MONDAY'S MUSINGS—TOOK A TRIP AND NEVER LEFT THE RANCH

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Mine was great and I got to spend some time with my mother on Saturday and got to see her mama cat's new litter of babies. She has them in one of her extra bedrooms—now a nursery, lol! That's my mom J.

We have a winner for M.L. Buchman's Pure Heat: Farawayeyes. If you'll contact me I'll arrange for you to pick up your copy. Congratulations!

While I was recuperating and restless I had the chance to read some books that I enjoyed. Somewhere along the way my sense of restlessness was assuaged by my 'travels'. I've been to Texas, Colorado, Montana and slipped up into northwest Canadian wilderness, traveled all the way over to Pennsylvania and up to Maine.  Pretty nifty. Take a trip and never leave the farm, J  I’d thought I share a few with you (All were at least 4 1/2 stars in rating). 

Being restless I wanted something different. Something to pique my interest and divert me from hurting. I do have eclectic taste in reading. And it is very much mood driven. About the only thing I don’t read is horror (sorry horror fans), I don’t care for heavy-duty erotic romance (I like a bit left to my imagination), and kid’s books (my kid’s all grown up). I've read and enjoyed a few YA—but I really have to be in the mood to read YA (preferably when I don’t have a house load of young adults running in and out or playing Dear Abby with me). 

I have a towering stack of TBR books I can read but nothing appealed. Have you had those times? 

A friend of mine who writes sexy and fun cowboys also writes women’s fiction (which I hadn't read yet). She has a great sense of humor and I've laughed a lot reading her books, her turn of phrase, her realistic settings, sense of family and community. I needed some laughter and so I thought, why not?

TheBlue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee and the second, The Red Hot Chilli Cookoff, by Carolyn Brown. 

“Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapeños are hot, the gossip is hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing...”

Oh, I am so glad I passed that welcome sign! That was five days of fun and laughter spent in Cadillac, Texas. Just what the doctor ordered.  What drew me to her stories?  Well, I loved watching movies like Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes, and absolutely loved Designing Woman series on TV. These books encapsulate the best of those shows. The southern humor, laughter and tears, diverse multi-generational women and how they deal with life, and strong friendships that see you through everything life throws you. Scratch the surface of the southern charm and you’ll find some very strong women who can take you to the cleaners without breaking a sweat and smile graciously while doing it, bless their hearts. I have to tell you, I fell in love with the feisty Agnes! The woman is diabolical and Lord love her, she can have my back anytime. She is a character in both books. All I can say is I’m glad I’m not the pretentious Violet (I loved how that played out!).

If you like a face paced page-turner and laugh out loud situations these two stories are a must read this summer.

I tried a new, to me, author, Mark Nykanen. I haven’t read any of his books but that will change henceforth. I read his thriller, Primitive Excellent story. Definitely intense. I like stories that grab from current issues facing us and in this case it was climate control and what dangers could be facing our world if steps aren't  taken to correct consumption. I've read a lot about the issue. But Primitive doesn't preach and it is an involving, multi-layered thriller about climate change theories. It starts with a kidnapping of a well-known model, Sonya Adams, to act as a spokesperson for their group’s agenda and subsequent media frenzy and some darker governmental agencies involved. It kept me turning pages and I liked the growth of Sonya and how she found her own tough core to survive. There is a well-developed layer in the story that says the surface may not show the whole and that’s especially true in the relationship between Sonya and her estranged daughter, Darcy. They seem at first glance to be polar opposites and yet at the core of both are more similar they either believes. Tightly constructed and entertaining story. Makes you think. If you like a good suspense/thriller it’s worth the read!

Another new to me author, but not for long, is Melinda Leigh. I read her romantic suspense, Midnight Exposure. Another multi-layered page-turner. I really liked the reasons for the creepy villains actions. She developed that well without tipping her hand by prematurely revealing him (I knew one character had to be involved but minute clues said he wasn't the main bad guy and that kept me guessing for awhile). You really got to see the bad guy’s arc and goals and motivations. Still a very creepy guy but very well done. This one starts with the disappearance of two hikers, which is blamed on the snowstorms in the Maine wilderness, but it’s oh so much more. Add in the attempted kidnapping of visitor, Jayne Sullivan, a tall red-headed beauty who is a part time tabloid photographer, a reclusive sculptor with past, and sparks fly. There is a well done happy ever after but not before some serious danger to traverse and problems, one of which is to keep Jayne out of the hands of a creepy Druid with an agenda. I really enjoyed the story—clever in execution and fast paced with a good romance attached. Hope you will, too.

So, how was your Mother's Day? Do anything fun? Read any good books you'd like to share?

 

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

Have you ever had a character you wanted the author to write about? Suzanne is giving away a copy of Vanished to a commenter.

My guest, Suzanne Ferrell, discovered romance novels in her aunt's hidden stash one summer as a teenager. From that moment on she knew two things: she loved romance stories and someday she'd be writing her own. Her love for romances has only grown over the years. It took her a number of years and a secondary career as a nurse to finally start writing her own stories. 

Her topic today is meeting expectations.

For years I had the extreme luxury of writing books simply for my own pleasure. Other than my critique partners or the few beta readers I trusted to give me feedback, the only person to really read all my work…was me. I worked hard at my craft in the hopes that the books would find an enthusiastic agent or editor, who would then get them birthed onto the publishing road. During that time, I didn't realize what a joy it was to simply write characters how I saw them in my head.

Even when I independently published the first three books in the Edgars Family romantic suspense series, I had no real expectations from others in their formation. The books were pretty much written and ready to go when I made the decision to send them out into the e-book world.

Then a funny thing happened.

Readers not only bought and read them, they fell in love with my characters.

I know this because I've received emails and FB messages about them. Many wanted to know when Luke, the youngest of the three brothers in the series, would get his own story.

Now the pressure was on.

You see, Luke was the smart-ass, computer geek, flirtatious younger brother. Dave was the eldest and took that spot very seriously. Matt as the second oldest had always been the rule follower. Sami as the only sister and baby of the family had her own expectations to live up to. But Luke? He was able to bend rules with just a beautiful smile and great charm. Which worked well when he was a secondary character, but when it came to his own story, how could I make him step-up-to-the-plate?

I was very concerned, because I wanted his book and him to meet the expectations my readers had for him. How do you take the charmer, the kid who talked his way out of trouble and turn him into hero material?

Then it hit me. You give him the one woman he’d die to protect.

Enter Abigail Prudence Whitson. Years earlier he’d tried to protect her by getting her assigned to desk duty at the Treasury Department instead of active field agent work. Once that happened, he moved on about his own life. Things were going well, he was half playboy, half secret agent. Then he finds Abby standing in a bloody crime scene and her best friend, the victim, missing.

That was the moment that Luke grew up. Right there. On paper and in front of my eyes.

See, Luke, despite his charm and smart-ass remarks, had the same core as his brothers. Deep seated honor, protective instincts and a one-woman-only heart. Put his woman in jeopardy and he will do anything to keep her safe, even if she doesn't like it.

Luke met my expectations, and I’m hoping he’s met the readers’ expectations, too!

So, readers, what do you think? Have you ever had a character you wanted the author to write about? Did they meet your expectations? Did they leave you wanting more or something different?

                                                                                                                                                               

AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

They had a history… 
Five years earlier Luke Edgars and Abigail Whitson met at FLETC, the training center for government agents. It was instant dislike. She thought him an arrogant, showoff flirt, he thought it would be safer for everyone if she stayed behind her analyst’s desk. 

She’s in trouble… 
Now Luke’s world turns sideways when he finds Abby standing in the middle of a bloody crime scene and the victim has vanished. 

He needs to protect her… 
Luke realizes that not only does Abby need his help to find her friend, but the friend has put Abby in the cross-hairs of a dangerous group who will stop at nothing to hide their secrets.

                                                                                                                                                                

WEBSITE, FACEBOOK,
ROMANCE BANDITS

Suzanne Ferrell is a double finalist in the Romance Writer's of America's 2006 Golden Heart with her manuscripts, KIDNAPPED (Long Contemporary Category) and HUNTED (Romantic Suspense), both available at Amazon.com and B&N.com. Suzanne has also won The Beacon Unpublished and the CTRWA's contests in the erotica categories with her book, The Surrender Of Lacy Morgan (available from Ellora’s Cave).

Suzanne's sexy stories, whether they be her on the edge of your seat romantic suspense, the heartwarming small town stories, or her steamy Western Eroticas, will keep you thinking about her characters long after their Happy Ever After is achieved. 

EXPLORING THE TWISTS AND TURNS WITH SUZANNE FERRELL

My guest romance author, Suzanne Ferrell. Not only does she write on the edge of your seat Romantic suspense, but also writes western historical, and  erotic romance. She is a busy woman. She writes absorbing stories and works at night as Labor/Delivery nurse and has delivered over 200 babies in her career. On any given day you can find her working on her latest craft project or listening to good music (and rock –gotta love her for that!). 

I've read her romantic suspense and they tend to grab you and not let you go. As a writer, I had to ask her how she manages to produces an engrossing tale filled with danger and suspense and yet maintains the romance of it all-without dropping either one.

I love the thrill of a suspense and the feeling of danger especially when one weaves in romance. It ups the ante. It makes for a more interesting story, don't you think?

That’s the thing I like about it. Putting the hero, heroine or both in a situation where their lives depend on each other heightens the emotional, physical and often the sexual tension. It pulls the reader (and writer) in and should keep the pages turning.

What's the hardest part of writing suspense for you? 

I tend to tell you who one of the bad guys is, or hint at it. I don’t write mysteries, well at least not straight up who-done-its. Having said that, I did fool my editor Tanya on who the ultimate bad guy in Close To The Edge is. (I think that’s a good thing.) Usually the reader can see the bad guy coming in my books, but not necessarily the hero and heroine. I like to think of my books as action/adventure with danger around every corner and a ticking-clock forcing the characters to act in order to survive.

So, the hardest part, is putting enough believable twists and turns into the book to keep that sense of danger moving along. Then there’s the whole romantic side that has to come into play. I've read books where the characters are in mortal danger and they just stop to have sex, because hey, it’s a romance, sex must play into it. OR there is no sexual tension anywhere in the book, and poof at the end when the suspense is done, they’re in love.

That’s probably the hardest part of writing romantic suspense. Finding the believable balance.

I agree with you there, Suz! What do you have to do, once the story is done, to tighten up your suspense and danger? 

This question is making me smile. My son calls it “getting my Ludlum on”.

I've read all of Robert Ludlum’s books and one of the things I learned he does is as the book is getting closer to its climactic end, the writing gets tighter.

I try to employ this structure in my books. Shorter, succinct sentence structure. Shorter paragraphs. Lots of action verbs. I tend to flip POV scenes more frequently, so the reader gets the feel of things moving. What’s the hero doing? What’s the heroine doing? What’s the antagonist doing? What are the secondary characters doing? Boom, boom, boom. Keep the reader’s brain involved.

Another trick is to force a character to do the last thing in the world they’d ever want to in order to save the person they love. Sort of like Indiana Jones has to face down the snakes in the pit. In HUNTED my heroine had to go back and face the camp where she’d been tortured as a teenager in order to find something. She also has to repel down the side of a mountain—again, another fear she has. And ultimately, she has to face the cult leader once more before he dies.

I did the same thing in Close To The Edge with my heroine…but I can’t tell you what, or it will ruin the book for you! J

What's the best thing about writing suspense? 

Getting to push the envelope and letting the characters react to what you write. In KIDNAPPED, my heroine is abducted out of a parking lot on the same night she’d planned to kill herself. Talk about a wake-up call! From that moment on, she’s forced to deal with the hero and his injured witness and eventually help them. In HUNTED, my heroine’s cover in WITSEC is blown and she forces the hero, at gunpoint, to help her. And my hero and heroine in Close To The Edge are investigating a seemingly harmless little case, when they find a dead body.

Often their first reactions set in motions events that make the situation worse. I’m at that point now in the book I’m writing. The heroine’s actions make sense, but they make the situation worse. A friend once told me, the best thing to do is kick your characters to the floor and once they’re down, kick them a few more times for good measure.

Your latest book, CLOSE TO THE EDGE, is to be released March 25^th. I like the premise of it and I like the sense of humor you employ. I have to say, the opening line caught my eye and made me laugh, “Her ass was by far the finest he’d ever seen in this town.” And the “ass” in question is dumpster diving, of all things. What made you think of dumpster diving?

The book came about after a PI talked to my local RWA chapter. He was talking about public dumpsters being public domain and anyone could take anything out of it and it couldn't be considered confidential. This is the opening scene that played out in my head.

It doesn't start out dark and terrifying, but Bobby’s arrival in town sets in motion events that could destroy the town. These two [characters] are hip-deep in cow manure and don’t even know it yet. That to me can be suspenseful. Finding out your sleepy little ordinary world might not be as peaceful as you once thought. That the neighbor or acquaintance you once thought “normal” isn't quite all together right-in-the-head as you supposed.

Well, the opening line certainly got my attention! Suz, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions and share your latest book. 

To see the full opening scene, do click on the excerpt link at the end of the blurb.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Close To The Edge is the second book in the Westen series. The series is about life in a small Midwestern town, but this particular book really lent itself to suspense.  

After facing death as an undercover narcotics cop, Gage Justice has come home to heal. His recuperation is cut short by his father’s unexpected diagnosis of cancer and subsequent death. Now he’s honoring one of his father’s last wishes by taking over as the sheriff of his boyhood home, Westen, Ohio. Biding time until his father’s term is finished, he fights boredom more than crime in the sleepy little town—that is until one sexy little teacher-turned-Private-Investigator literally falls into his arms.

Bobby Roberts is looking for adventure. After giving up her own dreams to raise her two sisters after the death of their parents, she’s been trapped in a schoolroom for nearly two decades. The suffocating claustrophobia of the classroom has set her on a new career path. She arrives in Westen, complete with brand-spanking-new PI license, a handgun and a simple case—investigate a lien on property of a dead man.

Little does she realize her “simple little case” will lead her into the world of one sexy sheriff and the path of a murderer intent on keeping them both from discovering his secrets or stopping his plans that could destroy Westen. Excerpt
Available March 25,2013 Amazon


                                                                                 

Suzanne discovered romance novels in her aunt's hidden stash one summer as a teenager. From that moment on she knew two things: she loved romance stories and someday she'd be writing her own. Her love for romances has only grown over the years. It took her a number of years and a secondary career as a nurse to finally start writing her own stories.  A double finalist in the Romance Writer's of America's 2006 Golden Heart with her manuscripts, KIDNAPPED (Long Contemporary Category) and HUNTED (Romantic Suspense), Suzanne has also won The Beacon Unpublished and the CTRWA's contests in the erotica categories with her book, The Surrender Of Lacy Morgan, now an online e-book with Ellora's Cave. Suzanne's sexy stories, whether they be her steamy Western Eroticas, her on the edge of your seat romantic suspense, or the heart warming small town stories, will keep you thinking about her characters long after their Happy Ever After is achieved. Where you can find Suzanne: www.suzanneferrell.com, www.romancebandits.com 

HOT READS FOR A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT—FROM MY TBR TOWER

I've been getting around to my huge To Be Read pile. Actually, it resembles the leaning tower of Pisa. My husband is thrilled that many of those books are now on my Kindle rather than adding to the nice quad piles of books beside my nightstand (hey, I dust them off and keep them piled neatly—most of the time). He has spent a lifetime with my books and me. J Most of the time he’s a good sport when it comes to my books and of course, I don’t complain much with regard to his TV/Movie watching—other than threatening death if a Television finds it’s way into the bedroom. He threatens a bonfire if he stubs a toe on another book. We've worked out a compromise of sorts. 

Anyway, enough on domestic bliss and onto my TBR pile.

I met Alexandra Ivy when I first started promoting my blog. I saw one of her books and thought, “Oh, I like the sound of this story!” Typically, I came to the series (Guardians of Eternity) several books in and read Darkness Unleashed. Of course I had to go back and read some I missed and I've still not read them all. I did manage to read Devoured by Darkness—I loved Tane (a Charon sworn to hunt and kill rogue vampires) in the previous book and Laylah (half Jin) intrigued me. And then, I met Ariyal (a Sylvermyst allegedly evil cousins to the fey with a very unique sword)  and Jaelyn (an elite Vampire warrior) and had to read Bound by Darkness. Both are excellent and to tell the truth, I don’t think I've read any books in this series that haven't been good. Excellent characterization and depiction of ‘otherworld’ characters with a twist. I like the fact that all the stories deal with a clear arc of the beginning through the trials of the couple involved to the ending—where the two main characters are a unit although the world they're in isn't quite tidily solved. It's ever expanding. But that style gives satisfaction to me, as a reader.

If you enjoy a good paranormal a bit on the dark side (no pun intended) then you should check out Alexandra Ivy’s Guardians of Eternity series.

                                                                                                                                                            

I also enjoy reading a new to me author, Morgan Mandel. I picked up a copy of Forever Young for several reasons. It was contemporary, it had a touch of paranormal and healthy dose of suspense, plus, she’s a blogging buddy. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Great premise, interesting cast of characters, and a probable story around and old theme of the search for the fountain of youth—only this time it’s a pill. Hmm, intriguing. It was a good story that kept me turning the pages. I think, aside from Dorrie, my favorite character was Roman. He’s a bad guy. Sorta. Well, he’s in the camp of the bad guy. What I liked was how Morgan gave me a villain that I could relate to. I could see how someone could get to where he was and make some of the choices he did and he had redeeming qualities. The main bad guy…well I understood how he got to where he was but didn't like him. His utter disregard for life wasn't attractive at all and it had festered to monstrous proportions. Without giving away spoilers, the ending was good but a little ambiguous for my taste. It obviously sets up the sequel, which I really want to read, and was realistic given the circumstances. You can’t argue over good triumphs over evil.

                                                                                                                     

Another that intrigues me, although I have yet read it (just the excerpt) is Suzanne Ferrel’s Hunted. I've always had a fascination for what makes religious fanatics tick and make the choices they do and all in the name of their god. Truly dangerous and creepy. 

I’m looking forward to reading this one and I'll let you know what I think of it when I do.

                                                                                               

• What about you? Have you read anything good lately?
• What does your TBR pile look like?

HEART PUMPING READS FOR A COLD WINTER NIGHT

There's nothing like a good suspense or thriller to get your heart pumping on a cold winter night. If it has a bit of romance in it, all the better. I thought I'd share a few with you today.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND 

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT

Vicki Hinze

ENTER THE WORLD OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE...

Can a first-grade teacher from Grace, Alabama stop a terrorist group from its deadly mission?

Can she trust her heart again?

Former Air Force scientist Dr. Julia Warner-Hyde went into hiding three years ago to escape her abusive ex-husband. Her new life as a small town schoolteacher is safe and peaceful-until her old lab partner, Dr. Seth Holt, arrives.

Terrorists have stolen the missile system Seth and Julia designed, and they fully intend to use it. Seth needs Julia's help to find, outwit and halt them, but he and she didn't part on the best of terms. He doesn't know that Julia has a secret enemy who might kill them both. Can she fight that threat and the terrorists-all while keeping Seth in the dark? How can she refuse to try, with millions of lives at stake? Excerpt

This is a good 4 star read. Good blend of military, black box (black ops) research lab, and a villain with a vendetta against the United States and for whom the idea of treason doesn't apply--in his mind. Good character driven story. A good romance played out against the background of treason and devastation. Lots of pressure to figure out who the villains are, their motives, and a race to stop a bomb from being detonated and taking out millions. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I definitely plan on reading more from this author.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

WAIT FOR ME

Elisabeth Naughton

A woman without a past…

After a tragic accident left her with no memory, Kate Alexander struggled to fit in with a husband and world that didn’t feel right. She’s had no reason to question what friends and family have told her, not until her husband is suddenly killed and she finds a photo of a young girl in his office. A girl who can’t be anyone but a daughter Kate didn’t know she had.

A man desperate for a reason to live…

Ryan Harrison lost his wife in a plane crash five years ago. To cope with the pain of her loss, he dedicated himself to his job and to raising their daughter. Now a successful pharmaceutical executive, Ryan has everything a man could want—money, fame and power—but he’d give it all up in a heartbeat for just one more day with the woman he still loves.

Two lives about to converge.

As Kate begins to dig into a past she doesn’t remember, evidence leads her to San Francisco and puts her on the path toward Ryan, a man who sees in her the woman he loved and lost. Kate feels a draw to Ryan, one she can’t explain, but is that feeling enough to convince her this is where she’s supposed to be? As Ryan and Kate search for answers, they uncover lies long buried, a passion hotter than either expected and a danger that threatens…even now…when the second chance they’ve both been searching for is finally within reach. excerpt  (HEADS UP FREE ON KINDLE)

In my opinion this is a 4 1/2 star read. Love a good romance with a twist. Smooth and filled with suspense, lots of tension, unexpected twists, and danger. Elisabeth does a great job with romantic suspense (and on paranormal too.) This book was chosen as a nominee for 2012 Best Romantic Suspense--for good reason.

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Speaking of heart pumping reads: yesterday's winner for Colby Marshall's, THE CHAIN OF COMMAND is John Philipp! Congratulations John!

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CAROL KILGORE—CRIME WITH A KISS

 ICED COFFEE FOR A HOT DAY

My guest is romantic suspense author, Carol Kilgore. Carol hails originally from Texas, seems overly fond of Tiki Huts, has a great sense of humor, and a heart the size of Texas. I first met her as a fellow blogger and I've enjoyed reading her blog and getting to know her. This is not her first visit to Over Coffee. You may remember reading a story she wrote, SECRETS OF CHRISTMAS, as part of my Holiday Shorts I do each  December. 

It's my pleasure to have Carol back with us and this time with her debut, In Name Only.  

Thank you, Sia, for hosting me today. I'm very happy to be here and to share some things about me and about my debut novel, IN NAME ONLY.

My personal style is eclectic. I like to mix it up. If I wore a uniform, I would most likely pair it with frilly and/or colorful undies. I would know.

Bear with me. You'll see where this is going.

If our home came close to having a design style, it would be something like eclectic coastal contemporary, even though we no longer live at the coast. We have art and accessories from other places we've lived—like the New Mexico mountains and New York City—and a few family pieces mingled with an overall contemporary look.

It's the same with my blog, Under the Tiki Hut. It's all about the beach, which I love. I'm a Native Texan and write stories set in Texas, so the beach I most often see in my mind is a Texas beach, where tiki huts are also called palapas. But that doesn't mean you see my beach. I try to maintain a Tiki Hut feel for any beach anywhere. From Fiji to Oregon to Maine to the Irish Coast and back again.

So it follows that this eclectic mix extends into my writing as well. I mix a cup of this, a dash of that, a spoonful of the other into a blend I call Crime Fiction with a Kiss. Always at least one crime; always a love story.

Besides being eclectic, I'm also a little OCD about research. Not only do I love the process, I want to make sure all the facts in my fiction are correct. I don't claim to be perfect—no doubt readers will find things I got wrong. And there may be other things that slip past.

Here are a few of the many things I researched for IN NAME ONLY:

Local Trees. In Chapter One of IN NAME ONLY, Summer leans against a palm tree. The palm started out as a mesquite tree (pronounced mess-KEET) and would have remained a mesquite except for one tiny problem—I learned mesquites have long thorns. Ouch!

• Shark Fishing.  A lot of guys in South Texas fish for shark from the Padre Island National Seashore beach. You can watch a short video at Texas Shark Fishing to see the last part of the process of bringing the shark to shore. It's a catch and release video of a 12-foot tiger shark. It may take the fisherman hours to reach this point. Look at the size of the man and look at all his gear. I spent the better part of a couple of days researching equipment for this sport, which ended up having only a few mentions in the story. But it was fun to learn!

• Firefighters. Lots of information on firefighters is available on the web. I spent many days reading. I also talked one-to-one with some real firefighters with the Corpus Christi Fire Department who told me how they do things there.

• The Federal Witness Security Program. Not much out there, and nobody was talking. Which would make me pretty darn happy if I were in the program. So I felt free to draw upon my imagination.

• Padre Island. And of course, I spent time on Padre figuring out where everything in the story would physically be located. You'll need to make your own visit to the Island to find out which locations are real and which are specially created for IN NAME ONLY.

If you happen to see Summer Newcombe while you're there, say hi for me!

BUY: AMAZON

IN NAME ONLY


No home. No family. No place to hide. For Summer Newcombe, that's only the beginning.

The night Summer escapes from a burning Padre Island eatery and discovers the arsonist is stalking her, is the same night she meets Fire Captain Gabriel Duran. As much as she's attracted to Gabe, five years in the Federal Witness Security Program because of her father’s testimony against a mob boss have taught her the importance of being alone and invisible.

No matter how much she yearns for a real home, Summer relinquished that option the night she killed the man who murdered her father. But Gabe breaks down her guard and places both of them in danger. Summer has vowed never to kill again, but she's frantic she'll cost Gabe his life unless she stops running and fights for the future she wants with the man she loves.

~*~*~*~

Carol Kilgore is a Texas native who has lived in locations across the U.S. as the wife of a Coast Guard officer. Back under the hot Texas sun in San Antonio, Carol writes a blend of mystery, suspense, and romance she calls Crime Fiction with a Kiss. She and her husband share their home and patio with two active herding dogs, and every so often the dogs let them sit on the sofa.

Learn more about Carol and follow her here:
Blog: http://www.underthetikihut.blogspot.com

Website: http://www.carolkilgore.net
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KIM SANDERS: Her Romance Blooms On A Porch

Please welcome my guest Kim Sanders. When she's not almost becoming an alligator snack, she writes romantic suspense. I'm thinking she likes that touch of danger in her life.

Kim, welcome to Over Coffee. Glad you could make it.
Hi, Sia! Thanks for inviting me.
I'm curious, why did you choose this genre—romantic suspense?

I think the genre chose me. 


I've been a hopeless romantic my entire life—the cheesy type. My family groans if I claim a “me” day during our annual Fourth of July beach vacation. I’ll threaten to leave the television tuned to the Lifetime Channel for an entire rainy day just to watch them cringe. But for the sake of peace and family unity, I’ll pop in the movie Independence Day instead and everybody’s happy—plus there’s a kiss at the end.

There is advice out there for writers that suggest trying other genres. Have you?

I did try another genre recently. I entered a horror story in a Writer’s Digest short story contest. I’d read news reports about young girls in Africa being raped by men who believed violating virgins would cure their AIDS. I transformed that horror into a short story. I gave my main character, a girl named Fatimah, a supernatural ability to save women.  But regardless of the grave tone, two new characters made an appearance that were bound and determined to have a full-blown romance. A young Scottish doctor encountered an American Peace Corps worker, and the next thing you know, there it is—a cheesy romance blooming right in the middle of horror. I tried to edit it out, but love stories seem to be my nature. Needless to say, it didn’t win. I’ve decided to file the story away and look at it again later as a possible romance novel.


Your muse seems quite happy with Shades of Gray and it seems to be doing quite well.

I have been more successful with the romance genre. My novel, Shades of Gray,  has received awards and praise and climbed to Number One on the Amazon Best Sellers’ lists for contemporary romance and Number Two for romantic suspense—so I think I’ve found my niche. Besides, I tend to live in my main character’s world while I’m writing, and the romance world is safer and more satisfying. So even though I might wander into other branches of fiction in the future, until I’m a bit braver, I think I’ll stick with love.

Congratulations! Describe your writing space?

Porches. Front porches, back porches; screened porches, verandas. As long as the weather hasn’t reached that unbearable Southern humidity, I spend hours writing from porches. If there is an ocean breeze and the faint sound of birds in the distance, I write. If the rain pounds on the tin roof, I write.

What would be your DREAM writing space?
My dream writing space would be...a sweeping veranda with the perfect view of crashing ocean waves during a storm. Of course, dream laptops are very rain resistant.

And dream verandas are safe from stray rogue waves, too. What's a favorite thing you do to relax or recharge your creative spirit?

Besides reading, photography is my favorite hobby. I try to take a camera with me every time I go for a long walk. If I leave it behind, I always regret its absence. I love landscapes and nature. Last summer, I was walking along a trail and spotted and a beautiful heron. I had a short lens, but the bird was asleep so I crouched really low and got closer and closer. Eventually, it flew off. By that point, I was pretty close to the edge of the water so I stood up and glanced down. A huge alligator was lurking just a few feet below me. I snapped a couple of shots and backed off quickly. If I’d have waited a few more minutes before scaring the bird away, I might have had an amazing action shot, but I might have been next on the menu.



Yikes! That would have been a definite bad ending. But, it's interesting that your hobby is also creative in nature. Any similarities between writing and taking pictures?

Photography fits in well with my writing.  Looking through the camera lens, I notice the details of the scenes around me with an isolated intensity. I frame the pictures and later crop them for impact. The same applies to writing in a lot of ways, but I must admit, I find it easier to crop a photograph than a page of words.

Oh, me too. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to getting the photo just right. Editing photos gives you immediate results and that's not always the case with writing.   What's next for you?

I am currently working on two more novels—SHADES OF JUSTICE and THE EX LOTTERY, and hope to have another novel ready for release by the end of the year.


Kim, thank you for taking the time, away from your lovely porch and writing, to visit with us a bit today. I've enjoyed it.

• Readers and writers: have you ever had something totally unexpected happen when you've been involved with a hobby?

SHADES OF GRAY

Nothing is black-and-white when dealing with love or murder. In “Shades of Gray,” an award-winning photojournalist finds herself on the wrong side of the lens when she is framed for murder.

Samantha "Sam" Jennings has been hiding from the world since she was seventeen years old. At twenty-seven, living in isolation on a small private island off the coast of South Carolina, Sam guards her privacy. Her photographs are famous, but her face is anonymous. And she likes it that way.

Caleb McCloud is a defense attorney who basks in the spotlight. His legal successes have him on a career path to become the youngest president in the United States. But an entanglement from his past may put a kink in that path.

When front-page headlines scream: "Photographer Shoots to Kill," Sam finds herself facing murder charges in the death of Ben Fuller. To stay out of jail and catch the true killer, she must turn to Caleb, the one man who has haunted her dreams since she was a teenager. She vows to trust him with her life but not her heart. But as the two begin a journey to find a killer, Caleb vows to win both. Is he too late? Find out in the action packed love story of Samantha and Caleb. There is an excerpt on Amazon, and an additional one HERE

Oozes all the necessary passion of any good romance novel . . . The romance enthusiast won't be disappointed with this novel that never skimps on passion or story. 

Kirkus Reviews

BUY: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million 

Rachel Brown photography

Kim Sanders was born in Smithfield, North Carolina, the middle of three children. Her father owned and managed a small dime store in a tiny town in eastern North Carolina, and her mother was an English teacher. Kim attended the University of North Carolina, earning a degree in Journalism, and later, a law degree from Emory University. She and her husband, Paul, have two children.


You can find Kim: Facebook, Twitter, Website