Thanks so much for having me back, Jenn! I’d like to share a bit about my latest
release, Dangerous Proposition, and talk about one of my favorite elements in
romance novels—danger.
A huge fan of Romantic Suspense, I love to test the
waters by adding lots of danger to my stories.
Danger adds suspense by virtue of its very nature. And what better way to bring a reluctant hero
and heroine together than by throwing them into a situation where both are
fearing for their lives?
Even more so than in my other titles, I really
wanted to play up the element of danger in Dangerous Proposition. My initial goal was to create a story in
which the hero and heroine would end up held captive together in a room, believing
it would be their last night, and act on their burning attraction
accordingly. Consequently, I had to
create a dangerous world for heroine Julia Dyson and hero Colin Westwood, one
in which there were many unanswered questions, deep hidden feelings, and an
attraction that is burning so hot, it’s literally about to go up in flames!
Dangerous Proposition opens with Julia and her best
friend Abigail walking into Julia’s father’s office. Tucker Dyson has been abducted and the only
clue left behind is a man’s name in his caller history, Julia’s teenage crush
Colin Westwood. Colin, who is extremely
attracted to Julia upon meeting her, says that he is her father’s superior in
the FBI and agrees to bring Julia to New York with him while he searches for
Tucker. What Colin does not reveal is
the world of secrets he’s actually keeping.
Let the danger begin!
Danger, when used best in Romantic Suspense, elicits
fear, which can spur a looming attraction between a hero and heroine. As I’m writing this post, I’m reading Trust
Me by Brenda Novak. In Novak’s story,
heroine Skye Kellerman is being terrorized by the man who tried to rape her
years ago. Hero detective David Willis
is forced to let go of the burdens holding him back in order to come to Skye’s
aid. A terrifying situation leads to the
two falling into each other’s arms and giving into their helpless attraction
for one another, something which occurs much more quickly given this added element
of suspense. In fact it doesn’t just occur
quickly—the danger element can heat-up that first love scene, making it
downright scorching!
Even the smallest element of danger can cause a
reluctant hero to bring out his best side—his protective one. A hero’s unconscious need to protect is
heightened exponentially when there’s danger, especially if the heroine he’s
attracted to is at the crux of it.
Danger has the potential to take a shy, reluctant, arrogant or otherwise
oblivious man and turn him into what we all love—a hero! What a powerful element indeed!
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