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
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.
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?
***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.
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