Today the spotlight shines on……………………….Jeff Rhodes
Michelle Sutton had her first book, It’s Not About Me, published late in 2008 and now has 11 books contracted to release over the next three years! She is Editor in Chief of CFOM, a social worker and wife and mother. I’m surprised she had time to drop in at Relz Reviewz at all 😉
Here’s a look at her male lead in her new release, It’s Not About Him.
Over to you, Michelle:~
Think Zac Efron (he is SO cute).
Strengths and weaknesses
Jeff’s strength is his desire to take care of Susie and to help her raise a child that isn’t his biological offspring. His weakness is that his motivation for wanting to help her springs from guilt over how she got pregnant and his pain regarding his own adoption as a child. He also has a hard time saying no to people like his friend Mike.
Quirk (if any)
Jeff has an interesting past and because of that sometimes the dregs from his past friendships will return to his life. He has a tendency to get so caught up in the present and with helping others that he will sometimes oversleep and be late for work.
Your inspiration for the character
I based the character on a secondary character in the first book, It’s Not About Me. In that story Jeff was a real jerk. He used people and didn’t care how that affected them. However, in the beginning of INAH he’d been a Christian about five months so he has changed some from the prior novel. But he is still a very new Christian.
Background to the story
Susie wakes up after a party knowing something isn’t right. When she discovers she is pregnant but has no idea who the father is, she decides to place her baby for adoption with an infertile couple from church. Following through ends up being more challenging than she’d imagined. But she wants to do the right thing. If only Jeff would quit trying to marry her so she’ll keep her baby! Why doesn’t he understand? It’s not about him; it’s about what’s best for her child. Meanwhile, a man shows up in her life that looks irritatingly familiar. Could he be the father?
Thanks Michelle for taking the time to share about Jeff. He certainly has undergone a transformation from It’s Not About Me to his own story 🙂
Relz Reviewz Extras
Review of It’s Not About Me
Interview with Michelle
September 19, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Hi Rel,
I'm at ACFW Denver and just bought this book in the conference bookstore, only now I can't find Michelle to sign it! I love the cover and can't wait to read. Am sure the book is just as delightful as its author:) Great post.