Cast of Characters
A Novelists Inc. Anthology
by Victoria Alexander, Catherine Anderson, Barbara Bretton
The Fiction Studio
Science Fiction / Fantasy: Anthology, Contemporary Romance: Anthology
April 3, 2012
ISBN-10: 1936558505
ISBN-13: 9781936558506
Available in: Trade Size
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Cast of Characters
by Victoria Alexander, Catherine Anderson, Barbara Bretton
Twenty-eight leading voices in fiction ---
Including eleven New York Times bestselling authors ---
Join together in a celebration of great storytelling
We love fiction. It's in our blood and it's in our souls. Great stories thrill us and inspire us in a way that nothing else can. If you're like us, then we invite you to revel in this anthology of all-original stories we've created for you.
In CAST OF CHARACTERS, you'll meet a collection of unforgettable personalities. The devoted wife who discovers her husband's devastating secret. The Black Death survivor who reinvents herself. The woman who finds love in the arms of a dark, dangerous artist. The devoted scientist faced with a daunting ethical dilemma. The woman who hears ghosts. The gorgeous but fated young man. The small-town beauty queen with a world-class mean streak. The inventor who fears his invention. The man seeking a reunion decades later with his first love. The stalker who understands too late who he is stalking. The dreadful athlete who gets one opportunity to win. The man who loves a woman society will not allow him to love. These are only a few of the figures who will leap from the page and take residence in your heart.
In addition, CAST OF CHARACTERS is highlighted by several "events" you won't want to miss:
- #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander delivers her first short story with a contemporary setting --- as does New York Times bestselling author Tanya Anne Crosby.
- New York Times bestselling author Jo Beverley brings back the hero of her novel Forbidden Magic.
- New York Times bestselling author Angie Fox creates a new Biker Witches story.
- New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham writes her first story with her son Jason.
- New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister tells the story of one of her most beloved teen characters as an adult.
- National bestselling author Julie Ortolon tells the beloved Pearl Island story her fans have been clamoring for.
- National bestselling author Diana Peterfreund offers the origin story for one of the most important magical items in her "killer unicorn" series.
A huge volume of twenty-eight stories ranging from romance to suspense to fantasy to comedy to poignant character pieces, CAST OF CHARACTERS is a must-have book for everyone who loves fiction. Contributors include: Catherine Anderson, Victoria Alexander, Jo Beverley, Barbara Bretton, Julie Compton, Tanya Anne Crosby, Carole Nelson Douglas, Rosemary Edghill, Angie Fox, Heather Graham and Jason Pozzessere, Greg Herren, Vicki Hinze, Marianna Jameson, Wayne Jordan, Kate Kingsbury, CJ Lyons, Katie MacAlister, Ashley McConnell, Jody Lynn Nye, Julie Ortolon, Diana Peterfreund, Laura Resnick, Patricia Rice, Deb Stover, Victoria Strauss, Karen Tintori, Diane Whiteside and Steven Womack.
Other Books by Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander's Bio
New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander was an award winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and is still shocked it worked out.
Since the publication of her first book in 1995, she has written twenty-four full length novels and six novellas. THE PERFECT WIFE—originally published in 1996 and reissued in March 2008—hit #1 on the New York Times list. Sixteen of her books are bestsellers hitting the New York Times, USA Today and/or Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. With books translated into a dozen different languages she has readers around the world and has twice been nominated for Romance’s Writers of America prestigious RITA award. In 2009 she was given a Career Achievement Award from RT Bookclub and was named Historical Storyteller of the year in 2003. In 2008 she was the keynote speaker for the Romance Writers of American annual conference in San Francisco. Victoria credits much of her writing success to her experiences as a reporter.
Her years as a broadcast journalist were spent in two radically different areas of the country: Nebraska and West Virginia. In West Virginia, she covered both natural and manmade disasters. She was on the scene when a power plant construction accident in a small town left 52 men dead. She once spent the night on a mountain waiting to learn of the fate of coal miners trapped in a mine collapse. Victoria was producing a newscast when her husband (who worked at the same television station) and several other journalists were held hostage by a disturbed Vietnam veteran. In Nebraska, she reported on the farm crisis and watched people lose land that had been in their families for generations. She covered the story that was the basis of the movie BOYS DON’T CRY and once acted as the link between police and a gunman who had barricaded himself in his home. Her investigative work exposed the trucking of New York City garbage to a small town dump in rural Nebraska.
During her journalism career, Victoria covered every president from Ford to Clinton. She knows firsthand what it feels like to be surrounded by rising floodwaters and inside a burning building. She’s interviewed movie stars including Kevin Costner, ridden an elephant and flown in a governor’s helicopter. She’s covered a national political convention and Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Denver as well as small town festivals celebrating everything from walnuts to Glen Miller. Her work was honored by numerous organizations including the Associated Press who called a feature about a firefighter’s school “story telling genius”. It was the encouragement she needed to turn from news to fiction. She’s never looked back.
Victoria is a former president of the Omaha Press Club and in 2009 was named an OPC Face on the Barroom Floor. A caricature portrait of her joined previous faces including presidents, sports figures and politicians in a tradition that began in 1971.
Victoria Alexander claims her love of romance and journalism is to due to the influence of her favorite comic book character: Lois Lane, a terrific reporter and a great heroine who pursued Superman with an unwavering determination. And why not? He was extremely well drawn.
Victoria grew up traveling the world as an Air Force brat. Today, she lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband, a son in college and a daughter working in film. Victoria had two bearded collies, Sam and Louie (named from characters in one of her books). Sam, the best dog in the world for 13 1/2 years, passed away in September 2010. Louie has now taken on the position of loyal companion and is doing a fine job even though he doesn’t understand that kitchen counter surfing is not allowed!
They live in a house under constant renovation and the accompanying parade of men in tool belts. And never ending chaos. Victoria laughs a great deal—she has to.