The Love Left Behind

Her only worry was the out-of-control mother-of-the-bride,
until the past slammed head first into the present.

          Marlee Thomas looks at life head-on. No looking back, no second chances on what could have been. Except to thank her great aunt one more time for giving her love, a home, a legacy, and the means to mold an event planning business she loves.

Brian Mason is on his own. Left behind is his family’s law firm legacy and a disastrous marriage born out of family loyalty. He’s starting fresh, away from the big city where his surname is infamous.

Coincidence finds Marlee and Brian face to face for the first time in twenty-seven years. She the event planner, he the divorced father of the bride.

Mixed signals, a secret baby, instant passion ignited years ago, and second chances divide the years. Can either forgive past mistakes to learn to love again?

 Wild Women Authors is pleased to welcome Delsora Lowe and Marlee Thomas as they celebrate the current release of The Love Left Behind, a Hartford Estate Novella. First up is event planner, Marlee.

      Hi, my name is Marlee Thomas. I used to go by Lee back in college, but now that I own a business, I’m back to Marlee. One person insists on still calling me Lee.

Where are you from?  I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, near the New York border. I went to college in Boston and ended up settling on the coast in Rhode Island.

Tell us a bit about The Love Left Behind. I never believed in second chances, but I got lucky. I have to tell you, I felt like luck was against me when I first ran into my one and only love years after we lost touch. And I’d given up on happily-ever-afters, even though I “sold” that concept for a living. I own an elite estate event venue, where we host many weddings. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I had given up on finding “the dream” many years ago. Who knew, love would find me a second time around. But getting to that illusive happily-ever-after took work and overcoming fears from the past. With the help of two loveable but interfering friends, we finally made it down the aisle.

What did you think the first time you saw Brian Mason? That he was an uncoordinated oaf. Okay, so us crashing into each other on our college campus was just as much my fault. We ended up laughing. He gallantly picked up my books, apologized profusely and we exchanged phone numbers. By the time I reached my dorm, he called for a date. The rest is—was—history. Until we lost track of each other for almost twenty-seven years.

What was your second thought? “Oh No – not him.” If I hadn’t been working a wedding, I would have fled the scene. Unfortunately, he was the father of the bride, and I couldn’t sneak away to hide.

Was it love at first sight?  The first time around was in college – and yeah, in about five minutes we fell hard for each other. The second time—nope! Okay, full confession, those same lapis-blue eyes drew me in. And he did fill out that tux in the best possible way. Still, I ran.

What do you like most about Brian? He is focused on a task and bullheaded, but underneath he is a man who loves to the depth of his soul, once he decides to trust you and take a chance.

How would you describe him?  Smart, astute, loyal, compassionate, and passionate. Plus, a great father.

How would Brian describe you? This time around, the plumper, older version of the girl he fell in love with. That, I’m sure was his first impression. Then he realized I was cold, focused on work, and had no heart. In the end, I’m pretty sure he’s changed that opinion, but he had to work hard to get me to open up…again.

What made you choose event planning as a career?  I fell into this as a career. Sure, I did my share of waitressing and customer service jobs as a teen, college student, and young mother. But when my aunt’s husband passed away and left her an estate that was slowly wasting away, with no money to save it, I developed a business plan to use the estate as an event venue. I presented it to my aunt, she took it to her lawyers, and the rest is history. We restored the beautiful building and grounds and opened for business. The rest is history.

What is your biggest fear?  That my secret will be revealed.

How do you relax? Relax? Ha! I work all the time. It’s best that way.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Right now? Thelma and Louise. Sometimes I think I should just take off for an unknown adventure and then drive off that cliff. Then I come to my senses. I would never leave my daughter. She’s my only family. Plus, I am nothing if not practical and reticent about tackling adventures out of my comfort zone. The estate is different. I practically grew up here and I had to save the old place. Now I will do anything (including starting a business) to make sure my legacy is saved.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? “Stand tall and know you are worth everything.” My aunt always said that to me. It’s carried me through a lot of struggles at a young age. And now, with my latest challenge of again getting to know my only love.

 Thanks, Marlee. We’ll let you get back to planning the next event while we’ll chat with Delsora.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer?  Recently I took a screenwriter workshop on ZOOM, so I’ve been watching a lot of Hallmark movies and dissecting them as to how the writers set up the scenes, and how they leave each scene with a question or a Segway that moves the story on. In books, the writer has a chance to describe setting and character and that adds to the scene. And they can embellish the dialogue into conversations. In a movie, it has to be crisp and concise dialogue. The camera crew do the rest of the description work. It is a good lesson in less is more to get the point across. Something I need to practice.

What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel?  Years ago, I went with a friend to visit her aunt who inherited a huge mansion on the water in Narragansett. It looked across the water to Newport, R.I. I always thought I would love to write a story about that area. The last few years, I have attended writing retreats near Newport. It is such a fascinating, old city, full of history. When I started this book, I knew I wanted it to be about a wedding venue and a surprise that happened at a wedding. I was about 1/3 of the way through the book when I realized I wasn’t sure where the book was set, except that I knew it was somewhere in New England. But it suddenly dawned on me from my descriptions so far, that it had to be set on an estate in the Newport area.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? This particular book is independently published.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile?  Right now, I have about fifteen holiday books on my TBR pile—too many to list here. My goal is to read all of them over the next month, so I can write a one or two sentence overview on each for my annual “Romancing the Genres” November blog (11/17/20.) Some are by favorite authors and others are new authors to me. I love finding new authors, especially during the holidays.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves?  I am currently editing a book about the holidays in a Vermont Inn. I hope it will be released before Christmas 2021.

Our guests brought an excerpt for us:

The broad-shouldered man dressed in a crisply tailored tux appeared in the entryway as his wife sailed toward the table, waving like a queen. He, too, screamed confidence, as he ambled through the room with shoulders back, chin high. But instead of leaving a wake behind him like his wife, his stride was slow, measured. He glanced around, waved to friends, or stopped to proffer his palm to another.

Marlee couldn’t take her eyes off him.

When he turned her way, his eyes bored into her. The vivid blue lapis like none she’d seen since— Oh. No.

She shook her head so hard she listed and almost lost her balance from atop her bordering on sensible two-inch heels. An arm reached out to cup her elbow.

“You all right?” Darcy asked.

She turned to stare at her manager. “Fine. Fine. I stepped wrong.”

“You weren’t moving. Are you dizzy? You should sit.”

“I’m fine.” Now steady, she pulled her elbow out of Darcy’s strong grip. “Really. As soon as the introductions of the wedding party are made and the bride and groom sit, I’ll check on the kitchen staff to make sure they’re ready to deliver the salads.”

“They’re ready. I just came from there. And…you already checked on them.” Darcy nudged her. “I’ve known you too long for you to fool me. What. Is. Wrong?”

The enunciation was the first clue she couldn’t fool her friend. The squint in Darcy’s eyes told her she had to fess up.

“The bride’s father.” Her insides roiled with the realization she would come face to face with him for the first time in almost twenty-seven years. He looked the same, except for the clothing. And the confident look. No, that was the same. He’d always been confident bordering on cocky. But he’d filled out in all the right places, if the tailored fit of his suit was any indication. No way could anyone pad a suit to mold a physique to look so real.

“Who is he?”

“What?”

“You need to stop gawking, Marlee. Tell me who he is.”

“Brian.”

“Bri— Oh.” Darcy’s eyes widened before she swung her gaze to the front table. “That Brian?”

Marlee turned toward Darcy. “That Brian.”

“How long since—”

“Junior year in college.”

To purchase The Love Left Behind, go to:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

 

Books2Read   books2read.com/u/mglVqK

To learn more about Delsora Lowe and the stories she creates, go to:

Amazon Page

https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Books2Read Page

https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe

BookBub Page

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518

Goodreads Page

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

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