Liz Larson Background

Career conscious Liz has the highest aspirations for herself as a journalist. After graduating from Columbia University, she quickly saw that her job at the New York Times circulation desk wasn't guiding her to the successful life in the fast lane she had intended for herself. The daughter of casino tycoon, Edward Larson, Liz never thought of herself as privileged, however, she has been sheltered and is often naive when it comes to "street sense". She grew up among the elite of Savannah, but still managed to maintain a sense of reality. She loves her Southern tradition and takes every opportunity to keep it alive in her life, even when away from home. She's level-headed and she'll energetically charge ahead despite a run of bad luck and unfortunately, no one's luck is any worse than Liz's.

Liz came to Cape Marrassas with her best friends Paige and Noelle to prepare for her wedding to Tom Massick, a wealthy Riverboat Casino owner.

When her fiancée Tom was murdered, Liz set about repairing her life. She met Tony through her father and he stole her heart.

As events unfolded on the island of Morada, Paige's mother watched her former boss pay for a lifetime of lies and with the death of Tom Massick, the biggest mystery of all was revealed. Because the man who was to marry Liz, the man who was having an affair with Paige, the man everyone saw dead and buried, stepped out of the shadows, and life in Cape Marassas was never the same. Cape Marassas's darkest secrets were revealed.

While Liz is getting closer and closer to Tony, she bought a part of a competitor's riverboat franchise with him and they became quite successful in their own right. Much to the displeasure of Edward, Tony had taken Edwards daughter and his business away from him.

Liz ran into Nick, Tom's twin brother, whom she had never met, and faints, thinking she had seen Tom alive again. When she finally woke up, they talk and get it all straightened out.

As Liz and Tony’s relationship started to heat up, Liz wanted out of the Riverboat and sold her share to Tony. Tony proposed to Liz and she accepted. They began to plan for their wedding, much to the displeasure of her father.

Edward, wanted revenge on Tony and set the boat on fire; and made it look like arson on Tony's part. The plan worked perfectly, with only one little glitch; Tony and Liz were sleeping inside. Tony woke up in time and saved them both.

Liz, emotionally drained from the past two years on Morada, ran away with Tony to marry, but with all the pressures, their marriage eventually failed. She gathered herself together and after eight years, returned to the island for a fresh start.

Liz Larson

General Biography
Name: Elizabeth Melonie Larson
Nickname: Liz or Lizzy

Social Class: Upper Class

Occupation: Journalist; The Informer

Place of birth: Savannah, GA

Gender: Female

Age: 26 years old

Height: 5' 3"

Nationality: American

Skin: creamy, smooth skin

Eyes: Emerald Green

Hair: Chestnut, waist-length often worn up, neatly

Build: Average frame, with a few muscles

Family: Mother, Maria, deceased. Father, Edward, Business owner, Savannah Princess Riverboat Casino. Has an older brother, Travis living in Savannah, a younger sister, Paige living in Morada. Fiancee, murdered

Marital Status: Divorced.

Distinguishing features: dimple

Academic achievements: Gratuated from Yale with a BA in Journalism. Sorority member, Kappa Kappa Gamma

Strong points: Quick witted, intelligent, friendly and easy going.Weak points: Over-trusting, naive, lacks "street sense" due to her privledged upbringing.

General Personality

i. Character Strengths: The ability to overcome devastating and impossible odds, a self-determination to enjoy and succeed at life, the ability to converse comfortable with everyone, the ability to read people and analyze a situation, the ability to defuse a tense situation, has an amazingly critical mind that can think through problems quickly.

ii. Character Weaknesses: Frightened and anxious of very close personal relationships (with her history who wouldn't be?), successful in her own right, despite those that think her accomplishments came from her father's intervention. Likes to be heard and is quite stubborn if she feels someone is not giving her perspective consideration, a sarcastic sense of humor that almost falls into pessimistic--especially about herself and her luck. Oddly optimistic when it comes to judging others. She perfers to see the good in people. She follows the golden rule of treating others like she would like to be treated.

iii. Personal attitude and demeanour: Almost all social reactions involve humor of some sort-- whether its funny to others or not. She has what some see as a strange appreciation for small things that amuse her (i.e. running through the rain, playing basketball, watching squirrels play in the park), She can handle stress very well, she actually thrives under it--an art learned in life trying to dispell the "spoiled child" stereotypes thrust on her by privledge. She gets angry over very few things, but when she gets angry, she really gets angry. Her ability to read people and situations makes her an ideal team-player, but she doesn't really know if she follows commands well, as she's never had to.

Her tastes always lean toward classic, simple styles. She is friendly and has the ability to quickly make friends. On an interpersonal level she has some pretty heavy emotional walls around her. She's easy to be friends with, but it’s hard to get close to her on a romantic level. If once she lets you in however and you become a close, she is fiercly loyal and passionate. Overall, although her life has been one of privledge, she is a stable and thriving person who is looking for her meaning in life.

[The Grand Larsony, Main Deck]

[The Grand Larsony, Main Deck]

Dark wicker chairs encircle the fire pit to one side of the deck and a built-in bar and grill is nestled into the corner on the other. Potted, bright red geraniums hang from hooks in the canopy overhead and add to the rustic charm of the decor. An assortment of flowers sits on top of a marble table surrounded by dark wicker chairs. You also see an oak door inset with rich stained glass in an ornate pattern.

On the bar:

• A frozen sterling silver pitcher of Mint Juleps [when poured, its in a frosty sterling silver cup]
• A bottle of Southern Comfort
• A pitcher of ice cold sweet tea
• a warming plate: Fried chicken [Liz’s semi-famous fried chicken]
• a ceramic blue bowl: candied sweet potatoes
• a ceramic yellow bowl: buttermilk biscuits & gravy [homemade biscuit topped with classic sausage and herb cream gravy]
• a black ceramic platter: Country ham
• a ceramic pink bowl: Savannah Crab Cakes [Twin crab cakes blended with fine lump on a bed of seasoned black beans with white rice, pico salsa, fried collard greens and tartar sauce]
• a blue ceramic platter: Pan-Fried Mountain Trout [Topped with a green tomato blackberry sauce, served with squash casserole, hush puppies and cucumber-onion salad]
• a salad bowl: Toasted Almond and Ginger Salad [Greens tossed in a sweet ginger dressing with toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, celery, diced oranges and red pepper]
• a red platter: Country Fried Steak covered in white gravy
• a green platter: Fried Green Tomatoes with Vidalia onion relish and roasted red pepper sauce

a dessert tray:

• Florentine Cup [A carmel and sliced almond flute bowl with vanilla bean ice creamtopped with diced fresh fruit and garnished with whipped cream.]
• Warm Peach Cobbler [Sautéed peaches in spice, brown sugar and peach liqueur, tucked in by Swedish Linzer crust. Served a la mode with vanilla bean ice cream]
• Bread Pudding [Creole Bread Pudding with Vanilla Whiskey Sauce]
• Liz’s Famous Peach Cheesecake [Poached Peaches topped with Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake]
• Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake [Served warm with clouds of whipped cream.]

On the grill:

• BBQ pork
• Grilled Shrimp Creole
• Baby Back BBQ Ribs
  

Notes: Need Look decriptions for:
On the deck, a round fire pit surrounded by a Adirondack chairs, a built-in bar and a grill a marble table with dark wicker chairs surrounding it.

Atmospheric: crackling sparks from the fire pit

[The Grand Larsony, Salon]

[The Grand Larsony, Salon]

A huge contemporary fireplace dominates the room, its mantle decorated with coral formations and peach candlesticks. Sturdy pieces of contemporary furniture have been placed informally around the room, their simple lines and light tones set off nicely by the plush ivory carpet which covers the floor. A black baby grand piano sits nestled in the corner and an ornate tea cart sits in the opposite corner. Subdued lighting glows from corner fixtures, and reflects back from an assortment of beveled mirrors which hang as artwork from the far wall. The warm fragrance of peach pie cooking in the galley floats through the room, lending a timeless homey feeling to the space. You also see an oak portal inset with rich stained glass in an ornate pattern and a contemporary spiral staircase.

Items in room: tea cart, couch, loveseat, coffee table, fireplace

Atmospheric: Gentle rocking of the boat

On the tea cart:

• Creamer
• Milk
• Sugar bowl

Tea Pots:

• A pot of Assam tea [From the Assam region of India, this tea has a rich, full-bodied taste]
• A pot of Ceylon tea [From Sri Lanka, where the high altitude and abundant sun produce a tea with a golden color and wonderful aroma]
• A pot of Ginger Peach [Ceylon tea with ginger, dried peach, natural flavors]
• A pot of Mango tea [A flavored black tea with dried mango pieces and marigold petals]
• A pot of Cherry Blossom tea [A cherry flavored Japanese Sencha]
• A pot of Chamomile tea [Made of dried flowers from the Egyptian Chamomile plant. Light, Sweet, soothing]

Sandwiches on the silver tray on the cart

• Egg Salad tea sandwich [Homemade Egg Salad with chopped fresh tarragon]
• Cucumber & Watercress tea sandwich [Cucumber, Watercress with chive spread]
• Mozzarella paninni [Fresh mozzarella cheese & basil with sun dried tomato spread
  Prosciutto paninni [Finely sliced prosciutto & roasted red peppers with sun dried tomato spread]
• Turkey and Cranberry tea sandwich [Turkey & cranberries with chive spread]
• Lavosh Roll [tomato, French feta, romaine, lettuce, pesto wrapped in a warm, crispy whole wheat lavosh]
• Chicken & Avocado [Tender slices of grilled chicken breast, avocado, spinach and sprouts served on flat bread]

[The Grand Larsony, Master Stateroom]

[The Grand Larsony, Master Stateroom]
Polished to a high gloss, a mahogany vanity seems to glow in the sunbeams from the portal window, its matching bench tucked beneath it. The bed, piled high with cream-colored pillows and covered in a thick comforter, takes up most of the far side of the room, across from a mahogany wardrobe. Chimes tinkle softly against each other as they sit in the open portal and a small table-top waterfall bubbles and gurgles, the sounds peaceful and soothing. Clothing and ladies accoutrements spill daintily out of a carved mahogany wardrobe and hang from the doornob of an ornate closet door. A long linear shelf covered in expensive items hangs by woven ropes of gilded gold above a low rustic mosaic table. You also see a contemporary spiral staircase.

Items in room: bed, vanity, waterfall, wardrobe (top, middle and bottom drawers), table, closet (wooden door)(dress rail, shoe rack, accessory drawer, shelf)

Atmospheric: Breeze through the open portal tinkling the wind chimes

[The Grand Larsony, Galley]

[The Grand Larsony, Galley] (100th level add-on)
The smell of freshly-baked peach pie hangs heavily in the air, drawing attention to several pies still steaming from the oven as they cool on the counter before an open portal window. Whitewashed oak cabinets support countertops of tan marble speckled with black mica chips, and large stainless steel sink. A contemporary spice rack hangs on the wall over several ceramic canisters of interesting shapes. You also see several whitewashed oak stools padded with tan silk cushions, a whitewashed oak table and an oak door inset with rich stained glass in an ornate pattern.

Mia Taylor

Mia Taylor is a private investigator. She is single, germaphobic, afraid of crowds, heights and snakes. After the death of her husband, Matthew who was killed by a car bomb, Mia began to fall apart. She got fired from her job as detective with the New York police when she began to manifest an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Until she can get her anxiety problems under control, she won‘t be able to return to active duty. Meanwhile, Mia hires herself out as a private consultant and uses her detective skills to solve crimes.

Her attention to detail and her Zen/Sherlock Holmes like demeanor enables her to read people and the environment, to see what others do not. Mia’s talisman is a set of keys that belonged to her husband's car. She holds them close until she can discover the true facts behind his death. Mia occasionally will play her guitar at the foot of her husband's grave. Mia celebrates August 8th as an anniversary. It was the first time she met Matthew. Her favorite meal was Chicken Cacciatore. Mia regularly visits her psychiatrist Dr. Milton Stokes on Monday, Friday and every other Wednesday.

Mia has strange ways of coping with stressful situations. For instance, when Mia walks down the street, she will compulsively begin to touch and count each and every parking meter she passes. And meal time has a strict order: Tuesday is always chicken pot pie night.

It was at college that Mia met her future husband, Matthew while she worked in the library. He came in one day looking for a book by Alexander Pope (Volume 2). And although that section of the library was being reorganized and all the books were stacked in large piles on the tables, Mia's photographic memory enabled her to find the exact book that Matthew needed. Bedazzled by Mia, Matthew summoned the courage to call her three weeks later.

Mia's nickname in college was "Captain Cool" because she was obsessed with keeping her dormitory refrigerator clean and defrosted. Mia was so fastidious that whenever she saw a weed growing anywhere on campus, she took the time to pluck it. In later years, Mia would even wander through a supermarket and pull all of the expired products off the shelves and wheel them up to the check out counter.