Guest Blog Post – Creating a Page Turner by Kat Martin

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Kat Martin, The Deception

“I couldn’t put it down! Those words are some of the most satisfying comments an author can receive. Nothing pleases me more than a note from someone grumbling about staying up late to finish one of my books.

It’s music to my ears.

There are lots of ways to earn those precious words. Writing a fast-paced novel is one of them.  It is certainly my goal every time I start a new book.

My latest, THE DECEPTION, was no different.  I knew I would be writing Hawk Maddox’s story.  Hawk had been on my mind since he first appeared in a previous novel, BEYOND DANGER. I knew what he was like–strong, determined, tough as boot leather, and at six-foot-four, two-hundred-twenty pounds, a total beefcake hunk.

He was also a bounty hunter, which made him an interesting character with an interesting job. I always try to find the hero’s perfect match and Kate Gallagher was just right for Hawk. Tall, blonde, and curvy, she loved country music and drinking tequila at the Sagebrush Saloon.

But that was her secret side. She also owned her own business consulting firm so she was smart and hard-working.

I like to read books that draw me in and won’t let go, books I can’t wait to pick up again to find out what’s going to happen next.

There are lots of ways to do it. Pairing down description makes the story move faster–or as Elmore Leonard once said, “I try to leave out the parts people skip.”

A Hollywood movie trick is to jump right into the scene. Leave out the, “Hello, how are you?”  “I’m fine, how are you?” and just start talking.

I try to use hooks at the beginning and end of a chapter, though some authors end a chapter in the middle of the action to keep you turning the pages.

I’ve found I do a lot of characterization by showing how the hero, heroine, and sub characters react in a situation, rather than telling about their past. For instance, I don’t mention what the heroine did in high school unless it’s important to how she’ll solve the problem she’s facing.

These are a few of my techniques, though every author has his own style and there is nothing wrong with any of them as long as they work.

In THE DECEPTION, Kate Gallagher is devastated when she learns her sister has been murdered. Determined to find Chrissy’s killer, Kate hires lethal bounty hunter, Hawk Maddox. Working together, they follow a trail of clues that lead them deep into the city’s underbelly. Though Hawk warns Kate of the danger, nothing he says can convince Kate to walk away.

I hope you’ll watch for THE DECEPTION and that you find it a fast-paced, high-action page-turner. Until next time, all best wishes and happy reading,

Kat

THE DECEPTION, by Kat Martin

Excerpt

Kate stepped out of the elevator onto the tenth floor and made her way down the corridor to her apartment. Her face felt warm and her insides still quivered. One kiss?  It was impossible.

She walked into the living room and firmly closed the door, blew out a shaky breath.  She didn’t trust herself when it came to Hawk Maddox. She had never been this physically attracted to a man before.

Kate sighed as she headed for her home office. If she could turn back time, she would stay as far away from Maximum Security as she could get. She didn’t need a man in her life. She didn’t need the complication. Particularly not a man who drew her the way Jason Maddox did.

That attraction had been the cause of her first mistake–seducing him at the Sagebrush Saloon. It had seemed so safe at the time. A one-time hookup with a hot-bodied guy who made her stomach curl with a single kiss. And those amazing blue eyes. She shook her head. Why not? Other women did that kind of thing.

Now she was working with him, exposed to all that hot masculinity on a daily basis till they found Chrissy’s killer.

Another sigh slipped out as she sat down at her computer to do a little more research.  She could handle it. She was a grown woman. Besides, she really had no choice.

As the screen lit up, her cell phone rang. Kate dug it out of her purse, checked but didn’t recognize the number.  “Kathryn Gallagher.”

“Katie…sweetheart, it’s your father.”

Her stomach instantly knotted. She could see him in her mind, a tall, slender man with silver threads in his dark hair.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” he said.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. She hadn’t seen her father since her parents’ divorce. He’d phoned while the police searched for Chrissy, but her sister had left a note so there was no doubt she had runaway. He had called again when her mother got sick. She had only heard from him twice since her mom had died.

“Hello, Dad.”

“I should have called you when I first heard the news, but I…I just couldn’t.”

His words and the quiver in his voice surprised her. Maybe he actually did care about his daughter, at least a little.

“What do you want, Dad?”

“I know you and Chrissy weren’t close, but she was still your sister. I want to know if you’re okay.”

Her eyes burned.  A lump formed in her throat. “No, Dad, I’m not okay. Chrissy’s dead.  She was murdered and the police have no idea who killed her.  So no, I’m not okay.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I truly am. I wasn’t a good father to you or your sister. I regret that. I want to make it up to you. I’m coming to the funeral. I just need to know where and when.”

“They haven’t…they haven’t released Chrissy’s body yet.”

Seconds passed. “I assume you’re making the arrangements. You’re handling the funeral?”

God, she hadn’t even thought about it. She was too consumed with finding Chrissy’s killer.

She took a deep breath. “I’ll be taking care of it, yes.”  And now that he’d asked, she realized she wanted Chrissy to be buried next to their mother.  The spot had already been paid for, meant to be used by her dad–which was never going to happen now.  “I’d like her to have the place next to Mom.”

“Yes, of course. I should have thought of that myself. Are you…are you going to be all right?”

“I’ve always been able to take care of myself, Dad. I’ll be fine.”

“All right, then. Just call and let me know what day the service is going to be held and I’ll be there.”

“You don’t need to do that. Rockdale is a long way from New York.”

“I want to see you, sweetheart. It’s been far too long.”

“You’re married, Dad. You have a family. I’m all that’s left of your old life.” The lump returned to her throat. “I understand, I really do.”

“Katie, listen to me.”

“I’ve got to go, Dad. I’ll email the date and time.” She hung up before he could say anything more. Fresh tears threatened. She told herself to compartmentalize. She had learned to do that over the years, separate the parts of life that needed to be dealt with now from the painful parts that could be dealt with later. At the moment, she needed to compartmentalize the loss of her sister, separate the Chrissy of the past from the woman who had lived on the streets and been brutally murdered, Tina Galen.

She could do it, she told herself. Just like with Maddox. She didn’t really have any choice.

THE DECEPTION

PAPERBACK release 4/28/20

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON

Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Deception-Maximum-Security-Kat-Martin/dp/1335090258

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Deception-Maximum-Security-Book-ebook/dp/B07N42GTRB

Barnes & Noble

Paperback https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deception-dwayne-t-martin/1125448252?ean=9781335090256

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deception-dwayne-t-martin/1125448252?ean=9781488054327#/

 

 

Guest Blog Post – PIVOT, An interesting Concept

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Alexandra Ivy, Kat Martin, Pivot, Rebecca Zanetti

 By Kat Martin

My upcoming release, PIVOT, began as a novella that I wrote to sometime back to introduce my BOSS Inc. series. Ian Brodie was the owner of the security firm, a tall, good-looking blond man, one of the Brodie cousins. The novella was AGAINST THE HEART, a Romantic Suspense set in a rural area of Spokane, Washington.

A year ago, Alicia Condon, my editor at Kensington, came to me with an idea for a collaborative novel that would include novellas by two other authors.  Their stories would revolve around Ian Brodie and Meriwether Jones, the hero and heroine of AGAINST the HEART.  The idea intrigued me and we decided to go forward.

Alexandra Ivy and Rebecca Zanetti, both bestselling authors of Romantic Suspense, came on board and started writing, taking sub characters from Ian and Meri’s story, telling their own stories, and giving us a glimpse of Ian and Meri’s life going forward.

In PIVOT, Alexandra and Rebecca started with the premise that the three girls involved in the stories shared brutal childhoods and grew up together in foster care.

Now as women, they’re fighting for their lives again.

When Meriwether Jones and her young daughter run from trouble in L.A., that trouble follows. By the time Meri reaches Spokane, she’s out of gas, money, and ideas.  Then her prayers are answered when ex-cop Ian Brodie hires her to help his aging father. But Meri is keeping a dangerous secret—-and Ian is in danger of losing his heart.

Melanie Cassidy finds trouble when she tries to save a young boy from being kidnapped. The last thing she expects is former love-of-her-life, Detective Gray Hawkins, to appear and rescue them both.  But her good-Samaritan efforts pull her and Gray into a conspiracy of drug dealers and dirty cops—-and forces them to examine the relationship they’d once abandoned.

Michelle Peach is one of Meri’s closet friends. She is finally content in Portland—-until two rough men break into her home and threaten her life.  The last person Michelle wants to see is Evan Boldon, a former Marine turned sheriff. But this time Evan is going to stop the trouble stalking Michelle-—and win her heart for good.

I hope you’ll give this fun read a try. And if you haven’t read the BOSS Inc. series, INTO THE FURY, INTO THE WHIRLWIND, and INTO THE FIRESTORM, I hope you will.

Till next time, happy reading and all best,

Kat

PIVOT

EXCERPT #1

 

She took a calming breath. “Okay, I’ll get you the money.  But the bank is closed on Sunday.  I won’t be able to get the money until tomorrow.”  It didn’t matter what she told Joey.  She wasn’t going to be there when he came back to collect.  “Meet me here at noon.  I’ll have the money for you then.”

“I’ll be here at eleven and you better have at least a couple of thousand. You don’t, Lily comes with me.”

Meri suppressed a shudder.  It was hard to imagine that the man standing in front of her was Lily’s father.  Amazing how just one night–one stupid night–could change your life forever.

“I said I’d get you the money.  Now get out of here and leave me alone.”

Joey tucked the roll of twenties into the pocket of his black leather jacket.  “Tell Lily her daddy sends his love.”

Kat Martin Bio

Bestselling author Kat Martin, a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, currently resides in Missoula, Montana with Western-author husband, L. J. Martin. More than seventeen million copies of Kat’s books are in print, and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Fifteen of her recent novels have taken top-ten spots on the New York Times Bestseller List, and her novel, BEYOND REASON, was recently optioned for a feature film. Kat’s next hardcover, THE ULTIMATE  BETRAYAL, a Romantic Thriller, will be released on July 28th.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON

Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/Pivot-Kat-Martin-ebook/dp/B07R5QGWB5

Paperback  https://www.amazon.com/Pivot-Kat-Martin/dp/1420151142

Barnes & Noble

Nook  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pivot-kat-martin/1131427033?ean=9781420151152

Paperback  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pivot-kat-martin/1131427033?ean=9781420151145

KOBO  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pivot-20

GOOGLE  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kat_Martin_Pivot?id=N9uVDwAAQBAJ

ITUNES  https://books.apple.com/us/book/pivot/id1461885225

INDIEBOUND  https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420151145

 

Blog Tour – Excerpt from Kat Martin’s new novel “The Conspiracy”

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Kat Martin, The Conspiracy

The Conspiracy, by Kat Martin

EXCERPT 

In the throes of wild monkey sex with Harper Winston, Chase awoke covered in a film of perspiration, an unwelcome throbbing beneath the sheet.  Cursing, he sat up in bed and ran a hand over his face.  Only a dream.  Or in this case, a nightmare.

He shoved his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. Jesus God, he couldn’t remember a dream that had felt more real.  Or ever being more aroused.

Swearing foully, he rolled out of bed.  His brother Bran would get an I-told-you-so laugh out of his misery, but Chase didn’t find his unwanted attraction to a Winston the least bit funny.

Not when Harper’s father ran his world much like a Mafia don, a highly successful criminal enterprise that allowed him to get away with murder–literally.  Everyone in the Dallas underworld knew that to cross Knox Winston might get you dead. The DA’s office turned a blind eye, along with the dirty cops on Knox’s payroll.

Aside from the legitimate businesses Knox now ran–from motels, restaurants, and laundries, to larger enterprises like hotel chains, no one really seemed to know how Knox had actually amassed his fortune. Since his son had once been Chase’s best friend, Chase didn’t want to know, either.

He wondered how much Harper knew about her father’s activities.  Not much, he would guess, since Knox had gone to great lengths to keep his children under the illusion he was just a mega-successful businessman.  And Harper had been gone from Dallas for years.

Chase had a hunch Michael had suspected, that it was part of the reason he had turned to alcohol and drugs, but they had never talked about it.

Padding naked into the bathroom, he reached into the shower and turned on the water, setting the temperature a little colder than he liked.  He wanted to wash Harper’s beautiful face out of his head, the memory of her small, perfect breasts that–thank God–he had never actually seen.

Pulling on his jeans and a short-sleeved yellow Oxford shirt, he was ready to meet with Dutch, who had arranged a boat to Curacao. They could have gone by plane, but he wanted the flexibility to check, if necessary, other spots around the island once they got there.

He wished he was going by himself instead of dragging a woman into what might turn out to be a bad situation.  But as he walked into the living room, Harper came out of the other bedroom, straw hat in hand, dressed and ready to go.  His mind flashed back to the hot, erotic dream, and a shot of lust hit him like a fist.

Chase dragged in a lungful of air and forced himself to think of something else.  Palm trees might have worked if she hadn’t walked close enough for him to catch a whiff of her soft perfume.

“Good morning,” she said.  “Sleep okay?”

Jesus God, help him.  He didn’t want to think of the dream, refused to allow his mind to slide back into the gutter.  Chase had never been more grateful to hear his iPhone ring.

Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he recognized Tabby’s number and pressed the phone against his ear.  “What have you got for me, Tab?”

“Pia’s phone pinged at the Zee Winden Marina in Curacao, same as Michael’s.  Both phones are now inactive.”

Not good.  He could contact the authorities in Curacao, but he could probably be there before the investigation–such as it would likely be–actually got underway. And once he got the police involved it would limit what he would be able to do.

“Anything else?”

“Not at the moment.  If I get something I’ll call.”

“Thanks, Tab.  You’re the best.”  Chase hung up the phone, his mind back on the case.  In his business, the job had to come first.  People’s lives depended on it.

“What did she say?” Harper asked.

“Zee Winden Marina in Curacao, same as your brother. Call Christy and tell her, then pack an overnight bag.  We might not get back tonight.”

So saying, he grabbed the duffle, now packed, he had brought empty in his carryon, something smaller, a little easier to manage. Just a dupe kit, clean underwear, a dress shirt and slacks, high-topped boots and cargo pants, things that might be useful as they moved into uncharted territory, where his search for Michael might lead.

A few minutes later, Harper walked back into the living room carrying the colorful oversized canvas bag she had carried onto the plane.  It was stuffed full and zipped shut ready to go.  She had pulled her hair into a pony tail, but flyaway pale blond strands floated around her face, gleaming like pale spun gold.

The heat returned to his groin.  Dammit, what was there about her?

About the Author:

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, BEYOND CONTROL, hit both big lists … NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST as well as the USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS LIST. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

Purchase Links

Amazon   B&N   Kobo   Google   ITunes

 

 

Blog Tour: Best-selling author Kat Martin tells us about real life heroes

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Kat Martin, Romantic Suspense, The Conspiracy

As a writer, I’m always looking for new story ideas.  For most writers, past experiences can be a very big help.  Have you ever survived a dangerous situation?  How did you do it?

When I was first learning to snow ski, I got caught on top of Stowe Mountain, Vermont in a blizzard, after the lifts had closed.  It’s a huge ski area.  It was my first day on skis and somehow I got separated from my friends and wound up on a black diamond run.  Of course I started falling, and falling, and falling.  Throwing myself down in the snow was the only way I knew how to stop!

By the time I got half way down, it was pitch black and freezing cold.  I tried taking off my skis and walking, but the snow was deep and it was even harder that trying to ski.  The clothes I had on weren’t nearly thick enough for a New England winter and I was afraid hypothermia would set in.  I knew I was in big trouble.

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

Maybe the reason I started writing Romantic Suspense had something to do with that day.  Just when I was ready to give up, just sit down in the snow and wait for whatever was going to happen, a guy came skiing down the hill out of nowhere.

Instead of skiing on by, he swished to a stop right next to me.   He must have realized I was in trouble and if I didn’t get down the mountain, I could die in the subzero weather that night.  The guy–my hero–helped me get up and start “skiing” back down the hill. He showed me how to snow plow, helped me make the necessary turns, and never left me, no matter how many times I fell.

It took hours to get off that mountain.  We wound up in an empty parking lot, where fortunately his car was parked, and he drove me back to the main lodge, which was snowed in by that time.  I never saw him again, but I’ve never forgotten him.  There is a chance he might have saved my life that night.

So I guess there really are heroes out in the real world.  Chase Garrett, the hero in THE CONSPIRACY, is that kind of man.

The oldest of the three wealthy Garrett brothers, Chase, a private detective, owns Maximum Security, a highly successful Dallas security firm.

In THE CONSPIRACY, Harper Winston’s brother has disappeared.  Desperate to find him, Harper is forced turn to Chase, once her brother’s best friend.  But dealing with the Winston crime family won’t be easy.  With time running out, Chase must find a way to keep Harper safe…and both of them alive.

I hope you’ll watch for THE CONSPIRACY and that you enjoy it.  Till next time, all best and happy reading,

Kat

The Conspiracy, by Kat Martin

EXCERPT 5 of 5

As the land cruiser rolled along the highway, Harper tried to relax, but worry nagged her.  She didn’t like the big, dark-haired man with the obsidian eyes and scarred face.  With his hard features and powerful, muscular body, Killian Dawson made her more than a little uneasy.

Even his name set her on edge.  Killian.  Kil, he called himself.  She wondered if he spelled it with two LLs.

She couldn’t imagine how a man who hadn’t cut his hair in months, hadn’t shaved in days, could possibly be handsome, but somehow he was.  She thought that a man who exuded that kind of masculinity wouldn’t have any trouble attracting women, though his crude brand of sexuality didn’t appeal to her and only made her dislike him more.

It didn’t matter what she thought of him. They needed his help to find Michael, and Dawson clearly knew what he was doing.  She would follow his orders, do whatever she had to.

Besides, she was armed and so was Chase.  In a different but equally masculine way, Chase was Dawson’s equal.  He was smart, his body hard, all lean-muscled power and strength.  She could count on Chase to protect her, believed that in every cell of her body.

Maybe it was because she was Michael’s sister, or that she was a woman, but she didn’t think so.  Something was happening between them.  She had begun to see it in Chase’s eyes whenever he looked at her and thought she wouldn’t see.

Something hot and sexual was happening that neither of them wanted–Harper revised the thought–or at least something Chase didn’t want.  Harper was growing more and more certain having sex with Chase Garrett was exactly what she wanted.

Whatever the truth, at least for now both of them were doing their best to ignore it.  They were there to save Michael and Pia.  That was all that mattered.

An hour and a half after they left Santa Marta following the GPS coordinates Tabitha Love had given to Chase, Kil Dawson pulled the Land Cruiser off the Mingueo-Santa Marta highway onto a two-lane road headed directly toward the ocean.  The road quickly narrowed to a single dirt track, and a few miles later, the sea appeared in front of them, an endless expanse of blue.

The road turned slightly south and ran along the edge of a cove.  A ways farther on, a few weary structures appeared ahead of them, a gas station with only a single pump, and what passed for a restaurant with rooms above.  A permanent VACANT sign swung in the breeze on a pole outside the entrance.  Next to it, the door to the Las Palmaras Cantina stood open.

The village was mostly deserted, just a kid on a ratty, bicycle and a couple of older women in ankle-length, gathered skirts walking along the dirt street.  A mongrel black and white dogged sniffed a trash can in the ally beside the restaurant looking for something to eat.

It was the sleek white sailboat bobbing at a long wooden dock on the west side of the cove that captured Harper’s attention. Her mouth went dry as she recognized her brother’s beautiful yacht, BUZZ Word.

“There it is!”  She pointed excitedly over Chase’s shoulder.  “Michael’s boat.  That’s it!”

Dawson pulled the vehicle off the main road onto an even narrower dirt track that wound into deep green foliage.  Reaching beneath his seat, he dragged out a pair of binoculars and began to scan the dock, the village, and the area around it for what seemed the longest time.

“Looks deserted,” he finally said.  “No way to know for sure till we check it out.”

Harper’s gaze remained on the boat, her heart throbbing. They’d found the yacht, but what had happened to Michael and Pia?  She didn’t see anyone aboard the vessel.  Had they been murdered for the money the valuable yacht would bring?  She shoved the grim thought out of her head.  Her brother was alive somewhere and being held for ransom.  Chase had said it was still a possibility.

Putting the cruiser into four-wheel drive, Dawson drove farther down the muddy trail until they were completely hidden from view. The engine went dead and Dawson stepped out of the vehicle.  At the same time, so did Chase.

Silently, the men walked to the rear of the cruiser and opened the tailgate to the cargo area.  They both started unzipping gear bags and pulling out clothes and equipment.

When the men began to peel off their shirts and jeans, Harper looked away.  By the time she looked back, both men were dressed, both wearing camo pants and T-shirts. The olive drab Tee that Chase had put on outlined the muscles across his chest and abdomen and stretched around his amazing biceps.  He’d strapped one of Dawson’s long-bladed knives to his thigh and a second pistol hung from a belt around his waist.

He looked like a man she had never seen before. Tall, hard-edged, hard-bodied, and determined.  He hadn’t shaved since they’d left Aruba and the dark gold beard along his jaw now joined the rough stubble on his cheeks, making him appear rugged and dangerous. He looked like a man who could handle whatever he faced, exactly the right man for the job ahead of him.

It was exactly the wrong time for her to feel a shot of lust.

Kil Dawson closed the back of the cruiser while Chase walked around and opened the rear passenger door.  “You need to stay here,” he said.  “You’ve got a gun.  If you get in trouble, fire off a shot.  We won’t be far away.”

Purchase Links

AMAZON

https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Maximum-Security-Book-ebook/dp/B07C14Q9M2

BN

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conspiracy-duane-l-martin/1120825832?ean=9781488098901#/

KOBO

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-conspiracy-16

GOOGLE

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kat_Martin_The_Conspiracy?id=Xx1VDwAAQBAJ

ITUNES

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-conspiracy/id1369525583?mt=11

INDIEBOUND

https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=The+Conspiracy

 

Kat Martin Bio

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, BEYOND CONTROL, hit both big lists … NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST as well as the USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS LIST. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

 

Blog Tour – Listening to my Characters by Kat Martin & Excerpt From Wait Until Dark

Tags

Kat Martin, Romantic Suspense, Wait Until Dark

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

No question, writing dialogue in a novel can be tricky.  Each character has a unique voice distinct from the others in the book.

Since I’ve never been particularly good at description, letting the characters tell the story is my favorite way to craft a novel.

Of course there has to be narration, ways to move the story forward and set the scene, and different writers use different techniques, sometimes a single character’s actions and observations, or just a majority of narrative to tell the tale.

But I like dialog.  It gives me a chance to get right into the character’s head.  I have to think like he or she does, I have to feel as if I am that person.

I go out of my way not to bore my readers with stuff like “How are you?”  “I am fine.” But once I get my characters talking, I let them talk.  I want to hear what they have to say as much as the reader!

I’m not really sure how a character’s voice gets into a writer’s head, but they all seem to be distinctly different.  Once I sat in front of the post office with the car windows rolled up and tried to hear the voice of every person walking out.

It was amazing!  No two imaginary voices sounded the same.  Strange but true.

So I hope when you read my novels you hear the voices of the people loud and clear.  In WAIT UNTIL DARK, my new digital novella, you’ll get to know Jonah Wolfe and April Vale, and meet the detectives, bounty hunters, and bodyguards in my upcoming Maximum Security series, starting with THE CONSPIRACY, out January 22^nd.

Until then, I hope you have fun listening to the voices in my books and that you’ll look for WAIT UNTIL DARK and THE CONSPIRACY. Till next time, all best wishes and happy reading,

Kat

 

WAIT UNTIL DARK

Excerpt

The sound of voices cut through the pounding in her head, dragging her from a dark void into the light of day.  As uniformed policemen streamed into the bedroom, April Vale looked down at her naked body and saw a sea of blood soaking the mattress.  A naked man lay beside her, a bullet hole in the center of his chest.

A scream tore free as she recognized David Dean, Mayor Rydell’s campaign manager.  Then strong arms hauled her upright and a wave of dizziness hit her, making her stomach roll.  One of the officers draped a blanket around her bare shoulders and they hustled her over to a chair by the window.

Fighting a fresh wave of nausea, April gripped the blanket, her body shaking head to foot.  “What…what’s happening?”  She didn’t realize her hands were being cuffed together in front of her until she heard metal clanking and cold bands of steel wrapped around her wrists.

“What’s your name?”  The room swarmed with policemen.  The one in front of her was stocky and balding, in his early forties.  A pair of EMTs rushed into the room and began working over the bloody man on the bed, but his eyes were open and staring at nothing and she knew he was already dead.

April swallowed the bile in her throat and fought to clear her head, but when she tried to remember where she was or how she got there, all she came up with was a blank.

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said, trying to keep the blanket around her.

“This will all go smoother if you cooperate,” the stocky policeman said. “Tell us your name.”

“I’m…I’m April.  April Vale.” She glanced over at David.  The hole in his chest seemed even bigger and bloodier than before.

“Can you tell us the name of the victim?”

Victim.  A thick lump rose in her throat, threatening to choke her.  “That…that’s David Dean.  We work for Mayor Rydell.”

A young officer with black hair slicked straight back from his forehead walked up.  “Looks like we’ve got the murder weapon, Sarge.  It was right there on the floor next to the lady’s purse.”

April frowned, her mind foggy again.  “Wait…wait a minute.  What’s going on?  I don’t understand.”  Her fingers tightened on the blanket, trying to keep it in place over her naked body. “I don’t know how I got here.  I don’t remember what happened.”

A gray haired man in a navy blue suit brought the gun over in a plastic bag.  She recognized the little .380 she carried for protection.

I’m Detective Sullivan.  Does this belong to you, Ms. Vale?”

She took a deep breath.  “I think it’s mine.  I have one like that.  I have a legal permit to carry.”

The EMTs began checking her over, her blood pressure, her vision, whether or not she had a concussion.

“We need to get her to the hospital,” one of them said, “have her checked out, get a blood sample.”

“Hospital?  I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

A female police officer walked up just then.  “We’ve cuffed your hands in front of you so you can hold onto the blanket.  If you cooperate, we’ll leave them that way.  If not, we’ll have to cuff them behind your back.”

She closed her eyes.  This couldn’t be happening.  “You think I shot him?  I don’t even know how I got here.”

The woman’s expression never changed.  “You need to go to the hospital.  We need to make sure you’re okay.  If you were drugged, it’ll show up in your tox screen.”

Tox screen.  Drugs. Her pistol and a dead man.

That’s when it began to sink in how much trouble she was in. That’s when April’s brain finally started working and she began to figure out what she needed to do–before things got a whole lot worse.

 

At the sound of the glass front door swinging open, Jonah Wolfe looked up to see a tall, leggy redhead walk into the office.

“I hope she’s looking for me.”  Jason Maddox, one of the country’s top bail enforcement agents and one of Jonah’s best friends, had an eye for beautiful women.  This one definitely met Jase’s exacting standards.

But being a former undercover police officer, Jonah noticed more than her stunning face and figure.  Her hands were shaking as she approached the receptionist desk and her face was pale.  He wondered what kind of trouble the lady was in.

“May I help you?”  The receptionist, Mindy Stewart, shoved up the tortoiseshell glasses perched on the end of her nose.  She was petite and cute, and smart enough not to date any of the confirmed bachelors who worked at Maximum Security.

“My name is April Vale.  I’m looking for Jonah Wolfe.”

When Maddox groaned his disappointment, Jonah’s focus sharpened on the redhead.  He rose from behind his desk and started toward the front of the office.  A waiting area with a dark red tufted leather sofa and matching chairs, oak coffee and end tables, gave the place a western feel that perfectly suited the misfit Texans who worked there.

“I’m Wolfe,” Jonah said when he reached her.  “What can I do for you?”  His gaze ran over her, taking in her spectacular curves.  He couldn’t help hoping she needed him for something a lot more intriguing than his skills as a private detective.

He might have smiled, would have if a TROUBLE sign wasn’t stamped in the middle of the pretty lady’s forehead.

“My name is April Vale.  Thank you for seeing me.

“No need to thank me, Ms. Vale.  I haven’t done anything yet.”

“I’m hoping you will.”  She had the face of an angel and legs that went on forever.  But she was a redhead and all that fiery hair just ramped up the warning signs flashing in her big blue eyes.

“Is there somewhere we can speak in private?” April asked.

“Conference room.  Follow me.” As he led her down the hall, she caught an appreciative glance from Jax Ryker and Dante Romero, the only other guys currently in the office, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“This way.”  Jonah held open the door to a glass-walled chamber with a long oak table seating twenty. April walked in and he waited for her to take a seat.

She smoothed the navy blue pencil skirt she was wearing with a pair of sky high heels.  She looked good.  Classy but not completely untouchable.   “As I said, I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice.”

“Not a problem.”  Jonah leaned back in his chair.  “All right, April, why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

She took a deep breath, drawing his attention to the full breasts he’d been doing his best to ignore.  Since he never mixed business with pleasure, he shoved the buzz of attraction he was feeling to the back of his brain.

“I work for Mayor Rydell,” April said.  “Currently I’m….  I was just released from police custody a short time ago, Mr. Wolfe. That’s…that’s why I’m here.”

Jonah straightened in his chair.  “You were under arrest?”

“Officially, I haven’t been charged yet.  But the charge could be murder.”

Jesus.  He hadn’t seen that one coming.  Now she really had his attention.  Jonah leaned toward her.  “So who did you kill, Ms. Vale?”

Kat Martin Bio

 New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, BEYOND CONTROL, hit both big lists … NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST as well as the USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS LIST. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

WEBSITE

http://www.katmartin.com/

CONTEST LINKS

MONTLY CONTEST: https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/

For November, Kat Martin is giving away a copy of AGAINST THE WIND to two winners (winner’s choice of eBook or print format).

WAIT UNTIL DARK — e-book went on sale Nov. 1st, but available for pre-order now!

Don’t miss the thrilling prequel to New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin’s brand-new series, Maximum Security!

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Wait-Until-Dark-Maximum-Security-ebook/dp/B07D7XR8P2

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wait-until-dark-kat-martin/1128768970?ean=9781488045325

Apple Link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wait-until-dark/id1388284597?mt=11

Blog Tour: Kat Martin Tells us about her new series: Maximum Security

Tags

AuthorRT, BookGiveaway, Chiclit, Kat Martin, Paperbacks, Romantic Suspense

By KAT MARTIN

WAIT UNTIL DARK is a digital novella that introduces my new Maximum Security series, set around a private security company in Dallas, Texas.  The story gives you a sneak peak at the private detectives, bail enforcement agents, and bodyguards who work at The Max.

If you read BEYOND DANGER, Beau Reese’s story, you might recall meeting Chase Garrett, the owner of Maximum Security, where female detective, Cassidy Jones, was employed.   The first full-length novel in the series, Chase’s story, THE CONSPIRACY, will be out January 22 of next year–just in time for Valentine’s Day!

In WAIT UNTIL DARK, Jonah Wolfe, a private investigator, has a knack for spotting trouble. When April Vale storms into his office, all his warning signs flash neon red. April’s been accused of murder–but has no memory of how she awoke in her coworker’s bed, drenched in his blood, the deadly bullet fired from April’s own gun.  April must convince Jonah to help her prove her innocence and the clock is ticking.  The real killer is out there–and if they don’t find him before it’s too late, April may be his next victim.

I hope you enjoy WAIT UNTIL DARK and that you’ll watch for Chase Garrett and Harper Winston in THE CONSPIRACY.

Warmest wishes for the upcoming holiday season, Kat.

WAIT UNTIL DARK

WEBSITE

http://www.katmartin.com/

CONTEST LINKS

MONTLY CONTEST: https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/

For October, Kat Martin is giving away a copy of AGAINST THE NIGHT to two winners (winner’s choice of eBook or print format).

WAIT UNTIL DARK — eBook on sale November 1st, but available for pre-order now!

Don’t miss the thrilling prequel to New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin’s brand-new series, Maximum Security!

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Wait-Until-Dark-Maximum-Security-ebook/dp/B07D7XR8P2

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wait-until-dark-kat-martin/1128768970?ean=9781488045325

Apple Link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wait-until-dark/id1388284597?mt=11

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wait-until-dark-4

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40241946-wait-until-dark

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kat_Martin_Wait_Until_Dark?id=udRcDwAAQBAJ

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmartinauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40241946-wait-until-dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Tour – Excerpt from Kat Martin’s New Suspense Novel “Beyond Control”

Tags

bestselling author, Beyond Control, Blog Tour, Kat Martin, Suspense

 

Iron River Ranch

Iron Springs, Texas

Victoria Bradford drove the old blue Chevy Malibu along the two lane road.  Up ahead, a sign hung above a narrow dirt track running off to the west, IRON RIVER RANCH.

“Are we there yet, Mama?” Ivy, her four year old daughter, had asked at a dozen times since they’d left the Walmart parking lot in Iron Springs. The ten mile drive didn’t take long, but to a four year old who’d been in the car for days, they couldn’t reach their destination soon enough.

“We’re very close, sweetheart.  This is the turn, right here.”  Tory checked the gas gauge as the wheels left the pavement and started rumbling over the bumpy dirt road.  Less than an eighth of a tank.  She hoped the ranch wasn’t much farther.

More than that, she prayed the job hadn’t already been filled.

She sighed as the aging Malibu rolled along.  She was basically in bumfrick Egypt, ten miles north of Nowhere Springs, almost out of gas, with twenty three dollars and thirty three cents in her wallet.

Last night, without enough money for a motel room and afraid to use her credit cards for fear Damon would somehow track her, they’d slept in the car in the Walmart parking lot.  As soon as the McDonald’s opened, she had pulled into the drive-thru and bought Sausage McMuffins, then driven out to the ranch to somehow convince the owner to hire a woman with a daughter and no actual ranching experience.

She thought of the ad in the paper she had spotted last night on the counter in the Iron Springs Café. If she somehow managed to get the job, it would be perfect.  Besides a steady paycheck and the ranch being way off the grid, the position included the use of a double-wide trailer.

After being on the road for the past three weeks, living out of motel rooms and suitcases, the trailer sounded like a palace.

“Look, Mama, there it is!” Ivy pointed toward the cluster of buildings up ahead, a couple of barns, several fenced training arenas, and a two-story home with dormer windows and a covered porch running the length out in front. A double-wide sat fifty yards away.

Vast stretches of open green pastureland surrounded the complex where horses and cattle grazed, and there were ponds and woodlands in the distance, and dense copses of trees.

The Chevy bumped over the last patch of road, pulled up in front of the house, and Tory quickly turned off the engine.  No use wasting what little gas she had left.

“Mama, there’s a man over there by the barn.”

Her gaze swung in that direction.  There was, indeed, a man.  The noisy buzz of a saw covered the sound of their arrival, giving her time to assess him.

Shirtless, he was working with his back to them, broad, tanned, and muscled above a narrow waist that disappeared into a pair of faded jeans.  The jeans hugged a round behind and long, powerful legs.

He was tall, she saw when he straightened away from his work and walked into the barn, with medium brown hair cut short.  She got her first look at his face when he walked back out, handsome, with a solid jaw and masculine features, at least three days’ growth of whiskers.

The front of him was just as impressive as the back, a broad chest with solid pecs, muscular biceps, and six pack abs.

Unease filtered through her. This was a strong, powerful male. She knew first hand what a man like that could do to a woman.

Tory forced down the notion. Not all men were like Damon. Before she’d met him, she had been married to a good and decent man, the father of her child.  Jamie Bradford, her high school sweetheart, was one of the gentlest people she’d ever known.  Her father was a good man, before he’d fallen in love with his secretary and divorced her mother, leaving the two of them alone.

Tory took a courage-building breath.  “Stay here, sweetheart.”  Cracking open the car door, she slid out from behind the wheel.  “Don’t worry, sweetie.  Everything’s going to be okay.”

She hoped.

Ivy sank down in her booster seat, trying to make herself invisible.  Tory had survived the fights, arguments, and finally the brutal beating Damon had given her that had put her in the hospital.  Though he had never hurt Ivy, the little girl had seen the results of his mistreatment, leaving her with an unnatural fear of men.

Tory glanced at the big, thick-chested male striding toward her, shrugging into a blue denim shirt. Ivy would be terrified of him.  If there was any other way, she would climb back in the car and just drive away.

There wasn’t.  Tory started walking, meeting the man half way. She glanced around but didn’t see a soul besides the big man in front of her.  Her uneasiness returned but she forced it away.

“May I help you?” he asked, and she thought that at least he was polite.

“My name is Tory Ford. I’m looking for Joshua Cain.  Is that you?”  He had blue eyes and a cleft in his chin.  From a purely physical standpoint, the man was flat out hot.

“I’m Josh Cain.  What can I do for you?”

“I saw your ad in the Iron Springs Gazette.  You’re looking for a stable hand.  I’m here to apply for the job.”

He just shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s a man’s job, Ms. Ford. Mucking out stalls and cleaning tack, feeding the livestock.  It isn’t something you’d want to do.”

“Work isn’t supposed to be fun, Mr. Cain.  That’s why they call it work.  I can muck out stalls, clean tack, and feed stock as well as anyone else.”

“Sorry.  I’m looking for a man.  I appreciate you’re coming out, but–“

“There are laws, Mr. Cain. Equal rights for women.  Have you never heard of that?  Lawsuits against discrimination?”

His jaw hardened.  His eyebrows came down in a frown.  “Are you kidding me?  You’re going to sue me because I won’t hire you to shovel horseshit out of the barn?”

She could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks.  With her fair skin, and fiery red hair, there was no way to hide her embarrassment.

She looked him straight in the face.  “I need this job, Mr. Cain.  I need the house that comes with it.”  She forced herself to smile.  “Why don’t we compromise?  You give me three days to prove I’m up to the job.  If I’m not, I won’t give you anymore trouble.  Three days.  If you don’t think I can handle the work, I’ll leave.  I won’t argue, I’ll just go.”

A muscle jerked in his cheek.  He didn’t like being pressured.  He looked at her hard, then those condemning blue eyes traveled over her shoulder to something behind her.

“Who is that?”

She didn’t have to turn to know Ivy had climbed out of the car.  Like Tory, she was small for her age, but her hair was blond instead of red, and her eyes were blue instead of green.

“That’s my daughter. She’s only four.”  Desperate now, she could feel her heart throbbing softly inside her ribs.  “We need a place, Mr. Cain.  I’ll work hard.  I’ll do whatever you need done.  Just give me a chance.”

He swore the f-word under his breath, not loud enough for Ivy to hear.  Damon wouldn’t have cared.  She clung to the hope that represented.

“What do you plan to do with your daughter while you’re working?  You can’t leave her in the house alone.”

Tory glanced wildly around. She had known this would be a problem. Before, she’d had money enough to hire a sitter or there was day care for employees’ kids.

She looked at the fenced yard off to the side in front of the trailer.  The grass was sparse and in need of a trim.  Maybe he’d had a dog or something, but it was clean and empty now.  The weather was still good and there was a little gazebo with a table and benches in the middle.  She’d be able to keep an eye on Ivy while she was working.

“She could play in the yard. She likes to color and she already reads kids’ books.  She wouldn’t be any trouble.  If this works out, I’ll have money to pay for a sitter.”

Cain looked at Ivy, paced away then back.  “Dammit.”

“It’s just three days. If I do a good job, you won’t have to search for someone else.”

He ran a hand over his short brown hair, paced away, then walked back.  “Did you sleep in your car last night?”

She refused to answer. She didn’t want charity from Cain for anyone else.

“Fine,” he said. “You’ve got three days.  But I’m not cutting you any slack.  You do a man’s job for a man’s pay.  If you can’t hack it, you’re out of here.”

And from the look on his face, he was clearly hoping she would fail.  Hell, maybe she would.

She managed to fake a smile. “Okay, it’s a deal.”  She stuck out her hand to seal the bargain, for a moment didn’t think he was going to shake.  Then he sighed and took hold of her hand, not too hard, just firm enough to let her know he was in charge.

“You start tomorrow morning. Six A.M. sharp.  There’s enough food in the trailer to last a few days. I’ll bring you a quart of milk. After that, board’s on you.  If you’re still here, you’ll need to make a trip into town for groceries.”

Relief filtered through her, so strong it made her head swim.  She had a place to stay where no one would look for her.  She had a job, which meant food and whatever necessities they needed. If he kept her on, she’d find a sitter to watch Ivy.  She’d have time to figure things out, make a new plan.

She took a step back, set an arm around her little girl’s shoulders and drew her forward.  “This is my daughter, Ivy.  Ivy, this is Mr. Cain.”

“Hello, Ivy,” he said. He had an unusual voice, deep and resonate, but at the same time soft and oddly compelling.

Ivy shrunk back.

“Say hello, honey,” Tory said.

“I don’t want to stay. I want to go.”  Clinging to Tory’s waist, she burrowed into her.

“She’s shy,” Tory said.

“The trailer’s unlocked,” Cain said.  “It’s clean and ready to go.”

“Thank you.”

He turned and started striding back to the barn.  She probably should be at least a little afraid of him.  Oddly, she wasn’t.

Then again, she hadn’t been afraid of Damon, either.

About the author

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L.J. Martin, Kat has written 65 historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels. More than 16 million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in 20 foreign countries. Kat is currently working on her next romantic suspense.

Blog Tour – An Interview with Bestselling Author Kat Martin

Tags

bestselling author, Kat Martin, Suspense, Texas Trilogy series

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

 

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L.J. Martin, Kat has written 65 historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels. More than 16 million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in 20 foreign countries. Kat is currently working on her next romantic suspense.

Here’s a blurb for Kat’s new book “Beyond Control.” 

Victoria Bradford and her four-year old daughter are on the run from Tory’s abusive ex-fiancé.  Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere, exactly what Josh Cain wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

When Tory shows up with her adorable little girl, Josh realizes he is in for trouble of the most personal kind. But Josh has seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend is abducted.  Not even when he realizes their troubles are only the tip of the iceberg.

An Interview with Kat Martin

In your last book of the Texas Trilogy series, tell us what life has been like for Victoria Bradford and her four-year-old daughter, Ivy.

Tory and Ivy have been running for their lives for the last six months.  Every time they feel safe, Damon catches up with them and they are forced to flee again.  Their last hope is a place on the Iron Springs Ranch.  Maybe the handsome owner, Joshua Cain, will help.  Tory can only hope and pray that he will.

How did she meet Damon Bridger and what warns her to stay the hell away from him?

She and her best friend, Lisa Shane, were out at an upscale nightclub celebrating Lisa’s birthday.  Damon seemed so wonderful.  But as soon as she accepted his marriage proposal, everything changed. He began to drink and grew violent. Tory knew it was time to leave.

Why is Bridger obsessed with Victoria?

Damon has been driven by his own personal demons all his spoiled life.  Once Tory agrees to marry him, he believes he owns her.  She must do as he says.  When she is bold enough to try to leave him, he goes a little crazy.

What has life been like trying to stay a safe distance away from him?

Tory has had to give up any sort of normal life.  She has changed her name, left her friends behind, and still he manages to find her.  She is out of money and out of ideas.  She desperately needs someone to help her.

How does she turn up at Iron River Ranch in Iron Springs, TX? What led her there? Is she there for a job? Or feels there’s no way Damon can find her at this location?

The Iron River Ranch his Tory’s last hope.  She spotted an ad for a stable hand on the bulletin board in the grocery store.  The ranch offers a job and a place to stay.  It’s way off the grid.  Tory is determined to get the job.

Joshua thinks he’s coming home to peace and quiet. What does the retired sniper return to instead?

Josh loves the peace and quiet of the ranch.  It’s a place he has come to heal after the war. The last thing he wants it to take on the responsibility of a young woman and her daughter on the run from a stalker.

Is there a chance for Victoria and her daughter to be safe and happy? 

Tory’s an optimist.  She believes if she can just escape Damon, she can start a new life. She’s determined to make that happen, to make a home somewhere for herself and her little girl.

What’s next, now that you’ve finished the series? What did you love about writing it?

The Texas trilogy turned out to be one of my all-time favorite series.  I love Texas as a backdrop and I always love writing stories about family.  Linc and Josh were both incredible heroes.  Beau Reese is part of the brothers’ extended family and he wound up being a great hero to write.

Fortunately for me, I get to write four more books set in Texas.  The first book in my Maximum Security series, Until Midnight, is out in January of next year.   It’s set around a detective agency in Dallas.  You met Chase Garrett in Beyond Danger.  Chase is the owner and the hero of the first book.

Beyond Control Blog Tour – The Texas Mystique by Bestselling Author Kat Martin

Tags

bestselling author, Beyond Control, Kat Martin, Romance, sexy, Suspense, Women's Fiction

Since my new book, BEYOND CONTROL–Josh Cain and Victoria Bradford’s story–is set in Texas, I thought it might be fun to talk about one of my favorite places.

There is something special about Texas.  My husband and I lived in Houston for a couple of months one summer and it was a wonderful experience, though at times it was sort of good news and bad.  The people in Texas are extremely friendly, and they always seem to be in a good mood.

 

We gorged ourselves on gourmet meals in some of the country’s finest restaurants, but also ate a ton of delicious Tex Mex, Asian, Indian flatbread, and just about everything else.  We visited art galleries, the beach, and some of the beautiful ranches in the area.

That was the good news. The bad news was Houston in August is HOT.  It’s also muggy and sticky and you just can’t wait for October to arrive.

Two years ago, we traveled to Lubbock for a Western Writers of America conference.  I was reluctant to go in the summer, but it turned out to be a really great trip–hot but dry.  We visited some great museums and met some fun people, including old-time movie star, Barry Corbin, who’s been in everything from Urban Cowboy to The Best Little Whore House in Texas–along with forty-three other movies.

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

For the past few years, I’ve been setting my stories in and around Dallas, one of my favorite U.S. cities. In BEYOND CONTROL, Victoria Bradford and her four-year old daughter are on the run from Tory’s abusive ex-fiancé.  Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere, exactly what Josh Cain wanted when he came back from Afghanistan.  Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

When Tory shows up with her adorable little girl, Josh realizes he is in for trouble of the most personal kind.  But Josh has seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy.  Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch.  Not when Tory’s best friend is abducted–not when it looks like things are going to get worse.

I’ve had great fun writing books set in Texas, including BEYOND REASON and BEYOND DANGER, the first in my Texas Trilogy.  Fortunately, I get to write four more novels set in Dallas around the Maximum Security Agency.  Chase Garrett (You meet him in BEYOND DANGER) runs the company and is the hero of my first book.  It’s out in January of next year.

Texas is a magical place that captured a piece of my soul long ago.  I hope some day you get to visit.  If not, perhaps you might enjoy Josh and Tory in BEYOND CONTROL.  Till next time, all best and happy reading, Kat

WEBSITE

http://www.katmartin.com/

VIDEO LINK

https://youtu.be/I9vEWYddAug

CONTEST LINKS

SPECIAL CONTEST: https://www.katmartin.com/beyond-control-giveaway/

To CELEBRATE the release of BEYOND CONTROL, enter my new contest for a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB and a Kindle copy of AGAINST THE WIND, AGAINST THE FIRE and AGAINST THE LAW. Contest runs from May 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

May Contest: https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/

For MAY, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FURY and MIDNIGHT SUN.

For JUNE, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FIRESTORM and SEASON OF STRANGERS.

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Control-Texas-Trilogy-Martin-ebook/dp/B075CBDPZ7

b&n:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-control-kat-martin/1127062567?ean=9781420143195#/

indiebound:

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420143195

kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beyond-control-9

google play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kat_Martin_Beyond_Control?id=GskzDwAAQBAJ

itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/beyond-control/id1278683477?mt=11

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmartinauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36190397-beyond-control

 

 

 

Blog Tour – Beyond Danger Excerpt

Tags

Beyond Danger, Kat Martin

 

 

Beyond Danger is Beau’s story.  Mega-rich, black-haired, and blue-eyed, Beau is gorgeous to look at, and flashy.  He was an amateur race car driver, sort of a Texas Paul Newman, before he left the racing circuit.  Beau loves fast cars and fast women.

He is also wanted for murder.

That’s where private investigator, Cassidy Jones, comes in.  She’s smart and she’s no pushover, exactly the woman for Beau.  Best of all, she’s determined to prove his innocence.

***

Beyond Danger

Pleasant Hill, Texas

Beau could hardly believe it.  His father was sixty years old!  The girl sitting across from him in a booth at the Pleasant Hill Café looked like a teenager.  A very pregnant teenager.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Missy,” Beau Reese said.  “You don’t have to worry about anything from now on.  I’ll make sure everything is taken care of from here on out.”

“He bought me presents,” the girl said, dabbing a Kleenex against the tears in her blue eyes.  “He told me how pretty I was, how much he liked being with me.  I thought he loved me.”

Fat chance of that, Beau thought.  His dad had never loved anyone but himself.  True, his father, a former Texas state senator, was still a handsome man, one who stayed in shape and looked twenty years younger.  Didn’t make the situation any better.

“How old are you, Missy?”

“Nineteen.”

At least she was over the age of consent.  That was something, not much.

Beau shoved a hand through his wavy black hair and took a steadying breath.  He thought of the DNA test folded up and tucked into the pocket of his shirt.  He had always wanted a baby brother or sister.  Now at the age of thirty five, he was finally going to have one.

Beau felt a surge of protectiveness toward the young woman carrying his father’s child.

He looked over to where she sat hunched over next to her mother on the opposite side of the pink vinyl booth.  “Everybody makes mistakes, Missy.  You picked the wrong guy, that’s all.  Doesn’t mean you won’t have a great kid.”

For the first time since he’d arrived, Missy managed a tentative smile.  “Thank you for saying that.”

Beau returned the smile.  “I’m going to have a baby sister.  I promise she won’t have to worry about a thing from the day she’s born into this world.”  Hell, he was worth more than half a billion dollars.  He would see the child had everything she ever wanted.

When Missy’s lips trembled, her mother scooted out of the booth.  “I think she’s had enough for today.  This is all very hard on her and I don’t want her getting overly tired.”  Josie reached for her daughter’s hand.  “Let’s go home, honey.  You’ll feel better after a nap.”

Beau got up, too, leaned over and brushed a kiss on Missy’s cheek.  “You both have my number.  If you need anything, call me.  Okay?”

Missy swallowed.  “Okay.”

“Thank you, Beau,” Josie said.  “I should have called you sooner.  I should have known you’d help us.”

“I’ll have my assistant send you a check right away.  You’ll have money to take care of expenses and buy the things you need.  After that, I’ll have a draft sent to Missy every month.”

Josie’s eyes teared up.  “I didn’t know how I was going to manage the bills all by myself.  Thank you again, Beau.”

He just nodded.  “Keep me up to date on her condition.”

“I will,” Josie said.

Beau watched the women head for the door, the bell ringing as Josie shoved it open and she and Missy walked out of the café.

Leaving money on the table for his coffee, he followed the women out the door, his temper slowing climbing toward the boiling point, as it had been after he’d first received Josie’s call.

His father should be the one handling Missy’s pregnancy.  He’d had months to step up and do the right thing.  Beau figured he never would.

As he crossed the sidewalk and opened the door of his dark blue Ferrari, his temper cranked up another notch.  By the time the car was roaring along the road to his father’s house, his fury was simmering, bubbling just below the surface.

Unconsciously his foot pressed harder on the gas, urging the car down the two-lane road at well over eighty miles an hour.  With too many tickets in Howler County already, he forced himself to slow down.

Making the turn into Country Club Estates, he jammed on the brakes and the car slid to a stop in front of the house.  The white, two-story home he’d been raised in oozed Southern charm, the row of columns out front mimicking an old-style plantation.

Climbing out of the Ferrari, one of his favorite vehicles, he pounded up the front steps and crossed the porch.  The housekeeper had Mondays and Tuesdays off so he used his key to let himself into the entry.

On this chilly, end-of-January day, the ceiling fans, usually rotating throughout the five-thousand square-foot residence, hadn’t been turned on, leaving the interior strangely silent, the air oddly dense.  The ticking of the ornate grandfather clock in the living room seemed louder than it usually did.

“Dad!  It’s Beau!  Where are you?”  When he didn’t get an answer, he strode down the hall toward the study.  He had phoned his father on the way over.  Though he’d done his best to keep the anger out of his voice, he wasn’t sure he had succeeded.   Maybe his father had left to avoid him.

“Dad!”  Still no answer.  Beau continued down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the quiet.  As he reached the study, he noticed the door standing slightly ajar.  Steeling himself for the confrontation ahead, he clamped down on his temper, rapped firmly, then shoved the door open.

His father wasn’t sitting at the big rosewood desk or in his favorite overstuffed chair next to the fireplace.  Beau started to turn away when an odd gurgling sound sent the hairs up on the back of his neck.

“Dad!”  At the opposite end of the desk, Beau spotted a prone figure lying on the floor in a spreading pool of blood.  “Dad!”  His father’s eyes were closed, his face as gray as ash.  The handle of a letter opener protruded from the middle of his chest.

Beau raced to his father’s side.  “Dad!”  Blood oozed from the wound in his chest and streamed onto the hardwood floor.  He had to stop the bleeding and he had to do it now!

He hesitated, praying he wouldn’t make it worse, then with no other option, grabbed the handle of the letter opener, jerked it out, gripped the front of his dad’s white shirt and ripped it open.

“Oh, my God!  What are you–”

Beau glanced up.  “Call 9-1-1!  Hurry, he’s been stabbed!  Hurry!”

The woman, a shapely brunette named Cassidy Jones, his father’s recently hired personal assistant, didn’t pause, just pulled her cell out of her pocket and hurriedly punched in the number.  He heard her rattle off the address, give the dispatcher the name of the victim and said he had been stabbed.

Beau’s hand shook as he checked for a pulse, found none.  The wound was catastrophic, a stab wound straight to the heart.  No way could his father survive it.

Cassidy ended the call, ran over and knelt on the floor beside him.

“Here, use this to seal the hole.”  She seemed amazingly in control as she handed him a credit card then ran to the wet bar and grabbed a towel, folded it into a pad, rushed back and handed it over.  Beau pressed the towel over the credit card on top of the hole, all the while knowing his father was already dead or within moments of dying.

He checked again for a pulse.  Shook his head, feeling an unexpected rush of grief.  “His heart isn’t beating.  Whoever stabbed him knew exactly where to bury the blade.”  And compressions would only make it worse.

Cassidy reached down to check for herself, pressing her fingers in exactly the right spot on the side of his father’s neck.  She had to know it was hopeless, just as he did, must have known Stewart Reese was dead.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Beau studied his father’s face.  Pain had turned his usually handsome features haggard and slack, nothing like the athletic older man who kept himself so fit and trim.

Sorrow slid through him, making his chest clamp down.  Or maybe it was sadness for the kind of man his father was, the kind who had wound up the victim of a killer.

“Just hold on,” Cassidy said to him.  “The ambulance should be here any minute.”

His mind went blank until the sound of a siren sliced into his conscious.  Cassidy hurried off to let the EMTs into the house and a few moments later they appeared in the study.

“You need to give us some room, Mr. Reese,” one of them said gently, a skinny kid who looked like he knew what he was doing.

Beau backed away and Cassidy followed.  He felt her eyes on him, assessing him with speculation–or was it suspicion?

It didn’t take long for the EMTs to have his father loaded onto a gurney and rolling down the hall, back outside to the ambulance.  Beau strode along behind them, Cassidy trailing in his wake.

It occurred to him that she could be the killer.  But somehow the timing seemed wrong and her reaction seemed genuine.  The thought slid away.

As he climbed into the ambulance and sat down beside his dad, he flicked a last glance at the house.  If Cassidy Jones hadn’t done it, who had?  Had the killer still been inside when Beau arrived?  How had he escaped?  What was his motive?

The ambulance roared down the road, sirens wailing, blowing through intersections, weaving in and out between cars, careening around corners.  All the way to the hospital Beau held his father’s hand.  It was the closest he had ever felt to his dad.

The ambulance turned again and Pleasant Hill Memorial loomed ahead.  The vehicle slammed to a stop in front of the emergency entrance and the back doors banged open.

After what seemed an eternity but was only a very few minutes, Beau’s father, Stewart Beaumont Reese, was pronounced Dead On Arrival.

Beau’s throat closed up.  There were times as a boy he had wished his father dead, but that had been years ago.

Now his dad was gone and Beau wanted answers.  He vowed whatever it took, for no matter how long, he wouldn’t stop until he found the man who had murdered his father.

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