THIS MONTH WE ASKED INTRIGUE
AUTHORS
if any holiday movie reminded them
of a family event OR one of their books.
HOMESPUN CHRISTMAS, Harlequin Heartwarming, November 2013
This November, we have several projects to bring you. HOMESPUN
CHRISTMAS is especially dear to us and we wanted to tell everyone a little bit
about it. This book is a clean romance - no sex, no violence- and perfect for
the holidays! It's set in a fictional New Mexico town. When Independence loses
the one industry that kept them going, the crafters get together to breathe new
life into a dying community.
HOMESPUN CHRISTMAS, a story about the will to succeed - even when
the odds are against you, features a small town that must set aside its
rivalries and come together if they're to survive. This story is about working
class America, the unsung heroes who make a real difference, though you won't
find them headlining the news.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS, November 2013
I love-love my
upcoming Animal Instincts (coming from Entangled Ignite on Nov 23), an urban
fantasy romantic suspense and would love to see it made into a movie. With
sequels, of course. :)
The world building was such fun. The story is set in
today's Chicago, but there's a hidden segment of the population, descendants of
the Nephilim, shape shifters who are out to corrupt humanity. Luc Lazare has
always been torn between his mother's human world and his father's dark one.
Skye Cross, an animal advocate, is drawn into that world (and to Luc, of
course), searching for answers as to why her cop brother was murdered.
THE MARINE'S LAST DEFENSE, January 2014
TEXAS FAMILY RECKONING is a
mini-series releasing May & June 2014 (Navy SEAL Surrender & The
Renegade Rancher) are about estranged brothers. What the perfect TV family
movie! Set in North Texas my twins must save their family horse ranch and try
to repair their family relationship.
There are murders, kidnapping, SEAL moves,
Paramedic rescues, high school sweetheart reunions and lots of twin switches. Remember,
there's not just one gorgeous hero…it's double your pleasure, double your fun,
and double the suspense.
I've included a picture
from my research trip where my pup, Texas, meets a horse for the first time.
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, December, 2013
I may be slightly prejudiced, but I think my April Harlequin Intrigue, Star Witness,
would be a great TV movie. It takes place in one night, during a devastating
storm that spawns tornados as well as damaging straight-line winds, knocks out
all power for hours and paralyzes law enforcement and rescue personnel with its
fierceness.
Harte Delancey, an Assistant District Attorney for the city
of New Orleans, is prepping Dani Canto, his star witness in a huge murder case,
at a B&B where she's in protective custody, as the storm begins to rise.
But the storm is only one of the threats Harte and Dani will
be running from on this night. The murderer has found Dani and suddenly, the
darkness, the near-opaque curtains of rain and the wind seem safer than the ruthless
killers following them.
I believe the high intensity setting, the chase and the hero
and heroine's journeys through conflict, mistrust and danger to the love that
grows through the long dark hours before dawn brings the end to the storm,
would make a really good movie. But as I said above. I might be a bit biased.
To find out more about Harte and Dani's story, visit my web page at
mallorykane.com
HUNTED, Harlequin MIRA, January 2014
All of my early beta readers for HUNTED told me the same
thing: “It reads like a movie!”
Definitely not a holiday movie, unless your idea of holiday fun is
spending time deep in the woods with a serial killer!
But as long as you watched the movie version
during the day, with the lights on, HUNTED would make for a tense,
action-packed hour and a half on the small screen.
Back when I started my very first draft, I made myself a big
binder with character information, and I found pictures of people who look like
I imagine my characters. In my mind, my
FBI profiler Evelyn Baine looks really similar to Thandie Newton. And her colleague (who’d really like to be
her love interest!) FBI Hostage Rescue Team agent Kyle “Mac” McKenzie looks
like this particular picture of Hugh Jackman.
I think they make a fantastic start to my imaginary movie cast!!
Rocky Mountain Revenge,
March 2014
If my family had a Christmas
movie, it would be called “The Christmas Pie” – a feel-good story complete with
comic mis-understandings and a dessert that won’t die.
When I married, I was in awe of
my mother-in-law, a smart, funny woman who I thought could do anything. I was
still a teenager and more than anything, I wanted Loretta to like me. We
married at Christmas and left on our honeymoon, but the next year, we
celebrated with his family and I was introduced to their family tradition – the
Osgood pie.
I grew up eating pecan pie at
the holidays. Sometimes pumpkin or apple. I’d never heard of an Osgood pie,
which turned out to be a syrupy concoction of raisins and walnuts. I disliked
the pie immensely, but I choked it down and told Loretta how wonderful it was,
because I loved her and I wanted to honor the family tradition.
The pie started showing up at
all kinds of family celebrations and dinners. I was trapped! After making such
a big deal about the pie the first time, I couldn’t confess my feelings now. This
went on for a few years, until I wrote a short story which featured a young
bride who wanted to impress her mother-in-law by loving her (awful) Christmas
Pie. The story was sweet and funny, with a happy ending. It was published in an
issue of True Love magazine.
Which my mother-in-law bought
and read. Fortunately for me, Loretta has a good sense of humor. I confessed my
true feelings for the pie – and for her – and we had a good laugh. Now, at
holiday dinners, my mother-in-law still makes Osgood Pie, but I bring pecan,
and everyone is happy.
And I’m happily anticipating
the arrival of my very first Intrigue, Rocky Mountain Revenge. Here’s a sneak peak:
Despite her new identity in the WitSec Program, Anne Gardener has been found by the one person who hurt her the most: FBI Agent Jake Westmoreland. And when she testified against her own flesh and blood, her whole existence was turned upside down. Jake couldn't expect any more from her--except that he did. He wanted the impossible...her help.
Jake doesn't have much time to restore Anne's faith in him. She is the only one who can help him locate her mob-boss father and put him away for good. He knows that his betrayal has hurt her deeply. Loving her was never part of the plan; yet losing her is a risk he won't take. He'll do anything to keep her safe--even if it means walking into the lion's den...
YULETIDE PROTECTOR, December 2013
An RT Book Reviews Top Pick!
There are several holiday stories that come to mind--one was
for Easter (when we celebrated my mom's 80th birthday) and one is our family's
traditional "Christmas in July".
Others have involved Christmas and Thanksgiving. All have to do with getting everyone in the
same place at the same time--and the miracles that allowed those reunions to
happen. If this was a movie, in some
ways it would be a heart-wrenching family drama--but in others, it's definitely
a comedy of errors. You see, my mom,
brothers and their families, and my family all live in different states. We have kids in college, some in
junior/senior high school, one who's married--all super involved with
activities like sports and music.
My younger brother is a major in the Army National Guard
(he's the "retired" Marine) who has his military commitments and has
been deployed several times, in addition to his regular engineering job. My older brother is a successful workaholic
(okay, so he's learning to relax a bit in his middle age). I'm a writer with deadlines. Hubby teaches and has school
commitments. My mom is a social
butterfly in her retirement, with a very active schedule. So, as you can see, getting us together in
one place at one time requires months of planning, patience and luck--and then
there's always the curve ball of the weather to throw in there. Blizzards have altered travel plans in
April. Flooding has forced us to change
locations or modes of travel.
I could tell you about the time my brother scheduled his
leave from Kosovo to coincide with a surprise birthday for my dad. That was a surprising, joyous, tear-filled
airport reunion. Or the Thanksgiving my
dad was in the hospital, and we all crowded into his tiny room to
celebrate. I could share when my nephew,
on a baseball scholarship, was going to be the only family member missing from
my mom's 80th birthday. Guess who drove
up just as we were all gathering at the restaurant? Yep, rain had cancelled his game, and he
zipped across 3 1/2 hours of Missouri countryside to join us. Then there was the creative, scenic change of
course required for my family to find a way across the flooded Missouri River
to get to Kansas City. Or the blizzard
my folks brought with them one Christmas.
We were glad they could stay the extra couple of weeks. And on and on. I think we'd make a great Hallmark movie,
steeped in emotions, adventure and laughter.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK TURNED INTO A MOVIE?
One of my most memorable correspondence from a reader was a letter I received a few weeks after 9/11. Like many other Americans, I found it difficult to just go on with my life as usual after the tragedy. Then one wonderful reader wrote and shared her feelings with me. She explained how she’d cried all day and then that night had picked up one of my books. She’d become engrossed in the story and for a few hours she’d escaped into a world where goodness and love overcame evil. I cried when I read her letter and was thankful for the inspiration she gave me to get back to writing. I called her a few weeks later, when I could do so without crying. We had a wonderful phone visit.
I while back I got a letter from a woman telling me that her mother had died. She wrote because her mother had enjoyed my Intrigues so much that they were burying one of my books with her.
