Story Inspiration

Isn't this a gorgeous cover? Sheriff Boone Harrison is pretty nice, too.

I'm on deadline this week with another Precinct book.  I'm traveling to the Kansas City area for a booksigning June 30th at Dog Eared Books in Independence, MO. And, I'm celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary.  So, of course, I signed up to blog this week. <insert crazy grin here>  At any rate, I thought instead of writing a blog, I'd share some pictures with you of images and ideas that helped inspire my August release, KANSAS CITY COWBOY.

Here's a shot of beautiful downtown KC, where my Precinct stories are set

The Missouri River and bluffs, near where my folks live--My hero, Sheriff Boone Harrison, has a view like this

Rocheport, MO--the inspiration for the small town where Boone serves as the county sheriff

Here's where I get my cowboy inspiration

Boone and his brothers

Love THE CLOSER. Love the trench coat. Guess what my heroine, Dr. Kate Kilpatrick, police psychologist and profiler for KCPD wears?

I hope you'll stop by the booksigning if you're in the KC area this weekend.  And you can share whatever questions or comments you'd like today.  I'll check in through the day to respond, and give away a copy of KANSAS CITY COWBOY to one lucky poster. I'll choose the winner here sometime tomorrow.

Best,
Julie Miller

Branching Out

With the exciting directions the publishing industry is taking, I'm not one to sit back and rest on my laurels. I'm jumping in with both feet and loving it! As a writer I like to vary the types of stories I write. I love writing intrigues, mysteries and suspense, but I also love writing fun cowboy stories, paranormals and historical novels. For the past six years I've written a number of Harlequin Intrigues. This year I'll have a Harlequin Romantic Suspense, 2 Harlequin Intrigues, 2 Harlequin Nocturne Cravings and 1 full-length Nocturne. And that's just my Elle James pen name! I also write sexy westerns under my Myla Jackson pen name. What does that mean? That means I'm a very busy author with lots to write to keep my fans happy. I've listed below a few of my stories releasing this year. I haven't received all the cover art for the rest. Exciting, huh? If you want to learn about the other books coming this year check my websites at

ellejames.com and mylajackson.com

As a reader are you pretty set in your reading tastes? Or are you like me and like anything with a really good story?

As Elle James

DEADLY RECKONING

HOT DEMON NIGHTS

THUNDER HORSE HERITAGE

As Myla Jackson (my sexier books)

BOUND AND TIED

BOOTS AND CHAPS

BOOTS AND LEATHER

Spotlight on June Intrigues: Spy Hard

Dana Marton's latest secret agent thriller is here in Spy Hard:

SAVING HER IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN HIS MISSION...

Being deep undercover in a drug lord's compound, Jase Campbell can't afford to be anything but ruthless and mission-oriented. But it doesn't take trained instincts to see that pregnant Melanie Key needs his help to escape an increasingly lethal situation...whether she wants it or not. Jase can certainly understand why the once-naive widow insists on relying on herself and will trust him only so far. And her courage and unexpected resourcefulness in the face of killer obstacles is sparking something even more risky-and irresistible-between them. Now, with danger fast closing in, Jase will put everything at stake for a future with Melanie-if they can survive to have one.

Spotlight on June Intrigues: Thunder Horse Heritage

Don't miss Elle James' latest exciting read, Thunder Horse Heritage:

THEY ONCE EXCHANGED THEIR WEDDING VOWS. NOW HE VOWS TO KEEP HER ALIVE.

She'd been his wife for barely a day and now FBI agent Tuck Thunder Horse was responsible for identifying her body. So he was more than shocked when Julia Anderson turned up very much alive-and on the run. Julia confessed to witnessing a murder and now needs Tuck to help her stay alive...and protect the baby he hadn't known she'd had.

Julia and Tuck's marriage might not have lasted, but there was no time for recriminations with a killer on their trail. As Tuck struggles to put their painful past behind them, he can't help but find himself overwhelmed by his love for his little daughter...and his still-burning passion for Julia. Unable to trust anyone but each other, they know working together is the only way to safeguard their child. Could their one-day marriage turn into a lifelong adventure?

The Further Adventures of Maggie the Toodle

As many of you know, my ever-faithful sidekick and writing companion is our family dog, Maggie--a miniature poodle with a dash of terrier thrown in, a wonderful rescue from our local animal shelter, Central Nebraska Humane Society.

While she has been busy encouraging me to sit at the computer to meet my current deadline, and reminding me to get up regularly to get some exercise and take care of other responsibilities, Maggie has been having a few adventures of her own recently.

Not only did she capture her first rabbit earlier this week, she's been all the way to Grandma's house in Missouri, where she chased a squirrel out of Grandma's backyard.  (See the squirrel way up in the tree?)

Maggie was such a hit with Grandma (she got her own serving of scrambled eggs!) that we had to double-check the car to make sure Maggie was in the car with us when we left.

Once we were home (we'd gone to Missouri for my oldest niece's wedding--beautiful event and fun time!), Maggie had an evening of dog-sitting duties.  She was the big buddy to the puppy of a friend of ours.  Millie, the puppy, was like having a "Mini-Me" version of Maggie around the house.  Maggie showed her how to play with toys and where the best places were in the backyard for sniffing and staking out territory.

As I'm writing this blog, Maggie is dozing at my feet.  We've had a busy day.  One of the things we did was drive to the post office to mail out some prize books and postcards to readers, sharing the news of me making the USA TODAY Bestseller list, and reminding them of my August release, KANSAS CITY COWBOY.

I'm sure she'd want me to share my gorgeous cover with you, and offer a prize book to one lucky commenter today.  So do you have a special friend or coworker?  A rescue animal who has become an important part of your life? What summer adventures are you having?  Is there a book you're looking forward to reading?  Share your comments or questions.  Sometime Friday morning, I'll have Maggie pick a winner to receive either a signed copy of KANSAS CITY COWBOY just as soon as I get my author copies, or something from my backlist right away if you prefer.

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie Miller

Harry Potter or Hunger Games?

Harry Potter has recently won Best Hero at the MTV Movie Awards after a close battle with Katniss Everdeen from "Hunger Games.” What do you think about that? Do you agree?

I, for one, am not sure if the competition was completely fair. Harry Potter had five movies to grow into a fully-formed, multi-faceted hero, while Katniss had only one. She’s only at the beginning of her heroic journey. To be honest, I like Katniss better. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a woman. The way I feel is that a large reason for Harry Potter’s victory is his magic powers, which he was pretty much born with. He was destined to defeat the enemy and given the power to do it. He is brave, he is protective of those weaker than him, he never loses sight what he is fighting for and is willing to sacrifice his life for his cause. That all make him an amazing hero.

And I still like Katniss better. I’ve given this some thought this morning. I thought figuring out why I like Katniss better than Harry could be a useful exercise for me, since I’m an author and I write my own share of heroes. For one, Katniss has no special powers. She has to sweat blood to get better, to become good enough to win. I appreciate her courage more than I appreciate Harry’s, probably because Katniss has no special spells to fall back on. It’s all her. And she doesn’t enter the battle by an accident of birth. She volunteers to save her sister. That shows tremendous heart.

So this is the theory I ended up with: I appreciate heroes who show their heart. How about you?

I never thought about this while writing my current release, SPY HARD, but Jase, the hero, shows tremendous heart throughout the book. He is undercover at a South American drug lord’s compound in the jungle. His cover depends on how ruthless he acts. If anyone sees any soft spots, his cover would be blown and he’d be summarily executed. Yet his honor and heart are tested at every turn. When the men encounter a native orphan boy in the jungle, will Jase sacrifice the boy to protect his mission, or save the boy and risk his own life? Then he faces a choice again with a three-legged puppy at the ruthless dog fighting rings. And again when he meets the drug lord’s pregnant sister-in-law who is a hostage at the jungle compound. If Jase messes up his mission, hundreds, maybe thousands of Americans will die, as the villain is now smuggling not only drugs north, but weapons for terrorists. Yet for a hero with honor and a heart, sacrificing the few in order to save the many is not an easy choice to make.

You can read an excerpt about Jase here: http://romance.danamarton.com/home/excerpt/51

To celebrate the release of SPY HARD, I’m giving away a free book. To be entered into the drawing, all you have to do is post a comment here. I’ll be giving away a copy of LAST SPY STANDING, which features another one of my favorite heroes who shows tremendous heart under pressure. Good luck!

Also, as a special giveaway, THE THIRD SCROLL, is only 99c at amazon right now!! http://www.amazon.com/Third-Scroll-Hardstorm-Saga-ebook/dp/B007YWXDEW

(Note: this is a re-post from www.romancejunkies.com)

Spotlight on June Intrigues: Death of a Beauty Queen

Mallory Kane's latest Delancey Dynasty tale investigates the Death of a Beauty Queen:

HER DISAPPEARANCE HAD HAUNTED HIM

The detective kept calling her by some other woman's name, but it meant nothing. Rose Bohé me had no past, not until Detective Dixon Lloyd found it worth looking for. He was a man so focused on her, he'd been searching for more than ten years....

HER RETURN STIRRED EVERY PROTECTIVE INSTINCT

His first homicide case was hers, and he could never shake it. He was haunted by her-and when he found her, living, breathing, there remained only more questions and a bloody trail to follow. But was he doing her any favors seeking out those answers, so punctuated by danger? Or were they killing her second chance at life by inviting death back in?

Spotlight on June Intrigues: Eyewitness

Carol Ericson introduces another of the Guardians of Coral Cove in Eyewitness:

A FORMER SOLDIER IS REUNITED WITH THE WOMAN HE LOVED-AND THE SON WHO MAY HAVE WITNESSED FAR TOO MUCH...

Four years in an Afghan prison couldn't erase beautiful Devon Reese from Kieran O'Roarke's damaged memory. So when they are reunited on a beach back in Coral Cove and she begs for help, the wounded hero doesn't hesitate. He just responds. And when he learns Devon's little boy-a son he hadn't known existed-may have witnessed a brutal murder, the seasoned warrior refuses to let Devon live in fear. Struggling to recall the intimacies they once shared, Kieran is desperate to keep his new family from becoming a killer's latest victims. He lost them once-he won't lose them again. Even if he has to die fighting.

AN ABUNDANCE OF RICHES

Who would ever have thought authors could have the abundance of riches available to us in this amazing new publishing climate?  




My short story, HOT NOTE, is part of Thriller 3: LOVE IS MURDER, published by Mira and released last week—anthologies being just one choice authors can make for our work.

 





The last year and a half has been amazing. Opportunities in indie publishing have given many of us the opportunity to bring backlist novels that have been out of print for years to our readers.



 
 


The three books in my QUID PRO QUO series (the first romantic suspense series ever published by Intrigue) is available again as digital backlist published by me.

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT, SQUARING ACCOUNTS and NO HOLDS BARRED were early romantic thrillers with an over-arching revenge plot by a master criminal.







We also have been given the opportunity to publish novels that straddle too many lines for legacy publishing.






SKIN, my indie erotic thriller, has been available only at Amazon and Createspace, but this weekend, it will be available in other digital formats at BN.com and Smashwords.com.

And if we don’t want to go the indie route, there are new opportunities to publish digitally with both independent and legacy publishers.


HOT TRICK (same major characters in HOT NOTE) is available from Carina Press in digital formats.



I’m currently writing BORN TO BE WILD for DEAD SEXY, the new romantic suspense line for Entangled Publishing, a line that will launch next week



And then there are still—and hopefully always will be—traditional publishers for our stories, whether novels or shorts.

 
PUREBRED is my latest Intrigue.




With my fingers in every pie I can juggle, I’m looking forward to future riches via new opportunities and wish the same for every author out there.


Of all the opportunities you now have AS READERS, what excites you the most?

Good reading,
Patricia

                           

Let's Call This One Forgetfulness!

Hi guys, sorry. I forgot to post a blog for today. Yes, I'm the one who signed me up to blog today. Yes, I set up a reminder. Yes, the reminder reminded me -- yesterday, just like I told it to. I was supposed to redo the reminder for today, and didn't. Ergo -- I missed my blog day.

Since the day's pretty much over, I'll keep this short and sweet. You tell me what you've forgotten recently and how it impacted you and/or others, and I'll draw one commenter's name for a signed copy of Death of a Beauty Queen, my June release from Harlequin.

And here's a reminder I hope you don't forget.

NO Hero, the first book in my New Orleans' Finest series from Entangled Publishing, will launch Entangled's Dead Sexy imprint on June 15. Check out the Dead Sexy Facebook page, watch #deadsexy and #entangledpublishing on Twitter and keep an eye on www.entangledpublishing.com for the Cover Reveal. The suspense is killing me! I haven't seen the cover yet!

Check out my mallorykane.com web page to sign up for my monthly newsletter to be entered into a drawing for 2 $10 Amazon gift cards plus other neat stuff.

Keep On Reading,

Mallory

Spotlight on June Intrigues: High Noon

The Colby Agency's Texas investigation continues in Debra Webb's High Noon:

TIME FOR A SHOWDOWN...COLBY STYLE

With one of Texas's most heinous serial killers still on the loose, it's Colby agent Joel Hayden's sworn duty to protect single mom Laney Seagers. Getting a job at Laney's High Noon bar is easy for Joel...but gaining the trust of the fiercely independent beauty is considerably harder.

Amid escalating danger, Joel struggles to safeguard the shattering family secret that could destroy all Laney has ever known. As he witnesses her world starting to unravel, how can he protect her without revealing what he knows? A lifelong bachelor, Joel learns a new lesson on the job: protecting Laney from violence may be easier than protecting her heart.

Spotlight on June Intrigues: Wrangled

B.J. Daniels takes readers back to Whitehorse, Montana, for the final book in the Chisholm Cattle Company saga, Wrangled:

LIFE OUT ON THE CHISHOLM RANCH WAS NEVER DULL

That's Dakota Lansing's impression, anyway. But she was always on the other side of the fence, keeping her distance from Zach Chisholm, the cowboy with a bad reputation. Now her family secrets are threatening to be unearthed and she's afraid where they'll lead, especially if it means setting foot on the Chisholm ranch....

With both their lives in jeopardy, Dakota is forced to admit Zach is her only hope of staying alive. Targeted by unknown assailants, Zach discovers his mysterious connection to Dakota is much bigger than either suspected. The feisty beauty is more than his match and is becoming harder to resist. With time running out, should he let her rope him in and go along for the ride?