Fitzpatrick, Flo

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FITZPATRICK, Flo

PERSONAL: Born in TX; married Edmound Fitzpatrick (an actor and singer). Education: B.A (theater); M.F.A. (dance).

ADDRESSES: Home—South Amboy, NJ. Agent—c/o Hilliard & Harris, P.O. Box 275, Boonsboro, MD 21713-0275. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Actress, dancer, singer, and novelist. Worked as a choreographer and as a teacher of acting and dance.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Ghost of a Chance, Kensington (New York, NY), 2004.

Hot Stuff, Zebra Books, 2005.

Sweet Dreams, Hilliard & Harris, 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Flo Fitzpatrick was trained and worked for some time in the performing arts. She began her writing career after an injury forced her off the stage, and off her feet, for a period of time. Fitzpatrick's stage background has informed her work as a writer, giving background and color to her plots. For example, her first romance novel, Ghost of a Chance, involves a woman who runs into trouble when she agrees to choreograph a musical that is supposedly cursed. Sure enough, as soon as the production gets underway, strange events begin to unfold, resulting in a romantic mystery with a touch of the paranormal. Choreographer Kiely Davlin is just one of several "charmingly quirky" people in the book, according to Booklist reviewer Diana Tixier Herald, who recommended the book as "delightfully humorous and innocent." Harriet Klausner also praised Ghost of a Chance, writing in Paranormal Romance Reviews that it "effortlessly combines elements of chick lit, buddy tales, paranormal, and amateur sleuth with a contemporary romance."

Fitzpatrick's theatrical background is again put to use in the novel Hot Stuff. This story features Tempe Walsh, who once dreamed of being an entertainer. Instead of following that course, though, she used her great skill with languages to become an interpreter. Tempe takes a job accompanying a wealthy art collector, Ray DeCore, to India, where he hopes to buy a statue known as Shiva's Diva. Tempe expects the job to be a simple matter, involving a little translation between Hindi and English, and she looks forward to having some free time to explore Bollywood, the capital of India's thriving film industry, after her assignment is completed. It seems that the most difficult part of the whole job will be fending off Ray's unwanted romantic advances, however. Just as the deal is completed, Tempe notices that the statue is a fake; then chaos ensues, Ray is killed, and Tempe barely escapes with her life. On the run, she meets Briggan O'Brien, a smooth-talking Irishman who is soon captivated by her. Briggan has problems of his own, and he seems to know more about Shiva's Diva than he ought to. Together, the two of them make their way through a web of intrigue that includes an ancient curse and numerous narrow escapes. Reviewing the book for Road to Romance online, Joyce Wolters called it "a great example of a madcap adventure." Writing again in Booklist, Herald called Hot Stuff "a delightful diversion," and Harriet Klausner noted in Best Reviews online that "the story line combines plenty of humor with excitement."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2004, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Ghost of a Chance, p. 1908; March 1, 2005, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Hot Stuff, p. 1149.

Library Journal, August, 2004, Krisitn Ramsdell, review of Ghost of a Chance, p. 55.