Romantic Suspense Author Nancy Brophy Romance + Suspense + Humor + Excerpts

Humorous Romantic Suspense Author Nancy Brophy agreed to interrupt her busy summer schedule for an interview to kick of our month of Highlighting Romantic Suspense. As a Brophy Fangirl, I was thrilled! ~ Sarah

NANCY BROPHY

-What is the hardest thing for you about writing a Romantic Suspense story?

Here’s what I try to do:

Puke out the first draft, crafting the plot and tying the threads of the story together. Edit to fill in details. Send to a copy editor.

Here’s what I actually do:

Stammer, stutter, shift to-and-fro, beat my head against the wall and quiz my friends. Finally get a first draft done, then edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite. Collapse in exhaustion and wonder why I love this profession.

-What other romantic suspense stories have you written and which is your favorite?

 HELL ON THE HEART is my favorite. It is an action-packed story involving gypsies, American Indians, The Feds, Texans, Armadillos, Tornadoes and a group of bad men that escalate with each chapter. This is the story of a man who thinks he’s in charge and the woman who really is.

THE WRONG BROTHER is my best seller. What happens when the brother’s girlfriend grows up to be a hottie and your brother grows up to be a schmuck? It is a story about finding out who you are and what you want from life. 

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE wrings my heart. I wrote this story because a three-year-old girl I knew died from Leukemia. They say you can’t rewrite history, but this child needed a different family and a better ending. Grant is one of my favorite heroes because he is so honorable and Dori is like so many women I know - hardworking, and yet she jumps into the fray without batting a eyelash. It is refreshing to hear you tell me the book was funny because I never read it without tears.

-Why did you decide to write Romantic Suspense?

I read many genres but I love romantic suspense. Murder, mayhem and gore seem to come naturally to me which means my husband has learned to sleep with one eye open.

-You have such a fun voice that adds just the right amount of humor. Did you study comedy or does this all come naturally?

Thank you. Comedy is actually amazing hard to write. Humor continually interferes with the mood and the plot.

This was supposed to be the black moment in Hell on the Heart:

            She pushed and shoved family out of the way in her panic to get to the men. Luca and Andrej cradled Rolf between them and were attempting to stanch the flow of blood from his side. She knelt beside John on the hard earth. “Are you okay?”

            Those bottomless black eyes blinked open and stared at her. He was alive. His brow knit forming a frown on his perfect features. “Where the hell did you get a taser?”

            “Is that the same thing as ‘thank you for saving my life?’”

            John groaned and attempted to sit up. She put an arm around his shoulders to support him. “Saved it? That stupid stunt of yours destroyed my next fifty years. I probably have white hair.”

You can see how humor altered the scene so much that I was forced to shoot the heroine.

-Tell us about your latest release.

I’m attempting to write a series. In the first book of TEAM DANIELS, Braden Daniels, former SEAL and security expert is rescuing his nephew.

She opened the door to the stairwell. “As soon as the door latches, try to come back in.”

Braden hesitated. She thought she was in charge? When had he stepped into this world of insanity? He’d been in command so long he couldn’t imagine someone usurping his authority, much less a woman he outweighed by eighty pounds.

“Why?” He treaded cautiously, wanting to know more about her before he revealed his skills.

“So we don’t get locked in the stairway.”

“Good idea.” He didn’t tell her that a locked door wouldn’t have slowed him down. Where had she gotten her training? How had she met Nigel?

When the door didn’t lock, she entered the stairwell and actually allowed him to go first. He was pleased to note she maneuvered the concrete stairs as quietly as he did. At the nineteenth floor door, she thrust a small curved mirror in his direction.

Really? Had Nigel portrayed him as incompetent? Certainly he’d called for backup. A mirror? What kind of covert op did she think this was?

He bit back his laughter. She’d had some fun at his expense with the fake blind girl thing. It was time for a turn around. He held the mirror to his face and nodded. “I look good.”

The outrage on her face was priceless, but before she launched into a long diatribe, he grabbed her arms and whipped her body against the wall. His pride was assuaged when she trembled.

“Who trained you?”

Perspiration beaded above her upper lip. Faint freckles skied across her nose, while the combination of heat, soft woman and witchy scent wrapped around his spine urged him closer.

“Trained me?” Her blank expression lasted only a couple of seconds. “No one. I’m a mystery writer. We think about these things.”

Was she kidding him? A mystery writer? No way. “Why did you have a disguise at your fingertips?”

She pursed her lips. He forced himself not to react. Even pressed against her soft curves melting into him wasn’t enough. He longed to taste her, explore her body, discover her mysteries, writer or not.

“My current WIP features a heroine who’s a cat burglar. I practice to get the details right.” She shoved against him, but he refused to shift his body away from hers. Not until he got answers.

“WIP?”

“Work in progress.”

Her voice betrayed her exasperation as though he should have known what she meant. He’d spent his life around dangerous men, but this woman scared him. She played games with other’s lives. Writing wasn’t real and this was a job where a pen was no match for a gun.

-What's the best compliment you ever received about your writing or one of your stories?

“I cried.”

-What are you working on now and when can we order your next book?

Book I of the Team Daniels series should be up by early fall. I’ve taken on too many outside projects this summer and am having trouble finding the time to edit, but the book is essentially finished and now needs beta readers and editing, editing, editing.

Sarah, thank you for interviewing me. These were fun questions to answer. If anyone wishes to get in touch with me, please email me at NancyBrophy@gmail.com. ~ Nancy

 Visit Nancy at her website at www.nancybrophy.com and her blog at www.seejanepublish.wordpress.com