Is there a more exciting moment for an author than release day? The day she gets to show off her baby to the world and hope that the world, in turn, will be kind to it? Here's my latest. I'm still in love with the cover! Every once in a while the cover gods get it right and they nailed the Colorado wintry setting this time around. I did get quite an odd look from my husband when I was gushing over it, saying, "Ooh, cool, there's *blood* on the cover!" I'm sure he wonders what happened to the woman he thought he married!
Deadly Intent is book 4 in The Mindhunters series, but like the first three books it stands alone. The eleven-year-old daughter of a wealthy mogul has been kidnapped--for the second time.
Two years ago, it was the head of the company, Adam Raiker who did what the FBI failed to do the first time and brought Ellie Mulder home. So her parents want Raiker on the case again, which means his investigators have to forge an uneasy alliance with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, who are heading the case.
Set in the blustery mountainous area outside Denver, the setting becomes almost another character in the story. Frigid temperatures and blizzard conditions in the course of the search places another obstacle to finding the girl.
It's been said that my characters are always a bit damaged and I guess that's true. Trauma shapes us, often dramatically. And what emerges in a person after such an experience is what truly fascinates. Regardless of how objective a character strives to be, he or she still sees the world through their own unique filter. And often responding to events in the plot is made more difficult because of the personal obstacles a person must overcome.
That is certainly the case in Deadly Intent. As a forensic linguist, Macy Reid is very familiar with the nuances and patterns of language. And as a former kidnap victim she's all too aware of the tragic consequences of that experience. So she's uniquely qualified to be placed on the team of investigators looking into the abduction.
She and fellow investigator Kellan Burke work with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on a race against the clock to find Ellie Mulder before the madman holding her can carry through on his threats. The case brings up uncomfortable memories of Macy's own past. But it's Kell who causes the most discomfort. After the one night they spent together six months ago, she's found him impossible to forget. Paired together for the course of the investigation, he's impossible to ignored. And so are the feelings he ignites inside her....
You can follow this link for an excerpt of Deadly Intent:
What are your favorite type of characters to read about? What qualities make you root for them to the bitter end? Is there any character that you won't read? One lucky commenter will win a copy of Deadly Intent!
42 comments:
Happy Release Day, Kylie. I like honorable and courageous characters that you can't help but root for them and hope they succeed in love, saving the world and/or catching a killer.
congrats on the release Kylie.
I like the characters to be a bit bold/courageous/intense yet show a tender side when needed.
I won't read a character that cheats on his beloved or is abusive in any way-verbal/physical.
Oooh Kylie, this sounds FABULOUS! Big congrats on the release AND the cover!:) I like to read about characters who are human and who have flaws, but step out of their comfort zones when necessary. I like to be inspired.:)
Jane, absolutely! I want to invest in the characters...to care about what happens to them!
Robynl--I also have a problem with characters who are even verbally abusive. I've read books where one of them (usually the hero) says things that are really unforgivable. And by the end of the story I want to warn the heroine to stay clear of him! Sorta ruins the HEA.
Leanne, you are sooo right about flaws. Who wants to read about perfect people? I don't know any in real life...just a few who think they are, LOL.
Kylie, yay for you!! Sounds terrific. As for me, I tend to like women who are risk takers and men who seem gruff but have that squishy middle.
Enjoy the day.
Lois, love that squishy middle :) Love the rough tough slightly damaged hero who can only be 'touched' by the heroine . Makes the HEA even more satisfying!
happy release day!! I love characters who are damaged...makes it all the more sweet when they find their HEA!
I agree, Kris :) The ones who really have to struggle to get their happy ending are the ones I root for the most!
Happy release day, Kylie! I love your cover, too. The cover gods did get it right! lol
I love reading about damaged characters. It's that train wreck you can't keep your eyes off or your hearts from rooting for. But I want to see them grow and discover. That's what makes for a satisfying ending!
Yes, Helen without that character growth and development we sort of lose faith in the characters. I always think Andy Sipowitz of NYPD was one of the best characters ever. He didn't start as a very good guy. He was racist and irascible and had squishy ethics. But his character arc over the years of the series was brilliant. He became a good guy and it was done in a believable way.
I sooo love this cover and can't WAIT to get my hands on the book - that will be tomorrow!!! when I go shopping.
I like my heroes gruff, tender, vulnerable, funny, teeming with integrity and possessing the 'hero' gene. They just can't help but save the day :o)
Congratulations on the new release!
More than any certain character type, I like the chemistry between the hero and heroine best - it's what keeps me reading.
Congratulations on the release. The cover artwork is striking. A character that has depth, determination and integrity.
Sounds awesome, Kylie! and welcome to the Blood Spatters on the Cover club. ;-)
Cindy, no wonder then that your heroes invariably DO save the day :)
CJ, absolutely, chemistry between the characters (even if it isn't sexual) is what keeps their relationship alive. That's the reason I watch NCIS. Great characters!
Thanks, Traveler :) I'm hoping a great cover will help tempt people to pick up the book!
Michele, I forgot, it's old hat to you, isn't it? Still cool, though :) You've gotten blessed by the cover gods a lot lately!
Happy Release Day. That book sounds intriguing. Love suspense books and i've not read one recently. Would love to win this one.
Good luck, Pam!
Happy Release Day, Kylie!
My favorite type of characters to read about are wallflowers (and rakes). Self-deprecating, but funny. Smart and serious, but still know how to have fun. I think the only character I won't read is the one with no character growth--or doesn't have character growth by the end of the story.
Happy Release day Kylie,
I like heros that are tough on the outside but have that golden heart on the inside. A hero that make the heroine take notice, and heroines that are fiesty.
I love the cover, it really reflects the title.
Congrats on the new release!
I like to read about characters who aren't perfect but do have integrity.
Yes, MsHellion, if there's no growth we (as readers) sort of wonder why we stuck around, don't we?
Thanks, Suzanne! I think it gives sort of an ominous feel, too!
Chey, I invariably roll my eyes at characters who are 'perfect'. They aren't the sort of people I'd even want to know in real life!
Oooo, yeah, that's a great cover for what promises to be a sizzling read. Congrats, Kylie! There's no such thing as a character I won't read. There are books I won't read, and those are the books that bore me. Gratuitous sex and violence bores me. Cardboard characters, cliches and stereotypes bore me.
Give me those damaged characters, Kylie. That makes them human. Let me walk a mile in their shoes. That make me human.
You go, girl!
I looove that cover, Kylie! Congrats.
Qualities I like in a character: Even if damaged, I want them to have a sense of humor. They don't have to yuk it up, but they have to crack a smile or two and learn to not take themselves so very seriously.
It's a fantastic cover and sounds exciting. I like damaged characters. No one is perfect. Charcteres (good and bad) usually have some redeeming qualities although it's not necessary for the villion. Once I care for these characters, the author can take me anywhere she wants.
Congratulations on your new book! The cover is intriguing and I really enjoyed the first three books in this series so I'm glad number four is out. I like characters who have lived life, making mistakes and facing challenges, and learned from them. I don't like characters that think they're smart but do stupid things. The annoy me, a lot.
Congrats!!! And that is a beautiful cover.
I won't say what I WON'T read or won't like, cause it seems like something catches me by surprise and I'm drawn in!
but my favs are the tortured heros. I love them.
I'm with you, Kathleen, I'm reading for those characters first and foremost. I want to invest in them. If an author can't make me care about the story people I won't stick around for the end.
Christie, in the first book I wrote I discovered how important humor was to me. My hero was tough and damaged and the heroine was also serious...it was tough to write. Since then I have to have some humor in every book...something has to lighten the darkness!
Catslady, speaking of villains I really like to understand them. Once I know what drives them I can be even more frightened because I know the lengths they will go. And it's so satisfying to see them brought to justice!
Maureen, too stupid to live characters make a book a wall banger for me. But then, I don't have much use for those type of people in real life either, LOL.
Keri, those tortured heroes just have us wanting to heal them, don't they? Especially if they look like, oh, say Clive Owen :)
Karyn, the soft spot for tortured heroes is beginning to sound like a theme among us. We like them!
Ill read just about anything. But I wont like a character that is mean or abusive. And if they are supposed to be the main character I wont like the book. Luckily I havent run across any like this yet.
Donna, it would be hard to root for a character like that, wouldn't it?
I love strong women who overcome obstacles and get ahead in life.
I read books where the characters are in a bind and somehow they help themselves to get out of it. that's why I enjoy reading it.
Weak women do not interest me and I will not read it.
GloriaDeal@aol.com
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