Character Interview with Bet Lenard from Cruel Charade by @AlexanderLyndi

Interview with Bet Lenard

Hello and welcome!

Where are you from?

I grew up with my parents in Ohio, but I went to law school at the University of Miami, where I met my husband, Richard. Actually, he’s my ex-husband. My crappy, rude ex-husband.

Sorry, got off track there. I’m just annoyed…I mean, he took my house, my kids and my half of our legal business. So, he’s a jerk.

What is your main goal in life?

Well, up until this week, my goal was to have a life, you know. Just a life, where you can start off with great brewed coffee, get your work done for the day, enjoy the evening with people you care about. Even with whatever the hell is wrong with my body—my joints and muscles just ache all the time and no one knows what it is… But then this thing happened—I woke up in the Everglades next to a burnt car and a body. No idea how I got there. No idea who put me there—and I was burnt too, so I was in the damned car. What is that all about? So now I have to deal with the police, who implied I did it to myself, not that I ever trust them, as a criminal defense attorney. My goal? I’ve got to effing figure out who tried to kill me before they try again!

Name one piece of clothing you wouldn’t want to live without. 

My Versace shoes. No. My Redbubble cocktail dress, the one I wore to the 94^th Aerosquadron to spy on Richard. Or the oil-painted silk blouse I got for a steal on the RealReal. Wait…any of my great heels. Can’t wear any of them since the fire, cause my foot and leg got burnt.

What is your idea of a perfect date? 

*laughs softly* A quick morning stop at a little panaderia for stone bitter espresso and flaky guava pastries. With a cute doctor.

Do you prefer one lover or multiple lovers?

Hell, I’d take ANY lovers at this point. The last time I went looking for Mr, Goodbar, some South American roofied me…. Just barely got out of that one.

Who is your greatest enemy and why? 

I wish I knew. Could be Richard, the bastard, I mean, okay I know I was drinking a lot to deal with this pain, but he threw me out.  Maybe he wants to finish me off. I filed a restraining order against my best friend’s husband, and he’s livid he can’t see her any more. And then there’s the corruption case I helped one of my clients prove against a dirty cop. Cops don’t take kindly to that. *laughs* Have you ever been a family law attorney? You’ve got the person on the other side mad at you all the time and even your own client’s pissed off the other half.

Let’s take who isn’t my enemy. Maybe the list is shorter. *shrug*

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you? 

Look, I thought I had it all, until this disease, whatever it is, started tearing me up. Richard and I had a hugely successful law practice in Miami, we had two great kids, a house in a fruit grove in the Redlands, Sunday mornings with the Herald and coffee on the veranda… but in less than two years, he’s got all of it and I’m scouting for clients. And then this, this “incident.” At least the doctor I met in the ER has a hopeful lead on the disease—maybe I can find a cure and then try to win my family back. I’ll tell you, though, the best thing I did was get into therapy. Hyacinth taught me the Five Things, you know that ground you when stuff is out of control, five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, and so on. Without that, I’d really be lost.

Thank you for stopping by!

Book Title:  CRUEL CHARADE

Author:  Alana Lorens

Genre: Mystery, Action-Adventure, Thriller SubGenre(s): Suspense, Women’s Fiction

Blurb   Miami attorney Bet Lenard has had a rough year. She’s battling an unknown illness that drives her to drink to cope with her pain. Her lawyer husband has divorced her and taken the best part of their business, their home and their children.

On the night of May 16, 1996, Bet finds herself in the Everglades in the middle of the night, drugged, lost and next to a burned car with a dead body in it. Hoping she’s hit bottom, Bet must drag herself out of her living hell and discover who tried to kill her. Was it her ex-husband, not satisfied with stealing everything that mattered? An angry client, unhappy with the outcome of their case? Her best friend’s husband, livid that Bet’s restraining order kicked him out of her life forever? Police officers fuming that Bet helped a client convict a dirty cop who was their friend? She has no idea.

As she tries to sort out the motives behind her would-be killer, even more suspects come to light. The only thing keeping Bet sane is her relationship with her therapist, who encourages her to struggle and survive, despite everything that’s gone wrong. How will Bet discover the truth and bring her enemy to justice before they strike again and, this time, succeed?

Excerpt

Mela asked, “Did you tell the detectives what Rich said?”

“No. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Until he confesses. In full.”

She stayed ag the office only an hour, distracted by the creeping pain. Maybe Mela was right. I should recuperate at home. I’ve got more control over my work environment there. She gave Mela the satisfaction of knowing she’d been right, then took her laptop and a briefcase of mail and case files home with her.

At home, she marched swiftly to the door and let herself in, locking up behind her. A quick trip to change into a loose caftan necessitated washing her face and changing the bandages yet again. She stared at the angry red blisters with a mixture of disgust and rage. Who were those people and how dare they? How dare they?

Too uncomfortable and anxious to work, she debated calling Hyacinth, but settled for a thorough meditation with the Five Things. A Vicodin dialed back her pain, and a shot of Jameson’s topped it off. Instead of working, she curled up in her living room chair and watched a TV rerun of Heathers.

She’d always identified with Veronica. Part of the wrestling cheerleader squad, Bet had played the game just long enough to establish it on her high school resume, then she’d left the group. These days, I’d just rip the rug out from under those mean girls. She’d purposely chosen a small school, Muskingum College, and joined a sorority dedicated to serving others rather than being popular.

            Bad enough still having to play games as an adult. At least now, I have weapons of my own.

Her first weapon for the evening was a spritz of Joy, by Jean Patou, a perfume Rich had bought her years before. The combination of jasmine and rose was once a favorite of Jackie Kennedy; it certainly was Rich’s favorite, too.

Her second weapon was a short maize-and-navy dress with wide diagonal stripes, a real eyecatcher. If Rich thought he’d shove Bet under the rug—or perhaps the bus?—he had another think coming.

Her most valuable weapon would be the small recorder she slipped into her clutch before she left. If she had the chance to get information that could finally give her the upper hand over Rich, she intended to grab it.

            Maybe I’m a Heather after all…

Purchase Links: On preorder now—available July 10, 2024

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Author Bio

Alana Lorens (aka Barbara Mountjoy) has been a published writer for over 45 years, including seven years as a reporter/editor at the South Dade News Leader in Homestead, Florida, after working as a server, a pizza maker, and a floral designer. She writes non-fiction, romance, adventure, and suspense novels. She is the author of the Pittsburgh Lady Lawyers series, which draws on her years as a family law attorney in the state of Pennsylvania. One of the causes close to her heart came from those years as well–the fight against domestic violence. She volunteered for many years at women’s shelters and provided free legal services to women and children in need. Alana resides in North Carolina, and she loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She lives with her daughter, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.

Author Links

Website       http://Alana-lorens.com

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/

Goodreads   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens

Amazon Author Page  https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Book trailer:

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alana-lorens

Twitter:  @AlexanderLyndi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/

 

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