MEET HEROINE: Isabella Ricci (IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY by Lisbeth Eng)

 

Welcome to RWA/NYC’s Heroine Blog Tour.

 

This week, we are interviewing Heroines from New York’s Leading Romance Authors.  Some are candid, some are funny, all are wonderful.  We know you’ll fall in love with each and every one of them.  

 

 

Q:  First impressions count so what are you wearing? What do you look like?

I'm going to meet Gunter for a picnic so I've got on a light cotton dress with a low-cut bodice (he likes that) and a flowing skirt. I don't like to wear trousers. Don't worry -- I just tuck my skirt under my knees when I sit on the blanket. And wearing a dress makes it easier if we… Oh, never mind! My looks? Well, I've got brown, shoulder length hair and brown eyes. Gunter says he loves my eyes.  I usually don't like to wear makeup, but he tells me I'm a "natural beauty" and don't need any. I'm about average height and weight.


Q:  Are you a girly girl or a tomboy?

I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I do like to dress up and look feminine. For my first date with Gunter I borrowed a lovely floor-length gown and shoes from a friend (I don't have any fancy clothes of my own.) She even let me wear her pearls. I felt like a princess!< blushing> But if you work on a farm you have to be tough and not afraid of getting dirty. So maybe I'm a bit of a tomboy, too.


Q:  What do you do for a living? Do you like it?

As I said I work on a farm. I used to live on my family's farm but now I work on a farm that is run by the partisans. That's our cover. You see, I'm a member of the Italian Resistance and we're fighting the Nazis. Now they want me to be a spy, since I've met Gunter, a German officer. I don't know; I'm really scared but I want to help my country. I just hope Gunter doesn't find out!


Q:  Tell us your story.

All I want is to get the Nazis out of my country. I despise them. They murdered my brother! Now that I've met a German officer my commander wants me to spy on him. I'm so torn. I love my country but I… I think I might be falling in love with Gunter, too. But what if Gunter finds out who I really am? What if I'm captured by the Nazis? My God, I can't even let myself think about that!


Q:   Describe the Hero of your story. Is he a Mr. Darcy or a Christian Grey?

I don't know who Christian Grey is but I have heard of Mr. Darcy. He's from that novel Pride and Prejudice, isn't he? Well, Gunter is at least as handsome as Darcy but much more sociable. He's proud but not too proud. He knows how to laugh at himself and make people feel at ease. Darcy doesn't come across that way.


Q:  Just between us, what do you like best about your Hero? 

Where to start? If I had to pick just one thing, I'd say it's his goodness. He is so honorable and kind -- a true gentleman.


Q:   Do you prefer the bedroom door open or closed?

Closed, please! What kind of a girl do you think I am?


Q:   What TV show best describes your relationship with the Hero – Scandal or Game of Thrones?

What's TV?


Q:  If your story is made into a movie, what actress do you want to play you?

Vivien Leigh is very beautiful and I do have dark brown hair like she does. But I'd like to think I'm nicer than that Scarlet character she plays. She's a bit of a hussy, don't you think?


Q:  Tell us about your author.

Lisbeth Eng is a native New Yorker whose love of literature, history and romance led her on the rewarding path to romance writing. An English major in college, Lisbeth has also studied Italian, German and French. Besides writing, world travel is her passion, and trips to Italy and Germany have lent authenticity to her European-set World War II romance novel. Lisbeth currently lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a stone’s throw from Central Park and Lincoln Center, and loves the fascinating pace of life in the Big Apple. Please visit her at www.lisbetheng.com.