Suspense in Romance Guest Blog and Giveaway with Mal Olson

Romantic suspense. Technically, according to top authorities, for a novel to be truly a Romantic Suspense, the blend of the two genres must be equal. Not to say an author can't write a suspense with elements of romance or that a romance can't have a touch of suspense.

Since Romantic Suspense is where it's at for me, there's good news and there's bad news. Besides juggling the already numerous balls a writer must juggle—plot, setting, narrative, dialogue, goal-motivation-conflict, action-reaction, scene-sequel, voice, character arc, story arc—the list goes on—the romantic suspense author must add to the act, the weaving of two story threads—romance plot and suspense plot. Nora Roberts in her article "Crafting Romantic Suspense" published on www.thewritingcorner.com, says this weaving must be done perfectly, the two plot lines must be dependent on each other, and the construction must be meticulous.

Whew! That's a pretty tall order. Not too much romance, not too much suspense, but as in Goldilocks, the brew must be just right.

On the plus side, the "instant tension" created when an author drops the hero and heroine into a pot of boiling water, allows for a great hook. What better way to pump up a reader's adrenaline than by giving them the promise of romance blossoming on the edge of danger. The other good news is, writers who are passionate about romantic suspense are ravenous readers of the genre. A lot of the "dos and don'ts" become ingrained subconsciously. Instinct helps the writer get it right. In my case, I'm not obsessing over measuring exactly the balance between romance and suspense. It all works out, almost naturally, since I've been steeped for years in the works of Linda Howard, Suzanne Brockmann, Tara Janzen, Cindy Gerard, Elizabeth Lowell, Ann Stuart, Brenda Novak, and many other excellent RS authors.

When an author writes what she loves to read, she's well on the road to writing what others may love to read. It's simple, right? As long as the writer keeps juggling those balls, keeps things moving at a lightning fast pace, and by the end of the story the villain has suffered retribution and the hero and heroine have made some kind of commitment, and if along the way, the reader has been treated to edge of the heart romance and edge of the seat suspense, the author has succeeded in producing a true Romantic Suspense novel—in three words: Shadow of Deceit, my debut novel. (Mal Olson, author of adrenaline kicked romantic suspense)

Follow Mal's tour:

March 6 Guest blog/Tour IntroRoxanne's Realmwww.roxannesreal.blogspot.com
March 7 Character interview and reviewAlways a Booklover http://alwaysabooklover.blogspot.com
March 8 InterviewManga Maniac Café
March 8 PromoJade Mystiquewww.jademystique.blogspot.com 
March 9 Promo and reviewhttp://sjclarke.com/blog-2/
March 10 Spotlight (review later)Read 2 Review http://read2review.com
March 12 Guest blogBookin' It Reviews~ http://www.bookinitreviews.com/
March 15 InterviewTheresa Stillwagon
March 16 Guest BlogFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
March 22 Guest PostLisa's World of Bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
March 26 review and guest posthttp://www.stormgoddessbookreviews.blogspot.com/
March 27 Promo and reviewKeeping Up With The Rheinlander'shttp://mnmrheinlander.com
March 29 Promo and InterviewJeanzBookreadNReview http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com/
March 30 Guest Blog and reviewCocktails and Books http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com
April 1 Interview and reviewBeverly @ The Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com
April 1 Guest Blog, reviewLissette E. Manninghttp://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning
April 2 Interview and Giveawayat Kay Dee'shttp://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com





Shadow of Deceit
By Mal Olson
66,835 wordsGenre: romantic suspense

Blurb:

Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving widow desperate to clear her husband's name learn to believe in love again?

Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force operative's massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young widow finds unnerving.

When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection, they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind—secrets involving a Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the world—secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazanaik has vowed to take down.

With danger surrounding them, two emotionally wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love? Can they survive long enough to find out?

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MN-ph78gic

THE WILD ROSE PRESS
ebook or paperback
AMAZON
Most online booksellers
Available March 7, 2012

Author bio:

Mal Olson writes adrenaline-kicked romantic suspense. When her consuming passion for writing allows time, she enjoys reading, flower gardening, jamming with friends on the mountain dulcimer, and hiking in a nearby state forest (or in the mountains somewhere). She has three grown children and one granddaughter and resides with her own special hero in southeast Wisconsin where she juggles writing time with her freelance landscape design business.



Visit Mal online: www.malolson.com



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