A NO GOOD ITCH, THE FBI ESPIONAGE SERIES

A No Good Itch

by S.D. Skye

The author will be awarding a Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 + $25 Kindle GC (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during this tour and the Review Tour, Here. But first, here's the interview she gave for you, Dear Readers:

Where did you grow up?

Washington D.C. is my hometown and I lived in the Maryland suburbs up until I was about 12 while my mother worked for the government. Then she packed us up one day and moved us to Bellaire, Ohio, which was her hometown. I went to high school in a teeny tiny hometown with one road in and one road out. There I embraced my inner nerd, becoming an honor roll student and joining the high school band. I played the baritone and then the tuba…yes, the big one. I returned to D.C. after two years of college in Ohio, transferred schools and got a job with the FBI. I’d end up with an MBA and 20 years of experience in the U.S. intelligence community.

That's impressive. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Lately, I’ve become a huge fan of the memoir. I’ve read a few inspiring ones, including Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacs. So energizing. With that said, I read everything from Jane Austen to Stephen King to Michael Connelly to Terry McMillan.

What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? 

I love warm days by the water. For me, it doesn’t get any better than going to the beach or taking a walk near a local pond. As an Aquarian, being near water definitely recharges my batteries. I love movies and good books and restaurant hopping. I keep it pretty simple. No skydiving. No trekking through the woods. I’m not an adventure girl…which would probably align with my nerdiness.

Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

I love this quote from Apple’s “Think Different” campaign: “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

That’s truly me. I feel like a square peg in a round hole who sees things just a little differently than other people. And I’m just crazy enough to think I can change the world in some small way…or at least my world. That’s what matters.

Counterintelligence? I'd say you ARE changing the world! How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was 7 or 8 years. My mother bought me the diaries with the little locks on them and I’ve been journaling ever since. Never had an inkling that I could be a published author but I always knew that writing was very cathartic for me. When my world got crazy and started spinning out of control, I could calm my mind down by just putting words to a page. Even now when I go back to read my journals from my younger days, the entries that don’t frighten me are highly amusing and insightful. I had something there.

Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

I can write anywhere on anything if need be. I’m not one of those writers who needs to build the exact right environmental conditions to create and write. Sometimes, I may require quiet while others I may have music or the TV droning in the background. Sometimes I use my laptop and other times, I type on my desktop. Sometimes, I write in longhand using my gel pens and Moleskine notebooks. Wherever the words are flowing best on any particular day, that’s where you’ll find me.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Once upon a time I ascribed to the theory that an author could only create the best stories if they were developed organically through pantsing—allowing the story to flow. I wrote four books in another genre that way, but the J.J. McCall stories are entirely too layered and complex to leave to the pantsing. I tried that with the first book and the story had more plot holes than the south side of the moon. From that point forward I decided that I really needed to outline to avoid the plot holes.

But here’s the interesting thing I’ve found out since, outlining really works for all of my books.

Not only do they help you avoid plot holes, but they really keep you productive when your muse goes off on benders. And the key to using outlines effectively as someone who really does want to allow the story to move through you instead of directing it is to allow yourself to veer away from the outline when the story goes in an unplanned direction. So, now I use outlines, but I feel free to ignore them at any point in the story, which still gives me all the flexibility I need to allow my characters their freedom.

A good outline is tremendously helpful to me. With your amazing background, I'm sure you use real events for your stories.

Absolutely. The J.J. McCall Series is loosely based on an FBI agent I worked with in the counterintelligence program and some of the work that we did within the program. She’s an African American female agent who specialized in Russian counterintelligence and organized crime. I so admired her drive and tenacity, excelling in an area that had been largely dominated by white males. The last time I heard she was an executive at a major field office, which doesn’t happen often for female agents…let alone African American female agents, which I think attests to her exceptional service and ability.

Many of the cases are also loosely based on real life experiences I had within the program. Most of them can be found in press articles. The FBI reviews all of my books to ensure that I don’t giveaway anything classified. With that said, I’ve been allowed a lot more freedom than I expected.

Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

As of lately, I’ve been writing mostly in Scrivener, which is a fantastic writing program that was really built to ease the process of novel writing. It allows you to set up word count targets and set deadlines for each book. Then it automatically calculates the word count you need to accomplish during each writing session. I find I work best and most efficiently with deadlines.

I think we all need deadlines. At least, I do. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Entertainment. An escape. A period of time in life when they aren’t worried about what’s going on with life but they are wrapped up in the world I’ve created. And inside these stories I hope that they find an emotional rollercoaster with reasons to laugh, cry, think, be angry, and be left hanging in suspense, wondering what’s going to happen next.

What long-term plans do you have for your career?

To keep writing. Whether I self publish or find my way back into the traditional publishing world, whether I find more genres I feel comfortable writing in, I’m going to continue to write books and publish them. At this point, I can’t not write…and I can’t see time when I won’t be writing. It’s as if I released the Kraken. The writing bug is out of bag now. Can’t get it back inside and I don’t want to.

Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

I’m outlining Book 4 – THE CRAZY ITCH, which will follow J.J. McCall and her task force as they find a mole in the Pentagon. It will pick up where the last book leaves off. I’m also working on a couple of category romances, romantic comedy and young adult, which I’ll publish under a pseudonym. So I’m quite busy.

What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Stay true to your story. Don’t try to write to popular trends. Don’t engage in a bunch of revisions for people who aren’t vested in your work. Nothing will be more disheartening than failing because you didn’t stay true to who you are and the story you truly want to tell. I would also say that you could build a miserable career writing books that aren’t organic to you. You may find success but it seems to me that sustaining that success will be very difficult. My books and my story is proof positive that everyone can find an audience. It may not be Stephen King’s audience…or Robert Ludlum’s audience, but, then again, you didn’t write their books. Be happy with what’s yours. Create your own lanes, stay in them, and don’t worry about what others are doing. Learning this lesson is what brings me peace and allows me to persevere.

Excellent advice. What's a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you?

I’m a total nerd girl. All things Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars, Big Bang Theory, Lord of the Rings—huge fan of them. If the tuba didn’t give my nerdiness away, that should do it.

Embrace your inner nerd. ☺Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

I’m not a shocking person. Hmmm…when I worked for the FBI I was actually featured (briefly) on an episode of 60 Minutes due to my work on an art theft investigation (I worked art theft a couple of years before I got into counterintelligence.) I got to meet and take a picture with Morely Safer, which sits in my dad’s house. Few people know I had my 15 seconds of fame.

That's also impressive. I watch that show whenever possible. I know A NO GOOD ITCH is book three of a series. Do you plan for this to be ongoing or have you set a limit to the series?

Yes. The J.J. McCall books are a series. My fans call them the “Itch” books, which I think is pretty funny. It certainly differentiates them from other books. I had planned to only write 5 books but now I think they may go a bit longer. How much longer, I don’t know. But as I write the books, the story arc seems to call for more books and more cases before they come to an end. Especially with the twist at the end of Book 3. Plus, I love these characters.

Thank you, S.D.  And now, here's more about the latest release, A NO GOOD ITCH:

Blurb for A NO GOOD ITCH:

IN THE GAME OF ESPIONAGE, SPY TAKES TRAITOR.

J.J. MCCALL TAKES OVER.

The FBI and Italian Mafia make strange bedfellows when a vicious Russian Organized crime figure, operating at the behest of Russian Intelligence, lands in The Big Apple. The Russian intelligence hench-man, infamously known as Mashkov, avenges the death of slain a Russian sleeper agent and accidentally hits the son of an Italian crime boss, sending J.J. and Task Force Phantom Hunter to the streets of New York. They are stepping into a possible war between Russian and Italian organized crime factions, while trying to dismantle the financial hub of the most insidious Russian illegals network in U.S. History.

Meanwhile, CIA Case Officer Grayson “Six” Chance is in Moscow trying to capture a fugitive American who has stolen White House intelligence and is planning to pass it to the Russians—putting Six in a moral dilemma he may not be prepared to handle.

And when J.J. finally learns the truth surrounding her mother's death in the line of duty, her life may never be the same.

If you enjoy this book, you will love Book 1--The Seven Year Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) and Book 2 -- Son of a Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel).

Excerpt from A NO GOOD ITCH:

“THE SUPREME ART OF WAR IS TO SUBDUE THE ENEMY WITHOUT FIGHTING.” ~ SUN TZU

Fear, failure, and the fear of failure turned enemies into friends like nothing else in the convoluted world of intelligence and spying. No doubt the reason FBI representatives had been summoned to the Russian Embassy in Washington.

"We'll need a dump truck for the BS about to be heaped on us today," J.J. whispered to her co-case agent, Tony Donato. As the lead case agent behind the ruckus, she'd been ordered to attend the meeting, listen, and respond to nothing.

"Shhh," Tony whispered in reply. "The walls have ears."

Resident Andrei Komarov, the Russian equivalent to the CIA Station Chief in Moscow, led J.J., Tony, and Assistant Director of Counterintelligence John Nixon through the hallowed embassy halls until they reached a well-appointed conference room. It contained mahogany-paneled walls, large open armchairs, and an oversized table large enough to seat Komarov's ego and attitude, both massive in her past experience.

Komarov settled in at the head of the table, his face reddened and contorted. It was as if every word he was about to speak, no doubt carefully selected by the Foreign Minister, would sear his throat and exit his lips like sharpened razors carving him from the inside.

"We've all met before and are quite familiar with one another," Komarov began, shooting a slicing glare through J.J. "So, I'll feel free to dispense with the introductions and pleasantries since we all understand why we are here today." Her aggressive targeting of SVR officers for recruitment was legendary...or infamous, depending on which side of the table you sat. She suppressed the awe she felt. He was the personification of the Russian James Bond in looks, dress, and devoid of any semblance of accent.

J.J., Tony, and Nixon exchanged strained glances before she took a deep breath to brace herself. Komarov was about to progress through the four steps of surviving a massive operational failure.

Step 1: Admit nothing.

Buy Link

http://www.amazon.com/S.D.-Skye/e/B00AMAUFK8

AUTHOR S. D. SKYE Bio and Links:

S.D. Skye is a former FBI Counterintelligence Analyst in the Russia program and supported cases during her 12-year tenure at the Bureau. She has personally witnessed the blowback the Intelligence Community suffered due to the most significant compromises in U.S. history, including the arrests of former CIA Case Officer Aldrich Ames and two of the Bureau's own—FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansen. She has spent 20 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Skye is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son. Skye is hard at work on several projects, including the next installment of the series.

Web Links

Blog: www.authorsdskye.com  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsdskye  

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sdskye1

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/2015/01/nbtm-tour-no-good-itch-by-sd-skye.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by!

TAMRA LASSITER AND SOMETHING TO LOSE

Tamra Lassiter is my guest today on her blog tour to introduce readers to her romantic suspense, SOMETHING TO LOSE.  As you will learn from the excerpt below, this book is fast-paced and intriguing. First here’s a mini-interview with Tamra:

1. What is the first curse word that comes to mind?  How often and why do you use it?

Asshole. I don’t use it very often, but some days there are a lot of assholes on the road.

2. How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

Family trip to Rome, Italy. I will get there someday.

3. What are 5 things within touching distance?

My Great Dane, English Bulldog, Kindle, television remote and William & Mary blanket.

4. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Not so much a crush, but Chris Hemsworth is sure nice to look at. Plus, the Thor outfit doesn’t hurt.

5. What is your least favorite word?

Putrid. It just sounds awful.

  

Something to Lose

by Tamra Lassiter

SOMETHING TO LOSE Blurb:

Everyone has something to lose.

Camden Piotrowski is justifiably upset to find her boyfriend in the arms of another woman. But it’s not the end of her world and definitely not something that a bubble bath, good wine, and cookie dough won’t help. Her pity party is interrupted when handsome Seth Vendetti bursts into her bathroom. She soon discovers that her world and those in it are not as they seem. Can she trust Seth’s version of the truth and make him realize that even he has something to lose?

SOMETHING TO LOSE Excerpt:

His hands form fists that rest on his hips. “Are you threatening an FBI agent?”

I hadn’t really thought of it like that, but I’m not backing down. I put my hands on my hips as well and stand on my tippy toes so that my face is close to his. I could use those three-inch heels right about now, but I hold my ground. His body is tight. I see his pulse beating in his neck.

“Call it what you want. Just get out of my house.”

His hands move behind my neck. He pulls me to him and before I even know what’s happening, he’s kissing me and even more surprising, I’m kissing him, too. His strong fingers move up and down my back as his lips work their magic on mine. I thought I’d been kissed before, but never have I been kissed like this. I still don’t see fireworks, instead I am the firework. Heat explodes from my lips down my throat and to the rest of my body. This isn’t the warmth of fairy tales where the prince and princess kiss their happily-ever-after. This is the battle of the dragon and I don’t know what because my brain is no longer working.

His stubble scratches my chin and the sensation kindles the fire even more. My stomach lurches and I feel weightless, light as a feather now, falling from high in the sky. His hands move to my hips and he pulls me to him tightly. He kisses my chin and then my neck and down to the opening of my robe.

It’s like I wake up from some out-of-body experience to find myself full of lust and clinging to a complete stranger. His hand slips into my robe. I startle and jump back, hugging myself with one hand, the other covering my mouth as my eyes go wide in complete disbelief.

Author Tamra Lassiter

Tamra Lassiter lives in Northern Virginia with her supportive husband, two lovely daughters, elegant Great Dane and not-so-elegant, but very sweet, English Bulldog. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and of course, writing.

www.tamralassiter.com

@tamralassiter

https://twitter.com/TamraLassiter

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamra-Lassiter/351740168279714

GUEST S D SKYE AND HER SEVEN YEAR ITCH

No, folks, S. D. Skye is not a victim of the seven-year itch. She has a new romantic suspense titled THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, the first of her J J McCall series, and will share it with us today after I grill, um, I mean ask her a few questions. S.D. Skye is a former FBI Russian Counterintelligence Program Intelligence Analyst and supported several key cases during her 12-year tenure at the Bureau. She has personally witnessed the blowback the Intelligence Community suffered due to the most significant compromises in U.S. history, including the arrests of former CIA Case Officer Aldrich Ames and two of the Bureau's own--FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hanssen. She has spent 20 years supporting counterintelligence, intelligence, and military missions in the U.S. Intelligence Community. 

S.D. will be awarding a Kindle Fire to a randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour. (US/CANADA ONLY)

Now to cross-exam her:

Caroline: Tell us something about growing up and your deepest personal secrets.

SD: I’m one of the Washingtonians who was actually born in Washington. But I spent my high school years and my first two years of college as a Buckeye in a small town in the Ohio Valley. That’s where my mother and her family were from. It was culture shock for a city girl, but I loved my time there. 

In school, I’d like to think I was a cool nerd, as I was an honor roll student without a pocket protector. But I think the fact that I played the tuba in the band puts me squarely in the bookworm/major nerd category.

Now, I’m a single mom of one precocious…I mean er…precious 12 year old son who has somehow managed to trump me with his sense of humor and perfect comic timing. Funniest kid I’ve ever met…said the biased mom.

Caroline: All moms should be biased toward their kids. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

SD: My tastes are completely random and eclectic. I read everything from Jane Austen to Stephen King. I used to be a major chick lit fan but I haven’t found one in a long time that hasn’t irritated me. Now, I read a lot of non-fiction, biography type books. I like reading how people overcome challenges in their journeys to success. In fiction, I’ll read any book with an engaging character and a story that won’t allow me to put the book down. If I can’t put it down, I won’t put it down.

Caroline: Don’t laugh at the next question, since you have a preteen: What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?

SD: I haven’t had the occasion to do much relaxing and recharging in a few years. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve had a vacation since I started my writing career. I’ve been on a writing and promoting bend ever since the writing bug bit. But when I do relax, I’m a true Aquarian in that I love to be near the water. Not necessarily in the water, but I love the sound of the ocean. I also like taking long drives and howling to the radio. The noises that emanate from my mouth could not constitute singing.

Caroline: Oh, I also have to sing when alone. Otherwise, people come running to see how badly I’m injured. ☺Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

SD: Experience is the only teacher that gives you the test first and the lesson later. This is the story of my life, a text book lesson in learning from error and trial. I should be the smartest person on the planet, but I’m not even close. But I’m much smarter than I used to be, so I’m making progress.

Caroline: Great quote. How long have you been writing?

SD: I’ve been writing since I was about 7 or 8. My mom used to buy me those diaries with the key lock on them. I’ve been keeping journals ever since. Every now and then I’d go back and read my entries and I truly cracked myself up. My entire writing career is based on a self-indulgent need to make others more entertained by laughing at my life than I am. For some reason I kept talking myself out of writing a book though. Gave myself a lot of excuses, like “I don’t have a degree in English,” or “No one will ever read it.” When I hit the big 4-0, somehow I got the courage to do it. I wrote my first novel, after a break-up, in about four months. I haven’t looked back since. 

Caroline: Journaling is a good habit for writers. Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude?

SD: Even though I have an office with a door (a luxury to many writers), I mostly write at my dining room table. My office sits on the back my house so I get little natural light in there, and sunlight energizes me. I’m one of those people who get depressed during the winter months because of the shorter days. But light pours through my dining room window so I’m at home there.

My writing conditions change depending on my mood. Sometimes I need quiet, other times I need white noise. Sometimes, I can write with music. Other times I can’t. As of late, I’ve been in this weird phase where I can only write if Harry Potter movies are playing in the background. My 12 year old son is enjoying this phase. I love Harry and have read all the books, some twice, but I’m looking forward to getting over this.

I have two laptops and two desktops, but I mostly use my dining room desktop because it has a 23 inch screen and I’m blind as a bat.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

SD: Absolutely. Every book I’ve ever written contains little pieces of me. THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, my current release, is actually based on an FBI agent with whom I worked during my 12-year tenure at the FBI.

  

Caroline: Wow, 12 years in the FBI is very impressive. Do you set daily writing goals? Do you get a chance to write every day?

SD: Since my job involves writing, I have no choice but to write every day. But I usually go with the flow. Some days, I might write for 12 hours and others I may write for 12 minutes. Some days I might work on my novel, and other days, if I feel a little blocked or short on ideas, I might work on one of my blogs or promotion. Baby steps or big steps, my primary goal is to make progress and move forward.

Caroline: That’s all we can do, isn’t it? What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

SD: Entertain, enjoyment, lots of laughter, and maybe a few life lessons. I think all of my books contain all of these elements, some to a greater degree than others.

  

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

SD: I plan to write until I have no more stories to tell, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Ideas are constantly coming to me and if I cloned myself twice I’m not sure I’d have time to get them all written.  Right now I have a slew of crazy people running around in my head that are begging to have their business shared with complete strangers.  I will indulge them for as long as I can.

Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

SD: I’ll be spending the next two years finishing up the J.J. McCall FBI Series. In book two, SON OF AN ITCH,  Russian intelligence plants a bug in the White House Situation Room walls and J.J. has to identify the culprit who helped them.  In the meantime, J.J.’s nemesis plots to kill her and defect to Moscow. It’s turning out to be fun book to write, lots more romantic tension in the sticky triangle, a few love scenes (can’t say who is involved),and I’m not sure I could come up with a more exciting ending. Can’t wait until it’s done.

Caroline: Sounds like a terrific book and I love the title’s word play. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

SD: First, don’t try to follow trends. Write the story that is in your heart and soul to tell. Secondly, don’t get hung up on making perfect first drafts. They are supposed to be crap and everything can be fixed. If you want to have a successful career, the key is to FINISH.

Caroline: What’s something about you that would surprise or shock readers?

SD: If you’re not shocked by now, I’m pretty sure nothing else in my life story would do the trick.

I was once on the news show 60 Minutes and got my 15 seconds of fame. They did a feature on an art theft case that I supported while I maintained the FBI’s National Stolen Art File, before I got into counterintelligence. That same week I was featured in U.S.A. Today for the same story. I know what you’re thinking…art theft too? Yes, I’ve had a pretty storied career.

Caroline: You have had a career to keep you writing for a lifetime. Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

SD: Her Family Was Vexed With a Generational Curse. Now for Lie Detecting FBI Spy Catcher J.J. McCall, the Truth is in The Seven Year Itch.

FBI Special Agent J.J. McCall is a born lie detector who recruits foreign spies to catch American traitors. She and co-case agent Tony Donato have lost two of their most critical Russian sources in the past two years, and they may lose another in just a few short days if they don’t catch him, The ICE PHANTOM, a rumored insider spy more insidious and elusive than Ames and Hanssen combined. They suspect he might be burrowed deep inside FBI counterintelligence—and his body count is going up.

Drawn into an unsanctioned mole hunt, they have a week to catch him, save a key source’s life—and their own. While J.J.’s lie detecting ability helps them narrow down the list of suspects, the lie she tells to herself may help the ICE PHANTOM defect to Moscow and get away with the murder of the man she loves.

Skye's debut FBI Series, filled with mystery, espionage, romance, and suspense, will keep you burning through the pages until J.J. catches the very last spy.

Caroline: How about an excerpt?

SD: Excerpt of SEVEN YEAR ITCH

Monday Morning in Moscow…

Mikhail Polyakov was murdered in a Solntsevskaya-owned cottage located in Lobnya, a small village just outside Moscow. It was a Russian organized crime death chamber. A hulking Mafioso known only as Maskov hovered over his mangled corpse. The ax in his massive hand dripped with the blood of a traitor. He would not live to betray his country another day. In the safe house basement, he lay on the concrete floor. A pool of crimson surrounded him, and his flesh had been gashed and hacked beyond visual recognition; death’s stench thickened the air. In order to serve its only noble purpose, his right hand, which bore a crescent-shaped birthmark, was left untouched.

A sliver of light shone through an undersized window revealing the wicked grin that parted the executioner’s cigarette blackened lips. Colonel Anatoliy Golikov. A Russian intelligence officer, he was a member of a cadre of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service—SVR officers—from the First Department. His professional mission had been recruiting people who sold U.S. secrets, but his personal mission was to kill anyone who betrayed the Motherland.

His skinny eyes, slight frame, and borderline gaunt face colored him weak, but his iron-fisted will and suffocating persona made him a man few crossed. Even fewer had lived to brag about it if they had. The son of a former hardline KGB General who executed Russians spying for the West, he’d filled his father’s sadistic shoes well. Left nothing in his wake except a trail of dead American sins against Russia.

Caroline: Where can readers find your books?

SD: SEVEN YEAR ITCH, a JJ McCall Novel, is available in print and ebook from Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Year-Itch-McCall-Novel/dp/0983920230/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360800366&sr=1-1&keywords=seven+year+itch

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you? 

SD: My website is: http://www.authorsdskye.com/

Facebook: http://www.authorsdskye.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDSkye1

Don't forget to  leave a comment to qualify for SD's generous drawing of a Kindle Fire. You can increase your chances by following her tour and commenting at each stop. Her tour stops are listed on her website, given above.

Thanks for stopping by!

BOOK REVIEW - FINDING KATE HUNTLEY, BY THERESA RAGAN

Want a free romantic suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat? FINDING KATE HUNTLEY, by Theresa Ragan, is a romantic suspense that combines romance, murder, and adventure in a fast-paced read. Theresa has graciously offered a free e-book to each person who comments. Please be certain to include your email in your comment, because you will be so glad to get a copy of this book!

When Kate Huntley was fifteen, she saw her father murdered during a Caribbean vacation off the coast of Haiti. He barely managed to save Kate after he fought off his attacker. Who would harm her father? He was a harmless scientist working to find a cure for AIDS. She lives to avenge him, and remains in Haiti's tough backstreets--where life is hard and lives come cheap. She manages to remain under the murderer(s) radar.

Ten years later, while gaining mental and physical strength with her continued determination, she works for a charter business in Port-au-Prince. But she has not yet found her father’s killer nor avenged her father’s death. Every day she thinks of him and heeds her father’s final words, “Trust no one!” She vows she will never be caught helpless again and has turned into a real kickass heroine. Although she is strong and capable, there’s a sense of inner vulnerability to her too that I found endearing. Without her knowledge, her image is caught on a routine satellite photo that alerts the FBI. They want to talk to her about her father's death and why she's remained missing.

Jack Coffey is a rookie FBI agent sent to find missing Kate and bring her home to the States. At the same time, he is being framed. He realizes he’s been naive and feels foolish, but decides to fight back. Now he trusts no one--something he and Kate have in common. He is a charming man, and a real hunk. Kate discovers him following her after being told a man has asked for her. She confronts him, and their race begins. He doesn’t understand why she won’t trust him; she doesn’t understand why he trusts people who have betrayed him.

The fast-paced plot sweeps the reader along with barely time for a deep breath. I loved the action-filled suspense that kept me guessing to the climax. I also loved the relationship between Kate and Jack as it built from sex and developed into a true romance. FINDING KATE HUNTLEY is a book that will please readers on many levels. I recommend it highly to anyone who reads romance, mystery, suspense, and adventure.

Theresa Ragan

FINDING KATE HUNTLEY is available for $2.99 from Kindle but you can have a FREE copy just by leaving Theresa a comment on this blog and review and including your email. What a deal!

To learn more about Theresa Ragan and her other books, check her website

http://www.theresaragan.com/

Thanks to Theresa for her generosity. And thanks for providing me with a copy of FINDING KATE HUNTLEY for this review. I loved it.