Hi everyone! Haven't had a guest in Journey with Books in a long time, right?! Well, the long wait is over! Journey with Books blog have a guest today! Ms. Tiffany A. Snow, the author of The Kathleen Turner Series has graces us with her presence! She's going to give a few tips on how to write a successful Romantic Suspense novel for the Romantic Suspense author hopefuls out there.
And of course, there's a lovely, lovely giveaway for all of you down below. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this! You should also check out the tour schedule for more chances to win great prizes!
After her promotion from law firm Runner to Investigator, Kathleen Turner is learning the ropes of her new job from none other than assassin-for-hire Kade Dennon, a situation her boyfriend Blane Kirk is none too happy about. But the lessons with Kathleen take a back seat when Kade becomes a target. Previously untouchable, his enemies now know of the chink in his armor – his brother’s girlfriend.
And Kade’s not the only thing coming between Kathleen and Blane. From Blane’s inexplicable defense of a man guilty of a horrible crime, to a mysterious stranger from Kathleen’s past, to Kathleen’ risky investigation into human traffickers, the obstacles mount against a relationship that’s just begun to find trust again.
While Blane considers a job offer that would take him back to the front lines in the war on terror, Kathleen is determined to pursue her new career, with or without his approval. Unfortunately, her current case is far more dangerous than anyone knows. Someone close to Blane will go to extreme lengths to split them up, lengths that may prove worse than death for Kathleen.
Kathleen, Blane and Kade must atone for the sins of the past and the present. The fallout will force Kathleen to a turning point…in her career, and her life.
And of course, there's a lovely, lovely giveaway for all of you down below. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this! You should also check out the tour schedule for more chances to win great prizes!
Author Guest Post:
Thank you to Journey with Books for hosting me on the blog tour for TURNING POINT, the third book in The Kathleen Turner Series. There will be a total of five books in the series. Book four, OUT OF TURN, will be released on 12/17/13.
Romantic Suspense (RS) is a genre that’s been around a long time, and there are as many variations of books classified as such as there are in paranormal or urban fantasy. Before I crafted the story, there were some things I needed to decide up front. For anyone else choosing to try their hand at RS, perhaps this will help.
1 – Decide how your character will be involved in the mystery. – Unless your heroine/hero is in the law enforcement field, a murder/mystery/etc. doesn't normally happen to them. If they are in some kind of crime-related job, the tie-in is easy. If not, then it’s more difficult and should be thought out to be as believable as possible (though this is fiction, so readers allow some leeway there).
2 – Plan how your hero and heroine will interact. – The hero and heroine not only have to solve a mystery together, they also have to fall in love. So career choice and the How’s and Why’s of them working together need to be fleshed out so your readers can believe the necessity of why they’re together.
3 – The trail of clues. – You want your readers to not only be involved in the blooming romance between your hero and heroine, but to also be following along as they unravel the mystery. Leave clues, let them figure things out the same as your heroine. This is necessary so you don’t get to the end of the book and do an info dump of the Who, What and Why, which can make the reader feel cheated out of “solving” the mystery.
4 – Plan the Big Finish. – You want tension and danger to increase as the story unfolds, keeping the pace moving briskly enough to keep the reader interested but not so fast that they feel information and events are unfolding too fast to a) keep up or b) be believable. The last couple of chapters should be where the hero/heroine are in maximum danger that resolves in a satisfying way with enough time for resolution and closure. Readers can sometimes feel cheated in RS if there’s not a long enough “down time” after the conflict is resolved for your characters to wrap things up and have their HEA.
5 – Romance vs. Plot – This is a big one for me as one of my beefs with RS is usually that there’s too much plot and not enough romance to satisfy me as a reader. There are readers who prefer a thriller with a dash of romance, just as there are readers (like me) who want a romance with a dash of mystery. Decide ahead of time which one is right for you and plan accordingly. The Kathleen Turner Series is much more romance than plot – the plot being what I prefer to call the “skeleton” on which I hang the “flesh” of my characters and their intertwined relationships.
Turning Point Book Blurb:
After her promotion from law firm Runner to Investigator, Kathleen Turner is learning the ropes of her new job from none other than assassin-for-hire Kade Dennon, a situation her boyfriend Blane Kirk is none too happy about. But the lessons with Kathleen take a back seat when Kade becomes a target. Previously untouchable, his enemies now know of the chink in his armor – his brother’s girlfriend.
And Kade’s not the only thing coming between Kathleen and Blane. From Blane’s inexplicable defense of a man guilty of a horrible crime, to a mysterious stranger from Kathleen’s past, to Kathleen’ risky investigation into human traffickers, the obstacles mount against a relationship that’s just begun to find trust again.
While Blane considers a job offer that would take him back to the front lines in the war on terror, Kathleen is determined to pursue her new career, with or without his approval. Unfortunately, her current case is far more dangerous than anyone knows. Someone close to Blane will go to extreme lengths to split them up, lengths that may prove worse than death for Kathleen.
Kathleen, Blane and Kade must atone for the sins of the past and the present. The fallout will force Kathleen to a turning point…in her career, and her life.
Giveaway:
Tiffany is giving away, a grand prize of the winner's choice, KINDLE Paperwhite or HD. Winner will be selected by Rafflecopter. One lucky commenter a Kindle copy or print copy of one of her KATHLEEN TURNER books, winner's choice (Print copy is Cont US only) .
TURNING POINT TOUR SCHEDULE
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
February 28
Thanks for the giveaway during your blog tour!
ReplyDeleteNice advice.
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Love romantic suspense! Very interesting post on how you planned Turning Point. Thanks for the giveaway.
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Correct email is:
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