Enjoy a Sizzling-Hot, Suspenseful Holiday with HelenKay Dimon

When I dream of Christmas, I dream of many things. And sometimes I dream of movies that open with Christmas scenes, especially suspense movies like Die Hard or Lethal Weapon—remember the Christmas tree lot scene in Lethal Weapon—the one where you first realized that Mel Gibson had serious mental health issues? No wait—that was his character, Martin Riggs.

This sort of holiday reverie usually puts me in the mood for a good romantic suspense novel, preferably one written by HelenKay Dimon. Like the two books below, which deserve a place in your ereader or under your tree this year!

Merry Christmas and happy reading, Jillian Stone

THE FIXER
Games People Play

He’s known only as Wren. A wealthy, dangerously secretive man, he specializes in making problems disappear. A professional fixer, Wren hides a dark past, but his privacy is shattered when Emery Finn seeks him out—and what she wants from him is very personal.

Some people disappear against their will. Emery’s job is to find them and bring closure. Wren is the only person who can help solve Emery’s own personal mystery: the long-ago disappearance of her cousin. Just tracking down the sexy, brooding Wren is difficult enough. Resisting her body’s response to him will prove completely impossible.

Anonymity is essential to Wren’s success, yet drawn by Emery’s loyalty and sensuality, he’s pulled out of the shadows. But her digging is getting noticed by the wrong people. And as the clues start to point to someone terrifyingly close, Wren will have to put his haunted past aside to protect the woman he loves.
Special Pre-Order Buy link: Amazon 

UNDER THE WIRE
Bad Boys Undercover

The Bad Boys of the Alliance—a top-secret military security agency—are back for more in HelenKay Dimon’s sexy, action-packed series

Only one thing could pull Reid Armstrong away from a vacation he’s earned with every muscle in his finely honed body—learning that his former fiancée has disappeared on a top-secret science expedition in the middle of nowhere. Second chances don’t come often in Reid’s business, and he needs to prove his worth to Cara Layne or die trying.

Waking up to find her camp destroyed and her colleagues missing, Cara is a walking target. She can’t trust anyone, least of all Reid. Even if his skills get them out alive, he’s a heartache waiting to strike twice. Yet being in close proximity proves their connection burns hotter than ever.

The body count is rising, the enemy is getting closer, and soon Reid will be right back in the position that cost him everything—forced to choose between the woman he loves, and the job that’s his only hope of saving them both . . .
Buy link: Amazon

PLAYING DIRTY:
Bad Boys Undercover  Book One

As an elite Alliance agent—the joint undercover operation of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, and the CIA—Ford Decker lives for the adrenaline. But when he befriends sexy property manager Shay Alexander in hopes of finding her cousin, a known national security threat, Ford crosses the line, getting to know her better . . . in bed

After being burned by her last relationship, Shay wants to take things slow. Yet she can't keep her hands off the drop-dead gorgeous hottie who's moved into her apartment building. So when Ford's identity as an undercover agent is exposed, his betrayal cuts deep. Shay never wants to see him again, but Ford can't let her go, not when her life is still in danger. He will sacrifice everything to protect her, then be prepared to walk away from the only woman he's ever loved, even if it breaks him.
Book One Special ebook price: $1.99 Amazon 

HelenKay Dimon spent the years before becoming a romance author as a...divorce attorney. Not the usual transition, she knows. Good news is she now writes full time and is much happier. She has sold over thirty novels, novellas and shorts to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Kensington, Harlequin, Penguin, Samhain and Carina Press. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named "Red-Hot Reads" and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. She is on the Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America and teaches fiction writing at UC San Diego and MiraCosta College. You can learn more at her website: www.helenkaydimon.com


Suspense lovers: Please share a favorite Christmas scene from novels, film or TV—and put us all in the mood to go look them up on Amazon or Netflix!

Get Lost in a Riveting Southern Mystery and Author Lisa Turner

Get Lost in a Story Readers, Lisa Turner's debut, A Little Death in Dixie, took the mystery world by storm.  She's done it again in The Gone Dead Train.  And we're lucky enough to learn just how that happened.  Please welcome Lisa Turner to Get Lost in a Story!

About The Gone Dead Train

A riveting Southern mystery in which Memphis detective Billy Able descends into the bizarre world of flawed heroes, Santería voodoo, and cold-hearted killings linked to a damning photograph and a stunning betrayal by a civil rights icon

Burned by his last case, Memphis detective Billy Able is at a crossroads. He doubts himself. He doubts his career. But he can't turn off instincts honed by a decade on the force.

The suspicious deaths of two legendary bluesmen are ruled due to natural causes. Convinced that a crime has been committed, Billy Able and straitlaced female cop Frankie Malone refuse to let it go. A voodoo curse, a Santerían priest, and a decades-old photograph may connect the seemingly unrelated homicides. But the clues don't add up until a third victim is cruelly murdered. Guilt-ridden, Billy swears to dig into the city's dark history for answers, then finds himself caught up in a web of incriminating evidence. Hunter becomes prey. Frankie has his back as they race to solve the deadly puzzle from which Billy may not come out alive.

DONNELL:  Let's Welcome Lisa Turner to Get Lost in a Story!  First of all,

readers, I have to tell you this author can tell a story.  If you haven’t checked out A Little Death of Dixie, please do.  But today, we’re going to focus on The Gone Dead Train.  First of all, Lisa, you’re an interesting case!  Your first book was published through Bell Bridge Books, correct?.  Harper Collins discovered your phenomenal writing and like the train you write about in book two said, All aboard!  So question number one is, did you or did they come up with the title, Gone Dead Train, and please tell readers what it means?

LISA: Hi Donnell. Thanks for the invitation. I arrived at HarperCollins with the title, The Gone Dead Train. At first they weren’t too sure about it. Six months later they decided it was perfect. They either took a poll or it grew on them.  

Creating stories has taught me to ask myself a question and leave space for an answer to show up on its own. I didn’t have a title for my latest book, but I knew that if I waited it would come.

One stormy morning I was looking through research materials when the tornado sirens went off. We don’t have a basement, so I grabbed a book of blues lyrics meant to be read as poetry and settled in a chair away from the windows. A train motif runs through the story, probably because the Norfolk Southern tracks are about a mile from my home, and I can hear the trains running day and night. I heard a train whistle blow just as the book fell open to “The Gone Dead Train,” a blues song recorded in 1932 by King Solomon Hill. I got the chills and knew I’d found my title.

Later in the day, I learned a neighbor’s tree had been twisted out of the ground like a corkscrew. A tornado had passed right over our heads.

DONNELL:  Your reviews on your debut novel are terrific!  They rave about how you take the reader through Memphis, and about your ability to write police procedurals.  Do you have a background in law enforcement?  And how did you make Detective Billy Able so spot on?

LISA: I have zero background in law enforcement and didn’t start out to write a book with a detective as the lead. In A Little Death in Dixie, Mercy Snow, whose sister goes missing, was the original protagonist. But the detective, a secondary character, took over. Local homicide detectives, criminal attorneys, and a private eye gave me hours of their time, answering questions and telling me their stories.  

Procedural research for The Gone Dead Train was easier with the help of my brilliant cousin, Lieutenant James Flatter of the Monroe County Sherriff’s Dept. Key West. He told me amazing stories and walked me through some of the inside baseball of law enforcement. James Freeman, a character in the book, is modeled after him. Sadly, James passed away suddenly a little over year ago. I miss him terribly.

DONNELL:  Voodoo and a Santerian priest—there’s tremendous cultural references here. When I think voodoo, I think of Louisiana.  Santerian I think of Africa.  First, do you believe in voodoo?  I confess someone sent me a doll and it’s on the top of my closet, unopened.  Is this something you’ve dealt with personally, or did you have to do a lot of research to write this story?

LISA:  You’re right, Santeriá and voodoo are not the same, although you can find evil curses in both. The form of Santeriá I researched is specifically Cuban, which has migrated to Key West. Again, my cousin, a thirty-year veteran cop who spent most of his career in Key West, was the reason I included Santeriá in the book. He described finding curses at murder scenes that told him the victims were believers, and in some cases, that the curses were involved in their deaths. I’ve included those details in a scene in my book. So James had the firsthand experience, not me; however, I’ve read several books on the religion (it’s not a cult). When the publisher asked me to expand Santerá in the storyline, my one-scene witchdoctor became the enigmatic Dr. Sergio Ramos, a highly regarded psychologist and practicing santero. And he’s a cutie. Think Antonio Banderos.

          The voodoo doll wrapped up in your closet is called contagious magic. It’s believed that whatever happens to that doll will happen to the person it’s fashioned after. From what I’ve read, I’d talk to an expert before disposing of it.

DONNELL:  How would you categorize your books?  Are they straight thrillers, suspense, any romance included?  What is the easiest thing to write about Billy, and what would you say is the hardest.  Does he ever surprise you?  Can you picture Bill in you head?

LISA: Your category question sent me trotting off to omnimystery.com for their genre list. According to their definition, I write mysteries with a continuing detective. That means there’s a crime that’s solved by the end of the book, and the writing is atmospheric with character development of the protagonist and antagonist. I touch on relationship development, but a hard-working cop like Billy Able doesn’t get a lot of time off for the ladies.

There’s nothing easy about Billy. He claims to be a simple guy just doing his job, but that’s bull hockey. Yes, his mission is pretty straightforward: representing people who can’t stand up for themselves. And that’s not just for murder victims. It’s Billy’s nature to call out all forms of injustice.

This will sound a little crazy, but Billy tries to hide things from me . . . you know how men are. I have long discussions about Billy with my husband, Rob Sangster. Those talks tell me a lot about both men.

Can I picture Billy in my head? He keeps changing, which is the reason I generalize his physical description. I’ve put up a board of his current iteration on Pinterest.com.

DONNELL:  What comes first for you, plot or character? Or other?

LISA: Memphis comes first because the city and Southern culture are major players in my books. The concept for the plot is next—hopefully it’s a high concept that immediately grabs the imagination. Then Billy and the characters gather around the plot. It’s as if everything about the story already exists, and it’s my job to be a story archeologist.

DONNELL:  You’re living in the fabulous area of Nova Scotia now, a far cry from Memphis.  What do you miss about Memphis, and what’s your favorite thing about living in Nova Scotia?

LISA: We split the year between places, which is ideal. I miss everything about Memphis when I’m gone, but mainly the giant hardwood trees. Oh, and the food, the rhythm of the place, and the sense of fun. I can’t say music because there’s amazing music in Nova Scotia. People put on home concerts for professional players. I’m talking Nashville studio musicians who back up stars on tour. We set up folding chairs and they play for the love of it.

Nova Scotia is a land of people with tough jobs and big hearts. I have a Nova Scotia board on Pinterest. My husband took many of the photos.

One more thing. Nova Scotia is called the Riviera of Canada because the Gulf Stream flows right up the coast. Seven months out of the year the weather is lovely. But don’t tell anyone. We’re trying to keep the place a secret.

DONNELL:  What would you say is the most interesting/unusual thing you’ve ever learned researching a book?

Looking into the Santeriá aspect of The Gone Dead Train, I found myself studying anthropology, religion, and psychology. I would like to have gone into more detail in the story, but pacing wouldn’t allow it.

It’s tempting to sit in judgment about things we don’t understand—things that possibly scare us, but that’s where I want to go with my research.  

DONNELL:  When you’re not writing, where will we find you?

LISA:  When I’m not writing, I’m talking about writing or editing or reading. Rob writes these amazing thrillers about cutting edge issues. His first novel is with Bell Bridge Books entitled Ground Truth. His second manuscript is with the editor, and a third story is cooking on the back of the stove. Rob and I have very different voices and strengths, which makes us a great fit. We have a wonderful time brainstorming story ideas. I fantasize that we’re Dashiell Hammet and Lillian Hellman. I told Rob he gets to be Lillian. You should have seen the frown!

I cook. Writers have to eat. I make jewelry with trade beads. We all need a little bling in our lives, right?

DONNELL:  If you could meet anyone, past or present, living or dead, who would it be and why?

LISA: I’d track down my sixteen-year-old self and have a conversation about the consequences of choices, especially the early ones. As Billy said in The Gone Dead Train, “There are some decisions you just don’t come back from.” The man knows what he’s talking about.

DONNELL:  What comes next for Lisa Turner?

My third novel is underway with the story built around a venerable Memphis law firm. It opens with Billy and Frankie investigating the early morning shooting death of a young female lawyer. She’s dressed in a designer wedding gown and there’s a herd of buffalo that gets involved. Multiple complications set in. This book is very Old South with a few scenes taking place at a Mississippi plantation.

Oh. And Billy is going to have to watch for some competition coming from my bad boy character, Judd Phillips. I’m already falling for him.   

LISA, thank you for being our guest today. Readers, Lisa will be doing a drawing from those who comment today, and extra, extra, A Little Death in Dixie is still $1.99 on Amazon Kindle the next couple of days.  Don't miss out. 

http://lisa-turner.net/site/
http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Turner/e/B004GT25J0 
http://www.amazon.com/A-Little-Death-In-Dixie-ebook/dp/B003STDO4O

https://www.facebook.com/LisaTurnerAuthor
 

GET LOST IN SUSPENSE WITH ROBIN BURCELL

Hello, Readers.  Please welcome the multi-talented, multi-faceted Robin Burcell to Get Lost in a Story.  Robin has two releases in December and January, so we're pleased to promote them both.   

 …The Dark Hour is a wonderful, breath-taking novel of escape.”

– Suspense Magazine

About The Dark Hour: 

A high-profile killing has brought FBI Special Agent and forensic artist Sydney Fitzpatrick to Amsterdam—even as the assassination of a prominent U.S. senator rocks the political world.  Two seemingly unrelated murders are leading Sydney to the threshold of a shocking conspiracy to spread a plague of death across the globe, especially when her sketch of a killer—and possible conspirator—reveals the face of a female CIA agent believed to be dead.

The murder of a witness and the disappearance of the missing agent’s husband, covert government operative Zachary Griffin, has Sydney racing against the clock to prevent a biological nightmare of astronomical proportions. For the dark hour is rapidly approaching when all secrets will be revealed…and the lives of countless millions will hang in the balance.

ABOUT THE BLACK LIST

The first death was ruled an accident. But when a second accountant from ADE—a popular relief organization that resettles East African refugees—turns up dead, FBI special agent and forensic artist Sydney Fitzpatrick is called in to lend her expertise in an increasingly troubling case. Not only is the charity backed by a powerful U.S. senator, but the investigation reveals that its funds have been siphoned off to bankroll terrorist cells in black list countries, and Sydney fears the consequences.

And it may already be too late. Death has crossed the border from Mexico and is now heading toward Washington, D.C.  Time is rapidly running out—and unless Sydney and her partner, Zachary Griffin, can get to the roots of a monstrous conspiracy, untold thousands will die in a nuclear nightmare and a nation will be reduced to chaos.

 And Now... Let's get to know Author Robin Burcell:

DONNELL:  Welcome to Get Lost in a Story, Robin.  Your background ties in so apt with your writing.  What is more rewarding, being a writer or being a police officer?

ROBIN:  Undoubtedly the 27 years I spent working law enforcement was more rewarding. It is a job where you can make a real difference in someone’s life. You might not get thanked at the time, but every now and then, someone will come up years later and tell you personally that you did indeed make a difference.  That is an amazing feeling to realize that. And humbling, since really, you were only doing your job.

DONNELL:  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

ROBIN:  By the ocean. Preferably northern California or the Pacific Northwest. Way back when, I was totally going to live in the mountains. The older I get, the less I think I want to shovel snow.  I’d like to at least live within walking distance of the ocean. If I win the lotto, we’re going ocean view. (Note to self: buy lotto ticket.)

DONNELL:  How is Robin Burcell like your protagonist Sydney Fitzpatrick? How are you different?

ROBIN: Naturally we’re both in law enforcement. But unlike me, Sydney left police work and joined the FBI. She, apparently, went to a better college than I. We are both forensic artists. (I was trained by the FBI for this at Quantico, so I’m basing some of my experience on the time I spent there.)  Many artists are empathetic. It’s a good quality to have when trying to interview someone who has recently been victimized or witnessed a horrific crime, so I passed this quality on to Sydney as well.  And like Sydney, I often champion the underdog.  The one thing we don’t have in common? Failed relationships. I’ve been married to the same man, the love of my life, since 1985, and we’ve been together since 1983. Poor Sydney hasn’t quite got this relationship thing down. But she’s working on it.

DONNELL:  What’s the single best advice you’ve ever received – Worst advice?

ROBIN:  Best advice? I don’t even remember who said it, but my writing friend and I often quote it when we’re daunted by a new project: You can’t fix a blank page.

There are days I know I am writing crap, and someone else wisely said: Give yourself permission to write crap. Hard to do when you want to write a great book. But as mentioned above, you can’t fix a blank page.  You can, however, fix crap. In fact, the project I’m currently working on was looking very blank, and as I (finally) began to make progress, very crappy. But I tell myself to keep writing, because eventually I will figure it out. I hope. And I usually do. And then it’s like a snowball. You go back, fix the crap, and suddenly you are discovering the diamond in the rough. That’s the fun part—which, I might add, you can’t get to if you haven’t written the crappy version to begin with.  (And as of this writing, I’m actually getting to the part where it is looking better and better!)

DONNELL:  Organized?  Or are you a packrat?

ROBIN:  ß Me, laughing.  Organized? In my wildest dreams. I long for one of those home redecorating shows to come and makeover my office, turning me into the most organized writer and person, arranging my files so that my desk stays magically clean.  But since this is unlikely to happen, when I win the lotto and buy that beach front home, I am so hiring a professional organizer. As it is right now, I can clean my desk to actually see the grain of wood on top, leaving just a tiny stack of papers that I can never seem to figure out what to do with—and then they propagate like dust bunnies, breeding and breeding until two or three days later, it is just as messy. 

DONNELL:  If you’re not writing, where might we find you?

ROBIN:  Reading a good book (I read across all genres), watching campy movies (Galaxy Quest anyone?) or catching up on my favorite TV shows. I have somewhat eclectic tastes.  Everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Masterpiece Mystery Theater. I love about anything on the USA channel (Monk reruns, Suits, Covert Affairs), and am in love with the show Justified. Most important fact you should know about me: I am a late-in-life, can’t-believe-I-didn’t-discover-this-series-years-ago, Doctor Who fan. 

DONNELL:  High heels, tennis shoes, hiking boots… other?

ROBIN: High heel days are pretty much over, unless there is some special event that doesn’t require much walking. Chipped a bone on the bottom of my foot during a research trip to Europe for this current series.  For dress events, flats. Tennis shoes for every day.

DONNELL:  If you could meet anyone, past or present, who would it be?

ROBIN:  Can they be fictional? Because I have a whole bunch of fictional characters I’d like to meet: Dr. Who, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes…

ROBIN, NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.  TIME TO ASK THE READER A QUESTION.   

READERS, ROBIN WILL BE GIVING AWAY AN ADVANCED READER COPY TO ONE QUESTIONER OR COMMENTER:  BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SO WE CAN CONTACT YOU.

ROBIN:  Doctor Who and the TARDIS lands on your doorstep and he says he can take you anywhere in time and space. Where do you go? What year? Who do you meet?

Robin Burcell worked as a police officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and forensic artist. The Dark Hour is her latest international thriller about an FBI forensic artist. The Black List will debut in January 2013. Visit her at www.RobinBurcell.com,  https://twitter.com/RobinBurcell, and http://www.facebook.com/robin.burcell

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

DON’T FORGETto FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes.

BRAZEN MARGO MAGUIRE

Margo Maguire’s historical novels – all 19 of them! – have been in print since 1999, and translated into twenty different languages. Her first career was that of a critical care nurse, but when burn-out hit, she studied and earned a degree in history. Now she writes full time, utilizing her passion for history in all her writing.

Read more about Margo on GLIAS.

Discover all her books on her website.

BRAZEN

Harper Collins

Read part of the story…

“Captain Briggs, how did you find me?”  Christina asked.

“It was a long and complicated process. I will not bore you with the details.”

“It must have been difficult…” A plan began to form in her mind. “Did my grandfather engage you to find my sister as well?”

He gave a nod, lifting his densely muscled arm as she wrapped the linen around the wound she’d caused. Christina kept her focus on her questions and not on the thick musculature of his arm and the odd prickle of awareness that skittered down her back.

“Did you know where my sister had been taken when our parents died? Who had raised her?”

“No. I went to London – where Sarah and Daniel Hayes lived – and started asking questions.”

Christina could not imagine what the questions had been or whom he would have asked. How did one begin to find a needle – or two – in a haystack?

“Can you locate anyone? Anyone at all?”

She found him looking at her, not at what she was doing, but at her face. He was very close, close enough that she could see flecks of silver in his light blue eyes. And his lashes – impossibly long and black as coal. A small crescent of a scar at the corner of his eye only added to the stunning appeal of his features.

He did not respond immediately to her question, holding her gaze until he blinked and turned to look at his arm. “Yes,” he finally said. “Anyone.”

Christina could think of no other person who showed such complete confidence. She finished the bandaging and tied the knot. “So… Windermere has paid you to find me?” she asked.

The brow over his right eye lowered ever so slightly. “He is not obliged to pay me until I take you to him.”

“Are you one of those Bow Street men?”

“No. Apparently, your grandfather heard of my expertise at… finding people… on the continent.”

“In the army?”

“Aye.” A muscle in his jaw tensed.

Christina knew he wasn’t about to leave Sweethope Cottage. After all, he must have come some distance for her. And he wouldn’t be paid until he produced her for her grandfather. He had to stay.

She did want to meet her sister. It was just that the situation with her brother was so immediate.

Christina quickly made up her mind. She was going to have to delay that meeting until she found Lang. And Captain Briggs was the key to doing so. He’d found Lily with few clues, and it couldn’t have been easy to find her, either.

She followed Briggs to the drawing room at the front of the house and waited when he stepped outside and went to his horse. Half naked, he reached up and took down a leather satchel while Christina gaped at his bare back. His shoulders. His lean waist. The ripple of muscle when he moved his arms. The way his longish, dark hair brushed his neck.

She watched with interest as he came back to the house, pulling on the fresh shirt that he’d taken from his satchel. He was far more rugged than her late husband, and seemed to fit into the rustic setting of Sweethope Cottage far better than Edward ever had.

It had surprised her to learn Edward had bequeathed her the country house, for she’d visited there only a few times. But of course, he had not planned on dying so precipitously. Or in such outrageous circumstances.

“If we leave now, we can make it to Windermere the day after tomorrow,” Captain Briggs said when he turned and saw her standing at the window in the drawing room.

“I’m not going to Windermere,” Christina replied.

“Yes, you are.”

“I need to go to London first.”

He tucked the long tails of his shirt into his trews. Then he caught her gaze and spoke quietly. “I’d rather not tie you to the back of my horse, Lady Fairhaven, but I will if I—”

“Do you order your wife about this way, Captain Briggs?”

“I have no wife, Lady Fairhaven. And I assure you that if I did have one, she would be far more tractable—”

“I am being blackmailed, Captain. I need to go to London right away.”

Questions for Margo…from Heather...

Do you write while listening to music?

Yes, I sure do. It helps me to get into the zone and also to block out everything else that’s going on around me because I usually write at Starbuck’s or another coffee shop. I prefer to listen to soundtracks, but not the kind with lyrics. I’ll listen to things like Pirates of the Caribbean or Pride and Prejudice. I love Finding Neverland and the music from the Transformer movies.  Sometimes I go for classical, and I’m a fan of the baroque. Love JS Bach, Vivaldi, and Corelli.

What was the first story you remember writing?

The first story I remember writing was when I was in 8^th grade. It was a sci-fi piece about an alien from another planet, and although I can’t recall the story itself, I do remember the illustrations. Drawing was my passion back then, and I kept up my artistic pursuits ever after. Although now I am more likely to remember the story rather than the picture. J

What is your favorite movie of all time?

Independence Day.  It’s one of the few movies I can stand to watch more than once. My husband thinks it’s a hoot, since I’m a Romance writer, for heaven’s sake. But there’s so much to love in ID. A lot of romance – plus a great alien invasion story! I think it must take me back to when I was a kid and we went to the Saturday afternoon matinees to watch monster movies.

What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

That’s a tough one, because it really depends on my mood. There are times when a romantic comedy is just the thing that suits my fancy. Or I might like a dark and chilling romantic suspense novel. Of course I love historicals, love to get lost in the time period, in the manners and conventions of times long past.

How often do you get lost in a story?

Not nearly often enough! I am always reading at least two books, and though one of them might be a piece of non-fiction, I am never without a good romance. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to read for recreation these days. It seems my own writing takes up more and more of my time – with deadlines encroaching much faster than I’d like!

What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, all the aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom’s side of the family got together for a great Thanksgiving feast. We kept up our bond with each other that way, and my cousins and I are all still in touch with each other – all twenty of us. Now I’m the one who hosts Thanksgiving every year with my side of the family – all the aunts and uncles and cousins. My kids and their cousins are keeping the bonds they made when they were little.  

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

Read. I dig through my TBR pile and pick something that appeals to me right at that moment. Then I keep on reading until my eyes shrivel up like raisins!

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

I avoid reading reviews of my books because whether they’re good or bad, they interfere with my ability to write. A great review and I start thinking I ought to do more of whatever the reviewer liked – even though more of that (whatever that was) might not work well in the next book. And a so-so review makes me wonder if I can write at all. Or I’ll overthink the things the reviewer didn’t like. So yeah – I try not to read reviews. Just keep my head in the sand, telling myself that if my editor likes my work well enough to publish it, and my fans like my work well enough to read it  – then I must be doing something right.

What has been the most unexpected thing about being a published author?

I’m amazed at how many people tell me they’d like to write a book. Or that they could write a book if only they had enough time. Like it’s something you can just pick up and do well – like making a meatloaf from a recipe. Not that there aren’t some talented undiscovered writers out there… it’s just that a lot of people think it’s just a matter of sitting down and typing up whatever comes to mind.

A question for my readers…
At this time of year, do you like to hunker down with a Christmas-themed movie or book? Tell me your favorites! 

A book for my commenters…
One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Seducing the Governess. (Featured book on Margo's March GLIAS visit.)

Please follow us on Facebook & Twitter (#GetLostStories) for a daily update on who’s visiting GLIAS and what they might be giving away! Join us tomorrow as Angi hosts NYT Bestselling suspense author Chritsy Reece.