Meet the Character: Harper Langley
Harper Langley is the antagonist in Mermaid of Venice. She’s a hard-headed and hard-hearted conservative news reporter. She’s hot on Gia Acquaviva’s tail right from the start. Here’s a Book One snippet featuring this ice queen.
Enjoy!
MERMAID OF VENICE, CHAPTER FOUR
September 4th
“I’m Harper Langley for OTN, and I’m coming to you live from Venice, where just two days ago the Spanish actor and international heartthrob, Nicolás Ángel Fernández, mysteriously vanished.”
Across the screen, the news ticker rolled, featuring tweets and
Instagram quotes from every celebrity imaginable.
“This is the Lido. It’s a glamorous, beach-lined island in the Venetian Lagoon, and it’s the last place that Nicolás—or Nico, as his friends, family, and fans lovingly call him—was last seen. Next up, we will speak with actor and director George Cline, who directed the film, ‘The Death of Love,’ which starred Nico and premiered right here at the Venice Film Festival, the very night Nico disappeared. In these press shots, you can see Nico walking the festival’s star-studded red carpet.”
Click. Click. Click.
The network edited in the sound of camera flashes as the screen flicked between images of Nico—a solo photo in his tux; a close-up of his wide smile and full lips; his square jaw and his signature light stubble. His hair was slicked back, even though it would normally flop over his face. And it was through that curtain of brown-black hair that he would smolder into the camera lens or at his co-stars, with the deepest green eyes.
“Ironically—perhaps tragically,” Harper Langley narrated over the montage that had now switched to candid shots featuring Nico with other stars of the big and small screens, “in ‘The Death of Love,’ Nico’s upcoming film... sorry for the spoilers, folks... he played a possible serial killer who disappears out of the blue. The story follows the search by his family and the police to find him and discover the secret of his disappearance.”
The screen cut back to Harper. She stood in a red trench coat, under an umbrella emblazoned on the inside with a step-and-repeat pattern of the OTN logo. Hard, loud rain beat down in the back- ground. Beside her, under a black umbrella was a very troubled- looking George Cline, megawatt smile conspicuously absent.
Harper kicked things off. “The man beside me needs no introduc- tion. He’s one of Hollywood's most glowing golden boys—”
“I’m over 60. I think we can all say that I’m a man by now?” Cline quipped, his grey eyebrows arching upward.
“Of course,” Harper continued, completely unphased. “George, you’ve been heavily involved in the search efforts for Nico. Can you share any details with us?”
“Sure, first, if anyone has any information about Nico’s disappear- ance, please share it with us at FindNico.com. No love letters, please. This is very serious, and we’re dedicated to locating him and bringing him back to his family.”
“George,” Harper leaned in with her OTN mic, “there are some people who say, ‘Maybe this is a kidnapping?’ How would you respond to that?”
“Look, the police are investigating every angle. I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—speak to that kind of rumor. We’ve been searching on land and by water, checking security footage... everything, looking for any signs that might lead us to him.”
“Do you think this could have been a suicide? Some say Nico was depressed.”
“Again, Harper,” Cline said, mouth tight, “I am not giving credence to any kind of rumors. I’d like to encourage people to visit FindNico.com if they are able to aid in the search.” A short redhead entered the frame and started tugging on Cline’s arm. “Thank you for your time, Harper.” And with that, he walked off-screen.
Harper raised her eyebrows and said flatly, straight to camera, “I wonder what his wife Amalia would say to that?” Network theme music trumpeted. “We’ll be back with Nico’s sister after the break to hear the latest from his family. I’m Harper Langley, and you’re watching OTN, Our Truth Network, the only source for simple truth in this complicated world.”
WANT MORE OF HARPER?
Pick up your copy of Mermaid of Venice today!