Fall Again: Lost Boy
By
Donna Figueroa
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.
Social
Media Links
https://twitter.com/fallagainseries
www.fallagainseries.com/
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.
What is your current project?
My current novel is Fall Again: Lost Boy, the second
novel in a four-part contemporary romantic series. The series is about Marc and
Lauren, two New York City actors who are perfect for each other, but meet at
the wrong time.
In the first novel, Beginnings, starts on Sunset
Boulevard where Marc and Lauren, in a chance meeting, see each other for the
first time in more than two decades. The story then flashes back to when the
couple first meet and struggle to remain “just friends.” Lost Boy chronicles Marc’s life during the years he’s
separated from Lauren.
While the Fall Again series is about second
chances, Lost Boy concentrates on Marc’s journey and growth as an
artist, and as a man.
How did you come up with the characters in your
books?
Many of
the characters in the Fall Again Series have been inspired by many people I’ve
encountered in my life. A few are good friends while some are people I haven’t
seen in years.
For
example, Gary Connelly (a good friend to both my main characters and appears in
all four books), is one of my best friends who is also a wonderful actor living
and working in Los Angeles. Gary was very easy for me to write because I simply
visualized my friend, and put him into “Gary’s” situations.
Another
character, Hannah Moore, came about when I realized Lauren, (my main female
character) needed a friend and confident. That day I had coffee with a friend-
a wonderful actor/comedienne/author. When I began writing that evening, Lauren
and Hannah had their first scene together in Bloomingdales.
One of
my favorite characters is David Diaz, (who distracts Lauren from Marc), is one
of my favorite characters. He’s a combination of three wonderful men I’ve known
in my life: two were good friends, and one happened to be documentary
filmmaker. I visualized actor Gilles
Marini (Dancing with the Stars, Brothers
& Sisters, Sex and the City) as I wrote to have an image in mind. I
wanted to create the perfect man. Of course, there’s no such thing. In fact as
the series continues, you’ll see that David is very human, and far from
perfect, which makes him even more attractive.
Some of
the characters were figments of my imagination and seemed to appear when I
needed them to appear. I was able to endow them with the qualities needed to
progress my story.
There was one character who was inspired by a name. I met a
man named “Andy Synch.” My interaction with him was very brief…but I loved his
name! I just happened that the point in my manuscript where Marc meets someone
who presents Marc with a new professional opportunity who I named, Andy Synch.
Do you
ever picture yourself and one of your heroines?
If so, which one?
Of course, especially in this project. I can easily see
myself as Lauren-in her professional life. Like me, Lauren is a working actor.
Several of Lauren’s experiences were inspired by my own experiences in the
industry. For example, at one point Marc watches Lauren on a network sitcom.
That scene was inspired by a role I did on a network sitcom with Robert
Guillaume.
Personally, I don’t see myself as Lauren. I’m happily
married. Lauren is constantly challenged
by her personal relationships.
What is the hardest part of writing your book?
Finding the time to write. I only began writing seriously in
2012. I’ve continued to work as an actor-which is a full-time job. When I’m not
actually working, I’m looking for work. Finding proper balance in my life has
been a challenge. What can I say? Life happens.
Do
you come up with the cover or does someone else do it?
While I come
up with the concept for my covers, I lack any sort of artistic or technical
savvy. Luckily, my husband Tony (Figueroa) possesses both and has taken my
ideas and turned them into beautiful covers for the Fall Again series.
My covers are
not typical romance covers. Instead of featuring people, they feature
locations.
For the first
book,
Beginnings, I wanted an iconic image of New York City and went with the
Empire State Building on a beautiful day. To me that represented excitement,
adventure, incredible optimism, and yes, romance. Marc and Lauren begin their
relationship in the idealized New York City of the 1980’s.
I’m very
pleased with the Lost Boy cover. It features a crumbling paved road leading into
an unspecified city under a moonlit sky. The character of Marc is “lost” on
many levels. The cover represents an unknown path, a very long journey, and
hope. At times Marc can be described as dark, and the cover reflects this. When
I first began to show this cover to people for feedback, I was surprised when
several people use the word, “sexy.” I think it’s beautiful!
The next
novel, California Girl, chronicles Lauren’s life during her separation
from Marc. Lauren is bright and optimistic. This will be reflected in the cover
which will feature an iconic Hollywood landmark. This book will be released in
2016.
Everyone uses computers, tablets,
phones and no one uses handwritten form or typewriters, what do you prefer to use?
While I love
the romantic idea and simplicity of writing by hand with beautiful writing
instruments and crisp paper, I know that this is impractical. I’m currently
writing on a sleek laptop which is fast and efficient.
Upgrading to
a laptop was a big step for me. I wrote the original manuscript for Fall
Again on a small netbook. I’m a complete technophobe, and this was a
piece of technology I felt comfortable using initially. A friend, who is I up to date on all sorts of
technology, told me that I should not have been able to do what I did on that
tiny little device. I didn’t know I couldn’t, so I did. Soon after, I saw that
I needed a better, faster device. I’m still learning.
What
do you do when you finish your book and turn it in to the editor?
Panic, hyperventilate,
and experience bouts of insomnia.
But if you’ve
chosen the right editor, you should trust them. While it’s difficult, you
should be able to relax and allow the editor to make your already good story
better.
For newer
writers, please, have your book professionally edited. It will make a
difference in the final product. And I don’t mean someone to catch spelling and
grammar mistakes-though this is also necessary. I mean a person who has the
unique editing skillset to release the manuscript hidden within your
manuscript.
Yes, I know
it’s difficult to hand your book that you’ve devoted so much time and energy to
someone else who is a stranger to the world you’ve created. Writing a book can
be an emotional experience. While a reader will read the book on one level, an
editor will be reading a manuscript on a much deeper level. When I first handed
my manuscript to my editor, I felt emotionally exposed. I soon got over this.
I also worried that my manuscript would lose my writer’s voice. When my editor
finished my manuscript, not only was my voice still there, but it was stronger
and clearer. My book is also a much better and more enjoyable read.
If you could change anything in your writing
what would that be?
I wish I
could resist the urge to overwrite, and trust that my readers will follow the
narrative without me going overboard on details and explanations. That’s why so
many of us need a professional editor.
What
book if any would you want to be made into a movie?
You mean other than my own, right?
No seriously, I’ve been thinking about books I’ve read
recently, and I love Maria McKenzie’s, The Governors Sons. It’s got
intrigue, mystery, and above all a romance. I also love period pieces, and this
novel takes place in two different time periods: the 1930’s and the 1960’s.
This is an excellent read that I could easily see as a feature film. Maria
writes beautiful pictures with her words.
If
you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
When I began
writing Fall Again, (which started as a single stand-alone novel), my goal was
to tell a story that people would enjoy. So, please, enjoy! And feel free to
drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you!
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