Category: Spotlight

Writing Romantic Suspense

January 27, 2015 by in category Guest Posts, Spotlight tagged as , , ,

I’ve always been a plot-oriented writer, which can be a boon or a burden. When I came up with the idea to write three books set in Alaska, I knew immediately knew I wanted the stories to revolve around three brothers. I had written about the Raines brothers when I began my AGAINST Series with Jackson, Gabe, and Dev, in AGAINST THE WIND, AGAINST THE FIRE, and AGAINST THE LAW. 

I loved the interaction between the three men and wanted to try it again. I knew I wanted all three of the brothers to be tough outdoorsmen, the kind of guys who face the harsh challenges of Alaska every day.

Being a plot-oriented author, the stories that came to mind didn’t all fit into one tiny town. AGAINST THE WILD was set in the fictional village of Watertown on the Alaska panhandle near the real town of Wrangell. AGAINST THE SKY is set near Anchorage, AGAINST THE TIDE is in Valdez. The action takes place miles apart, but the Brodie brothers, Dylan, Nick, and Rafe have a very strong bond. The kind of men who are there for each other, no matter what dangers might befall them.

In AGAINST THE SKY, Nick Brodie, a former Army Ranger and ex-Anchorage homicide detective, has a serious case of burnout. He wants a new life, something that doesn’t include violence and death. Unfortunately when his neighbor, twelve-year-old Jimmy Evans, comes to him beaten and battered, claiming his father was murdered, Nick has no choice but to help him.

To make matters worse, Nick has a lady friend visiting from San Francisco. Samantha Hollis, owner of the Perfect Pup pet grooming parlor, isn’t cut out for the harsh life in Alaska. Unwillingly swept into Jimmy’s problems, she finds herself on a wild ride with Nick that leads them both into passion and terrible danger.

Because I write bigger stories, this one pulls Nick and Samantha into the seedy world of drugs and prostitution when they come up against the Russian mafia.

It’s one of my favorite stories–lots of heart in this one.

I hope you enjoy AGAINST THE SKY and that you’ll watch for Rafe, the oldest Brodie brother, in AGAINST THE TIDE, out May 27th. Until then, all best and happy reading.

 Kat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor
Twitter: @katbooks
https://twitter.com/katbooks

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/luvromance/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Martin/e/B000AQ0OJQ/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49381.Kat_Martin


One lucky random commenter with recieve a copy paperback or ebook copy of AGAINST THE SKY. (United States, only.)

AGAINST THE SKY
By Kat Martin

Release date: 1/27/15
AGAINST THE SKY is a fish out of water story.  Nick Brodie, an ex-Anchorage cop, is tough as nails, a true man’s man, comfortable in the hard life in Alaska.  But Samantha Hollis, owner of a pet grooming parlor in San Francisco likes shopping at Sak’s and a day at the spa.   Unwillingly swept into Nick’s problems, Samantha finds herself on a wild ride that leads them in to passion and terrible danger. 
It was fun finding ways to make their relationship work when they seem so very far apart. This one’s very fast paced, but it has a soft heart.  It turned out to be one of my favorites.

KAT’s WEBSITE
www.KatMartin.com

AGAINST THE SKY BOOK TRAILER VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxy5mi2cFJM

CONTEST
http://www.katmartin.com/contests/
BUY LINKS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420133845/
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/against-the-sky-kat-martin/1119437332?ean=9781420133844
Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420133844

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HOW THE BRODIE BROTHERS WERE BORN

June 2, 2014 by in category Archives, Guest Posts, Spotlight tagged as , ,

With ten or more reality shows about Alaska, it’s becoming clear that word is out on this magnificent jewel of a state.

A lifelong dream of mine was to drive there–a more than five-thousand mile journey from my home in Montana. In the end, Alaska was so wonderful my husband and I made the month-long trip in the back of a tiny pickup camper–two times!

It was the time I spent in Alaska that sparked the idea for AGAINST THE WILD, which is Dylan Brodie’s story. (Dylan first appears in AGAINST THE MARK. He’s Ty Brodie’s cousin, so sexy he just had to have a story of his own!)

In AGAINST THE WILD, Dylan’s the new owner of an old fishing lodge in remote Eagle Bay, Alaska, a place he intends to rebuild as a home for himself and his eight-year-old daughter.

Unfortunately, the crew working on the lodge are beginning to believe the old place is haunted. So does sexy, red-haired interior designer, Lane Bishop, the woman Dylan has hired to help him with the extensive remodel.

But is the haunting real? Or is it something even more sinister?

There was so much about Alaska I wanted to explore in my writing that the project expanded to include novels for Dylan’s two brothers, Nick and Rafe. AGAINST THE SKY and AGAINST THE TIDE are scheduled for release next year.

I hope you enjoy AGAINST THE WILD and that you’ll look for the next Brodie brothers’ adventure.

Till then, all best and happy reading, Kat

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/luvromance
WEBSITE: http://www.katbooks.com/index1.html 

BUY LINKS: B&N  Amazon  Indiebound
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WHAT DOES ROMANCE MATTER?

August 27, 2013 by in category Guest Posts, Spotlight tagged as , , ,

 Why does the romance genre dominate book sales?  It’s a question that dozens of people have tried to answer.  On Valentine’s Day, article after article attempts to explore the concept.  Non-fiction books are written about it, essays are printed.  Internet sites Chat about it.


The truth is there is no single answer.

From the time we’re teenagers, we’re thinking about finding a mate.  When we’re old and alone, our spouse long gone, we’re remembering the romantic days when we fell in love, the days we spent with someone who loved us.

From the start, it’s a journey fraught with perils.  Today, with people living in cities, the odds of finding the right mate are mind-boggling.  Thousands of bars and restaurants, millions of people all searching for someone.  People turn to Internet dating to improve their chances of finding a person with the same interests…someone they might have a chance to love.

The same journey happens in a Romance novel and it’s fraught with even more peril.  As the reader turns the pages, for a brief time, he or she gets to feel all the wonderful emotions a man or woman feels when they fall in love. 

In my latest book, AGAINST THE MARK, the nineth in my AGAINST series, Tyler Brodie, a private investigator, meets Haley Warren, the woman who hires him to find the truth about her father’s murder.  The child of a broken home, Haley has no interest in romance.  She doesn’t believe in happy endings. 


But Ty is a hard man to resist.  Carefree and fun-loving on the surface, Ty is ex-military, a man who knows how to handle himself in a tough situation.  A man nearly irresistible to women.  Ty wants Haley, and it doesn’t take long for her to realize that she wants him.  But Haley is afraid to risk her heart.  It takes nearly getting killed before Haley realizes that love is worth the risk.

The best part about reading a Romance is that from the very first page, the reader secretly knows that whatever perils the couple faces, whatever suffering they endure, will be worth it.

Because by the last page of the book, the lovers are going to get the happy ending they deserve, the forever kind of love we all dream of finding.

I hope you’ll watch for Ty and Haley in AGAINST THE MARK, out August 27th.  And in June of next year watch for Ty’s cousin, Dylan Brodie, in AGAINST THE WILD, the first of three Against books set in Alaska.
What is your favorite romance genre?

Till then very best wishes and happy reading.  

 Kat 

Visit my website www.katmartin.com. Or join my Facebook page.  

P.S. One lucky commenter will win a copy of AGAINST THE MARK (winner’s choice of Nook, Kindle or paperback). Comments must be made before midnight August 27, 2013 and the winner must live in the United States. 






New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History.   Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker.  During that time she met her husband, L.J. Martin, author of thirty western, non-fiction, historical, and suspense novels.  A resident of Missoula, Montana, Kat and her husband spend their winters in Ventura, California.  She is a currently writing her next Romantic Suspense.  

With fifty five novels to her credit and more than fifteen million copies of her books in print, Ms. Martin has been published in twenty-one foreign countries including France, Japan, Greece, Argentina, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, China, and Spain.

Book Trailer Video: http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheMark.htm#VIDEO

RT Book Reviews 4.5 Star Review: http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheMarkRTBookReviews.htm

Excerpt : http://katbooks.com/AgainstheMarkExcerpt1.htm

Purchase Links:
Amazon
BN
Indiebound

  
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Message from Mindy Neff

March 18, 2007 by in category From Our Archives, Spotlight, Writing, Writing Conferences tagged as , , ,

July is the time of year that most of us are beginning to get excited, or nervous, about going to the National RWA conference. Some of us are hoping to meet with an editor or agent, some are desperately longing to start a career, others perhaps wanting to change their careers.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves. Not the stories we tell in our books. I’m talking about the stories that are deeply embedded in our subconscience. The voices that whisper that we’re not good enough, or smart enough, or that we have to be perfect, that we can’t look or act foolish, or human, or that we’re shy, that we don’t do well speaking in public, that we became a writer because we’re introverts, and having to pretend to be an extrovert for four whole days is going to shred our insides to bits.

Our stories also tell us that we should never admit to these failings, that we’re the only ones who feel so out of control, or so inadequate, or so inept. According to the book, Becoming Real, Defeating the Stories We Tell Ourselves That Hold Us Back, by Gail Saltz, M.D., every one of these stories is a lie. But until we learn to recognize them and rewrite them we will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. These stories will hold us back by making us afraid to reach out, by convincing us that we’re not deserving, or good enough, or popular enough, or by reminding us that we’re shy and scared out of our minds that someone is going to judge us and find us lacking.

I want each and every one of you to know that you do deserve to have your heart’s desire. You are worthy. You matter. And you are not alone. Do not listen to those self-defeating stories!

It’s easy to get overwhelmed at functions as large as the RWA National Conference. That’s one of the reason’s our OCC conference volunteers, Michelle Thorne and Lana Krevis, have worked so hard to make sure there will be an OCC suite available in Reno where everyone can come to see a familiar face, network, attend parties, or simply retreat to catch your breath.

To kick off the conference in style, we’ll be playing a game of Reno Bingo at the Wednesday night literacy signing. Be sure to pick up a bingo card at the door, then stop and speak to each of our OCC authors and get your bingo card stamped . You shouldn’t have any trouble finding us ,we’ll be the ones with the really cool flower pots and “orange girl” signs in front of us.

After the literacy signing, we’ll be throwing a pizza party in the OCC suite and inviting all of our authors to bring their editors and agents. Everyone is welcome. Come and mingle with friends or make new ones. There will be prize drawings, giveaways, and a really good time! Then, of course, we will be having our Saturday night RITA bash to honor all of our RITA and Golden Heart finalists and winners. Lots of food, drinks and fun. So, whether you want to attend a really cool party, or you just need some down time–or you find yourself at loose ends and don’t want to sit in your room by yourself or cruise the bars looking for your pals, the OCC suite is there for you. Come and help out, or just come and hang out. It’s going to be a blast!

~Mindy

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