Her lies may be satin, but his revenge is pure steel.
Eight years ago, Faye Benedict discovered she was pregnant with Enrico Lavini’s baby. Knowing Enrico didn’t love her, she turned to his brother for a marriage of convenience. Now an accident has taken her husband and stolen her memory. Slowly, as her memory returns, she is forced to confront the past and the deception that helped tear a family apart.
As head of an Italian banking dynasty, Enrico considers it his duty and responsibility to protect his estranged brother’s widow and child. The feelings he once had for Faye are safely buried beneath the weight of the past. But as long-hidden secrets are exposed, his role as protector transmutes into that of avenger, and Faye is forced to suffer the consequences as he exacts his own particular brand of revenge—marriage.
Reviews for Satin Lies
"Emotions become real and tangible in the heart wrenching SATIN LIES … passionate, powerful, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon." 4 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies
Fair England is my home, where I’m happily married to my wonderful husband of…ahem…let’s just say several years. A lifelong writer, although for many years I channeled that interest into work related qualifications for the "day job" in adult education. Now I'm addicted to writing fiction, especially contemporary romance with strong heroes and equally strong heroines who give their men a run for their money. Travel is a passion and I can pack a suitcase quicker than a girl can sneeze. I love finding romantic places to act as the setting for a new book, or a little corner café where I can indulge in a spot of people watching and let my imagination fly.
An Interview with Tricia Jones
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Tricia, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured work, Satin Lies.
TJ: Thank you for having me here. Satin Lies is about how one woman's lies leads to one man's revenge. Here's the blurb:
Eight years ago, Faye discovered she was pregnant with Enrico Lavini’s baby. Knowing Enrico didn’t love her, she turned to his brother for a marriage of convenience. Now an accident has taken her husband and stolen her memory. Slowly, as her memory returns, she is forced to confront the past and the deception that helped tear a family apart.
As head of an Italian banking dynasty, Enrico considers it his duty and responsibility to protect his estranged brother’s widow and child. The feelings he once had for Faye are safely buried beneath the weight of the past. But as long-hidden secrets are exposed, his role as protector transmutes into that of avenger, and Faye is forced to suffer the consequences as he exacts his own particular brand of revenge—marriage.
HH: A woman who doesn't remember the past and a man who will face some surprises when he finds out what's there. Where did you come up with the idea for this fascinating story?
TJ: It was during a conversation with a work colleague who mentioned how the past always comes back to haunt us. I thought about the sort of experiences that would be the most difficult to confront and the circumstances that could bring them to light again. I kept coming back to the secret baby theme.
HH: How do you craft a story where the hero is after revenge against the heroine -- but without making him into a villian?
TJ: Underneath Enrico's need for revenge is the stronger need to protect those he loves. The alpha in him demands that he protect Faye, regardless of how badly she's wronged him.
HH: What did you like best about Faye and how do you identify with her?
TJ: I love her integrity. Even when she has the opportunity to liberate herself from the past and secure her future happiness, she keeps the promises made to her dead husband. She ties herself in knots trying to please everyone and keep them happy, something I'm sure most women can identify with.
HH: What you like best about Enrico?
TJ: He's passionate, volatile and deliciously arrogant. Yet underneath it all is a vulnerability that tugged at my heart. He often surprised me with his reaction to Faye's revelations and I had to go back to the drawing board on more than one occasion.
HH: What can you tell us about A Temporary Arrangement?
TJ: It's a marriage of convenience story. Finn is a hardnosed businessman, who thinks a marriage contract is in effect a business agreement. Thia is more family orientated and has her own ideas about what to expect from their marriage. It was fun watching them interact and eventually sort out their differences.
HH: How did you get your start as a writer, Tricia?
TJ: While I've always made up stories in my head, the day job in adult education took up most of my writing energy. When I had one of those milestone birthdays, I thought I'd better get serious if I ever wanted to achieve my dream of being published in romantic fiction. I finaled in a couple of contests and that really gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward, although by then I was so hooked on writing romance there was no way I was ever going to stop. A friend of mine had submitted to an epublisher and I took the plunge and did the same.
HH: How have things changed now that you're a publisher author?
TJ: I'm tougher on myself now in terms of output and plan to build a solid backlist. Every week I set goals and share them with my online writing friend. Knowing I have to report back to her each week helps keep me focused. Plus, there's promo which eats into writing time, so that needs to be factored into the day.
HH: What do you consider a good writing day?
TJ: That's an interesting question. My day job is pretty full on, so the time I get to write is very precious. I'm quite disciplined and what I plan to do usually gets done. Yet there are times when the words don't come or energy levels are low and the old brain cells won't work to capacity. Those days are frustrating, especially when valuable time gets spent surfing the net or indulging in other time-suck activities. So a good writing day is when I feel I haven't wasted it and have met my word count.
HH: What goals have you set for yourself at this point in your career?
TJ: I really enjoy writing contemporary romance and have several stories in various stages of production. Plus there's an idea brewing for a paranormal series which won't seem to let me go. I'd also like to try my hand at urban fantasy. Never seem to be short of goals, thank heavens.
