Another Next Big Thing by Katy Lee

Fellow author Debby Lee (No relation at all) recently tagged me in a blog. She sent me a list of questions that I’m to answer regarding my next book and post them to my blog. Now since I already told you about my October 2013 release, Warning Signs, a Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story, here,  I will tell you about my next book after that one. So here goes.

WHAT’S THE WORKING TITLE OF YOUR BOOK?

In Too Deep to be released mid 2014 with Love Inspired Suspense. Title may change. In fact, knowing my editor, it most likely will. Warning Signs used to have a working title of Forever Silenced. That’s just the way it works.

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM FOR YOUR BOOK?

Well, first I love a good forensic anthropology story, especially when my heroine anthropologist gets to butt heads with a handsome cop to solve the case. But because I also participate in many events with the Creation Coalition here in New England, I wanted a character that has a strong faith in God as her creator, even when some of her colleagues don’t believe.  I hope to inspire readers to stay strong in their faith.

Now because I write romance, the romantic conflict ensues when my hero needs evidence to trust in her because of his own past betrayals, but my heroine doesn’t want to live her life with her actions always under the microscope.

WHAT GENRE DOES YOUR BOOK FALL UNDER?

Inspirational Romantic Suspense

WHAT IS THE ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BOOK?

Bones have been unearthed on the island, but the real trouble begins when Anthropologist Lydia Muir and the handsome sheriff, Wesley Grant, start digging deeper.

IF YOUR BOOK BECAME A MOVIE, WHO WOULD PLAY YOUR LEADS?

A long-haired Bradley Cooper and a  sophisticated Jennifer Garner.

 

 

IS YOUR BOOK SELF PUBLISHED OR REPRESENTED BY AN AGENCY?

This will be published by Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS WOULD YOU COMPARE YOUR STORY TO WITHIN YOUR GENRE?

I hate comparing my stories to others out there. I don’t want to compare this story to the T.V. show, Bones, either, even though that is the first thing that comes to mind. Like most writers my stories are unique and don’t follow another writer’s pattern. It keeps things fresh and surprising!

WHAT ELSE ABOUT YOUR BOOK MIGHT PIQUE THE READERS INTERESTS?

I was excited to return to the Island of Stepping Stones where Warning Signs takes place. So I got to revisit some of the characters from the first book. I hope you like them all!

And now if you would like to see Debby Lee’s answers to her book, click here. And thank you Debby for the invite to share!

P.S. Stay tuned, in a few weeks, I will reveal the cover for Warning Signs!!!

Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas? Alison Stone Wants to Know

As writers, that has to be one of the biggest questions we get. Ah, I hate to sound cliché, but ideas are everywhere.

 
For my book Random Acts, I read an article about a young girl who had been pulled over for speeding. The police took her into the station and bullied her into signing an agreement to be a drug informant. A drug informant! This college student had never been involved with drugs. But in exchange for leniency for her speeding ticket, she was pressured to be an informant. Fortunately for her, her father was a lawyer. He not only went to the police, but to the media.

 
I then searched the Internet and learned this wasn’t an isolated incident. In 2008, a woman in Florida was killed when she was forced to purchase drugs undercover after being caught with a small amount of cannabis.

By now, my wheels were turning.

For my second book, Too Close to Home, I used an idea that had been bouncing around in my head for years—longer than I had been writing. I used to be a manufacturing engineer for an automotive parts supplier. As a twenty-some-year-old female engineer, I was well aware the guys on the floor liked to yank my chain. One guy told me that once someone drowned in one of the large tanks used in the manufacturing process. He claimed he was murdered in retaliation for a drug deal gone bad. I have no idea if “his” story was true or not, but in my story,Too Close to Home, drugs are smuggled through a manufacturing facility and into Canada.

 
Ideas can also be generated by thinking, “What if.” When I learned Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense was looking for more Amish stories, I started brainstorming. The Amish generally shun technology. How could technology wreak havoc in their Plain world? Then it hit me: What if a plane crashed in an Amish field? What if the heroine’s brother was killed in a single-engine plane crash in an Amish field and she has to go there to claim his body? What if while she’s there, the FBI hero starts asking a lot of questions?

This idea became Plain Pursuit which will be released by Harlequin in June 2013.

Here’s the blurb: When her brother is killed in a small Amish town, Anna Quinn discovers she’s an unwelcome outsider. But the FBI agent investigating the case is right at home–because Eli Miller was born and raised in Apple Creek’s Plain community. Eli left his Amish faith behind long ago, but his heart is rooted in a local cold case he can’t forget–a mystery with strange connections to Anna’s loss. Desperate to uncover the truth, Anna and Eli are faced with stony silences and secrets…secrets that someone wants to keep buried in the past.

 
It’s fun to see an idea grow into a book, then be summarized in a few-sentence blurb.
Once I was outside chatting with neighbors and one of them stopped, looked at me and said (in all sincerity), “This isn’t going to appear in a book, is it?”
I smiled and said nothing. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.

 
So tell me, If you’re a writer, where do you get your ideas?

Also, Random Acts, originally released in eBook format, is now available in print.

Blurb:Bitter experience left Danielle hesitant to open her heart. When a family crisis brings her home, the hard-nosed attorney is forced to face the man that let her get away. And that her sister’s accident was staged to mask a beating.
Though Patrick guards his heart, seeing Danielle again reignites their old flame. But no way will he bring her into his daughter’s life, not when her values on faith and family are so different from his own. Yet they must work together to bring a criminal to justice before everything is destroyed—including their second chance at forever.

Links for Random Acts:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Random-Acts-ebook/dp/B00795G1X4/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1362254466&sr=8-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/random-acts-alison-stone/1108890294?ean=9781609289386

ALISON STONE writes romantic suspense for Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense and Samhain Publishing. Her debut novel, Random Acts, was a finalist for the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award in the unpublished inspirational category. Alison lives in Western New York with her husband of over twenty years and their four children where the summers are absolutely gorgeous and the winters are perfect for curling up with a good book—or writing one. Besides writing, Alison keeps busy volunteering at her children’s schools, driving her girls to dance, and watching her boys race motocross.
Website:www.AlisonStone.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alison_Stone or @Alison_Stone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor
Blog: http://alisonstone.wordpress.com/

Happily Editor After Pitch Session with Harlequin Love Inspired

Hello all, Katy Lee here, with an opportunity I know works. I know it works because it is how I sold my first Harlequin book in last year’s editor pitch session. So believe me when I tell you that if you write inspirational romance, whether contemporary, historical, or suspense (like myself) then you don’t want to wait to sign up and get your name in for an opportunity to pitch. Here are the details–or just go here: http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/1042-Happily-Editor-After

Happily Editor After
A chance to find your manuscript’s perfect editorial match
May 8, 2013 at 1 p.m.

Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell and Associate Editors Elizabeth Mazer and Shana Smith are looking to fall in love…with your manuscripts. If you think your story will make our hearts pound and palms sweat, then we have a great opportunity for you.

We’re are on the prowl for new authors for Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical, and we’ll listen to your ideas in a new speed dating pitch opportunity called Happily Editor After.

This opportunity is open to anyone who has never been published with the Love Inspired lines and who doesn’t currently have a full manuscript under consideration with a Love Inspired editor. It only requires that you get a synopsis ready and have a desire to write for the inspirational (Christian) romance market. You’ll have a chance to peruse our online matchmaking profiles and pick the editor who you think would love your story. Then you’ll get to pitch her your idea in one paragraph, and your chosen editor will respond by filling out the following comment card with her first impression of the idea.

Check one:
__I’ll cry if you don’t send me your manuscript (requested full)
__I’d like to get to know your manuscript better (requested proposal)
__I’m not sure if there’s a spark between your manuscript and me, but I’m willing to give it a chance to convince me (requested synopsis)
__There’s just no connection between your manuscript and me (no request, but isn’t it great to know the idea won’t work before you spend time writing it?)

Just like with online dating, polish your pitches and put your best foot forward. Pay attention to our likes and dislikes so you can pick the right match for your manuscript and wow us with your work. Start those manuscripts now so that if you get a request, you can send it in. While full manuscripts aren’t required for the pitch, just like real dating, the more you have to offer, the more interested we’ll be. Please be sure to mention in your pitch how much of the manuscript is completed. A similar pitch session in 2012 resulted in 9 contract offers, so don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Sign up here: http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/1042-Happily-Editor-After

You can do it! Like I said, I know it works because I was one of those 9! My book, Warning Signs will release October 2013!

Feel free to ask me any questions! I would be glad to help.

Jessica Nelson shares about her debut novel, Love On The Range

Hello all! Katy Lee here. Today the Scribes welcome debut author, Jessica Nelson. Jessica’s book, Love on the Range has just been released through Harlequin’s Love Inspired line. What an accomplishment, Jessica! We are so happy for you. Thank you for chatting with me today, and giving us a glimpse into your writing life. Readers, one lucky commenter will receive a copy of Love on the Range!

 

Jessica, what would you do if you couldn’t be a writer any longer?

 

Hmmm, do you mean I physically couldn’t write? I think that no matter what, I’ll always be a storyteller, even if only in my imagination. If I physically couldn’t write anymore I guess I’d get some of the voice-activated software and tell my story. *grin* Maybe pay someone with chocolate to transcribe my words?

 

Very creative! So, okay, they say that every author has a partially completed, quite-possibly-terrible half a story shoved in a drawer somewhere. What is yours? What is it about? What makes it terrible? Would you ever consider picking it up and finishing it?

 

Oh yes, there’s one hiding on my hard drive. All 40k glory…LOL Mine is something that started out as a women’s fiction type of YA and morphed into a romantic suspense. There’s absolutely no focus to it although I still love the characters. I don’t think I could finish it because the basic skeleton of great story isn’t there and honestly, I’m afraid to open that document anyway.

 

I understand about being afraid to open them! Yikes! Please, Jessica, Share with us your biggest misstep in your writing career so far?

 

Eeek! I don’t know! I think I’ve bombed most of my face to face pitches with editors. That’s something I’m definitely still working on.

 

Do you have a word related pet peeve?

 

Affect and effect. Their and there. And yet I still manage to mess them up myself. lol

 

What is your junk food of choice?

 

Hmmm, lately I’ve been loving the cracked pepper and sea salt Kettle chips. I do eat some form of chocolate every day, but that’s not really junk food. It’s calcium and antioxidants rolled into one little delicious package.

 

It sure is! So, what’s the most dangerous or risky thing that you’ve done?

 

Does skydiving count? I also rappelled up a small waterfall in Costa Rica, but none of those things really felt risky or dangerous. Just incredibly exciting! (and a little chilly)

 

Skydiving definitely counts! You sound like a dare-devil! And something I consider also pretty daring is writing a book. So, please, tell us about your book!

 

Thank you for asking! My book, Love On The Range, is published by Harlequin’s inspirational imprint, Love Inspired Historical. My story is about a garrulous, determined young woman who is sent by her parents to an uncle’s during the flu pandemic of 1918. She doesn’t mind though because she has two closely related goals: Find an undercover agent named Striker who lives near her uncle for an exclusive interview, and then tell said-agent that she thinks he’s awesome (and pretty much loves him). Little does she know that the agent is closer than she thinks, in a place she never would’ve guessed.

 

Thank you for having me, Katy!

 

And thank you for hanging out with us today!

 

Jessica Nelson is a busy mom to three little boys who daydreams about her bi-weekly cup of Starbucks coffee. Readers can always find her on Facebook or her blog. She also likes to check into Twitter and Goodreads too. She loves talking books and writing so please feel free to contact her!

 

Remember readers, leave a comment by 12 noon ET Monday (4/23/12), and check back next Sunday to see if you are the lucky winner of Love on the Range!

Sandra Orchard Shares About Shades of Truth and a Youth Detention Center

Hello, Katy Lee here. Before we get started, I want to announce the winner of last Sunday’s book give-a-way from Jill Marie Landis.  Drum roll please….The winner is Missy Tippens! Missy, contact me and let me know which of Jill’s books you would like. Katylee @katyleebooks.com.

Now, for today, Sandra Orchard is visiting the Scribes again! Yay! You may remember Sandra’s last post when her debut novel for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line first came out. Deep Cover was a hit, and today she’s here to tell us about the next book in her series. Sandra, you are on a roll! We are so happy for you, and happy you have come back to share with us on how Shades of Truth came to be. And readers, we will be giving away a free copy of her latest book, so leave a comment to be entered in that drawing.

Also, Sandra has a fun contest going on right now. Here are the details so you can get in on the fun!

Her writing group, called WODE for Write off the Deep End, challenged her to include the acronym in her latest release. If you find WODE in the book, email her the page number (and the format of the book you’re reading) before midnight June 1st EDT. She will draw one name from all who submitted correct answers and he or she will receive a… $25 gift certificate to his/her favorite book retailer.

Now, take it away, Sandra!

Thanks, Katy! I’m glad to be back with the Scribes.

Readers often ask me where I get my story ideas, and for my newest release, Shades of Truth, I can pinpoint the exact moment. We were sitting around the campfire listening to a twenty-year-old young woman share about her experiences working as a youth care worker at a detention facility.

I was enthralled by Beth’s passion for the youth, and what struck me the most from her story was her admission that she often learned more from the kids than the other way around. Instantly, I knew that I wanted to write a novel with a heroine like her. At that time I was revising Deep Cover and Beth’s enthusiasm reminded me of my heroine’s sidekick, Kim.

The next day, I made Kim a youth care worker, knowing that she’d become the heroine of a future book in the series. Of course, it was almost two years later before I began her story. Other novels generated some interest among editors and I temporarily set the Undercover Cops series aside.

When I finally sat down and interviewed Beth in preparation for writing Shades of Truth, I was once again transfixed by her stories and plot ideas tumbled over each other in my mind! I learned so much during my research for this story, everything from the ins and outs of physical restraint methods to secret gang signals. What an eye-opener.

Beth’s excitement about the positive impact she could have in residents’ lives became my heroine’s. But I hasten to add that while Beth graciously answered all my questions about her work, my heroine is entirely fictional, as is the detention center where she works and the cast of characters who populate her world.

Of course, after fleshing out my heroine so well, I needed a hero who would challenge everything she’s working toward. Enter former-young-offender-turned-cop Ethan Reed who doesn’t share her optimism for the residents’ rehabilitation. Worse than that, succeeding in his mission will destroy everything my heroine is fighting to protect.

So what’s he to do? He admires how naturally she engages others in conversation, exuding genuine interest and empathy. He can’t help but be smitten. And challenged. Challenged to reconsider his own misperceptions of the residents, and of himself.

Blurb:  Shades of Truth ~ March 2012 from Love Inspired Suspense

Big city detective Ethan Reed is working deep undercover at a Christian youth detention center. The kind of place he spent some harrowing time in as a kid. Ethan’s mission: ferret out who’s recruiting resident teens for a drug ring. He expects help from the lovely, devoted director of Hope Manor. But Kim Corbett won’t tell Ethan anything— even when she’s threatened and attacked. When Ethan discovers what Kim is protecting, his guarded heart opens just a bit wider. Enough to make this the most dangerous assignment of his career.

Book 2 in Undercover Cops:
Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

Sandra Orchard lives in rural Ontario,Canada where inspiration abounds for her romantic suspense novels set in the fictional Niagara town she’s created as their backdrop. Married with three grown children, when not writing, she enjoys hanging out with family, brainstorming new stories with fellow writers, and walking her dog in God’s beautiful creation. She loves to connect with readers, and has created some “novel extras” to enhance readers’ experience of her books.

Check out these and other resources for both readers and writers at her website: http://www.SandraOrchard.com.

For updates on new releases, special subscriber-only reads and giveaway opportunities, sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/OrchardNews

She’d love for you to connect at: http://www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

And join in the conversations about characters on her blog at http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com

Thank you, Sandra! For being here today, but for also sharing your wonderful and inspiring stories with us all.

Readers: If you would like to be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Sandra’s Shades of Truth, please leave a comment with your email address.

Daring to be Sweet…

The Scribes had the pleasure of meeting the fabulous Barbara Wallace, Harlequin/ Mills&Boon author, when she came to our CTRWA meeting and taught us all about the hero’s journey We were so impressed we knew we had to find out more about her.

Not only did she agree to be interviewed but she’s also giving away a copy of her latest ,DARING TO DATE THE BOSS, to one lucky commenter.

Liz Strauss is the queen of control.  As a busy single mother, she’s got to be.  But the arrival of new boss Charles “Ice King” Bishop sweeps the rug out from under feet.  Suddenly worries about her teenage son’s future have been replaced by dreams of romantic dates!  It’s been years since Liz has trusted anyone not to hurt her.  Sharing sizzling kisses with Charles is one thing, but believing that beneath his frosty exterior lies heart that will be for her – for always – is quite another matter.

Doesn’t it sound great? Those of you who aren’t lucky enough to win will just have to buy it when it comes out in February of 2012. Now enough from me. Here’s what Barbara had to say.

You write sweet category romances for Harlequin’s Mills & Boon line. For those of us not in the know, can you tell us a little about writing category? And do you  have plans to write a single title?

Category writing is a unique animal as far romance writing is concerned.  Although it seems sometimes like they are interchangeable, every category line has a different feel and tone.  For example, my friend Cathryn Parry writes for Super Romance.  Her books are longer than mine and explore a larger outside plot. There can be some subplots as well. Mine, on the other hand, are only 50K words.  Because of that subplots, secondary characters, etc. are kept to a minimum.  The main focus is the emotional conflict between the hero and hero.  Blaze, on the other hand, focuses on the sexual relationship as well as the emotional conflict.

That’s a long-winded way of saying you can’t simply write “category” romance.  You have to write “Harlequin Romantic Suspense” or “Harlequin Romance”.    The best advice I can give is to find the line that most resembles your story telling style (and that you enjoy reading).  That last part is essential, because Harlequin doesn’t just buy a story – they look for a voice. They are looking for you to write LOTS of Harlequin stories, so you have to really enjoy what you’re writing.

Do You Plan to Write a Single Title?

Some day perhaps. That’s on my list of books I’m not yet ready to tell.  Right now I’m very happy writing for Harlequin Romance.  I’m learning a lot and I’m finding the challenges of writing a strong, emotionally satisfying short book to be pretty darn fulfilling.

How do you battle the doubt monster?  Doubt Monster: the nagging feeling while writing that your prose is terrible, you plot is silly, your characters are insipid and no-one in their right mind would read this drivel, let alone buy it.

There’s a way to beat it?  I wish I had a tried and true method because I battle him every single day.  On those days when the doubts are particularly bad or loud, I take a moment to ask myself, is this the story or the process?  That is, are the doubts because of a story problem or am I simply having a bad day.  Sometimes, it IS the story.  Sometimes you discover you have been pushing through in the wrong direction.  If that’s the case, I remind myself there’s nothing wrong with realizing I made a wrong turn and going back.  After all, better I catch the mistake now than have an editor find it and reject the story.  However, more often than not, the doubts are just that – doubts brought on by insecurity or outside circumstances.  (At the risk of TMI, on really bad days I check the calendar to see where I am cyclically.)  On those days, I tell myself it’s okay to suck that day and that I can always go back and revise.

Okay, I also have a crown that I wear sometimes.  It’s my “I don’t suck” crown.  I recommend

What is the most surprising thing that has happened in your writing career?
Besides the fact it exists?  I think the biggest surprise was how quickly everything happened once I broke through.  I waited so long for the call.  Then, once I was signed with Harlequin, things started moving so quickly.  Here I am on book number five or six, and I still feel like I just sold.  The whole experience is humbling as well.  I remind myself every day how lucky I was to get that phone call.

What would you do if you couldn’t be a writer any longer?
Probably be dead.  Seriously, I can’t imagine not writing.  One of the watershed moments I had in my career happened when I thought about what might happen if I never sold a novel.  (This was before self-publishing existed).  I realized I would always find some way to be creative, be it telling my family story, writing for fun, etc.

Either that or I’d become a history detective.  I always thought that would be an awesome job.

What’s next for you? Upcoming projects? Life events? Anything you would like to share or brag about?

Right now I’m doing the final round of revisions on a manuscript I’ve affectionately called “The Reluctant Cougar.”  It’s really about building up walls and using work as an excuse to avoid emotional commitment with a few interesting twists.  It’s been a lot of work but I’m enjoying it.  As for life projects – my one and only child is waiting on college acceptances and working toward what he hopes will be his first shot at the National Gymnastics Championships.  Keeps both me and his dad on our toes.

What’s the most dangerous or risky thing that you’ve done?

I’m generally a socially phobic person, so anything that involves me putting myself in a new situation feels risky to me.  Giving talks, answering blog questions, tweeting – you think I’m kidding but I’m not.  They feel very risky.

Oh, and there’s the time when we were kids and we played chicken with the railroad trains where you’d have to jump off the track at the last possible moment.  But that’s a story for another time.

What is your guilty pleasure? {Remember: this is a ‘G’ rated blog! }

TV shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, Bridezillas.  Oh, and any movie on the Lifetime Movie Network where the psycho is hunting down his/her ex to make him pay.

Once again, we would like to thank Barbara for her time. If you want to learn more about her you can check her out at these places.

http://barbarawallace.com/

http://www.harlequinromanceauthors.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

 PS. Make sure you leave a comment!!!

Police Procedures and Author Sandra Orchard

Hello all, Katy Lee here. First off, on this tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, my appreciation and prayers go out to all of our law enforcement and first responders. Thank you for keeping our towns and cities safe every day. God’s blessings to you all.

Now, as writers, we can only depend on research to get the story right, and today I have Sandra Orchard, a fellow Inspirational-Romantic-Suspense author, here to discuss how she came by her research for her Undercover Cops series and novel, DEEP COVER. FYI- One lucky commenter will be drawn tonight at11:59PM (ET) for a free copy!

Sandra attended a writer’s police academy, and I just had to have her here today to share a few of her hair-raising experiences with us all.

But first, can you tell us a little bit about DEEP COVER and your main characters?

Thanks for having me here, Katy Lee. The hero of Deep Cover is undercover cop Rick Gray. Fifteen months ago he let the woman he loved walk out of his life, rather than expose her to the dangers of his job. Now, he’s back with a new alias, posing as a foreman on a development project to bring to justice the man who caused his partner’s death. That man is the heroine Ginny’s uncle. And the project is a group home for her mentally challenged sister—a group home Ginny is very much involved with seeing built. Only Rick’s mission could destroy that dream and her family, and he can’t tell her what he really is, or why he’s there for fear of jeopardizing the case. But someone else wants to make her uncle pay, too. And Rick must face his worst nightmare—that someone he cares about will be killed because of his job.

I have had the pleasure of devouring this book, and it had me on the edge of my seat from page one. Great read, Sandra!

Now as a writer, I want to dig in to how you came by your research. Can you explain to us what WPA means, how this experience helped you revise Deep Cover, and shape the subsequent books in your series?

WPA stands for the Writer’s Police Academy. It offers hands-on, interactive and educational experiences to enhance the writer’s understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics. Every imaginable kind of police and rescue vehicle and equipment are on display with knowledgeable officers answering questions. You can choose from a variety of workshops from fingerprinting and arson investigation to the gruesome details of autopsies or undercover operations. The event takes place at a police college, and one morning, they actually staged a school shooting, complete with lockdown, real police officers doing exactly what they’d do in the actual scenario and EMTs dealing with the casualties afterward. For my series, the most enlightening class was presented by a former undercover officer. Not only did he share many of his experiences, he gave us glimpses of what went on in his head and heart during that time, which is where the real meat of my heroes’ stories lie.

Can you share one eye-opening tidbit you learned from WPA that gave you a whole new perspective on what it’s like to be a law enforcement officer?

I participated in Fire Arms Simulation Training, FATS for short. We were given Glocks and faced with a floor to ceiling screen that showed videos of shoot and don’t shoot situations. When we took a shot, the hit would show on the screen. We were surprised more than once by the post-simulation explanation of why we should have or shouldn’t have taken a shot. The most adrenaline-pumping moment for me was when I had to face a hostage taker alone in an office (depicted on screen). A disgruntled employee had his boss in an arm lock and was waving a gun. I was telling him to put down the weapon, he really didn’t want to do this etc. to no avail, all the while training my own weapon at his head—the only part of his body visible past the hostage. The instant he lifted his gun to the guy’s head, I took the shot. His brains splattered on the screen behind. The officer in charge of the simulation turned to me and said, “Great shot.” I pretty much freaked out on him, saying I could have hit the hostage. I was shaking, heart pounding. It was unbelievable. It certainly gave me a whole new perspective on the split second decisions officers are called upon to make and the emotional havoc it can wreak afterward.

Wow! What an amazing experience. As a suspense writer, that sounds like an event I’d love to attend. Where can writers get more information on one of these experiences?

WPA is organized by author (and former policeofficer) Lee Lofland. The 2011 academy is September 23rd to 25th in Jamestown N.C. The FATS training portion is already sold-out, but there is still time to register for the conference. Members of Sisters in Crime are being offered an incredible discount. I am so disappointed I’ll miss it this year, because ACFW is the same weekend. This year some lucky participants will get to go on ride-a-longs with on duty NC police officers! You can learn more at: http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/  

Sandra, how can readers keep in touch with you on the web?

Visit my website ~ www.SandraOrchard.com

Visit my personal blog ~ http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com

Connect on Facebook Page ~ www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

Subscribe to my newsletter ~ http://bit.ly/SandraNews

All right, Readers, I’m opening the floor up to you now. Do you have a similar law enforcement experience you would like to share? Do you have a question for Sandra about hers? Do you have a question about her new Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, DEEP COVER, and let me remind you, one lucky commenter will receive their very own copy of Sandra’s book delivered right to their door!

So comment away!