Category: KissKill

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Jenn Nixon’s Trust Me, Tell Me & a #giveaway

Jenn NixonIt’s always great for me to share my friends and fellow writers with you and today it is my pleasure to have with us Jenn Nixon! Jenn Nixon is one of my wonderful friends at the Liberty States Fiction Writers and she is here today to tell us about her latest release, TRUST ME, TELL ME. Jenn is also offering up a copy of one her e-books to one lucky person who leaves a comment on this blog by midnight PST on Thursday, January 19. Without further ado, here is a little teaser for Jenn’s book.

Mason Storm is set to marry Veronica Chance in seven days. When he receives a mysterious text message he immediately packs and leaves without saying a word to anyone. After meeting with his former boss, Mason knows his past has finally caught up with him. In order to clear his name of false charges he returns home to Boston ready to put the issues to bed. Veronica, however, isn’t making it easy. She’s determined to help despite his claims of being the only one to make things right. As the investigation intensifies, Mason is captured and Veronica holds the key to his release. Will she make it there in time to save him and their wedding or will everything fall apart?


Excerpt

Mason sat on the edge of the bed, pulled out the pre-paid, and stared at it for a few minutes, trying to think of the right words to say so he wouldn’t outright piss Veronica off. Eventually he tapped her number into the phone and hit call. He didn’t even hear it ring on his end.

“Storm?”

“Yeah, Veronica, it’s me.” He shut his eyes, picturing her face, keeping him calm.

“Good thing you called, I was checking flights,” she said. He smiled, imagining the cute way her brow furrowed when she was ticked. “I need to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

“Are you safe?”

“Yes, I’m safe…making headway.”

“I found something.”

“What?” His eyes popped open, body leaned forward and tensed. Paper rustled in the background.

“This Todd Jackson guy is on the evidence logs from the Masterson case—”

“I know.”

“Did you know he and Ben Carter worked together during your case?”

“A passing memory of it, but that’s not important.”

She huffed. “Well did you know there are only three business cards logged in from her purse?”

“Three?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.” Mason knew every single piece of evidence tied to the Masterson case. They accused him of stealing her clothing, the actual police reports, and the lipstick from her purse. The business cards weren’t even mentioned during his trial. More proof his gut was right. Someone was covering up Tiffanie’s murder.

“Yeah,” she replied, snarky. “Still don’t want my help?”

“I appreciate it, but no. I don’t. I’ve got everything under—”

“So you know the other piece of evidence that’s really missing that’s not in your case file?”

Mason sighed. She wasn’t giving up. Deep down he loved her more for it but wished she’d let it go. He’d never forgive himself if she became a target. “No, I haven’t even touched the Masterson file, Veronica. Tell me.”

“The first time we talked about it you said you sent a piece of her skirt with a blood stain to the lab. Well it’s not in the evidence logs or the final lab report. It never got processed.”

“Son of a bitch,” he spat, ran his hand over his skull. He was so screwed. “Anything else?”

“Not much else I can do from here.”

“It’s more than enough already. Thanks.”

“Don’t shut me out, Storm. You know I can help.”

“I’ve already got too much on my mind…you gotta let me do this my way. Give me a little more time—twenty four hours. If I’m not closer to figuring this out you’ll be the first person I call.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me, Storm. I’ve never pried because I didn’t want to be that girl, but you’re not making this easy for me.”

“Please, Veronica, you have to trust me. I need to stay focused.”

“I won’t get in your way, Storm…be careful,” she replied, sniffled.

His gut twisted, but didn’t change his tune. “I will. And I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay.”

“Hey. I love you.”

“Me too,” she said then ended the call.

The pit in his stomach increased, a frown creasing his mouth as he stared at the phone. Her attitude toward him was already changing, and not for the better. He had little time to resolve this and get back to his life before the rift ripped them apart.

Mason refused to let that happen.

About Jenn Nixon

Jenn Nixon resides in New Jersey. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Liberty State Fiction Writers. Her love for thrillers and suspense often finds its way into her novels whether they are Science Fiction or Romance. When not writing, Jenn spends her free time reading, absorbing pop culture and current events, and social networking online.
Website: www.jennnixon.com
Blog: http://jennafern.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor
Purchase at Amazon: Purchase TRUST ME, TELL ME at Amazon
Twitter: @jennnixon

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Human Target Hottie Mark Valley & Contest

I have so gotten into HUMAN TARGET lately. It’s a perfect combination of action, adventure, quirky characters, dark comedy and sexual tension. The last few episodes with the developing romance with Elsa and Chance have been awesome! This is a show that’s on the bubble for Season 3 and I hope Fox decides to stick with it because it is really beginning to hit its groove. Not to mention that Chance, played by hottie Mark Valley, is a perfect alpha male action hero.

Don’t you think? He’s all cocky male, but with a real heart. Drop by the HUMAN TARGET website at Fox to watch some of the episodes if you haven’t already caught it.

Drop by Brigit’s Journals today where I’ll be blogging about what connections Aztecs have to Valentine’s Day and leave a comment for a chance to win some goodies.

Have a great Valentine’s Day!


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Guest Blog with Katie Reus and Free Read Wednesday!

Today I have with me the wonderful Katie Reus, who also writes as Savannah Stuart. Katie is sharing an excerpt from her latest romantic suspense novel, DANGEROUS SECRETS. I don’t know about you, but I love romantic suspense and can’t wait to add this to my TBR pile.

Just a quick thing before we get to read from DANGEROUS SECRETS. Did you know that every Wednesday during February you can download a free book at Carina Press. Yes, this is one four letter word you can love: FREE. Just click here to check out what’s available for download.

Also, leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win a copy of Katie’s RUNNING FROM THE PAST or another of her backlist titles. Without further ado, here’s Katie!

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since I was a kid and the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write sexy paranormal romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. Dangerous Secrets (2/7/11) is my first release from Carina Press and I have another romantic suspense, Deadly Obsession, coming out from Carina late this summer. And in February 2012 my first book in a paranormal trilogy will release from Signet Eclipse (NAL/Penguin). If you’d like to learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Excerpt from DANGEROUS SECRETS
by Katie Reus

Adam kicked his truck into gear and followed Izzy out of the parking lot. The back of her silhouette was outlined by his headlights. Not that it mattered. He saw her face every time he closed his eyes.

The vision of her interrupted his sleep on a nightly basis. She usually kept her wild curly hair pulled back at work, but the few times he’d seen it down left him imagining what her long hair would look and feel like against his skin as she rode him.

He rolled his shoulders once, trying to alleviate the tension, but nothing worked. With her dark brown eyes and high cheekbones, she had almost exotic features. The smattering of freckles across her nose only added to the innocent quality about her. If it wasn’t for her fair coloring, he would doubt she was even Edward Ballantine’s daughter.

Edward. He cursed the day he’d ever made that ridiculous deal with him. It had seemed so simple at the time. Keep an eye on Isabelle without her knowing his true identity. Five weeks. That was how long his contract was. It was icing on the cake if he could convince the rich daughter to return to Savannah, but as long as he did his job and she was safe, he and his brother would land the Forester deal.

Not so simple once he met her. Watching out for her certainly wasn’t a chore. Unfortunately convincing her to return home was impossible without getting to know her. And he still didn’t understand why she was working in a bar barely making ends meet when she had a father like Edward Ballantine. Her father had been fuzzy on those details, but he planned to find out.

And soon.

As he steered into the parking lot of her place, he pushed those thoughts away. He needed to focus on the present and convince her that Savannah, Georgia, was a much better option than Coconut Bay.

Parking wasn’t numbered, so he chose a spot next to her. By the time he’d rounded his truck she was still sitting in her car. Leaning against his vehicle, he waited until her door finally opened. Sinfully long legs emerged first. His breath caught. It seemed no matter how often he saw her, he still fantasized what it would be like to have those slim legs wrapped around his waist…and shoulders. Damn, and she was wearing pants. He hadn’t even seen a hint of skin and his cock was already raring to go.

A shudder racked his body. Now was not the time. Hell, there was never going to be a right time for his thoughts. He’d been hired to protect her, not drool over her.

“Sorry, I was talking to Carolyn.” Izzy shut the door behind her.

“No problem. Is she okay?”

“I guess so. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but she apologized for not showing up tonight.” Izzy tucked her phone back in her purse, but kept her keys in hand. “Thanks for making sure I got home safe.”

He ignored the comment and took a few steps toward the three-story building, forcing her to follow. After what had happened tonight, he was walking her to the door. Her place was on the second floor, but technically he wasn’t supposed to know that. He knew a lot about her that she hadn’t told him. Like the fact that she had a bachelor’s in business development, but a master’s in medieval literature.

To say the woman was a mystery would be a sore understatement.

“I’m on the second floor.” She motioned straight ahead with her hand as they walked down the short sidewalk. “Are you working tomorrow morning?” He already knew the answer, but didn’t want her to know he’d checked her schedule. This had to appear impromptu.

“No. I am tomorrow night though.”

“Do you want to get some breakfast after the staff meeting?” Something primal inside him sparked to life when her eyes flashed with desire. If she was anyone but Edward’s daughter, he had a feeling they’d already be inside her place and naked by now. Not because that was his style, but because it was obvious she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

She turned to face him as they stopped in front of her door. “Sure.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow so we don’t have to worry about leaving your car at work.”

Her brown eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. “Sounds great.”

He guessed she was surprised because up until now he’d kept his distance. Without thinking—or maybe not caring—he reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. The overwhelming need to touch her sometimes scared the shit out of him. Being close to her sometimes wasn’t enough. Her work uniform consisted of black pants and a black tank-top. Something so simple shouldn’t be sexy, but with her long legs and lean frame anything she wore was guaranteed to drive any man with a pulse crazy.

When she sucked in a deep breath, he realized he was practically cupping her cheek. And the heated look in her dark eyes told him she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Warmth spread throughout his abdomen. Things could get out of hand so quickly if he let them.

All he’d have to do was lean down a fraction… He dropped his hand and took a step back. “See you tomorrow.” Instantly his body mourned the loss of touching her.

If the way her mouth pulled into a thin line was any indication, she felt the same. Wordlessly she turned away from him and let herself inside her apartment. Only when he heard the lock slide into place did he leave.

Once he was back in his car, he let out a long breath. What the hell was the matter with him? He had to be all kinds of stupid to touch her like that. Getting involved with Izzy—Isabelle Ballantine—was not an option. Not only was she so far out of his league that it was beyond laughable, she wasn’t the sort of woman a man had a fling with. She was the forever kind of woman, and a woman like her wouldn’t settle down with a man like him. He was straight blue-collar working boy and she was class and money. It was just the way of the world.

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Kiss Me, Kill Me – Spies, Treason, Wikileaks and Worms

As a romantic suspense writer, spies and secret missions are sometimes a part of what we do, like in MORE THAN A MISSION or SECRET AGENT REUNION. The plots boil down to fairly simple terms: Find out what happened, who did it, restore order and eliminate the threat.

Watching this Wikileaks debacle unfold, it’s almost like reading a bad suspense plot, because I keep on asking myself, “Really? You let them do that? And you haven’t done anything about it?”

Write a book like that and it will end up in the circular file of the editor or agent. But, of course, truth is stranger than fiction and you can’t get away with things in fiction which actually happen. For example:

How did they get the information?: It is alleged that information provided to WikiLeaks came from an Army PFC (Private First Class) who used his “Top Secret/SCI” clearance to download sensitive documents. Scary to think how many others have this kind of clearance.

Put that in a book and an editor/agent might say – Seriously? A private has access to these kinds of documents? Not believable.

Let’s say you’re lucky enough to get past that part of the plot and move onto the second question: Who has the information? Cue the Internet. Despite shutting down the U.S. domain for Wikileaks, it moved to a site at Wikileaks.ch. Even when it was shut down there, information continued to be mirrored at various sites and the equivalent of an Internet war has begun with groups launching distributed denial of service attacks in retaliation for actions taken against Wikileaks’s founder.

But I digress. Imagine this scenario in your suspense novel. A site has sensitive information on servers with a known location. What to do? Infiltrate the area. Physically knock out the servers. Obvious, but effective.

How about something more interesting? Develop something like the Stuxnet worm to shut down the site and have it feed back to the computers where the information originated.

Now that might pass muster with an editor/agent. Having your spies/political types sit around and seemingly do nothing for months – back into the circular file for that story.

But what about the real life implications of something like Wikileaks? There are those who are touting the First Amendment and others screaming “Treason”. Let’s start with the easy one: Treason.

Treason involves betraying one’s one nation and so Assange’s actions are not treason against the U.S. Not so with any other U.S. citizen involved with the dissemination of the information. For those who betray the U.S., there is possibly an argument for treason.

What about the First Amendment? Too complicated to discuss, but you can read some more about here at the Wall Street Journal.

There are those that think this is a good thing – all this information going public. Expose the U.S. and its corruption. It won’t damage diplomatic ties, etc.

Let’s really simplify this and see what you think. Let me know how you feel about what’s going on and the actions that are being taken to stop it.

On the release of all this information in general: You safeguard your identity carefully. Shred documents. Put your info on the Internet on select sites, like your health insurance company website or through online banking. Someone gets all that information and decides to go public. Now the world knows where you live, that you really don’t like your neighbor Bill, that you’re being treated for an STD and have since developed ED that not even Cialis will cure, are broke and have creditors knocking on your door and by the way, using all that info, someone just hacked into your bank account and wiped you out.

On the problems with diplomatic ties: You tell your best friend a very sensitive secret. She tells someone else which is bad enough, but while she is telling someone else, a third person intercepts the message and puts in on Facebook or tweets it. Will you ever tell that best friend a secret again? Probably not for a very long time.

So sound off today! Please tell me what you think about this and whether a story like this would make a good book or an unbelievable one!

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Kiss Me, Kill Me – Holiday Distractions

Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays, but as a writer they provide one of the most serious distractions from getting any writing done. Even with the assistance of Santa’s helpers such as this one!

So what can you do to actually accomplish some writing and not allow worries about deadlines/revisions/etc. to dim your holiday cheer?

The first thing is to do a loose schedule of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and with whom it needs to be done. See if there aren’t any chores which can be combined in order to use your time more effectively.

Second thing to do is multi-task. If you want to be able to watch those shows you love, set up your wrap station in front of the television so you can do two things at once.

Get up an hour earlier or stay up an hour later on as many days as you can. Try to fit in your writing in that extra hour. If you are definitely either a morning person or night owl, choose to do that extra hour during the time that is best for you. I’ve discovered I’m a morning bird and will get up at 5 a.m. instead of 6 to get the writing done.

If you’ve got some time coming to you at work, see about taking a day off to either do some of your chores or the writing.

Last, but not least, don’t worry about it. Worry is one of the most draining emotions that exists. It will accomplish nothing and only leave you feeling worse, which is the last thing you want to do during a season that should be filled with happiness, family and friends.

What do you do around the holidays to try to keep to your routines? I’d love to hear how you’ve managed to keep things running smoothly.

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Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday – A Writer’s Inspiration

One of the things that has been coming up often on the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH blog tour are questions about how I get the inspirations for the books that I write.

Which makes me vaguely remember a quote somewhere about writers being able to talk to themselves without being labeled crazy (or at least not at first) and some very popular writer kinds of T-shirt quotes, such as:

    Watch out or you’ll end up in my novel.
    I kill off my enemies in my book. You’re on page 12.

Truthfully, those quotes are accurate. For example, a very nice waiter was the inspiration for the Ryder name. Roman mythology helped create Ryder’s lover, Diana. I confess to killing off at least one person who truly pissed me off in very gruesome fashion. Last, but not least, the names of friends and family have graced characters that I like, sometimes more than once.

But beyond that, where the ideas originate is difficult to say, although it is safe to say that a writer’s mind never stops observing and recording those things around them in order to use those observations in a story. Whether it’s a meal that you savor or where you eat it, a walk along a street with a different vibe, a new city that you visit… Any and all of those life experiences may germinate the kernel of an idea that takes root and grows into a story.

STRONGER THAN SINTake STRONGER THAN SIN for instance. You may have heard me mention on other blogs that the idea for the genetic engineering came about as a result of my science major geekdom. But my love of sports was what influenced the hero’s occupation. Rather than choosing baseball, which is more a game of physics and strategy, I needed the hero to suffer serious physical injury in a bone-crushing collision. Bazinga-he had to be a football player. Someone big and powerful cut down in the prime of his life.

Enter the heroine who I had already introduced in SINS OF THE FLESH, but who I came to love and needed her own big story. Was it coincidence that she was a doctor in book one? No because I needed someone who could offer medical assistance on the sly in that book. Was it coincidence that she was training to be an orthopedic surgeon? Not really either since I knew even then the second story was going to be about someone with a bone disease and I also had a friend with that profession who I could ask questions about treatments, etc.

My life experiences and influences eventually led to ex-football player Jesse Bradford and Dr. Liliana Carrera and their story.

Other life experiences, namely my love of history and travel, are what helped set up the evolution of the SINS series for books 3 and 4 – THE LOST and THE CLAIMED as well as the two books coming out from Carina – AZTEC GOLD and THE FIFTH KINGDOM. Although I’m a little crazed right now with trying to finish THE CLAIMED, I’m going to dig through some photos and get them scanned so you can see what inspired some of the story elements and locations that I chose for those books!

I guess what I’m trying to say in a very long way is that a writer’s inspiration comes from everything around them and in particular, from those things about which they find interesting or about which they are passionate. Why are those last two things so important? Because when a writer is interested or passionate about something, it shows in the words that they put on the page and bring the story alive for readers.

Thanks for dropping by today’s Kiss Me, Kill Tuesday. Don’t forget to visit the various stops on the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH blog tour to learn more about STRONGER THAN SIN and also, to possibly win of the giveaways.

Also take a moment to visit with my very good friend and fellow author Mary Kennedy at SOS Aloha today! Mary is chatting about Sherlock Holmes which is thoroughly appropriate since she has the wonderful Talk Radio Mysteries out on shelves. Just click here to visit!

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Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday – Revisions

It seems somehow appropriate on this dreary and rainy Tuesday to discuss something about which all writers worry. No, not the Dreaded Synopsis.

Revisions.

It’s especially appropriate since I just turned in a manuscript which required revisions and since at my Saturday workshop someone asked, “What do you do when someone asks you to change your work?”

The answer was simple: You do the revisions.

It’s one of those things that I often warn aspiring authors about – being a diva. I’ve heard more than one writer say that they won’t make any changes to their work and I often wonder whether they’ll ever get published or if they do, will they be able to sustain a career.

Although some believe that editors are like carpenters with a hammer and nail, give them paper and a pen and they want to make changes, the reality of it is that editors know the market and what’s selling. They understand voice and pacing and conflict. They oftentimes will see past what’s on the page to what the writer wants to accomplish because many times the writer has become so involved in their work and knows it so intimately that they fail to get what’s up in their heads down on paper.

It’s the editor’s job to make sure that gets done and a good editor will accomplish just that.

What if what the editor wants you to do is totally different than what you want to do?

That’s a tough situation for sure and the answer is not so simple. The first thing to do is divest your ego from the work. Look at it as an outsider would. Are the editor’s comments justified? Do you think that they might possibly make the work better or more marketable? If the answer is “yes”, then take a moment and try rewriting the first ten or so pages with the editor’s suggestions.

Now step back and look at it again. Is it better? More marketable? Then dig in and start rewriting.

You may have noticed that I’ve used that “marketable” word multiple times already because the reality is that if you’re writing commercial fiction (as in selling to the mass market), what you’re writing needs to sell. That means it needs to meet certain reader and bookseller expectations.

Your editor is the one who can best tell you whether or not you’ve managed to do that.

If you’re still not convinced about all the changes, then try a conciliatory approach rather than a confrontational one. For example, when I first wrote DARKNESS CALLS one of the revision requests was that I have the heroine, Diana Reyes, become a vampire at the end of the novel. In my heart I felt that the story was much too complicated and rich for that kind of ending. I also felt that there would be greater emotion and impact for the readers if the characters had that conflict hanging over their heads – Love me even though I will die before you do. It spoke of a much greater love and commitment if Ryder and Diana chose to get together despite that fact.

I discussed it with my editors and we agreed I would write the ending as I envisioned it and that if it did not work, I would revise it. Bottom line was, the ending worked and we left it as is. Everyone was happy with the compromise we reached initially and the end result.

So the bottom line is, be open to change. Be willing to compromise. Your editors know what’s best and what’s selling. Trust them to help you craft a better book.

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