Today, I’m excited to have romantic suspense and paranormal romance author Katie Reus at my blog.  Katie writes some wonderful, pulse-pounding stories, and I am always glad when she stops by for a visit.  And did I mention that she came with a gift? Cause she did. One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of Katie’s new release, DEADLY OBSESSION.

Why Romantic Suspense?

Thank you so much to Cynthia for having me here today!

Why romantic suspense? This is one of the most common questions I get when people discover I’m a writer. Growing up I read a lot of straight contemporary romances because I had no clue any other kind of romance existed. To get my fix, I stole romance books from my mom’s stash so I had to take what I could get. However, I also read a lot of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books which is where I gained my love of mysteries. Then, in 1999 (I remember the year b/c it changed my reading experience) I discovered a new subgenre of romance and I was forever hooked on the awesome combination of romance and suspense! Watching two characters fall in love is always an emotional journey but it’s even more fun when they’re battling external forces determined to keep them apart.

In Deadly Obsession, my recent release from Carina Press, the two main characters haven’t seen each other in a decade and a deranged serial killer is intent on making them both suffer. So in addition to battling their still burning attraction to one another they’re also trying to find out who is terrorizing the hero’s small town (while trying to stay alive).

So even though I fell in love with romance and mystery as separate genres, I now get to combine what’s great about both of them. That’s ultimately why I write romantic suspense. I get the best of two of my favorite worlds. What do you love about romantic suspense? One commenter will be entered to win a digital copy of Deadly Obsession. The winner will be announced in the comments section of this blog on Monday, August, 29 2011 with instructions how to contact me so please check back.

Deadly Obsession now available from Carina Press.

The chilling words of a killer: This is just the beginning…

Ten years ago, Lilly Carmichael left town without an explanation, breaking Braden Donnelly’s heart. The death of her aunt has brought Lilly home–and face to face with memories she thought were long buried. Still getting over a traumatic incident from her work as an NSA agent, Lilly initially dismisses the face at her window as a figment of stress-induced paranoia.

Now the sheriff of Hudson Bay, Braden has spent the last year hunting a sadistic murderer. But his investigation is turned upside down when new evidence indicates that Lilly is the killer’s next target. Determined to protect the woman he’s never stopped loving, Braden must race against the clock to trap a dangerous psychopath—before it’s too late…

***

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance from a young age (since I discovered my mom’s hidden stash) and the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write dark paranormal romance and sexy, fast-paced romantic suspense. Currently I write for Carina Press, Harlequin Nocturne (Destined Mate, October 2011), and in early 2012 the first book in my paranormal series will release from NAL/Signet Eclipse (Alpha Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel). To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, facebook or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Leagh at Romance Book Craze was kind enough to interview me about my upcoming Fallen series. If you get a chance, head over…cause we’re also giving away an Angel of Darkness ARC at her place.

Have a great Friday!!

Update:  I also wanted to post a reminder about the contest below since it is still going on. Lots of great books to be had!!

Want to win some books? (Ah, I do love free books).  Then check out this exciting contest:

(I’ve taken this information from the lovely Ashley March‘s site.  Thank you, Ashley!  This is a great contest–with lots of books to  be won.  Hope you can enter!)

Five huge romance fans who just happen to be romance authors as well have decided that we want to give you the opportunity to receive complete, SIGNED backlists of one of your very favorite authors (and yes, that means EVERYTHING they’ve ever written).

The romance fans/authors who are participating are: Ashley March, Shana Galen, Lila DiPasqua,Vanessa Kelly, and Heather Snow.

The complete, SIGNED backlists they’re giving away are books from the following authors (henceforth known as “The Amazing Authors”):

Lisa Kleypas

Julia Quinn

Elizabeth Hoyt

Cynthia Eden

Julie Garwood

Before we can give these awesome prizes away, though, we need you to show how fanatical of fans you are. Since we know that you’re already following The Amazing Authors on Facebook (you are, aren’t you??), all you need to do is follow the authors who want to give away these complete, signed backlists to you. We all have to reach a certain number of followers; once that happens, then we will run a Facebook giveaway on our individual pages where you can enter to win the complete, signed backlists from the Amazing Authors.

(Please note, you must follow and enter on each of the five Facebook pages to be eligible to win each backlist. The giveaway won’t happen until AFTER the goals are met for ALL of us, and the giveaways will be open to US and international residents! All books will be in English as print books; if any books in the Amazing Authors’ backlists are currently our of print, used books will be purchased for those titles so that the backlist will be complete.)

Ashley March (must reach 2500 total “Likes” in order to give away Lisa Kleypas backlist)

Shana Galen (must reach 2000 total “Likes” in order to give away Julia Quinn backlist)

Lila DiPasqua (must reach 3500 total “Likes” in order to give away Elizabeth Hoyt backlist)

Vanessa Kelly (must reach 2000 total “Likes” in order to give away Cynthia Eden backlist)

Heather Snow (must reach 2500 total “Likes” in order to give away Julie Garwood backlist)

Those are the rules! Tell your friends, tell your family, tell any fellow romance fan you know. Soon, 5 lucky winners will win a complete, signed backlist from a favorite author!

Rejection is something that all writers face. Whether you’ve sold a dozen books or you are attempting to sell your first tale, rejection happens. It’s just a part of the writing life.  The important thing to remember?  You can’t ever let a rejection force you to give up your dream. If you want to be a writer, then write.  Rejections won’t stop you from being a writer–but they can make you more determined than ever to perfect your craft and achieve your dream.

Here’s a video created by the great team at Open Road Media. In this video, Richelle Mead, Mary Monroe, and I all talk about rejection.  (Because, yes, rejection can be a painful thing, but in no way is it the end of your writing life. Don’t let it be.)

Update: Thank you so much for all the responses to the ARC Giveaway. I loved reading the comments!  I picked 3 random winners, and those folks are: Wren Andre, Tiffaney, and January.  Congrats!!!  And, if you’d like another chance to win an ARC–stay tuned. I’ve got lots more contests coming.  Enjoy your Thursday!

I’ve got 3 ANGEL OF DARKNESS Advanced Reader Copies that I would absolutely love to giveaway.

Want to win? We’ll make this easy. I’ve got 3 main types of angels featured in my upcoming Fallen series. Guardians (yep, those angels who watch over humans), Angels of Death (bet you can guess what they do), and Punishment Angels (I’m betting you can figure out what they do, too). Now…guardian angels are the good guys. The Death Angels and the Punishers? Um, not so much.
If you were a character in one of my Fallen books, which category of angels would you belong to? Guardians? Punishers? Death Angels? Are you a good, gentle soul? Or do you like to dish out some retribution?

Leave me your answer, and I will be back tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM (Eastern Time) to pick the 3 winners. Thanks!!

Just wanted to post a quick reminder–the deadline for entering the Brava Writing With The Stars Contest is August 22nd.  If you’ve ever wanted to write a romance, then this is a great contest for you.  Here are the rules (as taken from the Brava Authors website):

The Rules:

1. Entries will be accepted July 1st , 12am EST, through August 22nd, 11:59 EST.
2. Only the first 500 entries will be eligible.
3. This contest is open to unpublished authors. For the purposes of the contest, “unpublished” means authors who have not been published IN ANY FORMAT. Authors who have only self-published are eligible; however, the manuscript you are submitting must be brand new material, never before published.
4. Due to varying contest laws, the contest is only open to authors in the US and Canada. Entries must be in English.
5. Entries must be Brava-level heat. Inspirational or “sweet” romances will be disqualified.
6. Entries can be any genre of romance other than inspirational.
7. Entries must be novella-length, 20,000-30,000 words. Please use the Word Count feature in your document program to calculate this.
8. You must send THE FULL MANUSCRIPT as your entry. We are not interested in seeing partials of manuscripts that are incomplete.
9. Your entry must be sent to us exclusively. Manuscripts that have won previous contests are fine, but please do not send projects that are currently out with other publishers. If your manuscript is out with agents, please let them know they cannot submit it to other publishers until finalists are announced.
10. Your entry must have your name, address, phone number, and email address. PLEASE ADD THIS INFO TO THE FIRST PAGE OF YOUR ENTRY. This information will only be used to contact you if you are a finalist. Please also include the genre you are targeting.
11. ONE ENTRY PER AUTHOR. Subsequent entries will be deleted.
12. Your entry must be submitted via email to marketing@kensingtonbooks.com with “Brava contest” in the subject line. Word doc or rtf format. Snail mail entries will not be considered. Manuscripts sent directly to Brava editors will not be considered.
13. Only the top 8 finalists will be notified. Finalists will be announced Sept 26th. If you have not heard from us by Sept 26th, you are not a finalist, and are free to submit your manuscript elsewhere.
14. Finalists agree to having their headshot and bio publicized by RT. Please do not enter if you are not comfortable with this requirement.

To enter, send your full manuscript to  Marketing@KensingtonBooks.com and be sure to make “Brava Contest” your subject.

Good luck!!