My guest author this week is the terrific Tara Lain, who’s spotlighting her fourth, that’s right folks, fourth release -- Golden Dancer, a suspense thriller. Tara’s debut novel, Genetic Attraction, shot to the top of Loose-Id’s best seller lists, and her every release since then has danced *okay go ahead and groan at my pun* to the top ten. Without further ado, I bid you welcome, Tara. Take it away!
Romantic Suspense? I Pitched. I WON!
Thank you so much, Jianne, for having me here today. I’m so excited about my new release Golden Dancer, my first romantic suspense. Writing romantic suspense is a skill I’ve always admired -- from afar. I used to beta read manuscripts for a dear friend who was a very successful romantic suspense writer. All those twists and turns and double crosses. I loved reading it but never dreamed I’d write it myself. Then Loose Id put out a call for manuscripts for their Men of Mystery series. What fun. Give us your secret agents and super heroes, your undercover cops and assassins, they said. Jianne is a master of this genre but I don’t usually write those guys. Not yet anyway. But i had just started a story I was inspired to write with a ballet dancer hero. Not exactly Navy SEAL material. But I had woven a story around my ballet dancer that involved an investigative reporter and a billionaire technologist who may or may not also be an art thief. Hmm. Art theft? What if that theft had bigger implications? What if there was an outside villain who was a seriously nasty guy and what if he had a henchman that would make Ian Fleming proud? What if one hero is pitted against the other in a web of lies and mistrust and what if they both want the same thing? Hey, whaddya know? I had the makings of a romantic suspense. I pitched. I WON! They accepted my proposal. And then I had to WRITE it. Yikes! LOL.
The resulting book, Golden Dancer is a M/M/M ménage. Here are a few things I learned:
· Even with no suspense elements, a ménage is challenging. You need to get far into the heads and hearts of all three men and show their motivations, loves, concerns. When you layer on top of that the need to create a suspenseful plot, you have a lot on your hands.
· The beginning of the book, always a big hurdle in any book for any writer, is a huge challenge in romantic suspense. Especially erotic romantic suspense. You need to introduce the elements of the mystery or conflict right away, but the reader also wants to know who the romantic heroes are going to be. It’s a lot to get on stage at once. Especially when you have three heroes!
· If you want to create a great hero, write a really good villain. As my husband always says, “Nazis make the best villains.” I took his advice.
· Find the right balance between the sex and romance and the mystery and suspense. The reader will get antsy if the romance is ignored in favor of the suspense or vice versa.
· Keep up the pace. Romantic suspense is not leisurely!
I had enormous fun writing Golden Dancer. I notice that all my books are getting a little more suspenseful as a result. I hope you enjoy it -- the suspense, and, above all, the romance! : )
You can WIN Golden Dancer or a copy of my summer romance, Volley Balls. Just leave a comment here. It will be entered in the drawing for the books plus some swag on October 11! If you’d like another entry in the drawing, go quick to http://beautifulboysbooks.blogspot.com Leave a comment there also and your email and Follow the blog. You’ll get another entry in the drawing. Winners will be notified by email. This is the last drawing of the tour so give it a try! And thank you so much to Jianne and to you for visiting the blog. : )