Spalluccipedia: Grace

      Hello and welcome to this little Spalluccipedia article, a quick dip into the world of Sam Spallucci.

This time around, I want to ramble on about Grace. Those of you familiar with my books will know that Grace Darling is a postgrad student at my fictional Luneside University and, to supplement her income, works as a barmaid at The Borough, Sam’s local in Dalton Square. She is a firm regular in Sam’s stories, appearing in every one so far (at the time of writing this, I have just finished the seventh book, Sam Spallucci: Fury of the Fallen). She is incredibly likeable, never seeing bad in people or, at least, keeping her thoughts to herself, and is a firm favourite with my readers.

 

It is quite apparent from the outset that the young woman has a severe crush on Sam, even though he is considerably older than her and, unlike everyone around him, is oblivious to her attentions. This was a really important factor for me when writing the stories. As I say in the video, many noir writers insert a feisty secretary or such to sex up the stories. I wanted to keep away from that trope and have a female character who was more normal. As such, Grace does a normal job and reacts as a normal person would to things that happen around her. She is not throwing herself at Sam but waiting patiently in the wings until the time is right for her to declare her feelings.

Unfortunately for poor Grace, when she feels the time is right in Dark Justice, Sam distances himself from her for her own protection, feeling that the circles in which he moves are far too dangerous for the young woman. Little does Sam realise that this action inadvertently pushes her into danger in Troubled Souls.

I think the thing that I like most about Grace is that she is completely non-judgemental. We see this in Ghosts From the Past when Sam’s ex, Caroline, is an utter bitch to her. Plus time and time again she encounters weird and wonderful folk who cross paths with Sam and she just accepts them. My favourite instance of this has to be in Fury of the Fallen when she encounters the fallen angel Asherah and the two just bond immediately, discussing tea, the ancient Levant and, when he’s not in earshot, Sam himself.

So, where is any possible relationship likely to head for Grace and Sam? Well, all I can really say right now is that way spoilers lie, so just watch this space.

Don’t forget to visit my website www.aschambers.co.uk for more details about my books. 

You can subscribe to my newsletter here for up-to-date details regarding all my writing and appearances.

You can check out my Patreon Book Club for advance screenings of my videos and free books.

Take care and keep looking out for what lurks in the shadows…

A.S.Chambers.