Rita Henuber

Author Rita Henuber grew up running the beaches of a barrier island on Florida’s east coast. She married a Marine and feels fortunate to have lived many places and traveled to the states and countries she didn’t live. She writes about extraordinary women and the men they love, weaving her experiences into contemporary women’s fiction and suspense thrillers. Under Fire is her first book.

ABOUT UNDER FIRE

Coast Guard helicopter pilot Olivia Carver is on a very personal mission. Her twin brother, an undercover officer, was murdered by a drug cartel and she won't stop until she finds the man responsible for his death.

In the course of her own investigation, Olivia meets informant Rico Cortes. He's mysterious and sexy and despite her reservations, the two share a night of passion. But Rico turns out to be more than a one-night stand. He's a DEA agent, deep undercover in Miami's drug world, and possibly the one man who can help Olivia find the justice she seeks.

When Rico realizes his cover is blown, he isn't sure whether it was someone in the cartel or an inside agent. Olivia is the only one he can trust and together they venture on a dangerous, rogue mission to infiltrate a drug lord's inner circle...with Olivia as bait.

Check out Olivia’s day at the office http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyxSWupqcRY

AND NOW, LET'S LEARN ABOUT RITA HENUBER!

DONNELL: Rita, you’re in a helicopter and it’s dropping you at your destination. Where are you going?

RITA: Okay. You’ve outted me. I don’t like helicopters. A chopper ride would have to be very special. The first thing that comes to mind is being in Marine One landing on the White House Lawn.

DONNELL: What/Where’s your favorite room in your house?

RITA: This is a difficult one. My home is U-shaped with an enclosed pool in the center of the U. All the rooms have floor to ceiling glass doors/windows and look out to the pool. All but the bedrooms are totally open and I feel like I’m outside no matter where I am. So, short answer is everywhere.

DONNELL: Have you ever written a character who wasn’t meant to be a hero but he wouldn’t go away?

RITA: Not really. I determine my men to be either the hero or the bad guy before I write. I have had two characters get completely away from me. One sorta took over the story. Still shaking my head about that. Another, was going to be a secondary hero. In the second chapter the heroine stood behind me as I wrote telling me what a scum bag he was. Really? Like she couldn’t have told me that before?

DONNELL: Do you read reviews of your books?

RITA: I don’t seek them out but when I come across them I do read. I find them interesting. I mean I can’t change anything so no need to get up tight. I do love it when the reviewer gets so into the characters and writes about them as if they are real. Best ones are the pure readers who email me.

DONNELL: You’re scaling a mountain ledge with jagged rocks and ocean below you. Who do you want with you?

RITA: God and all the archangels. I’m terrified of heights.

DONNELL: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

RITA: Orange juice, milk, left over roasted chicken, fresh green beans, apples, lemons, the usual condiments and five different kinds of hot sauce.

DONNELL: How many shoes do you have in your closet?

RITA: Eeep! 40 pairs. Way too many for someone who is barefoot most of the time. Really need to clean them out.

DONNELL: What was your proudest moment as a writer?

RITA: I have three. Being a Golden Heart® finalists. Securing agent representation and selling. Those events were validation of my work.

DONNELL: What do you do to unwind and relax?

RITA: Sit by the pool and stare into space as I listen to a book. Go down to the dock to watch the sun set and boats go by. Walk the beach.

DONNELL: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

RITA: Writers block. You mean when the people in my head won’t talk to me? I discovered they’re mad because I’m making them do something they don’t want to do.

I perceive what most call writer’s block as my subconscious telling me to step back something is wrong with what I’m working on. I step away from the writing and do something else creative. The first time I realized this was a scene in Under Fire. No matter what I did, I couldn’t move forward with it. It simply wasn’t working for me and I was at the point of cutting it completely. It was over 5000 words and going to take some courage. Told myself I’d do it tomorrow and proceeded to do some fun things. Went to the beach, walked and read. Took some pictures and had drinks and dinner with friends. Totally pushed the scene out of my head. Next morning I sat down read the first paragraph and knew instantly what was wrong. Since then I’ve used that tactic several times.

DONNELL: Are you superstitious?

RITA: If you mean the black cat, broken mirror, open umbrellas in the house things, no. I do believe in the positive vibes to the universe thing. Every morning saying what you want. I believe it helps make things happen.

DONNELL: What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing/researching a book?

RITA: That so many weapons can be purchased over the internet.

DONNELL: If you could tell Readers one thing about you, what would it be?

RITA: I LOVE being an author

Rita, thank you. Now it’s your turn to ask your Readers and Fans a Question.

RITA HENUBER: Thank you for having me here today. It’s great to connect with your readers. I’m always interested in knowing what prompts a reader to buy a book. Word of mouth, cover, blurb, first page or all of them?

I’d really love to hear their opinions on VERY strong heroines. My gal is confident, strong willed, good at what she does and completely blindsided when she falls in love. My hero is pretty much the same. But they work. Have you read Under Fire? What do you think of the relationship?

Comments and questions will enter two readers in a drawing to win UNDER FIRE either in a e-book or an audio book.

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