A
committed doctor to Vancouver's inner city, nothing fazes Sophie Monroe—until a
pregnant teenager shows up at her clinic on Christmas Eve requesting sanctuary
and claiming the baby's father is one of the city's most influential
businessmen. Sophie is in over her head and thankful when aid shows up in the
form of an attorney who's a little too confident and a lot too sexy.
Family
Law expert Caleb Quinn just wants a date, a chance to prove he isn't the elitist
jerk Sophie assumes. Helping deliver a baby is not what he has in mind. But
before long protecting a traumatized teenager and her son become his first
priority. Even if saving them pits him against the baby's father, a childhood
friend. A man who will do anything to keep his dark side private.
But
justice never comes cheap. Will doing the right thing cost Sophie and Caleb
their reputations? Or their lives?
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There’s something about November that suggests we cuddle and
snuggle while sipping hot chocolate. Or wine. Whatever works for you. I’m happy
to be here today chatting about my favorite genre, romantic suspense.
Deceit, danger, and desire are three D’s I never get tired of as a
writer or a reader. I love how the blend of anxiety and anticipation make for
memorable plots and conflicts. But the best part is how the hero and heroine
find their way to each other in the midst of chaos. In romantic suspense love
and hope exist within the darkest of circumstances, are intensified by it. For
me, that is the appeal.
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| Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Hosted on Wikipedia.com |
The challenge of writing romantic suspense is pitting ruthless
villains against heroes and heroines who act with honor and compassion. Whether
they want to or not. Is the line there to cross or protect? That is a
question both my hero and heroine must face in my new release, Off The Grid.
Set in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, infamous for being Canada’s poorest
urban postal code, they must decide how far they are willing to go to save a
victimized, pregnant teenager.
What happens when the protagonists are faced with a lose-lose
situation? When they are faced with insurmountable odds? When they are battling
time? The elements? When every step forward comes with a price?
Any antagonist or villain worth their salt is not going to simply
lie down and take it. They are key players in any romantic suspense drama.
Creating a villain the hero and heroine would risk everything to stop keeps
readers reading far into the night. They need to be a worthy opponent.
I love to stack the odds against the protagonist. The key is to
fashion a hero and heroine with the emotional satisfying combination of
strength and vulnerability. They may not be perfect but they’re real. They make
mistakes. They falter. There are no straight lines to the outcome. High stakes
and dilemmas tie plot and character together. They should raise questions and
make the reader think. Those are the stories we remember and stick with us.
Writing any story, not just romantic suspense, is about holding
nothing back and leaving it all on the page. It’s important to honor your
writer instincts and see it through. To be as brave in the face of failure as
the characters you’re creating.
Do you prefer big city settings and situations? Or small town
danger? Maybe you enjoy international intrigue? Tell me your favorite place to
live dangerously in the comment section and be entered to win an ecopy of my
new release, Off The Grid.
Excerpt:
Casual relationships weren’t her
thing. Once she’d yearned for more. For the commitment other women scoffed at.
Then she’d learned her lesson. It didn’t mean she didn’t crave family. She
refused to ask about the woman from his office. It was none of her business.
Neither was he. But renewed determination to resist him didn’t mean he wasn’t
getting to her.
No soft music played. The dim lighting
was courtesy of an unlit dingy hallway. The smell of antiseptic and desperation
laced the air. It didn’t matter. Sophie wanted to meet his challenge. She
didn’t want to dodge. Or object. She wanted to kiss the hell out of Caleb
Quinn.
So she stepped back. “I can’t do this
with you. I need to know I matter. That I’m the only name on your list.”
Caleb took her face in his warm hands.
“Sophie, right now there is no one else but you.”
She wrapped her hands around his
wrists and tugged them away. “But there’s a long line behind me and I’m
choosing not to join the queue.”
“Don’t.” He refused to let go of her
hands when she tried to release them, brought them up between them. “Don’t toss
this aside.”
“I don’t do casual.”
“There won’t be anything casual about
it.”
Bio:
I grew up on
a farm in the middle of Canada's breadbasket. Under the canopy of crisp blue
prairie skies I read books. Lots and lots of books. One day the inevitable
happened and I knew without question the time was right. What to write was
never the issue - romance and the gut wrenching journey towards forever.
Social Media
Links:
Website: http://karyngood.com/blog/
Twitter:
@karyngood
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karyngoodauthor/
Hi Karyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting with me today. :)