Interview and Giveaway - Lynn Crandall - Dancing with Detective Danger

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Thank you for having me today on your lovely blog! I enjoy the opportunity to share my experience of writing and to interact with readers. Now for the twitter-length description.

Danger rides on Ben Kirby's shoulder. At least that's what Sterling Aegar, heroine of Dancing with Detective Danger, believes. And that's a problem.

Two years ago Sterling ran away from a passionate relationship with Ben because his work scared her. A cop herself turned private investigator, she's suffered more than her share of losses, and with the death of her sister's husband, also a cop, she couldn't contain the idea of loving Ben, then losing him to police work. But now, a mutual case has slammed them together again. Though for Ben, encountering Sterling has triggered physical attraction that has never gone away, it's also reminded him of his deep love for her. As Sterling and Ben confront grave danger on the job, they both must face their troubled pasts and choose love or let it go.

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you tried to get published? It would be an understatement to say I've learned a lot from writing, so it's hard to pick one thing I didn’t know that I wish I had. Hmm…here it is. I wish I'd learned all about effective marketing.

What to you is the best part of being a writer and what is the part you wouldnt mind giving up? I love the exhilaration of getting to know the characters and their story. I'm a pantser, so though I do a lot of preparation and research before I begin writing the story, there is a lot I don't know. It's fun to find out as I go.

The part of being a writer I wouldn’t mind giving up is not knowing everything. It fuels my self-doubt. Why can't I be a genius?

What city would you love to set a story in but the right one hasnt come along yet?  I would love to set a story in Chicago. I love the feel of an urban center, which is why Dancing with Detective Danger is set in a fictitious mid-size city that I feel has a sense of that excitement,  just on a smaller scale.

Vampires, Shifters, Zombies, Angels - who wins the final ultimate battle? Well, can't we all just live together happily ever after?

If you could witness any historical event past, present or future what would it be and why? Interesting question. It seems like historical events come in different sizes and don't necessarily have a huge impact all at once. So with that in mind, I would like to have been there when the Beatles first learned one of their songs was a hit. Very fun moment to be a part of.

If you were going to cowrite a new book, who would you want to write it with? My blog partner would be a good choice. She's a good writer.

What books are currently on your nightstand? I've come sort of late to reading the Dresden Files books, by Jim Butcher, so I'm presently reading Death Masks. I love paranormal romances and Dresden has both, even though the series is not romance.  I just finished reading Rena Koontz's new release from Crimson Romance, The Devil She Knew. Great read.

What is the best thing you have done in the name of research? Started paying more attention to everything. That was way back when I first started writing fiction. Paying attention really made the world come alive for me.

When writing what is your favorite part of the story? I love to write highly charged emotional moments that reveal things about the plot and the characters.

Anything else you would like to share today? I'm working on a second book about the sisters in Dancing with Detective Danger. In the first book, Sterling's sister Lacey is grieving the death of her husband, Nicholas, though he has reappeared in her life. In the second book, Lacey is learning to continue to love the life she has had with Nicholas while considering moving on without him.

DANCING WITH DETECTIVE DANGEROUS

By

Lynn Crandall

BLURB:  

Uncovering secrets and exposing truth are all in a day’s work for private investigator Sterling Aegar. But when her latest case threatens to reveal her own buried feelings for an old love, Sterling runs for cover.

A body in the bathtub and pleas from a jilted wife to find her wayward husband mean a welcome break from the usual humdrum cases Sterling and her sister, Lacey, are called to investigate. But when Sterling’s old flame, Detective Ben Kirby, walks into the murder scene, she feels her world spin out of control. Danger from thugs and murderers poses no greater threat than the peril she’d suffer if she lets daredevil Ben get too close.

Seeing Sterling for the first time in two years is for Ben like drinking in a healing tonic. He could never forget the way it felt to run his hands over her delicious curves or the way she touched his soul. She remains the one person who can make the emptiness in his gut go away. Finding the murderer is his job, but protecting Sterling from seriously dangerous people is his mission.

As the case unfolds, Sterling and Ben not only solve the murder and locate the missing husband, they confront secrets that set them each free from a painful past.

EXCERPT:

Ben wiped the sweat out of his eyes with the back of his hand and reached up again for the bar. Bench-pressing his usual two hundred and fifty pounds, he gritted his teeth and willed his mind to focus on the fifth repetition.

Thoughts of Sterling had been working his mind, stirring up emotions, ever since the moment he’d walked up to her at the Witt murder scene. It didn’t help that this morning when he’d dropped by the Aegar Investigations office Sterling had looked flawless, perfect. Her red suit was the picture of professionalism, but it couldn’t hide her gentle curves. And he could never forget the exquisite joy of running his hands along those sweetly feminine curves.

“Okay, let’s add another twenty pounds, Chris,” Ben said, sitting up and reaching for another weight. It’s the past, man. Forget it.

“What are you training for, the Olympics?” his spotter asked, adding on another steel weight to match the one Ben added.

Lying back down on the weight bench, Ben ignored Chris’s question. Best if no one knows what’s eating me up. He reached up and put everything he had into hoisting the barbell over his head.

Memories of peering deeply into the wells of Sterling’s eyes, dusky with passion, grabbed hold of his gut. The two of them had always connected in such a way that intimacy went beyond the physical realm. It bordered on the spiritual.

Well, that didn’t work. Now I sound like some gushy nut job.

Ben finished the last rep. and sat up to straddle the bench. “That’s it for me, Chris. Want me to spot you now?”

“No. Thanks, Ben, but I’m done for the day. See ya later.”

Ben lumbered to the locker room. Stripping off his shorts and muscle shirt, he walked to the shower and plunged his head into the hard spray. Maybe I can wash her out.

Hadn’t he tried to pull his life together after she left him? It had been damn hard and it had taken the better part of the two years, but he’d thought she was finally out. Or at least as far out of his system as he could ever hope Sterling could be.

Clearly, nothing had changed with her. Sterling wanted no part of him. Ben closed his eyes and leaned weakly against the shower wall. It still hurt. No wonder running into her messed him up so easily, he thought. A gaping hole still bled inside him where she belonged.

REVIEW SOUND BYTES

Lynn Crandall writes a compelling tale of intrigue that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. From the first page to the last, Dancing With Detective Danger will keep you guessing what will happen next as Sterling Aegar and Ben Kirby search to find a killer, as well as answers to the past they thought they had left behind—a past that is at times painful, but one that neither can forget. Dancing With Detective Danger will quickly become a must read for all fans of romantic suspense and have readers looking for more books by this talented author. 

– Kathie DeNosky, USA Today Bestselling Author

Lynn Crandall held my interest from start to finish with unexpected surprises and a satisfying story. Her characters are alive and easy to relate to as they struggle with inner stories that affect their lives—real issues people live with daily. An engaging plot made it hard to put the book down.

There is a broadness in this book's world where emotions and awareness of life beyond the physical are acknowledged. Her characters effectively illustrate the struggles of finding balance in the battle between self-protection and reaching for help while fearing to need it. The issue of being walled off to feel safe from the danger of being open and vulnerable are a familiar human experience. I'd like to follow this cast of characters in new adventures. 

-Lynne McLewin, Counselor and Healer 

Dancing with Detective Danger is filled with intrigue, many twists and turns as well as a passionate love story well weaved together from page one to the end.  Ms. Crandall writes beautiful prose that make the reader unable to lay the book down.  

Elizabeth Butler, award-winning author of nine novels, her latest Happy New Year, Emily Rose

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

I started spinning stories as a child when I tried to entertain my younger sister at night when we were supposed to be going to sleep. In the dark, my stories typically took on a scary or paranormal element -- didn't do much to put us to sleep. Today, I hope my stories still fail to put readers to sleep, but rather take them on a journey. That's what I've been on since I decided to make writing my focus. As a reporter and magazine feature writer, I truly enjoy learning as I work on stories. As a romance writer, I enjoy doing the research and following an evolving story of my characters. I'm still learning as I go.

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16719189-dancing-with-detective-danger

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Detective-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00AWWONCM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357403415&sr=1-1&keywords=dancing+with+detective+danger

Twitter:  @lcrandall246

GIVEAWAY:

Lynn will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/04/virtual-book-tour-dancing-with.html