Go on a Stakeout with C.J. Miller!

It's my pleasure to welcome C.J. Miller to the blog today!  C.J.'s latest release is part of the Coltons of Texas miniseries from Harlequin Romantic Suspense--I'll include the covers of the other books at the end of the post so you can be sure to check them all out!

A third generation romance reader and the first in her family to write professionally, C.J. published her first book in 2012. You can follow her on facebook or on her blog.

She lives in Maryland with her family. C.J. believes in first loves, second chances, and happily ever after.

COLTON'S TEXAS STAKEOUT

April, Harlequin Romantic Suspense

This next romance in the Coltons of Texas series turns up the heat as a cowboy falls for the beautiful cop investigating his sister!

Hailing from a family full of law enforcement officials, rookie cop Annabel Colton expects to be treated like the dedicated officer she is. But her overprotective brothers want her off the dangerous case of the serial killer stalking their tiny Texas town. Her determination lands her a stakeout mission at the farm of the prime suspect's brother.

Cowboy Jesse Willard—too handsome, too challenging, too sexy—claims he's not helping his estranged sister evade capture. But as Annabel gets closer and closer to the irresistible rancher, bullets start flying. And their lives—and hearts—will depend on the two of them working together.

Author note: This is book 4 of a 12 book continuity written by 11 authors. The books are being released one per month all year. Colton's Texas Stakeout can be read alone, but the whole series is fascinating and worth a look.

Check out the excerpt!

Who was shooting at her? The serial killer? Someone after Jesse?

The last place Annabel should be was inside her car. The shooter could be working his or her way around to the car and have her penned in. The phrase “shooting fish in a barrel” came to mind.

Annabel slipped out of the passenger side of the car, staying low, hitting her knee on the emergency brake. She waited a beat, then crawled toward Jesse’s house.

Jesse opened the front door and stood on the porch. Panic rose up inside her. If the shooter was targeting Jesse, he was in the open, and a decent marksman could make the kill shot without much trouble.

“Get down!” Annabel screamed, rushing at him and trying to cover him with her body. She stumbled up the steps, her adrenaline pulsing hard. She shoved him back inside the house, and they toppled over each other, Jesse catching her before she hit the ground. She kicked the door closed with her foot.

Lying on top of him, she met his gaze, and her entire body shuddered with desire. “There’s a shooter,” she said, perhaps stating the obvious but feeling as if she needed to provide a reason for why she had tackled him.

He smelled good, like mint and earth. Realizing she was in an intimate position, she rolled to the side, moving off of him.

Annabel came to her feet and crouched by the front window to watch for movement in the distance or even to catch a glimpse of the shooter.

Jesse had left the room, but she heard his footsteps and turned to see him returning with a rifle. She felt no danger from him, despite the anger in his eyes. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’ll defend you and my property.”

Lara: How often to you get lost in a story?

CJ: I won't read more than the first 5 pages of a book if I'm not hooked. I would say one out of every ten books I read sweeps me away to the point that I'm thinking about the book days after I've finished it. [Lara: So many books, so little time, right?]

Lara: What three things are, at this moment, in your heroine’s purse, satchel, reticule, weapons belt or amulet bag (whatever she carries)

CJ: Annabel is a police officer. When she's out for the evening, her handbag has her weapon, a picture of her late mother whose love inspires her, and her police badge. She worked hard for that badge and it comes in handy.

Lara: What’s the first book you remember reading? 

CJ: As a child, I remember reading Frog and Toad with my mom. When I could read alone, my two favorite books were The Secret Garden and Jacob Have I Loved. Jacob Have I Loved was a gift from my elementary school's librarian and I still have my old copy, easily 20 years old.

Lara: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

CJ: "All day" doesn't apply in my case. I write nights and weekends and my characters are some of the best parts of the job. [Lara: Me too! :)]

Lara: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

CJ: In addition to being a writer, I'm also a technology geek. I'd spend more time on that.

Lara: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

CJ: Save it. Make a backup and email it to myself. Start outlining the next book.

Lara: What is your hero’s “kryptonite” – in other words, what will bring him instantly to his knees?

CJ: Jesse is a farmer and he loves animals. If he could find a woman who felt the same about his pets and his land, his stars would align.

Lara: What one thing about your hero drives his heroine crazy? And what one thing about your heroine drives her hero nuts?

CJ: Jesse is defensive about his family to the point of denial. Annabel wants to prove herself and puts herself in danger pursuing her case. She doesn’t see it this way, but Jesse is protective of the people he cares for.

Lara’s GOTTA ASK What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile?                                    CJ’s GOTTA ANSWER:  I read almost exclusively on my Kindle. I have more than 30 unread books waiting for me. The ones I am most looking forward to are: (1.) Taking Fire by Cindy Gerard (2.) The Harder You Fall by Gena Showalter (3.) Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole (4.) Dirty Rotten Scoundrel by Liliana Hart (5.) Hard Limit by Meredith Wild [Lara: Looks like a good list!]

Where can you find C.J.?

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Blogs

What's next for C.J.?

Delta Force Desire, available June 2016

From classified secrets to unleashed desires…

Elite hacker Kit Walker expects a safe desk job when the government taps her for a classified project. So when Kit's captured by a cyberterrorist group, she fears for her life and her work. But when gorgeous Griffin Brooks turns up to save her, it's not only her life that's in danger…

Griffin was assigned to Kit's case, but protecting the bashful beauty soon becomes so much more than a job to him. How can he do his duty to guard her when he couldn't keep his late wife safe from a nefarious killer? As a lethal threat closes in on them both, Griffin and Kit will have to untangle the deadly web of lies—and their growing attraction—if they want to stop their enemy in his tracks.

Don't miss the first six books in the Coltons of Texas series!

 

C.J. wants to know... I'm interested in what's new in romance. I'm late to the game on discovering new tropes and authors.

Thanks again for stopping by, C.J.!