Catching Up

So I had this big idea about blogging every day, and then I wake up to realize a month has gone by with no posts. I continue to be committed to blogging more often, but the best laid plans...

It's been a busy month around here! In April, I ventured with the family to Spain, where our daughter was born nearly 17 years ago when my husband was stationed there in the Navy. We had a great time showing off our old stomping grounds to the kids. At 16 and 13, they were at the perfect ages to appreciate the adventure of visiting a foreign country. One side benefit I hadn't expect is that Jake, who will be in 8th grade next year, will be more interested in starting Spanish classes than he might've been before the trip. We'll do whatever we can to interest him in school, so that was a plus. Emily loved seeing where she was born as well as the first home and the beach boardwalk that was the site of her very first outing.

For our part, we were surprised by how environmentally conscious Spain has become since we were there. Hundreds and hundreds of wind turbines and solar farms dot the landscape. The car we rented, a jazzy Mercedes (mama loved that car!), had a fuel-efficient feature that shut it down when idling. Hotel room keys are required to get lights in the rooms. We were surprised to realize Europe is so far ahead of the U.S. on these things. Because the European Union came into existence after we lived there, we had to figure out the ins and outs of the Euro, which was an adventure. Dan and I were both surprised that our rusty Spanish came back as if it had been yesterday when we last used it. The funniest episode I had occurred when ordering room service in Spanish and getting all the way to the end and not comprehending a question. So I said, En ingles? And he says, "Anything else?" LOL! Then he said, Room number? I said, "839." He growls, En español! He wouldn't let me cop out at the end, which I thought was hilarious! Then there was the trip to the farmacia to get cold medicine for Jake. Since I didn't know how to say sneeze or cough in Spanish, I worked around that with fake sneezes and coughs. The pharmacist says, "AH!" Jake and I got a good laugh out of that. When in doubt, improvise!

The other lasting impression is how very, very nice the Spanish people are. There's an old-world courtliness that you don't see very often anymore, and even the kids commented on how nice everyone was. We felt very welcome and totally safe everywhere we went. Well, I didn't feel very safe sitting in the midst of a rowdy group of bachelor party revelers on the flight from London to Madrid, but I was thoroughly entertained!

In other news, I've had an exciting month on the book front! We sold the French rights to the McCarthy Series at auction, Fatal Consequences won a Bean Pot Award (left), Fatal Destiny won a Holt Medallion while Fatal Justice and Everyone Loves a Hero received Awards of Merit from the Virginia Romance Writers, and I had the honor of delivering one of the keynotes at the Romance Writers of America New England Chapter conference in late April, which was a real thrill.

I'm hard at work on Season for Love, book 6 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, and I'm still hoping to get that out in June. After that, I'll be finishing Fatal Attack and then turning to McCarthy book 7, Longing for Love, featuring Tiffany and Blaine. I also plan to write the much-requested fourth book in the Treading Water Trilogy (which will ruin the whole "trilogy" concept--haha), called Coming Home. It will feature Kate Harrington and Reid Matthews, closing the circle left open in Marking Time. I know a lot of you have wanted to see closure for Kate and Reid, and I'm all about giving my readers what they want. :-)

Back to work I go! Tell me what you've been up to lately!
xoxo
Marie

Giveaway: Audio Copy of Fatal Justice

Hi there,
The good folks at Audible.com have given me a free audio book copy of Fatal Justice to give away to my reader friends. I'll be offering this giveaway until next Saturday, May 21, at noon EDT. Sometime before then, answer any of these three questions to be entered to win!

1. What's your favorite thing to do in Washington, D.C.?

2. If you've never been to Washington, what would be your first stop if you make it there?

3. What challenge or issue would you like to see Sam and Nick confront in the Fatal Series? (No promises the author will listen--LOL)

Go forth and comment to win!

Book Club: Fatal Justice and a Visit with, um, Me...

Good morning and thanks for coming to our book club meeting about Fatal Justice, the second in the Fatal Series! I've been really delighted by the response to the second book. Readers seem to be connecting to Sam and Nick and their friends, colleagues and families. I'm having so much fun writing them, so thanks for coming along on their wild ride! Just like we do every week, here's a bit about the book:

She looked into the dead face of the man she'd dined with the night before

Standing over the body of a Supreme Court nominee, Lieutenant Sam Holland is hip-deep in another high-profile murder case. The fact that she was one of the last people to see Julian Sinclair alive just complicates things even more. On the plus side, her relationship with Senator Nick Cappuano is heating up—but it's also attracting a lot of unwanted media attention and blinding flash bulbs.

The pressure is on for Sam to find Sinclair's killer, but a new lead in her father's unsolved shooting puts her in unexpected danger. When long-buried secrets threaten to derail her relationship with Nick, Sam realizes that while justice can be blind, mixing romance with politics has the potential to be fatal...

Today I'll be giving away copies of Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice! To be entered into the drawing, PLEASE help me find a last name for Nick's friend Dr. Harry, who has been so popular with Fatal Justice readers that I am bumping him up to series regular status. Which means he needs a last name! (Disclaimer: I'm not promising to choose one of today's suggested names, but I will give the books away no matter what!)

Because it's terribly embarrassing to be featuring my own book, I turned the blog over to the Whip-Cracking Book Club Wenches and here is what they had to say about Fatal Justice (and, in some cases, Fatal Affair, too!):

From Anne:
As far as FATAL JUSTICE, I loved the realistic style and personal details. It's as if I'm right in the middle of each conversation. I love the funny and witty remarks that come out of your characters mouths. I love that not everyone is perfect; that everyone has worries and concerns, problems to overcome. I love the development of the romantic relationship between Nick and Sam and I can't wait for the next book in the series. I also can't wait to attend the wedding!!

One of my favorite scenes is when Sam is changing into the suit for Nick's swearing-in. She's not sure it's just right for such a solemn and serious occasion, one that will certainly be attended by high-ranking political figures. She is worried that she's exposing too much of her generous cleavage and will embarrass Nick. Her sister makes the statement that "Nick is such a flaming liberal so Sam's suit and cleavage should not be a problem." Of course, Nick steps up at the right moment and assures everyone that Sam is just perfect and he is proud she's standing next to him.

I love all the moments between Nick and Sam -- he's stolen my heart. I love how he just doesn't care who sees his displays of affection and love for Sam.

Another of my favorite parts of this series is the relationship Sam has with her father. There's just so much care, respect and admiration going both ways between father and daughter. I like how Skip interacts with Nick, as well. I'm a sucker for daddy's girls!!

From Hope:

Fatal Affair:
** I really loved when she was messing with his desk (really cracked me up)
** When she had to cuff him to the bed so he would stay out of the investigation, he said..."You owe me twenty-six minutes in handcuffs, and I fully intend to collect." (that is one of my favorite quotes)

Fatal Justice:
** Freddie's first time was HOT HOT HOT, I honestly expected him to chicken out
** The Congress for Dummies book that she was caught reading made me chuckle, then how Sam twisted the words of Filibuster did me in, my chuckle turned into the giggles (I know, soooo 8th grade lol)
** The "villain" Stahl was someone you could easily hate, and you wished the worst from him even in the first book.
** Nick asking Terry to join his team and his conditions, made me tear up

It was really hard for me to only pick a few scenes. These are some of my favorite of all time books. The story is sweet between Nick and Sam, but there is so much meat to the investigations that the WHO-DON-IT is also very entertaining. The strength and vulnerability of both lead characters is humbling and believable. I truly love this series.

From Ronlyn:
The real thread of the Fatal series is how Sam & Nick are with each other. They are each other's everything: they understand each other on a level that is enviable. They make us believe they can do anything and overcome whatever obstical is thrown in their path, yet at the same time they are so personable with one another. Her teasing him about his obsessive need for everything to be in it's place; him teasing her with his "inappropriate" displays of PDA. Those are the moments that are most endearing and the moments that make the Fatal series as a whole, not just Fatal Justice, so wonderful.

From Mary G:
I loved Fatal Justice. It was my first experience reading a series with the same hero and heroine. You kept your great writing style AND kept it fresh. I loved watching Nick & Sam's relationship evolve and grow - still hot & romantic. Loved the secondary characters too - I adored Freddy, Gonzo & Harry. It was sexy hot, terrific suspenseful plot & you added some humor too. What more do we need?

From Aly (Favorite scenes/lines):

Nick knew he should comfort Sam but couldn’t seem to move his arms. All at once, fear became anger. “I can’t.” He shook her off.

“What?” she asked, startled.

“I can’t be here. I’m sorry.” Spinning around, he started back down the long corridor to the elevator.

She followed him. “Where’re you going?”

He walked faster, needing to get out of there. Immediately. “I don’t know. Home. I can’t do this, Sam. I thought I could, but I can’t.”

“What can’t you do?” She grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. “What’re you saying?”

“I thought it was you.” His heart breaking, he studied her one-in-a-million face. “I thought you’d been shot.”

“But I wasn’t, Nick.” She rested her hands on his chest, beseeching him with her eyes. “I’m right here. I’m fine.”

“This time.”

“You’re upset about Julian. Let’s talk about this later. When I get home.”

He shook his head. “I can’t spend my whole life waiting for it to be you. I’m sorry, Sam.”


AND

He reached for her, brought her in close to him, and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know. The only thing I know for sure is that I love you. I found out today just how much.”

AND

Sam looked closer and saw that Elin had driven him. “Still seeing the phone-shutter-offer, huh?”

AND

“He was a hell of a guy that Leviticus, wasn’t he Detective Cruz?” Sam said.

“In our time, he’d be considered a bigot,” Freddie said with a pointed look at Diandra.

“I’m not a bigot, Detective. My beliefs are grounded in scripture.”

“Your friend, Leviticus also recommends stoning for married couples who engage in intercourse during the woman’s period,” Freddie said. “I sure hope you’ve never done that.”

“It’s not the same thing,” Diandra snapped. “A woman’s period is a natural event.”

“How do you reconcile the unnatural ‘abomination’ with the commandment to love thy neighbor?” Freddie asked. “And Jesus himself said, ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.’”

Diandra glared at him.

From Kara:
Ok, so seriously. There is too much GOOD stuff in this book. I just reread my highlights. It was like rereading the book. LOL You know I love Sam. So some of my favorite lines are about her. Take these for instance:

Nick - "The twists and turns of your mind are a constant source of fascination to me."

Nick - "God, you're such a pain in the ass."
Sam - "Thank you."
Nick - ..."You're the only woman I know who would take that as a compliment."

Sam ' "Christ. All these entanglements. When did I get so entangled?"

Sam - "I wouldn't want you to think I'm easy."
'Hooting with laughter, he said, "No worries there, babe."

Then of course, there's the whole messing with his desk thing.

LOVE her. Truly one of my all time favorite heroines ever. But, then I think you've heard that before. (Oh, and Nick's not half bad himself.)

From Crystal:
What I love the absolute most about Sam is her total devotion to her father. Being a daddy's girl myself I think she is the ideal daughter. Her love for her father is amazing. I really like how you have made her into a genuine woman. She is self-conscious and uncertain about all the normal women things. Yet she is strong, self assured, and very independent.

What I love about Nick... His single mindedness when it comes to his one and only woman. He loves Sam with such passion and devotion. I like that he didn't have the best childhood, but he has overcome it all. He is truly a good guy in POLITICS! lol

So far my favorite line in Fatal Justice is... After Sam tells Nick about something upsetting from her past... Nick says "And I love you even more than I did earlier, if that is possible." That is true love!


Thanks y'all. You know how badly I wanted to write a series featuring the same H/H in every book. I wasn't sure how it would be received by readers. Reading your thoughts and favorite things makes me smile from ear to ear. Looking forward to today's meeting!

Interview with the Romance Bandits

More from the Fatal Justice blog tour. I so enjoyed this interview with my dear friend, Romance Bandit Loucinda McGary.


We’re thrilled to have you here to celebrate the release of your latest, Fatal Justice, the second book in your romantic suspense Fatal Series for Carina Press. Please tell us what your two lead characters Sam and Nick are up to in this latest story.

Hi there Aunty and all the Banditas! I’m so happy to back for another visit. Thanks for having me! Sam and Nick return for another adventure in Fatal Justice. They’re newly in love and working out the boundaries of their relationship in the context of two high-pressure jobs: she’s a D.C. homicide detective and he’s a U.S. senator. In this book, Sam investigates the murder of a Supreme Court nominee with the added caveat that she and Nick were two of the last people to see the victim before he was killed. Also in Fatal Justice, Sam pursues a new lead into her father’s unsolved shooting that leads to danger for her. I’m really excited to get book 2 out to readers!

What particular challenges have you faced in writing a series with the same couple as the main characters (other than editors/publishers telling you readers didn’t want the same couple)?

While writing Fatal Justice, I was enduring the roller coaster ride of Fatal Affair being on submission. I was disappointed that romance editors weren’t interested in a series featuring the same couple in every book. Boo! Thankfully, the ladies at Carina Press love the idea, and readers are telling me they do, too! I had a feeling they might… The primary challenge as the series continues is keeping Sam and Nick’s relationship conflicted enough that it stays interesting but no so conflicted that it’s unrealistic. I found that to be a particular challenge in the third book, Fatal Consequences, which I finished in November. I’ve decided that readers don’t want to see them “fighting for their survival” in every book, so they will grapple with a lot of the stuff everyone deals with but in the context of their high-profile Washington lives.

What were some of the rewards?

I love slipping back into the Fatal world. It’s like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers. I’m working now on Fatal Destiny, the novella that will feature Sam and Nick’s wedding, and it gets easier with every book to submerge myself in the new story. I know the characters very well at this point. I said to someone recently that the scenes featuring Sam and Nick almost write themselves because I know exactly what each of them would say in most situations. I’m also really enjoying the secondary characters, including Sam’s partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales, Sam’s father Skip Holland, the O’Connors and the rest of the cast. I gave Freddie, Gonzo and Detective Jeannie McBride major subplots in Fatal Consequences and expect to further develop their characters in future books. Freddie is also prominently featured in Fatal Justice. He’s a trip to write!

Since you also write contemporary romance as well as romantic suspense, do you use a different process? How do you handle the differences between these sub-genres?

I wish I could say my process is different for the suspense books, but I tend to fall back on the same chaotic seat-of-the-pants madness that has fueled all my books. ☺ I sold Fatal Consequences and book 4, Fatal Flaw, on proposal, which required synopses. While writing FC, I never once referred back to the synopsis , so it was the same process all over again even though I had done some initial plotting. I really hate knowing what’s going to happen ahead of time. I often have no idea “who done it” until Sam figures it out. I like it that way. It keeps me engaged in the book and the mystery. However, one of these days my head is probably going to explode from keeping all this stuff locked up in my brain! That’s why I recently hired one of my Beta readers to index books 2 and 3 for me. I did the first book, Fatal Affair, myself and it took an entire weekend. Since I’m staring down a Feb. 28 deadline, I’m very grateful to my friend Aly for taking over the indexing job for me. As I write the fourth story, I’m finding it harder and harder to keep track of all the details, so it will be great to have a series “bible” to refer back to while working on future books. In reference to the differences between contemporary and suspense, they don’t require different techniques mostly because the Fatal books are also contemporaries. However, it does take a significant amount of brain cells and bone marrow to keep the suspense portion of the Fatal books moving along at a good clip and to end up with a reasonable conclusion to the murder mystery.

Where can readers find the Fatal books?

They’re available at Carina Press under the Romantic Suspense tab, and everywhere e-books are sold. I’ve been asked a lot about where Nook users can find Fatal Justice if it’s not yet available on barnesandnoble.com, where it will be eventually. Nook users can download the ePub format from Carina.

What’s next for you?

I have a print book out on Feb. 1, Everyone Loves a Hero. Also in February, I’ll be running a promotion to give readers the opportunity to plan Sam and Nick’s wedding. Watch my website at www.mariesullivanforce.com for details about how you can participate and win some great prizes. Fatal Affair will be released in print by Harlequin in July via the eHarlequin website. Also in July is Fatal book 3, Fatal Consequences. The free wedding novella, Fatal Destiny, is out in September as part of Harlequin’s romantic suspense week. Book 4, Fatal Flaw, will be out in February of 2012. I also recently posted two of my unsold contemporaries, True North and The Fall, to Amazon and have been blown away by the response from readers. That’s been very exciting!

2011 promises to be a very busy year for you! Did you make any resolutions? Or do you have plans or wishes you hope to see fulfilled?

I never make resolutions and tend to avoid writing goals. I don’t like to set myself up for failure. However, I do hope to exercise more in 2011 and I have set just one goal for my writing career: to finally sell the book of my heart, Treading Water. We’ll see if either of those things happens! Let’s put it this way—the slim chance of a book sale is probably far more likely than the exercise! LOL!

How Much of "Me" Is in My Characters?

More from the Fatal Justice blog tour....

I am asked this question often: how much of yourself do you put in your characters? Some characters are more like me than others. Sam Holland, the heroine in my Fatal Series, shares a few things with me, but for the most part she is totally different. In the similarities column is her relationship with her father. She is devoted to her dad the same way I’m devoted to mine. We’re both involved with our siblings, nieces and nephews. We’re both workaholics who have serious diet soda addictions.

That’s about where the similarities end. Sam can kick some serious ass. My 12-year-old can take me in a wrestling match. To be honest, I think he was nine the first time he beat me… Suffice to say, I’m a big ole wimp compared to Sam. She has been cursed with major infertility issues. I was lucky to have two healthy babies, albeit by C-section, but whatever. They arrived and thrived. Sam may never get to experience that joyous experience.

Sam is not afraid of much. I’m afraid of everything. I am the easiest person to scare, and my family loves to take full advantage of my jump-out-of-my-skin reflex. Sam would just roll her eyes and go on with her day. Here’s a little bit of Sam in action:

Moving slowly, her gun leading the way, Sam crept toward the back door. Another clatter rang through the alley, announcing the presence of a cat, a raccoon or a foolish perp returning to the scene of a crime. Sam hoped and prayed it was the latter. The door swung open.

“Freeze!” Sam caught a brief glimpse of Reese’s startled face before he turned and bolted. “Freeze, police!” She took off after him, down the back steps and through a fetid alley stacked three feet deep on both sides with trash. Normally, she might’ve taken a shot at him, but he was no good to her dead. He had information she desperately needed. Hoping Freddie would cut Reese off at the other end of the alley, Sam chased after him, her thighs burning from the exertion, her lungs tight from the cold air pumping in and out.

Reese looked back, saw she was gaining on him and fired an erratic shot over his shoulder. The bullet whizzed past Sam’s right ear, fueling her rage and her desire to catch him. That might’ve worked on my dad, you son of a bitch, but it’s going to take more than a cheap shot to take me down. Running on adrenaline, she jumped over the bag of trash he threw in her path, came down on a patch of black ice and went flying.

Her chin took the full brunt of the fall. Sam howled with pain and tried to get her unarmed hand down to break the second half of the fall. Elbows and knees connected with hard pavement. She looked up in time to see Reece round the corner at the end of the alley. Freddie was nowhere in sight.

For a long moment, Sam lay there assessing her injuries and trying to catch her breath. The cold air made breathing painful, but that pain was nothing compared to the burn in her chin, knees and elbows. Forcing herself to move, she got up and called for backup to start a canvas of the neighborhood. Clearly, Reese hadn’t gone far after butchering his family.

I’d cower behind a pile of trash before I’d venture into a dark alley to chase a guy with a gun. What about you? Are you more like me or Sam?

More from the Fatal Justice Blog Tour...

Interview with Micole Black on the Micole Writes Romance Blog:

Most writers tend to know from the start that one day they want to be a “writer.” A lot of them, like you, go to school and start a career geared towards that goal. When was the first time you realized you wanted to write for the characters stories running around inside of your head?

The writing part started for me in the 10th grade when a high school English teacher told me I had talent. That was news to me! The following year, I sacrificed band class (sadness) to take the journalism class that teacher was offering the same period as band. I was never sorry I did that as I went on to major in journalism in college and worked for several years as a reporter. I continue to use skills I gained during my journalism years every day in my current job as the communications director for a national organization. The characters appeared a little later. In 2002, I started having long conversations with a character named Jack. He was the start of it all. (More below about Jack!)

What steps did you take to follow your dreams?

First off, I wrote every day for a lot of years. Seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year. I did that until I had developed a good habit of daily production. In that time, I wrote seven books. The seventh one, Line of Scrimmage, was the first to be published. The first three books I wrote, the one featuring Jack and the two that followed, are still my favorites, and I hope to see them published someday—or I’ll do it myself. I really think readers will love those books. I also queried a lot until I found an agent who sold Line of Scrimmage. I was very determined and very focused on my goal. I think that made a big difference for me. I continue to be just as determined, but I don’t write every day anymore—except when I‘m on deadline.

What’s one thing that you know now that you wished you knew when you started your journey as a writer?

I wish I had known more about what happens after you get The Call and what questions to ask. I know what questions matter now, and that’s really important.

Every author has something different to give to their reader with their work. What do you think makes your writing unique?

I like to write about regular people who find themselves in extraordinary situations. I’m a big believer that much of life happens in the gray area between black and white. I love to delve into that gray area. One of my favorite of my books, The Fall, is about a prominent doctor who falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. Such a simple premise but with far-reaching ramifications for everyone involved. I love the notion of a man who thinks he knows himself and what’s important until he meets The One and everything he thought he knew becomes irrelevant. I’ll be posting The Fall to Amazon soon. I hope readers will check it out and enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. Much of my darling Jack’s story involves gray area, too. That’s where all the fun happens for me as a writer.

In the past I have asked my guests to share a favorite character that they have created and why, but in reading your piece “The House that Jack Built,” you answered that question for me. Can you share with the readers your story about Jack?

Ahhh yes, my beloved Jack Harrington! Here’s the story: The first character to take up occupancy in my mind as a living, breathing human being, was a handsome, successful architect named Jack Harrington. Jack and I ran around together for a long time before I ever put fingers to keyboard to tell his story. I wanted to write about a man who has it all—a wife he still adores after twenty years of marriage, three beautiful daughters he'd do anything for, and a life most people would envy. That life is turned upside down when his wife is hit by a car and plunged into a coma. I wanted to show Jack's struggles to rebuild his life as he becomes the custodial parent for his daughters—two of them teenagers with all the accompanying issues—and I wanted to show his conflict when he finds a new love. These issues make up the core of my first book, "Treading Water," which led to two sequels, "Marking Time," and "My Side of the Street." It's "Treading Water," however, that is the book of my heart.
Since I finished "Treading Water," I've thought of my writing as "The House That Jack Built," tying into his career as an architect and the unexpected building blocks that came from "Treading Water." As I was finishing "My Side of the Street" in July 2006, I decided to drive out to Chatham, Massachusetts, so I could finish it in the town where it was set. Yes, this was a huge indulgence, but it coincided with the halfway point of summer vacation and my kids were driving me nuts. I had earned this night away! The first thing I did when I got to Chatham was drive around to check out the four streets I had chosen from hundreds on a map to place my characters' homes. I figured if there was, say, a cement factory on both sides of the street, the people of Chatham would know I hadn't bothered to come out there and check. I am pleased to report there were houses on all four streets, but on the corner of the fourth street, there was something else—a red house with a sign on the side that said, "The House That Jack Built." No, I am not kidding, and yes, I sat there and cried. If ever there was a "sign" that I was on the path I was meant to be on, there it was. It was without a doubt, one of the most amazing moments of my life, and I will never, ever forget it. You can view the photo of the house and read the second part of the story at www.mariesullivanforce.com/writing.php.

After hearing this story, you can probably see why I want so badly to share these three books with readers. In the next year or so, I hope to get them out there!

What are you reading right now? If nothing at the moment then what do you like to read when you have time?

I recently started a Book Club on my blog (http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com) where we feature a new book every week and invite the authors to come out and interact with readers. Most of them offer up at least one giveaway book. Well, Robyn Carr of Virgin River fame is going to be our guest on Dec. 16. As a thank you for having her, the lovely Ms. Carr sent me PROMISE CANYON, the first in her new Virgin River trilogy, out in January. I can’t wait to dive into this book as the Virgin River series is one of my all-time favorites! I’ve also been reading a lot of romantic suspense lately (for the book club), but that is unusual for me. I tend to not read that which I write. That’s why I read a lot of historical romances. Lisa Kleypas is my favorite. I often say that she could write the phone book, and I’d read it. I love every one of her books.

Give us a glimpse into a writer’s life.

My writer’s life is so weird! LOL! I work all day from my home in RI for a company in Virginia. I started with them 15 years ago when my husband was stationed with the Navy in the DC area. When we moved to Florida 12 years ago they asked me to stay on as a full-time telecommuter. I’ve been doing that ever since—from the time my kids were babies until now when the oldest is in high school and the youngest in middle school. So that’s my day job. Around 5:30, I quit work to make dinner, manage homework, drive kids here there and everywhere, make the next day’s lunches, fold laundry and wrangle the crazy puppy. I’ve gotten really good at getting all the chores done very quickly! Speed folding? I’m your girl.

When ALL of that is done, I write. Usually from about 7:30 to about 10 or 11—or until my eyes give out. On any given day, it all depends on whether or not it’s happening. If the word aren’t coming, I quit trying and work on my website or blog or fool around with my friends on Facebook.I also make sure to save a little time at the end of every day to read (yes, I am hard on my eyes!) I’m lucky that my kids are a little older now and like to have downtime of their own, so they are very good about accommodating my writing time at night and on weekends. The only time my schedule deviates is when I’m on deadline—then I force myself to write whether it’s happening or not—and when I travel for work. No writing gets done then. I’ve learned that I need to be at home to be productive. Quiet hotels don’t work as well for me as my own crazy living room. Funny story about this oddity of mine: when I was recently on deadline for FATAL CONSEQUENCES, I was traveling for work and had time at night after my commitments, but it was just too damned quiet in the hotel room. So I turned on the show Parenthood and the chaos on the show was very similar to my house. I wrote 3,000 words that night. See? I told you I’m weird!

Do you have any advice on writing, getting published, or finding an agent?

Perseverance is key. You can’t ever give up. This business is so fraught with hard knocks that you just have to hang in there and keep trying and keep perfecting your craft. Another thing that I think is really important is being open to criticism. SO MANY aspiring authors have asked me to tell them what is wrong with their book, but so few really want to hear it. If nothing seems to be working, if you’re getting rejection after rejection, ask a published author to tell you why and then LISTEN to what they say. Few people find themselves published due to luck alone. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and being open to the truth can make the difference between stop and go for a new writer.

Where can we find out more about you and your books?

You can find me on my website at www.mariesullivanforce.com, my blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot,com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909 and on Twitter at twitter.com/marieforce. You can find my books on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Force/e/B001JS34LY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 and my Fatal Books are available via http://ebooks.carinapress.com under the Romantic Suspense tab.

Marie, thank you so much for the interview. It has been a pleasure having you at Micole Writes Romance.

It was great to be here! Thanks for having me!

The Story Continues

I thought it would be fun to post some of the blogs I did for the Fatal Justice Blog Tour. This one ran at Romance Reader at Heart on Jan. 3, launch day!

Thank you so much for having me today—launch day for Fatal Justice, book 2 in my new Fatal Series. In this installment, Sam Holland, a Washington, D.C. police detective, and Nick Cappuano, a U.S. senator, are in a new high-profile romance that has taken the nation’s capitol by storm (much to their dismay). As they navigate these new and uncharted waters of true love in a fishbowl, not everyone is happy for them. Sam’s nemesis in the police department, for instance, has the internal affairs division looking into affair with Nick because he was a witness in her murder case when they became involved.

One of my favorite parts of this book is watching Nick become aware of exactly what he’s signed on for as the significant other to a woman who often finds herself in harm’s way. Nick, whose first impulse is to protect Sam, quickly figures out that there’s a whole lot of acceptance that goes along with being in her life. He has to find a way to live with the fear for her safety without suffocating her. It’s a fine line for him, and not one he will always navigate the way Sam would like him to.

And she is learning that keeping things from Nick is not the way to a successful relationship. However, after her troubled relationship with her passive-aggressive ex-husband Sam is accustomed to going out of her way to avoid “sharing” much of anything with the man in her life. Guess what? That’s not going to fly for Nick.

So it’s safe to say our happy couple is in for some rough waters in Fatal Justice as Sam hunts down the killer of a Supreme Court nominee. I’m really excited to get Fatal Justice out to readers this week! You can find it at http://ebooks.carinapress.com under the Romantic Suspense tab. This is the start of a big year for Sam and Nick. Coming up in February, we’ll be asking readers to help us plan their wedding. Watch my website (www.mariesullivanforce.com) and blog (http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com) for more information about how you can participate in the wedding planning and qualify to win some great prizes. Then in July, watch for book 3, Fatal Consequences. In September, we’ll release the Fatal wedding novella, Fatal Destiny, and then comes Fatal Flaw in February 2012.

I’m happy to take any questions readers might have about the Fatal Series or any of my other books, including my Feb. 1 print release, Everyone Loves a Hero. Sam and Nick are also happy to take questions! If you want to talk writing, parenting teenagers, puppies and senior citizens, I’m your girl. If you want to talk about the new season of the Bachelor and whether Brad will actually choose someone this time around, bring it on!

Next Up on Book Club: Fatal Justice

Okay, so the whip-cracking book club wenches wanted to spend a day talking about Fatal Justice and the Fatal Series, and who am I, as Sam and Nick's biggest fan, to say no to such a generous offer. So I find myself in the somewhat "awkward" position of hosting my own self on my blog. See? It's awkward... In light of this awkward awkwardness, I asked the wenches to take care of business for us next week and they will let you know what they liked about Fatal Justice so I can be spared from having to tell you about all the good parts! :-)

A girl does have a routine with these things, however, so here's the lowdown on the book:

Supreme Court nominee Julian Sinclair comes to Washington expecting to be confirmed to the high court. Instead, he’s found shot execution-style in a city park. Detective Lt. Sam Holland’s list of suspects is long, but does it include her significant other, Senator Nick Cappuano, one of the last to see Sinclair alive? While tracking down Sinclair's killer, Sam is also confronted with a new lead into her father's unsolved shooting that results in unexpected danger for her. In the meantime, Sam's partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, returns to the "scene of the crime" when he looks up Elin Svendsen, one of the late Senator John O'Connor's sexy ex-girlfriends. After a lifetime of virtue, will Freddie be led down the road to ruin by a temptress who wants only one thing from him?

Get ready for what I hope will be a fun chat about Sam, Nick, Skip, Freddie and the gang. Now keep in mind, it will be highly embarrassing if we throw a party for MY book and no one shows up! LOL--as if that's an issue around here, right? Looking forward to it and I'll give away a copy of Fatal Justice to a commenter on Thursday! See you then!

FATAL JUSTICE LAUNCH DAY!

Happy Launch Day Fatal Justice! I will always think of Fatal Justice as the book that almost didn't happen. To those of you who've read about my journey to publication with the Fatal Series, you know the story. When my agent first shopped Fatal Affair, there was a lot buzz about the book, and we were optimistic for a sale. I had this vision, you see, of a series featuring the same couple in every book: Washington, D.C. police detective Sam Holland and her significant other, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano. By the time we put Fatal Affair out on submission, I was well into the second book, Fatal Justice. Even though "they" say you shouldn't write the second book in a series until the first one sells, I was concerned about the execution of my series idea. Sure, it sounded like a fun idea in concept, but what would it be like to actually write multiple books about the same characters. Could I make it work?

By the time we got the word that Fatal Affair didn't sell, largely because romance editors didn't like the series idea (they wanted new couples in every book), I was halfway through Fatal Justice. That's 50,000 words in for those who were wondering what halfway means. So what to do? Abandon the work-in-progress and move on to something else or finish Fatal Justice just for the satisfaction of writing The End? Since I've never yet abandoned a book, I finished Fatal Justice. Because of the roller coaster ride with Fatal Affair, it took me a full year to write Fatal Justice. That's four times my usual pace. I finished FJ two years ago this week. I had tears in my eyes as I wrote The End. I was so sad that no one would ever see the second book, which I ended up liking even better than the first one.

What a difference two years can make! When Carina Press opened its doors in November of 2009 looking to shake up the formulas, I submitted Fatal Affair. I figured, why not? Carina bought Fatal Affair in February 2010, Fatal Justice went in May, Fatal Consequences in August, Fatal Destiny and Fatal Flaw in November. Sometimes I still can't believe how lucky I got this year and how excited I am to be writing this series the way I wanted to do it. Readers have connected with Sam and Nick the way I'd hoped they would and have told me they're looking forward to book 2 and beyond. So am I!

You can get Fatal Justice here TODAY!

Read an excerpt here.

I'll be all over the blog-o-sphere this week giving away copies of Fatal Justice. Come by and comment to win:

Monday, Jan. 3
Romance Reader at Heart
Thoughts in Progress

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Micole Writes Romance
Romance Junkies
Bestselling Author Christy Reece's Blog

Wednesday, Jan. 5
The Long and Short of It Reviews
Night Owl Reviews
Carina Press (afternoon, no giveaway)

Thursday, Jan. 6
About Happy Books
Fresh Fiction

Friday, Jan. 7
Romance Bandits
Book Junkie
Authors and Appetizers

Monday, Jan. 10
RomCon

Thanks to everyone who has embraced Sam and Nick and supported my Fatal Series. I hope you enjoy Fatal Justice! And watch for Fatal Consequences in July, Fatal Destiny (the wedding novella) in September and Fatal Flaw in Feb. 2012.

Some Great News!

Wow, what a week this has been! On top of some major production on the WIP, Fatal Consequences, I finished up the proposal for Fatal Flaw (which, pending acquisition committee approval would be Fatal Book #4) and I got the first look at the cover for Fatal Justice. I absolutely LOVE the way the Harlequin design team is building the brand for the Fatal Series. The covers are gorgeous! I also love the glimpse at Sam and Nick as the designers see them, which is so exciting.

Here's the blurb on Fatal Justice:
Standing over the dead body of the man she’d dined with the night before, Sam was suddenly hip deep in another high-profile case.

The fact Washington, D.C. Metro Police Lieutenant Sam Holland was one of the last people to see Supreme Court nominee Julian Sinclair alive just complicates matters even more. On the plus side, her relationship with Senator Nick Cappuano is heating up—but it’s also attracting a lot of unwanted media attention and generating front-page newspaper articles.

The pressure is on for Sam to find Sinclair’s killer, but a new lead in her father’s unsolved shooting puts her in unexpected danger and her habit of keeping secrets threatens to derail her relationship with Nick. Once again, Sam and Nick discover that mixing romance with politics can be fatal…

Can't wait to get this one out there in January!

Next on the excitement-o-meter was the release today of the Fatal Affair Audio Book from Audible.com. You can check it out here. I wondered how long it would take to tell the full story and the verdict was 11 hours!

While we're on the subject of Fatal Affair, I was so pleased to hear this week that Harlequin will be releasing it in print in July 2011 as part of it's Direct to Consumers program. People who subscribe to Harlequin's Reader Service program for romantic suspense will receive a copy. I'm sure there will be other ways to buy the book, and I'll let you know about that once I know more. I can't wait to see the print copy of Fatal Affair!

Next on the news feed is the first look at Everyone Loves a Hero! I posted a two-chapter excerpt here. Everyone Loves a Hero is now available for pre-order here, and I'm running a contest for those who pre-order. Send me proof of purchase by midnight Oct. 22 (marie@marieforce.com) and I'll enter you into a drawing to win one of four Advance Reader Copies. You can also win by following me on Twitter @marieforce and telling me in 140 characters what makes a good hero.

Here's the back cover copy on Everyone Loves a Hero:

Being a hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…
After a heroic blizzard landing makes him famous, First Officer Cole Langston thoroughly enjoys the playboy lifestyle that comes with his fame and good looks. Until he meets the one woman he wants more than anything and finds it impossible to convince her of his love.

especially when everything you’ve ever wanted is at stake…
Olivia is a talented artist, working at an airport kiosk to get through school. When drop-dead gorgeous Cole rescues her from an obnoxious customer, their instant attraction turns into something much deeper…

With jealousy and insecurity rearing their ugly heads as Cole and Olivia fall hard for each other, they’ll either figure out how to trust, or they’ll both miss the connection of a lifetime…

Looking forward to giving away the ARCs for ELaH, so make sure to enter one or both of the contests before next Friday at midnight!

Popping In to Say Hello

Ohhhh, I've been the most awful blogger lately! My apologies for that! I've been writing away on the third Fatal book, Fatal Consequences, and the proposal for book 4, Fatal Flaw. I'm having the best time with Sam, Nick and their cast of supporting characters. There's a LOT going on in Fatal Consequences, and I'm looking forward to writing THE END--and finding out who done it! I've also got an idea for a fifth book that I'd call Fatal Proposition. I love spending time in the "Fatal" world and am hoping to write a novella covering Sam and Nick's wedding and honeymoon, which will be REALLY fun. :-) I've got such a fun plan for their wedding, and I hope readers will enjoy it.

Yesterday, I received the cover for Fatal Justice, and I LOVE IT! I'm just waiting to hear that it's final before I share it with you. The folks at Harlequin are doing a beautiful job of building the Fatal brand, and i couldn't be more delighted with the new cover.

In other book news, Everyone Loves a Hero is now available for Pre-Order. Just click on the cover to the right to check it out on Amazon. About the book:
Everyone loves a hero. That's the problem.
Hero pilot Cole Langston is learning to live with—and enjoy—his newfound fame and the rabid female attention that comes with it until a lucky punch knocks some sense into him and opens his eyes to true love. When his copilot suffers a heart attack in flight, Cole lands the jetliner in a blizzard and revives the stricken captain. Catapulted to national hero status, Cole has more women vying for his attention than he knows what to do with. They all have one thing in common: they try without success to bring this happy-go-lucky pilot down to earth. Then comes an airport altercation, a punch to the face, and the lovely Olivia—a shy, timid artist who does what no other woman has ever managed to do: steal Cole's well-protected heart. With women coming on to him everywhere they go, Olivia struggles to believe that Cole is ready for a committed relationship. His biggest problem is getting rid of all his extra ladies before the only one he wants figures out that she's one of many.

I promise I'll be back to more regular blogging once I finish Fatal Consequences!

A Little Thing Called Deadline

Wow, I have been woefully out of touch on the blog lately! I've been knee deep in the writing of Fatal Consequences, which is due November 30. I'm doing pretty well so I'm not too worried about making the deadline, but I do feel compelled to spend most of my free time chipping away at it. The good news the third time around with these characters is that I know them and their world so well now that it is flowing easier than the second book did. That's a relief! Speaking of the second book, Fatal Justice, it's gone to copy editing, which takes it that much closer to its January publication date.

A few other updates since we last chatted:
1. My kids have officially started 10th and 6th grades, and so far so good!

2. Brandy the puppy continues her naughty ways, providing daily comedy around the house.

3. Work has been busier and crazier than ever!

4. The Red Sox have tanked, thanks to injuries that plagued them all season.

5. I've been reading a lot. I go from an appetite for historicals to an appetite for contemporaries and then back again. You can see what I've been reading on the sidebar.

My favorite recent book is a Blaze called Hot Island Nights, by Sarah Mayberry, which was just fantastic. I highly recommend it. What're you reading lately?

What's New and Exciting?

Where in the world has the last month gone? Let's see, what's new around here? Well, I've been to Orlando twice this summer. Once for my company's annual conference at the World Center Marriott and then back again 10 days later for RWA's annual conference at the Swan and Dolphin. After being at the World Center, the S&D didn't do it for me. And it was hot. Damned HOT walking between the two hotels, which I didn't enjoy. The RWA conference, itself, was excellent and I was glad I went. I got to meet all the wonderful ladies behind the Carina Press effort and attended the Carina dinner followed by the Harlequin party. Held at the ritzy Waldorf Astoria, the party was everything I expected. Lots of fun! I danced until my feet ached and then danced some more.

I've finished the line edits to Fatal Justice, and last week, I received the wonderful news that my Fatal Series with Carina will be moving forward with book 3, Fatal Consequences. This is the first time I've sold on proposal, the first time I'll write to a deadline (Nov. 30) and the first time I've had the synopsis written ahead of the book. I've never been much of a plotter, but after writing Fatal Justice (book 2 in the series) I realized I needed to do some sort of outline because the police procedurals require far too much brain power to rely solely on memory and grit to get through them. So I'm looking forward to experiencing the writing process from this perspective. I don't expect I'll change my routine for the straight contemporaries, but for the romantic suspense books, the plotting might turn out to be my salvation! I'll keep you posted!

On the home front, we've had a wonderful summer of great weather, lots of time on my dad's boat, long days at the beach and fun times with friends. Jake has finished sailing camp for another summer. He so loves that and will begin counting down to it beginning in April next year. Emily nannied for one of my cousins, who has six- and three-year-old boys whom she loved spending time with. So everyone has been busy and content, which makes my work-at-home life so much easier than it used to be when I used to hear "I'm bored" 50 times a day! Life is good!

One other bit of news: I'll be giving away a new Kindle if I can get my fan page up to 5,000 by Sept. 30. To enter, stop by the page, "like" me, and tell me why you'd like to win: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909. We've got a LONG way to go to get to 5,000, so do me a favor and tell your friends!

So what've you been up to this summer?

Building a World Within a World

(More re-posts from the blog tour!)

When I started work on Fatal Affair, I knew I wanted to write about a female Washington, D.C. police detective named Sam Holland, so the first thing I did was research the Metropolitan Police Department. Whoa! I quickly learned the department is enormous with levels and layers and complexities I couldn’t begin to bring to my story without weighing it down with details the reader would find tedious at best. Being the “seat-of-the-pants” writer that I am, I pressed on with the book as I pondered how to deal with this world-building challenge.

Over the course of the book, a department of my own making began to take shape. There’s a chief, deputy chief, detective captain, detective lieutenant, detectives, patrol officers, a medical examiner, etc. The chief of the real-life MPD is a woman. I would’ve loved to have done that in my books, but I needed the chief in the Fatal Series to be a crony friend of Sam’s dad. Her father, a disabled former deputy chief, plays a big role in this series, so his character helped me to inform and shape the others. Sam’s struggles to contend with being the daughter of a fallen hero while working for men she used to call “Uncle” is a central theme of the series.

I also tried to give each of Sam’s fellow officers context in their relationship with her. The chief was her Uncle Joe when she was a kid. The deputy chief is still a close friend of her father’s, as is the detective captain who serves as Sam’s mentor. Her lieutenant is her nemesis. He believes she’s gotten where she is in the department because of who she is and sets out to cause her all sorts of trouble as the series unfolds. Within Sam’s closest group of coworkers, her partner serves as a kid brother of sorts, while other colleagues fill a variety of roles in her personal and professional life. Over the course of the series, I hope to develop each of these relationships by giving these characters stories that keep them front and center in Sam’s life.

So I created my own version of the Metropolitan Police Department. I note in the acknowledgements that it is a department of my own making and is in no way intended to mirror the real thing. As a reader, how do you feel about world building? Do you look for the world to closely mirror the real thing whenever possible or do you prefer to immerse yourself in the world the author has created and suspend your disbelief during the story?

Summertime and the Living is. . . Hectic

Our summer got off to its official start today with our first outing on my dad's boat. We took Brandy the puppy with us and had a great time introducing her to the boat. She was very curious and a little bit nervous at times, but overall she took to it quite well. My dad said she was so well behaved that she can come anytime. Of course he is one of her biggest fans, so I wasn't surprised to hear him say that! We bought her these funny little paw mittens for swimming because we learned the hard way with other dogs that they will claw you to shreds while swimming if they don't have something over their paws. Brandy hated them, naturally, and worked hard to get them off as soon as she could. All in all, it was a great day for her on the boat. We got a kick out of watching her check everything out.

On the writing front, one more day until FATAL AFFAIR hits the digital bookshelves. I'm so excited to get this book out there that I wonder if I'll sleep tomorrow night. My Carina editor and I are working on the edits to book 2 in the Fatal Series, FATAL JUSTICE, which will be out in January. Soon I'll begin work on the third book, tentatively called FATAL CONSEQUENCES. I'm looking forward to diving back into Sam and Nick's world for more political intrigue, murder and romance.

As of Monday, buy FATAL AFFAIR here!

I've got a fun blog tour lined up, beginning today with the Australian Romance Readers and continuing throughout the week. I'll be giving away a copy of FATAL AFFAIR at every stop, so make sure you come by and comment for a chance to win!

Monday, June 21
Book Addict
Romance Reader at Heart
RomCon
Emily Bryan

Tuesday, June 22
Thoughts in Progress
Julie James

Wednesday, June 23
We Write Books
A Journey of Books
The Book Girl

Thursday, June 24
Fresh Fiction
Laurie's Book Blog

Friday, June 25
World According to Books

Saturday June 26
Appearance at Middletown Public Library, Middletown, Ri
Come by at 3 p.m. to talk books, romance, publishing and writing

More opportunities to win the week of June 28! Come back next weekend to find out where I'll be.

In other news, I received this lovely icon to note Love at First Flight's First Place finish in the Single Title Division of The Lories Best Published Contest! And from a reader today, this lovely email: "First Class Book! Ms. Force: I just finished reading Love at First Flight ( in one day!). I wanted to let you know that I have become a HUGE fan of your books. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world." If that doesn't make an author's day, nothing ever will. Thank you to everyone who writes to tell me what my books meant to them. I can't tell you how much that means to me.

More Reviews for Fatal Affair

From Book Junkie: The author makes the reader part of the action, effortlessly weaving the world of politics and murder in which the character’s come alive on the pages. The plot was addictive and scandalous with so many family secrets from a top Virginia political family as well as perfectly illustrating intricacies of Nick and Sam’s fragile, yet burgeoning relationship that will draw you in and not let go. Drama, passion, suspense, Fatal Affair has it all! Read the full review.

And from World According to Books: Superb!!! (Definition: Of unusually high quality; excellent). That is what comes to mind if someone were to ask me what I thought about this book. Marie Force does it again. Her writing is flawless; her suspense is gripping; her romance is passionate; her characters are real; and the surprise twists in the storyline are some of the book's greatest strengths. What I love about her writing is her ability to draw the reader into the book as if they were part of the story. She grabs a hold of you and doesn't let you go until the very last page. Read the full review.

In other news, I received this from the Lories for Love at First Flight:



And I received edits to Fatal Justice, which will be out in January. So I'll be diving back into that book as soon as I get all my blogs written for next week!