Fear Factor

Thanks to Katie for inviting me to participate in her 30 Days of Danger and Secrets.

When I was trying to think of what to blog about today, I kept coming back to the danger theme. When writing a romantic suspense, danger is always a big part of the plot. But how do authors convey that heart-stopping fear to make readers really afraid? For me, the most convincing way to summon up what that fear feels like, is to bring myself back to one of the most terrifying moments of my life.

Reliving frightening events isn’t pleasant, but during recent a workshop by literary agent Donald Maass, I forced my thoughts to a scary time in my youth and all the emotions were right there at my fingertips, ready for me to add them to my danger scenes.

Fear has physical and emotional components. In order to best create those reactions, I travel back to my thirteenth year. One of my sisters—three years older—was home with me. Our parents were out. They’d been running late and instructed us to close the family room drapes because it would be dark soon. (The entire downstairs was visible through the family room windows if left uncovered.)

Being teenagers who knew everything, we ignored their instructions and happily settled into an upstairs bedroom to watch a TV movie about Patty Hearst’s ordeal. (I will never forget that we were watching that very movie.)

Shortly after dark we heard noises downstairs. I turned down the volume on the television and my sister and I froze. There was definitely someone in the house. My heart raced and heat spread through me. We hid in a closet, huddled close. I just knew whoever was downstairs would find us because the sound of my heartbeat was deafening and would give us away. I made all sorts of promises to God if he’d let me live to see fourteen.

Thankfully the burglars left quickly after grabbing some jewelry and cash from my mother’s dresser, but the experience was forever emblazoned in my mind.

Years later, I was again watching a movie on TV—this time, Twister. My husband was in law enforcement, working the midnight shift, which left me home with two small children. But this time, I had a burglar alarm (because I’ve never lived without one after my first experience). I heard a door into my garage open and a split second later, the eardrum-popping siren of the security system blared. But I was still afraid. I had the same physical reactions as I had years earlier, but the emotional component was greater. My children were potentially in danger and that fear was way worse.

Since my husband was immediately informed of the situation, he arrived home to a dozen cops combing the area around our house. The burglar was long gone, but I’ll never forget what that panic felt like both physically and emotionally.

When I wrote Tropic of Trouble, I forced my mind back to that dark place and I drew upon my memories to create Kelsey’s terror. Using my own frightening experiences helped me lend realism to my character’s emotions.

In honor of Katie’s new release from Carina Press, Dangerous Secrets, I will give away a download of my erotic romantic suspense novel, Tropic of Trouble to one commenter.

Tropic of Trouble –

When Kelsey Ackerman’s assistant at her used bookstore is murdered, the police label it a botched robbery by a desperate drug addict. But Kelsey suspects the perpetrator was looking for a rare Shakespeare volume that someone unknowingly donated. Now a killer’s sights are set on Kelsey.

Jail guard Jason Jones only wants to protect her, but after suffering a controlling father and an abusive ex-husband, Kelsey wants nothing to do with the confident, hot sergeant. Until the danger becomes crystal clear, and the only man who can save her is the very man she can’t resist.

Wynter Daniels lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of two very demanding cats. After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She writes for several publishers including Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id and Red Sage Publishing.

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-8776-621-tropic-of-trouble.aspx

Find me on the web: http://www.wynterdaniels.com/

http://naughtyauthorchicks.blogspot.com/

http://notyourusualsuspects.blogspot.com/

Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/4kojfnf

Twitter - @wynterdaniels

Thank you so much for joining me today, Wynter. After this awesome blog on fear, I'd also like to mention that not only is Wynter a fabulous author, she's also incredibly sweet. Tropic of Trouble is a very sexy, suspenseful ride! So if you haven't read her yet, what are you waiting for!

What's a Secret Without a Little Danger

Hello. I’m Seleste deLaney and I’d like to thank Katie for inviting me to be part of her month of danger and secrets. Both of those things play huge roles in most of my published works. Since I write a lot of paranormal, it kind of comes with the territory. Even though it’s my first foray into the world of steampunk/alternate-history, my Carina Press novella, Badlands, is still rife with danger and secrets.

Danger. Secrets. Just the words send shivers down my spine. For me, fiction without both of them doesn’t stand a chance of exciting me. But if an author manages to weave the two around each other in a story, I’m hooked. Intrigue of any sort gets me excited to read, and I hope it’s something I manage to deliver in my own stories.

The world of the Badlands is one filled with danger and secrets. The danger starts within the first two pages with an attack on a royal fortress. The main line of defense is the group of warrior women who protect the queen and the countries borders. Ever, my heroine, is the type to rush head-first into a dangerous situation. It isn’t foolhardiness, just a surety that she can handle anything she comes up against.

It’s a cockiness that comes with her job. Ever is commander of the Badlands’ Border Guards. Her job is to apprehend the criminals sent across the Mississippi River by the United States. Most of them are men, and most of them have no desire to spend their lives to be captured again. Ever’s body is covered with scars from her battles with them, as well as tattoos—several of which keep count of the prisoners she’s killed in fights. She’s well accustomed to physical danger, so she confronts most of what she finds on the Dark Hawk without flinching.

Romance is the one danger she came ill-prepared to face though. And to complicate matters, there are hidden agendas a plenty aboard the airship. For starters, Ever keeps the details of her mission quiet for fear of spies, even aboard the tiny dirigible. And she isn’t alone in playing things close to the vest. Not everyone has secrets, but those that are in play alter the fate of more than just Ever and her mission. Because when you’re in the Badlands, secrets and danger tend to go hand-in-hand.

Badlands is available for pre-order and releases tomorrow, February 28.

After a brutal Civil War, America is a land divided. As commander of her nation's border guards, Ever is a warrior sworn to protect her country and her queen. When an airship attacks and kills the monarch, Ever must infiltrate enemy territory to bring home the heir to the throne, and the dirigible Dark Hawk is her fastest way to the Union.

Captain Spencer Pierce just wants to pay off the debt he owes on the Dark Hawk and make a life for himself trading across the border. When the queen's assassination puts the shipping routes at risk, he finds himself Ever's reluctant ally.

As they fly into danger, Ever and Spencer must battle not only the enemy but also their growing attraction. She refuses to place her heart before duty, and he has always put the needs of his ship and crew above his own desires. Once the princess is rescued, perhaps they can find love in the Badlands—if death doesn't find them first...

Seleste deLaney is a writer of speculative romance. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

In celebration of strong female characters, Seleste is giving away a copy of Badlands to a random commenter (here or on her blog) who gives an example of a strong woman from their real life. She’ll draw a winner Wednesday (3/2) night at 11:59 pm est.

Sex on the beach...

That's what I'll be discussing at the Southern Sizzle Romance blog today! Stop by and say hi and maybe win a copy of my latest release from Carina :)

A Dangerous Hero

I find dangerous heroes strangely compelling. I’m drawn to their mystery and darkness. The unknown. Is he dangerous to everyone, including the heroine, or only his enemies? Part of the thrill is not knowing for a while. Part of the fun of the Twilight series is the wondering and waiting, will he bite her as he’s yearning to and drain all her blood? The longer he resists doing what he wants to do most, the more we love him. He’s proven his trustworthiness. Though he could kill an enemy one handed, he treats Bella like precious glass.

Dangerous heroes are often alpha heroes, very protective of those they love. An expert with weapons, ready at a moment’s notice to charge into the action. While a dangerous hero causes a lot of conflict initially, he proves to be someone fantastic to have around. Dangerous heroes are sometimes hard to love, but in the end it only makes them more irresistible. Don’t you think?

In my upcoming March 21 release from Carina Press, a paranormal historical called Laird of Darkness, the hero, Duncan, kidnaps the heroine and takes her hostage. With him displaying such outlaw behavior, the heroine Alana doesn’t know what to expect from him. He could do any number of horrid things to her.

Duncan has a dangerous reputation. Is he evil? Clearly he has paranormal abilities, but are the rumors about him true? Here’s an excerpt from my novella:

What an infuriating warlord he was. For all she knew, he could be the infamous Laird of Darkness she’d heard rumors about the whole of her life. A man who could single-handedly lay waste to an entire army. He was said to drive well-trained war horses mad, sending them fleeing from battle. The Laird of Darkness could possess weapons and turn them against their owners. A man killed with his own sword or dagger did not die in honor. But survivors fared no better. The legends claimed he would call up violent gales, blowing his enemies into lochs and rivers, drowning them. And most scandalous of all, he slipped past men-at-arms and seduced rival chiefs’ wives and grown daughters…and even a few comely maids, turning their loyalties. Nicole North – Laird of Darkness

Rumors are often embellished, growing with each retelling until the tale has expanded to mythical proportions.

What is the truth? Here’s an explanation from Duncan’s point of view.

He glared back at her. She talked too much. Asked too many questions. He liked women who silently did what they were told. Didn’t he? If that were the case, why did he look forward to hearing her voice and her impetuous remarks?

Truth was she fascinated him. A brave, curious lass who didn’t fear the Laird of Darkness. He knew of his reputation, how parents frightened their children with scary stories to make them behave. Be good or the Laird of Darkness and his monster minions will cart you away to the cold, dark land of Otherworld.

He snorted and faced the window again.

His wicked reputation had come when he was but a lad of seventeen—though he appeared a man full grown. His father had just died, and his enemies had thought to invade, capture the castle, rape the women and steal the cattle. But Duncan had proven the new chief was not someone to trifle with. Using his Fae powers and any weapon at his disposal, he’d personally killed the leading chieftains, both seasoned warriors, who stormed the castle and several of their men. His own men saw that day he was a strong leader despite his youth, and though outnumbered, they rallied behind him and successfully thwarted the two rival clans who’d banded together. Before long, the tales of him, his men and the battle had been exaggerated to legendary proportions. His fearsome reputation kept any foes at bay, allowing his clan to live in peace. Nicole North – Laird of Darkness

I enjoy exploring the concept that first impressions can be deceiving, and that a dangerous hero can actually be one of the best kind of men to have around.

Do you enjoy reading or writing about dangerous heroes? If so, what draws you to them? One commenter will be selected to win a copy of Laird of Darkness, my March 21 release from Carina Press.

Thanks!

Nicole

Nicole North's erotic romance novellas have been described by reviewers as “exciting, high octane, captivating, scintillating, sinfully delicious and pure romance.” Her stories contain “heart and heat, killer love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters.” She has sold four stories to Red Sage Publishing. Laird of Darkness is her first novella for Carina Press. Nicole’s stories usually focus on her favorite things: Scotland, Highlanders and hot men in kilts. She and her husband live in the Southeastern US, but she wishes she lived in the Scottish Highlands at least half the year. As she puts it, Scotland is a beautiful, magical and enchanting place where anything seems possible. She teaches online workshops about various aspects of writing, including sexual tension and how to write great love scenes. Though she has a degree in psychology, writing romance is her first love.

Website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nicolenorthnewsletter/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NicoleNorth
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-North/129305184332

Secrets are Villains

When Katie mentioned the opportunity to blog about secrets, I jumped at the chance. How fun! Secrets, by nature, are intriguing, and thus, often mainstays in fiction. So surely secrets would present a thousand different topics to write about. No problem, I thought. Secrets are dynamic! I can be dynamic! But then I sat down at my computer, and as so often happens, I got distracted. I just couldn’t seem to write about the fun, interesting side of secrets. Several days, a blank page and a blinking cursor later, I was ready to throw in the towel. Secrets were evil! Out to ruin my life! And that got me thinking…

Secrets, in most of the ways that matter, are like villains. As I reader, I love a good secret (as I love a good villain). I love secrets that characters guard so closely they can’t even acknowledge them in the privacy of their own minds. Secrets connect me to a character. Sometimes I empathize with them. Sometimes I call them names or order them to stop being ridiculous. Either way, I take the journey with the characters because personal secrets draw me in. Secrets that characters keep from each other force me to turn the page, waiting for the inevitable confrontation. Secrets that drive plots, that keep characters turning down blind alleys and wondering who they can trust will keep me up well into the night - even when I have to work the next morning. (Like I said, secrets are villains.) And often when a book stays with me, and I find myself thinking about it later, it’s because of the characters, the secrets they carried and how they dealt with them.

But it wasn’t until I sat down to really think about secrets that I realized secrets are the ultimate villain. As a reader and especially as a writer, I’m all about characters. I want to connect to the heroine of a story. I want to feel like I’m walking in her shoes, persevering, and beating the odds. I want to feel as though I’m the one facing down the villain. And the best villains, at the end of the day, are great because they challenge the heroine. Villains present the opportunity to prove she is worth rooting for. Worth losing sleep over. Worth dashing through your morning routine because you can’t be late but you just couldn’t put that damn book down last night. A heroine is nothing without a challenge to conquer. But sometimes, particularly in a romance, villains come in unexpected ways. (They’re sneaky like that.)

A secret can be the most insidious of villains because they lie in wait. Quiet. Patient. Sneaky. Waiting for the right moment to jump out at a heroine like a chainsaw-wielding maniac and send her running. And secrets have one up on the chainsaw-wielding maniac. No matter how hard or how fast the heroine runs, she can’t outrun a secret. It’s always there, always waiting for the right moment to do what secrets do best. Devastate.

A secret can all but lay waste to a relationship, destroy trust, and jeopardize love. Even worse, secrets can act as the evil voice inside a character’s head whispering, “you can’t,” or “you’re not good enough,” or “you don’t deserve to be happy.” Sometimes facing down a corporeal villain is easier than facing down buried secrets. A chainsaw-wielding maniac? Fight! A spotlight on a heroine’s darkest, most personal secret? Flight! The heroine in my upcoming release, Hunting Human, certainly goes to great lengths to avoid the secrets of her past. And like any good villain, her secrets ultimately stand in the way of her happiness.

So how do we as readers, writers, and the heroes of our own stories fight secrets? Do we run? And if so for how long? Because like any good hero at some point we have to stop. Face our secrets, fears and villains and yell, ‘bring it!’ And for me, that’s where the story lies. That is why I curl up in bed and read (or write) until my eyes are blurry. Because, if the heroine can fight off the werewolf, get the hottie with the wash board abs, and deal with her secrets all in a day’s work, then maybe, just maybe, so can I.

Thank you Amanda for blogging with me today! I love this post! If you’d like to learn more about Amanda, please visit her website: www.amandaealvarez.com or find her on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/amandaealvarez1. 30 days of danger & secrets is almost over so for a chance to win the grand prize (for full details, click on the tab at the top left of the blog or just click here) don’t forget to leave a comment and spread the word!