Ding Ding . . . Chapter One

I don't know why, but I love the idea of a woman owning boxing gloves--red ones. The readers of my comic mystery series are SO not surprised by this, of course. Because my heroine in those books, nurse Darcy Cavanaugh, was known to lace up a pair of boxing gloves now and then. Not that she wasn't equally drawn to sparkly shoes and dainty handbags . . . but once in awhile she needed to just punch something. I'm guessing we've all felt that way at times.

I've never owned boxing gloves. Never tried them on. Or even taken a whack at a punching bag. Not that I haven't tackled a few hair-raising sports: sky diving, swimming with stingrays, jumping horses. And as far as martial arts go . . . I have done Tai Chi. Of course that involved a wooden sword and . . . a cute red fan. But boxing, no. And my hubby will attest to the fact that I cannot abide boxing matches on TV--I'd rather watch those foolish people on Fear Factor eat cockroaches. So then, why would I put my fictional heroine in boxing gloves? To give her an outlet, I suppose. An outward--red leather--show of strength, when inside . . . she's feeling a lot like room temperature Jello. Ever been there?

So I'm starting the second book in The Shift in Faith medical drama series. It's tentatively titled, HEART'S HAZARD, and takes place in a fictional oceanside town called Pacific Point. Sand, surf, ocean breezes . . . and a hazardous waste spill that turns this sleepy little town upside down. Nurse Erin Quinn thinks she's escaping the turmoil in her life by moving to Pacific Point, but she's about to wade hip deep into conflict that will change her life. Good thing she's bringing her boxing gloves. She'll need them . . . until she discovers where her real strength lies.

Ding ding . . . round one. Oops, I meant Chapter One.