NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

I'm an anomaly. I freely admit it. Unlike everyone else I know, I rarely travel. Exotic places around the globe have never been graced with my esteemed presence. Other than an occasional writer's conference, you will rarely see my eyeballs outside of the town where I live.
But writers write about places other than where they live, right? If I only wrote about the town where I live, trust me, most of you would be bored out of your minds. There's not a whole lot shaking around here.

I'm a voracious armchair traveler, though. Through the magic of books, I've visited many places around the world. I've been to some of the most exotic locales on earth without leaving the comforts of home.

I've walked on the beaches in Hawaii, my toes curling in the black sands while the crystal blue waters lap gently, each wave curls against the shore. The trade winds blow a soothing breeze, and the scent of hibiscus and plumeria fill the air.

I've strolled along the Champs-Elysees in Paris, smelled the freshly baked bread and pastries. Jumped back as reckless drivers sped through the streets and dined at sidewalk cafes across from my love on a romantic getaway for two, while sipping champagne and sharing intimate moments.
I've visited the pyramids in Egypt. Slalomed down the Alps. Gone deep sea fishing off the Florida Keys.


Good writers transport me (and hopefully you, too) to places we might otherwise never see through the magic of their words. They bring alive the sounds, scents and tastes of every element, so much so that if you were to close your eyes for just a moment, you'd find yourself transported deep within the pages of the story—feel as though you are right there with the hero and heroine—experiencing every nuance of their surroundings.

This is what I try to bring to life when I'm writing. My romantic suspense books are set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. The French Quarter. The Big Easy. Just hearing the name of the place evokes preconceived notions of what it's like. I want you to hear the Cajun and Creole dialect in the words. Feel the energy of the crowds on Bourbon Street at night. Experience the joy and excitement of Mardi Gras. Smell the spicy jambalaya so hot and fresh it makes your mouth water for the first bite.

So, the next time wanderlust strikes and you can't physically get away on some tropical escape—step within the pages of a book and fly away.

Kathy Ivan is busy writing her next New Orleans based romantic suspense, and wishing she was there. Her current release, Sex, Lies and Apple Pies released yesterday as part of the Summer Heat box set and is on sale for release week for $.99 at most e-book retailers.

8 comments:

Anne Marie Becker said...

Congratulations on the new release, Kathy! I do a fair amount of armchair traveling myself. ;) But I do real-life traveling too. Still, for me, there's no place like home (especially with a good book in my hands).

Marcelle Dubé said...

Congratulations on the new release, Kathy! I don't do that much travelling, myself, but I do love exotic settings in the books I read. And I do a pile of research for the settings in my own books. Good post.

jean harrington said...

New Orleans is pure magic, Kathy. A wonderful choice for a setting. I enjoyed your post and your premise.

Kathy Ivan said...

Anne Marie - Hi! I agree, there is no place like home. I can go anywhere in the world and never leave the comfort of my comfy chair with my favorite slippers and a cup of tea. Yes, I really lead an exciting life. LOL

Kathy Ivan said...

Hi Marcelle! I do a lot of research into my locations before and during the writing. I love it when a reader will contact me and ask if something I wrote is a real place. I had somebody ask me about a BBQ restaurant that I wrote about in one of my Vegas books, because she loved it so much and wanted to go and eat there. I hated to disappoint her and tell her that I made it up.

Kathy Ivan said...

Hi Jean! Yes, I love New Orleans. It's the perfect place to set a romantic suspense. The atmosphere and ambiance is quite unlike anything else. I'm anxious to go back because it's been way too long. I can call it a research trip, right?

Dee J. said...

Congrats on the new release! You are not alone, I'm usually not much of a traveler myself...although some years I seem to go to a lot of places. Nothing too exotic most of the time. Bummer. Haha. Love when books take me somewhere new!

Kathy Ivan said...

Hi Dee J! I wish I could travel more, but I just seem to be a homebody nowadays. But I do love when I get engrossed in a new book that takes me to someplace I've never been before. Delving into the sights, scents, and tastes of a new place in a well written book is the best feeling.

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