Books-n-Kisses is super exicted to have our pal Kendra Elliot back on the blog to talk about her newest release Vanished.  This was a great read.  If you have not picked up your copy and you love Romance Suspense you really need to.

So, Kendra can you tell my wonderful followers a little about yourself

I’ve lived in Oregon for 96% of my life. (Yes, I’m nerdy and got out a calculator to get the right percentage) I have three teenage daughters that keep my house very busy and spent sixteen years as a dental hygienist before quitting to write full time.  My first novel came out almost two years ago. VANISHED will be my fifth novel.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I didn’t always want to write; I loved to read. From a very early age, I was a voracious reader, and I hated writing in high school and college. One day I set down a book after finishing it for the fourth or fifth time and wondered if I could make a reader feel as awesome this author always made me feel. I decided to give it a shot. My third try was published in 2012 as HIDDEN.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I often write with noise reducing headphones while listening to white noise from outer space. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcJ-o_fh1B4  (Again, nerd alert!) My husband works from home, and even though we work on different levels of the house, I can still hear his constant phone conferences. The headphones make all the difference.

Can you please tell us about your newest release Vanished?

This is the blurb from the book: When an eleven-year-old is abducted on her way to school, the FBI doesn’t waste a moment, sending agents to scour the area and embedding Special Agent Ava McLane with the distraught family. In the eye of the storm is local detective Mason Callahan, whose life is crumbling to pieces—he’s related to the victim, and his longtime confidential informant has just been murdered.

Both he and Agent McLane hole up in the victim’s family home. Every second counts in a kidnapping case, and the stakes keep rising the longer the girl is missing. As Ava and Mason struggle to hold the family together in their darkest hour, the two investigators find themselves drawn to each other.

Is Vanished is part of your ongoing Bone Secret series?

Officially VANISHED is not a Bone Secret book, even though regular readers will recognize my main character, Detective Mason Callahan, from the other Bone Secret Books.  The Bone Secret books are more forensics oriented; VANISHED focuses on the FBI and police officers and their lives. Right now I plan to write 3 or 4 books with Mason Callahan and his love interest, Ava McLane. The second Callahan/McLane book is finished and should be released in January 2015. We’re still searching for a series title name for them. As I’m writing this, we haven’t finalized the name decision. But there will be more Bone Secrets books! After writing two FBI books, I’m ready to dive back into forensics.

How about we give the readers a little snippet from Vanished. Please open Vanished to a random page and give us a sentence or two.

 In VANISHED, my detective’s personal and professional life is spinning out of control. This is part of a scene where his boss is telling him not to come in to work because they’ve discovered some evidence that doesn’t shine favorably on Mason.

Schefte cleared his throat. “We’d already pulled your hard drive.”

“What?”  Mason’s vision tunneled.

“We’re checking your calendar, too.”

“You don’t take my whole computer to look at a calendar. What the hell is going on there?”

Schefte was quiet.

“Do I need a lawyer?” Mason asked. His brain spun like he was drunk. What was happening?

“It wouldn’t hurt to talk to your union rep,” Schefte answered. “I don’t know about a lawyer. I don’t think that will be necessary.”

A sharp pain shot through Mason’s temple.

“Denny, I don’t have time for this! I’m trying to help my family stay sane while their daughter is missing! My son is about to cave in on himself he’s so stressed.” And so am I.

“I know you’ve got a lot going on. This was a good time to take some time off. Come down and get your prints done again. Then we’ll talk.” Schefte sounded distant. All his usual good buddy-ness gone from his voice.

Do they think he killed Josie? Impossible.

Something was screwed up somewhere. Evidence lines were getting crossed.

“Fine,” answered Mason in the same even tone. “I’ll have my rep with me.” He ended the call and slipped the phone in his pocket, feeling as though his support system was being chiseled away. First his family struggled with the worst imaginable horror. Now his job was in jeopardy? He felt like he was being ripped in half. As slowly as possible.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress? 

I’ve finished the follow-up to VANISHED which is currently titled BRIDGED and it will be out in January 2015. I also just finished a series of four small town romantic suspense novellas, The Rogue River Series, written with my author buddy Melinda Leigh that will be out next fall. I wrote two of the novellas books from the point-of-view of a woman who’s returned after five years as an LAPD officer to be a cop in her tiny home town of Solitude, Oregon. Melinda wrote two from my character’s sister’s point-of-view, a social worker who is reevaluating her marriage to her detective husband. Each novella is a complete suspense story, but there is also an over arcing mystery.

Next project? Thinking about this…it will most likely be a Bone Secret book. Any suggestions of who you’d like to read about from my previous books? I get a lot of requests for Chris’s story from BURIED.

Speaking of BURIED, it has been nominated for the International Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original. I was stunned and actually cried when I got the news. This competition is HUGE and I never dreamed I’d final. I’m still stunned at the names on this list: http://thrillerwriters.org/programs/thriller-awards/ My publisher is flying me to NYC in July for the conference and award ceremony. BURIED is also up for a Daphne award for Romantic Suspense at the Romance Writers of America national conference in July.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Write, write, write, and read. Keep reading. Study the works of the authors you love and try to see what makes them stand out. Read how-to books, take online classes, join professional organizations, and listen to advice from other authors but don’t follow all of it. What works for some writers is not right for you, and there is a LOT of misleading information out there. Get to know other writers, don’t be pushy, pay your dues, and attend conferences. This isn’t a get-rich-quick business. Some people have, but 99% have not. Don’t get into the business for the money; do it because you love the writing.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I’ve had Allison Brennan’s NOTORIOUS on my TBR pile since it came out. When I’m writing, I don’t read much. I’m about to take a much needed break between writing books and that one is on top!

Learn more about Kendra and her books here:  Website | Facebook | Twitter: @KendraElliot | Goodreads

*****

Vanished

 
PUBLICATION DATE: June 17, 2014
Amazon| B&N

When eleven-year-old Henley Fairbanks is abducted on her way to school, the FBI doesn’t waste a moment, sending agents to scour the area and embedding Special Agent Ava McLane with the distraught family. In the eye of the storm is local detective Mason Callahan, who also happens to be related to Henley. To make matters worse for Mason, the kidnapping comes on the heels of the murder of his longtime confidential informant, and he’s been sidelined from the investigation. Now both he and Agent McLane are holed up in the Fairbanks’ home, along with Callahan’s ex-wife, Robin. Every second counts in a kidnapping case, and the stakes keep rising the longer Henley stays missing. As Ava and Mason struggle to hold the Fairbanks family together in their darkest hour, the two investigators find themselves more and more drawn to each other.

*****

GIVEAWAY TIME:

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