DECORAH SECURITY, A New Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series

I've always thought that oneof the best ways to connect with my readers is through related stories.  I've done that with my long-running 43 LightStreet series for Harlequin Intrigue and my Moon books for Berkley.  And I wanted to use a similar format with theDecorah Security series, which I launched in December with three titles.
The usual thriller ordetective series has one main protagonist who comes back book after book.  Romantic thrillers are a little differentbecause it's not just about the peril. The focus is on the developing relationship between the hero and heroineas well as on the action plot.  It's alsothe story of a man and a woman falling in love against a background of suspenseand danger, and it isn't until after they've dispatched the bad guys that thereader is sure they're going to work out their complex relationship.
That's a challenge for thewriter.  But also fun.  You're always weaving the two plots togetherso that if you pulled out either one, the story would fall apart.  And with the Decorah Security series, there'sanother element as well.  All of theagents have paranormal powers–or they're dealing with a paranormal case.
Bringing the first threeDecorah Security stories to publication was a year-long project for me.  And though DARK MOON is the third book in theseries, it's the one I wrote first because I thought of it as a transitionbetween my Berkley Moon books and the new series.

DARK MOON Cover
DARK MOON features the mainDecorah Security players, Frank Decorah and the in-house staff who havesecondary roles in all the stories.  Wealso meet a guy who's going to be the hero of a future Decorah novel, eventhough he's playing the part of a bad guy in this story.
The spotlight is on agentsCole Marshall and Emma Richards, who are sent on a desperate mission to rescueKaren Hopewell, a young woman kidnapped by a business rival of her father.  But Bruno Del Conte is no ordinarybusinessman.  He lives on a cruise shipthat's been converted into a sexual playground for the rich and kinky.
Going under cover, Cole andEmma must play the role of lovers while they search for Karen.  On the ship, they're threatened by a mutinyin progress and also by Del Conte's security chief who digs into theirbackgrounds to find out who they really are and why they're on board.  At the same time, they struggle with theintensity of the personal relationship neither of them thought they wanted.
And, oh yeah, just tocomplicate matters, Cole's a werewolf who fears Emma will discover his secretin the worst possible manner.
I finished DARK MOON, let itsit, and went through my three or four edits. But I was nervous about the story. After more than 130 books with major publishers, this was my first indieproject, and I didn't want anyone to say, "It's not up to her usualstandards."  It helped me to send it to abeta reader who came back and said she loved it.  But I wasn't ready to loose the book on theworld quite yet.  I hired a professionaleditor, who made some suggestions and line edited.  And of course, my faithful proofreader, myhusband, made sure nobody would see my dyslexic spelling and typing errors.
Meanwhile, I was working onCHAINED.  Originally it was a stand-alonenovella until I realized it fit perfectly into the Decorah Security universe.

CHAINED Cover


It's the story of IsabellaFlores, a woman on the run from thugs who want to kill her.  When she hides out at a ranch her fatherowns, she hooks up with Matt Houseman, the ghost of the Decorah agent she lovedand lost.  Both are surprised that theirrelationship turns sensual.  And when thebad guys find Isabella, Matt helps save her life.  But is he really a phantom?  And can Isabella turn the tables and bringhim back to life?

Continuing with the series inreverse order, I edited CHAINED, then wrote AMBUSHED.  

AMBUSHED Cover

Since it's a short story, I made it theintroduction to the series.  Decorahoperative Jordan Stone is guarding Elizabeth Bannerman, the only witnessagainst an alleged terrorist.  WhenJordan and Elizabeth are ambushed, they hide from armed men out to assassinateher.  And when it looks like they may notsurvive, they both acknowledge the sexual attraction that's been simmeringbetween them.  Jordan is determined tosave Elizabeth's life, but can he cope with his strong feelings for her?
But now it's launch time for Decorah Security, and I'm excited to see how this new venture works out.  How do you like series; and if you do, what kind?
If you comment on my post, you may win a small stuffed wolf and one of my favorite Harlequin Intrigues.