Russell's marriage to the golden girl, however, ended in a nasty divorce, and he has been systematically excluded from his sons' lives. In his Internet wanderings, he's found feminist blogger named Jerrika Jones, who glorifies single motherhood, essentially putting a stamp of approval on what's happened to him. His group of single dad advocates have vowed to take this woman down.
What Russell doesn't know, when he thinks to rekindle what he had with Marisol, is that Marisol and Jerrika are one and the same. When his group discovers the truth, will their drive for revenge derail any chance the couple have to reunite? Or will they find they have more in common than they ever expected?
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Meet Marisol & Russell from A Rose by Any Other Name
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
MARISOL: I’d have coffee on my little garden patio and spend some time tending my plants. It would be great to take a day off from the computer! I’d probably catch the bus downtown and window shop. Maybe I could meet some of the girls from the restaurant where I used to work for lunch. For sure, I’d wear one of the sundresses I usually leave in the closet—it’s nice to feel pretty. Then I’d make sure I was home to see that Mark gets his homework in—he needs that scholarship for college next year!
RUSSELL: I’d sleep in. Hell, yes. Then some coffee, check in on my online games, and head out for some pick up B-ball. I’m really not sure after that. I work a lot of hours, so I don’t have a lot of local friends. I’m not friends with people at work—they frown on management doing that. I’m not dating anyone. So, I’d probably get some takeout Mexican and go home and play online until late. Boring, huh?
If you could spend the day with someone you admire (living or dead or imaginary), who would you pick?
MARISOL: Wow. Right now, I’d want to hang out with someone like Heather Armstrong—you know, the mommyblogger Dooce? She makes thousands a month from ads on her blog, and that’s wonderful. But she also says what she thinks, and tells it like it is. Sure, she gets a lot of haters, So do I. But I’d love to see how she does it, and just gather a little of her strength by osmosis.
RUSSELL: Robin Williams. No hesitation. I really admire his ability to roll with the punches—to improvise. My whole life, I feel like I’ve been prescribed a path. You know, first go through school, be an athlete and lead a team. Find the right wife to help both of you succeed. Support her in her career like she does you. Have a family. Now my path was supposed to go on in the til death do us part vein, but it fell apart, and I have to admit, I’ve been floundering a little since then. I need to learn how to improvise, how to pick up my path again.
And at least Robin and I would have fun—one 24-hour long party.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? And, what is your current state of mind?
MARISOL: Perfect happiness? First, I’d have to be in a place where I had a solid income and knew for sure I could take care of myself and my son Mark. Being a single mom most of his life, we had a lot of times when we were right on the edge of having nothing. Honestly, I’d also love to have a good man by my side. It’s been a lonely life so far. One can certainly live without a man….but wouldn’t it be nice to have one?
In relation to that, I’ve established my blog as a moneymaker, and I’m getting more followers all the time, So I really think I’m on the way there!
RUSSELL: Is there such a thing? I thought I was perfectly happy when I was married, when my sons were born and Tiffy and I were in New York making it. But then the divorce happened. I haven’t been happy since. I mean, sure, I have a good job, and a place to live and all those things—but there’s something missing. God knows I don’t want Tiffy back. But I miss my sons, and she makes it so hard to see them. I get geared up to fight in court, but Tiffy’s dad has 10 times the money I do and they always seem to win. My current state of mind is mostly disappointed. But the high school reunion is coming up—at least my buds and I can relive all our past glories over some beers, right?
What do you consider to be the most overrated virtue and why?
MARISOL: Patience, maybe? I mean, sure we all need to learn to be patient with others and with ourselves. Sometimes fate doesn’t give us much choice, We have to wait for something to come our way, if it’s not in our control. For those of us who are kind of second-class, we end up waiting for a lot of things. But it sure doesn’t matter if we’re patient or not.
RUSSELL: If you want to get somewhere in life, you’ve got to put modesty in the back seat. No one’s going to promote you, if you don’t promote yourself, and that’s especially true for me as a black man. Toot your own horn, or else you might just get passed by.
Tell us 3 things about yourself that the readers do not know about.
MARISOL: I have a several-inch scar down the back of my right leg where one of my sisters spilled hot bacon grease on me (by accident) when we were kids,
I eloped with my ex-husband on a wild impulse because I thought he was mad and exciting. But turns out he just needed a woman at home, someone to hang out with and take dancing. Once we had a child, it became a drag for him, and he split.
I am a die-hard fan of 80s music, even as cheesy as it is.
RUSSELL: I think I’m probably addicted to online MMORPGs. It seems to comprise my whole social life in Ohio, Sure, if I go back to Pennsylvania where I went to school, I’ve got some friends to hang out with, but at home? Not so much,
My favorite food is hot wings. Not like, SUPER explode your mouth the sun is on fire wings, but Buffalo style, No blue cheese, though. Who wants to eat moldy stuff?
Spring is the best time of year for me. I love when the days start getting warmer, and sunny. It gives my mood a kick in the briefs, The world just feels like a better place,
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Thanks so much--this was such fun. :) Alana Lorens
ReplyDeleteLoved the interview. Best on your book!
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