This book event is through Rachel’s Random Resources.
Alcatraz for the Rich blog tour includes a guest post from the author. Share, comment, and follow. Use Day 3’s secret word budget to get today’s freebie as part of my Secret Santa Christmas Countdown. And use coupon $1dealday3 to get today’s product – Introduce Santa’s Helper for $1.
Book Details
Alcatraz For The Rich
Maisey Green needs an escape. Strapped for cash and running from her past, she stumbles into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityāa week aboard billionaire Otto Raveneskyās exclusive superyacht in the South of France.
Itās a world of dazzling luxury and simmering tension, in forced proximity with a man she despises yet canāt ignore, Maisey fights to resist the pull between them. But the chemistry is undeniable, and every charged moment pushes her closer to the edge of temptationāand the guilt that comes with it.
But in this seductive game of power and passion, Maisey must ask herself: how far is she willing to go for freedomāand what will it cost her?
Perfect for fans of Mills & Boon, Sylvia Day and Jackie Collins, Alcatraz For The Rich is a sizzling romance filled with power, lust, and the battle for control in a world where no one plays fair.
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Author Bio
Abi Harvey, born and raised in the picturesque seaside county of Devon, England, discovered her love for storytelling early on. After earning a degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter, she honed her craft by studying screenwriting, mastering the art of weaving gripping stories. āI always write what I want to read,ā says Abi, whose talent for spinning captivating tales began in childhood, entertaining family and classmates with her vivid imagination. After moving to London, she built a successful career in luxury fashion, but her passion for writing never faded. A true creative force, Abi writes every day and is always working on a new novel or script. Now, she splits her time between South Devon and London, where she enjoys painting, staying active, and traveling for inspiration. You can follow Abi on Instagram (@abiharvey21) to stay up to date with her latest releases.
Social Media Links ā
https://www.instagram.com/aquilarius_publishing/
https://www.instagram.com/abiharvey21/
Dressing Your Characters: How Fashion Reveals Personality
By Abi Harvey
Writers love to repeat the golden rule of storytelling: show, donāt tell. Yet in a fast-paced, visually driven world ā where Instagram trains viewers to judge within three seconds ā writers have a powerful, often underused tool at their disposal: fashion. Clothing isnāt superficial. In fiction, itās shorthand. A characterās outfit, grooming, and physical presentation can communicate confidence, insecurity, wealth, chaos, rebellion, sexual power, social aspiration ā all without a single line of exposition. And in a culture accustomed to reading visual cues instantly, fashion allows writers to say more with less.
Describing what a character is wearing, or how they hold themselves in those clothes, is a shortcut to conveying tone, personality, and intention without pages of description or heavy internal monologue. A structured blazer suggests control. Scuffed trainers whisper messiness. A diamond choker screams money before the reader even reaches the dialogue. Across cultures and decades, fashion is one of the few universally recognised markers of status. A HermĆØs Birkin communicates something in every country. So does a pair of Louboutin heels. For female characters especially, fashion can be a revealing lens: a micro-mini dress can communicate boldness, sexual confidence, or even armour ā while a shapeless jumper signals the opposite.
In my novel Alcatraz for the Rich, for example, a character arrives at a party in a completely sheer dress with nothing underneath. From the moment she steps into the scene, the reader learns everything essential: she is brash, attention-seeking, and unapologetically provocative. Her motivation ā to disrupt, seduce, dominate the social atmosphere ā is clear before she speaks a word. Fashion also works beautifully in reverse. When a character is written in deliberately baggy, outdated, or unflattering clothes, it creates an unspoken desire to disappear, suggesting insecurity or a reluctance to be seen. A woman hiding her figure under oversized jumpers may be shielding herself from judgment; a man in crumpled shirts might be signalling loneliness.
Wardrobes can chart character development more cleanly than dialogue. One well-placed outfit change can illustrate an emotional shift, a new source of confidence, or a dramatic reordering of priorities. Personal grooming ā or the lack thereof ā is another storytelling device that reveals who a character is becoming. A suddenly immaculate beard can signal a grasp for control or a new love interest. A drastic haircut can represent rebellion. Red lipstick can mark a turning point: the first step toward daring to be seen. These choices communicate transformation in a visceral way that readers immediately understand.
In my novel Alcatraz for the Rich, the cast are a stable of wealthy, image-obsessed characters moving through the rarefied, luxurious world of the South of France. I deliberately used brand mentions ā Chanel, HermĆØs, Patek Philippe, Cartier ā as world-building tools. For readers who recognise them, these labels instantly paint the opulence of the setting without lengthy exposition. For readers who donāt, the names create an aura of exclusivity and elitism, signalling that the characters inhabit a world just out of reach. Fashion becomes a setting. Fashion becomes subtext. Fashion becomes an atmosphere.
My heroine, Maisey Green, uses clothing to tell the reader who she is long before she herself realises it. She works in fashion, giving her insider access to the industryās glossy superficiality, yet she still feels like an outsider ā an observer rather than a participant. At the start of the novel, Maisey dresses for invisibility: comfortable basics, bought only in sales, practical rather than expressive. Her choices reveal a deeper belief that she is undeserving, that beauty belongs to other women.
Even when my heroine is thrust into the realm of the ultra-rich and given a glamorous makeover, Maisey never fully wears the clothes with ease. That slight discomfort keeps her grounded, a narrative anchor the reader can trust. Through her wardrobe, Iām able to highlight her ongoing tension with this gilded world while using her as a commentator on its excesses. But as the story progresses and her confidence grows, her wardrobe shifts. The hems rise. The colours are boldened. The fabrics become luxurious. She begins to show skin ā not for others, but because she is finally willing to inhabit herself.
Fashion is not just decoration ā it is dialogue. Clothes speak loudly and honestly. They reveal contradictions, desires, insecurities, and ambitions in a way that feels natural and cinematic to modern readers. Whether youāre writing romance, drama, fantasy, or literary fiction, dressing your characters with intention turns them into people your audience can instantly see, feel, and understand. After all, in fiction as in life, what someone wears often tells the truth long before they do.
