SO LONG, FAREWELL, AU REVOIR…

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy9_lfjQopU

I’m feeling a little nostalgic lately, knowing that this will be my last post at Not Your Usual Suspects, at least for a while. I’ll certainly be dropping by to check out what my NYUS colleagues are up to and celebrate their latest accomplishments.

So, naturally, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past, especially once I realized that I’ve been posting here for seven years! Much of that time, I’ve felt like a bit of a fraud, pretending I’m a “real” writer while my NYUS colleagues (the real writers) go about their amazing careers.

But I sat down and counted, and since 2010, the year On Her Trail came out from Carina Press, and the year I “met” some fabulous writers (I’m looking at you in particular Maureen Miller, Toni Anderson and Shirley Wells), I’ve published 11 novels, 25 short stories, and two collections. It would interest me greatly to know how many novels the NYUS writers have published collectively. I’m sure it’s enough to fill a small library!

So, see you around. Here’s to another fabulous seven years for NYUS.

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Romantic Times Convention 2107

Hello, Everyone!

I'm just back from the Romantic Times (RT) Convention in Atlanta where I had a productive, fun and awesome, if not exhausting, time! Since some of you might not have been able to attend, I wanted to share a few photos with you and let you know some of the activities that go on at a large conference the size of RT.

The following narrative outlines my week at RT in a nutshell (actually in a blog, but I digress). Here are some of the activities an author (well, at least THIS author) undertakes at a conference such as Romantic Times.

First of all, you meet up with friends, such as fellow Not Your Usual Suspect blogger and author extraordinaire, Toni Anderson.

You attend theme parties, like the 1920's Flapper Party, with Toni and another fellow Not Your Usual Suspect blogger (and my sis), Sandy Parks.

You meet with other awesome authors like our roommate and romantic suspense author, Gennita Low.

You participate in a panel on writing called Sequels, Series and Spin-Offs, because the conference is all about business, right?

You take time to do research at the Center for Disease Control and stop to visit author Margaret Mitchell's house (remember Gone With the Wind?) because...well, it's Atlanta!!!

You meet hot secret agent guys. :)

You do three (3) book signings because ... well, this is all about books, right? :)

You meet with awesome fans, friends and amazing readers! (This is, by far, my favorite part!)

 

 

And maybe, just maybe, you get a teeny bit crazy, not that I'd ever tell... :)

So, that's a wrap on another fun conference. I think I need to sleep for six weeks to recover. Hope sometime I'll get to meet YOU at a conference, too!! ~ Julie oxo 

COLD SECRETS

So, I have a new release in eleven days time. I have to say that there were times when this book made me cry. Some of it was the awful things I did to my characters--apparently I am a closet sadist. Thankfully, most of the characters survived the experience. Most of them (told you, I'm a sadist!). 

The other reason it nearly brought me to tears was the hair-pulling frustration of trying to write while in the same room as two teenagers :) The reason I was in the same room as my awesome kids is my family spent three months of the latter part of 2016 in Tokyo. While the kids were doing schoolwork, I was busy running federal investigations and having red-hot sex on the page. Yeah, how to totally turn yourself off, LOL. Thankfully the kids did occasionally leave for French, Japanese class and swimming, and that's when I got the more intimate scenes polished. 

It wasn't easy writing on the move and I am so looking forward to going absolutely nowhere if I can help it this year. 

Here's the information about COLD SECRETS. I hope you enjoy!

SHORT EXCERPT:

Lucas grabbed a wooden chair from beside a vanity.

“Stand back.” Time to signal his need of assistance. He slammed the chair into the old sash window, and glass exploded into a million different pieces.

That should do it.

The men on the other side of the door went silent as they reevaluated the situation. Six agonizing seconds later, he heard the sound of a truck pulling up outside and a series of shouted instructions. Then the unmistakable sound of a breacher busting the front door out of its frame.

The troops had arrived.

“I’m an FBI agent. Help is on the way,” he told the two girls. They held onto one another as he went to the bedroom door and listened. He couldn’t hear anything on the other side, so he unlocked it and eased out, just in time to catch sight of one of the men he’d seen in the kitchen, fleeing into a bedroom at the rear of the building.

Dammit. There had to be another way out. He looked at Mia and Becca. He couldn’t leave them behind—but he shouldn’t take them with him, either.

No choice. He wasn’t letting them out of his sight, and he wasn’t letting these assholes get away.

“Follow me. We need to move fast, but quietly. Understood?”

Mia and Becca nodded, both desperate to get out of this hellhole.

He sprinted down the corridor and slid the last ten yards to the room where he’d seen the men disappear. For once his luck was holding, and the door had caught on the latch rather than closing completely. He peeked inside but the room was empty except for a couple of unmade beds. Where the hell did they go? He wedged the door ajar with a chair so his colleagues would know which direction he’d taken. A silk robe swung back and forth on a metal hanger inside the walk-in closet. He shoved the robe aside and ran his hand over the wood. A hidden door sprang open when he pushed against the panel. Bingo.

The opening on the other side was as black as Hades.

“It’s like Narnia,” Mia whispered.

“Only scarier,” Becca agreed.

“Keep close. Hold hands,” he instructed quietly. Lucas turned on the light of his cell and felt his way along. He found a handrail, his foot searching out the first riser of the stairs as they began their descent. They crept down the twisting staircase. Suddenly the thundering sound of footsteps got closer and closer. Then he realized it was the cops pounding up the stairs on the other side of the wall.

Becca tripped and he turned to steady her. “Easy.”

“Where are we going?” she asked, as if starting to doubt the wisdom of blindly following a strange man down a lightless tunnel.

Smart girl.

BLURB

When an international ring of sex traffickers kidnaps an eight-year-old girl in Boston, FBI Agent Lucas Randall heads undercover. But his rescue operation goes disastrously wrong and Lucas barely escapes with his life. Now the ruthless traffickers are hunting him down, along with everyone else who threatens their operation.

Computer expert Ashley Chen joined the FBI to fight against evil in the world—evil she experienced firsthand. She has mad skills, and deadly secrets, and once she starts working with Lucas, she also has big trouble, because after years of pushing people away, she’s falling for the guy. The feeling is more than mutual, but as Ashley intensifies her online pursuit of the trafficking ring, her traumatic past collides with her present and suddenly Lucas can’t tell which side she’s on. And as the case escalates into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, it turns out Ashley isn’t the only one with something to hide.

If neither can trust the other with their secrets, how can they trust each other with their hearts?

BUY LINKS:

Kobo: http://bit.ly/CSKobo

Amazon: http://bit.ly/CSAmzTAA

Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/CSUKTAA

iBooks: http://bit.ly/CSiBTAA

Google Play: http://bit.ly/CSGPTAA

Nook: http://bit.ly/CSNookTAA

FIND TONI AT:

Website: http://www.toniandersonauthor.com

Newsletter signup (get a FREE book): http://www.toniandersonauthor.com/newsletter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toniandersonauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@toniannanderson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toni_anderson_author/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/toniannanderson/

Pearl Harbor

Just over a week ago I got to stand in a place where history was made.

Because I grew up in Britain, my view of WWII has always been shaped from the perspective of a Brit. I was focused on the European theatre, and Africa, maybe the Eastern Front. Both my grandfathers and my grandmother, numerous aunts and uncles all joined up and fought in Europe. Frankly, I never understood why the Americans weren't fighting Hitler when Germany invaded Poland in Sept 1939. I knew the Japanese had invaded mainland China, but I hadn't put that timeline into context with WWII.

Visiting Pearl Harbor and the museum there brought the war in the Pacific Theatre to vivid life, which is ironic and incredibly sad at the site where so many people died. The museum tells the story from both the Japanese and the American POV. And, right now, there is a display on board the USS Missouri all about the kamikaze pilots who attacked that day. It is fascinating. If you want to read more about the attack itself you should read the website. It has photos and great historical detail and is much more interesting than I will ever be.

The most poignant part of the visit to Pearl Harbor was the trip out to the USS Arizona which was sunk with 1177 lives lost. The memorial straddles the wreck itself--an official war grave and tomb.

Memorial USS Arizona

The tree of life at the memorial

The tree of life at the memorial

Names of the dead.

The dock of the USS Arizona

The wreck of the USS Arizona

The stern of the USS Arizona, looking toward USS Missouri

You can see the slight stain of oil on the surface of the water--oil that still leaks from the wreckage of the USS Arizona. 

USS Missouri

After visiting the memorial we drove to Ford Island for a tour of the USS Missouri. The Missouri wasn't commissioned until 1944, but she played an important part in the end of the war. There's a lot of symbolism at Pearl Harbor about the start and end of WWII. This ship is where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was sighed in Tokyo Bay in September 1945, and the ship retired to the place where the war officially began.

The Canadian signed in the wrong spot and nearly screwed up the whole thing.

THIS EXACT SPOT!

The dent is where the ship was hit by a kamikaze plane.

I was honored to visit this incredible place and learn the history of America's entry into WWII. What happened on December 7th, 1941, changed the course of the world. It sounds so long ago, but the older I get, the closer it seems. Only seventy-five years ago the world was at war. I pray it never happens again and that the conflicts that exist today are soon over so we can all live in peace. 

Prize Draw and Celebration at NYUS - Toni Anderson

The authors of Not Your Usual Suspects thank you for following the blog, and celebrate 250,000 hits!

This week we'll be featuring a selection of delicious and delightful excerpts from our books. A lucky commenter at the end of the week will win a set of books from ALL the authors in e-format.

Just leave your email in the RAFFLECOPTER draw below - and you can earn extra entries by leaving a comment on the blogpost, too.

Today's featured author is TONI ANDERSON and her book THE KILLING GAME . Please enjoy the excerpt, pop the book on your wishlist if you're tempted, and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw below.

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Wildlife biologist Axelle Dehn isn’t about to let anyone harm her endangered snow leopards—not the poacher intent on killing them, nor the soldier who wants to use them as bait. But Axelle is unknowingly entangled in a conflict that stretches back three decades, a conflict that could spark a war between two of the world’s great nations.

​British SAS soldier, Ty Dempsey, is on a mission to hunt down an infamous Russian terrorist in a remote region of Afghanistan. Dempsey hasn’t failed a mission yet, but when Axelle is kidnapped by the Russian, he is forced to choose between duty and his heart. He risks everything to save the determined, prickly woman he’s fallen for, but in doing so sparks a deadly series of events that threaten to expose the most successful spy in history. A spy who will destroy anyone who gets in his way.

BUY LINKS: AMAZON / NOOK / KOBO /  IBOOKS 

Her accent was definitely Yankee but held a hint of European. French, maybe. He moved another inch, saw her chest rapidly pump oxygen. He worked on calming her down, talking quietly so she had to lean forward to hear. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re talking about, but I’d hate for somebody to get hurt because of a case of mistaken identity.” Did she have some anti-western affiliation? Anti-war agenda?

“There’s no mistake.” Her lips quivered. “How much money were you offered? I’d have paid you double to leave them alone.”

He frowned. He didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, but she was within reach now. She blinked against the sun so he lunged, grabbing the gun, aiming it away from their bodies and snatching it out of her hands before tossing it out of reach. She struggled and kicked and punched at him, landing one solid blow to his nose, driving white-hot agony through his brain.

Suck it up, Buttercup.

She fought like a rabid wolf, and he could barely keep hold of the seething, whirling mass of fury without hurting her. He finally captured both her hands in one of his, forcing her onto her knees and down onto the ground, face first in the dirt. He used his weight to pin her while he searched for the flexicuffs he kept in his pockets. They took a moment to locate as he was distracted by all that wriggling.

She froze, perhaps realizing that hard thing in his pocket wasn’t another gun. She twisted around to stare at him with hate-filled eyes. He pressed his lips together and tugged the cuffs around a pair of wrists so slim he could circle both with one hand. Then he ran his hands over her body, searching for hidden weapons, making it quick, impersonal but thorough. She flinched when he reached between her legs.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Sure you’re not.” The sarcasm dripped from her words and set his teeth on edge. He wasn’t the bad guy. He wasn’t the one who’d pulled a gun on someone. He finished the search and sat back on his heels. Jesus. This slip of a female had done something no one had in years. Gotten the drop on him. He was thankful none of the lads were here to witness his humiliation.

Underestimating the enemy. Stupid.

 

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway HERE

Don't Judge A Book By Its...Interior

After and Before 

The funny thing was I was quite happy with my interiors. I seemed to have avoided a lot of the associated hassles people spoke about when making print books for Createspace. I used Word and formatted the print versions myself, and I was meticulous, and I followed the guidelines exactly.

Then I accidentally received the judges comments back from a contest I entered and BAM! Apparently, I suck. I won't go into detail because that wouldn't be professional. I decided that while I might not be able to win that reader over, I was in a position to rethink my interior formatting.

So I did.

I'd been on a panel with Julianne MacLean last year and knew she used Createspace to format her interiors. So I approached my contact there and she (love her) actually offered me a freebie to see how I liked their service--it's hard to get a better offer than that, right?

After (Createspace) and Before (me)

Top-createspace       Bottom-Me

OK--while at first I wasn't seeing a big difference, I do like the way they did the Copyright page and my list of other books. Then I looked inside at the story itself...

After (Createspace) Before (me)

The difference seems to be in the margins and in the kerning. It's subtle and yet their version seems a lot more professional than mine. So, I'm sold. I did a good job (IMO), but their's looks like a 'proper' book. I haven't redone all my books yet, just the Cold Justice Series. Now my cover artist is adjusting the cover size so I can load these new versions onto my local bookstore's Cafe Press printing machine. Then I'm going to check out Ingram Spark.

So although it's a bit of a kick in the teeth to hear negative things, you have to try and use them to empower you in some way. It's easy to be bitter and life is too short :) There are other places that format interiors too. Ask around and find someone you like.

Now I have a box of books formatted the old way, LOL. Guess what? I'll probably use them for contests.

The End!

Visit Toni Anderson at her Website or on Facebook or Twitter.

New Release, and Interview with Cover Model, Jason Baca

I thought I'd try something a little different today--first up, I'd be remiss not to say my newest book, COLD LIGHT OF DAY released yesterday and this afternoon I'm having a fabulous Facebook Party with lots of stunning guests (Catherine ByBee, Leah Braemel, Allison Brennan, Lori Ryan, Maureen Miller, Julie Moffett, Rachel Grant, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Kathy Altman, and M.A. Comley) and prizes! Come join us HERE.

Physicist Scarlett Stone is the daughter of the man considered to be the most notorious Russian agent in FBI history. With her father dying in prison she’s determined to prove he’s innocent, but time is running out. Using a false identity, she gains access to the Russian ambassador’s Christmas party, searching for evidence of a set-up. 

Former Navy SEAL, now FBI Special Agent, Matt Lazlo, is instantly attracted to Scarlett but life is too complicated to pursue a politician’s daughter. When he discovers she lied to him about her identity, he hunts her down with the ruthless efficiency he usually reserves for serial killers. 

Not only does Scarlett’s scheme fail, it puts her in the sights of powerful people who reward unwanted curiosity with brutality. The FBI—and Matt—aren’t thrilled with her, either. But as agents involved in her father’s investigation start dying, and the attempts to stop Scarlett intensify, Matt and his colleagues begin to wonder. Could they have a traitor in their midst? 

As Scarlett and Matt dig for the truth they begin to fall passionately for one another. But the real spy isn’t about to let anyone uncover their secrets, and resolves to remain firmly in the shadows—and for that to happen, Matt and Scarlett have to die.

iBooks | Kobo | Amazon

Interview with Romance Cover Model, Jason Baca

Enough about me. I recently got the opportunity to interview cover model Jason Baca, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Jason Baca

Jason began his short film career in Nash Bridges (1996) in 1996. He continued acting and residing in the Bay Area before moving on to modeling. He was discovered by a photographer on location for I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) where he had been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr.. Jason went on to pose for some of today's top magazines including Industry , Men's Workout, Men's Fitness, FitnessRX, YMLA Magazine, Hong Kong Silk, Joe Boxer Int., For Women UK, InStyle Magazine, Playgirl, Natural Muscle Magazine and many others. He has been linked to actress Jennifer Love Hewitt as well as a former Miss Florida.

In 2005, Baca began modeling for romance novel covers. As of October 2014, he has graced the covers of over 280 romance and fantasy novels. Jason is known best for his candid interviews with numerous author blogs expressing his concern for smooth skin and maintaining good health.

In 2011, he appeared in Men's Fitness Australia, Exercise & Health Magazine, Men's Workout, Optimyz Fitness and Scene Bay Area doing various interviews on how to stay fit and younger looking.

Toni: Can you tell us where you grew up?

Jason - Absolutely Toni, I grew up in Los Gatos, California. It is a wealthy town though my family was not. 

Toni: When you were a little boy, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did being a model ever cross your mind?

Jason - Well growing up, it was pretty much set in my mind as a little boy that I was destined to become a professional baseball player. My entire family was on board about it to. Modeling for romance books wasn't even a thought until way later in life. But that all ended in my 3rd year in college. 

Toni: Being a cover model sounds very glamorous—can you describe the average day of a photo shoot?

Jason - It can be very exciting. There is so much build up on approaching the day of the shoot. There is a bunch of anticipation because you are heading in the gym, working your body off to no end imagining how it's all going to turn out. 

   The night before the shoot I take things down a notch, maybe put on a "anti-stress" masque that night. Then after rinsing apply an anti-wrinkle night cream (currently the one I'm using is put out by Peter Thomas Roth and contains peptides which help diminish fine lines around the eyes.)

   The day of the shoot, I get up and shower and use only my absolute best products that I have in the shower caddy. So for a shoot coming up, I use a pomegranate & lime deep pore body wash and then for the face I use a Tea Tree Skin Clearing facial wash put out by The Body Shop. After the shower I apply an anti aging eye balm then anti-wrinkle protective cream then a nourishing moisturizer.  

  Once I walk into the studio for the shoot, I'm usually feeling very confident in myself, I feel in a bubble almost. This vibe is what is needed for these shoots. And when it comes to shooting romance covers... There are no ordinary moments. 

Toni: When I see these covers the people in them are often so compelling—do you consider cover shoots to be a form of acting?

Jason - Yes, it all is a lot of acting.  There is a lot of vanity and also a lot of thought into it. You have to put yourself in a moment in your life. Maybe it was a time in your life that you felt broken. You have to tell yourself "I've lost my mind and fallen back into my heart." 

 Toni: What’s people’s biggest misconception about your job?

Jason - That it was all handed to me. Or that God came up to me one night and said "Hey Jason, you're a nice guy, I'm going to give you a good body and nice skin and get you on a bunch of book covers" No... It didn't work like that, esp. in the beginning...  

   You see, I've learned that with anything in life that opportunity is not going to come to you, you're going to have to come to it! Some out there make a wish on their birthday of something they'd really want..  Then they go wait for it to come true but do nothing towards making it happen. Or they try one thing and if it doesn't work... They simply give up and the dream is lost..  They put too much into how the result will look like..

  While some of us act without thinking, many of us think without acting. 

   They could have that wish come true if they continue on until they get the result they want. 

Toni: Ever get the desire to just let it all go?

Jason - I consider myself a soldier of romance covers. A soldier does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does. This is my desire. I consider myself a man of focus. I am very patient and will not make a judgement based on how I'm feeling emotionally at the time. I have a goal with this, until it is reached, I continue to strive and push myself even harder then before. 

Toni: If you weren’t a male model what would you be?

Jason - I've never thought about it since this all began. And I more than likely won't until I'm satisfied. I'm enjoying all of this way too much to be thinking about other things..  I've learned that it's the journey that brings us happiness.. not the destination. 

Toni: Where can a publisher or cover artist find photos to purchase for the romance books of you?

Jason - Sure, they go to - http://jasonaaronbaca.deviantart.com  if they see an image they'd like to use they just visit the journal section of the page. All the instructions are right on there. 

Check out Jason's Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/cover-model-jason-baca/ 

One lucky commenter will get a signed model card from Jason :)

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Don't forget to come to the Facebook Party, seriously, it's going to be fun :)