Who
is your favorite character in the book?
I love Kevin… He is the ultimate man, but I love
Heather Sampson. I like to think that she will be an inspiration to women who
need to find their escape.
Who
is your least favorite?
I rarely HATE a character, but I guess there is a
first time for everything and it came with this book. I despise Heather’s
husband, David Sampson. Every time I wrote a scene between them, I fumed for
the rest of the day. I finally had to explain what was happening to my husband
and that I wasn’t mad at him. What can I say? I guess sometimes I can’t help
letting my writing leak into my real life and vice versa.
Are
we going to see these characters again?
Without giving too much away, it is possible.
However, the next couple of books will be based on connected characters. Book
2, Dust Up With the Detective, will
actually be based on the detective from Smoke
and Ashes, Jeremy Lawrence (just saying his name makes me want to drool)!
What
is your favorite scene in the book?
There are several that
I like… I guess that’s a good thing, but here’s one that comes to mind:
“Are you sure that it’s okay if I stay, Kevin?
“I can go. I’m sure that I can stay with—” She stopped before she said
Brittany. Her only other friend didn’t have a place in her life for Heather’s
mess. She had her hands full dealing with the fire at her house. “I can stay at
a hotel or something.”
Kevin set her bag next to the wall, but his movements were awkward and
tight. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need.”
“Kevin, I… Thank you.” She didn’t know what to say. Thank you just didn’t seem like enough
when what she really wanted to say was that he was part of the reason she had
the strength to leave.
He had shown her there could be more in the world. That there could be
something besides heartbreak and the constant thoughts that she could be doing
something more to make someone else happy, even if that meant being miserable
in her own skin.
Kevin had saved her life and he probably didn’t even realize it.
Where
does the book take place?
This book takes place in Missoula, Montana. My
hometown! It is a beautiful city tucked into the belly of the Rocky Mountains.
During the winter we are minutes from the ski slopes and during the summer we
can hike virtually from our front doors. It’s awesome!
All of my upcoming books will be taking place in and
around Western Montana.
Is
this part of a series?
Yep, this is the first book in the Montana Heroes
Series.
Can
readers find you at any Author/Reader conventions in the near future?
I just returned home from the RT
Convention in Las Vegas. I’m going to be at Emerald City Writers Conference,
the Montana Book Festival, and next year I will be attending the RWA Conference
in Walt Disney World and possibly the RT Convention in Denver.
I love talking to fans and book
lovers, so if you are going to be at one of these events please make sure to
stop by and visit. J I’m a chatty
cowgirl/nerd… so be prepared!
What
are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?
I’m currently working on a
variety of projects (as the books are in varying stages of the publishing
process), but I most recently worked on two of the Montana Heroes series. It’s
called Dust Up With the Detective and
it’s being published by Harlequin Intrigue mid-September. It is a mass market
paperback (and e-book) therefore it will be available through all major
booksellers and online. (SO EXCITED!)
Dust
Up With the Detective is about Jeremy Lawrence (the detective in Smoke and Ashes).
Here’s a peek at the “unofficial”
blurb:
One
bad decision can cost you your life…
When she was young, Blake West had been in a rush to
escape the a mining town in Montana where she’d been born and raised; instead,
a single decision left her with a child and dreams that are now nothing more
than a distant memory.
To support her daughter, Blake has taken a job as a
Sherriff’s Deputy. Her days are filled with little more than automobile
accidents and drunken brawls until the day Detective Jeremy Lawrence’s brother
goes missing.
Together Blake and Detective Lawrence must uncover
the clues about his brother’s possible demise, all while keeping a safe
distance from the feelings that surface between them. As the mystery unfolds,
only one thing becomes clear—not everything is as it seems and sometimes, even
in rural Montana, the bad guy wins.
I
wanted to thank you for having me on your blog. I appreciate all your hard work
and dedication to the world of books!
Smoke and Ashes
Montana Heroes Series
Book One
Danica Winters
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Date of Publication: May 1, 2016
ISBN: Paperback: 9780373699070
eBook: 9781488005572
Large Print: 9780373749614
ASIN: B015MO3ZV4
Number of pages: 224
Word Count: 50-55k
Cover Artist: Harlequin Intrigue
Book Description:
Montana's bravest…and hottest
With a mysterious arsonist on the loose in Missoula, fire inspector Kevin Jensen saves more than Heather Sampson's house. The sexy single father rescues her from an abusive marriage—and discovers his own past failures don't have to rule his life. Especially when sparks between him and Heather ignite irresistible desire.
But who's the arsonist? Why target Heather? What's his shocking motive? When Heather faces off with him in a brutal attack, she needs her "white knight" as much as he needs her. Both have looked into their souls and risked their broken hearts for each other. Now Kevin will have to risk his life and his heart.
Prologue
He looked down
at Heather Sampson as he pulled the matchbox from his pocket. The box dropped
from his hand, spilling matches on her bedroom floor in a heap of deadly
promise. Crouching down, he scooped them back into the container, careful to
move quietly, afraid that at any second she would awaken and find him standing
over her.
Her eyes were
closed and her lips slightly parted, as if she waited for a kiss from her
Prince Charming. She should have known better. There was no such thing as
Prince Charming. There were only toads and a precious few men like him—men who
worked to make everything just.
The sad truth
was that there was no justice in marriage—at least not in any of the marriages
he had witnessed. No. Marriage was one lie after another. One hurt feeling
masked with a fake smile, only to have another lie strip it away. It was an
endless cycle of pain.
What was the
point? What was it all for?
As far as he
could tell, it was for nothing more than ego and some idealistic hope that if
they acted happy, if they faked it well enough, maybe they could finally
believe it themselves.
He was here to
make her a martyr, not that she would understand, but this was his chance to
show her and the world what her marriage truly was—nothing more than smoke and
ashes. A fire that had yet to burn itself out. But at last the time had come.
The hour was here for him to stoke the flames and let them consume every crumb
of her failing marriage.
The inferno
could have it all.
He walked out of
her bedroom and made his way downstairs, where the glorious scent of gasoline
filled the space. Unlike the others, Heather’s house would go up in a flash. In
one giant fireball the whole charade would be over—the secrets, the lies, the
fake smiles and hurt feelings. It would all be gone, and all her pain could be
for a higher purpose.
The night air
blew into the house, diluting the gas’s perfume. He made sure to leave the door
open as he stepped out and walked toward the garage. A puddle of gas sat on the
sidewalk, just waiting for him.
He struck the
match.
It was so much
easier this way.
The fire’s smoke
curled skyward, creating a trail that led to the heavens. If he had his way,
life would be better and she would be free.
About the Author:
Danica Winters is an Amazon bestselling author who has won multiple awards for writing books that grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense and occasionally a touch of magic. Most recently, Danica was the winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Paranormal Romantic Suspense Book of the Year Award and Chanticleer Media’s Paranormal Book of the Year for her novel Montana Mustangs. She is currently the finalist for the Chatelaine Award.
When she’s not working, she can be found in the wilds of Montana testing her patience while she tries to understand the allure of various crafts (quilting, pottery, and painting are not her thing). She always believes the cup is neither half full nor half empty, but it better be filled with wine.
Danica Winters is represented by Nicole Resciniti and Lane Heymont of the Seymour Agency.
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