Touch Me Expert Source, Inspiring Woman by @lcrandallwriter

You’ve probably heard of Dog the Bounty Hunter, a high-profile recovery agent and reality television show star. He looks and sounds as you might expect a bounty hunter reality TV star would. He’s big and gruff.

But the world’s best bounty hunter, Michelle Gomez, is neither. She is unexpected.

Michelle is a diminutive 4-foot-11-inch. But don’t think for one minute that her size is a handicap. She is a ball of fire with a huge heart and love for people. And I am her number one fan.

I happened upon Michelle when I first began research for Touch Me, my newest release. I wanted to make my heroine—an Atlantean descendant— a bounty hunter with special paranormal abilities. Through the character, I wanted to show the connections between individuals, and between objects and the individuals they belong to. I gave my heroine, Payson Silver, psychometric ability so that she could sense the connections and use them to reconnect loved ones with family and important objects to owners. Michelle turned out to be not only a great source of information but an inspiring woman.

A private investigator, bounty hunter, and skip tracer, Michelle wrote in an email that her most valuable skills are insider her.

“My recipe is intuition and my intellect of gathering information,” she said.

When I interviewed her, I learned she is professional and all business when it comes to her work. But she also came across as caring and insightful. I wondered how she managed working in tough circumstances with criminals and troubled people. Again, she said she relies on her inner strengths.

“I cope by not getting involved more than I need to,” she said. “It's very hard not to but I've learned to bring that wall up quick.”

Michelle is genius at making her work not only serve justice but also make the world a better place by helping others, and her positive attitude shines.

“Most rewarding (in my work) is closure and answers and bringing peace to my clients’ needs and or concerns,” she said. “As for my successful story...my journey getting where I'm at today has been adventurous, and the hard work and late nights not sleeping has paid off. But my journey has just begun.”

Like Michelle, Payson wants to serve people. Here’s an excerpt from Touch Me:

A tear slipped down Adele’s cheek. “Thank you so much for coming today. I’m never going to give up hope of finding Shana. When I saw the article about you in the newspaper, I was thrilled to read of your success in finding the stolen car for that family. I just had to try to contact you and ask you for help.” The woman perched on the edge of the couch.

     Payson smiled. The mention of her recent recovery warmed her heart. “You mean the Willys.” In every recovery, those moments of happy endings were what kept her going.

     “Yes, yes. That’s the one.” She slanted her head, her eyes tearing up. “If only you could find Shana.”

     Payson’s stomach clenched. “Happy endings are not a guarantee, sadly.” She leaned forward, earnest intention pumping through her body. “But, Mrs. Freeport, I’ll do everything I can to find your daughter. My success rate is very high. I can’t make promises, because that would be unethical. But there’s a reason I’m one of the top recovery agents in the United States and that I have clients from around the world. I’m not telling you that to brag. It’s to assure you my chances are good for finding out what happened to your daughter.”

     Adele’s eyes pleaded. “But you will take the case?”

     “Yes. I’ll start right away.”

     Adele jumped up and wrapped her arms around Payson’s shoulders. “I can’t thank you enough.”

     Bursts of impressions played across Payson’s mind. Images of Shana and Adele arguing flitted past, followed by those of mother and daughter walking in a park. The bursts were so real, Payson could feel a spring breeze in the park, hear the angst in the mother-daughter argument. Payson centered herself. Her ability was growing, but now was not the time to go into information it could give her. She had her process and it didn’t begin with loading her brain with Adele’s memories.

     “You don’t have to thank me. I’m very interested in finding Shana.”

     Adele sat back down. “We should discuss the cost.”

     “I don’t charge for missing person cases when it concerns a lost family member.”

     “What? How can that be?” Adele’s eyes widened. “This is your work, finding people. You’re a bounty hunter. You charge a fee. I’ve checked your website.”

     “Yes, I’m a recovery agent, bounty hunter as you say. I get paid well for locating fugitives, and it funds my true passion, bringing a conclusion to families who have no idea what has happened to their loved ones. That is a kind of pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

     “You sound as if you know that pain too.” Adele’s lips tightened. “But I don’t mean to pry.”

     Payson’s heart rolled over. It was true. So very true, that she shoved away the memory of crystal blue eyes and glossy dark hair. Pushed away especially the bright warm smile. Braden’s smile that had felt like sunshine on her face. After five days without him, of Braden being “lost” to her, a keen understanding beat inside her of the devastation and heartache of those who live with loss.

Find Touch Me on Amazon and other popular retailers. Find Michelle Gomez on Facebook and Twitter  @MsSkiptracer

Graphic credit: Michelle Gomez @MsSkiptracer