Please introduce yourself and your book(s)
Hi, I’m Rita Lee Chapman and I live in Queensland,Australia. I have self-published seven books – four in the Anna Davies Mystery Series, a book for horse lovers from teenagers upwards Winston – A Horse’s Tale, and two crime mysteries, The Poinciana Tree and Dangerous Associations. I am an avid reader and also enjoy playing tennis and entertaining friends.
Tell us about the characters and relationships in your stories
Anna Davies is the protagonist in my series, which comprises Missing in Egypt, Missing at Sea, Missing in London and Missing in France. In each book, Anna becomes unwittingly involved in solving someone’s disappearance. Her most traumatic relationships occur in the first book, Missing in Egypt. In this story, Anna helps her new boyfriend who is trying to find his brother, who disappeared in Egypt whilst on holiday. In Missing at Sea, Anna and her friend, Sandra, take a cruise from Sydney to London, stopping at many ports. Both Sandra and Anna meet someone on the cruise, but are these going to lead to more than a holiday romance? The last two books are more concerned with the mystery involved, as Anna and Sandra settle into their relationships.
What lessons could readers learn about real-world relationships from your novel(s)?
The main lesson to be learned from the Anna Davies Mystery Series is that, no matter how earth-shattering a broken romance may be when it happens, time really is a great healer and you can go on to love again. Never lose hope!
Be careful who you love, is the message in Dangerous Associations, as Cathy is harassed and stalked by someone trying to find her ex-husband.
What real-life relationship experiences, observations or insights have influenced your writing?
I think all authors draw on personal experience and observation in their writing, whether they are aware of it or not. I have learned that there are different types of love for different people. A love can be destructive and all-consuming, or uplifting and empowering.
Are there any relationship themes or topics you want to cover in future releases?
I am working on the last book in the Anna Davies Mystery Series, Missing in Australia. This will cover the pain endured by people when someone they love disappears, not knowing what has happened to them. This is a theme I have explored previously in Missing in France, in relation to missing children.
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