Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Tami, and especially for turning the spotlight on villains. They always complain that they never get enough credit for setting a book’s action in motion, so on their behalf, many thanks. The inspiration for the antagonist in The Body Business came from a work experience I had, where the undertone of sexual favors for job promotions was incredibly strong. I added a homicidal element to the character, and a lot of humor, too.
Ever had a co-worker who drove you bonkers? Or made you contemplate homicide? Or itch for revenge? Almost anyone who’s ever held a job has encountered someone who made their life miserable. That’s Samantha Newman’s predicament in The Body Business, Book #1 in the romantic suspense series by Gay Yellen, a 2015 RONE Award Nominee.
Samantha’s nemesis is E.B., a ruthlessly ambitious vixen who one book reviewer named “The Cruella DeVille of 2014.” Here’s the first time we meet her in The Body Business. Samantha & Derek have just ended their relationship. As they wait for the elevator at work, E.B. saunters up:
Freshly enhanced from another plastic surgery, salon-coiffed and expensively tailored, E.B. bore little resemblance to her former self: Miss Eula Beth Bewley, the dry stick of a bumpkin who’d started work at the company the same day as Samantha. For years, she’d clawed her way through hapless co-workers to the top echelon of executives. She’d also killed off all remnants of the old Eula Beth, except for the stiletto heels and the long fingernails, now lacquered blood-red and featuring a diamond imbedded in the right index talon.
“Good morning you two,” E.B. giggled. To Samantha, it sounded more like a viper’s rattle.
E.B. slipped her arm through Derek’s and whispered loud enough for Samantha to hear. “My goodness, Derek, what did you do to Ms. Newman this morning? She looks positively ravished!”
Derek knew better than to flirt with E.B. in front of Samantha. He winked at her and stared ahead.
Samantha concentrated on the numbers over the elevator as they lit up, trying to speed them telepathically. At last they opened. Samantha pushed the 4th floor button. Derek hit three.
“I’m coming with you, Derek,” E.B. cooed. She squeezed his arm and glared at Samantha. Her office was down the hall from Samantha’s on the executive 4th floor, but she seldom missed a chance to flirt with Derek, or most any man, for that matter. Too weary to rise to the challenge, Samantha shrank into a back corner.
E.B. was on a roll. “Samantha dear, it’s obvious from your sad little face that this gorgeous man is too much for you. You should have sent him to me sooner. Handling discipline cases is part of my job, you know.” She grinned up at Derek.
“Get off, E.B.,” Samantha said, icicles dripping from each word.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You can get off now. This is three.”
“Oh, so it is!” E.B. giggled again.
Snake. Samantha bit her tongue before she said something she’d be sorry for.
“Come, Derek. Come play with me,” E.B. said. “Your old girlfriend’s no fun anymore.”
Derek offered an apologetic glance over his shoulder as he followed E.B. out. The doors closed, and Samantha took a long breath. By the time she reached the 4th floor, she was ready to chew tacks.
More about The Body Business:
Great job. Fantastic boyfriend. Samantha Newman thinks she has it all. But when her best friend vanishes, doubt creeps in. Is there some ugly reality behind her firm’s success? When she asks the FBI for help, they send a man with secrets of his own. How can she find her friend without getting caught in the web of deceit?
Carter Chapman’s on a mission. But it wasn’t supposed to include a beautiful corporate executive with her own set of problems, until a terrible event puts them on the same path to discovery, and they each have to decide if some secrets are worth the price.
Buy The Body Business today! http://amazon.com/author/gayyellen
About Gay Yellen: I began my working life as an actress in theatre, film, and television commercials, then moved behind the camera to be the Assistant to the Director of Production at The American Film Institute. I’m a former magazine editor and national journalism award winner, and was the contributing book editor for Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte Press), an international thriller. I’m happy to say that Book #2 of the Samantha Newman Series is almost finished!
Connect with Gay Yellen:
Facebook Gay Yellen, Author
Twitter @GayYellen
Thanks for hosting me today Tami. It’s been a lot of fun!
Wow. Great description. Thanks for the post Tami and Gay
OMG. What a fabulous villain and I adore creating villains. I’m hitting my buy button now if I haven’t already! I’ll check my Kindle to be sure. I am going to love this!! Great job and fun interview.