I'm very happy to have fellow WisRWA member
Mal Olson here today with her debut book,
SHADOW OF DECEIT. I read the book and loved it...here's what I have to say:
“Shadow of Deceit
delivers on the author’s promise of adrenaline-kicked romance with great
characters, a well developed plot, and action packed scenes that’ll keep
readers turning the pages and wanting more! Shannon is a heroine who’s been
dealt a tragic blow but somehow manages to keep on living. Her strength is
tested when she discovers her recently deceased husband had deadly secrets that
have come back to haunt her. Though knocked for a loop the moment he sees
Shannon’s beautiful blue eyes, FBI Agent Tony Crazaniak suspects she knows more
than she claims. Attempts on her life cast him in the role of protector as well
as investigator, and he’s helpless to resist their sizzling attraction. The end
result is Mal Olson’s great debut full of action and emotion that you won’t
want to miss!”
Mal also answered a few questions for me, so enjoy the excerpt and then read on and comment for your chance to win an ebook copy of this wonderful book! (Make sure you leave your contact info in case you're the winner!)
SHADOW OF DECEIT, by Mal Olson
Genre: Romantic Suspense, 66835 words
Heat level: Spicy
Buy:
The Wild Rose Press,
Amazon
Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving
widow desperate to clear her husband’s name learn to believe in love again?
Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into
her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony
Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force
operative’s massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young
widow finds unnerving.
When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection,
they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind—secrets involving a
Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the
world—secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazanaik has vowed to take down.
With danger surrounding them, two emotionally
wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love?
Can they survive long enough to find out?
EXCERPT:
Shannon sat,
stalled, her heart pummeling like prey snagged in an icy hunter’s trap.
Someone knocked on
her window.
Heart in her
throat, every muscle in her body tensed as she jerked her head toward the
passenger side and looked through frosted glass into the face of Special Agent
Tony Crazaniak.
Relief uncoiled
the knot in her stomach. She’d never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
She unlocked the door, and he opened it.
“Jesus, what the
hell was that all about?” He dipped his head and plunked a snow-clogged foot
onto the floor mat as he grabbed her bags and tossed them over the seat.
“I don’t know, and
I wasn’t sticking around to find out.”
Cramming
six-foot-plus inches of man into her Porsche was like stuffing two hundred
pounds of prime beef into a picnic cooler. But he managed not only to squeeze
in and make himself comfortable, he took charge.
“Traffic’s moving,
go!”
She eased the
accelerator, launching forward into an ice-jammed gridlock of traffic crawling
west.
“You want to tell
me what’s going on?” His shoulder brushed against hers when he shifted in the
seat.
“I would if I had
the slightest clue.”
His heat made her
nerve endings prickle. And as far as telling him what was going on? The “would
if I could” may not have been the entire truth, but it was close enough. Besides,
she didn’t want to tell him anything. Yet.
What did she
actually know?
Snow bunched on
the windshield as the wiper blades plowed through thick gruel, as her brain
churned, as she tried to come up with an answer the FBI operative would buy.
“Obviously someone’s after me.”
“Obviously. But,
who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jilted lover?”
Snapping her head
around, she glared at him. The full effect of his intense eyes sent heat waves
rippling down her spine.
“No.” Cheeks
blooming hot, she tugged her glance away and added, “No
lovers.”
She felt his
scrutiny slow-slide over her. The bloom that heated her cheeks spread down her
neck.
“You ought to fix
that,” said Tall-Dark-and-Scrumptious.
And the fact that
she noticed that he was scrumptious flustered her. She wasn’t looking
for…anything. Although, she could use his broad-shouldered, don’t-mess-with-me
attitude and his FBI badge riding shotgun until she ditched the Lexus.
“Listen, I’m not…I
mean…” What did she mean? “Not in the market…All I want is a guard dog until I
lose the lunatic in the Lexus.”
He shrugged.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” His smile slammed the scrumptious meter so high
she heard bells ring, which made her reconsider her comfort level. She realized
she would be safer, at least on an estrogen-to-testosterone level, without his
massive presence and raw animal magnetism steaming up the Porsche’s windows.
Looking into the
mirror, she couldn’t see the Lexus. She turned around and still couldn’t spot
it. Even if it were there, it couldn’t pass four cars on Wisconsin Avenue on a
good day, let alone in this snowy mess.
“On second
thought, why don’t I pull over at the next light and you can hop out. If I want
help, I’ll whistle.”
“I don’t think
so.” He swiveled to look out the rear window, his mouth nearly brushing her
cheek.
Too close. Too
hot. Too dangerous.
She couldn’t pull
over without getting stuck in the slushy excuse for a right lane, but that
didn’t mean she couldn’t stop, and that he couldn’t let himself out.
When the line of
traffic stalled again, she eased her foot on the brake and said with a prick of
guilt over ditching him in calf-high muck, “End of the ride, Agent
Crazaniak.”
He shook his head.
“I can make it
home from here. Thanks for your concern.” Too bad he hadn’t worn boots.
He settled his
broad shoulders against the seat.
“I no longer need
your assistance.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “The Lexus is
gone.”
“Not my style to
leave a woman in distress.”
“Distress?” At the
moment, he was the cause of her distress. All she wanted was to get rid of FBI
Agent Tony Crazaniak.
Her attention
snagged on the Tahoe in front of them, which attempted a jackrabbit start,
fishtailed, and landed in a snow bank.
“Maybe when you
get out, you could give the guy in the Tahoe a hand.”
“You need
protection.”
She reached into
the glove box and whipped out a gold lipstick tube. “I’ve got it.” Pepper
spray. She waggled bouquet de Red Hot Chili Pepper at him.
“You need my
protection.”
“How do I know
you’re really an FBI agent?” She flipped off the top.
He eyed her small
but effective weapon.
“Come on, Shannon,
don’t mess around.” Raising his hands in surrender, he leaned away and grasped
the door handle. “I don’t think you want to do that.”
“All I want is to
go home. Alone…please.”
A nanosecond
later, she found herself watching him stuff her pepper spray into his pocket.
She didn’t know how the exchange had happened. Other than fast.
“Protective
custody.” He patted his pocket. “I’ll get you home safely, and you won’t even
have to whistle.”
Dear God, she was
trapped in her car with a man who oozed so much male charisma she felt like she
was drowning in testosterone.
“Seriously, how do
I know your ID is legit? You could be an ax murderer for all I know.”
“You want to call
the Bureau?” He offered his cell phone. “You can get the number from
information. You wouldn’t want to trust a suspected mass murderer for the
correct number.”
She rolled her
eyes.
“It’s listed under
Federal Bureau of Investigation. They’ll vouch that I’m a really nice guy.”
When she took the
phone, his body heat clung to it and warmed her palm, irritatingly so. “Are
you, really?”
“What, hiding an
ax under my jacket?”
“No.” She scowled
and thumbed in 411. It didn’t hurt to check him out. “Are you really a nice
guy?”
“What do you
think?”
She thought he
wanted to interrogate her. And none of the nice guys she knew were pumped like
Hercules. Rather than answering him, she spoke into the phone, “I’d like the
number for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
The car behind
them honked, and she turned her attention to driving and squeezed past the
stranded Tahoe. While edging into the intersection, she concentrated on the
snow squall, the taillights of the car ahead of them, and on memorizing the
numbers the automated voice was reciting in her ear.
“Look out!”
Crazaniak yelled as the Lexus materialized from the right, racing toward them.
“The bastard must have turned off somewhere and circled
around.”
“Jeez, he’s going
to ram us!” Shannon dropped the phone and stomped the gas pedal. The tires
whined and spun and finally dug beneath the slush. But when rubber found
traction, the car catapulted forward too fast.
Streetlights
whirled.
Her 944 swapped
ends twice on the glazed surface and came to a dead stop in the middle of the
intersection.
The Lexus revved
its engine, its wheels pelting ice. Then rocketed toward them for a second
attack.
Paralyzed, Shannon
froze in terror. Every muscle in her body locked up. Static electricity lifted
the hair at her nape. An image of the accident two years ago flashed through
her mind.
“Hit the gas! Hit the gas!”
~*~
INTERVIEW:
How
did you get started in writing, and how long have you been writing for?
I
remember writing my first romance when I was in seventh grade. It was an
English project, a short story, that I tied into the history subject of the jour—a
pair of young French lovers who had been kept apart because of the hero's false
imprisonment until Bastille Day reunited them. During high school, I was editor
of my school newspaper, and for all of my adult life I've been writing
"something." But it wasn't until my daughter and I decided we
could write a romance, that I tried a full length book. We completed two
category length romantic suspense novels. They never sold, but I still believe
with some reworking they have potential. Each one holds a soft spot in my heart
because we so much fun working on them together.
What
genre do you enjoy reading? Do you stick with what you write, or 'play the
field'?
Romanic
suspense is where it's at for me. The only thing better than reading a RS is
writing one. I realized when I looked at my bookshelves that most of my books
are either RS (Stacey Joy Netzel titles top and center) or mainstream
suspense. Gregg Hurwitz is an awesome suspense writer that I especially
enjoy. But I'm game for any really well written book and like to start out each
day with reading something that inspires me to write fresh. Margie Lawson
and Mary Buckham always have good examples of fresh writing on their web or
blog sites. Tanya French, author of In the Woods, is another
inspiring author. Now that I have a Kindle, I'm focusing on many excellent
offerings available from fellow TWRP writers, as well as many WisRWA author's
whose books are only available electronically.
(Thanks, Mal, I'm glad you've enjoyed my books. )
What
do you find most challenging in the writing process?
Now
that I've had a book published, I find it harder and harder to find time to
work on my WIP. Many time-consuming projects have a way of saying
"me first," while I know finishing the next book should be the most
important item on my agenda.
What
do you enjoy most?
Starting
a new story and creating the characters, although working out a plot without
holes can be a challenge.
What
do you have in store for readers after they've enjoyed Shadow of Deceit?
Too Sexy for His Stetson, a RS set in Idaho where a rookie
deputy and her training officer try to stay focused on business—the white
supremacist gang that's threatening their Idaho mountain community—while fighting
the forbidden attraction that sparks between them. Also in the works, is an
Adrenaline Series that features an uncover FBI counter-terrorism team. I'm also
offering two free short stories, which are available on my website, at
Smashwords, and at most other ebook retailers. Me and Brad is a
heart-warming sweet romance while Danger Zone is an adrenaline-kicked RS
that introduces one of the characters from Shadow of Deceit.
You can find Mal at her website: www.malolson.com
Mal Olson writes adrenaline-kicked romantic suspense. When her consuming passion for writing allows time, she enjoys reading, flower gardening, jamming with friends on the mountain dulcimer, and hiking in a nearby state forest (or in the mountains somewhere). She has three grown children and one granddaughter and resides with her own special hero in southeast Wisconsin where she juggles writing time with her freelance landscape design business.
And check out Shadow of Deceit's book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MN-ph78gic
Buy links:
The Wild Rose Press,
Amazon
I enjoyed Me and Brad, but didn't know about Danger Zone. I'll have to check that one out.
Thank you so much to Mal for being here today! Remember to comment with your email contact and she will pick a winner on Friday.
Have a great week!
Stacey Joy Netzel
