Wednesday, October 21, 2009

IMHO Welcomes Roxanne St. Claire!

Roxanne St. Claire grew up in Pittsburgh, moved away at 17 to attend UCLA, led a colorful existence in California where she legally changed her last name from Zink to St. Claire because a TV producer asked her to, had bit parts in two well-known sitcoms (also because a TV producer asked her to), took off to Boston for a fabulous career in PR, met her husband in an elevator while she was climbing the corporate ladder, and moved from Massachusetts to Florida in a moment of insanity that she claims hasn’t ended.

After spending most of her adult life promoting and publicizing everything from solid state rectifiers (they are not what you think) to Free Fry-days at Burger King (they are what you think), she realized she didn’t want to write about target audiences, strategic objectives, or public relations tactics anymore. She wanted to write about love and danger and a cast of characters who existed only in her mind. So she quit her day job, shredded her Bloomingdale’s credit card, and spent the pre-dawn hours of the next six months writing her first book before her children opened their eyes and demanded her attention.

She eventually won enough writing contests to attract the attention of a literary agent and in 2002 got the call from Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books, who wanted to publish her romantic suspense. Since then, she's written more than twenty books for two publishers, in three sub-genres, under two slightly different names.
 
Publisher's Weekly says, “St. Claire will likely be one of the most talked about authors in the genre. This is an author who’s on the fast [track] to making her name a household one.” Her novels have been selected for the Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Club, have been translated into dozens of languages and routinely spend time on the Walden Books Bestseller List, including two consecutive weeks at number one.

Her Bullet Catchers series features an elite group of security and protection specialists who are considered the cream of the crop of contract bodyguards, and they are, according to their tag line, "Trained to protect. Able to kill. Willing to die. And drop-dead gorgeous."  To our delight, Roxanne is putting not one, but two of the Bullet Catchers books in the series--Hunt Her Down (Sep 09) and Make Her Pay (Oct 09)--in our "Love is Scary!" tote bags, so each of our winners will have their very own signed copy of one of Roxanne's books.

IMHO: So, Rocki, tell us what makes love scary for a Bullet Catcher, hmmmm?

RSC: Thank you so much for having me here, TJ and for putting together such a clever theme and giveaway for October! I personally don’t think Love Is Scary…not, like, say thunderstorms and giant bugs. (Amazing that I live in Florida where we have killer versions of both.) I do think that the physical and emotional rollercoaster that attraction, desire, and love put our poor li’l hearts through is definitely some scary stuff. And that’s why I love to write about it!

In my back-to-back September and October Bullet Catchers series releases, the hero and heroines are certainly sent on that ride for about 400 pages, and it never lets up. First of all, these heroes are no strangers to physical danger – a “Bullet Catcher” is a slang term for bodyguard, so my elite cadre of security specialists are never more than a page away from a gunshot, car chase, boat wreck, helicopter save, or an explosion. But these alpha dudes have soft hearts, especially when that one woman who can bring them to their knees is the one they have to protect.

In the September release, Hunt Her Down, fan favorite Bullet Catcher Dan Gallagher heads off to find a woman from his past just to make sure she’s all right, as a drug dealer she’d unwittingly helped to imprison is free and looking for revenge. Dan finds her…and a big, fat surprise in the form of a thirteen-year-old boy who is his carbon copy. For a commitmentphobe like Dan, nothing – and I mean nothing – is scarier than the ties that bind a parent to a child. Well, one thing is scarier…the way that child’s mother makes him feel. Taking Dan on that particular journey of discovery, all the while escaping bullets and baddies to protect his woman and child, was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in front of a computer.

That is, until I got to write about the Con Man – former thief Constantine Xenakis who only wants one thing: to redeem himself and become a Bullet Catcher once again. In Make Her Pay, the only way he can do this is to pass a simple test: go onboard a salvage recovery dive and discover who is stealing treasure. Simple enough…especially when he gets his hands on the thief ten minutes after he arrives. The only problem? Once his hands are on her, he doesn’t want to take them off. And she’s not really a “thief”…she’s taking what rightfully belongs to her family. Help her, and he loses his job. Do his job, and he loses her. This is one scary emotional dilemma of sink or swim.

I hope readers love both these stories and all of the men and women of my Bullet Catchers!

IMHO: Thanks, Rocki! Nothing scarier than love when the bullets are flying, is there?  Okay, IMHO followers, since we're talking dangerous men, tell Roxanne what was the most dangerous or kooky stunt you or someone you know ever pulled. Do this for a chance to win one of Roxanne St. Claire's books, one of my historical romances, and at least one other guest host's books and a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Leave your comments for Roxanne as well as at least one other guest this month to increase your chances of winning. You can always check out my contest rules for more details.

Let the danger begin!

TJB

29 comments:

Joan said...

Haven't read your books yet but love to read romantic suspense novels so will have to look into yours. I also live in Florida. Hope you love it as much as I do.

TJ Bennett said...

Hey, folks. Just popping in to say Blogger seems to be having a few issues today. If you see the template change a few times or if odd things start happening, please be patient while I try to resolve. I have to wait for someone to notice my desperate cries for help over at the Blogger forum (because, of course, tech support is to busy to actually answer tech support issues from their clientele, apparently--if we could find a way to talk to them...).

Kristen Painter said...

I love Rocki's books! They're really the only romantic suspense I read because they're such a perfect blend of adventure and romance without being gross or gory - I just can't get into the serial killers and psychopaths as I like to sleep with the lights off. ;o)

throuthehaze said...

I'm a pretty tame person so the most dangerous thing I have ever done was climb to the top of a school by shimmying up a pipe.

Raelena
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Roxanne St. Claire said...

Hey gang! So great to be here and THANK YOU, TJ, for the awesome introduction and interview. I'll tell you what's REALLY scary...a deadline. I thought I made mine on Monday, but decided on Sunday night that the book wasn't quite right, and my editor so kindly gave me another week.

So I'm deep in the cave - but not so deep I can't pop in and say hey today. Please, readers & writers, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm NOT scary!!

xoxo
Rocki

Musings by Mimmi said...

LOVE me some Bullet Catcher...just got Make Her Pay in the mail yesterday!! YEAH!!

Huh, I'm one of those people who loves to be scared, but it takes alot to scare me. Not many movies can, and I laugh in most haunted houses, he/he.
But I'll admit when we did the Waverly Hills bit it flat freaked me out, not the hanunted house part, but the thought of all the creepy and weird things that had gone on there.

QLady48 said...

Hi Roxanne, nice interview!! I've read the last two Bullet Catchers and they were just as good as the ones before them!! For me, she is one of a few authors I check to see what and when new books are coming out. There are a few authors who have scared me good, but it's been awhile. I prefer more romance when I read so I'm not really scared, maybe nervous!! Scarey movies get me every time, so I avoid them. I'm too old to get really scared anymore!! Hahaha!! Thanks, Sue

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Greetings from Pittsburgh, Roxanne! (or somewhere thereabouts)

No need to enter me, TJ. I'm dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail. I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

Holler if we can do anything else for you ladies!

tetewa said...

I really need to start reading this series as I've heard nothing but good things about it! Glad you could be here today!

Anonymous said...

waving HI! Just finished Dan's story, and oh another good one. I enjoyed the parent connection, and it's always so much fun to revisit BCs from earlier stories. Imagining Max and his 2 y/o was great. You can take me back to the Keys anytime, especially if I get to spend some time in a place like theirs :)

Thanks for another great tale! Can't wait to dig into Make Her Pay.

Anonymous said...

Hi Roxanne, great interview! I love your books and can't wait to read your new one! To answer your question I guess the most dangerous thing I ever done was in my late teens. I was riding in a car with a lot of friends and we went down this narrow country road at 140 miles an hour. I think we had a death wish. When I think about it now I know someone was with us that night. The crazy things that teens will do. This was back in the seventies and some cars were register to do that and we were seeing if the car could do it. Yep it did!

cheryl c said...

Welcome, Roxanne! I really enjoy reading your books!

I am a pretty cautious person, so I don't really do dangerous stunts. The closest I have come is flying in a floatplane. You see, I am a nervous flyer even in jets, so the idea of being in a small plane AND landing in water really scared me. My husband talked me into it when we took an Alaskan cruise. Flying really is the best way to see Alaska, and it WAS truly magnificent. I would have missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience if I hadn't conquered my fears. I am very glad that I did it, but I won't do it again! :-)

castings at mindspring dot com

Roxanne St. Claire said...

Oh, Virginia, that post really hit home. I remember doing things just like that - as late as my 20's. And now I have kids, and one just got his license, and I am scared to DEATH knowing what teenagers will do in a car. (And let's not even talk about the backseat action, ahem!)

Thanks for all the great comments!

chey said...

Hi Roxanne,
I now have a whole new- to-me series to add to my wish list!
The scariest thing I ever saw was people driving snow machines over open water.

Lori T said...

I have not read any of your Bullet Catcher novels yet, but they are on my list of must reads.

The most dangerous thing that I have done was, also, driving related...sorry not helpful when you have a teenager with a license. I can remember my friend and I were driving on this horrid road out to a party and we took a corner too wide and found ourselves going over the shoulder of the road, flying through the air, and landing in someone's field. Good heavens, I look back and am so grateful that we were not hurt. Many other foolish things that I did I try to block from my mind.

The Scarf Princess said...

I can't think of anyone personally doing crazy deeds, but those kooks who go over Niagra Falls in a barrel are nuts. Not only could you drown but you could break numerous bones.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Karen W. said...

Hi, Roxanne,

I enjoyed the interview, and your new series sounds great!

I'm in Florida too... from Long Island. It can be a bit of a culture shock, can't it?!? :)

karenwitkowski AT aol(dot)com

Miss Haley said...

haha dumbest/scariest thing i've ever done w/ my friends is let my friend jump out of the second story window. he was convinced he could do parkour. he didn't kill himself, at least.

i'd love to win!!!

haleymathiot at yahoo dot com

Linda Henderson said...

Loved the interview. I guess the most dangerous,or stupid, thing was when my son in law went hunting and was extremely careless and shot himself in the testicles. Nuff said.

seriousreader at live dot com

TJ Bennett said...

Hi, ya'll! Thanks so much to Roxanne for taking time out of her truly busy schedule to come visit with us! I know everyone will continue to leave their comments for Rocki all week for a chance to win one of her books and several others, as well as the $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com. Don't forget to leave comments with this month's other guests to increase your chances of winning, too.

And come back next Wednesday when we welcome our final guest for the month, Kimberly Killion!

TJB

Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews said...

I love the interview and I also love reading Rock's books.

I'm also a pretty tame person but there was an incident where my bro was whitewater rafting and he jumped into the water and almost drowned because he jumped into the whirlpool.

Judy said...

I have read all the Bullet Catcher books and can't wait to read the new two. The scariest thnging I ever did was go on the Big Shot on the Stratospher hotel in LasVeges - twice.

mrsshukra said...

Enjoyed this interview with Roxanne!

Scariest thing I did once upon a time was relocate to the northwest from Hawaii without a job waiting for me there!

Patricia Barraclough said...

I keep promising myself I'll pick one of the Bullet Chasers up and read it. I believe I have a Bullet Chaser hiding in my TBR pile. As with all my reading, I start at the beginning of a series. Not always necessary, but better. I'll fill in the early books then work my way to Dan and Constantine.
Thanks for adding your books to the bags.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed reading the comments. I like reading your books.
I am not very daring so I guess the most exciting thing I did was learn to ski and one time when I was a beginner I went down a Black Diamond run. Ugh half way down I took off my skis and trudged down that steep slope. It was in Telluride, Colorado where they have some awesome mountains.
JWIsley(at)aol(dot)com

KELLY FITZPATRICK said...

I'm allergic to danger.

CrystalGB said...

Great interview. Roxanne's books sound so good. Love the titles and covers. One of the most stupid things I ever did was to go 4 wheeling with my husband up the side of the mountain above our house. I was scared silly that we were going to wreck.

Carol L. said...

Hi Roxanne,
I haven't read The Bullet Catchers yet but definitely will.I enjoyed your post. The scariest and craziest thing I have ever done besides have 7 children ? LOL Seriously was to get on a big old Harley when I was 16 and my sister was the driver. I have never even gotten on a moped after that.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Virginia C said...

Hello! What a fun post! One of my favorite escapdes was the stunt I pulled for my 18th birthday. My family was very conservative. I wanted to wear a very special outfit, a slinky green "dressy" jumpsuit, to go out and meet my friends. I knew that the outfit would not get past my family so I put on the jumpsuit, and then I put on jeans and a denim jacket over the jumpsuit. I "casually" left my house. In the car, while driving, I removed the jeans and denim jacket, fixed my hair, and put on my makeup and jewelry. The jumpsuit was a big success! On the way home, while driving, I had to reverse the transformation process in order to arrive home looking the same as when I left for the evening. I still have the green jumpsuit!

gcwhiskas at aol dot com