems that Jim's outlook on life is more similar to yours than Marita's is. Did you ever wonder if perhaps he should have gotten full custody of Charli? 
Rosemarie: Of course not! A child belongs with her mother. If Jim had wanted to be a parent, he should have accepted his paternal responsibilities from the very beginning. His late arrival has less to do with what's best for Charli and more to do with what's best for Jim.

6 Questions from the Porch Swing for Jim Alessio

I love Matt Czuchry, so I have mixed feelings
about "casting" him as Jim, but except
for the eye color, he's got the look.
Photo: http://mattczuchryofficial.com/gallery/

Poor Jim. Readers consistently tell me how much they dislike him, and nearly everyone (including characters in the books!) wonders how a nice girl like Angel ended up with a guy like him.

Jim's not all bad, though, and while Marita may have good reason to resent him, Angel clearly loves him and Charli seems to be developing a meaningful relationship with him.

Since Jim never gets to share his thoughts in Casting the First Stone or Chasing a Second Chance, I thought he'd be a great choice for this week's porch swing interview.

Where will we find you when you’re not on the page of the book we’re reading?

JA: At work.

What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you?

JA: That I see the best of Marita in Charli. God knows she looks just like her, which is a bitter pill for me to swallow, but the stubbornness and intelligence and certainty that are so annoying in Marita seem somehow tempered in Charli. It's a tough world, and I'm glad she's no shrinking violet.

What are your thoughts on children?

JA: Obviously, those thoughts have changed in the past thirteen years. Now that I'm in a loving, committed marriage, I'm anxious to build a family with Angel.

What regrets do you have?

JA: That I let my parents convince me that my future was more important than acknowledging Charli. It's clearly evident that Marita and I would not have ended up together, as they predicted, but now that I'm a father, I realize the depth of my betrayal to my daughter. Marita and I will never see eye to eye, and I don't think I owe her anything, but I owe Charli a great deal. 

Whom do you admire? My mother. Right or wrong, she is steadfast in her opinion and her determination. She never wavers.

Do you think Marita's a good mother? So far. But little kids are easy. Teenagers are more challenging. Given the way Marita managed her own teen years, I stand by my concern that Charli needs a stabilizing influence as she navigates that same time frame, and I think Angel and I can provide that.

Can We Tawk?

Lisa thinks maybe I look like a blonder
version of Marisa Tomei
in My Cousin Vinny...

...or maybe Elizabeth Hendrickson,
who played Chloe on
the Young and the Restless.

Hey everybody! Gina here -- y'know, Angel's friend from the auto body shop? You may not remember me since my bit part in Casting the First Stone got downgraded to a walk on in Chasing a Second Chance.

But I'm not bitter. I get it. I mean, I'm a friend from Angel's single days, and there's no love lost between me and Jimbo -- who's definitely not good enough for her, by the way --and since I'm single and savorin' it and I don't have kids or go to church, I don't fit in. But Angel, bless her heart, is as loyal as they come, so she'd never be one to kick me to the curb.

ANYway....Lisa is considering writing a third book and we characters are jockeying for position. I know if I turned up on Angel's doorstep, she'd give me a big hug and invite me in for a cuppa cawfee. And I love that girl, I really do, but I can't stand her husband.

So. Should I turn up on her doorstep? Lisa has some ideas about what will happen next if I do. Or, am I like some kinda relic from her past that auto (get it?) just stay in the past since Prince Not-so Charming doesn't like me anyway?

Lemme know what you think by leaving a comment.

And come back next week so we can dish about the rest of the cast.

When Angel Met Jim

In the process of editing a book, things get cut. Most of the time, the cuts make the writing tighter and the story stronger.

One of the things that frequently gets cut is backstory. And, although this is usually a good thing, sometimes it's hard for a writer to let go of the backstory she worked so hard to create.

Many readers of Casting the First Stone have voiced their dislike of Angel's husband, Jim, some have even asked how a sweet girl like Angel ended up with someone like Jim.

As I prepare to release Chasing a Second Chance, I can't tell you that you'll like him any better (you probably won't), but I'd like to share a deleted scene: the night Jim and Angel met.

Angel Spencer had met Jim Alessio at a church social -- the only one she'd ever been able to drag her friend Gina to. Gina had told her over and over again to go up to him, start a conversation, ask him to dance, but even from a distance, Jim had a charm and self-confidence that unnerved Angel. He knew he was handsome -- that was obvious from the way he carried himself -- but that didn’t keep the ladies away. At least not the ones with self-confidence.

Church event or not, Gina quickly went on the prowl, but Angel busied herself filling the refreshment table, keeping cups stocked, making sure the wastebaskets were strategically placed so that clean-up at the end of the evening would be easier. She had just returned from the kitchen with a tray of cookies and was placing it on the table when a male voice made her jump.

dolceandbiscotti.com

“Did you make those?” he asked.

“No,” Angel said, fussing with the napkins before looking up at Jim, who stood nearly a foot taller than she. “They were donated by Carlini’s Bakery.”

“Are they any good?”


“I don’t know,” Angel said. “Would you like to try one?”

Even at that moment, Angel knew their conversation was hardly the stuff of romance novels, but she didn’t care. There were plenty of women swarming around him -- most more polished and sophisticated than she was -- and yet this handsome, charming man had started a conversation with her. It was all she could do to string logical sentences together, so a conversation about cookies was a relief.  

“Are you serving the refreshments, too, or would you like to dance?”

“No. I mean, yes, I’d love to dance,” Angel said.

Jim took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. “I’m Jim, by the way.”

“Angel. Are you active with the men's group? I mean, is that why you’re here?”

“Part of the reason,” Jim said. “How about you? What brings you here this evening?”

Angel smiled. “I volunteered to help with refreshments,” she said. “Actually, you gentlemen secured all the food. All we ladies had to do was set it out.”

“Well, you’ve done a lovely job.”

“Thank you.”

They danced in silence to the out of tune jazz band's rendition of “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and Angel tried not to be nervous about her sudden inability to make witty -- or even intelligent -- conversation. Jim didn’t seem to mind. He drew her closer as the song went on, but when it was over, he thanked her for the dance and put himself back in circulation.

“So?” Gina said, coming up to Angel seconds after the next song started.

Angel shrugged. “I don’t know. We had a nice conversation, and the dance was nice –-”

Gina rolled her eyes. “What a ringing endorsement. Should I even tell you what I found out?”

Angel sighed. “Do I want to know?”

“Of course you do. His name is Jim Alessio. He runs a restaurant supply company, which isn’t surprising, since his parents own Alessio’s Pizza on North Main.”

“How did you -- ”

Gina raised one shoulder in a half-shrug and smirked. “Look, I’m usually the one doing the drooling –-”

“I was not drooling!”

"Um, yeah, you were. I’m a cynic, but you’re so completely trusting I wanted to make sure you weren’t getting in over your head. Seems like the coast is clear, though. Nobody I talked to knew anything about any divorces or pending annulments. Seems your Jim is free and clear –- no ties whatsoever.” 

Stay tuned for news on Chasing a Second Chance, due out later this month.