History Comes Alive

I recently finished writing the final (and sixth) book in my Mindhunters series (hallelujah!). As I developed the backstory for my hero, Andrew “Einstein” MacKenzie, an ex-SEAL who works for my fictional serial-killer-hunting agency SSAM, I worked backward from the few facts I’d already revealed in the previous books. I realized he would have been in college at the time of the 9-11 attacks, and being the genius that he is, it didn’t take long for me to figure out he could easily have attended MIT and was in his senior year there when 9-11 happened. I added a personal stake in the horrible events of that day and decided he'd signed up for military service the moment he graduated, wanting to prevent terrorists from claiming more innocent lives. (Eventually, he was injured, left the SEALs and wound up in my book, of course.)

While my book doesn't take place during 9-11, I bring this up today because thinking about Einstein—my character’s nickname, not the scientific icon—had me thinking about fictional stories in which actual historical events either impacted the characters directly or came alive for me because I was seeing history through his or her eyes.

One example that came to mind was a historical romance trilogy I read many years ago. I still recall the vivid use of the real event in the three stories, probably because that particular event was one I knew little about. Susan Wiggs’ Chicago Fire Trilogy is set during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed hundreds of people and left about a hundred thousand people homeless. Though I’d briefly heard about the fire in history class, it really came alive when experienced through Wiggs' characters.

Artist's rendering of the fire, by John R. Chapin, originally printed in Harper's Weekly; the view faces northeast across the Randolph Street Bridge. Image as shown on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire.

Another book that stuck with me was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. The love story (or love triangle) unfolded against the backdrop of the French Revolution. 

Which brings to mind Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Part of what makes this such a great story are the endearing and powerful characters who are challenged by the lives they led in French society in the early nineteenth century, from the Battle of Waterloo to the July Revolution of 1830.

Is there a period of history you enjoy reading about or experienced more vividly after reading a fictional account? Any memorable books that used history as a backdrop in a way that challenged the characters (I know there have to be thousands of examples!)? What era or event would you like to see more fiction set in?

What Would You Do?

While working on my latest Mindhunters book (Acceptable Risk), I knew the ins and outs of my heroine, since I'd been getting to know her for years. Catherine Montague has been the receptionist at my fictional organization, SSAM (The Society for the Study of the Aberrant Mind), since Book 1 (Only Fear). However, in Books 1-4, because Catherine was a minor character, my editor often had me cut physical or behavioral descriptions that detracted from the main characters, so Catherine was still a bit of an enigma to readers. This turned out to be a blessing as I began writing Book 5. The sparseness of description in previous books meant I could do anything with Catherine. She could be anybody.

So, of course I wanted her to be a surprise. I wanted my heroine to have a secret, and to be tormented by it because she’s been lying to the hero, a coworker with whom she’d fallen in love. 

But I also needed her to be a likable liar, so I gave her a strong motivation: her family. The betrayal she harbors runs deep—her behavior, her entire life until the point the book opens has been to repay what she’s seen as a family debt. But she’s come to the point in her life where she can no longer be untrue to herself…or to the hero she loves.

While working on this story, some interesting questions arose. What wouldn’t I sacrifice for my loved ones? What betrayals can I forgive, and why? What would be unforgivable? 

Today, Catherine's story (and her secret) is available to the world, and she can no longer hide. 

How do you feel about secrets? Are some betrayals unforgivable? What makes you more likely to be merciful?

ACCEPTABLE RISK

Book five of The Mindhunters

To repay a debt, resourceful receptionist Catherine Montague has been living a lie, and her secret betrayal eats at her conscience. She knows what she has to do to reclaim her life, but revealing the truth could mean losing everything, including the agent she’s fallen in love with.

For sexy ex-SEAL Max Sawyer, hunting killers gives him a sense of fulfillment he never would have found if he’d followed the path that was his birthright. However, when his latest mission goes horribly wrong, releasing a hardened criminal in Max’s hometown of San Antonio, Texas, it’ll take all of his charm to convince the beautiful and resilient Catherine to serve as a buffer between him and the painful ties from his past.

Amid a manhunt, the re-emergence of a serial killer, and the activity of an organized crime ring known as the Circle, Max and Catherine may be the only ones who can set things right again. That is, if Max can forgive Catherine for her deception before a killer claims her. But is mercy a risk he’s willing to take?

Kindle | Amazon (Print) | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

Naming Your Baby

...Or your book. To writers, it is nearly the same. (Okay, it’s exactly the same—at least to me.) Just as I couldn’t wait to see each of my three kids’ faces when they were born, I was so excited to see the covers of my other babies…my published books. And just as I have to live with our choice of kids’ names for the rest of my life (I’m still happy with them all, by the way), I have to live with my books’ names for the rest of their shelf-lives.

I’ve been lucky to have kept the original titles for my first three Mindhunters books. They are: Only Fear, Avenging Angel, and Deadly Bonds. So when the fourth book came along and, despite reader enthusiasm for the name I gave it (Vicious Circle), the publisher requested alternate options, and despite the tie-ins with both “vicious” and “circle” throughout the book, I had to dig deep for some additional choices that would still suit my baby. I knew right away that I wanted a two-word pairing, like the first three books. It had to have a suspenseful feel, too. And, of course, it had to fit the theme of my “baby.” Over several rounds of email exchanges, my editor and I came up with about four dozen alternatives.

The final choice? Dark Deeds. (To be released March 17, 2014. *shameless plug*)

I can live with that title since it fits my “baby” and has a sufficiently gritty romantic suspense vibe. I'm still working on getting used to it, though.

What’s in a name? If you’re lucky, the mood, a sense of tension and pacing, and a reflection of the theme.

What are some recent books you read where the title struck you with its power? What titles matched the “personalities” of the books, and which ones were misleading or duds?

Anne Marie is the author of the Mindhunters series. She has always been fascinated by people—inside and out—which led to degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Counseling.  As a games hostess at Sea World, tutor, waitress, personal and family counselor, and high school counselor, she indulged her curiosity through sanctioned professions.  Now, as a stay-at-home mom of three young children, her passion for understanding the human race is satisfied by her roles as mother, wife, daughter, sister, and writer.  

She writes to reclaim her sanity.

Find ways to connect with Anne Marie at www.AnneMarieBecker.com.

Eulogy

Warning: this may be a morbid topic for some, and it’s said with a bit of tongue-in-cheek. For me, it’s a normal day. ;) And I figure, if I can’t be morbid with my NYUS friends, where can I?

Today is a release day for me. DEADLY BONDS (Mindhunters, Book 3) released in digital form today. In fact, this whole month has been a busy promo month... AVENGING ANGEL (Mindhunters, Book 2) came out in print via harlequin.com this month. And the first book ONLY FEAR is on sale for 99 cents through July 31st. However, some may find it odd for me to choose to celebrate my release day with a eulogy.

I’m about to confess to a guilty pleasure: I’m a big fan of The Young and the Restless. It’s my lunchtime splurge. I watch it while I make my lunch and allow my brain to decompress from the morning routine and recharge for the afternoon. Or, while I’m doing mundane tasks like folding laundry or doing dishes, I’ll put Y&R on in the background.

Jeanne Cooper, Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

The show has been a staple in my life since I was twelve. Which is why I was so sad when actress Jeanne Cooper (who played the indomitable Catherine Chancellor) passed away in May of this year. It was like losing a friend you saw every week. A couple of weeks later, Y&R aired a tribute to this amazing woman, who’d been a constant presence on the show for forty years. Her fellow actors and actresses reminisced and shared stories of how she mentored and supported them.

And then my brain made a morbid leap (maybe you're not surprised?)... What if my characters (who are, essentially, my coworkers) had to give a tribute on my behalf? What if I died and they had to say something at my funeral? What would they say?

They’d probably say I put them through hell, but also brought them the best days of their lives when they found a happy-ever-after. Maybe they'd even invite me to their weddings.

They’d probably moan and groan about what I put them through, but laugh and smile about the outcome.

They’d talk about how much they learned because of their time with me.

So, as I work to give another pair of characters their happily-ever-after in the fourth book in my series, I’m encouraged to think what a gift I’m giving them. They’ll stretch beyond what they think is possible, face down their demons and survive. And they’ll be stronger, better, faster, happier.

They’ll thank me one day.

DEADLY BONDS (Mindhunters, Book 3)

A dedicated profiler. Dr. Holt Patterson has thrown himself into his work since his wife's death, and his relationship with his young son, Theo, is suffering. He's caught in an impossible choice—how can he make the world a safer place for his son without sacrificing valuable family time?

An unrequited love. Sara Burns, the director at Theo's prestigious academy, once loved Holt Patterson, but he was her best friend's husband. Now a decade has passed, and Sara realizes that her feelings are just as strong—but how can she act on them without betraying her friend's memory?

A terrifying killer. A violent man develops an interest in Sara, and sends a body instead of flowers to get her attention. Holt is determined to keep her safe. But the killer is much closer than they expect…

Available here: Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Audible

Anne Marie has always been fascinated by people—inside and out—which led to degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Counseling.  Her passion for understanding the human race is now satisfied by her roles as mother, wife, daughter, sister, and award-winning author of romantic suspense.  

She writes to reclaim her sanity.

Find ways to connect with Anne Marie at www.AnneMarieBecker.com.