Overjoyed to have fabulous author, Allison Brennan! #romanticthriller #newbook #giveaway

Are we lucky at Get Lost in a Story? Today, we welcome a fun gal, Allison Brennan. 

Let's get to know her: 

Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 25 romantic thrillers and mysteries, and numerous short stories.

Investigative reporter Maxine Revere has a theory: that the five New York City murders for which Adam Bachman is being tried are just part of his killing spree. In probing the disappearance of a retired couple who vanished the prior summer, Max uncovers striking similarities to Bachman's MO and develops a theory that Bachman wasn't working alone.

Max wins a coveted pre-trial interview with the killer, whose disarming composure in the face of her questions is combined with uncomfortable knowledge of Max's own past. She leaves the room convinced, but unable to prove, that Bachman knows exactly what happened to the missing couple. The D.A. wants nothing to jeopardize his case against Bachman and refuses to consider Max's theory. With no physical evidence, Max has to rely on her own wits and investigative prowess to dig deep into Bachman's past. The picture that Max puts together is far darker and more deadly than she ever imagined.

As Max gets closer to the truth, she doesn't realize that she's walking down a road that has been paved just for her. That every step she takes brings her one step closer to a brilliant, methodical sociopath who has been waiting for her to make just one small mistake.

And when she does, he'll be there waiting.

READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK: St. Martins

*scrubbing palms* Allison, let's get down and dirty and delve into some fun areas.

I’m a huge handbag girl. What is your favorite accessory? SHOES!

How often to you get lost in a story? Bi-weekly. I wish I could read more, but I’m lucky to read one book a month! So I made a commitment to read at least one book a week … and I’ve managed two books a month, more if I’m traveling. Before I started writing, I read at least 3 books a week and usually more!

 

What’s the first book you remember reading? Trixie Belden the summer before 3rd grade. I know I read many books before that, but that’s the first series that stuck with me for a long time. I love Trixie too!!! 

What’s your favorite cartoon character?Bugs Bunny. Still love him! Me,too! I just attended an exhibit on Chuck Jones. 

What’s your favorite movie of all time? Star Wars. I saw it when I was 8 and it completely blew me away. I still remember how awestruck and mesmerized I was when I saw it at the theater. I think the nostalgia is what has made this my favorite movie. And It’s a Wonderful Life. Watch it every year.

What’s the best birthday (or any holiday) present you ever received? My husband, a blue-blooded Dodgers fan, gave me a SF Giants World Series sweatshirt for Christmas this past year. I wear it ALL the time.

Describe an absolutely perfect day. Write 5,000 words that are actually good before the kids get home from school, then go out to watch my kids play whatever sport they’re in for the season, then go out to a fun dinner where none of the kids are bickering, then home to watch one of my favorite tv shows, followed by a long, hot bubble bath and glass of wine.

What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do? I have always loved mysteries. (My mom named me after a character in an Ed McBain book.) I read Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and Agatha Christie and Lois Duncan and Joan Nixon Lowry and more …. there was no real “young adult” genre when I was a kid, so I graduated to Stephen King when I was 13. I love dark suspense as well as mysteries. My mom had all these mysteries by authors like Lillian O’Donnell and Marcia Muller and I loved them. Then after college I read Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz and Susan Anderson and discovered romantic suspense. It seemed to be the best of all worlds … and THEN, after I read Lisa Gardner’s THE THIRD VICTIM and Iris Johansen’s THE SEARCH I realized that was the exact type of story I wanted to write. A dark, twisty suspense novel with a happily-ever-after.

What inspires you daily? My love of writing and my love of reading.

What has been your most rewarding publishing moment? Selling my first book, followed by the first time I hit the New York Times list.

What has surprised you the most about being published? It doesn’t get any easier.

 

Complete this sentence. When I want to relax, I. . . take a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and a good book. 

What could we find in your heroine's purse? Max has a big purse: an iPad, her phone, a notepad, multiple pens, a small make-up bag, a hair brush, a toothbrush, breath mints, tissue, several hair-ties, sunglasses, security cards to the NET building and her apartment building, wallet with multiple credit cards and at least $200 cash (never know when you have to pay for information!), and a Taser. She hasn’t had to use her Taser yet! And, she carried a photo of her best friend who disappeared while they were on Spring Break during her last year in college.

FIND Allison at: Email     Website     Facebook    Twitter    Goodreads    Pinterest

Murder She Writes Blog     Get Lost in a Story prior interview

UP NEXT: BEST LAID PLANS, a Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan romantic thriller, 8.4.15. Also, for those who missed books in the Lucy series, four of them (SILENCED, STALKED, STOLEN and DEAD HEAT) are being re-issued in value priced mass markets this June!)

PREVIOUS RELEASES: NOTORIOUS, the first book of the Max Revere series, is out in mass market paperback.

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS or do you have a promotion you'd like us to link to? I’ll give away a signed copy of NOTORIOUS, the first Max Revere book, or any other book in my backlist to one lucky commenter who includes their email in the comments!! 

Plus, every month I have a contest on my website: Contest

IF MAILING: North America or Canada (If an international winner, will gift Crash and Burn, the first Moreno & Hart mystery co-written with Laura Griffin.)

Note: Please leave an email address for notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS? So I shared a lot about me! What about you? What’s your one guilty pleasure? 

For me it’s a bubble bath with a bottle of wine, cheese, crackers and a good book … I use up all the hot water in the house. For Max, my character, it’s indulging herself — good food, good wine, good hotels. Except, she doesn’t consider this a guilty pleasure!

Allison Brennan

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Allison Brennan is the author of thirteen novels and three short stories. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their five children. Besides that, she's a really nice person. Please welcome, Allison Brennan as she answers The Get Lost Crew's fun questions.

Donnell: Which of your characters would you most/least want to invite to dinner, and why?

Allison: I would love to have dinner will Dillon Kincaid and Kate Donovan because they are both the most interesting characters to me. I also would love to have dinner with secondary character Hans Vigo who has been in many of my books.

I wouldn't like to dine with any of my villains! Especially Trask from Fear No Evil. He creeps me out. Or the killing pair in Sudden Death. Out of the other characters, I think I'd have nothing to talk about with Nelia Kincaid. I'd be nervous about her, but I need to get over that because I may have a story idea for Lucy, Carina and Nelia.

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

Allison: Yes, I read them, I can't help it. I'm a glutton for punishment. They don't influence me, however, 99% of the time. I can't please all readers. I write for myself, then my editor, then my readers--those who enjoy my voice and stories. There are some people who'll never like my books, and that's OK. If I tried to please everyone, my books would be a mess. And if everyone liked the same types of stories, the world would be a boring place. The only time something might inluence me is if several people made a similar comment, especially about something my gut told me was a problem. But the only time I can think of where I did pay attention, it was something very specific to one book. It wouldn't influence me in future books because it's irrelevant now.

The International Thriller Writers Worst Book Review Award has really helped me put reviews in perspective. When some of the bestselling, and some of my favorite authors, like Lee Child and James Rollins get awful reviews--and these guys share them for everyone at the banquet to laugh at--it makes me not take most reviews too seriously.

Donnell: (Good to know, A. thanks.) Have you ever written a character who wasn't meant to be a hero/heroine but he/she wouldn't go away?

Allison: Hans Vigo was supposed to die in one of my books, but I couldn't do it. He grew on me. I've kept him around. I won't say he'll never die, but it would be extremely difficult if someone killed him. On me, and my characters who all love him too! He isn't going to be a hero, however. He might have a secondary romance.

I usually know when I meet a character that they'll be a hero or heroine someday, even if I don't plant it. When Jack showed up in Fear No Evil, he almost took over. I didn't have a story idea for him at the time, and he was very mysterious. But I knew he'd be back even though I didn't plan it, and I didn't know who his heroine would be.

Donnell: What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven't found the right fit yet?

Allison: None. Characters come to me first. Sometimes, they come fully developed and named (Sean Rogan, Nora English, Sonia Knight, Miranda Moore, Nick Thomas) and other times they are more elusive and I go through multiple possible names (Robin McKenna, JoAnna Sutton, Moira O'Donnell.) I've never had a name before a character.

Donnell: What's in your refrigerator right now.

Allison: This blog isn't big enough for me to list everything! Remember, I have five kids. Milk, chocolate milk, ham, salami, cheese, apples, lettuce, oranges, homemade salsa that my friend brought over Saturday for a party, leftover cheesecake. Though by the time you read this, the cheesecake will be gone. Probably the most interesting item is a large Costco size jar of marinated artichoke hearts. I love them in salads and pasta!

Donnell: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

Allison: I don't know. I'm pretty open and straightforward. Maybe that I'm really not organized, that I procrastinate worse than most people, and writing is hard work. That no matter how easy it looks like, there is no easy road in this business--not mine, and not anyone else's.

Donnell: Is Elvis really dead.

Allison: Yes.

Donnell: (spoken like a pragmatic thriller writer). What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on, or did pass on to your children?

Allison: Big, family Christmases. Decorating the tree with a variety of ornaments, especially homemade ornaments.

Donnell: What does it mean to love somebody?

Allison: To trust them with everything you think, feel and desire.

Donnell: What color would you make the sky if it weren't going to be blue anymore?

Allison: Purple.

Donnell: What do you do to unwind and relax?

Allison: Play video games and watch old movies. Or, take a long, hot bubble bath. With a glass of wine.

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

Allison: I don't let writer's block stop me from writing. I can't. Some days it's harder to write than others, but I sit down and write, even if I know it's crap and I'm going to delete it the next day. If I'm really struggling, I usually reread what I've already written and see if I know where the story derailed. Every time I'm stuck it's either stress from the business part of writing that I can't push aside during my writing time, or it's because I'm forcing the story down a path that's wrong.

Donnell: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Allison: That I am happiest as a writer. Being published and writing full-time was my dream, but I didn't realize how much writing was such a part of me, deep down in my core, until I quit my day job and my daughter told me she'd never seen me happier.

Donnell: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Allison: I don't know about interesting...I have lots of oddities. I write to loud rock music most of the time. I write faster when I'm not at my desk, but edit better in my office. I don't like anyone asking me if I'm almost done, or really anything about my work-in-progress, as if talking about it will jinx me, but the weirdest thing? I tend to talk to myself, especially in the car. Thank God for hands free cell phones! Now other drivers don't think I'm crazy!

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

Allison: There are many. One tidbit was that none of the guys caught by Dateline's Predator show were prosecuted. (I learned that during my FBI class in 2008.) Maybe now, but I haven't heard anything.

Donnell: What is your favorite kid joke?

Allison: What's black and white and read all over? A newspaper. Except my kids don't get it.

Donnell (I wonder why? :)) Which era would you least have liked to live in, fashion-wise?

Allison: The seventies. Yuck.

Donnell: Tell me how many hats do you have in your home?

Allison: For me? Two...My FBI cap and my Mickey Mouse Santa hat. My boys have lots of ball caps.

Donnell: Dog or cat person?

Allison: Cat person.

Donnell: Which is your favorite language other than your native language?

Allison: Latin.

Donnell: If you were given a chance to travel to the past, where would you go and specifically why?

Allison: The American Revolution. It's my favorite historical time period and I'd love to meet those who started the Revolution, specifically Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Abigail Adams, and Sam Adams. To be a fly on the wall during both the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the first congress!

Donnell: How much money does it take to make you happy?

Allison: Money doesn't make people happy. You can be happy and dirt poor, and happy and rich; likewise, you can be miserable and broke, and miserable and rich. Happiness truly only comes from within. If people are dependent on people or things for their happiness, they'll never be happy.

Donnell: If you couldn't be a writer anymore, what profession would you choose?

Allison: I don't even want to go there! I'm too old to join the FBI.

Donnell: What's the first thing you do when you finish a book?

Allison: Type THE END.

Donnell: And finally, if you could interview one person (and it doesn't have to be a writer), who would it be?

Allison: Another hard question! Probably Joss Whedon or Eric Kripke.

Allison, thanks for joining us today. Questions or Comments for Allison? We'll be giving away a $10.00 gift certificate to B&N for one commenter and a copy of LOVE ME TO DEATH for another!

Please join GLIAS tomorrow as Cat Schield hosts Romantic Comedy Author, Barbara Dunlop.


Congratulations to Gillian Layne. You have won LOVE ME TO DEATH by Allison Brennan & to Jill James. Y ou have won the $10 B&N gift certificate!