Please give a warm welcome to Madeline Fisher from Thief
in the Light by Jaime Samms
today as we sit down and see what makes her tick.
LRC: Hi Madeline.
It’s so nice to have you with us. Let’s get to know you a bit. What’s your
favorite thing to do when you’re not saving the world, or your clients, or your
brother, Kreed?
Madeline: I don’t save people, Dear. I teach them to save themselves. As a
bankruptcy lawyer, that is what I strive for. I want my clients to walk away
smarter and more in control of their lives than they were when they came to me.
But when I’m not doing that,
shopping is an excellent alternative. I have a strict schedule of work/reward.
I know exactly how much I have to earn to indulge in the expensive perks I
like, and I don’t indulge until I’ve done the work. It’s a highly effective
system. Everyone should adopt it. But then, if they did, I suppose I would be
out of a job, wouldn’t I?
LRC: Of course! We
should talk a bit about the men in your life. What is it about Kreed that makes
you crazy in a good way?
Oh dear me. What doesn’t
make me crazy? Honestly. The man is a walking disaster. I’m so glad Lucky has
come along to keep an eye on him. Goodness knows, he needs someone to get him
to take a break once in a blue moon, and look after himself as hard as he seems
to think he has to look after everyone else.
LRC: Fair enough.
He does seem to be a caretaker, doesn’t he? Now, on to important stuff. Do you sometimes want to strangle your writer? Thrash her
to within an inch of her life? Make her do the stupid crap she makes you do?
Madeline: Honestly, I think I had it pretty good in this book, compared to
some. Although I will go on record, here and now, to say I never believed for
one second I had brought that handbag into the B and B and forgotten it there.
I knew that story was fishy as soon as if came out of Kreed’s mouth. I should
have trusted my instincts on that one.
LRC: About that.
Aren’t you glad Kreed stood up for Lucky, though? Aren’t you glad they found
each other?
Madeline: Well of course I am. And, again, for the record, that never
would have happened if I hadn’t picked Lucky up on the side of the road and
brought him to Kreed’s place.
Now that they are together, though,
I’m very happy for them both. They really are perfect for each other, aren’t
they?
LRC: We think so.
Now, more about you.
Madeline: Perfect. *beaming*
LRC: Favorite food?
Oh, I don’t eat. At my age? How would I keep this figure if I
did? But. If I had to pick one thing, I would say…Kreed’s chilli and fresh
baked bread. Do NOT tell him I told you that. We don’t need it going to his
head.
LRC: Of course not.
He probably won’t even read this interview at all. *Rolls eyes*
Tell me a little
bit about your world. What are your greatest challenges in that world?
Madeline: I think that goes without saying, don’t you?
LRC: Kreed.
Madeline: Got it in one. Quite the journalistic instinct you have there.
LRC: Thank you. I
think. Describe yourself in four words.
Madeline: Intelligent, Stylish,
perceptive, Perhaps… a bit… Kreed might say precious. *waves a hand* But he’s
an ex-football player, so. Take that for what it’s worth.
What do you do for
a living?
Madeline: As I said earlier, I am a bankruptcy lawyer, but recently, I’ve
been studying to change careers. I’m very interested in working in the not-for-profit
sector. Specifically, I’d like to help Lucky and his friends run the shelter
they’ll be opening up soon. They will need a lot of legal advice, and I think
I’m perfectly suited to help run the business side of things for them. They need
someone organized and on-the-ball.
LRC: That’s
fantastic. We wish you all the best in your new endeavor, of course, and hope
Lucky and the others are able to help a lot of kids with their venture.
Madeline: Oh, they will, I’m quite sure. You may not know this about
Lucky, but he is a very fine young man. He has incredible instincts when it
comes to knowing how to reach these young people. He doesn’t believe it
himself, but I think in time, he will come to see how much he has to offer.
Kreed really hit the jackpot with that one.
LRC: You really
like him. Despite having called him a vagabond when you first met him, you
truly like him, don’t you?
Madeline: What’s not to like? He is a remarkable person. My father would
have loved him.
LRC: A ringing
endorsement from you, I think.
Madeline: *pauses* Well. I suppose it is. Yes.
LRC: One final
question for you. What do you fear the most?
Madeline: Well. You certainly like to end on a striking note, don’t you?
LRC: We will admit
to being curious if you mention Mildred here.
Madeline: Oh for goodness sake! Don’t be daft. Mildred is hardly
frightening. That house is the best thing that ever happened to Kreed. Well.
Apart from Lucky, of course. No. I don’t fear Mildred in the least. Spiders,
maybe. But not Mildred.
LRC: Is that why
you refuse to stay in the B and B? In case there are spiders?
Madeline: No. I love Kreed. But we learned early on we can only take so much
of each other at a time. It’s best not to take any chances on that score, so I
keep my visits to short bursts. Coffee stops. The occasional brunch with my ladies’
group. Nothing over-long. No point risking his good will.
LRC: So your fear
is losing Kreed’s good will?
Madeline: … Well. *huffs* You are a perceptive one, aren’t you?
LRC: Journalistic
instinct, I guess. Thank you so much for visiting with us, Madeline. It has
been an absolute pleasure.
Book Blurb: Lucky Denver has
wandering feet, sticky fingers and an unreliable moral compass—he’s never had a
home and he’s not so sure he cares about what he’s missing.
Arnold Kreed who runs a small-town B&B knows what a home
should be. So does his home, The Oaks—aka Mildred—and she has some very
definite opinions on who should stay and who should go.
Mildred wants Lucky to stay—and while Kreed is surprised, he can’t
really blame the old girl. He’s getting sort of attached himself. Lucky might
be fine with the house’s eccentricities, but he’s not so sure Kreed will be
fine with the man attached to Lucky’s real name. When Kreed falls ill, Lucky
needs to make a decision—wander away like he’s always done or stay and be his
better self. Kreed’s hoping he’ll stay—and so is The Oaks, and Mildred has a
way of getting what she wants.
Excerpt:
“Hey.” Madeline
poked Kreed’s ribs. “I don’t have all day.”
“Yes, Ms.
Madeline.”
“Ugh. Do not. I
hate that.”
He grinned at her.
“As your only living almost-relative, it’s my job to keep you humble.”
A perfectly timed,
though embarrassingly light shoulder check knocked him into the doorframe.
“Way to knock over
the sick guy,” he mumbled.
She laughed.
And so did he, because
it had been ages since he felt this close to her.
“You know….”
“What?” He opened
the office door, ushering her in.
“If I could have
built a brother—you know, like Build-A-Bear—”
“Because stuffed
siblings aren’t creepy at all.”
“Shut up. If I
could have. He’d be a lot like you. I know Daddy always had hopes for us, but
the truth was, I needed a brother, not a boyfriend. Especially when he got
sick.”
“I know. Me too.
It wasn’t the same for me. He was my coach, not my father. But he was still the
closest thing to a father I ever had.”
“He adored having
you around. I mean, I was a daddy’s girl. Obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“But you got him
in ways I didn’t know he needed until a long time after he died.”
They each took a
chair on opposite sides of the desk and he searched his pajama pockets for the
keys. “I think we have to stop talking. We’re dangerously close to admitting we
like each other.”
“Oh definitely.”
“But also,” Kreed
shook out the appropriate key as he met her gaze. “Everything you’re doing for
Lucky….”
“You don’t have to
thank me. He already has a million times. I’m doing it for him, not you.” She
rolled her eyes. “And fine, I’m not sad it also helps you. He’s gone out of his
way to help pretty much my favourite person. Okay, apart from stealing my
purse, but if I’m honest, I was pretty awful to him. That was old Lucky.
Post-Kreed Lucky is not that guy.”
“I have nothing to
do with it.”
“You see people.
Make it okay for everyone to be exactly who they are. No judgement. It’s your
superpower.” She straightened, patting down the front of her smart suit jacket.
“Even worked on me, as it happens.”
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