Canadian Romantic Suspense Author Maureen Fisher

The First Meet

by Maureen Fisher

More here: Cold Feet Fever 

First meets between the hero and heroine are crucial to making a romance plot work. First and foremost, it’s the first turning point of the book. After the first meet, the protagonists are unable to return to their ordinary lives.

Not only does it introduce the characters, it initiates the romantic conflict, helps set the tone of the book, and hints at character goals and future conflict.

The first meet should pack a good, dramatic punch in the development of the plot, and it should leave the reader hungry to find out what these two people will get up to the next time they meet.

In Cold Feet Fever, my romantic crime mystery, Granddaddy Hiram wants Sam Jackson, his grandson and senior business partner, to mend his wicked ways and settle down. When he meets party planner Katie Deluca by chance, Hiram senses she’s the perfect woman to tame Sam.

Unaware of Katie's former career (mortician) and criminal connections, Hiram steps way over the line by hiring her without his grandson’s say-so, giving Katie carte blanche to organize the grand opening for Kinki, their jointly owned nightclub. To compound the transgression, he implies that Sam is a junior employee, and will report to Katie. One of her duties is to keep Sam in line. To that end, Hiram insists she share Sam’s office.

Katie’s Goal in the Scene: To break the news to Sam as tactfully as possible that his boss hired her this morning to organize Kinki’s grand opening. As of today, Sam will now report to her, and they will share his office.

Sam’s Goal in the Scene: To forget his financial worries by amusing himself, teasing the very attractive, but uptight woman who had the nerve to barge into his office, interrupting him during a most enjoyable massage session.

Without giving away too much, here is Sam and Katie's first meet.

********************

Excerpt

Her chest rose and fell as she inhaled a deep breath. “Please don’t call me ‘Cupcake’. My name is Katarina Deluca. People call me Katie.” She regarded him as though she expected a reaction.

“Should I know you?”

“Of course not.”

A lesser man might have missed her subliminal relaxation. Reading body language was a mandatory talent for skilled gamblers, and he considered himself one of the best. She’d hoped he didn’t recognize the name. Making a mental note to Google Katie Deluca, he stuck out a hand. “Sam. Sam Jackson.”

She shook his hand with surprising firmness. “I know all about you.”

“I get that a lot.”

“If we’re to hit it off, I have one request.” She fixed him with melted chocolate eyes, which, on closer study, sparked with disapproval.

“Do tell.” He picked up his pizza.

“Since we’re sharing an office until after the grand opening, I must ask you to refrain from entertaining female guests on your couch.”

Sam froze, the pizza halfway to his mouth. “Say what?”

“I won’t tolerate ‘massages’ while we’re sharing the space.”

“Sweet baby Jesus,” he moaned. “I’ve gotta lay off bourbon.”

“Excellent idea. Do your body a favor. Nevertheless, your senior partner, Hiram, engaged me to plan and coordinate Kinki’s grand opening. He also mentioned the only available space was in your office, and indicated that he expected me to supervise you.”

An arrow of pain speared Sam’s skull. The wily old man’s powers of persuasion obviously worked fine in spite of major impulse control issues. Smelling another of his granddaddy’s matchmaking attempts, he set down the last of his pizza. “Hiram’s my granddaddy. He calls himself the senior partner because he’s older, not because he’s my boss. He has no hiring authority.”

“Hiram warned me you’d say that.” Katie’s voice brimmed with compassion. “He also promised that after you got over your snit, you’d be happy to comply.” Under her breath, she muttered, “It would have been a nice touch if he’d warned me about the casting couch.”

Sam lowered his feet to the ground with great care. Leaning forward, he spoke softly, emphasizing every word. “It’s not a casting couch. I should know. It’s my office, my couch.” For some reason, it mattered what she thought.

“Believe it or not, I find this situation as difficult as you do.”

“I doubt it.” He gulped a fortifying swig of coffee, wishing with all his heart he could lace it with something stronger. “What else should I know?”

He watched with reluctant amusement as she whipped out a notepad and flipped the pages. Who used a notepad in this era of tablets and other electronic devices?

She must have found the nugget of information she wanted because she stopped flipping. “Ah, yes. Here it is. Hiram informed me you won a lot of money in the casinos, enough to buy Kinki and renovate it too, with plenty left over for a grand opening. His words were, and I quote, ‘The sky’s the limit’.”

Sam choked on his coffee. 

About Me

Transplanted to Canada from Scotland at the tender age of seven, I’m an escapee from the world of bits, bytes, and dumps (possibly not what you’re thinking).

I’m a voracious reader, bridge and Mahjong player, yoga enthusiast, seeker of personal and spiritual growth, pickleball enthusiast, and avid gourmet cook. My husband and I love to hike, cycle, and travel.

I’ve swum with sharks in the Galapagos, walked with Bushmen in the Serengeti, sampled lamb criadillas (don’t ask!!!) in Iguazu Falls, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, ridden an elephant in Thailand, watched the sun rise over Machu Picchu, and bounced from Johannesburg to Cape Town on a bus called ‘Marula’.

My Books

"Maureen combines action, adventure, romance, mystery, and an often LOL sense of humor in her page-turning novels. They are the perfect additions to your libraries, like da rum and da coconut in your piña coladas." 

Find out more about my novels here or click on the links under the covers.

More here: FurBall Fever 

More here: The Jaguar Legacy

Coming Soon: Horsing Around With Murder, a cozy murder mystery with romance and inappropriate boomer humor.

Connect with Maureen

Website | Facebook Author Page | Twitter  | Goodreads                          

My Author Dreams Come True

By Linda Lovely

My author dreams don’t involve fame and wealth. Those “dreams” are better described as wild fantasies. While I’ve published seven books and been delighted by many of the reviews, the most important dreams I’ve fulfilled as an author simply require me to commit to writing the books I want to write.

I now write what I love to read—genre fiction. I spent most of my career writing PR and ad copy. It paid well and, for the most part, I enjoyed it. But I’ve always been a mystery/ suspense/ thriller fan and wanted to try my hand at creating the types of books I most enjoy. For me, that translates into books with likable heroines, who are smart, independent, and have a sense of humor. Of course, the books must include at least one murder (more is preferable). And the story must end with the villains getting their just desserts. I belong to a book club, which means I’m regularly exposed to “literary” fiction. While I appreciate its virtues, it’s not the escapist, fun reading I truly love—mysteries or thrillers with sides of humor and romance.  

 

My second dream come true involves the creation process. Research alone provides plenty of laughs. Recently, fact-finding endeavors have prompted me to join a goat yoga session, sample a variety of moonshine flavors, and test how long it would take me to pull up my pants and fully-loaded duty belt if I were a police officer who received an emergency call while visiting a restroom. My critique partners also make even the more painful parts of the creation process fun with their good humor. When they suspect one of my plots has gone off the rails, they’re kind about pointing out improbabilities.

Finally, my writing allows me to indulge in a bit of harmless secret revenge regarding the people I find most annoying. No, I don’t make them characters in my books. My villains are truly fictional. In fact, when I’m creating the physical appearance, background, and even the gender of my bad actors, I work very hard to ensure my characters in no way resemble the selfish, arrogant people who’ve inspired them. However, I draw heavily on the flaws and personalities of these individuals, who in real life often seem to face no consequences for hurting others. In my books, their virtual stand-ins pay the price. What a pleasure! 

Linda's newest release from Henery Press is PICKED OFF, a humorous mystery with plenty of romance and, of course, the villians pay! 

Pogo the Therapy Dog

By Courtney Pierce

This month’s theme is near and dear to my heart. Service dogs are among those quiet heroes that deserve the highest accolades. They save lives with seemingly small gestures: a whine to signal the onset of a seizure, a mouth-grip to deliver a bottle of water, or a sudden halt to prevent its owner from taking a dangerous step. For my new novel, Indigo Lake, I did extensive research about service dogs, specifically those in training programs that operate within the prison system.

Several partnerships exist between non-profit organizations and federal prisons to train service dogs, including Mission Pawsible, Dawgs in Prison, and Patriot Paws. These programs are excellent and mutually beneficial. The dogs get the practice; the inmates feel productive and learn empathy toward others. Inmates prepare these dogs to go into service on the outside for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), individuals with physical disabilities, and for those with medical conditions that require monitoring from a sensitive nose.

But my research revealed a gap that I sought to fill in fiction. I dug deeper. What if prison inmates themselves suffer from disabilities that could benefit from the assistance of a service dog? Can they get one? What happens to inmates who are serving life terms and need the support of therapy dogs in their old age? I couldn’t get definitive answers. So I took on these questions by incorporating a subplot into my story. 

Writing about a fictitious service dog named Pogo, an enormous black standard poodle, became a joyous gift every day. Of course he steals the show. Three middle-age sisters turn this unruly poodle―once owned by an elderly ex-mobster―into a certified therapy dog . . . with hilarious results.

Pogo is the trickster of my story. This dog is at the center of every tense moment, absorbing the emotions of the characters. He communicates with a shift of his eyes and a gaze into the invisible camera lens in response to outrageous comments. With a quick cock of his head to the left, the reader thinks of Pogo as the fourth sibling. He even paces around a prison warden’s desk to prevent the man from leaving his chair, stopping only to power up with copious head scratches. And he has a job to do when my characters are in pain, both physically and emotionally.

In the Dushane Sisters Trilogy, my characters form a charity to honor their familial therapy dog: the Pogo Charitable Trust. As it so happens, one of the sisters is a best-selling author who writes the memoir of a mobster. This gets them all, including the dog, into deep trouble with the mob. The solution? Pogo. Beneath the humor, though, lurks a more sober theme: service dogs don’t make judgments about who is worthy of assistance . . . and who is not.

The wise prison warden in Indigo Lake says: "Touch is a mighty powerful remedy." 

Animals have a way of leveling the playing field.

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Oregon with her husband of thirty-seven years and bossy cat. She writes for baby boomers. Her novels are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and is a member of the Resource Council at the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Her books are published by Windtree Press. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal. Check out all of Courtney's books at courtney-pierce.com and windtreepress.com.

New Release!

The Dushane Sisters are back with Courtney's new release of Indigo Lake. More laughs, more tears . . . and more trouble. Protecting Mom's reputation might get the sisters killed―or give one of them the story she's been dying to live.

New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Paella—Vegans Can Spice It Up Too!

By Linda Lovely

I’m writing a humorous mystery series (with romance, of course) that features Brie, a 27-year-old vegan chef, as heroine. To help her Aunt Eva, a cheese-addict omnivore, Brie has moved to her aunt’s goat cheese farm. Not surprisingly, aunt and niece engage in an ongoing battle of wills over what’s for supper. However, I’ll bet both would agree any variety of paella is a taste pleaser, which is why you’ll find a vegan recipe at the end of this post. Not sure what flavor of moonshine, Brie’s “legal” moonshiner suitor would recommend to accompany the meal. Don't worry, no bulls--or other animals--are sacrificed in this recipe.

A disclaimer: I’ve never been to Spain so I’ve never tasted what many consider the country’s national dish in its natural habitat. But, according to my web research (not necessarily accurate), even different regions of Spain claim their own unique recipes. The oldest variety apparently mixed meats like rabbit and duck with vegetables and rice. Not long after, a coastal version emerged substituting seafood for meat. Inevitably, chefs later started marrying land and sea ingredients with the veggies and rise.

The “mixed” Paella variety is the first one I tried—in Las Vegas, of all places. After one taste, it was a sure bet I’d add some version of this aromatic delicacy to my repertoire. The word paella has its roots in Old French and Latin words for pan, and originally referred to what the dish was cooked in. But you don’t need a special pan to make this. I use a turkey roaster on top of the oven. The biggest problem with paella—at least any version I’ve made—is there are so many ingredients, it’s impossible to make a small batch. The upside is it’s a real crowd pleaser. But, if you don’t happen to have 10-20 friends to invite to dinner, it freezes.

Please excuse my inexact measurements. I tend to measure with my tongue (e.g. needs more saffron) and my eye (looks like there aren’t enough tomatoes). This drives my strict measurement relatives bonkers. I cook like I write (by the seat of my pants) no formal outline or exact recipe. But, hey, it works for me.

“Approximate” Vegan Paella Recipe

Large Onion &1 to 2 cups celery (both coarsely chopped)
Large red bell pepper (or two small) chopped
½ to 1 Tbsp. minced garlic (do you care how your breath smells?)

Sauté the above ingredients over medium high heat in olive oil or coconut oil until “softish”—maybe 2-3 minutes

Add the following 3 ingredients and bring to a boil:

Artichoke hearts halved or quartered (about 2 packages frozen or 3 cans)

I large or 2 small packages of fresh spinach torn

Little less than 3 cups of water with 5 vegetable cubes mashed in water
(Vegetable broth cubes are in same grocery section as chicken bouillon cubes)

Reduce heat, stir in next ingredients, cover and cook about 15 minutes over low heat:

2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes

(If you buy the variety with garlic, you could leave out garlic in step one.)

1 ½ cups of jasmine rice

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp Saffron

(Recipes usually call for less. Question is: how “old” is your saffron since it loses potency with time. Last time I put in heaping tsp of threads—2-3 years old—
which I mash between my fingers as I add them.)

Stir in frozen veggies (set out earlier to thaw) until rice absorbs water about 10+ minutes.

1 package baby lima beans

1 package green peas

Let sit a few minutes and fluff with fork.

ENJOY!

P.S. If you’re not a vegetarian or vegan, just add chopped up chicken, sausage, and/or all manner of seafood—shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab, etc. YUM.