The Devil She Knew–Interview with Rena Koontz

One of my favorite people, Rena Koontz, takes time out from teasing us all with her pictures from Venice Beach (bare feet in the sand as we all shiver here in Ohio), to stop by for a visit today. Her book, The Devil She Knew, is on sale for only 99 cents until January 16. If you haven't snagged your copy yet, now's the time.

The research for this book deserves its own story. Here's Rena to talk about how she did it.


He’s dead now – the real Tony DelMorrie, that is.
Yes, the mob guy in my romantic suspense, “The Devil She Knew,” was a real-life Mafioso. A “made guy,” sometimes called a wiseguy, is someone who has been officially inducted, usually as a soldier, into a Mafia family. That was Tony in real life. And I met him.
My husband and I were out with a friend in downtown Cleveland one Saturday night, dropping in and out of various fun spots, when we wandered into Tony’s coffee shop – yeah, the same one depicted in the book. My husband, then an FBI agent, knew who Tony was but never expected him to be there, working the floor like a Las Vegas nightclub entertainer. Gold chains ringed his bulging neck and dripped down onto black chest hairs. I could see them because Tony had his shirt partially unbuttoned – a flashback to disco days.
Heavy, gold rings weighed down his fingers and dug into my own when he shook my hand. It was his pleasure to meet me, he said, adding that such an Italian-looking face as mine belonged in his café. I feared he would notice how sweaty my palms were or the crack in my voice when I thanked him.And then Mrs. DelMorrie came to the table. The TV show depicting mob wives is not exaggerated. She was fake nails, fake lashes, fake boobs and a hair color that rivaled a Sherwin-Williams sample palette. She batted her eyelashes at the men and called me “hon,” insisting I sample a piece of red velvet cake, the house specialty. “It’s the best you’ll ever eat, Hon. With your figure, you don’t even have to worry about calories.”
Yes, they were both charmers. No, the cake wasn’t the best. The icing was so sweet I could feel my arteries clogging as I swallowed. But I wasn’t about to decline the offered piece. I chewed fast, anxious to make an exit.
I knew Tony’s reputation and was privy to inside knowledge about his character. It’s what helped me make him so real in my book – because he was real.
“The Devil She Knew,”is my second romantic suspense released by Crimson Romance. If this blog has piqued your interest about the story, now is a good time to order. It’s discounted to 99-cents between Jan. 8-16  on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, The Crimson Romance store and other e-book retailers.
For more about “The Devil She Knew” or me, check out my website, http://www.renakoontz.com.

Purchase Links:
 amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Devil-She-Knew-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CJJWUGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419894063&sr=8-1&keywords=rena+koontzbarnes&noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-devil-she-knew-rena-koontz/1115218299?ean=9781440567810Apple iBooks - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-devil-she-knew/id641768447?mt=11crimson romance - http://www.adamsmediastore.com/ebook-devil-she-knew-epubgoogle play -https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rena_Koontz_The_Devil_She_Knew?id=6_sagekPToQC
Thank you, Becky, for allowing me to share a tidbit about my book.