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?