Rio de Janeiro
One of the perks of being a fiction writer is that you can visit places in your mind without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. The downside to that is you can only learn so much
though pictures and articles. Luckily, my husband travels a lot for business. I’m not able to go with him since I’m a teacher, but he does take pictures for me and he loves to tell me about his trips when he returns. In 2013, he was in Rio de Janeiro for two weeks. It just so happened to fall during the Easter holiday. On Easter Sunday, he took a trip to see Christ the Redeemer. He took some amazing pictures, which he says do not do it justice. The trip alone
was exhausting, since he had to climb many flights of stairs to get to the top.
While in Brazil he also stayed in Sao Paolo for a little over a week, riding to his job site with a native Brazilian. He was scared for his life every time he got into the car. Apparently, the infrastructure is lacking monitored highways and the speed limit is just however fast you can go that day.
The language spoken in Rio is Portuguese, which might sound a little like Spanish, but it’s definitely not the same. Most of the time, the hotel desk clerks do not speak English. Just trying to get in touch with him at the hotel was a fiasco for me. During his stay there, one of the things he noticed was how dramatically different the economy changed from one section of the cities to the next. The countryside was dotted with small wooden houses, the pristine beaches were lined with hotels and condos, but just minutes from the bustling tourist attractions were rows and rows of shanty towns, or favelas, that seemed stacked into the hillsides. The natives told him not to venture too far from the city because of the crime in those poverty- stricken areas.
Right after my husband returned from his trip, Pelican Book Group opened a new series called Passport to Romance. One of the cities listed was Rio. The ideas began to churn and Ransom in Rio was born. Lexi’s family business began in Rio with her grandfather before moving it to the United States. At her father’s wishes, she travels back to Rio where she discovers family secrets she never knew existed. In Ransom in Rio, I wanted to show the diversity of the Brazilian economy, and the familial ties of the people and their culture. I hope you enjoy the trip to Rio with Lexi and Brayden as much as I did.
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Blurb:
Private Investigator, Braden McCoy wants nothing more than to finish out the week doing a little fishing from his boat. The ex-special ops vet enjoys his peaceful life and loves his new career. He’s learned to put his past behind him and enjoy his blessings. Until a mourning redhead walks into his office and changes his plans.
Lexi Ramos always knew her family was dysfunctional. Until the sudden death of her brother, she never knew exactly how much. Consumed with questions surrounding his accident, she seeks the help of a private investigator. What starts out as a murder investigation in Cozumel, quickly crosses borders and escalates into a race against time to save them both from Brazilian kidnappers, who somehow know more about her family secrets than she does. Lexi soon realizes that life comes with a price.
Sounds like an interesting book! Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres. Thanks for the post
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's my my favorite too! Both to read and to write. :)
DeleteThank you for sharing about Rio de Janeiro. Ransom in Rio sounds like an intriguing and page turner book to read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marilyn! I had a lot of fun writing this book. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for coming by to visit. :)
DeleteWhat a great book! Thank you for sharing your interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melanie! SO glad you stopped by to comment. :)
DeleteWow, love the story of your husbands trip! I'd be totally afraid to wander because of crime, but I'd still want to see things. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping in to read and comment! About his wandering...it always concerns me and I worry about his safety. This time, he was working with some men from the area and they drove him around and took care of him. I felt a lot better knowing they were telling him where to go to stay safe. He had a great trip and brought back a lot of great pictures. :) Thanks again for coming by, Susan!
DeleteSo glad to have you on Stitches today! Looks like a great read. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me today, Angela! It was a lot of fun. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great and I look forward to reading it. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds suspenseful. Thanks for the review.
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