IS RESEARCH IMPORTANT?

I love research. After I started writing, I realized that my love for documentaries and biographies was a clue that someday, I would be an author. Writers seem to have an innate curiosity and a drive for the truth that we need to make our stories feel real. Research can come from books, documentaries, and online sources, but in my opinion, talking to real people is the best way to get the most accurate information.

In my two previous series, I wrote about behavioral analysts who work for the FBI. Thankfully, I have a retired FBI behavioral analyst who helps me with my books. I also have access to two doctors and a police officer. I’m blessed to have them in my corner. However, in my upcoming release, COLD PURSUIT, I had to depend on a biography and online resources for an unusual condition. I have a character who has a disability called Synthesesia. This infirmity confuses a person’s senses. For example, a certain word may trigger an aroma. Emotions may evoke colors. When my character becomes angry, he sees the color red. This trigger tells him he has the right to take a life. Because I was unable to find someone with this particular condition, I had no choice but to use other ways to create my character. In this case, I believe my characterization rings true. I hope you'll agree!

COLD PURSUIT

"Guaranteed to captivate with plot twists you won't see coming."--Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

"This story is sure to leave you breathless from the thrill of the ride. Hold on tight, it's about to get exhilarating!"--Lynette Eason, bestselling and award-winning author of the Extreme Measures series

"Cold Pursuit sucked me in from the first riveting page and pulled me deeper into an intricate, danger-filled plot."--Elizabeth Goddard, bestselling author of Cold Light of Day

Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They're soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there's almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy's trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.

Can you tell when an author has done their research? Tell me how you feel about that, and you could win a copy of COLD PURSUIT when it releases in July.

And don’t forget to enter our contest this month. You could win your choice of a $100 gift card for Starbucks, Amazon, or Omaha Steaks!