HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 40

Status

I finally got my laptop back. For those who missed the announcement, the laptop had to be sent to computer hospital (ie, the Geek Squad Mothership) because my cat threw up on the keyboard. No, you didn't read that wrong. I left the room for three minutes and the cat threw up on the laptop. He shorted out the keyboard, resulting in my laptop being gone for 17 days. [That sound you hear is from my author friends groaning in sympathy.] Oh, and to make this whole thing really special, right before the laptop incident the Mac desktop died. So, yeah, it's been a little tough in the technology department around here lately.

Good news, all is well now. I've been quiet because I had to finish some revisions on my holiday novella from Carina. Have I told you the title? It's The Right Season For Love. I love the couple. Love the story. I'll post an excerpt soon.

Contest!

I'm being interviewed today by the lovely Robin Bielman. She's giving away copies of my books, including my newest release, LOCKED AND LOADED, plus some other goodies. So, head on over and say hello.*

*Just click on the LOCKED AND LOADED link.

Saturday Snippet

I continue to have Word/laptop issues, but I found a scene that fits this week's topic: public scene. Since LOCKED AND LOADED just came out, that's the book you're getting. This scene actually is semi-public. Okay, that's nto true. It takes place in the Recovery Project building, but that's kind of public…sort of… Enjoy!

"How are you feeling?" His voice dipped low as he asked the question.

The sexy vibration made her insides jump around in excitement. "The shoulder and the back hurt."

"We can get you some medical attention."

"You won't call the police but you'll call an ambulance?"

"I think he means me." A guy slipped in behind Adam. "Hey, man. Have a nice time in West Virginia?"

She tensed but Adam smiled. "Maddie, this is Caleb Mattern."

"I work with Adam."

She shook the man's hand and then pulled hers back fast. She wasn't even out of the truck and she had to battle two of them. And what exactly did these guys eat? Caleb stood over six feet with broad shoulders, light brown hair and the most soothing blue-green eyes she'd ever seen. He had that handsome mused look that reminded her of blue jeans and football of Sunday afternoons. The relaxed style matched his welcoming smile. The only surprise was the shiny gold wedding band.

Attractive or not, she didn't trust Caleb one inch more than she trusted Adam. Well, that wasn't true. She reluctantly believed Adam wanted to help her. She didn't know why or if her radar was off, but she was willing to go along for now. But only with Adam.

"I hear you got banged up," Caleb said.

She'd been with Adam every single minute since the attackers came. He hadn't made a call. She'd know since she'd been watching for a cell phone so she could steal it. "Who told you that?"

"It's on the radio." Adam frowned at her in a way that said he thought she was clueless. "How do you think?"

"When?"

Adam waved her off then reached to up to drag her out of the truck. "Don't worry about it."

She wasn't in the mood to be placated of manhandled. She pulled out of his reach and ignored Caleb's half-cough, half-laugh as she did. "You want me to trust you but you're keeping information from me. How is that fair?"

Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. "She's got you there, man."

"Don't help."

Caleb's smile grew wider. "Can't seem to stop."

"She can fight her own battles."

Caleb nodded. "I get it. I've been there."

"Where?" Maddie asked.

"Wrong." Adam glared as his teammate for about ten seconds before turning back to her. "The watch."

When Maddie could barely follow the by-play, she gave up. She needed a bed and an aspirin before she could function again. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

Adam held out his wrist to her. "It works like a telephone only better."

The black face looked like most other watches but bigger. She could see a series of buttons and when Adam hit one, the time switched to an image of the garage.

Caleb pointed around the room. "Cameras. You're almost never alone here."

She was more interested in the phone part. "Where can I get one of those?"

"Adam designed this one. We all wear them."

Through all the gunfire and running she'd almost forgotten about the other side of him. "So, the computer geek thing is real?"

Adam smiled. "I prefer the word genius."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do."

____________

Remember to check out the other authors' snippets:

Lacey Savage

Sasha White

Beth-Ann Mason

Shiloh Walker

Denise A. Agnew

Alison Kent

Leah Braemel

Jody Wallace

Eliza Gayle

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Now It's Time!

Today is the official release day for LOCKED AND LOADED. I know it's been shipping for a week, but today is the day.

Nothing was as it seemed… Not even the protection Maddie Timmons was promised when she'd entered the Witness Security Program. One of her handlers was missing, the other had burned her, and now Maddie was at risk.

All that stood between her and certain death was one sexy stranger.

Deep undercover, Recovery Project agent Adam Wright vowed to keep Maddie safe from the leak at WitSec. But Adam wasn't prepared for the confident woman he'd rescued, the sensuous lover who got under his skin. He could do nothing about her past being taken away, but he'd do anything to secure her future…even if it meant forsaking his own….

A huge thank you to all who already bought the book and for the lovely emails about Maddie and Adam's story.

Since so many have asked, I promise you'll know what you need to know about Trevor, Rod and Vince by the end of the last book in the miniseries, THE BIG GUNS (out next month). As for Trevor's intentions, you'll have some insight after LOCKED AND LOADED.

How's that for a hint?

Technical Problem

Since LOCKED AND LOADED is out and shipping, my plan was to post an excerpt for you. Then I had a problem. This is the problem:

That's Jack, one of my cats. Jack, the little sweetheart, threw up on my laptop keyboard. Yep, that's what I said. Threw. Up. In case you're wondering what that has to do with the excerpt, his vomit shorted out my keyboard. So now the laptop, the one with the digital copy of LOCKED AND LOADED (and all of my other Word documents), is off for three weeks (three!!!) being repaired.

I was not amused.

Instead of an excerpt, how about Maddie's (the heroine) view of Adam when she thinks he's a geeky (yet kind of hot) neighbor rather than an undercover agent:

He stood there, all six-foot-three of him. Sandy blonde hair, thin wire glasses and shoulders wider than the door frame. He was her next door neighbor. The chatty, sexy computer nerd with the linebacker body who moved in and insisted they be friends, all while she dodged every attempt.

I love Adam. And I've almost forgiven Jack for the computer damage. Almost.

Almost Time

The official release date for LOCKED AND LOADED is August 9th – next Tuesday – but the book is shipping from online stores now. Wahoo! Let's take this opportunity to stare at the cover for a second…

For those who want some information about the book, and a bit about me, I am guest blogging at Limecello's blog today. I'm also giving away some books in the Mystery Men miniseries. So, please stop by and say hello.

Questions Answered

I've gotten a lot of questions via email about my Intrigue miniseries, Mystery Men. Thank you for caring about the books. Here are some answers…

Is THE BIG GUNS (Sept. 2011) the final book? Yes. In my head, the stories for all these amazing guys are wrapped up. THE BIG GUNS answers all the open questions regarding the WitSec scandal, the conspiracy and Rod. And since many people ask about the order*, here it is:

-UNDER THE GUN (not officially part of the miniseries but introduced the team)

-GUNS AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

-GUNNING FOR TROUBLE

-LOCKED AND LOADED (almost out!)

-THE BIG GUNS (out in September)

*Note: My Bookshelf page lists books by series now, so you can see linked books without trouble.

Is Trevor really a bad guy? I'm going to let you read to the end of the miniseries and make your own decision on that one. He has done some very bad things. Some criminal things. But my goal was always to make him believable and complex. He has motivation for his choices and, I hope, a bit of humanity. I view him as the perfect challenge for Luke. The fact so many people wrote to say they see good and bad in him makes me happier than I can say.

Why don't you have epilogues in your Intrigues? I'm not a big believer in epilogues. I've always felt the books should end where they end and readers can create the rest of the happily-ever-after in their heads. Also, epilogues really wouldn't have worked in the Mystery Men series because there is an overriding mystery – where is Rod – that isn't solved, so the story in many ways is ongoing.

Is Rod a good guy/bad guy/will he have his own story? The Rod question is answered in THE BIG GUNS and that's all I can say about that without giving spoilers.

Are your 2012 Intrigue releases a new miniseries? Actually, no. After writing back-to-back on the Mystery Men miniseries, I wanted a break from linked books. I have three Intrigues coming out in 2012 and they are all standalones. The first, tentatively titled WHEN SHE WASN'T LOOKING, is a mistaken identity story…sort of. How's that for being helpful?

Anything else?

Locked and Loaded

It's almost release day for my next book from Harlequin Intrigue, LOCKED AND LOADED. If you're following the Mystery Men miniseries (and I hope you are), the hero is Adam, the security/tech expert for the Recovery Project. The heroine is Maddie, a woman in witness protection who's been burned by her handler. Thought this might be a good time for an excerpt. In this one Maddie doesn't quite trust Adam yet:

ADAM GOT MADDIE into his truck and watched her strap the seat belt across her chest. She stayed quiet and agreed with everything he said, followed every direction without fighting back. Didn't try to kick him or steal his weapon.

He didn't buy the act for one second. He'd bet his life she was waiting for the right time to run. He wanted to think his sound arguments had convinced her to calm down, but he knew that wasn't true. This woman was trained by Rod, the same man who'd trained Adam. She wouldn't believe a stranger who showed up to pull her out of bed and race through the woods. She wouldn't admit to being in WitSec.

And she wouldn't sit quietly in his truck while he drove her to some unknown destination.

She was not stupid. She possessed street smarts and a stunning will to live. Turning evidence on a boyfriend who ran the biggest meth operation in Chicago proved that. Maddie was smart enough to get out and cut a deal with the Justice Department, one that landed her in WitSec and eventually in his lap.

"Russell Ambrose is dead." Adam meant to deliver the news of her handler with a little less anger in his voice and a whole lot more tact, but it didn't work out that way.

Her head whipped around. Her unblinking stare out the window ended that fast.

Adam slipped the keys into the ignition but didn't start the car. "He was giving away the identities of WitSec participants. He collected cash and got them killed." When she just stared at him, Adam rushed to fill the uncomfortable silence. "That's why I'm here."

"To kill me."

"No." He shook his head for emphasis since words alone didn't appear to be working.

"Sure feels like it."

"Maddie, listen to me. I'm trying to help you."

"Right. Because the bad guys always admit they're trying to kill you." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

"Good point." He turned the key. "I know about Rod."

"I don't know who that is."

Looked as if they were back to denial. Adam wasn't surprised, but he was getting frustrated. "I can tell you anything from your file."

She folded and refolded her hands on her lap. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He hit the doolocks just in case she ended the innocent act and headed for the handle to escape."I know you're trained to pretend. I get that."

"Call the police."

She could have told him she was a toaster oven and he would have been less surprised. He admired the move. It shoved him right into a corner. "I don't think so."

"If what you're saying is true, call the police." She glanced around the truck. "I don't have a phone but I'm betting you do and I know you're smart enough to dial 9-1-1."

He did have a phone, but the real power came from his watch. It was how he communicated with the other agents, and that was the least impressive of it's functions. "Taking you in will send a message to someone in WitSec. A handler will come to pick you up and hush up everything with the police. I can't risk it."

"Neither can I." She launched her body in his direction as she unlatched her seat belt.

If he hadn't been expecting the attack she would have slammed his head against the window. Even waiting for it, she got in a few good shots. She grabbed for the keys with one hand and punched him in the jaw with the other. The hit sent his head back. The smack against the headrest hurt his neck more than the blow, but she didn't let up. Her fists pummeled his legs and chest.

When she switched to scratching, dragging her fingers across his forearm until she drew blood, he went from defense to an offensive strike. He grabbed her hand and leaned hard against her, pinning her on her back against the seat. Her knee caught him in the stomach as she squirmed and flailed. She grunted and panted, forcing him to use more strength than he intended. He'd hoped to talk her down.

That was before she aimed for his groin.

Tomorrow I'll answer some questions I've gotten about this miniseries and future Intrigues.

Writing Murder

I'm always amused when someone finds out I write romance and romantic suspense and makes a comment about how I must practice the sex scenes with the hubby. Funny how no one ever asks if I practice the murder, car chases, fire fights and explosions with the hubby. Guess he's only good for one thing…

Entertainment Weekly asked a few authors – Sue Grafton, JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) and John Sandford – to name their favorite murder scenes. Grafton talkes about F is for Fugitive and a diabetic being injected with something other than insulin and going into shock while the detective is sitting right there. Robb's response kind of made me chuckle:

There's little point in killing people on paper if you don't enjoy it. In Fantasy in Death, the unfortunate Bart Minnock is beheaded by the holographic Lord Manx during gameplay. If a guy's going to lose his head, it might as well be fun.

Which highlights my point about people making comments to romance authors about the sex scenes in their books: folks, it's fiction.

Social Media For Good

Romance reader, blogger and reviewer Limecello is using her website as a way of raising awareness and money for the Horn of Africa, A Humanitarian Crisis: What We Can Do To Help. People are pledging money based on the number of blog comments. So, please, go comment.