LOVER UNKNOWN—a conversation with Kyle and Lauren

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Kyle Delaney and Lauren Jamison about LOVER UNKNOWN, a mystery romantic/suspense from Harlequin's Intrigue line originally released in print April 1997 and currently available in ebook.

Hello Kyle and Lauren.  Thank you for being here today.  I appreciate you taking time from your schedule.

Kyle:  It's our pleasure, Shawna.  After all (LOL) you are the one responsible for us being together.

Well…(tries to suppress a chuckle)…I can't disagree with that.

Lauren:  What would you like to know?  Did you have a specific topic in mind?

I think for starters, maybe some general background.  Didn't you have some sort of premonition right before Kyle showed up at your door?  Do you have those psychic visions often?

Lauren:  I've had psychic visions starting with my teen years but I never really studied it or tried to harness my natural abilities.  The visions would occur, but I was never sure about what they were trying to tell me.  I didn't know if they were a portent of things to come or something from the past.  That's the way it was with the vision that woke me from a sound sleep that morning.  I saw a man falling from a cliff into the ocean below, but I didn't have a clue what it meant.  And then a few hours later a man appeared at my door, almost as if he had materialized out of the early morning mist.

So even your initial meeting was mysterious?

Kyle:  I didn't think of it as mysterious.  I'd been driving all night.  On the outskirts of town I saw a building with a sign saying tea room and lights on inside the building.  I was hoping for some coffee.  And that's when things quickly turned mysterious.  What I found was this incredibly alluring woman who immediately captured my total attention and left me with a very unsettled feeling.

Lauren:  (shoots a sly glance at Kyle)  He tried to convince me he was a paranormal investigator here to validate the presence of the entity that haunts the old lighthouse, but I didn't believe that for a moment.  He was well rehearsed, knew all the right words, but there was an underlying energy about him that said he was a skeptic.  I had no idea who he really was, but I knew our destinies were somehow woven together.

And you ended up saving his life?

Kyle:  (answers for Lauren)  No question about that.  My initial wound wasn't all that bad, a through and through shot in the shoulder.  But the fall off the cliff into the ocean, battling the cold sea, and dragging myself part way across the bluff definitely put me in extreme danger.  Especially with the blood loss and infection setting in.  I'm very lucky Lauren found me, and that it was Lauren rather than anyone else.

Lauren:  I still didn't know who he really was or what had happened to him.  He made me promise not to tell anyone he was there, not to call a doctor or anyone else.  Logically, he could have been a criminal of some sort who I was protecting, but I instinctively knew that wasn't true.  I agreed to keep his presence a secret and allow everyone to think he was dead.

And that's when he told you who he really was and why he was there?

Lauren:  Yes, but first he swore me to secrecy.  I must admit that I was relieved to find that he was an undercover agent on an assignment rather than a criminal.

Kyle:  Fortunately for me, Lauren proved to be very clever and resourceful.  She was the one who came up with a new identity for me that allowed me to go into town and mingle with the locals without arousing suspicion so I could continue my investigation.

Ah…your investigation.  Tell me about—

Kyle:  (laughing)  No you don't!  Anything more will have to come from reading the book, especially any details of exactly what I was investigating and the surprises I turned up along the way.

Lauren:  Things that had been right under my nose the entire time and I didn't realize it.  Not even a psychic hint.

Are you sure I can't persuade you to tell me about your discovery at the lighthouse or your raid on—

Kyle:  Nope…not even a hint.

Lauren:  You'll have to read the book.

Well, if I can't talk you into revealing anything else, I guess there's nothing left to do but thank the two of you for being here today.

Lauren:  It was our pleasure.

Kyle:  We enjoyed it.

***

LOVER UNKNOWN, a Harlequin Intrigue by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/ (do search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Also available from Amazon for Kindle and Barnes & Nobel for Nook.

Blurb:

HE CAME TO HER IN THE NIGHT…

Lauren Jamison sensed danger and secrets when Kyle Delaney entered her waterfront store. Not for a moment did she believe the dark stranger was an ordinary man. Instinctively she knew he lived on the edge, belonged to a world of deception. But unable to resist him, she became a prisoner of passion.

Then one stormy night her world shattered when she found his body in the moonlight—shot and delirious from pain. Before he collapsed, he told her to follow his instructions or they'd both wind up dead. Just who was Kyle Delaney? And should Lauren risk her heart—and her life—for a man who might be on the wrong side of the law?

Inside front cover excerpt:

"Who are you?"

"You already know that," Kyle said. "I'm here to—"

She put her fingers against his lips to still his words. "Don't play me for a fool. I did the best I could with your injuries, but now that you're part of reality again, you owe me answers."

His voice was low, soft and very serious. "Lauren, please don't ask. I can't—"

"I don't want to hear I can't." She fixed him with a hard stare. "I want answers, Kyle."

He tugged on her hand until he had closed the last small gap between them. His lips brushed against hers, then he captured her mouth fully in a hot and sensual kiss.

She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the warmth that flowed through her, until it almost obscured her thoughts. When she spoke, her words were barely above a whisper. "Who are you, Kyle Delaney? Why are you here? And what am I involved in?" She had to ask…but she wasn't so sure she wanted to hear the answers.

He took her hand again, bringing it to his lips. "You have to let this go, Laruen. You can't become involved. You have to trust me—and I have to trust that you'll maintain your silence."

Her voice a barely discernible whisper, Lauran said, "I don't think I can do that…."

-----------------------

Text Copyright © 1997 by SKDennison, Inc.  Cover Art Copyright © 1997 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Check out my Shawna Delacorte website for more excerpts from LOVER UNKNOWN and my other Harlequin ebook reissues

http://www.shawnadelacorte.com/

IN HIS SAFEKEEPING—a conversation with Tara and Brad

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Brad Harrison and Tara Ford from IN HIS SAFEKEEPING, a mystery romantic/suspense from Harlequin Intrigue originally released in print March 2002 and reissued in ebook on May 15, 2012.

Join me in The Romance Studio's party room on Thursday, May 24, for their Release Party.  I'll be giving away an autographed original print copy of IN HIS SAFEKEEPING.   http://trsparties.com/

Hello Tara and Brad.  I know you're both very busy.  Thank you for making time in your schedule to sit down with me.

Tara:  Thank you for inviting us.

Brad:  It's nice to be here.

My first question is for you, Brad.  It might be a bit awkward.  I hope I'm not stepping on any toes.

Brad:  Uh Oh…that sounds ominous.  (grabs arms of chair as if bracing himself)  I guess I'm ready.  Go ahead.

Tara:  Don't worry, I'll protect you.

Brad:  (tilts head, raises eyebrow and gives her a teasing grin)  I thought protection was my area of expertise.  As a Deputy U.S. Marshal, that's one of the things we do.

And that brings me to the subject of my question.  You and Tara first met when you were protecting her from a killer who was doing away with all the witnesses in a case that was a done deal—the defendant had been convicted on all counts and sent to prison.  He subsequently died in prison of a heart attack.  So…well, I guess I have two questions about this.

First question is why did Tara need protection?  Why were witnesses being killed when the trial was over and the defendant's death from natural causes put an end to the possibility of him being released from prison.  And next—

Brad:  Let me handle that question before you get to the other one, and I think I already know what that is.

Five out of six witnesses living in different parts of the country had died within six months, all from mysterious accidents.  I found that way too coincidental, especially when two of the witnesses were in the Witness Security Program and had new identities.  Tara was the only witness still in the Seattle area and alive.  I took my suspicions to my boss who told me to stop spending my time pursuing something that was not a case.  I couldn't accept his decision.  Every fiber of my being said the remaining witness was is danger and I needed to protect her.  What I didn't realize at the time was how difficult it would be to convince her of that little fact.

Tara:  (chuckles)  I readily admit that trust was so far down my list that it barely registered at the bottom.  (becomes serious)  But when someone blew up my car, I began to come around to his way of thinking.

Brad:  And your second question?

The two of you…isn't it against the rules for you to become personally involved with someone you're protecting?

Brad:  Yes…'company' rules and very definitely my personal rules.  My only excuse is that it was a highly unusual situation.  I was a one man protection team with no backup and no Marshals Service support or help.  Some unknown person was trying to kill Tara for an unknown reason and when this person realized a Deputy Marshal was on the scene, I became a target, too.

Wouldn't that, along with Tara's car being blown up, be proof enough of the danger to go back to your boss?

Brad:  It would, except for one little thing.

Tara:  Actually one very big thing.

Brad:  With two of the dead witnesses in the Witness Security Program, given new identities and relocated to different parts of the country, the only way for a killer to have located them would be with inside information.  There was a leak of information from the Marshals Service.  I had no way of knowing who I could trust.

Tara:  That pretty much made it the two of us against the world type of thing.

Brad:  I had an immediate attraction to her and add a set of circumstances that made it nearly impossible to not get personally involved…well…(he gave her a loving glance) what can I say?  It was meant to be.

Out of all your contacts there wasn't anyone you could trust?

Brad:  Well…there were two people I could trust, two people who were willing to help.

Who?

Tara:  (smiles)  I'm afraid you'll have to read the book to find out.

Well…how about this.  Why were the witnesses being killed? Was it just a revenge thing?

Brad:  That's what I thought…for a little while.  At first it seemed like the most likely motive.  Then it became obvious that revenge had nothing to do with it.  You'll need to read the book to find out the answer to your 'why' question.

LOL…I can see that more questions aren't going to get me any more information.  Brad…Tara…thanks for being here today.

***

IN HIS SAFEKEEPING, Harlequin Intrigue by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/ (do search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Nobel for NookBooks at http://www.bn.com/ and Amazon for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/

Blurb:

HER PROTECTOR

One by one the government witnesses who'd testified against a mob associate began to die—and now Tara Ford was the last witness remaining. Suddenly with a killer shadowing her every move, she was forced to rely on the protection of U.S. Deputy Marshal Brad Harrison—a man whose take-charge attitude made her temper flare and whose strong sensuality made her heart race.

Brad never let emotion interfere with duty. But in close proximity with all-too-sexy Tara, he forgot all the rules. His instinct to keep her safe was as basic as his desire for her. And when he held her tenderly, he couldn't help but wonder who posed the most immediate danger—the killer or Brad's charge.

G-Excerpt (inside front cover excerpt):

"We need to get something clear right now, Tara." Brad's words were very matter-of-fact, his attitude all business. "I expect to have my instructions obeyed without hesitation or questions. Your life could depend on your immediate response to my orders."

Tara glared angrily at him, but he stood his ground and refused to back down. Brad Harrison had her confused. He was a virtual stranger who had burst uninvited into her world, tried to take control of her life and demanded that she trust him. Yet his unwavering gaze sent a ripple of desire through her body unlike anything she had ever experienced. There was a lot more at stake here than a question of control.

Every time he touched her, a sensual rush coursed through her body. It was totally inappropriate for the situation and equally out of character for her. But for reasons she could not clearly fathom, she had made the decision to tentatively trust this very sexy and desirable man. Hopefully it would not be the biggest mistake of her life…or worse yet, the last decision she would ever make.

--------------------

Text Copyright © 2002 by SKDennison, Inc.  Cover Art Copyright ©[year of publication] by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Stop by my website for information about my other Harlequin/Silhouette ebook reissues.    http://www.shawnadelacorte.com/

IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY—a conversation with Angie and Ty

Harlequin has reissued 15 of my backlist titles in ebook.  I've persuaded Angelina Coleman and Tyler Farrell to chat with us today about IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print January 2005 and currently reissued in ebook.

Hello, Angie and Ty.  Thanks for being here today.  So…Angie.  Let's start with you.  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Angie:  I grew up in Portland, Oregon, raised by my mother in a single parent house with 5 brothers.  I'm the only girl and I'm also the youngest.  Even though we're mostly scattered across the country these days, we're still emotionally a very close family.  The oldest of my brothers is McConnor…everyone calls him Mac.  He's 13 years older than me and stepped into the role of surrogate father.  It's a responsibility he continues to take very seriously in that he still thinks of me as that little girl who needs his guidance and protection even though I'm 24 years old.

He sounds like a fantastic guy, but the look on your face says there's maybe a little more to it?

Angie:  Don't get me wrong, Mac is an incredible person, I owe him so much…everyone in our family does.  It's just that I had a very difficult time convincing him that I'm an adult and not that scrawny little 10 year old girl I was when he moved to Seattle, the little girl he sees when he looks at me.  I was engaged for a while to a man who came from an influential family with a moneyed background and was highly successful.  But it quickly became apparent that what he wanted was a decoration on his arm to show off at all the appropriate business and society functions.  He objected to my career even though I have a degree in both business and industrial design and was working for a design firm.  When I broke the engagement I wanted to move away from Portland.  I tried to approach Mac about giving me a job at his company, but he treated it as "isn't that cute of little Angie, wanting to work for me."  I knew I needed to prove myself to him.  More than anything, I wanted his approval and respect as an adult capable of taking care of myself.

And that's what brought you from Portland to Seattle?

Tyler:  That's what brought Angie into my life, although at the time I didn't know the underlying reasons behind her move.  Mac did manage to convey that he felt very protective toward her and telegraphed a hands off type warning without actually saying those words.

That must have made things rather awkward for the two of you.  Would you mind telling us a little about your family, Ty, and your background?

Tyler:  My family?  The word dysfunctional immediately leaps to mind.  I'm an only child raised with money in a house where ongoing arguments between my mother and father was the normal daily routine.  They finally divorced when I was in high school, but the constant battles didn't stop.  If I learned one lesson during my formative years it was that money can't buy happiness and the idea of a happy family and a close relationship was too elusive to even consider.  If it hadn't been for my observation of Mac's close relationship with his family, I would have said the concept was pure fiction.  I met Mac the first day of our freshman year at UCLA.  He was just starting college even though he was two years older than the rest of our freshman class.  I learned later that he had to forfeit a scholarship because he needed to work to help support his family.  We immediately became good friends with a mutual interest in sailing and boat design.  After college we went into business together designing and building custom sailboats.  We've been very fortunate and the business is highly successful.

Angie:  I had met Ty once when he and Mac were in college.  He came to the house one weekend when I was 10 years old.  The one thing I remember clearly from that visit was thinking what an arrogant jerk he was.

Tyler:  (chuckles good-naturedly) I obviously made quite an impression.

Angie:  Then 14 years later we met again.  I had just arrived in Seattle following the breakup of my engagement, intent on getting a job.  I was staying with Mac at his house on Bainbridge Island until I could find a place to live.  Mac was supposed to take me to lunch that first day but he was buried under a deadline for a design project and asked Ty to fill in for him.

Tyler:  Actually, he begged me to take his kid sister off his hands so he could finish the design…just pizza and a movie was his idea of how to entertain his kid sister, as he insisted on calling her.  I had visions of that scrawny 10 year old girl I had met once.  Well…one look was all it took.  He may have thought of his sister as still being a child, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

So the two of you met and the rest is history?

Angie:  Not at all!

Tyler:  Not even close!

So how did it all happen?  How did it move beyond pizza and a movie?

Tyler:  I'm afraid you're going to have to read the book.

Angie:  We do agree on that.  You'll need to read the book.

Well, I can tell by the identical expressions on each of your faces that asking any more questions will be futile.  Thanks Angie and Ty.

IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Noble for NookBooks at www.nb.com.  And Amazon for Kindle at www.amazon.com. Check out my website for additional excerpts.  www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

The Danger Zone:

Filling in as a guide and companion for his best friend's kid sister was cramping Tyler Farrell's bachelor lifestyle. At least, until a drop-dead-gorgeous, very-grown-up Angie melted his bones with one searing kiss. She was supposed to be off-limits…but Tyler liked playing with fire.

Angie wanted to prove she wasn't a child anymore. And what better way to do so than a no-strings affair with Tyler-the perfect love 'em and leave 'em guy? Except that the closer she got to Tyler, the hotter the attraction burned and the harder she fell in love. Somehow she had to convince commitment-phobic Tyler that she was his to claim—permanently!

G-rated excerpt (inside front cover):

"Maybe I need a sign around my neck stating I'm an adult," Angie muttered.  "My brother seems to forget that."

"I don't think a sign will be necessary," Tyler told her as his eyes met hers.  "You certainly look grown up to me."

Ty watched as a slight smile turned the corners of her mouth—the same delicious mouth he'd sampled the previous evening.  He tried to clear his head of the thoughts, of desires that could only lead to trouble.  His blood rushed hot and fast each time he came into physical contact with her.  It was a sensation he wanted to pursue even though he knew it was forbidden territory.  There was something about her.

Something he couldn't seem to put into words—something intangible that scared and excited him more than anything else ever had.

Text Copyright © 2005 by SKDennison, Inc.  Cover Art Copyright © 2005 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY—a conversation with Jean and Ryland

Harlequin has reissued 15 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Jean Summerfield and Ryland Collier about HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print October 2003 and currently available in ebook.

Thank you, Jean and Ry, for joining me today.  The two of you first met in high school where you were good friends.  Then suddenly you were like strangers to each other.  After graduation you each went your separate ways and didn't have any contact for fifteen years.  That seems odd to me.  If you were such good friends, what happened and why didn't you stay in touch?

Jean:  That's a tough question that doesn't have an easy answer.

That's an odd statement.  Can you elaborate?

Jean:  (glancing at Ry as if to determine if he agreed with what she was about to say)  Back then I couldn't imagine why he would want to be friends with me.  At sixteen, I was overweight, had a mouth full of metal braces, wore ugly glasses, and my wardrobe consisted of second hand clothes that looked like they belonged to a maiden great-aunt…which wasn't far from the truth.  In other words, I was an awkward mess.  Ry, on the other hand, was star quarterback of the football team, class president, and had people falling all over him wanting to be his friend…especially the cheerleaders.  We had a couple of the same classes and just fell into a pattern of walking from the first class to the second together and struck up a friendship.

Ryland:  Jean was so easy to talk to.  I genuinely enjoyed her company.  She was the only person where I truly felt like I could be myself without needing to guard what I said and did in order to protect what was going on in my home life.  As to what happened…well, it was my fault.  I wasn't responsible for the circumstances that set it up, but I take full responsibility for the terrible way I handled it.

You keep referring to 'it' as in set 'it' up…handled 'it'…what is the 'it' you're talking about?

Ryland:  A terrible mistake I made that haunted me for fifteen years.  Not a day went by that I didn't have to deal with the guilt over what I'd done.  When I realized who the maid of honor was at my best friend's wedding, I kept vacillating between the anxiety of having to face up to my guilt and the thrill of finding a long lost friend I thought I'd never see again.

So the two of you reconnected at a wedding after fifteen years.  And the wedding provided a conducive setting for your own romance?

Jean:  Yes and no.

Meaning what, if you don't mind me asking.

Jean:  Certainly the week leading up to the wedding was filled with activities involving us with each other and ongoing contact with a bride and groom who were obviously head-over-heels in love with each other.  But then a dark cloud descended over things…I thought I was pregnant, I discovered that Ry's consulting contract had a very definite and it seemed negative impact on my job.  And then there was the night his wife showed up at my front door.

His wife?

Ryland:  Not wife…EX-wife.  Very much EX-wife.  With everything that was going on it's not surprising that things became confused.  Words were said in the heat of the moment…once again, I managed to do a lousy job of handling an awkward situation.

So your path to happiness wasn't as smooth as it might have been?

Ryland:  LOL.  Not even close.

Jean:  I thought for a while that the path had totally disappeared.

That sounds serious.  What happened?

Jean:  Sorry, you'll need—

I know…LOL, I'll need to read the book to find out.

Ryland:  That's it, exactly.  :)

Then that's exactly what I'll do!

***

HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/ (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Noble for NookBooks at http://www.bn.com/.  And Amazon for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/.

Blurb:

Suddenly With Child:

Fifteen years had passed since Ry Collier broke her teenage heart.  Fifteen years during which the golden boy had amassed a fortune, making a name for the man.  Fifteen years during which she'd blossomed into a woman bearing little resemblance to an awkward schoolgirl, if Ry's searing, searching appraisal in meeting her again was any indication.  But quickly, best man Ry knew why the maid of honor looked familiar.  And despite the past, they shared a bed.

And Jean Summerfield became pregnant.

Now she had to tell Ry that one reckless, remarkable night of passion had made a baby.  And risk history repeating itself...

G-rated excerpt (inside front cover):

The passion of Ry Collier infused her with a heated desire.  Certainly physical desire.  But mere infatuation?  No matter how much she denied it, things had moved far beyond mere infatuation.  Once again she was losing her heart to someone in spite of her intentions never to do it again.  Then all her thoughts stopped and she gave herself over to the exhilaration building inside her.

Tonight, following the rehearsal dinner...

The decision to make love with him would take them down an unknown path, one that could lead to love or disaster.  An uneasiness tried to replace the positive feeling.  She shoved it aside.  If she was falling in love—

If...  That was a laugh.  She knew in her heart that it had gone beyond the "if" stage.  She was far too involved to turn back now.

------------

Text Copyright ©2003 by SKDennison, Inc.  Cover Art Copyright ©2003 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Visit my website for additional excerpts from HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY and information about my other Harlequin/Silhouette ebook reissues. http://www.shawnadelacorte.com/