Get Lost in a Story Welcomes Back Anne Marie Becker

Get Lost in a Story Readers, it's always a thrill for the Get Lost crew to welcome back our Golden Heart sister, Anne Marie Becker.  She has a new release that's part of her Mindhunters series -- Let's find out all about it...and more about Anne Marie . . .

 

DEADLY BONDS

(the Mindhunters series, Book 3)

(ISBN: 9781426895883)

A dedicated profiler. Dr. Holt Patterson has thrown himself into his work since his wife's death, and his relationship with his young son, Theo, is suffering. He's caught in an impossible choice—how can he make the world a safer place for his son without sacrificing valuable family time?

 

An unrequited love. Sara Burns, the director at Theo's prestigious academy, once loved Holt Patterson, but he was her best friend's husband. Now a decade has passed, and Sara realizes that her feelings are just as strong—but how can she act on them without betraying her friend's memory?

 

A terrifying killer. A violent man develops an interest in Sara, and sends a body instead of flowers to get her attention. Holt is determined to keep her safe. But the killer is much closer than they expect…

 

MEET the MINDHUNTERS

 

Frustrated by a futile search for justice for his murdered teenage daughter, wealthy Chicago businessman Damian Manchester founded a private organization that hunts serial killers like the one who kidnapped and killed Samantha twenty years ago. 

 

At the Society for the Study of the Aberrant Mind (a.k.a., SSAM) Damian brings together some of the best minds in the business to track the monsters of society, and prevent further crimes through awareness and community outreach programs.  His team is privately funded and has the flexibility to pursue cases that stump the police or have run cold.  With expertise in  profiling (mindhunting), personal security, psychology, law enforcement, weaponry, and investigative techniques, the employees of SSAM come together to suit the needs of each case, and to find justice for victims of brutal crimes.

 

DONNELL:  Welcome back to Get Lost in a Story, Anne Marie, It’s your release day!  Tell us, do the jitters ever go away?

 ANNE MARIE:  Never! But for me, they’ve become jitters of a different kind. Now, the releases kind of sneak up on me because I’m busy writing the next book (or the book after that), but it’s still a thrill.

DONNELL:    I love the idea behind the Mindhunters series.  Do such agencies actually exist to your knowledge and what inspired this idea?

ANNE MARIE:    The Mindhunters series revolves around a fictional private agency named the Society for the Study of the Aberrant Mind – which happens to have the acronym “SSAM” and is pronounced “Sam.” The founder’s daughter Sam was a victim of a serial killer, so I liked how that played out on several levels. But the initial kernel of an idea came from a documentary I saw about the Vidocq Society, an exclusive organization dedicated to resolving unsolved murder investigations. I was fascinated by the concept of bringing together experts from various backgrounds and experiences to help in these cases, and SSAM was born.

DONNELL:  You’ve won a few awards in creating these characters.  Want to tell our readers about them?

ANNE MARIE: Only Fear, the first book in the series, won a Golden Heart® for Best Romantic Suspense. Avenging Angel (Book 2) received several great reviews, including a starred review in Library Journal (where I was compared to Mary Burton and Mariah Stewart) and a 4 ½ star Top Pick from Romantic Times. It also came in second in the NERFA (The National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award) and third in the 2013 IDAs (International Digital Awards).

DONNELL:  Enough about the story, let’s get to what readers really want to know.  What’s in your refrigerator right now?

ANNE MARIE: …You’re making me hungry! LOL There are several types of fruit—melon, grapes, strawberries, and blueberries—because, thankfully, my kids love fruit. There are also hot dogs because they love those, too, and you have to balance the good with the bad, right? ;) But my new favorite is the spicy pineapple salsa. I pour some of that over a bit of cream cheese and add some crackers for a quick snack.

DONNELL:   You live in one of my favorite parts of the world -- beautiful Arizona.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be, and why?

ANNE MARIE:  I absolutely love the mountain town where I live now, but I’m a beach gal at heart. I was born in Hawaii, and being barefoot all day, every day, would be heaven. The sound of ocean waves is my favorite sound in the world. So, in answer to your question…some beach, somewhere. J

DONNELL:  You write suspense.  What’s the most suspenseful thing that’s ever happened to you?  What inspires you to write this particular genre?

ANNE MARIE:  When I was a high school counselor, I had a security guard show up in my office asking about one of my students who had a particular love of guns, and was known to doodle and draw them during classes. The guard became worried after the student left campus (unauthorized) and wondered if he was going to come back with a gun. He didn’t, thank goodness, but it was a scary situation.

                What inspires me to write in this genre is my love of romance and my love of suspense/thrillers. I grew up reading both…I picked up garage sale Harlequin romances and devoured the ghost story and mystery sections of my local library. I loved Agatha Christie and Stephen King, but also craved happy endings. Romantic suspense is the perfect middle ground for me.

DONNELL: What’s the most unusual thing you have in your house?

ANNE MARIE: Unusual? Hmmm… A water fountain that hangs on the wall, I suppose. Visitors seem to be drawn to it. But someday I want to get a gong. Wouldn’t that be fun? You can’t ignore the commanding sound of a gong. Of course, I’ll have to wait until the kids are older and will use it responsibly…

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

ANNE MARIE: Jane Austen. I would love to go bar-hopping with her and discuss life, and books. I think she’d be fun to hang with. I’d also be interested in her take on society.

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

ANNE MARIE: Well, now I’m wondering what those reading at home have in their homes that’s unusual, too!

 

Readers, I’ll do a giveaway of one e-book from the Mindhunters series (commenter’s choice). Also, if it’s possible to mention that the first book in the Mindhunters series (ONLY FEAR) is on sale for 99 cents through the end of July, that would be great!

 It's not only possible, let's broadcast.  EXTRA EXTRA, Only Fear is on sell until the end of July.  Get this great read for only .99  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GFAYXC/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=1038167657&ref=pd_sl_1nhglrm767_p

Anne Marie’s CONTACT INFO:

Email: annemariebecker@me.com

Website: www.AnneMarieBecker.com (you can sign up for my newsletter there, too)

Facebook: Anne Marie Becker, Author

Twitter: @annemariebecker

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes ~ Donnell

 

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

Anne Marie Becker

Anne Marie Becker won the 2009 Golden Heart for her novel ONLY FEAR. As someone who's read it, I can attest it's spine-tingling and chilling and it's an awesome way to pull an all-nighter. Just make sure you're not alone....

BLURB OF ONLY FEAR:

After a violent incident with a patient leaves scars on both her mind and body, psychiatrist Dr. Maggie Levine craves isolation. A radio talk show host seems to be the perfect profession, a job where she can help people from a distance while staying safe. When a strange caller begins stalking her on the air and murdering people to get her attention, Maggie realizes she can no longer close herself off from the outside world.

A personal security expert, former Secret Service Agent Ethan Townsend is no stranger to tracking down the most violent monsters of society and bringing them to justice. Still, it will take all of Ethan's skills to protect his new assignment, the irresistible Maggie, from a man intent on teaching her the ultimate lesson in fear…

SHALL WE PROCEED? AFTER ALL, IT'S ONLY FEAR. Let's get to know Anne Marie Becker!

DONNELL: Small towns or big city?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: I’m somewhere in between. I live in a small city, and LOVE it. But for a variety of activities and excitement, it’s hard to beat the big city.

DONNELL: Favorite Room in Your House?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Living room – that’s where everyone in the family tends to gather, and where I get most of my work/writing done.

DONNELL: You’re having a dinner party. Which of your characters would you invite? Exclude?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Invite: Damian Manchester and anyone from the SSAM team. (Wouldn’t those mindhunters make interesting conversation? They do in my head all the time.) Exclude: the serial killers!

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Yes! I am working on a trilogy now (separate from my Mindhunters series), but one of the secondary characters wants to be a hero. Sigh. I like him, so he’ll probably get his way…

DONNELL: When writing, do you listen to music?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: I don’t seek out background music unless I’m struggling with a scene (in which case I like the soundtracks for movies), but when I write at a coffee shop or at home when family members are around, sound tends to be a natural part of the environment. Having young children, I’ve adapted to write under almost any circumstances.

DONNELL: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Lots of stuff! My kids are picky eaters, so I have various things to satisfy the munchkins. For me… iced tea, yogurt (pina colada and peach are my favorites), cottage cheese, strawberries & blueberries, salad fixin’s… And a couple V-8 juices with which I tried to get the kids a healthy serving of vegetables. Didn’t go over very well. :P

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Oh, that’s a toughie. I guess I’d say that I want people to know I’m not crazy. It may seem like that some days, when I have a million things to do and three color-coordinated lists going to tell me all the activities I need to keep track of, as well as my personal goals, but I’m happiest when I’m organized.

DONNELL: Favorite hobby in the winter? Favorite hobby in the summer?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Winter: reading! Summer: reading outside! :)

DONNELL: What’s your favorite holiday and why?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Thanksgiving. I love having the family around and the satisfaction of cooking for them. And there’s none of the pressure of getting the right gift for everyone!

DONNELL: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: I’m learning (now that I’m receiving feedback from readers) how truly chilling I am. I guess my quirk is that I love writing villains. I find it intriguing to get inside their heads.

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: The stimulus for the SSAM team (and thus, the Mindhunters series) was a show I saw on the Vidocq Society. I was fascinated that a group of people came together on a regular basis to discuss cold cases. And I believe they do this over lunch! What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall…

DONNELL: High heels or hiking boots?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Bare feet. ;) (But if I must wear shoes, they’re on the hiking boots end of the spectrum.)

DONNELL: Dog or cat person?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Definitely cat. I don’t dislike dogs, but they’re so high maintenance. (Did I mention I have kids—and characters—who already require all of my attention?)

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: German, because it sounds so different. But I studied Spanish in school.

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: School counselor or teacher. Helping others really is my passion, and I’ve done both in the past. I miss it sometimes.

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

ANNE MARIE BECKER: Book a spa day.

DONNELL: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

ANNE MARIE BECKER: One of my ancestors who originally immigrated to America. I don’t know much about my family tree, and would love to learn more.

And now it's Anne Marie's turn to ask readers a question.

Who’s your favorite hero, heroine, or villain – either from a book or movie, and why?

Anne Marie is giving away ONLY FEAR to one lucky reader who's brave enough to comment. And if your curious, check out here web page at www.annemariebecker.com

Note: 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. Those leaving comments through Sunday at noon CST following this post will be eligible for the drawing.