LINK up and GIVEAWAY with Maureen Miller!

Hi, everyone!  Please help me give a warm welcome to Maureen Miller!  Not only does she write books, but she's also the founder of the Just Romantic Suspense, Just Contemporary Romance, and Just Paranormal Romance websites!  I don't know how she does it all, but I'm so glad she took some time out of her day to stop by! :)

Maureen A. Miller:

Title: DUSK

Publisher: Maureen A. Miller

THE STORY BLURB

As a young girl, Amanda Newton witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. As an adult she is targeted by their murderer.

Beautiful. Reserved. Mysterious. Amanda Newton, the CEO of BLUE-LINK epitomizes control with her adept handling of the global company. But that control is threatened with a series of attacks against her.

Ray Gordon, a former Navy SEAL is looking to open his own security firm. One more contracting job with BLUE-LINK would complete the funding. When he is hired to protect Amanda Newton, the Ice Queen herself, he never bargained on falling for her.

Amanda has something her attacker wants, and he will destroy anyone close to her to get it.

...but he's met his match in Ray Gordon.

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EXCERPT

Amanda sat at her office desk with her arms crossed atop the mahogany surface. She glared at the oversized monitor facing her. A grid of six faces stared back, some diffident, some determined. In the upper right-hand corner, Claudia Eichmann from the Berlin office knit her copper eyebrows together as she spoke over the others. Her words were a split-second behind the movement of her lips due to the video conferencing software.

“You are the head of this company. The backbone. The heart. What if something were to happen to you?”

An imperceptible flaring of Amanda’s nostrils might disclose her heavy sigh. “Each of you is fully capable of running BLUE-LINK. You are directors. You are the heart and backbone of your branch. You are my panel of advisors, and I only surround myself with skilled personnel.”

“We appreciate that,” Claudia continued, “but I am sure I speak for the others here in saying that we’re certainly not your equal. None of us would have wanted to take on that Eclipse lawsuit. At the end of the day, it is your company, and you are the one personally vested.”

Several heads bobbed in agreement.

“You need personal security,” Benjamin Forsyth from Australia inserted. “Not a seventy-five year old man.”

Amanda bristled at the attack on George.

“There is nothing sinister behind the assault in the alley,” she countered. Or the attempted break-in. “It’s simply a consequence of being affluent.”

“You are indifferent to your power,” Gerald Williams from Los Angeles chided, “recklessly walking the streets−stopping at the pub on occasion.”

That the ebony-eyed man in the center panel was correct didn’t detract from her need for freedom. She walked a narrow line and she knew it.

One flick of the power switch to the monitor would eliminate their censure, but it would not fade the echoes of their points. She respected this panel. They wouldn’t be facing her right now if she didn’t.

“You recently used a security contractor with that Eclipse Line mess. He seemed very capable and very discreet,” Gerald from LA said. “We suggest that you bring him into the office for a consult. If you don’t speak to him directly, we just may−”

“You’ll call him in on my behalf,” Amanda quickly tested. Her cheeks burned, but her demeanor remained a practiced blend of glacial elegance.

Gerald’s shoulders came into view as he shrugged. “We have a vested interest in your well-being.”

Amanda drew in a long breath and stared down at the reflection of the sun off her diamond ring. It cast a thousand microscopic prisms skittering across the polished wood surface.

“I’ll take your suggestion under advisement. Allow me to confer with the police before I make any rash decisions.”

“Rash?” Claudia from Berlin hefted a burnished eyebrow. “This is not rash. This is something that should have been addressed long ago. To us you have always seemed larger than life.” The eyebrow fell. “But perhaps you are a tad human after all.”

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ABOUT MAUREEN

USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller's first novel, WIDOW'S TALE earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. Working in the software industry for fifteen years in a job that required extensive travel, Maureen chose to write during those lengthy airport layovers. Escapism at its best. She is currently in the middle of a 3-book Romantic Suspense series featuring SHADOW, MIST and DUSK. Recently, Maureen branched out into the Young Adult Science Fiction market with Beyond and the BEYOND Series. She is having fun keeping her head in the stars! When she's not writing, Maureen enjoys supporting other authors. She is the founder of www.JustRomanticSuspense.com, and its offspring, www.JustContemporaryRomance.com and www.JustParanormalRomance.com.

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

Maureen: Every time I pick up a book to read, or every time I sit down to write. Either way I’m easily immersed. We read for escape. Getting lost in a story is the ultimate goal!

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

Maureen: Eat. Is there such a thing as “relief eating”? I think I’m tense and preoccupied while I’m writing. When I type THE END that tension washes away and I do all the things I postponed. (Like eating).  Of course, like any other writer, that down time is brief before we dive back into the next novel.

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

Maureen: The hero in DUSK has a weakness for the movie, FROZEN. He had to take his niece to go see it, and now he’s addicted to LET IT GO. [Lara: That is awesome! :)]

Lara: What could we find in your heroine's purse?

Maureen: Amanda Newton would have a stack of business cards, three cell phones, several different currencies, and a passport.

Lara: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

Maureen: This past week I performed my civic duties. I served as a juror on a murder trial. First, I'll state that I am humbled by the diligent and thorough process of our law. Everyone in every role of the court system was professional and informative. Second, I'll state that there is no comparison to watching something on TV and experiencing it in person. I walked away from the week-long trial very saddened. I am sad for the victim. I am sad for the defendant. I am sad for all the families involved. I spent most of Friday crying. The sheer responsibility for twelve souls is overwhelming.

When we finally announced our verdict and returned to the sequester room, we were surprised by a visit from the judge himself. He wanted to thank us for our service, and to assure us that our verdict was the correct one based on the material presented to us. By taking a few minutes out of his busy day to set our minds at ease, that judge became my hero. [Lara: How nice to have that reassurance!]

Lara: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Maureen: JAWS. I could probably recite the entire dialogue for you right now. Which character most closely represents your personality? I am definitely Roy Scheider.

Don't miss the first two books in the BLUE-LINK series!

SHADOW is available for only $0.99 right now.

Where to find Maureen?

Contact      Website      Facebook

Twitter      Goodreads

MAUREEN WANTS TO KNOW....

In DUSK, Amanda Newton wears a blue diamond ring. That is the diamond you see on the covers of the BLUE-LINK books (SHADOW, MIST and DUSK).

As for me, I love opals.

Do you have a favorite gem or stone?

Leave a comment for your chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Thanks for stopping by today, Maureen!