Author Spotlight - Excerpt from: Perilous Shadows

Perilous Shadows: (Historical Romantic Thriller, late-1940s --- Sweet romance, warm intimacy, sophisticated themes presented tastefully)

Pioneer newspaperwoman Kiera Devane is on a mission to prove a woman can do a man's job, as she hunts a young coed's killer? Ace radio broadcaster Argus Nye lost one love to a murderous fiend and his pulse races as he tries to protect Kiera from herself as much as from this killer.

Kiera was doted upon by loving parent, but they were killed when she was a girl and she was shipped off to live with a socialite aunt who had little time for her. In her aunt's house, she learned life could be cold and cruel. As a result, she grew up to be an independent and demanding professional woman.

Argus Nye, still bereft from the loss of his first love, can't understand why this female reporter is mesmerizing him. As she takes chances with her life trying to catch a killer, he's determined to protect her.


*****

Chapter One

Sanctuary Point
South Shore of Long Island, NY
Late August, 1947, early afternoon

It shouldn't be this hard to come up with something. Argus Nye sat in his chair and stared blankly through the doorway of his miniscule office into WSAN's empty hallway. He scratched his head and a sandy brown lock tinged with gray fell into his face. His hunt for a good local news story had come up empty, making him antsy. This wouldn't do. After all, he had to live up to his rep as the Scottish Scoop Sniffer.

With one swift movement of his legs, he shoved his chair away from the desk and it hit the back wall. The old wooden chair's wheels squeaked. One day he'd have to bring in a can of oil. The radio station sure wasn't going to get him a new chair. He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and stood.

He didn't want to center the broadcast around last night's auto fatality on the Southern State Parkway. An hour of that would get dry fast, if he could even stretch it to an hour. He could. He'd done it before.

His stomach growled. Might've been a good idea to have had more than coffee for breakfast. With a movement practiced over time, he jutted a hip out and his thigh skimmed the corner of his desk. Then he propelled himself through the narrow doorway. The leather bottoms of his wingtips clapped against the linoleum flooring all the way to the tiny kitchenette.

The aroma of fresh coffee enticing him, he marched toward the two-burner stove, where Jim Heaney stood. "Any coffee left?" Last thing he needed.

His boss had one hand on the chipped Formica countertop. The other held a black and white speckled enamel coffee pot. "Argus, you gave me a start. I was lost in thought." The large man put the pot down on the stove. "Grab a cup and help yourself." He opened the small refrigerator's door, and took out a bottle of milk.
"Not much left here."

"Go ahead. I take mine black with a wee drop o' sugar." Argus deadpanned and poured, tossed two heaping spoons of sugar into the dark liquid, and stirred.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I think I knew that." The big man paced back and forth and took a swig.

"Something got you down?" Argus sipped, grimaced, and stirred in another spoon of sugar.

"Thanks for asking. I'm not sure I did the right thing bringing that coed from Adelphi Women's College in for the summer intern position."

"Clarissa? She's a perky little lassie." All pink frilly blouses and swirly skirts. "Now what's got you thinking it was wrong taking her on?"

"She has these big plans... aspirations of someday writing a gossip column, even having a radio show featuring celebrities with a few society pieces thrown in the mix."

Lars Kronen, a thin man with a large Adam's apple and bony hands, walked in, picked up the coffee pot, and shook it. "Empty. This always happens 'cause my farm report's after most folks' lunch, so the coffee's gone. I'll ask Anna to make another pot."

Argus took another swallow. "Clarissa's sure at the right college to make society contacts so she can move into a gossip show."

Lars banged the pot on the stove. "Women don't belong in radio."

Argus took another sip. "When Kiera Devane subbed for me last fall, the lass did a fine professional job. Come to think of it, didn't she also attend Adelphi College?"

"I hear that Devane woman would stab her grandmother for a story." Lars grunted, turned on his heel, and left.

"At least Kiera had some credible news experience behind her when she subbed for you. This girl has no such thing, but she's full of big ideas for herself." Jim ran his hand over a head of thick graying hair.

Argus laughed. "That's why Clarrisa's here in the summer intern position, to get experience. She'll sharpen pencils, go out for sandwiches, help Anna with little things. What kind of trouble can she get into?"

"I just don't want her parents blaming me for turning her into a Kiera Devane."

Argus chuckled. "Little chance of that, laddie. This one's all fluffy and cute, while by all accounts Kiera's ferocious and..."

Screams coming from the reception area pierced the air.

"It's Anna." Argus ran down the hallway with Jim on his heels.

As they raced past Lars' office, the farm reporter poked his long face out, Adam's apple bobbing. "Is that Anna? What's going on?"

Another shriek.

Argus pumped his arms to pick up his pace.

Author Bio:

Nike Chillemi has been called a crime fictionista due to her passion for crime fiction. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. BURNING HEARTS is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, published by Desert Breeze. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, the third in the series released in July, 2012. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning).



Nike Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Nike's latest release is: Perilous Shadows, Book 3 in the Sanctuary Point Series. You can find Nike's book here:

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://is.gd/2CY13PPurchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle. http://is.gd/W2Hm2N

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/RJF2zy

Author Spotlight - My Former Life as a Pet Rescuer by Nike Chillemi

In the early 1990s I felt a great burden for stray animals. Particularly pets who had been abandoned and thrown away by their owners. Almost immediately, through some church friends, I ran into a young woman who also had this burden on her heart. This was the confirmation I needed. The two of us began rescuing.

My new friend was great at adoption. She'd put signs up and sit at her phone talking to prospective adoptive pet owners. I set up a mini-shelter in my basement. I had a four foot square pen for an extremely large dog, or two smaller dogs that got along together. I had two large cages for small dogs or cats, and one small cage for a cat or kittens.

We did a lot of praying and a lot of chasing after animals in parks and alley-ways. But mostly other people found the pets and having heard of us, phoned asking if we had space for one more. Sadly, often we did not.

We did meet some resistance from "church folk" who admonished us that we should be rescuing unborn babies, not animals. Or at the very least work for the adoption of children. I recall telling one woman, "If we all do what God asks us to do, when He asks us to do it, it will all get done."

After about five riotous years with the cutest, funniest, most charming pets, my pet rescue friend's husband got ill and lost time from work and we had to stop. I later became a foster mom to two gorgeous sisters who eventually went back to their father. About a year after that my husband and I adopted three half-sisters who had been raised from infancy in foster care.

The photos included here are of the animals my husband and I kept…the less social ones, less adoptable ones. Of course people in the community who love animals have long memories and I still get calls to take in pets. Maybe that's why I presently have a house full of animals. We've even rescued baby squirrels fallen out of trees, kept them in a ferret cage, and released them back into the wilds of New York City.

Author Bio:
Nike Chillemi lives with her husband and very bright and beautiful high-school-age daughter in a borough of New York City on a protected wetland, not far from the Atlantic Ocean. Nike has to be near the ocean, which she loves. Nike's husband is a senior social worker supervisor at one of the "krazierst" NYC public hospitals substance abuse programs. If she needs info for her stories on the effects of a particular drug, she goes to him. She's met him after work at the hospital enough times to have personally seen drug crazed individuals brought in to the ER. This is all fodder for her stories.

Nike Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Nike's latest release is: Perilous Shadows, Book 3 in the Sanctuary Point Series. You can find Nike's book here:

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://is.gd/2CY13PPurchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle. http://is.gd/W2Hm2N

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/RJF2zy

Author Spotlight - The Right Balance When Writing A Whodunit By Nike Chillemi

I like a lot of action in my whodunits. Maybe that's why I loved THE LINCOLN LAWYER, the book and the movie. Well, truth be told, I went totally ga-ga for Matthew McConaughey. Then again, perhaps that's a discussion best saved for another time.
To satisfy my reading tastes a whodunit must have suspense, romance, action, and a dash of humor…in that order. Of course when the fellas write a mystery story they often whip up more action than romance. Some male mystery writers eliminate the romance all together. Those stories work and I enjoy reading them. But I'm a lady mystery writer and romance is part of what I do.

Since we're talking whodunits, suspense is the main element in the plotline and will have the greatest word count. The theory of mystery writing I subscribe to starts out with a dead body. The story opens with a crime scene which in real life is often chaotic. EMS, various law enforcement personnel, and sometimes the press are all doing their jobs at the same time. To depict this type of atmosphere accurately, the writer must maintain a high level of suspense from page one. To do that the pace must be kept up. The hunt for a killer has begun. Write in short spurts. Create snappy dialog. The trick is not to reveal too much, but just enough to keep the reader turning pages.

To my mind, once the suspense is taut and fast paced what is needed is romance to balance it out. I'll often write the romance scenes in prose that are more fluid than the staccato rhythm of my suspense and action scenes. However with strict adherence to my character's voice. My favorite murder mystery characters are uber-flawed. I like to create protagonists who desperately need love in their lives, but that's the last thing they want because they've been so badly hurt. Kiera Devane, pioneer newspaper woman and heroine in my historical psychological whodunit, PERILOUS SHADOWS, is just like that. Only love can heal her tortured soul, but she's afraid to let anyone get close to her. Of course all that changes when she meets ace radio broadcaster Argus Nye.

Next in the mix comes action. Many of us who write in the crime fiction genre do not tote a semi-automatic weapon or know how to engage in combat style martial arts. However, we'd best write as if we do. The writer has to do his/her homework. What is the proper police procedure for the situation your protagonist is in? Make sure to accurately describe a roundhouse kick and know what type of ammunition your heroine should be using in her Glock. At the murder scene or when facing down the bad guys is not the time to give the protagonist prolonged internal dialog or to have him/her wax philosophical. Your main characters are human and infallible. They don't have to win every fight. Still they can't be so badly injured that it would be unrealistic for them to carry on the investigation. I like to beat up my main characters. In my debut novel BURNING HEARTS, I pretty badly beat up Harley Davidson riding, WWII war-hero Lorne Kincade. I'm not sexist about this in the least. So, in GOODBYE NOEL, I beat up heroine Katrina Lenart. My main characters are in a struggle: right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, they are trying to avenge the murder of an innocent victim. As a Christian perhaps that's why I'm drawn to this genre.

I find humor is a great way to relieve tension. It can also slow down romance when needed. In real life detectives indulge in witty and even snarky banter to break tension. Some detectives and other law enforcement personnel in the story should do this as well, for the same reason.


Purchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle. http://is.gd/W2Hm2N

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/RJF2zy

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://is.gd/2CY13P

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Nike Chillemi

Steph: PERILOUS SHADOWS is book three in your Sanctuary Point series. It's slightly different than the first two. Tell us about that.

Nike: PERILOUS SHADOWS has a strong psychological theme. It's a whodunit plus romance, but this one gets into the psychology of the two main characters quite deeply, and also several of the subordinate characters. I took time in this story to delve into the interior lives of the characters and to show how their pasts impact the story. Several characters have something to hide in this story.

Steph: Your first two stories featured strong-minded, independent heroines. Do you follow suit in PERILOUS SHADOWS with Kiera Devane.

Nike: I'm chuckling to myself because Kiera Devane is feisty as all get out. As a pioneer woman newspaper reporter in the late 1940s, she's fighting her way to the top in a man career. She's headstrong, and isn't afraid to take on any of her male colleagues. She's tough as nails, but her feminine side shows through in her flair for fashion. She very carefully puts her "look" together. And she's always checking to see if the seams in her hose are straight.

Steph: You've been supportive of American Christian Fiction Authors (ACFA), a new group begun by Shawna Williams, an author here at Desert Breeze Publishing. Tell us about that.

Nike: Well I think you can never have too many writers groups. The industry is huge. Groups spring up to address needs. Shawna set up American Christian Fiction Authors (ACFA) as a place for Christian authors who kind of felt they were square pegs trying to fit into a round CBA hole. They might be writing steamy novels, or Christian horror, etc. It's my understanding that ACFA is not trying to compete with any other Christian fiction organization, but rather is there for authors who might not have found a good fit in another organization. I definitely support that. There's room for everyone.

Steph: You are the Chair of the Grace Awards and you've stated that the awards is going to expand. Tell us about that.

Nike: Well for one thing, the Grace Awards has publicly endorsed American Christian Fiction Authors and is going to function as a sister organization to ACFA. Grace Awards will soon have a Goodreads group and the Grace Awards Facebook group is getting more active. The latest thing to be added to the Grace Awards Facebook Group is a prayer chain. Anyone (writers, readers, editors, etc.) can go there and ask for prayer. I believe in cross pollinating, or cross promoting. I'm hoping those who belong to the Grace Facebook page will also join the Grace Goodreads group. I'd like to see both Grace Awards groups become active and grow. If anyone is interested in the Grace Awards Facebook group, here's the link. https://www.facebook.com/nike.chillemi#!/groups/228634957153779/


Steph: Getting back to PERILOUS SHADOWS, tell us something about the story.

Nike: Let me give a summation of the story.

Historical Romantic Thriller, late-1940s ~ Sweet romance, warm intimacy, sophisticated themes presented tastefully

Pioneer newspaperwoman Kiera Devane is on a mission to prove a woman can do a man's job, as she hunts a young coed's killer? Ace radio broadcaster Argus Nye lost one love to a murderous fiend and his pulse races as he tries to protect Kiera from herself as much as from this killer.

Kiera was doted upon by loving parent, but they were killed when she was a girl and she was shipped off to live with a socialite aunt who had little time for her. In her aunt's house, she learned life could be cold and cruel. As a result, she grew up to be an independent and demanding professional woman.

Argus Nye, still bereft from the loss of his first love, can't understand why this female reporter is mesmerizing him. As she takes chances with her life trying to catch a killer, he's determined to protect her.

Purchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle. http://is.gd/W2Hm2N

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/RJF2zy

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://is.gd/2CY13P

Author Spotlight - Things I Tell Myself Not To Do by Nike Chillemi

Stop carping! There, I've said it. I'm tired of hearing authors gripe about all their publisher is not doing for them. Hey, it's tough out there and unless I'm pulling down a six figure advance with Random House, I'm probably not going to get everything I'd like from my publisher. Actually, I'd like a limo sent to my door to take me everywhere I want to go. Now that's pure fiction…in the fantasy genre.

Revise, rewrite, tweek, and make it better. Listen to my critique group, listen to my best friend who read the work in progress, listen to my editor. But once the book has been released, let it go. Stop rewriting in my head and get on to the next project.
Take the work seriously, but don't take myself too seriously. I've come a long way since I wrote my first serious whodunit over six years ago. I keep the manuscript around just for a good laugh, it's that bad. I can see that my writing has improved and is improving…and hopefully that will keep on going that way.

Don't stop counting my blessings. There are any number of writers who would willingly change places with me. I really do believe in the American dream. With enough hard work, over time (and that's so key because it doesn't happen overnight) even I can be a great success. That doesn't mean I'll be on the New York Times Best Seller List. But it does mean that if I keep at it, keep honing my craft, and keep up with smart marketing I will garner a reader following.

Don't ever take my readers for granted. They don't have to shell out the bucks to buy my novels. I'm very aware of that and appreciative of them. Don't sell them short. They're smart people. Don't write down to them. Don't give them pabulum. Treat readers with the respect they deserve.

Nike Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Nike's latest release is: Perilous Shadows, Book 3 in the Sanctuary Point Series. You can find Nike's book here:

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://is.gd/2CY13PPurchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle. http://is.gd/W2Hm2N

Barnes and Noble/Nook. http://is.gd/RJF2zy

Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery"

Thanks so much for supporting Kris during her spotlight week. Leave a comment on today's post today, Saturday, or Sunday and you'll be entered for Kris's giveaway. Kris is giving away a "Norway is the New Scotland" mug and a keychain from the cathedral ruins in Hamar, Norway. Remember to leave your email with your comment so we can get a hold of you. Enjoy this excerpt from Kris's release, "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery."

Smiles
Moderator Steph

***********

He had nothing at stake. He and Niels were merely escorting a woman and one or two of her servants around the southern tip of Norway. And earning three hundred dalers in recompense. In addition, he would soon make a profit on the money he spent paying off Skogen's debts.

If he was to be nervous about anything it should be facing his family again after stomping out of their lives eight years ago. He wasn't certain he would even be welcomed. He might be forced to let Niels complete the woman's delivery if his own reception proved hostile.

But he couldn't think about that now.

And he certainly couldn't think about romancing the beautiful widow.

Niels reined the pair of horses to a halt in front of Lady Regin's manor. No -- he must think of her as the Baroness. Or Lady Kildahl. Or Jarl's wife.

Not Regin. Not the woman whose unbowed determination in her desperate situation had touched his heart and gained his respect. Not the glossy-haired blue-eyed noblewoman who stooped to selling eggs in the village market. Not the intelligent beauty who figured out a way to give up her family's estate and regain it through the same action.

Thoughts like those could only lead him down undesirable alleys with no way out.

"Ready?" Niels asked.

In answer, Brander jumped down from the carriage seat. The cousins climbed the steps and Niels knocked on the massive wood door.

The door was opened by a maid dressed in traveling clothes who ushered them into the entry hall. Lady Kildahl stood at the bottom of the staircase. She wore a lavender bodice and sleeves over a long-sleeved linen blouse and a matching woolen skirt. A brown fur-lined hooded cloak waited, draped over the stair railing. Her back was straight, chin high, and hands clasped under her bosom. She appeared controlled and calm.

Until she saw Brander.

The words, "It's you!" rounded her pink lips. Her brow lowered.

Niels made the introduction, and his hand swung around to Brander. Brander gave the lady a deep bow.

"You are Lord Olsen?" The incredulous look on her face hovered on furious. Even so, her hand floated upward toward his. "Why didn't you - when I saw you--"

Brander took her hand and pressed it to his lips. The blisters on her palm surprised him; the reassuring scent of lemon soap did not. He straightened and his eyes never moved from hers.

"Why do you stare at me so rudely?" she demanded. "Will you not at least speak to me?"

Her startled gaze jumped to Niels and rested there a moment. Her cheeks paled, then flushed with disturbing radiance. Brander didn't turn away; he assumed what Niels was saying.

She looked at Brander again with eyes huge and dark.

Her hand covered her throat. "Oh!"

He didn't know how to react so he stood still, rooted stupidly by her surprised consideration.

"You can't hear me?"

He shook his head.

She frowned again. "But you know what I'm saying..."

He touched the edge of his eye, his lips, and pointed to her.

Her features relaxed a little. "You--" She pointed at him. "Watch--" She touched the edge of her own eye and slid her finger down her cheek to her lower lip. "My mouth."

He nodded, pleasantly surprised. No one had ever mimicked him with such respect.

Her head tilted. "And how will I know what you are saying?"

He blinked, momentarily unable to think coherently. She was talking to him. Not to Niels about him. That never happened. When people found out he was deaf, they spoke to his valet and cut him out of their conversation.

They never asked how he would communicate with them!

Brander lifted his hands, palms up and fingers splayed.

"You talk with your hands?" Her expression lightened. "That makes sense."

He clamped his hands together to signal 'and.' Then he mimed writing on his left palm with his right hand.

"Well of course! You write!" Lady Kildahl blushed again. The way the heightened color complemented her eyes made Brander's pulse jump. Steady, man.

*****


Buy link for eBook:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-272/Discreet-Gentleman-Book-One/Detail.bok

Buy link for print book:
http://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Volume/dp/1469955679/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332738462&sr=1-3

Find me on the web links:

http://www.KrisTualla.com
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla

Author Spotlight - Writing a Deaf Character

Needless to say, writing a deaf character as a hearing person does present some challenges. The first was ignoring what American Sign Language I do know; those gestures didn't exist in the 1700s so I had to make up new signals. Signals that a seven-year-old boy might invent.

Next was remembering that Brander Hansen can't hear. Seems obvious, but I lost count of how many times I started to have him react to something as common as a knock on the door! Of course, I'd also write the heroine Regin Kildahl doing something inappropriate as well. When I caught myself, I would write that into her action: "She lowered her voice until she remembered she didn't need to."

Third, Brander's multiple methods of communicating needed to be conveyed to the reader in an easy-to-follow manner so that I wasn't constantly having to use cumbersome tags and explanations. By Book Two, "A Discreet Gentleman of Matrimony," I'm trusting the reader to know and understand how Brander is communicating without them.

Fourth - and this was an easy one - was explaining my visual code to my publisher. I needed them to know these quirks weren't mistakes, they were intentional. I settled on the following formats:
"Spoken words are always in quotation marks."
Written words are always in italics, whether in dialog or letters.
Brander motioned: When the dialog is gestured, there are no quotation marks.

Fifth - and this was the hardest one - I had to be sensitive to the deaf community and walk the line between 18th-century attitudes toward the deaf, and Brander's own identity as a deaf man. I think I've done well based on early readers' responses.

Here is the silent ASL trailer for "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzBMPPVdZq8

And here is the traditional trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjj986aaTR8

Enjoy them both!

Buy link for eBook:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-272/Discreet-Gentleman-Book-One/Detail.bok

Buy link for print book:
http://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Volume/dp/1469955679/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332738462&sr=1-3

Find me on the web links:

http://www.KrisTualla.com
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla

Author Spotlight - Kris Tualla is on location - part two.

Arendal, Norway is the ancestral home of my fictional Hansen family and is pivotal in the plot of "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery" (Book One) and "A Discreet Gentleman of Consequence" (Book Three, coming in December). My Hansens have lived there since Viking days, but were very nearly wiped out during the Black Death (1348-1354) ~ until Rydar Martin Petter-Edvard Hansen returned from his family's exile in Greenland. Along with his Scottish wife, Grier MacInnes, he reclaimed the family estate and busily set about reestablishing the family dynasty.

The first thing I noticed was the church in the center of the town, built in the 1700's. Norway's early churches (ca 800ad-1100ad) were of wooden stave construction. When Christianity reached Norway (ca 1100ad) some of them were repurposed. But unfortunately, most of those ancient buildings were torn down and rebuilt. I chose to say that when Rydar arrived in Arendal in 1354, there was a wooden stave church in the center of town.

I placed the heir-disputed Hansen Hall on a rocky bluff west of town, about a one-mile walk from the church. Today that bluff is crowded with homes. The shipping docks of Arendal, a summer vacation destination for many Norwegians, are now used mostly for pleasure boats, upscale shops and housing. But Arendal holds onto its history, with many restored and inhabited 1800s houses!

My trip to Norway was so much fun ~ and I had no problem imagining my Hansen heroes living there so long ago. In fact, I think I saw one of them out of the corner of my eye… ☺

My photos of these places and additional commentary are posted here: http://www.kristualla.com/News___Links.html


Buy link for eBook:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-272/Discreet-Gentleman-Book-One/Detail.bok

Buy link for print book:
http://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Volume/dp/1469955679/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332738462&sr=1-3

Find me on the web links:

http://www.KrisTualla.com
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla

Author Spotight - Kris Tualla is on location - part one...

I began writing my Norse heroes in 2006. Five years later, in the summer of 2011, I had the privilege of traveling to Norway for about 10 days. What a spectacular trip that was! And I visited places I wrote about, of course.

First, I had the privilege of exploring the fortress called Akershus Castle. Akershus is still a functional military installation ~ which explains why no floor plans were available either online nor in person.

This also explains why my imaginings and reality don't always line up. But, considering that this fortress is over 700 years old, and has been added to and remodeled countless times in the interim, there is every reason to believe that some of the areas might have looked as they do in my descriptions. And some of the descriptions do match!

When I picked the little town of Hamar for Lady Regin Kildahl's home in "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery" all I knew was that it was the right distance from Christiania (Oslo today) and it didn't have any non-English letters in its name.

I soon discovered there is a cathedral there, built in the 13th century and burned in the 16th century by warring Swedes. I was able to place my hero Brander Hansen at the ruins where a conversation with a priest proves pivotal to his one of his investigations.

Hamar Cathedral wasn't as polished as other great cathedrals, such as the ones in Italy where craftsmen excelled in creating fantastic buildings of marble…

Even so, Hamar remained an important religious and political center in Norway, organized around the cathedral until the Reformation.
Today the cathedral ruins are under a canopy of glass to prevent further deterioration. That also allows the ruins to be used for such momentous occasions as weddings. Can you imagine a more romantic setting?

To be continued…



Buy link for eBook:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-272/Discreet-Gentleman-Book-One/Detail.bok

Buy link for print book:
http://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Volume/dp/1469955679/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332738462&sr=1-3

Find me on the web links:

http://www.KrisTualla.com
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla

Author Spolight - Q&A with Kris Tualla

STEPH: I don't know much about "A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery." What's it about?

KRIS: This is the story of Brander Hansen, a disinherited son passed over because he became DEAF at age 7 as the result of multiple ear infections. We find him in 1720 Christiania (now Oslo) practicing a trade as a 'discreet gentleman of discovery' - a private investigator. He's saving every penning until he can buy an estate of his own and prove his father's choice wrong. He's on the verge of doing so when the Baroness of that estate writes to him asking for his help in saving her ancestral home from creditors. In actuality, that means saving it from Brander.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

KRIS: Generally it takes me four months to write a novel, and a couple more to edit and proof.

STEPH: What was the inspiration for the story?

KRIS: An article in the Romance Writer Report (RWR) which talked about how women are attracted to men who stare at them like they are the only person in the room. I thought, "Who stares like that? Deaf men!"

STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story?

KRIS: A friend of mine offered to be on the cover and grew his hair for 6 months before the photo shoot. His curls and reddish-gold color are perfect for Brander. The background is a photo I took at the cathedral ruins in Hamar, Norway - a location where Brander has a crime-solving epiphany.

STEPH: Brander is the hero. What are his strengths? Weaknesses?

KRIS: Oh, he's brilliant. So strong and capable. And he uses his deafness to solve crimes, especially by reading lips. As he often states: When people find out I'm deaf, they forget I'm in the room.

STEPH: What does Regin find appealing about him?

KRIS: When she first sees him, she thinks he's a creditor come to claim her estate. Later, she is surprised to find out he's deaf; unperturbed, she speaks to him, not to his valet about him. She's fascinated as Brander tracks a serial killer. She feels safe around him - unlike the husband who bankrupted her estate before turning violent.



The glitch is that she doesn't know who Brander really is for the first 3/4 of the book!

STEPH: What do you hope readers take away from reading the novel?

KRIS: That a "disabled" hero can still be a memorable, sexy, and desirable hero! *fans self to keep from swooning*

STEPH: What attracted you to setting the story in Norway?

KRIS: Norway is the new Scotland. It's time for heroes who don't wear kilts! All of my heroes ("A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery" is my 6th novel) and one heroine are Norse. The stories take place in America, Scotland and Norway over 5 centuries. So far.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

KRIS: My name is Kris and I'm a Kindleholic. Don't cure me.

STEPH: Fun question: Spring is in the air. Are there any spring festivals in your area? How do you embrace spring?

KRIS: I just attended the Highland Games in Phoenix and checked in with my clan: Bell of the Borders. I do love men in kilts even if I don't write about them!


Buy link for eBook:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-272/Discreet-Gentleman-Book-One/Detail.bok

Buy link for print book:
http://www.amazon.com/Discreet-Gentleman-Discovery-Volume/dp/1469955679/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332738462&sr=1-3

Find me on the web links:

http://www.KrisTualla.com
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla

Author Spotlight - Q&A With Melanie Atkins

STEPH: I don't know much about "Quest for Justice." What's it about?

MELANIE: In this story, Detective Abby Ryals goes behind the sheriff's back to accept an undercover assignment with another agency to avenge fellow detective C.J. Bowman's death, and is stunned to learn he's very much alive when he leaves witness protection and follows her undercover to help keep her safe. Together, they must race the clock to defeat a notorious drug lord before he can discover their true identities.

STEPH: "Quest for Justice" is in the Keller County Cop Series. Can you give us an overview of the series? Where is it set? The time frame?

MELANIE: This contemporary romantic suspense series set in the fictional town of Hunter's Bayou on the Mississippi Gulf Coast features the tough, handsome men who work for the Keller County Sheriff's office. Can you say hot heroes?

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

MELANIE: Took me months to write this book. I got stuck at one point and put it down. They usually go much faster for me. Everything came together at the end, though, and I'm very happy with the way the story turned out.

STEPH: What was the inspiration for this story?

MELANIE: I read about a drug bust in the paper, and that kicked things off. I admire law enforcement and appreciate the job they do to help us stay safe.

STEPH: Abby is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

MELANIE: Abby is a cop herself. She's smart, resourceful, and brave. I'd say her weakness, however, is C.J. Bowman. She'll do anything for him... including risking her life and going undercover to avenge his death.

STEPH: What does CJ find attractive about Abby?

MELANIE: Even with her gritty determination and kick ass attitude on the job, she's still all woman. He appreciates that.



STEPH: How did you come up with the title, "Quest for Justice?"

MELANIE: That's what Abby and C.J. are after: justice. Makes sense, right?

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

MELANIE: It's a mess! I write jammed in the corner of my bedroom in a recliner with a laptop on my lap. Works for me, though. It's comfortable.

STEPH: How important is setting to the story?

MELANIE: Extremely important. The setting helps set the mood, and that grounds the reader to the tone and flow of the story. I love using sultry Southern settings.

STEPH: How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

MELANIE: By going to a parade! We have the fabulous Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade here in Jackson, MS every year, and it draws crowds of 30-40,000 people. It's amazing! And so much fun. It's like a Mardi Gras parade.

Author Spotlight - Love Stories Wrapped in Mystery and an excerpt from "Goodbye Noel"

Thanks so much for supporting Nike during her Spotlight Week. Leave a comment on ANY of Nike's posts and she'll choose a winner to receive a PDF copy of her novel. Winner will be announced next Monday, 27 FEB. Please leave your email addy in the post so we can get ahold of you.

Thanks,
Moderator Steph

********

Love Stories Wrapped in Mystery

By its very nature, writing Christian romance is a challenge. Traditional wisdom has it there are all kinds of unwritten and written rules outlining what can't go into the book. I usually disregard all of that.

And yet, I definitely want my story to fall squarely into the realm of Christian romance. To achieve that goal and still have a thrilling romance, I strive to write a love story rather than a romance. Does that make sense? I create a romance by writing a love story.

They say a romance must have a happy ever after ending. To me, a love story must go to the depths of the heart, to an everlasting love. A Christian love story must go to the marriage altar and beyond...all the way to heaven.

And since I write romantic thrillers, my aim is to write a love story that is central and intertwined with the mystery story. I've been told I did exactly that in GOODBYE NOEL, the second story in my Sanctuary Point series. Katrina Lenart and Detective Ian Daltry have such a deep love they have no secrets from each other. As the story progresses they bare their souls to each other in the most intimate manner, totally exposing themselves and their vulnerabilities. And of course, they have great desire for each other in every way.

So, what makes this novel a love story? Well you can have romance without love and love without romance, but what makes a story exciting is when you have them both. GOODBYE NOEL definitely has both.


**********


BLURB:
The first body is found under a trimmed Christmas tree, the second as they ring in the New Year (1947), the third goes head long out a window. Will a young pediatric nurse determined to make it on her own be able to care for an infant whose mother was murdered and escape the killer who has struck again? Can she trust the stalwart village detective with her life and her heart as he works to catch this killer before somebody else dies?

Pediatric nurse, Katrina Lenart, grew up strong willed and independent minded, while sharing her mother's flair for high fashion. When the police chief gives her an orphaned baby to care for, her maternal instincts take over and she's willing to fight anyone who might not have the infant's best interests at heart, even the man she's growing to love. After an attempt is made to kidnap the baby, she and the resolute village detective team up and do some sleuthing, undercover at a cult as well as at a fancy ball.

Detective Ian Daltry is a widower with a child and is not interested in a new love. Hunting a killer who stops at nothing has placed him in the position where he must protect a beautiful young woman he's drawn to. Is there's something he's overlooked in analyzing the case? Will he find out what that is before this ruthless murderer kills someone he loves?

*******


Excerpt:
Chapt 5, scene 1
Long Island, New York
Late December, 1946

Katrina wanted to throw Detective Daltry into a snow bank. The nerve of him, barging into their house twice in two days, demanding she bundle the baby up and take him into the cold. How could that man not recall their harrowing, nighttime drive through the storm of the decade? She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and with great difficulty held her tongue.

Momma apparently had no such reservations. "Detective, what you are doing is very wrong."

Katrina came up beside her mother, to show a united front. "This is outrageous." Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. She hated the tone of her voice, but this baby wasn't a ping-pong ball to be batted back and forth as the detective moved forward with his murder case.

He ignored her and continued addressing her mother.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He removed his fedora. "Chief Ferguson has already made the necessary phone calls and arrangements have been made. I must take Leslie Janos Bauer with me to the home of his aunt in Bay Shore. The chief would prefer your daughter come along in an official capacity as a nurse. It's up to her, but I have to take the baby."

Momma's face flushed beet-red, a sure sign she'd become enraged. "This is not good for him… this hustle from place to place."

"With all due respect, ma'am, a child belongs with his family, if at all possible." The detective took a step toward Katrina. "Now, will you please fetch the baby." It wasn't a request.

Katrina made sure she stood tall. "Yes, I'll get Leslie." She clenched her fists at her side and jutted her chin. "This is disgraceful.
You are using this infant to solve your murder case. Perhaps your own tragic life experience clouds your judgment?"

His mouth fell open and he took a step back.

"If you have it within your heart, give me one minute. I'll get him ready and get my coat and boots on." Without giving him a chance to reply, Katrina turned and stormed up the stairs.

Leslie lay sleeping in the baby-doll cradle Poppa had made for her when she was a little girl. Poppa had that kind of talent. He could make anything. In her heart she knew, he'd figured it would be her baby's bassinet. At least now, it had a real purpose.
She ran a finger over the hand carved leaves in the headboard.

"Milachku, time to wake up." She took the infant into her arms inhaling the smell of baby, sweeter than the most expensive imported perfume.

Leslie yawned and she snuggled her nose in the soft folds of skin between his head and shoulder, kissing his neck. He cooed, so safe in her arms.

She brought him to her heart, holding him, rocking him and spoke softly to her reflection in the mirror above her bureau. "Fat chance I'll ever walk down the aisle or have a family of my own with the man shortage since the war." Something deep in the core of her female-self rebelled, a throbbing turbulence, from which deep hunger erupted.

She stroked Leslie's cheek and made a funny face. The softness of his skin melted her heart.

He smiled at her and kicked.

"I'm so sorry. I promised I'd protect you and I can't." She forced a smile and made clucking noises.

He grabbed her hair and yanked.

"Ouch." She laughed, removing strands of her hair from his little fist.

A tear escaped and ran down the side of her cheek. "I can do this." She lifted her chin, sucked in a long breath, wrapped Leslie in a heavy quilt, and picked up his tote bag.

Nike Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/


Goodbye Noel (Desert Breeze) ~ Winter themed (1946/47)
---murder, mayhem, an orphaned infant, kidnap and romance. Can Katrina Lenart and Det. Ian Daltry catch a kller before he strikes again?


Burning Hearts (Desert Breeze) ~ Historical Romantic Thriller
---arson/murder and romance. Can Erica Brogna and Lorne Kincaid catch a wanton killer and thwart those who are trying to frame Lorne for the crime?

Author Spotlight - Characte look at Katrina from "Goodbye Noel"

One of the best things about writing the character of Katrina Lenart in GOODBYE NOEL, the second in the Sanctuary Point series, is that I never knew what to expect. She was the type of character that sort of rewrote things if they didn't suit her. She's feisty, competent, beautiful, and she made sure she was smack in the middle of Detective Ian Daltry's murder investigation. One of the most fun scenes to write is when Katrina insists on going along with Ian to the weekly meeting of a group called The Children of Wisdom, a cult who may have been hiding the killer. As it turned out this was a scene that wrote itself with unexpected moments of humor. It opens when a woman in a red skating outfit is knocked down at an outdoor rink and Katrina and Ian come to her assistance.



Here's an excerpt from chapter twenty-four of GOOBYE NOEL.

Ian pumped his arms, rushing to help, but Katrina reached the lady first and knelt beside her. "Are you all right?"

This didn't surprise him. Katrina could skate rings around him. He stifled a smile on behalf of the woman.

Katrina smoothed an errant piece of hair out of the woman's face. "You went down pretty hard."

The little boy whirled around, making a tight turn and came back. "Sorry."

The skater smiled. "I'm fine, really. Accidents happen. No harm done."

She couldn't weigh more than a hundred pounds. Ian bent to help her up, hoping he wouldn't topple over on her. "Give me your hand."

The woman accepted his help and rose to her feet. A gold pendant on a chain slippedfrom beneath her neckline. The Egyptian all-seeing eye with rays emanating from it. Verysimilar to the tattoo on Red's arm.

Ian blinked. "What an interesting medallion."

Once upright on her skates, the woman held the piece up for him. "I'm rather fond of it."

He kept his voice neutral. "I've never seen a piece of jewelry like it."

The woman beamed. "It is compelling, isn't it?"

Katrina leaned toward the piece. "Does it come with a story?"

Ian bit back a smile. She should've been a detective.

"Well." The woman moistened crimson lips and excitement flashed in her eyes. "Since you asked, as a matter of fact, it does."
She paused and enthusiasm fought with caution in hergaze.

Drawing upon years of experience in getting people to talk, Ian pulled away from her slightly. It was a tactic he used when people wanted to tell all, but something stopped them.

She took a long breath through her thin nose. Her passionate interest in the story won the battle Ian read in her eyes. "Have you ever heard of the Descended Masters?"

Ian shook his head. "No, can't say that I have. What are they?"

"Who, actually. They are people of great wisdom. There are only four in all the earth. Here in Rockville Center we're blessed to have two Descended Masters living among us."

Katrina shot him a look and arched an eyebrow slightly.

Ian gave the woman a courteous smile. "I certainly can see how that would be a huge deal."

Katrina shot him another look, this one more urgent. He moved toward her, took her hand, and gently applied pressure mashing her fingers together. She surreptitiously maneuvered her hand and pressed back against his fingers, her facial expression now placid, but her gaze boring into him.

The woman waved her black-leather gloved hand in an arc. "I'm Madeline Edwards. Would you and your wife like to learn more about the Descended Masters?"

"That would be very interesting. Yes, I would like to." He turned toward Katrina and frowned. "But, I'm afraid my..."

Katrina threw Madeline a huge smile. "I'd love to. We'd both love to." She slanted her head toward him. "Wouldn't we, dear?"

He was going to have to kill her later. "Yes, we'd both love to. Is that the name of a group? The Descended Masters."

Madeline chuckled, as if she were speaking to beings of a lower form of intelligence. "No, no." She chuckled again, softer this time. "We call ourselves Children of Wisdom. The Descended Masters are our leaders."

Katrina nodded with solemnity. "This is all so very interesting. We're so lucky to have met you."

"Yes, it's fascinating actually and providential." Madeline eased closer and lowered her voice. "As a matter of fact we're having our weekly meeting tonight. Would you like to be my guests?"

"I would." Ian closed his fingers around Katrina's hand with some pressure. "But I'mquite sure the little woman here has another obligation this evening."

Katrina offered a demure smile and crushed his fingers with full force. "Nothing of great importance. I'd love to come along. A person should always try to gain enlightenment. Don't you think so, Madeline?"

He steeled himself against the pain in his fingers and nodded. He was definitely going to kill her.

Madeline's eyes glistened. "Why, yes, I do."

Ian cleared his throat. "By the way, I'm Ian." He avoided Katrina's insistent gaze.

Katrina knitted her brows. "I'm Katrina, but Madeline, I must clear something up for you."

"Oh?" Madeline withdrew into herself.

Katrina took the woman's hand. "We're not married yet."

"You're engaged. How exciting." High color flushed Madeline's cheeks, and she clapped her hands. "Tonight is going to be perfect. I can't wait."

Katrina raised her knee to relieve pressure on her injured ankle and then lowered it. "Where should we go? What time should we be there?"

Madeline fished in the jacket pocket of her skating outfit and came out with a dog-eared card. She handed it to Ian. "The meeting starts at eight o'clock sharp."

Ian gritted his teeth and took the card. It had a sketch of the Egyptian eye on one side. On the other side was an address. He glanced at Katrina, who stood there with a sly smile on her face. He forced the corners of his mouth to turn upward. "This is my lucky day."

Author Spotlight - Nike Chillemi talks about writing her love for writing romantic thrillers

I've been told that what I write is lodged somewhere between the romance genre and the crime fiction genre. It's the romantic thriller.

Of course, my hero and heroine will fall in love. That's the romance part of romantic thriller. They will have lots of romantic tension between them. In my current historical romantic thriller, GOODBYE NOEL, the story starts with a strong attraction between Detective Ian Daltry and pediatric nurse Katrina Lenart. But there's also antipathy. The sparks fly. Boy do they.

My stories deal with crime (particularly murder), intrigue, scandal, and revenge. The pace is such that, hopefully, it keeps the reader on the edge of her/his seat. The two co-protagonists engage in a battle with the villain, fight for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Their intelligence and talents save them repeatedly. My heroes and heroines are engaged in the business of hunting down a killer. None of my heroines are shrinking violets. In my GOODBYE NOEL, Katrina is put at risk a few times and either saves herself, or Ian saves her. In the process of struggling with a cunning villain, Ian and Katrina are falling deeper and deeper in love.

I like to write romantic thrillers because there's double suspense. Will the guy get the girl? That's the romantic suspense part. The thriller part pushes the suspense to the max. Will the hero and heroine save themselves, each other, and those they love in time? There's usually time pressure in a thriller. The killer is one-step ahead of them and has a lethal agenda. Or the killer has an unrelenting time table and the hero and heroine must beat the clock.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Nike Chillemi

STEPH: I don't know much about "Goodbye Noel." What's it about?

NIKE: One of the major themes of Goodbye Noel is second chances...the ability to make something new out of what might be a disaster. As the story opens, the first body is found under a trimmed Christmas tree, the second as they ring in the New Year (1947), the third goes head long out a window. Katrina Lenart, a young pediatric nurse is determined to make it on her own and to be able to care for an infant whose mother was murdered. She must escape the killer who has struck again and has to decide if she can she trust Detective Ian Daltry as he works to catch this killer before somebody else dies?

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

NIKE: About a year ago, I had the basic story line outlined and about half of it written in a bad first draft. I wrote the second half and cleaned it up in about six months. So, all told about a year of writing to get it into its final form.

STEPH: What was the inspiration for the novel?

NIKE: I've got a really vivid imagination. I just make this stuff up. Really. Stories pop into my head in the weirdest places. I could be sitting in the dentist's chair and I want to make notes on the bib around my neck because I've got a new plot.

STEPH: Katrina is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

NIKE: Her strengths are that she's really intelligent, she's competent, and she thinks for herself. Those were also her weaknesses when it came to men. She scared the daylights out of most men she met. Even though she's considered to perhaps be the prettiest gal in the village of Sanctuary Point, everyone thought she'd wind up a spinster. That is until she discovered a body under a Christmas tree and Detective Ian Daltry came to investigate. A widower with a small daughter, he had no intention of falling in love again, but he can't get her out of his head.



STEPH: What does Ian, the hero, find appealing about Katrina?

NIKE: Ian finds all the things in Katrina that intimidate other men attractive and compelling. In the beginning, she's a hand full to him, but he's one to love a challenge. He has to have a woman who knows her own mind and who could stand up to him if she thinks he's wrong about something. And he's not disappointed in that. Katrina does stand up to him. In fact, in the beginning of the story the sparks fly.

STEPH: What do you hope readers take with them after the reading the story.

NIKE: The idea of second chances is what this book is about. Starting over. Taking a disaster and making something good out of it. On a more spiritual plane, it's about God giving us second chances, and third and fourth.

STEPH: Goodbye Noel is the 2nd book in the Sactuary Point series. What's the underlying theme that ties the series together?

NIKE: The large overarching theme in this series is the idea that love conquers all. Romantic love that leads to marriage, of course. A parent's love for a child, the family's love for its members, love of neighbors, and LOVE. God's love in us. Nothing can defeat pure love.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

NIKE: Cramped. I have a tiny computer desk with everything I need crammed there. I dream of having a large office with a fine oak desk. Oh, and while I'm dreaming let's put that home-office in a beach house with a veranda that overlooks the ocean.

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

NIKE: I penned my first fully illustrated story when I was a child. It was about horses and actually written in Crayola. In my teens and early twenties I wrote the requisite bad poems filled with angst. My thirteen year old is writing those types of poems now and it touches my heart. I think that's a right of passage for certain female types. I started writing seriously for publication about six years ago. I bumped into Steeple Hill (now Love Inspired) authors Cheryl Wyatt, Margaret Daley, and Janet Tronstad among others and they cheered me on, tirelessly. I took free writing lessons Harlequin offered at the time and still use a version of their suggested character bio sheet. A word to any newbie writers…if there are any free writing workshops or classes offered, take them.


STEPH: Fun question: Do you wear green on St. Patrick's Day?

STEPH: Usually yes. I have a green Vera scarf that was a gift from a wonderful woman who was a mentor to me. I guess a life coach before that term was popular. She taught me to be true to myself. I usually wear that scarf on St. Patrick's Day. Sandy came from poverty and a minority background. She taught herself to become a refined lady. She put herself through college and when widowed, in the second half of her life, realized her dream to work as a RN on The Good Ship Hope. Every St. Patrick's Day I think of her.

Author Spotlight - Nancy Kay talks about why she writes romantic suspense

I write Romantic Suspense because I’ve lived Romantic Suspense...so to speak. Of all the ‘writing rules’ we face as authors from the day we select writing as a career, write what you know ranks high on the ‘pay attention’ scale.

Who doesn’t like Romance? One of the first Romance books I ever read was one entitled ‘I’ll Find My Love’ circa 1957, published by Berkley Highland Books. The story was simple, sweet, and had conflict plus all the other elements we strive for in the genre.
However, the story lacked suspense, something which didn’t enter my life until years later when I fell in love and married a Marine who went on to become a policeman.

Suspense with a capitol ‘S.’ His position in the Corps had day to day tension, not to mention it was the mid sixty’s and Viet Nam was an issue. He’s my go to source when I need to get into the head a character with a military background, but most of the suspense and danger elements in my stories relates to his 28 years on the job as a Pennsylvania State Policeman.

I can attest to how lines of fatigue etched into his face at the end of a shift affected me. I saw and felt his frustration, his fears and sometimes anger. We celebrated when justice prevailed, or a family walked away from a horrific accident. And there’s a sense of humor amongst policeman that serves to diffuse tension and helps men and women on the job cope with what they must face every day.

So when I create a character, be it military, law enforcement or even the despised villain, I have a built in consultant. I write what I know, and being there first hand so close to the mystery and suspense, all that was needed was Romance.

After 46 years as man and wife, we’ve got that covered!

PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-254/Deadly-Triad-Book-Two/Detail.bok

Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Lost Then Found

Thanks so much for supporting Christina this week while she's been in the spotlight. She's offering a giveaway = a PDF copy of "Lost then Found." Post a comment on the blog today, Saturday, and Sunday and I'll pick one lucky winner out of a hat to win a copy of Christina's novel. The winner will be announced on Monday here on the blog and on the Connections Loop.

Smiles
Moderator Steph

************


She entered into the small room and Jonas followed, stepping into the dark office. The room had one small window near the top of the wall. A coat of dust blocked out most of the sunshine.

"Thanks for talking to me."

"Hold the thanks." Renee pressed the door closed then turned to face him. Renee jabbed a finger toward a plush chair across the room. "Sit."

Without a word, Jonas complied.

Sweat coated her hands and her stomach clenched. Give her a screaming, profanity-spewing ex-husband of one of her clients instead of an indifferent and calm Jonas Knight. To hide the tremble wanting to buckle her knees, she slid onto the desk and thumped her heels against the marred wooden legs of the hand-me-down furniture.

"All I want to do is help you." Jonas leaned forward, decreasing their distance.

"I can handle a man like Howard." She scooted back a few inches. "And I did. I don't need you showing up here putting my staff and my clients in danger. What if he followed you again? I thought you were better than that." The baiting words flowed from her before thought stopped the spitefulness.

Blankness filled his gray eyes. Jonas steepled his fingers and pressed them against his lips. Renee had always assumed the lack of readable emotions came from being a top-notch skip tracer, not an ingrained personality trait. She learned otherwise, discovering love couldn't...and wouldn't...change it.

She pressed her hands onto the wooden top to stave off the tremor building in her body. "I have no information for you. I want you to stop harassing me. Leading people to me."

His brows rose. "Little dramatic, aren't you? This is not harassment. This is one professional coming to talk to another professional about a common case."

"We have nothing in common."

A hint of an unreadable emotion jumped in his eyes. "We have a lot in common. Denying it doesn't change the fact."

Something fluttered in her heart, and she refused to acknowledge it enough to define it. "We're not here to talk about us."

Jonas settled into the chair and rested one jean-clad leg on top of the other. "Aren't we? Isn't this whole issue about us?"

Renee clenched her hands, knuckles jamming into the desk. Pinpricks of pain traveled up her arms. Why did Jonas turn everything into a battle? "Not on my end. Is it on yours?"

A smile inched up the corners of Jonas' mouth. Her heart fluttered. His smile always affected her. The first time she saw it, he stood in front of the classroom listing his credentials. The grin grabbed her and reeled her in. She focused on the shape of his mouth rather than the words coming out of it. The paper in front of her remained blank, and she had to take that particular seminar again. The next time, she chose a different instructor as the handsome, renegade Jonas Knight distracted her attention and captured her heart.

In three months, he swept her off her feet and to the altar. Her heart had never known such happiness. A memory of her sister's funeral trickled into her mind. Or pain. Jonas had stood beside her, arms crossed, staring into the distance without a flicker of emotion on his face or in his eyes. Renee had needed the feel of his arms around her, to lean on him and gather strength, but Jonas denied her comfort that day. He closed himself off to her, to her parents, to Alex. Her husband turned himself into a stranger the day she needed him most.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about Christmas stories & writing

It's getting to be that time of year again. Turkey. Present shopping. Putting up the Christmas tree. Present shopping. House decorating. Present shopping. Cookie baking. Putting a limit on the present shopping.

And along with all that fun, comes my favorite and most anticipated activities of the year. That window of time available to listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and the reading holiday themed books. Usually, I start collecting --hoarding-- the books around October so I have plenty to read. I have a few favorites but am always on the search to add to my collection. My favorite topics for holiday books are rekindled romances, the loner finding those who want to make him or her a part of their family, and the ones centered around 'holiday drama'.

I'll admit right now that I like my holiday angst to be have a light and humorous tone. I don't mind some heavy hitting issues, but nothing to deep and heart-breaking. There is one Christmas song where I can't turn the radio over fast enough when it comes on. If I'm going to cry at the holiday, I want it to because my heart was touched by kindness and generosity. During the rest of the year, give me the heavy themes, the life-altering, heart-wrenching books but from the week of Thanksgiving through January 1, I want 'holiday drama'. It's a weird quirk of mine.

'Holiday Drama' books are based on those perplexing and aggravating issues which only come up around the happiest time of the year--the time of joy, love, and getting together with family members. The angst over not being invited, or being invited, to 'the' cookie exchange party of the year, deciding to pare down the holiday spending and activities only to be confronting by those not agreeing with your choice, or the holiday planner/baker/shopper/decorater having enough and going on strike. Throw in the neighborhood war of banning blow up yard decorations, greedy shopper buying the entire stock of the hot item to sell for a fortune on an auction and there's enough drama to last the whole season long.

And with that time sneaking up on me pretty fast, I'd love to hear some recommendations. I've been real busy this year with writing books, volunteering, driving teens around, and helping plan a wedding this summer, so I haven't conducted my 'intense' search for those holiday drama stories and would love to hear what you enjoy.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about her influences

I always thought I didn't have a 'true' influence on my writing because I've always wrote different types of stories. How could any one writer, book, or even style of story, have influenced my writing when I create stories that use voices and techniques that are the opposite of each other.

One day, I saw a poll someone was doing regarding the influence Nancy Drew had on female mystery author's writing...and I realized how wrong I was. I enjoyed reading about Nancy Drew and her adventures but my true love was the Hardy Boys. Frank. Joe. Fenton and Laura. Aunt Gertrude. Even now, I still sometimes pick up a Hardy Boy book and read it. There's something about the stories that tug at my heart and are a comfort to me.

I was more drawn to the Hardy Boys because I yearned to be in their family. I loved to experience the warm and loving family of the Hardy Boys. Reading those books allowed me to spend time with siblings who loved and cared about each other, where parents supported their children (though I'd never be that supportive if my teens wanted to hunt down criminals), filled a longing in me. Those books brought joy to my life and allowed me to experience the type of family I dreamed about as a child.

Without having known it, the Hardy Boys played a key role in the type of stories I wrote. Whether I write mysteries or romantic suspense, there is a strong family unit that is the backbone of the book. The family members don't always get along in harmony. They have their moments of arguments and saying just that 'perfect' thing to irritate their sibling but in the end ... they stand up and by each. When one is threatened, they close ranks as no issue between them is ever more important than each other's well-being. Disagreements and personality clashes become non-existent. Family is first.

Author Spotlight - Christina Freeburn talks about writing the self rescue princess

I first heard this term when I was complaining to a friend about a rejection I received. The letter mentioned great characters and plot, original idea but ... the Christian heroine wasn't woman-in-jeopardy enough for a romantic suspense.

"What do I do next?" I started talking about the changes I could possibly make for the heroine to fit into the mold.

My friend stopped me by commenting that I didn't write damsels-in-distress, I wrote the self-rescuing princesses. She was right. That was the whole point --the heart--of the stories I wanted to write. It might be because I have daughters, but there was a need for me to write heroines who are an equal to the heroes. I wanted to write Christian romantic suspense stories which featured strong heroines. I wanted to show that Christian women were strong, tough, and could stand on their own and fight against evil. They could be the 'heroes' in their lives.

Christian heroines --and real, life Christian women-- were capable of slaying their own dragons, so to speak, and stepping up to help others when needed. A woman didn't have to wait around for a man to rescue them, they could do it themselves.

Eventually, the right man comes along who they can share their life with but until then ... they'll do what needs to be done to make their life better and fulfilling.

Fortunately, I found Desert Breeze Publishing who published books with the type of heroine I needed to write. I am blessed to have the opportunity to share my self-rescuing princess heroines with readers.

The self-rescue princess isn't a woman who places herself above others but one who doesn't place herself below others. She isn't waiting to be rescued, but laying the ground work and doing the work necessary to change her circumstance. The self-rescue princess is not only able to see her strengths and positives but also her weaknesses and flaws. She takes control of her life and accepts responsibility for her decisions, good and bad.