the antagonist in The Letter
Unlike most of my antagonists, Martha Morrison, from the contemporary romance novel, The Letter, isn’t an evil person. She is, however, extremely annoying. The kind of person who gets under your skin like a bad rash.
Martha only dated Danny for a few weeks. He told her upfront there would be no strings attached. Lonely and vulnerable, Martha ignored Danny’s conditions and latched onto him, believing he was the man she was destined to spend her life with. Unfortunately for Martha, Danny soon met Stephanie and ended his relationship with her. But even if Stephanie hadn’t come along, Danny had already decided to move on.
Martha’s reaction to their breakup wasn’t what Danny expected. She’s somehow convinced herself that Danny simply needs a timeout, and she fully supports him dating other women. In her mind, dating other women will prove to him, once and for all, that she’s the only woman for him, and she’s willing to wait for as long as it takes. In the meantime, she’ll stay in touch.
Martha begins sending Danny emails and text messages, but when a concerned family member finds out what she’s up to, Martha switches tactics. Handwritten love letters would eliminate an electronic paper trail. She also thinks they’re more romantic. Danny, however, has never responded to any of her messages. He thinks if he ignores her long enough she’ll get the message and move on. In the meantime, he’s keeping all of her cards and letters on file to build a case against her. This will, unfortunately, have serious unintended consequences for him.
Unlike like Craig Walker, Martha hasn’t set out to intentionally cause any harm. A desperately lonely woman, she’s afraid of being on her own, and unable to accept the fact that Danny isn’t love with her.
Martha is loosely based on a woman who dated a friend’s husband before he married my friend. The old girlfriend kept writing him love letters thinking he’d come back to her someday. Of course, he never did.
Marina Martindale
The Letter is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, and with other online booksellers.