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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Dangerous Careers





Elizabeth Goddard is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, including the romantic mystery, The Camera Never Lies—a 2011 Carol Award winner. A 7th generation Texan, she graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.S. in computer science and worked in corporate America for a decade before retiring to home school her four children and write romantic suspense novels. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and children.


Let me first just say how delighted and humbled I feel to be part of this blog featuring some of the most talented romantic suspense writers in the Christian market today. I’ve read romantic suspense novels for as long as I can remember.  I love thrillers, suspense, and mysteries, so long as romance is included. 

Now I’m blessed to write my own novels, and I can go wherever my imagination will take me so long as readers are willing to go there with me.

I sometimes imagine that my career of writing novels is a dangerous one. In my search for intriguing story ideas, I might one day come across an incident that could prove dangerous for me and others if I were to write about it. But that’s just my overactive imagination, right? 

Remember the movie Three Days of the Condor?  
Joe Turner (played by Robert Redford) works for the CIA reading books, newspapers and other media from around the world, looking for hidden messages or ideas that must remain hidden. He turns in a report and heads out to lunch and when he gets back to the office, all of his co-workers are dead.  He’s on the run now—from his employer, the CIA.

What a great idea!

Who would think that reading books could get you killed?

While writing novels isn’t typically hazardous (except maybe to your health from too much sitting), I love to explore dangerous careers that could make an intriguing premise or provide an interesting twist. Clearly, you don’t have to have a dangerous job to enter the danger zone, but I’m constantly on the look-out for such careers. 

Sometimes, though, I have to set aside a day or two and dig deep through magazines or the internet.  Last year I spent a couple of days combing through the internet looking for a fresh idea and that’s when I came across the premise for my new release, Treacherous Skies

Connor Jacobson is a high-stakes Learjet repo man—he goes into volatile situations to retrieve very expensive property from dangerous and unscrupulous men who aren’t so willing to let things go. Before this career, my hero was a fighter pilot and then a test pilot—both very dangerous jobs.

In fact, piloting aircraft is in the top three of most dangerous jobs according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. So putting that pilot into a complex and intense situation only increases the tension and conflict, and makes for an exciting adventure. 

My stories are suspenseful and are meant to be an adventure romance along the lines of the movie Romancing the Stone. That way you can enjoy a great suspense and still sleep at night. 

If you know of any dangerous jobs that would make for a good story,  I’d love to hear from you!

I’m giving away a copy of Treacherous Skies to one lucky winner.
Please comment and leave your contact information and I will randomly choose a winner no later than this weekend.
 

28 comments:

  1. Just finished reading this book and it was excellent. Please don't enter me in the drawing since I have the book. Looking forward to reading more of your works. Blessings, Susan Fryman susanngarrylee@yahoo.com

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  2. Spunds like a great book.
    superstarsarah94@gmail.com

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  3. Thanks, Susan! I appreciate your encouragement and support!

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  4. I have always admired dangerous jobs but they are just the usual like the military, firemen, police, rescue people, etc.! It takes so much courage to do things they do! I live in Oregon and the other day I was driving in the pouring rain and I saw these men fixing a power line that was down, thinking, "you rock, guys!!" Your book looks awesome!
    westernaz@msn.com

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  5. This sounds like a fabulous book!! I love thrillers, mysteries, and.... just about any kind of book!! Would love to win this book.
    k_hanns@yahoo.com

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  6. I would love to win a copy of your book.I love to read can not put down book and this looks like one of them .Thank you ,Dana Spille

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  7. Sorry jashbk@earthlink.net is my email address
    Thank you ,Dana Spille

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  8. Valri, I hear you.

    Yes there are the usual dangerous jobs and I so admire those who work for the electric company. I've known a few that ended up injured or even died.

    On dangerous jobs, I'm curious to hear about other jobs that we don't often hear about.

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  9. I am SO interested in getting this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
    campbellamyd at gmail dot com

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  10. This sounbds like a great book. I would love to win one! I always enjoy suspense with a touch of romance.
    Kristen Billings

    kleighbca@yahoo.com

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  11. Oh exciting...love books filled with suspense...and soo look forward to reading Elizabeth Goddard's new book...'Treacherous Skies'...........babyruthmac16ATyahooDOTcom

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    1. I forgot to mention that I also shared on facebook and twitter...have a wonderful holiday...and keep up the wonderful books.....

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  12. I've heard that the fishermen of Alaska have very dangerous jobs. I'm interested in reading TREACHEROUS SKIES because my nephew was a mechanic in the Army. His job was to be flown to downed helicopters and see if he could repair them well enough to be flown back to South Viet Nam.
    Kaye Whitney
    kayewhitney@bellsouth.net

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  13. Ah, Kaye. Interesting--my third book in this series, which is yet to be titled, is set in Alaska but includes an aviation mechanic heroine! She goes to Alaska to see if she can repair a plane in the interior bush to fly it out. :)

    Your nephew's job definitely sounds like it was a dangerous job.

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  14. I love mysteries, suspense and intrigue. This book sounds like it's right up my alley. I would love to win a copy of it.
    linlee822@gmail.com

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  15. This sounds like a great story. Please enter me in the giveaway.
    Thank you
    Katie Johnson (johnsonk133@yahoo.com)

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  16. Hi Beth! :)

    I haven't gotten to read "Treacherous Skies" yet, but I'm going to! (I've been editing nonstop...)

    Don't enter me in the giveaway. Thanks for my copy! Hope to see you soon! :)

    Morgan

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  17. Thanks for stopping by, Morgan! I know you're doing a great job on your edits. I received edits on my sequel to Treacherous Skies this week and they were due back on Monday! So I spent the last two days devoted to working through those. LOL

    Hope you enjoy TS whenever you get to read it. :)

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  18. I can't think of any dangerous jobs T the moment...except maybe, weatherman in the midst of a hurricane or storm chaser or reporter co during something dangerous. (Why, yes, I am watching the news. How did you know? 😉)
    Sounds like a really good read. I'd love to win it.

    Pen
    pmettert. @ yahoo dot com

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    1. How did that happen? No dot after t!! Email should be:

      pmettert @ yahoo dot com

      Sorry about that. ;)

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  19. Perhaps not as exciting as a Learjet repo job, :) but I've read that logging is a dangerous occupation with many workers performing their jobs 100 feet in the air while having to deal with high winds, falling branches and power saws! Treacherous Skies sounds like it will be an exciting read! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Jes
    jswaks at gmail dot com

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  21. I'm not sure that I can come up with particularly dangerous jobs right now, except for possibly missionaries. Depending on where they live and who they are working with, I would imagine that could be very dangerous! I really enjoy reading this type of book, and I would love to win this book. Thanks for offering the giveaway!

    Randi
    wpd_2(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  22. Thanks for your input Randi, Pen, and Jes.

    Those are all definitely great ideas. I especially like the idea of missionaries in danger. I wish international stories were more popular in the Christian market, but they are somewhat tough to sell!

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  23. Looks like another interesting book. Would love to read it. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    azladijo(at)aol(dot)com

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  24. Looking forward to reading some of your books!

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  25. I think being a taxi driver is a dangerous profession. I like these Love-Inspired Suspense books.

    catbooks(at)rocketmail(dot)com

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