A Necessary Risk by Kathleen Long, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 0373692439 

Detective Zach Thomas had one goal: find out what really happened the day his brother died. Problem was he had to involve beautiful scientist Jessica Parker. Then, as Zach slowly uncovered some deadly secrets, his need for vengeance was overshadowed by his desire to protect Jessica. 

Jessica Parker knew she'd spent her life doing no harm, and yet somehow the research she'd conducted had gone so horribly wrong. Could her gorgeous protector prevent her from falling victim to an elusive enemy who'd stop at nothing to suppress the truth?

24/7 by Joanna Wayne, Bodyguards Unlimited, Denver, CO, Harlequin Intrigue, ISBN 0373692422

Prescott Personal Securities provided the best bodyguards money could buy. New client Kelly Warner had trouble she couldn't escape. Trapped in controversy, Kelly and her young daughter had the whole world watching them. But only one man was hired to look out for their best interests: Jack Sanders.

Kelly had secrets that people would kill for--and someone was trying real hard. But now she had Jack, and he would never take his eyes off her, no matter their past together. Caught under the gun, the all-American bodyguard had a message to send--Denver was under the protection of PPS, and there just wasn't room for anyone else.

ALSO AVAILABLE

New Moon
by Rebecca York
Berkley Sensation
ISBN 978-0425216026

 

Delores Fossen: Two books turned me in the direction of romantic suspense: Gayle Wilson's Intrigue, Heart of the Night, and Sandra Brown's Best Kept Secrets. I was fascinated with the plots and the characters, and the way the authors were able to grab and hold my attention until the very last pages. I couldn't put down these books. When I was writing my latest Intrigue, Trace Evidence in Tarrant County, I kept in mind how Sandra Brown and Gayle Wilson were able to weave those love stories with nail-biting suspense, and that's what I tried to do.

Mallory Kane: My favorite books growing up -- if I set aside science fiction J -- were romantic adventures. The Scarlet Pimpernel and Lord Johnnie were and still are two of my all-time favorites, which might seem odd because I don't write historicals. However, when I think about those two books, I think about the heroes. Sir Percy was not who he appeared to be, and his dangerous mission put the woman he loved in danger. Lord Johnnie was not who he appeared to be either. At the beginning of the book he's about to be hanged. Talk about suspense! And when he discovers the mystery of his birth at the end of the book, I get chills and cry. Even now as I'm typing this.  So  my love of suspense and mystery was born in those larger than life heroes whose personal sense of honor and duty put them at odds with the villains and drew the women they tried so hard not to love into danger.

My favorite Intrigues to write are the tense and edgy stories where the villain is known to the reader or the hero and heroine or both. I love the sense of impending doom that hangs over the characters' heads as they try to anticipate the villain's next move. And I love to write villains who are diabolically clever and hopefully unpredictable.

Julie Miller: I have a two-part answer to this question.  First, I'd have to say reading all the original Intrigue books when the series first came out in the 1980's really solidified my love for romantic suspense.  As a college student, I didn't have a lot of extra time for recreational reading, but I could get through an Intrigue in an evening and feel like I'd had the full romantic suspense experience.  Lots of action and danger.  A good mystery.  Heroes to die for.  Heroines who could be me.  And villains who leapt off the page.  It was a wonderful training ground for tight plotting and strong characterization that I've internalized and use in my own writing now.

Secondly, I'd have to credit Agatha Christie for inspiring my love of a good, twisty mystery.  I have too many favorites to list, but it's an ongoing goal to read all of her books.  What I got from Dame Agatha is the idea of dropping red herrings that were every bit as tangible and believable as real clues--and also choosing my villain, or putting more than one villain (with degrees or variety of villainy) into my stories--making him or her a complete, but clearly motivated bad guy.  I believe my upcoming mini-series, The Precinct: Vice Squad, in August and September of 2007, reflects the lessons I've learned from reading Harlequin Intrigues and Agatha Christie mysteries

Ann Voss Peterson: My roots in romantic suspense are easy to trace.  Daphne duMaurier's Rebecca, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights transfixed me when I was young.  Those books had such intensity on both a plot and personal level, they claimed my imagination.  I couldn't get enough, and found myself wanting to write that kind of mix into my own stories.

 When I later discovered Harlequin Intrigue, I knew that was where I belonged.  The play of danger and emotion I found in the first Intrigues I read -- Hopscotch by Rebecca York, To Die For by MJ Rogers, Dead Heat by Patricia Rosemoor, and Presumed Guilty by Tess Gerritsen -- was intoxicating.   There's nothing like danger to drive the libido, and nothing like a budding love to give the characters ever more to lose.  I wanted to bring that mix of edge-of-your-seat danger and constantly escalating personal stakes to my own stories. 

In addition, I like exploring the gray areas of my characters--people who aren't all good or bad, people who have made bad choices, people who need redemption--whether they be heroes, heroines or even villains.  No doubt a fascination I picked up from tortured heroes like Maxim DeWinter and Rochester and sympathetic and sexy villains like Heathcliff and Rebecca.   

Rita Herron: Actually, there were a few. When I was young, I was hooked on the Trixie Belden mystery series. Those books made me want to write and I actually did write a 12 page mystery at age 12!  Later, I read Mary Higgins Clark mysteries as an adult, and loved the intense mystery plots - a favorite was Loves Music, Loves to Dance. Then I read Sandra Brown who was writing more romance than suspense at the time and I enjoyed her books. I loved them both but wanted that combination of mystery/romance, then discovered Tami Hoag. Cry Wolf was the book that really made me fall in love with the genre and want to write romantic suspense.  I was completely enthralled, not only by the story line and mixture of romance and murder but by her wonderful dark, descriptions of the setting, by her flavorful characters, and her writing style.

I see that influence in my writing today, especially with my single title work, because I like to write really dark, gritty stories with interesting settings, local folklore and atmospheres that enhance the mystery/romance and add to the tension.  

Rebecca York: I'd always read books with suspense and adventure.  Some of them also had a romance as a sub plot.  But the book that made me say, "That's what I want to write," was The Key to Rebecca, by Ken Follett.  He may not come from the romance community, but he knows how to weave a love story into an action-suspense plot.  He's also one of the few men who write fantastic female characters. 

I've kept reading him over the years, and I think of him often when I write my own books.  One thing he said in an interview was that writing his break out book meant putting more emphasis on his characters.  When I wrote my March 2007 Berkley release, New Moon, I was thinking of that advice.  In New Moon, I'm writing about a woman who was sexually abused, a woman afraid to trust.  She's also one of the strongest heroines I've ever written.  And she's unique because she comes from a parallel universe where the rules are different.  So she's coping with a lot when she meets my hero, Logan Marshall. 

March 7, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Pat White in the NovelTalk chat room.

March 21, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Join Rebecca York in the NovelTalk chat room.

March 24, 2:00 p.m.,  Pat White, Shannon McKelden and American Title winner Gerri Russell will present tips on breaking into publishing followed by a book signing. Borders Books and Music, Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA.

April 28, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Julie Miller, along with authors Sherry James, Pam Crooks, Elle James, Delores Fossen, Tracy Montoya and Jeanie London (aka The Magnificent Seven!) will be hosting the annual SOS Military Mixer at the Romantic Times conference in Houston, Texas.  The daughter of a Marine, and proud sister of a soldier recently home from Iraq, Ms. Miller invites military personnel and their families and special guests, as well as other military authors to attend. Thank you for all you do!  SOS Military Mixer at the Romantic Times Conference, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston, TX.

Lisa Childs would like to announce two new contests. On March 10 she will give away two copies of Haunted in her monthly drawing. Her second contest is open to her Mailing List Subscribers only. After March 1 she will begin random drawings through her mailing list. She’ll send an e-mail with the title of the book she is giving away and the magic winning number. Whoever’s e-mail entry is that number will win the book. Only no one will know when she will be sending the e-mail! So join Lisa’s mailing list and get set to have some fun. Ongoing.

In honor of her Texas Rangers story, Rita Herron is giving away three signed copies of the book along with coupons for discounts on other Harlequin titles!  Ends March 30

Win a signed copy of Pull of the Moon and a sample of Valerie's favorite coffee from Sylvie Kurtz.

The snow and cold of winter has Julie Miller ready to announce her new spring book giveaway contest.  This March, Ms. Miller is doing something a little different. She's teaming up with her critique partner, Sherry James, for a multi-author contest. You'll have a chance to win a copy of Julie's Readers Choice Award-winning romantic suspense novel, Accidental Bodyguard, as well as a chance to win a copy of Ms. James' first release in her steamy romantic comedy series Studs for Hire: Woman on Top. The deadline for entering is the first day of spring. Go to Julie Miller's website to find the details on how to enter.  Ends March 21.

Pat White:  Win a copy of The American Temp and the British Inspector along with a flowered magnetic notepad!