WWAD?

About 75% of the time, I start a story with a simple idea. Very often, this idea comes in the form of a question - WWAD? In simple terms: What Would Aidan Do? Now, this could easily be WWKD for What Would Kat Do, but Aidan drives a lot of ideas.

For example, the plot of Breaking Point (#3 in the J. Carter & Associates series) is one major WWAD after another. WWAD if his wife disappeared and a body surface in the place where she was last seen? WWAD if all the evidence points to the body being that of Kat? Does he accept her as dead? Or does he fight the mounting evidence proving her dead and gone?

A second part of Breaking Point is WWAD if someone from his past reappeared? Little is known (well, at least to you, dear readers) about his life prior to the series. We know his best friend and partner, Marc Pearson, is ex-FBI. We know Aidan once picked pockets to survive. We know Jackson Robertson trusts him. What we don't know is about his family and his upbringing and what reduced him to petty theft.

Kat's past in contrast is an open book. Her life before the series isn't perfect, but it's no mystery. There is no real WWKD unless it deals with Aidan.

A great part of the plot in Fatal Target (#2 in the J. Carter & Associates series) is WWKD. WWKD if Aidan was arrested for murder? Alternatively, WWAD is he was framed for murder and separated from Kat? They are entwined in each other's identity despite their strong personalities. What happens to one affects the other.

Kat and Aidan each react in different ways. If the other is in danger, they act offensively. If Kat is personally threatened, she'll fight. If Aidan is threatened, he'll hold his ground. She reacts first and thinks second. Aidan is more mature and calculating, and less impulsive.

“Oh, Kitty, there you are!”

Her blood ran cold.

“Keep walking,” Aidan murmured into her ear. “Don’t let him win.”

She slipped an arm underneath his coat, searching for the familiar weight of his semi-automatic gun. It wasn’t there, but the move soothed her nonetheless. The gun was around the corner in their car, thanks to the courthouse’s security procedures. While she wouldn’t turn the gun on the man who abused her, she knew Aidan would. He would kill to defend her. He’d proved it in the past.

“You must be her new boyfriend. Tell me, is she worth the money? I don’t care who claims her as their child, she’s nothing more than a whore…”

Aidan pressed a ring of keys into her hand. “Get in the car, Katherine. Don’t say a word.”

She stepped away from him, a questioning look in her eye. He nodded as if to say it was okay. (from Fatal Target) 

That is, until Kat's life is at risk.

"Just give me a name," Marc demanded. "Just that and I'll help. I need to know."

"You need a name? Me! I'm the reason Kat's in danger. I'm the reason this happened. It's all because of me!"

Marc frowned, shifting the truck back into gear. "What did you do, Murphy?"

"I didn't die. That was my offense. I didn't die and she found out. Now, she's gonna have Kat die to teach me a lesson....She's gonna make her drown because it's Katy's greatest fear. She's going to die because I love her." (from Breaking Point)

Without the question of WWAD, Breaking Point would cease to exist. It's very Aidan-driven and deals with past consequences in the present. No matter how long you run, the past will catch up. It's only a matter of time before you have to face your fears...

"Not anymore. Where is she? What did you do to Katherine?"

"Everyone has a breaking point. I found hers..."

Water... (from Breaking Point)

Fatal Target lays the groundwork for the foray into Aidan's past. His past shaped him in both good and bad ways and should have made him evil. Instead, he is saved and redeemed by his love for Kat. He has no close family to confide in. He's created his own family at J. Carter & Associates and he'll make a bargain with the devil herself in order to protect them in Breaking Point.

Behind the Screen

Part of my reason for starting this blog was to talk about my inspirations behind the stories. Since I've already discussed SOLE SURVIVOR, today I'm going to hit on some other works that are upcoming.

First up, STEAL YOU AWAY.

Based loosely on a fan fiction I wrote back in... 2005, SYA is about a young woman who becomes entangled with a killer. The first half of the story bares little resemblance to the fan fiction and the characters have new names and backgrounds. Cassandra Sidell works in a hotel and meets a charming guy in a bar - who later steals her access card. After swapping cell phones, she interrupts a murder and ends up going lamp-to-face with him.

Garrett Ramsey is a trained killer. He's done his best to shut off his humanity in order to do his job. But Cass gets under his skin. Before long, he's dragging her along in an attempt to save her life against his better judgment.

The banter between them and the chemistry was all inspired by the 2005 thriller "RED EYE" directed by Wes Craven. The fan fiction that served as my jumping off point for SYA followed Lisa and Jackson as he plotted his revenge on her for transgressions made during the film. The unlikely duo end up working together to take down his bosses and survive, all while falling for each other.

Wanna see some differences?

The original scene in the fanfiction.

Lisa entered her bathroom and washed her face with cold water to wake herself up. After drying her face she looked in the mirror and jumped backwards. Written in soap was a message, clearly for her.

I MAY HAVE TO STEAL YOU

Lisa started shaking. Jackson had said those very words on the plane.

"When this is over, I may have to steal you," he said, icy blue eyes locking on her.

She knew it was only a matter of time. Jackson would come for her soon and there was nothing she could do about it. Jackson never broke his promises.

A scene from STEAL YOU AWAY.

Cassandra blew her bangs out of her eyes, standing up. She faced herself in the mirror, dark-circled eyes and all, only to find her image obscured.

Blood red lipstick covered the glass. I MAY HAVE TO STEAL YOU it screamed in bold writing. It was a man’s handwriting – all angles and straight strokes. No curves or silly dots. Plain and to the point.

Just like the man responsible for the garish graffiti.

Garrett Ramsey. He’d been in her room for sure this time.

Except, there was a line through STEAL. Above it, he’d scrawled KILL. I MAY HAVE TO KILL YOU.

She shivered, chills moving through her body.

Okay, FATAL TARGET.

The original idea was of a shooting on campus. These were in the days before the VA Tech shooting and other high-profile incidents of violence on college campuses across the US. The shooting was a distraction to kidnap Kat.

Also, FT was meant to be Aidan's introduction to readers. But, he got a larger role in SOLE SURVIVOR and wasn't an unknown in FT.

Here's an example of the differences, using two different scenes focusing on Kat's training.

From an old draft in 2008:

"Do it again, Kat! Faster!"


Her chest was heaving. She could barely catch her breath. Kat wiped the sweat from her forehead with a white towel and whirled around to attack the punching bag. The weighted bag swung on the chain in the workout room she had fashioned with her father. Her mother was upstairs organizing boxes as they ran through the motions of a workout.


She swung out her right leg, striking the bag, before following with a left-handed punch. The chain creaked and her father shouted directions. Kat punched, feinted, and kicked through a series of combinations, a pulse-pounding beat in her mind as she fought the bag.


"Good, good!" Jackson praised, clapping his hands as she finished the set. "Now let's go for a run."


"You've… got… to… be… kidding…" Kat gasped, bent over and doing her best not to vomit. She'd pushed herself hard—she always did.


He cocked his dark-haired head in her direction. "No, Kat, I'm not. Get some water, and we're going. You need to build up your endurance levels."


"Why? I'm going to college in a few days."

From the new version:


“Breathe. Focus. In and out.”

He stood behind her, his breath hot on her bare neck. His hands steadied her, helping to adjust her position. Katherine loved being close to her boyfriend, even when he barely touched her.

“You can do this. Remember the recoil. No, don’t tense up. That’s a good way to get smacked in the face,” he urged, soothing her muscles with a gentle touch. “You’ve got this. You’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” she said.

Katherine Carter-Robertson took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. In her hand, the gun leapt, barking out as the bullet left the barrel and soared across the room to cut through a paper target. Her shoulders absorbed the recoil and she held her ground.

“Again,” Aidan urged.

Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.

Each bullet ripped through the paper. One. Two. Three. Four. Five holes. Two in the head and three center mass.

“That’s my girl!” Aidan Murphy whooped, kissing her cheek. “Great job, babe!”

It's amazing what can happen between drafts. While the core of the story is the same - Kat being a target for a ruthless killer, her allies have changed, her solid relationship with Aidan is tested, and some subplots are removed.

NaNoWriMo

It's November, which is one of my favorite times of the year. Why, you ask? Because, it's NaNo time, baby!

NaNoWriMo badge from the site

What's NaNo? It's short for NaNoWriMo which is better known as National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNo is to write a novel (in any genre) in 30 days. What counts as a novel? For NaNo, 50,000 words is considered "winning". You could write 'ninja' 50,000 times and win, but where's the fun in that?

NaNo helps forge bonds by hosting write-ins were us anti-social creatures of the keyboards meet in public, in libraries or Panera Breads, across the world and do what we do best -- WRITE. Encouragement is key during NaNo. We all band together and cheer each other on to reach that 50K mark. For 30 days, we live and breathe writing, and boy, is it a rush like no other.

The writing is rough, unpolished, and full of typos. But to see those words fill up the blank page before you is amazing. It's pure, unfiltered imagination.

If you're an aspiring author, join in. It's free and at a daily goal of about 1,667 words, you, too, can write a novel in month. I've done it since 2007 regardless of what's going on in my life - high school, college, work, illness - and I've never regretted it.

NaNo's not about the win - it's about the journey. So, dust off that typewriter, that keyboard, or buy a brand new pen and notebook, and join in. I'm doing it. Why aren't you?

Learn more about NaNoWriMo and even sponsor this great organization here.

Want to track my progress? My author's page.

Updates!

It's been a busy week for updates. Writing is a bit slow - first 1/4 of STEAL YOU AWAY is done with the main draft and some editing. Developing Cass and Ramsey's relationship is what takes time and thinking and planning.

Cover art for STEAL YOU AWAY

Unlike many of the other J. Carter & Associates books, SYA features a cold-hearted killer as the hero. Ramsey knows he does bad things, but he doesn't care. At the start, he's a remorseless killing machine more worried about his next paycheck than the effects of his killing.

Cass changes that for him. She goes from a target to an equal after she uncovers a murder plot. The resulting brawl leaves them both injured and Ramsey's pride wounded.

They have to learn to trust each other if they want to survive, especially as he is added to the kill list for helping her. But Ramsey isn't above betraying her in return for his thriving career.

Between them both, Ramsey has the best one-liners. Some of my favorites are over on the website on the Extras page.

Unlike Kat, Cass isn't much of a fighter--she's a scrapper. In a fight between them, Cass would probably lose. Do I love Cass any less? No, she's strong, like Kat, only in a different way. She hasn't experienced loss in the same way as Kat. She's led a very normal life. That's part of the fun.

All the links for AGAINST THE CLOCK have been updated on the site as well. It's now on Sony, Barnes & Noble, and more. Don't forget that the free PDF script is also on the site. At the moment, I have no plans to also do a paperback copy unless I can also get the script to fit.

The first book trailer is also up on YouTube and the Facebook page. It's a short one for SOLE SURVIVOR. Enjoy!

SOLE SURVIVOR Paperback Release & Other Works

Paperback cover

Just a reminder that SOLE SURVIVOR can also be ordered in paperback, not just e-book. However, the e-book edition is just $1.99 as is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, and through Smashwords in a variety of formats.


The sequel, FATAL TARGET, is in progress and should be available either in August or early fall at the latest.

For more adventures from the crew at J. Carter & Associates, check out the novella AGAINST THE CLOCK and the script version which is on my website for free. The novella is $0.99 and is available through all major e-book outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. 


Hopefully, this will keep readers busy while I work on STEAL YOU AWAY (cover art coming soon!) and TRUST NO ONE.


And here's an exclusive excerpt from FATAL TARGET:

May 5^th, 2007

                “..Happy birthday to you!” sang the gathered group. There were a dozen people crowded into the small apartment’s living room. At the center of the commotion, her face flushed red from embarrassment, sat Katherine. Beside her, his crooked smile wide, sat her boyfriend and confidante.

                Candles glowed in the darkened room. She took a deep breath and blew. The flames flickered out, smoke trailing, as their friends clapped.

                “I’m gonna kill you for this,” she hissed through clenched teeth at Aidan.

                “You know you love it.”

                An ear-piercing whistle cut through the noise. “Stop making faces, Kat, and let’s cut that damn cake. I’m starving.”

                The overhead lights flipped on with a buzz. She rolled her ice blue eyes at the voice. Marc Pearson leaned against a wall, quite at home, with a beer in his hand. As usual, he wore all black, the shirt tight-fitted over well-defined muscles.

                “Just for that, you don’t get a piece.”

                He pouted. “That’s harsh.”

                “Suck it up, Pearson.”

                Katherine stood up, her legs draped in dark denim. Aidan followed her lead, a hand resting against her waist, as he guided her through the small crowd.

                In the kitchen, her cake waited, devoid of candles, with a knife. A stack of small paper plates and forks lay beside it on the countertop. Aidan took up the knife, cutting deftly through the sheet cake.

                “Which piece do you want, babe?” he asked.

                “Give me a flower.”

                He nodded, cutting out a large blue flower on a corner for her. With the birthday girl’s piece secured, he sliced a neat grid through the cake, methodically cutting pieces. Kat helped transfer the cake to plates, passing them and forks around their friends.

                Once the majority of the cake was gone, Kat took her piece. She devoured the frosted flower first, blue icing tinting her lips. She didn’t care as she munched on the moist yellow cake. Aidan leaned against the counter beside her, a narrow slice in his hands.

                “Good cake?”

                “Delicious,” she mumbled, her mouth full.

                Aidan grinned. “Happy Birthday, Katy. I love you.”

                “Love you too.”

Meet STEAL YOU AWAY's Cass and Ramsey

Sometimes, I get an idea and I just have to run with it.


Yes, FATAL TARGET should be my top priority, and it is one of them, but I've been sucked into a new work. Whether or not it'll tie into the J. Carter & Associates series remains to be seen. I'm approaching it as a standalone, but it's possible the some of the unnamed companies are linked to JCA's enemies...


What hit me first was the magnetic attraction between former enemies Cassandra Sidell and Garrett Ramsey. He's a killer in a three-piece suit and she's the attractive hotel employee who foiled a hit. Both of their lives are on the line as Ramsey is fired by his employers and hits are put on both their heads. In order to stay alive, she'll have to trust him, even though he's using her to get his old job back.


Read on for a look at STEAL YOU AWAY.

Introducing Garrett Ramsey...

            Fingers drummed the steering wheel’s leather cover.

            Damn city traffic…

            He turned up the air-conditioner again, reluctant to take off his suit jacket. He was used to the lightweight wool-blend, the matching trousers, and the vest. His silk tie, a light blue, matched the tiny pin-stripes and his eyes.

            There was no way in hell he was bowing to the pressure of the stuffy car and stripping. He was a businessman, not an animal. Besides, he was only a few miles away from his meeting. If he hoped to keep his job, he had to look the part.

            Garrett Ramsey glanced down at the car clock, scowling. He was late.

Introducing Cass Sidell...

            Each new day was an accomplishment. Every morning she woke up breathing was a win for her. Survival was the name of the game and Cassandra played to win.

            For three months she dreaded the dawning of a new day. Every new face was a potential threat to her. Every charming smile hid a lying snake in wait. Dark hair was an immediate turn-off and a warning sign. Cass knew he would be back. It was simply a matter of time until he returned.

            People like Garrett Ramsey were too evil to die.

            She glanced into the bathroom vanity, dabbing concealer on the dark circles underneath her green eyes. Her pale skin shone a ghostly white under the harsh fluorescent bulbs. She smiled at her reflection, the action automatic, but not reaching her eyes.

            Sitting on the edge of her unmade bed, Cassandra Sidell slipped her petite feet into a pair of lethal stiletto heels. Her best weapons were a pair of heels. Even a two-inch pump could slow down an attacker. She stood up, pulling down the hem of her high-waisted grey skirt.

            With her nametag pinned to her blouse, she picked up her small purse and a keycard. Her brunette curls fell down her shoulders, standing out against the cream-colored fabric as she exited the hotel room.

            The carpeted hallway dulled the sound of her heels as she strode to the elevator. Her body portrayed a confidence she did not feel. Inside, her body trembled, wanting nothing more than to pull the covers of the luxurious bed over her head.

            Cassandra had already hid in her apartment for a week. By the end of that first week, she jumped at the persistent ring of the telephone or the chime of a clock. There were too many memories crammed into the one-bedroom apartment.

            She ended her lease the following day.

            While she finalized the paperwork on her townhouse, she decided to take advantage of her work’s discounts and book a room. Plus, one couldn’t beat the commute.

            The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival, as the doors slide open.

            Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the metal box, rocketing downstairs to start a new day. Another step forward. Another morning alive.

            And, hopefully, another day without Ramsey.

Fired

            The stony-faced committee of gentlemen before him wasn’t pleased with either his lateness or his current job performance. Even with his unparalleled success record, failure was not to be tolerated. Not at this level. Never before had a civilian destroyed a high-profile job.

            Not just any civilian – a twenty-something hotel employee. A female employee.

            All he’d needed from her was a keycard and cell phone. He got both, but during the return swap, she’d snagged his phone – not her own. It was a disposable phone – Garrett wasn’t stupid – but a single incriminating text was all it took for her to leap into action.

            Cassandra Sidell unwove his careful plan. Instead of his target waiting in the hotel room, it’d been her. And she beat the shit out of him.

            “Effective immediately, you’re fired, Ramsey. And thanks to your spectacular fuck-up, a long-time client left the firm. We hired you to handle delicate situations, not cause them. We have no choice but to withdraw our protection.”

            Garrett frowned. “Withdraw? What are you saying?”

            “The client is well aware of your identity. Should they decide to seek revenge, that’s their prerogative. As it is, they have put out an alert on that girl.”

            “A hit, you mean,” he corrected, his tone clipped.

            The chairman didn’t appear to notice. “You cost us upward of four million dollars in commissions alone. Not to mention having to clean up your mess. Making you disappear was not cheap.”

            “Sir, if you give me another chance—“

            “This is not up for discussion, Ramsey. The board voted. You are a liability to us, not an asset. You’re fired.”

And the games begin...

            Groggy, her mind full of cotton, she stepped into the bathroom. She ducked her head under the faucet. Ice cold water ran down the back of her neck, setting her nerve endings on fire.

            Cassandra blew her bangs out of her eyes, standing up. She faced herself in the mirror, dark-circled eyes and all, only to find her image obscured.

            Blood red lipstick covered the glass. I MAY HAVE TO STEAL YOU it screamed in bold writing. It was a man’s handwriting – all angles and straight strokes. No curves or silly dots. Plain and to the point.

            Just like the man responsible for the garish graffiti.

            Garrett Ramsey. He’d been in her room for sure this time.

            Except, there was a line through STEAL. Above it, he’d scrawled KILL. I MAY HAVE TO KILL YOU.

            She shivered, chills moving through her body.

            Her worst nightmares were about to come true and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Ramsey had the run of the hotel. He’d backed her into a corner and knew it. He was toying her, like a cat with a mouse.

Getting in the Zone

I've got two of my favorite tools right now - a hardback copy of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Character Naming Sourcebook and music. One's by my right elbow, the other piped into headphones from my laptop. The songs themselves don't matter nearly as much as the shear presence of music.

Music is my motivator. It helps me get into the zone and get writing. It increased my productivity.

Sometimes it inspires a character or a story. Most of the time, it gets me unstuck and writing.

As for the name book, it's a must when starting a new project or creating new characters. I love this particular book because it tells you the meaning of the name, variations, and where it originated. There's also some surnames listed and lists in the back of the ten most popular names for various years.

Between the two, I'm making good steady progress on another standalone romantic suspense project. Working title STEAL YOU AWAY, it's about Cassandra Sidell, a hotel employee who nearly died three months ago at the hands of refined killer Garrett Ramsey. A client of Ramsey's wants revenge for a failed job and wants both the killer and the complication, Cassandra, dead. They'll have to learn to trust each other if they want to survive the coming storm.

Sequel Challenges

Writing a sequel is intimidating. I know the characters well, sure. I've got a plot. But the actual writing is hard.

How much back story is too much? I don't want to annoy those who read the previous book or alienate new readers. This is one of a dozen problems that keeps me thinking instead of typing.

I love my recurring characters. I do. Readers love them as well.

So why is Fatal Target so hard to write?

The subject matter is tricky, of course. A beloved character is sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit - but could have easily done. This throws a wrench in his relationship.At the same time, Kat is stalked by a man pretending to be a friend, while working for an old foe of Jackson's.

There's prison breaks. Campus shootings. Trials.

And violence. Lots of violence.

The new baddie, Weiss, is evil. Sociopathic and charismatic, he is used to having his way. Betrayed by an employee and his wife, he's spent over a decade behind bars plotting his vengeance. His target is Katherine - and he has no limits when it comes to torture.

As an author, I have to draw a line. I have to figure out what to tell and what to leave off the page.

In addition to the challenge of Weiss, romance plays a greater role than before. Kat and Aidan are closer than ever after a year spent together. But there's not much time for them to be together before they're torn apart by the law.

Balance is the key. And, boy, is it hard.

But the best part about a series? I don't  have to play all my cards at once. That's right - the mystery of Kat's twin, Larissa, is not going to be taken care of right away. Maybe in book 3 or 4.

A Hop, A Skip, and A Jump...

I love working with series characters. I do. It's great to know a lot of background, history, and information about your chracters. I enjoy it. I know their childhoods, their fears, their future plans, and even the names of their children.

Because of this, I like to bounce around on the timeline and write out of order. I've probably got about a dozen different stories I've started ranging from the immediate follow-up to SOLE SURVIVOR to ten or more years in the future.

My latest proejct, in addition to polishing and revising FATAL TARGET, is a novella. The interesting part about this novella is that it takes place about 20-some years past the events of SOLE SURVIVOR in the future, where characters are older, have children, and are more secondary to the main story.

The main premise is that a young woman wakes up to find herself buried alive. Her captor is playing a game of wits with her sort-of boyfriend/childhood best friend. She has to help herself survive while he tries to unravel the riddles left by her kidnapper. The main problem is that the bad guy doesn't play fair and has rigged his game in such a way that they are sure to lose.

The hero and heroine are the children of some series favorites. In particular, one is the daughter of Katherine and Aidan, and the other is Marc's son.

It's fun to dabble in the future and to have a basic trajectory for your characters. I love all of my characters and I enjoy knowing so much about their lives. It's a bit like coming home after a long trip when I get to work with most of the crew at J. Carter & Associates. Working with their families and so on is an added perk.

I look forward to sharing more adventures in the future. For now, I'm going back to writing.

Why an e-book?

That's a question I get a lot after I announced that I was eschewing traditional print publishing for digital publishing.

I love holding a printed book in my hand. I do. I'm a regular at the library and the bookstore and new release Tuesdays are the highlight of my week. But I'm selling my work exclusively as digital editions.

Why? Simply put, I can reach a greater audience at a lower cost. I can publish books more often, make them easily available through major outlets for download, and I must sadly admit the field of publishing seems to be heading down a digital road.

The costs of producing a paper book are high. Sales are down. Publishers aren't going to make risks on new authors -- at least, not as often as ten years ago -- unless they are a sure-fire hit.

I'm not in it for the money. As much as I want to see my own novels on shelves, right now, I'm just happy that they can be read. I write for the fans and have for years.

So take a chance. Embrace the digital platform. And check out Sole Survivor, my labor of love that I started work on back in high school.