"Barbie
and the Beast" Dorchester
Publishing / Amazon Montlake Publishing ISBN:
978-0-505-52813-1
Wanna know more about Barbie B
To what lengths might a
twenty-something, single female go when confronted with raging
hormones, family pressure, and a desire for a big diamond
ring?
For Barbie Bradley, the
answer might lie somewhere in the dark, creepy pathways of
an old graveyard. Where she can finally rustle up something
the airhead "doll" never had . . .
Dear visitors: I've
been asked what the inspiration for the book was, and why
I chose the very recognizable name of Barbie for my heroine.
Easy!
I
loved the doll. I still have her. And as time went by, I became
saddened by the fact that Barbie never got Ken. Not really.
It was always, if you recall, "Dream Wedding Barbie,"
and "Bridesmaid Barbie," but never "Wife Barbie."
After all this time and dating, Ken was pretty boring and non-committal.
So I thought to myself, what if some
poor, feisty young gal, not at all like the doll but named
after her by a Boomer parent (and used to the jokes such a
name would continually provide), was to take this fact to
heart and wonder if she'd also be left to meander through
time in single status? Bummer, right?
And then, after discussing this idea
with a pal, he sent me some statistics on Barbie from a Barbie
fanzine site that became an inspiration for my hero's plight,
and ended up like this:
Though Barbie, as the doll we
have all known and loved, has had in her short time on planet
earth twenty-one dogs for pets, as well as three ponies, a
horse, six cats, a parrot, a chimp, a panda, a lion cub, a
giraffe, and a zebra - Barbie, in whatever incarnations Mattel
has made her, has never had a . . . Werewolf.
"Werewolf" interchangeable with . . . "husband"?
Voila! My muse sang out loud and clear. My
Barbie needed a real challenge, and this was it. Somebody not in the
least boring. Someone with problems all his own, but who rose above
them like a champ. Up popped Darin Russell, part-time fur ball.
A beautiful man, flawed, but with real potential . . .
For an adventurous woman, flawed, with real potential . . .
It was a wild romp for me after that, as
a writer - following Barbie and her pal Angie toward the singles
party that turns out to be in a graveyard locale, where their personalities
shine, even if the sun doesn't, and they can safely whine, as only
best pals can.
Describing
their antics in this very light contemporary paranormal was so much
fun that I wanted to work on it every day. And then, when the book
was finished, I had withdrawals, and decided to make Barbie and
the Beast the first book in a series of light, frivolous paranormal
stories where each gal or guy gets their beastie in the end. Beasties
ranging from A to Z with alliteration in the titles.
I'm already half finished writing the second one, about Veronica,
and then want to get to Angie, Barbie's best pal for the third.
(Can't wait to tell you what Walter is).
Oh - yes
- please do sign my guest book.
Let me know you've stopped by.
Cheers!