Her latest release, A Father's Desperate Rescue...
is part of the Man on
a Mission series, which spotlights a film star in his darkest drama yet.
Widower Dirk DeWinter is a screen
legend, but his favorite role is caring for his twin toddlers. So when his
daughters are kidnapped while he's on location in Hong Kong, the desperate dad
enlists the help of private investigator Mei-li Moore to track them down. But
digging up secrets from Dirk's past unleashes something more potent—and
dangerous—than either of them ever expected.
Mei-li knows Dirk is off-limits,
both professionally and emotionally, still she can't help but fall for the
doting father. As their mission threatens to unravel, will they risk their
hearts and lives to save the twins—and each other?
READ AN EXCERPT: http://bit.ly/22j9Vy3
BUY THE BOOK: http://amzn.to/22ja3xi
Award-winning
author Amelia Autin is an inveterate reader who can’t bear to put a good book
down…or part with it. Her bookshelves are crammed with books her husband
periodically threatens to donate to a good cause, but he always
relents…eventually.
Amelia is a long-time member of
Romance Writers of America (RWA), and served three years as its treasurer. She
currently resides with her Ph.D. engineer husband in quiet Vail, Arizona, where
they can see the stars at night and have a “million dollar view” of the Rincon
Mountains from their back yard.
Jan Schliesman: How often do you Get Lost In A Story?
Amelia Autin: Every day. Either reading, or writing. There’s kind of a funny story I’d
like to share about getting lost in a story I’m writing.
I was
talking with a friend who’s also a fan last New Year’s Eve. We were discussing
my November 2016 Harlequin Romantic Suspense (RS) release, The Bodyguard's
Bride-To-Be. I was telling her that even though some readers had asked for
it, it wasn’t Niall Jones’s story after all (Niall’s the second-oldest
brother of Alec and Liam Jones of Alec’s Royal Assignment and Liam’s
Witness Protection). I explained that at the time I’d submitted the
proposal for The Bodyguard's Bride-To-Be, I didn’t know anything about
Niall except that he was a black ops warrior—not enough to write his
story.
I went on to say that since I’d turned in that proposal, I’d learned a lot more about Niall when I wrote the manuscript for Killer Countdown (my August 2016 release), which I’d just submitted to my editor the day before New Year’s Eve. (Killer Countdown is Shane Jones’s story, the oldest brother.)
My friend laughed in a humoring sort of way, and when I asked her why, she said, “You talk as if Niall’s a real person.”
I blinked at her. “Umm,” I stammered. “Well yeah.” Then I laughed, too, because she was right. I do think of my characters as real people I only get to know as I write them. So I couldn’t possibly write Niall Jones’s story before I knew more about him. Not just his profession, but the man he is deep down. That’s why almost all my heroes start life as secondary characters in other books.
I went on to say that since I’d turned in that proposal, I’d learned a lot more about Niall when I wrote the manuscript for Killer Countdown (my August 2016 release), which I’d just submitted to my editor the day before New Year’s Eve. (Killer Countdown is Shane Jones’s story, the oldest brother.)
My friend laughed in a humoring sort of way, and when I asked her why, she said, “You talk as if Niall’s a real person.”
I blinked at her. “Umm,” I stammered. “Well yeah.” Then I laughed, too, because she was right. I do think of my characters as real people I only get to know as I write them. So I couldn’t possibly write Niall Jones’s story before I knew more about him. Not just his profession, but the man he is deep down. That’s why almost all my heroes start life as secondary characters in other books.
Cody Walker,
of Cody Walker’s Woman à Reilly’s Return
Trace
McKinnon of McKinnon’s Royal Mission à Reilly’s
Return and Cody Walker’s Woman
King Andre
Alexei IV of King’s Ransom à McKinnon’s Royal Mission
Alec Jones
of Alec’s Royal Assignment à McKinnon’s Royal Mission
Liam Jones
of Liam’s Witness Protection à McKinnon’s Royal Mission
Dirk
DeWinter of A Father’s Desperate Rescue à King’s
Ransom
Shane Jones
of Killer Countdown à Liam’s Witness Protection
Captain
Marek Zale of The Bodyguard’s Bride-To-Be à King’s
Ransom and Alec’s Royal Assignment
See a
pattern here?
Sorry, I got
off on a tangent. But that’s what I mean when I say I get lost in a story when
I write. My stories are real to me.
Jan: If you could go back and pick a different career, what would it be?
Amelia: Funny you should ask that. I love accounting, which is why I went into that field, and I wouldn’t change that at all. Unless I could have been an opera singer. Then I would have been an opera singer.
The one thing I would have done differently if I could go back in time is, I would have kept writing. I had two books published by Silhouette Intimate Moments in the 90s, and received glowing reviews from Romantic Times for both of them (back when RT was the only game in town for romance reviews). But fear of failure was my nemesis back then—if you don’t try, you can’t fail, right? I’m not afraid of failing anymore…well, not much, anyway.
Jan: How did you know that romantic suspense was your style?
Amelia: I didn’t know. I still don’t. I’m the most surprised person in
the room when someone says I write romantic suspense. I never set out to write
suspense…it just sort of happened. And I’ll be honest, I’m looking to break out
of that mold. Not that I don’t want to write romantic suspense, but I don’t
want to be restricted to only writing that kind of romance.
Jan: What
do you love most about A Father’s Desperate Rescue?
Amelia: That’s easy—my hero, Dirk DeWinter. I loved Dirk so much in King’s
Ransom, he actually threatened
to hijack the story from King Andre Alexei IV of Zakhar—not an easy thing to do
with an alpha male like Andre. So I knew I would have to write Dirk’s story
eventually, especially since heartbroken readers begged for him to have his own
happily ever after ending following the devastating loss he suffered in King’s
Ransom.
It was a
challenge, though. Some readers questioned whether I could pull it off—Dirk had
been so in love with his wife in King’s Ransom, you see, and I
think they feared a new love would tarnish the old. Diminish it somehow. I
didn’t want that. And that’s not the kind of man Dirk is. He truly means it
when he tells Mei-li, “Loving you doesn’t mean I don’t still love her. I always
will. But there’s room in my heart for both of you. Is that wrong?” The reviews
I’ve read by readers whose opinions I cherish have indicated I succeeded…or
rather, Dirk succeeded in making them believe it was possible.
Jan: What’s your favorite sports team?
Amelia: Sports? Who has time to watch sports? Seriously, though, I used to be
a rabid Chicago Bears fan (football) for years and years—I’d even listen to the
games on the radio. And I’ve been an LA Lakers fan (basketball) since the days
of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West…and that’s a long time!
Jan: Any
writing rituals you follow? Celebrate a certain way when it’s completed?
Amelia: I don’t have any writing rituals, other than I keep track of my word
count every single day when I’m writing, and I calculate my progress
percentage-wise toward the word count I need to reach by the end of the
manuscript (okay, I’ll admit I’m an accountant by nature as well as by
training).
As for celebrating, my husband (always referred to as Bodyguard on
Facebook) and I go out to dinner when I sign a contract or turn in a
manuscript, but that’s about it.
Jan: What’s the creepiest thing you’ve done in the name of research?
Amelia: Creepy? I can’t think of anything I’ve done that would qualify as
creepy. I have shot a gun, though. And I saved the targets from the one
time I visited a gun range…not to mention all the spent shell casings. I still
have them. Is that creepy?
Jan Schliesman: Best vacation you’ve ever taken?
Amelia: Probably my most recent one, a fifteen day land tour / river cruise
through northern China. I crossed several things off my “bucket list,”
including the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Xi’An terracotta
warriors.
Before the China trip it was Yellowstone National Park in the
wintertime. I’ve been there in both the summer and the winter, and while both
are unique in their own way, winter wins out for me. If you’ve never been there,
you should make a point of going—it’s amazing. And snowmobiling is like flying.
Jan’s GOTTA ASK: What is your unhealthiest habit?
Amelia’s GOTTA ANSWER: Moi? Unhealthy habits? Surely you
jest! (Sigh. I guess you don’t buy that, huh?) The most unhealthy thing I do is
sit for hours at a time, both at work and in my home office, writing. I know
it’s bad for me, but I get caught up in what I’m doing and somehow the hours
fly by. Before I had knee replacement surgery I’d really pay the price when I
finally stood up—my knees would be so stiff and painful! But now I have bionic
knees, so…
Then, of course, there’s chocolate. But we’re not going there.
FIND AMELIA AUTIN:
UP NEXT:
Her
Colton P.I. (book 5 in the Coltons of Texas multi-author continuity series, May
2016)
A private investigator tracks a
mysterious widowed mother of twins in the next gripping installment of The
Coltons of Texas series!
Raised in foster care apart from
his six siblings, PI Chris Colton knows what it's like to be separated from
family. So when a kindly older couple hires him to find their son's
gold-digging widow who ran off with her twin toddlers, Chris won't rest until
Holly McCay is held accountable. But he quickly discovers that his employers
are out to get Holly. And they'll eliminate anyone standing in their
way…including the brave woman and sweet little boys the
investigator-turned-bodyguard has come to think of as his own! http://amzn.to/1oKuTZf
My 10th published book overall
(a small milestone, but important to me), and my 8th in less than
two years—Killer Countdown will be
out in August. Is this a great cover, or what?
My 10th published book overall
(a small milestone, but important to me), and my 8th in less than
two years—Killer Countdown will be
out in August. Is this a great cover, or what?
A reporter
helps a sexy senator evade a deadly assassin in this thrilling Man on a Mission
tale
TV reporter Carly Edwards has the scoop of a century! She's discovered
that Senator Shane Jones was diagnosed with a life-altering illness, but she
can't help but be drawn to his courage. So when Shane saves Carly’s life from a
killer, she resolves to keep her story—and the irresistible politician—alive…
A politician and a media personality are a recipe for romantic disaster.
The last thing Shane wants is to endanger Carly. But how can he prevent her
from getting close when the very air between them sizzles? As their lives are
threatened, Shane realizes Carly's the one woman he wants forever—if he can
keep them both safe!
HUGE THANKS TO AMELIA FOR SUCH A GREAT INTERVIEW!! THE FUN CONTINUES WITH SEVERAL FREE BOOKS UP FOR GRABS TO A U.S. READER WHO ANSWERS THIS QUESTION:
One
lucky reader who leaves a comment will win a copy of A Father’s Desperate
Rescue.
One
lucky reader who leaves a comment will win a copy of Her Colton P.I.
**CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH!!**
**CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH!!**
BONUS GIVEAWAY: Copies of Alec’s Royal Assignment and Liam’s
Witness Protection (companion books) to the first reader who answers all
five questions correctly. (All answers can be found on my website, www.AmeliaAutin.com.)
1) In what year did I win a Romance Writers of America®
Golden Heart® award?
2) What’s my favorite color?
3) What’s missing from the cover of Reilly’s Return?
(Not as bizarre as Christina Dodd’s three-armed heroine on the cover of Castles
in the Air, but still upsetting to me.)
4) The idea for the opening scene in Alec’s Royal
Assignment came from a real-life incident that occurred in what country?
5) What does Juliana Richardson want her agent lawyer to do
in the opening scene of King’s Ransom?