MEET SLOANE TOBIN (TWIN PIQUES)

Sloane has always been the complete opposite of her fanciful, sweet-natured twin. While Willa's head is perpetually in the clouds, Sloane's feet are firmly planted on the ground where things are logical, concrete, and definable. The reason she loves numbers so much is because there's always a solution in math, and it can be found with the right formula and good reasoning skills. Sloane's mathematical prowess led her to Stanford, where she graduated with honors and multiple degrees. She's now employed as a forensic accountant at one of the top firms in San Francisco. People in her line of work are considered to be the "CSI of the accounting world," and Sloane loves the investigative aspect of what she does. "Numbers don't lie. People do." is emblazoned on her coffee cup at work, and that pretty much sums up (Ha!) her life's credo.

Sloane's ambition and obsession with her work do not leave her much time for a personal life, which is fine by her as she thinks relationships are "exhausting," "aggravating," and "a waste of time." The only use she has for men is in the bedroom. Beyond that, she doesn't want to deal with them and she can't comprehend why her sister is such a starry-eyed romantic.


Author's Notes: I can barely balance my checkbook, so I went out on a limb making one of my heroines in this book a math whiz. Fortunately, I do have access to several left-brained people as my brother and one of my beta readers have CPA experience, and my mother works in banking/finance. So, thank you to those folks for answering all my questions about the accounting world. In doing research for this book, I discovered that forensic work is pretty fascinating stuff. These people are responsible for bringing a lot of white-collar criminals to justice. Lest it be forgotten, it was an accountant who brought down Al Capone!

Like many highly intelligent individuals, Sloane is in her head a lot and doesn't have much patience for those who aren't as focused, productive, and quick-thinking as she is. I got a big kick out of writing her running commentary about how incompetent and/or useless many of the people she encounters during the course of the book are (I do love biting, observational humor!) Sloane doesn't hesitate to give credit where it's due, though. She often says Willa is just as smart as she is, but bemoans the fact that her twin doesn't apply herself (Of course, she thinks the pet psychic thing is ridiculous.)

Despite her prickliness, Sloane does have many commendable qualities. She is fiercely loyal and protective of her sister, shoulders the financial responsibility of keeping her family's historic home out of the creditors' hands (something her mother and sister don't want to deal with), and cares very deeply about doing right by her clients. If Sloane were a "real" person, she's someone I'd want to have on my side. God love Willa, but she is a bit scattered.

Sloane Quotes (non-spoilery): "No matter how much you want it to be, life isn't a Hallmark movie, Willa"

"I always consider it to be a good day at work when someone calls me a 'bitch.'"

"Gavin Shaw Dumps Another Blonde Bimbo . . . that's been the headline of so many of my diary entries since you hit puberty."

"Don't you dare mention The Evil One's name, or I will reach through this phone and smack the stubble off your face."


Casting: I'm feeling Victoria Justice as Teen Sloane and Jaimie Alexander as Adult Sloane. Of course, both ladies would have to sport glasses when playing the character as she's horribly hyperopic (far-sighted). Willa is too, but she prefers contacts.

Check back here tomorrow when I'll be giving you the scoop on the Men of Twin Piques and take a look at Sloane's Pinterest board where you'll find a few surprises, like who her celebrity crush was during her teen years.