Katie Reus's Blog, page 41
February 19, 2011
Guest Author Crystal Jordan

What's even more challenging is when that series has multiple authors. I saw something like this done in the 2176 series that kicked off with The Legend of Banzai Maguire by Susan Grant. In that futuristic series, you have a man sending illegal broadcasts out to try to start a global uprising against a dictatorial regime, and his messages spur the different characters in different ways throughout each book, but you don't find out who the man behind the voice is until the last story in the series.
Maintaining a big secret is also something I tried to tackle in the Forbidden Passions shape-shifter series I wrote with Loribelle Hunt. Each book focuses on the romance of one Leonidas brother, and has a suspense plot that ties up in that story, but the overarching secret that drives the smaller suspenses is the big question of what happened to the Leonidases father. He'd disappeared, presumably dying in a plane crash, but as the books unfold, you get more and more clues that the father didn't die and something far deeper (and more dangerous) is afoot in the shape-shifter politics of the world we built.
My favorite part of any mystery is keeping that sense of danger and suspense going. I want to still be interested in answering all the lingering questions, and be on the edge of my seat by the end of it. I want to have guessed the answer--and been wrong--so that I'm totally surprised by the end. There have to be dark twists and sinister turns, and an author who can do that will totally have me putting them on my auto-buy list. What? I may be a writer, but I was a reader first. I hope I pull this off in my books, but I guess that's for my readers to judge. Me? I'm just in it for the sexy heroes ;-)
You can check out the Forbidden Passions at Samhain Publishing.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Crystal Jordan
Thanks Crystal for joining me today! She writes super hot stories so I hope ya'll check her out! A reminder to readers that the more you visit/comment, the more times you'll be entered into the month long contest I'm having (grand prize announced on March 2, US & Canadian residents only)
The Fun in a Secret

I'd like to thank Katie for having me here today! I love the idea behind her new book, DANGEROUS SECRETS.
Secrets make for intriguing, suspenseful stories. But I've found the reason behind the secret is almost always more interesting than the secret itself. If the hero's an uber-soldier masquerading as an accountant, the why of this is the fun part. Speaking of fun, there are three reasons we like secrets in stories.
The first reason is that if someone has a secret, they often end up in bizarre situations trying to protect that secret. Take the last season of Friends when Chandler and Monica began dating but didn't want anyone to know. I remember a funny scene where Joey walked in on Chandler in a bubble bath, because Monica ducked under the water. Good thing the woman didn't drown.
Or even better, the season on Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Spike meets Buffy's mom and realizes the woman doesn't know Buffy's true calling. When Joyce asks Buffy who Spike is, Buffy lies and says they're in a band together. Joyce asks Spike what he does, and he deadpans, "Well…I sing."
The second reason is that secrets give us insight into our characters. Why didn't Monica want anyoneto know about her relationship with Chandler? Was it because she was afraid of what they'd think?
Or maybe it was because she'd shared the details of all her former relationships with the whole gang…and
those never worked out. Holding this close to the vest might have been Monica's way of saying…hey,
this is the guy.
The final reason is that no matter how hard a person tries, the secret always comes out. This big reveal is often the climax of a story, the good stuff, the moment we've been building toward since page one. My heroine in FATED is an empath, a fact she tried to keep secret her entire life. She even tries to convince herself that she's not gifted. But she pretty much has to not only accept who she is but reveal her secret to save herself, which not only frees her but shows her trust in the hero.
The truth always comes out.
If you want to check out an exc
February 17, 2011
Welcome Guest Author Toni Anderson

There is nothing I like better than the element of danger in my romance. Nothing that ups the stakes as much as someone with a hidden agenda plotting the downfall of the hero or heroine I've fallen in love with.
The first book I wrote (HER SANCTUARY) was about an undercover FBI agent who was brutally raped. She quits the Bureau and goes on the run. To all intents and purposes it's a classic woman in jeopardy story but the twist at the end is where we find out the secrets and as the tagline of the book asks... Which would you choose? Revenge or redemption?
My most recent release (Storm Warning) is about a graduate student who thinks she's going insane because her father's ghost keeps appearing, but she's the only one who can see him. The hero, Ben Foley, is the one with all the secrets. He's an undercover DEA agent who just lost his partner in a shoot out with a drug cartel. He uses the attraction sparking between him and the heroine to get close to his prime suspect but is trapped by the same web of lies when he realizes she's innocent and that he's stupidly fallen in love with her.
In SEA OF SUSPICION there is nothing but secrets. Secret assignations, family betrayals, even a secret baby J. I loved writing it. I loved the mystery. I like that people can lie in a story—not the protagonist to the reader—but characters to one another. It makes for a more compelling mystery and hopefully better suspense.
There are all sorts of Dangerous Secrets in the world from espionage to murder to sexual appetite. And what I love about writing is exploring what makes people tick, and what motivates people to do unspeakable things. Greed? Jealousy? Profit? Honour? Love? Desperation? I think there's a story fitting every criteria and it's fun exploring them.
Thanks so much for having me here, Katie, and I can't wait to check out DANGEROUS SECRETS.
Thank you, Toni, for hanging out with us today! To learn more about Toni, check out her blog!
Secret Operations!

You want secrets? You want danger? Nobody knows those about things more than special operations soldiers, and that's why I love to write about them. My heroes are tough, alpha in the extreme, and serve in the best units of the US military. I love showing their capabilities, their training, and how hard they've worked to get there. But that's not all.
The secret is...on top of their lethal skill sets, they can all curl a woman's toes at twenty paces. I mean, what's not to love? These elite soldiers are brave, loyal, and they're sexy as hell.
I love to offset my heroes' alpha badness with their expertise in the bedroom and watch the sparks fly between them and my heroines. With romantic suspense it's important to me to balance both the romance and the suspense throughout the book. Each of those elements drives the other, and one should never overshadow the other. And when a battle-hardened soldier drops his guard and shows the woman he loves his sexy, tender side... Yum. (Are your toes curling yet?)
The second book in my military romantic suspense series, Cover of Darkness, features Navy SEAL lieutenant Dec McCabe. He's a total pro on the battlefield, but on this particular mission he'll be tested in ways he never imagined.
Blurb: Targeted by a terrorist cell, Bryn McAllister survives a bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut only to be left to die in a desert cellar. When she is rescued by Navy SEAL Lieutenant Declan McCabe and his team, Bryn must rely on the handsome officer to get her to safety. But just when she thinks the nightmare is over, family friend and legendary CIA operative Luke Hutchinson recruits her and McCabe to help track down the terrorist mastermind responsible for the attack.
With Bryn determined to see the terrorist brought to justice, Dec joins up to protect her, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her safe during their dangerous mission. Battling the explosive attraction between them, Dec fights to keep his distance from her so he can do his job and keep her alive. But when plans fall apart and Bryn is captured, he must make the agonizing choice between his duty as a SEAL and the life of the woman he loves.
A big thanks to Katie for having me here on her blog today. I'm giving away a digital copy of Cover of Darkness (or another book from my backlist if you'd prefer) to one commenter. Just leave me a message about why you love military heroes!
You can find me on my blog, facebook or twitter. Website: www.kayleacross.com
Thank you Kaylea for joining me today! What she didn't tell you about this particular book is that it placed first in The Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Award, it's an EPIC finalist, and it finaled in the VCRW Laurel Wreath contest! It's a fantastic example of military romance and once you try one of her books, you'll be hooked.
February 16, 2011
Writers Gone Wild
Today I'm blogging with Kaylea Cross at Writers Gone Wild about why I love being a writer. And there's also a giveaway! You might have a chance to win a copy of my recent release, Dangerous Secrets.
Since I'm at WGW today, fabulous military romance author Kaylea Cross will be blogging here tomorrow and she also has a fun giveaway! She'll be followed by some other amazing authors: Toni Anderson, Rebecca Zanetti, and Crystal Jordan. Hope to see you back here!
February 15, 2011
Keeping Secrets and Telling Lies

As a fellow author of romantic suspense, I do my share of spinning tales. I also aid and abet my characters as they keep certain secrets from others in the story and, sometimes, even from readers. But to keep secrets often means to cover one's tracks. And in my recent Carina Press release, Lying Eyes, my characters did that by telling lies.
That's probably a no-brainer, right? Any of us, when pressed to reveal a secret that would put us in danger would be tempted to tell a lie instead. In books, it heightens the stakes because as readers we know that character is lying. We see the danger. We may already know the secret that's being hidden. And our pulse quickens as we turn pages, worrying about when the lie will falter and the secret revealed.
In Lying Eyes, everyone in Las Vegas is keeping secrets. It leads to danger but also, due to my off-center sense of humor, some madcap mayhem. My heroine is a jewelry designer whose father, a rather wily magician and sometime con artist, has disappeared with ten million dollars in stolen gems. My hero is a determined cop deep undercover with the thieves. He wants to recover the gems, but he can't trust the heroine because she's a suspect. She won't trust him because she thinks he's a thief.
And yet, they have to work together if either wants to save the magician. An ideal romantic conflict.
The added twist to the secrets and lies in this story is that my heroine starts off the book lying to herself about a lot of givens in her life. She claims she's happy. She claims she loves the man she's agreed to marry. She claims her father drives her crazy and she wishes he'd leave her alone. She craves structure, routine and wants to lead a hum drum existence.
Needless to say, spending a couple days with the hero ducking killers forces her to trust her wits and instincts—and him!—more than her carefully laid plans. As secret after secret is revealed, she begins to recognize the lies she's been telling herself for what they are. And that leads to a new level of emotional danger. Can she peel away her facade and reveal the woman inside?
In a key turning point for her character, she reacts to someone reminding her that she always wanted her crazy father out of her life. Her response? "I said it. I even believed it. But I never meant it."
Oh, the lies we tell ourselves to hide secrets we'd rather not confront.
So, here's today's question: Have you ever told a lie about yourself? A simple yes or no will do (after all, it is the internet!), but feel free to expound if you like!
Thanks so much to Katie for inviting me, and huge congrats on her release!
For more info on Amy, visit her website or her blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
February 14, 2011
I Am Not a Mystery Novel Heroine

Like most authors, I write about what I know. When I started writing, I was a single, fairly care-free, fun loving person who generally tried to see the humor in life. I was also a CSI addict and loved anything having to do with forensics and crime solving. So, it should come as no surprise that I turned to writing humor-laced murder mysteries. So far all my book shave been set in places I've lived in my life, and most of my heroines have been at least relatively similar to myself.
But, I had one experience that proved to me exactly where the similarities between my characters and myself end.
I was dating at the time and was contacted by a guy through an online service. He was a mixed martial arts fighter, which sounded interesting, so I agreed to meet him for a check-you-out coffee. Turns out, he was interesting. And kinda hot, too, which made for a great combo. We did coffee again later that week, and again that weekend, and it seemed like we were really clicking. So, when he asked me out for dinner the following week, I was psyched. I agreed to meet him at his house at seven that Friday.
Friday comes, and I get to his place exactly at seven and knock on the door. Nothing. I ring the bell. I wait. And wait. Finally his roommate answers, lets me in, then promptly leaves. So, left alone, I go down the hall to Fight Boy's room. The door is open, so I push my way in with a "Hello? Anyone home?" The TV is on, but he's not there. I decide to sit down and wait, figuring he's just in the shower or something.
A few minutes go by. No sign of him. I'm feeling a little odd hanging out in his bedroom like this. I mean, I don't know him that well. So, I get up, kinda peek around the rest of the house. He's not in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, or backyard. 'K, odd.
I go back to his bedroom and wait a few more minutes. He still doesn't show. And it's getting late now. So that's when I really start checking out his stuff. (Investigating, if you will.) His keys are on the nightstand, so is his cell phone. He wouldn't leave the house without those, right? So he must be somewhere nearby or on foot. I try texting him, just to make sure that's his phone on the nightstand. Yep, my text ("I'm here. Where R U?") shows up on the phone. So his stuff is here, but where the heck is he?
And that's when things went from odd into mystery novel territory. I hear a noise. It's coming from the closet and sound like a sort of something-shifting sound. I look up. And, I swear on my life, a body part falls out.
A. Body. Part.
It looks like someone's knee. Or elbow. Definitely covered in flesh, definitely not moving. I freeze. Has someone been in the closet watching me this whole time? I get up and walk out of the room, totally casual like, pretending I didn't see anything. I'm thinking either a) he's been sitting here watching me from his closet (creepy!), or b) he was doing something totally embarrassing when I walked in and has been hiding in his closet this whole time (double creepy!) or c) there's a dead body in there (so beyond creepy!).
I wait in the kitchen, letting my pulse return to normal and giving anyone hiding in there a chance to get out and slink away seemingly unnoticed. I contemplate leaving… but my purse is still in the bedroom. I take a few deep breaths, then slowly go back in his room.
Yup, the knee is still there. Definitely human. Sticking out of the closet. Not moving at all.
This is the moment where one of my heroines would have peeked in the closet, found out who the knee was attached to, why they were there, and if they were, in fact, dead or alive.
Me? I grab my purse and bolt. Hit the front door, run to my car, lock the doors, peel out of there so fast my tires squeal, and drive straight home. I know. I'm a total chicken. It's a hard thing to admit when I've spent my life writing about brave kick-butt chicks who laugh in the face of dead bodies. Me? I was lucky I didn't pee my pants.
Needless to say, that was the end of Fight Boy and me. Though I did hear from him afterward (which was a good thing, because I was feeling just the teeniest bit guilty about leaving my date possibly dead in his own closet), I never did find out where he was or whose body that was. I'll be honest, I didn't ask too many questions. There are some situations where it pays to be blissfully ignorant of the facts. (Witness protection never looked like my cup of tea, ya know?) All I know is he beats people up for a living, and someone's body was in his closet. Best case scenario: they were passed out. Worst case: my fingerprints are now all over a crime scene.
So, as much as I hate to say it, I would never make it as a mystery novel heroine. I'm going to have to settle for writing about my much braver, much more fictional counterparts. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is so much safer.
For all of Katie's blog readers, I'm giving away a FREE copy of my latest mystery, SWEETHEART IN HIGH HEELS: a High Heels Valentine's Day short story, at Smashwords.com today only. Just enter the coupon code: LP73B
Happy Valentine's Day!
Gemma
www.GemmaHalliday.com
February 12, 2011
When Is A Hero Too Bad?

A good creepy mystery and dangerous villain. Or even two. What could be better? My love of these stories started with Poe and Lovecraft, progressed to King and Straub, and finally, I discovered Barbara Michaels. Danger, the supernatural, and a romance? This was definitely better!
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that when I started writing years later, suspense and the paranormal worked their way into my plots. And the more I wrote (and read) the more fascinated I became with contradictions in heroes/heroines and villains. No one is all good or all bad. I started to wonder just how bad could I make the good guys without making them irredeemably evil?
This was the idea behind my demon hybrid series, which starts with Kiss of Darkness. With real demons trying to invade the world and the two species who are supposed to defend humanity at war with each other, how far would you go to protect it? One group of humans makes the ultimate sacrifice by binding their souls with the souls of demons, a secret ritual given to them during the dark days of the Crusades. They're part good, part evil, and all deliciously bad. ;)
This bond comes with a steep price, however. Ultimately, they all will give into the evil joined with their souls and become the very thing they fight. Unless they find someone to save them. One person who loves them enough to join into a blood bond that will stabilize the hybrid's soul. In the Order's world, the end is simple: death, rogue, or mate.
It makes for great angst to write. I do love a good tortured hero/heroine! What about y'all? How dangerous do you like your good guys? Who are some of your favorites? I'll choose one commenter for a free ebook of my new Carina Press release, Kiss of Darkness.
Loribelle is a former Army MP who traded in her combat boots for motherhood, flip flops, and all the Diet Coke she can drink. (She almost misses the combat boots.) She's the author of more than 20 books none of which her children are allowed to read. Ever. You can visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or join her on Facebook.
A Secret Princess: Fact or Fiction?

In the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, a library located in Paris, France, hangs the portrait of a French nun named Louise Marie Therese, also known as the Black Nun of Moret. I first heard about her from a tour guide during a tour of the palace of Versailles and became instantly intrigued by her story. I was so fascinated by this woman that I based my first romantic suspense thriller, The Paris Secret, in part, on her life.
Who is the Black Nun of Moret? Well, that remains a mystery. What is known is that she was born in France in 1664. She spent most of her life in a convent in Moret-Sur-Loing, and took her final vows as a nun at the age of 31. I know it hardly sounds like an exciting life. But if you[image error] believe the stories surrounding her parentage then what seems like a very ordinary life becomes anything but.
According to almost 350 year-old gossip, Queen Maria Theresa of Spain, wife of King Louis XIV, gave birth to a child fathered by her African lover, a servant named Nabo. This child was allegedly Louise Marie Therese, the Black Nun of Moret. The story goes on to say that upon her birth the public was told the baby girl died at birth. But she was actually secretly spirited away to live with a wet nurse in the country for several years before entering a convent in Moret. The Black Nun of Moret is mentioned in the memoirs of several members of the French royal court, including King Louis' mistress Madame De Montespan, as well as his second wife Madame De Maintenon. Writer and philosopher Voltaire was allegedly of the opinion she was actually the king's daughter, as he'd had at least one African mistress. And Pulitzer Prize-Winning playwright Lynn Nottage even wrote a play about the Black Nun of Moret called Les Meninas.
But is the story true? Was Louise Marie a secret princess denied her birthright? For fictional purposes I made the story true in my novel, The Paris Secret. In truth, many skeptics point out that Queen Maria Theresa was by all accounts a devoutly religious woman who would have never strayed. Some have pointed out that the very nature of life at court, where queens gave birth publically, and hardly ever spent a moment alone, would have prohibited any such affair from taking place. Still others theorize that Louise Marie Therese was actually the daughter of King Louis' coachman and his wife, who were Moors, and she was sent to a convent after their deaths. What do I think? I think anything is possible. But whatever the truth is, all the speculation surrounding this possible 'secret' princess sure makes for one hell of story.
Angela Henry is the author of the Kendra Clayton mystery series and The Paris Secret released by Carina Press.
http://parissecretnovel.blogspot.com
February 11, 2011
Exile, Extremes and Exposure

When Katie invited me along for this month's Danger and Secrets blog event, I was a) flattered and b) a bit surprised. When I think of danger in romance, my mind's eye immediate conjures the covers from suspense and thriller subgenre. So not my scene, as a writer. Complex external conflict is my bugbear, and I don't tend to write villains or dramatic, intrigue-fraught storylines. Writers who can pull that off—I bow to your superior plotting skills! But after the initial head-scratching, I realized there is one persuasion of danger I adore and understand—man-versus-nature!
I am a glutton for survival stories. I've seen every episode of Survivorman and Man vs. Wild (team Les Stroud, all the way). I'm a complete Lost nerd. I adore movies like Castaway, The Edge, and Alive. Even as I kid, I loved that stuff—I bet I read Island of the Blue Dolphins twenty times! When I was five, my favorite movie was Dot and the Kangaroo, an Australian cartoon about a little girl lost in the woods. Also among my all-time favorite reads are Life of Pi, Lord of the Flies, and Down and Out in Paris and London, just to name a few. There's a lot of diversity in that narrow little niche!
One reason I love man-versus-wilderness stories so much is that the adversary isn't human. Our nonfiction world is filled with so many bullies, it's nice to read about a struggle that doesn't reinforce the fact that we're all constantly bumping up against jerks in our everyday lives. In a man-versus-nature story, it's all about wits and will, the hero's troubles brought on by something more visceral and elemental (and less infuriating) than another human being's greed or assholery.
I love writing survival and isolation stories as much as I do consuming them. For one thing, stranding the hero and heroine together in the middle of nowhere is the perfect crucible. They've got issues, but they better work them out if they're going to overcome their shared obstacles and make it home alive! Being lost in the wilderness pushes characters out of their comfort zones like nothing else. And the opportunities for torturing your characters (which we authors adore) are limitless—injuries, insects, poisonous plants, lack of shelter, hunger, inclement weather, dangerous animals, and any mountain, river, ocean, or cave you care to throw in their path.
Caught on Camera, my debut Blaze, isn't out until April, so I shan't knock you over the head with a full-on excerpt enticement spiel. But the basic premise is that a hot-shot television survival show host (now wherever did I get that idea from?) and his long-suffering production assistant get stranded in the snowy wilds of Saskatchewan. They're mired in a couple of years' worth of sexual tension, then rolled in the further complication that they're best friends and professional partners. That's high-stakes enough for any two people, then toss them into the wilderness, putting all their skills to the test? That book was a blast to write, largely because I just absolutely adore the trope. I hope readers will enjoy being trapped with those two as well. If not, too bad—it's a long way home!
So there we go—I guess I do write danger. Who knew? And of course I'm always looking for new book, television, and film recommendations for survival stories. If you have any, please share. See you in the comments!
Thanks to Meg for blogging with me today!! Since it's the end of week two of my 30 days of Danger & Secrets party I'm giving away two books to two commenters (print format). Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis and Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan! Since I will have two drawings, when you leave a comment please list your preference of book and your country (US & Canada entrants only)! Contest open until Monday, 2/14/11 @ noon Eastern/Standard when winners will be announced so please check back!
** Open to all readers, 18 years or older, in US or Canada, who are legally allowed to participate in such a contest as allowed by their local laws. All federal, state, local, and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Winners drawn randomly by me via random.org. By participating in the contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of the contest sponsor. Winners will be notified in the comments section and the body of this blog entry.**