trueromance

Setting: Present day U.S. and Mexico
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Zach McBride
Heroine: Natalie Benoit

Quick summary: Denver journalist Natalie Benoit and Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride, a former Navy SEAL, find themselves captives of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Working together, they escape through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun, while forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…

Scene you like most and would never cut: I’m especially fond of the emotional scene in which Zach “communicates” with his lost SEAL teammates and is finally able to let them and the grief he feels over their deaths go. I also love all the “bromance” scenes involving heroes from the past I-Team books when they come together to protect Natalie. Their trading of insults and banter is one of the things readers love most about the series. But beneath the banter is a deep affection and respect. That deeper emotion is laid bare in a scene late in the story, and it’s a scene that is already a reader favorite. I guess I would also say the love scenes, which I think are some of the most emotional I’ve ever written.

Thing your hero would never be caught dead doing/saying: Zach would never be caught betraying his mission. Duty is everything to him. Trained to carry out tough special ops work, he’s the kind of man who actively takes responsibility, doing the job others cannot do and doing it well. He is ready to give his life if that’s what it takes to finish his mission and protect the lives of others.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Natalie would never be caught being intentionally rude to anyone. Raised in the Garden District of New Orleans, she was taught that manners matter.

Tell us about your hero: Zach is probably my most heroic hero to date. A wounded warrior, he volunteered to serve his country and has paid a high personal price for that service. The only survivor of his SEAL team, he carries both physical and emotional scars. While his body has healed, his soul has not. And that’s where Natalie is able to reach him.

Tell us about your heroine: Natalie will probably be readers’ favorite heroine so far. She’s very feminine and sweet — and a bit sheltered. But she’s also incredibly strong. I think she’ll surprise readers again and again, truly earning her happily ever after with a hero like Zach.

What is your heroine’s occupation: Natalie is an investigative reporter with a gift for writing who graduated from high school and college early. She gained renown in journalist circles for her coverage of the storm, i.e., Hurricane Katrina.

What is your hero’s occupation: Zach is a former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient who hasn’t been able to make peace with what happened to his SEAL team during the war. He tried to return to civilian life, but found that he couldn’t find “normal” again. So he is now working “the line,” i.e., the U.S./Mexico border, as a chief deputy U.S. marshal, fighting a different sort of war against drug cartels. He uses adrenaline like a drug, ignoring the pain of his past.

What you think readers will like best about this book: Readers will love watching Zach and Natalie find love and healing with one another. They’re both such good people, and both of them have suffered tragedy and loss. In a very real sense, they are both stuck in the past. Zach protects Natalie, helps her find her inner strength, and revives her heart, bringing her to life again, while Natalie’s strength and love help Zach heal from war wounds that are invisible to everyone but her.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Horny Holly! I adore her and get emails asking for her book every day.

What’s next: Right now I’m working on Defiant, the third book in the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, a historical romance series set during the French and Indian War in upstate New York. The book tells Connor’s story — something readers have been waiting for since 2008’s Untamed, which is being re-released in December, and 2006’s Surrender, which will be re-released in January 2012. Defiant is slated for a February 2012 release.

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? If I have to choose just one, I guess it would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? Historical romance. It’s the first subgenre of romance I ever read, and it’s still the subgenre that’s dearest to me. I’m truly able to slip away and just be somewhere else when I read historical romance.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading? Ever? That would be Rain Makes Applesauce, a children’s story. I still have that book. I drew pictures of flowers and butterflies all over the inside jacket. For romance, it was The Flame and the Flower. I knew right then I wanted to write romance.

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Sleeping Beauty. There’s nothing like a prince willing to slay dragons so that he can wake you with a kiss.

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? I don’t really have one. If I can count animated characters, then I guess I’d say Belle and the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? Thank you! I love chatting with all of you and sharing my stories with you. Your support keeps me going when I’m frustrated, uninspired and exhausted, and your kindness never ceases to touch me.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? Well, I’m a journalist by profession. I’m trained in archaeology. But if I were to pick a new career, I would be a doula or midwife.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax? I get a massage, go for a walk, or take a nap.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? I’m a lover of vanilla lattes. I once calculated that I spend almost $2,000 a year on lattes at coffee shops. The entire local coffee industry depends on me for its continued survival. That’s a heavy responsibility and one I take seriously.

10. What does love mean to you? It means being willing to give of yourself deeply and willingly, wanting what is truly best for the person you love and demanding the best from yourself for their sake. It means selflessness above all else.

11. Dog person or cat person? Cat! I love their attitude. There’s nothing quite as amusing as a 10-pound ball of fluff gliding around on fuzzy paws like it owns the place.

So I’ve answered questions. Now I have a question for readers.

Recently, after the news of Seal Team Six swept the nation, a reporter from the Washington Post called to ask me why romance readers love Navy SEALs so much. You can find the link on my Facebook page to see what I said. But what do you say? Why are women so attracted to military heroes, particularly SEALs?

I will be giving away a signed copy of Breaking Point to one lucky person who posts and answer to that question below.

Previous books in the I-Team series: