Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Steamy Thrillers

Why steamy thrillers?

When I graduated from college and got my first job as an engineer, my cube mate and I became good buddies, and we’d talk about almost anything. My first clearance was granted in two weeks, which was apparently some record time, while my cube mate’s took almost a year. When the feds interviewed me about his teenage rap sheet, I told them I would not quote it from memory since they obviously had a copy of it. They then asked me what I thought about it. I told the fed that my cube mate was unlucky, and he asked me what I meant by that. My cube mate was unfortunately caught at what most kids do. I won’t go into the details because I grew up in another time and went to high school in a small wealthy town where the cops always asked who your daddy was. My daddy was a nobody in town, so I got points for making cops laugh whenever I was pulled over and told them that. Needless to say I acquired many life experiences at an early age and quite a few hair-raising moments.

Back to my cube mate. Raiders of the Lost Ark came out a few years before I graduated from college. Yes, I’m that old. The movie was awesome, romance, adventure, action, history, and a thrill ride. But what would have made it better? My cube mate and I agreed that having an X-rated scene between Harrison Ford, oh yeah, and Karen Allen would’ve made it perfect. Yes, I was young once and went through my chandelier-hanging days, though they didn’t start until college, not that I didn’t have fun in high school.

The romance books I have most enjoyed usually have a strong plot with plenty of conflict, action, and not just sexual tension, but really I love thrillers with a strong romance element. Sadly, I haven’t read any that have smoking hot sex. The beauty of being an indie author is that I don’t have to listen to some editor tell me what I have to write, and I can continue being the risk taker that I am. It’s not that I don’t want to please the reader. I read most of my reviews and other authors’ reviews I enjoy for any way I can improve my writing. It’s just that I want to write books I would love to read, even though I have a thriller series that currently has no romance or explicit sex and is due out within the next few months. I hope I make my goal.

So what’s next? My Cinderella stories (duet) are steamy thrillers—the first is set in Alaska and the second in Austin, Texas. I love Alaska during the summer when it isn’t pouring down rain. My Cinderella does not have a wicked stepmother or stepsisters but is based on the fact that Disney princesses have duped us into believing Prince Charming exists. Men are human and like us are not perfect. Sometimes, Mr. Wrong is Mr. Right.

I have a few series going on at a time but the next in the Lost Girls Series are White Squall and Red Lies. The second title may change. White Squall is based on my seventeen years of sailboat racing experience, part of where my nail-biting action scenes and jaded humor come from, and the other has to do with some of the creepers I’ve had to work with.

I hope and pray that my readers will enjoy these steamy thrillers. Give me a shout if you have questions or comments and thanks for reading!


Chris