Showcasing: National Bestselling Author Christy Reece's Dark Romantic Suspense Last Chance Series

CONTEST: National bestselling author Christy Reece will be giving one lucky commenter an autographed copy of her latest release of "Return to Me". To enter leave a comment for Christy with a way to get in touch with you either by an email address or your blog. Good Luck!





RESCUE ME
Book One
Christy Reece
Ballantine Books
April 28, 2009

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A covert operative of Last Chance Rescue Enterprises (LCR), Eden St. Claire has made secrets her life’s work. Seven years ago, an evening of emotional vulnerability and pure pleasure almost destroyed her. Now Eden wears her beauty like a mask, concealing any hint of vulnerability or demons of her past.

A daring rescue of an innocent girl on a Greek island leads Eden to a new partner. Jordan Montgomery, new to LCR, has been looking for Eden—though he knows her by another name, from another time. But his search for her is overshadowed by a case that’s gone international. A powerful, ruthless, organized network is stealing women and children around the world—as a lover, a traitor, and a killer all wait for Eden’s next move.






RETURN TO ME
Book Two
Christy Reece
Ballantine Books
May 19, 2009

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Posing as an underage teenager, Samara Lyons is out to trap an online predator. Smart, fiery, and fresh off a broken engagement, Samara is up for the challenge. But this challenge might not be so easy. Her boss, Noah McCall, head of a private international corporation called Last Chance Rescue, can’t disguise his raw, physical desire for Samara—and she’s going crazy battling her own feelings toward him. The middle of a high-stakes op, with the fate of dozens of innocent lives on the line, is not the time to indulge in sensual delights.

Then the sting explodes, forcing Noah to face his dark past, and throwing Samara into the middle of an evil tug-of-war. Noah must confront an enemy he knows better than anyone else in the world while Samara must find a way to stay alive. Now it’s no longer a matter of desire, it’s all about survival.





RUN TO ME
Book Three
Christy Reece
Ballantine Books
June 23, 2009

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Driven by grief and fury, Shea Monroe, an operative for Last Chance Rescue, goes deep undercover, vowing vengeance against the man who killed her husband. Instead, she ends up a captive and the unwilling weapon of a vicious human trafficker. Then she is rescued from her den of terror and shame by her husband’s best friend, Ethan Bishop, a man Shea feels irrevocably drawn to, despite having lost all memory of her life before she was captured.

Ethan saved Shea from a madman and will do anything to keep her safe, but he can’t allow the feelings he once had for her to surface again. While recovering from her ordeal and regaining her lost memory, Shea begins to fall for Ethan. But the treachery and tragedies of the past won’t leave either of them alone. And from Mexico, a monster has sent his foot soldiers to seize Shea—using a weapon beyond anyone’s worst nightmare.







In Depth Interview with National Bestselling Authur Christy Reece

CSM: Please help me welcome Ballantine Books suspense author, Christy Reece to Over the Edge Book Reviews. Christy, my readers and I are so psyched that spend time with us. Thanks so much! Why don’t you tell us more about yourself. Readers love learning new and interesting things about an author, and this would give you a chance to make them feel close.

CR: Hi Christine! Thanks for inviting me. I’m excited to be here.

Just a little about me. I grew up in a small town in Alabama. Graduated from the university of Memphis with a degree in social work. Once had a career with a large insurance company and decided I wanted something different. After I quit my job and caught up on my reading, I issued myself a challenge: Could I write and finish a book. From there an obsession was born.

My husband and I moved back to my home state in 2005, which is great because most of my family still lives here.

I sold a romantic suspense trilogy to Ballantine in 2007 and my first book, RESCUE ME, was released in April of this year. Followed by RETURN TO ME in May and RUN TO ME in June. And I have another back-to-back trilogy scheduled for release in early 2010.

Okay, fire away!

CSM: If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?

CR: If I’ve been writing all day, then I love to sit down and watch mindless television. I get kind of intense during my writing, so anything that makes me laugh is a good thing. I’m particularly fond of Friends and Seinfeld reruns. If I happen to find a Buffy rerun, I’m in heaven!

Or, if it’s the weekend and hubby’s home, I love to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with him, and my girls. Or go out to a nice restaurant for dinner.

CSM: What kind of books do you love to read? Why?

CR: My favorite is romantic suspense. I love the combination of hot romance and heart pounding suspense or adventure. I also enjoy a wonderfully romantic and lush historical or a unique paranormal, preferably vampire or werewolf.

CSM: What type of music do you relax to?

CR: Classic rock

CSM: Besides being a total book junkie I’m also a music junkie. When I’m writing I have a sound track playing either in my mind or in my cd player. What’s your sound track? What type of music is on it?

CR: When I’m writing, I get easily distracted, so it’s usually either total silence or something classical.

CSM: What is your favorite stress reliever?

CR: Playing with my fur-kids. Also, a glass of merlot, steaming bubble bath, soothing music and a great book.

CSM: What is your favorite food?

CR: Chinese and Mexican; also very fond of ice cream and oh, yes, chocolate!

CSM: Describe yourself in one word?

CR: Determined

CSM: What’s your biggest regret in life?

CR: After I graduated from college, I had the opportunity to join the Peace Corps and let my family talk me out of it. Really wished I’d joined…I know it would have been an amazing experience.

CSM: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

CR: Skydiving. It was a blast!

CSM: How would readers find out more about you?

CR: Stop by my website at www.christyreece.com or drop me an email at Christy@christyreece.com

CSM: When did you write your first book?

CR: Finished in May 2002.

CSM: How long did it take you to write it?

CR: I think it was a little more than a year. Don’t exactly remember when I started, but oh man, do I remember when I finished. Fireworks went off in my head!

CSM: Did you encounter any obstacles in writing?

CR: Plenty! But probably the same things most writers experience. Rejections, low contest scores, harsh or ambiguous contest critiques. And a huge chunk of self-doubt.

CSM: What do you think about editing?

CR: Necessary. Makes for a richer, more cohesive story.

CSM: Where and when do you write?

CR: I’m fortunate to be able to write full time. I usually start between 9:00 – 10:00 AM. If I’m on deadline, I’ll write, with frequent breaks, until bedtime. If I’m not on deadline, I try to write at least five to seven hours a day. I write in my home office.

CSM: What books would you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot structuring, dialogue, etc?

CR: Stephen King’s On Writing; Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat; Deb Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict. And read a lot of the kind of books you want to write; read what’s being published now.

CSM: What is your must-have book for writing?

CR: Gregg Reference Manual and a good dictionary and thesaurus

CSM: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

CR: I’m so not good with advice because I think each writer has their own journey and must rely on their inner voice to guide them. However, here’s my nickel’s worth…if this is truly what you want in life, then don’t give up. Write every day, surround yourself with positive people who are supportive and truly happy for you. Help others and allow others to help you. And read, read, read, inside your genre and outside. But most importantly, write and finish the manuscript. Submit it and write another one. You’ll learn and grow with each one. But you have to finish the book and you have to submit!

CSM: What genre(s) do you write?

CR: Romantic Suspense

CSM: Among what you’ve written which is your favorite book and why?

CR: Wow, that’s a hard one. I’ve loved them all. I guess I’d have to choose the first book in my first trilogy, RESCUE ME. Not only was it my first published book, but I discovered so much about myself as I was writing it. I found my writing voice and it was the first time I’d ever dug so deeply into a story and my characters. It was both thrilling and painful.

CSM: Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook in case you forget?

CR: I developed the Last Chance Rescue organization, which my series is based on, just from just wishing such an organization really existed. LCR operatives do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to rescue the innocent.

Most of my ideas for the storylines come from a conversation in my head…a character starts talking to me. Also, I’m a huge news junkie and there’s always something happening that will spark my imagination.

And yes, I have notebooks all over my house, in my purse, in my car.

CSM: Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?

CR: I’ve never consciously used anyone, family, friend or other, in my books. However, I have been known to name villains after people I haven’t really enjoyed knowing.

CSM: Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you?

CR: I think there are parts of me in all my characters. Probably the one I’m most like is Samara Lyons, the heroine in RETURN TO ME. She’s feisty and determined and refuses to let Noah get away with anything. I think my husband would definitely say I have those qualities.

CSM: Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?

CR: Okay, that’s just about the toughest question yet. I think all of my heroes are lovable and sexy. And I have a feeling my readers have their own favorites. As far as my strongest is concerned, I’d have to go with the hero of SECOND CHANCE. That’s the second book in my next trilogy. He’s the most tortured character I’ve created, but is one of the most honorable and compassionate heroes I’ve ever met. I absolutely adore him!

My strongest heroine might be the book I’m working on now, LAST CHANCE. Her name is McKenna Sloane and I absolutely love her attitude. Nothing she does is without cost, but she does what she has to do.

CSM: Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters wanted to go in another direction. What did you do in such a situation?

CR: Absolutely. In my first book, RESCUE ME, I kept trying to get my characters to move to the U.S. They refused. No matter what I said, they stayed in Paris, France. So I had to let them. Of course, after I started writing the second book, RETURN TO ME, I realized why they had to be in France. Would’ve been nice if they’d told me earlier.

In the first book of my new trilogy, NO CHANCE, I kept asking Gabe Maddox to be just a little less on the surly, growly side. He refused. Then, after he told me his story, I realized why he was the way he was. So, I let him have his way. The heroine, Skylar James, is more than enough woman to handle him.

And in SECOND CHANCE, I wrote the last action scene three or four different ways. Every time I wrote it, my hero would say, “No, that’s not me.” And finally, I had to agree. It wasn’t him. So I wrote it the way he told me to and it worked much better.

CSM: Tell us more about your current release by Ballantine Book “Run To Me.”

CR: RUN TO ME is the third book in the first Last Chance Rescue trilogy. Giggle. That sounds funny doesn’t it?

Shea Monroe and Ethan Bishop are former LCR operatives and one-time lovers. Because of some things that happened in their pasts, they break up. Shea ends up marrying another LCR operative and when he gets killed on an op, she goes deep cover to avenge his death. Only it doesn’t work out the way she plans--she ends up getting captured. She’s drugged, tortured and used as a weapon. Ethan gets called back to LCR; his assignment is to rescue Shea. He assumes she’ll be glad to see him, but instead, she has no idea who he is and thinks he’s the enemy. They have to travel through the Mexican jungle on foot. The bad guy is still after them and will do whatever he has to do to get Shea back. It’s a story of love, redemption, and acceptance.

CSM: Any new projects, works in progress?

CR: I have another Last Chance Rescue trilogy coming out early next year, NO CHANCE releases on February 23; SECOND CHANCE releases on MARCH 23; and LAST CHANCE releases on April 27. Again, different characters but all related to the same organization. I’m just finishing up revisions on SECOND CHANCE and am in the process of writing LAST CHANCE.

CSM: I want to take this time to thank you Christy for stopping by and sharing with my readers and myself a little bit about yourself. This sure has been loads of fun. I hope you enjoyed being here as much as we enjoyed having you.

CR: Thanks Christine! I enjoyed it!