Fall Again: Lost Boy

Fall Again: Lost Boy

By

Donna Figueroa

Blurb:

What if you met the right person-at the wrong time?

In Fall Again: Beginnings, the first instalment of the Fall Again series, actors Marc and Lauren meet in New York City in the late 1980’s. While there’s an obvious attraction, circumstances dictate that their relationship remain within the realm of a platonic friendship. Over time they struggle to maintain the façade of friendship to their closest friends and to each other. Until one night…

The Fall Again Romance series continues.

Fall Again: Lost Boy

Marc: The Interim Years

1989-2010

When Marc Guiro learns Lauren Phillips is gone, his life shatters.

LOST BOY, the second novel in the FALL AGAIN series begins as Marc frantically returns to New York, only to find that the woman he loves has left New York permanently. Marc is devastated, but struggles to put his life back together, often making choices that drastically alter the course of his life.

 With support and encouragement from old and new friends, Marc unknowingly begins a personal odyssey to find himself- an arduous journey that brings Marc personal and professional fulfilment, and eventually leads him back to the woman whose memory refuses to leave him.

Excerpt

Two minutes later, when Mel opened the door to the apartment, Marc barged inside. “Where’s Lauren?” This was a frantic demand as opposed to a question.

If Marc had looked at Mel, he would have seen she was deeply troubled, but he hardly noticed her.  The only thing that mattered was seeing Lauren.

 Marc was moving toward Lauren’s closed bedroom door before Mel stopped him by firmly grabbing his arm.

“Marc, stop-I need to talk to you!”

Marc tried to shake her off. “And I need to talk to Lauren!”

But Mel only tightened her grip and angrily raised her voice. “No, I said stop!”

 Mel had never intended to sound so cruel, but at least Marc stopped and looked at her, stunned, as the manic energy that had come over him dissipated.

Mel slowly released the grip on Marc’s arm while making every effort to calm herself down. “Look, I don’t have a lot of patience right now. I’ve had a rough day!”

Marc resented her comment. The only thing preventing him from exploding was fatigue. “That’s funny, Mel, because I’ve had a rough day too! Actually I consider today a continuation of yesterday, since I didn’t sleep last night knowing that this morning I would be breaking things off with Miriam. That task was successfully accomplished before nine this morning. Needless to say she wasn’t too happy about the breakup, and neither were her parents-or my parents! I made my mother cry and my father called me a disgrace to the family.”

Mel remained still as Marc recounted the events of his day. Her day had been smooth and easy in comparison. “Marc…I’m so sorry.”

He took a deep breath and continued to recount what had to be the longest day of his life. “Since I’d already caused enough pain in Montreal, I decided to head back to New York. Three major airports, a four-hour layover in Boston and one trip through U.S. Immigration later, I’m here.”

Mel could see that Marc was under a lot of stress. She took his coat before giving him what she felt was a much needed hug. Her voice took on a soothing quality. “I just wasn’t expecting you back until tomorrow.”

 Marc was hardly in the mood for small talk. “That was the plan but I’m back now-and I need to see Lauren.” He broke free of Mel’s embrace and quickly moved to Lauren’s closed bedroom door. He called to her while opening the door. “Lauren?”

 Marc stood frozen in the doorway of Lauren’s room, confused. All of her belongings were gone. He turned back to Mel as his voice caught in his throat. “Where’s Lauren?”

Mel could see that Marc was worn down, vulnerable and exhausted as she dreaded what was coming next. “Marc…she’s gone!”

For the first time since he arrived, he heard the sadness in Mel’s voice, a sadness that now filled his own. “God, Mel! Where is she?”

As she spoke, Mel saw tears fill Marc’s eyes. “I don’t know!”

 With that Marc brushed past Mel as he headed to the front door. But instead of opening the door, he struck it hard with his fist, and then struck it even harder a second time.

Mel was frightened by Marc’s unexpected and violent display of emotion. “Marc stop. Please calm down. You’re scaring me!” 

Her emotional outburst stopped him. When he turned to face her, he was barely audible. “Mel, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.”

Mel watched Marc shakily sink down against her front door before she heard uncontrolled sobs. At first, all she could do was stand and watch helplessly before her instincts kicked in. She sat on the floor next to him while doing her best to console him.

 All this time she had only been worried about Marc hurting Lauren, never imagining that Lauren would hurt Marc. But as Marc put his head into her lap, she sadly realized that Marc and Lauren had hurt each other.

 Author Bio:

About Donna Figueroa

Donna Figueroa is an actor and writer living and working in Los Angeles, CA.  She has worked on stage and on the big and small screens. Her credits include appearances on several daytime dramas, voiceovers for animation, commercials and industrial projects, audiobooks and several television commercials.

She is a producer and storyteller at The Story Salon, Los Angeles’s longest running storytelling venue where she has written, performed and developed three one person shows.

Donna considers herself an athletic shopper always in search of the ultimate bargain.

She lives in Hollywood with her husband writer/comedian Tony Figueroa, and their three neurotic cats.

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 1.       How did you start writing romance?

I’ve always possessed an overactive imagination-I can’t tell you how many times my parents were called by teachers to report that I was guilty of the crime of extreme daydreaming.  More than once I was disciplined for the act. Why stay in class when I could (mentally) take a trip to somewhere amazing. Frankly, I never thought daydreaming it as a bad thing, and luckily, neither did one of my favorite English teachers, Mrs. Koch. She encouraged me to take the stories and thoughts that were in my head and put them on the page.  She also suggested that I keep a journal.  That’s how I began writing.

As for writing romance, I’ve always loved the genre. I’ve been described as sensitive and compassionate. And then I’m fascinated with the complexities of human relationships. So for me, writing romance is a natural choice.

2.       Plotter or pantster?

Pantster! I love spilling my thoughts and ideas onto a page and seeing what happens. Yes, I always have an idea of where my characters and storylines are heading, but it’s always interesting…and fun to let the imagination take over. In my current series, Fall Again, new characters appeared when I needed them, something that may not have happened if I’d taken a more traditional approach to writing. Unfortunately, for me, being a pantster means that I often overwrite. Luckily I have an excellent editor who always helps me get to the essence of my narratives.

3.       What are three things you have on your writing desk?

*A Snoopy candle that I’ve had since I was a kid.   

*a photograph of my husband and me in San Francisco. 

* many notebooks          

                                                                                   

4.       Favorite food?

Flakey buttery pastries. But believe me, they’re a rare treat!

5.       Tell us a little about your new release. What character in the book really spoke to you?

Fall Again: Lost Boy is the second book in a four part contemporary romantic series. Its set against the backdrop of working actors. (I’m a working actor and you write what you know!) This is the story of Marc and Lauren; two people who are perfect for each other, they just meet at the wrong time in their lives. In the first installment, Beginnings, Marc & Lauren meet after more than two decades.  

Lost Boy chronicles Marc’s life during the years that he and Lauren were separated.  As a female writer, I wanted to be true to Marc’s character and give him a realistic development arc. While Marc has many positive attributes, he also has his limitations and inadequacies-in other words, he’s human. I found myself feeling very protective of Marc, even when I was putting him in challenging and sometimes painful situations.  Marc maintains his integrity. He’s a good person who has a darker side which only makes him intriguing. His strength is appropriately human, and, appropriately, not super-human.

6.       I write because ____...

I write because I love to write.

7.       What is your favorite type of character to write about?

I love writing and developing characters that are very human; which means they are a complicated combination of emotions, desires and needs.

With this said, I also love to create characters that are inspired by people who I’ve encountered in my life. I’ve created characters who have been based on good friends, as well as strangers that I found interesting. I feel that these fictional characters have a good foundation. And as a writer, I’m able to visualize easier when I’m creating a character based on a real person.

8.       What is the sexiest scene you ever wrote?

I really don’t want to give anything away, but this scene will be found in the Fall Again series.  I will quote a line from Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie. “Time is the longest distance between two places.”

9.       What advice would you give new authors in the erotica/romance field?

Write from the heart.

Write with honesty, kindness, sympathy and strength.

ALWAYS be true to our characters…or they’ll come back to haunt you!

10.   What is next on your writerly horizon?

I’m in the early editing stages of the next novel in the Fall Again series, California Girl which will launch in 2016. This novel will chronicle Lauren’s life during the time that Lauren and Marc are separated. Afterwards I’ll be concentrating on launching the final novel in the Fall Again series.

I’d love to spin two characters from Fall Again into their own series, but that’s way down the road. I’ll probably take a break from Fall Again and publish a stand-alone novel, A Private Family Matter, which is the story of a family funeral and the insanity that often surrounds these occasions. This is a dark comedy.