The Protagonists We Love #3

Night Mistress of Paradise Palms

That long-awaited tropical vacation may hold a few extra surprises you never expected! A page-turner Supernatural Tale that is richly woven with local legends, mysterious happenings, heated love scenes, and non-stop action.
What could be better than a holiday on tropical Grand Cayman Island at a Five-Star resort?
​But there’s always a vacancy at Paradise Palms—and for good reason.

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What is a protagonist?

The protagonist works toward the central story goals and tends to be involved in or affected by most of the choices or conflicts that arise in the narrative. The protagonist of a story is the main character, who has the sympathy and support of the readers.

Meet Della Marquez-owner of Paradise Palms

I’m pleased to have been invited to do a candid interview for The Author Gang featuring a protagonist. Please be advised this is my first interview being a brand-new character, so bear with me.

I am an ex-pat who is currently living on the island of Grand Cayman enjoying what most would call paradise. I had a rough start after arriving here having to deal with my husband’s shady business dealings.  There were those who believed I didn’t deserve to get the most generous settlement I did following the divorce. The locals still talk behind my back, but I’ve learned to ignore the remnants of his past. After the divorce, I was able to gain Caymanian status and become the proud owner of The Tides resort here on the west end of the island. It was truly my little paradise, but that was short-lived when Hurricane Ivan came along in 2004 and completely destroyed my little paradise along with most of the island. I was lucky to survive and even luckier to get government and other private funds to help me rebuild a new inn which I called Paradise Palms. I’d hoped to get a fresh start but soon met up with strange occurrences here at the inn. Seems a few guests had claimed an evil spirit lurked about and had even attacked them in their suites. Many had fallen ill and blamed it on the dark entity they’d claimed had violated them while staying at the Palms.
It didn’t take long for a few guests to post these occurrences on social media, which hurt the inn’s reputation along with the rumors that had spread throughout the island by the locals.
Yes, there are a lot of island legends here, most of them had not affected me until I became a victim myself and had to make a decision that would alter my fate and that of my little piece of paradise.
 I will answer a few of your questions here and then have to take care of an urgent matter in suite 12.

What is your strongest attribute?
I’d say my strongest attribute is my strong-willed personality. I was raised by a strong Puerto Rican woman and believe that had set the tone for the rest of my life. I tend to be direct and will go to great lengths to achieve a goal, whether it may hurt someone or not.

What is your role here in the story?
I am the proud owner of Paradise Palms, a small island resort on Grand Cayman. My job is to keep my staff in line as well as making sure my guests are happy and safe even if it means covering up past dirt on myself or some of the odd occurrences at the inn.

What is your weakness?
I’d have to say my weakness is my vanity. I’ve got this fear of aging that has taken over since my divorce. I’m always comparing myself to younger women. I’ve had some minimally invasive cosmetic procedures done and swim every morning to keep myself in shape. If I overeat or miss a workout, the guilt weighs heavily on me.
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What are your plans for the future?
Future plans include pushing forward with a few new additions to the Palms, and, hopefully, getting my hunky security guard, Jackson to commit to a serious relationship with me. We’ve had a few dates and a few nights of the best sex of my life—ones that brought out the animal in me. I won’t get into too much detail here, for the book explains it all.

Do you have any enemies?
I have to say I don’t have any enemies here in this physical realm, but I’ve got one nasty demonic spirit who insists she rules my inn and the waters out to the reef. She’s attacked a few of my male guests and now has her sights on Jackson. She’s hell-bent on ruining my inn but I’ve got a few surprises for her.

Do you feel the author portrayed you fairly?
I think the author has done a fairly good job of portraying myself and my triple-A personality, but I do have one complaint—that being not able to believe the few guests that had claimed to encounter an evil spirit from the jump. I think she could have given me more of an open mind rather than dismissing all the strange events as merely the usual effects of the sun and the endless cocktails in abundance here on the island.

Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?
Well, that would be to plan a trip to Grand Cayman if you’ve never been there.  This island truly holds a real enchantment. I’d recommend you not pay too much attention to some of those reviews you read on travel sites. But be advised to enjoy your water activities during the daylight hours, for the night belongs to those who are forced to enjoy their activities after dark.

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