Seized by Darkness - and a giveaway!

'she said,he said...' welcomes Autumn Jordon. 

I'm delighted Autumn's come visiting today to tell us about her latest book-Seized by Darkness.  

***It's a really gripping story that you could be reading the whole way through-not just the blurb below-since Autumn's giving away a copy of Seized by Darkness to one lucky commenter! ***

Award-winning author Autumn Jordon is published in both romantic suspense and romantic western contemporary. Her first release ‘His Witness To Evil’ was a 2009 Golden Heart® finalist and also won the 2010 Golden Leaf for ‘Best First Book’. Taking events from life, twisting them and adding strong heroines and delicious heroes is the recipe she uses for her award-winning novels. She is living her dream as a full-time writer with her own hero in the shadows of the Blue Appalachian Mountains of northeast Pennsylvania. Visit her at www.autumnjordon.com

Thank you, Nancy, for hosting me today.  I guess we’re here to talk about romance novels. 

Why do millions of readers—I say readers because men actually makeup a good percentage of romance readers— head to their favorite book store each week and purchase books?  I know why I do.  Because I want to be whisked out of my world and become engrossed in a story about the meeting and growing relationship of two people. 

A plot is very important, but a story with the simplest of plots can become a best seller if the characters come to life. Bringing them to life is a writer’s priority and we do that through emotion. 

 

In my new release, Seized By Darkness, I dug deep into the emotions I felt for my mother, my father and my children.  Why those relationships? Because Seized by Darkness is about a young  

girl of sixteen, on the cusp of starting her life, disappearing.  She is kidnapped off the street she walked every day.  I drew on a realm of emotions I would feel if I had experienced a similar circumstance. I actually sat in a dark sectioned of my basement, listening to silence, and thinking about my family and how my disappearance would affect them. They’d search. My mother, who is a sweetheart, would be broken hearted and my father who has always been the protector would feel as if he’s failed. And he wouldn’t know how to comfort my mom.

My chest tightened and I could barely breathe as my thoughts turned to my children.  I honestly don’t know if I could keep it together if one of them were abducted.

After some reflecting, I decided to begin Seized By Darkness with Nicole eight years after she was snatched.  She now has a son from the Russian mafia monster that plucked her, as a virgin, from the trafficking mill and has kept her as his own. Nicole is strong, the way I hope I would be.  She has never given up hope that she would be free and she’ll do anything  to have her life back and ensure her son will not grow into a monster like his father. 

She is also fragile. Nicole hopes not, but wonders whether her family has forgotten about her.  Her faith has been broken.  And, she knows, without a doubt, that no man will ever look at her, much less love her, after she has been made a whore. 

Enter U.S. Marshal William Haus.  He is the man fairytales are made of.  Strong, intelligent and has a heart the size of the Utah salt flats and just as warm. 

You thought I was going to say drop dead handsome, but you can see that he is without a doubt fine.  But, Will has issues of his own, and as Nicole and he work to bring down the trafficking ring, his feelings for Nicole grow and he has no choice but to face his past.

Emotional? Yes, Seized By Darkness is filled with passion, mine.  

If you’re a writer, how do you discover your character’s emotions?   

And if you’re a reader, do you have any comments or questions? 

***One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of Seized By Darkness.  Pop something into the comments box, and leave your contact email address. I’ll select a winner and post the name here tomorrow afternoon.  Good luck!***

Here's a bit about the story:

Eight long years hostage Nicole Carson has lived a nightmare as the mistress of a mafia lord. When her captor brings home another kidnapped victim, she seizes the opportunity to save herself, her son and the young girl, leaving the Russian for dead. In order to stay alive and save the family she hasn’t seen in years from the mafia family’s wrath, she must disappear as if she’s never existed.

A sting to bring down the largest human trafficking ring in the country goes south for U.S. Marshal William Haus and his C.U.F.F. team. C.U.F.F. catches a break when the mistress of the Russian kingpin is captured with a kidnapped victim. Will bargains with the beautiful mistress. If she helps secure evidence against the mafia, she’ll earn a new life for her and her son. But when Will learns Nicole’s true identity, he wants to call the operation off. Nicole begs the handsome marshal to keep her secret and allow her to put her life on the line for her family.

A game of cat and mouse plays out between the U.S. Marshal and the ruthless Russian. The prize neither man wants to give up is Nicole.

 Seized By Darkness is available from Amazon and B&N in both digital and print format.

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seized-By-Darkness-C-U-F-F-ebook/dp/B008N3RK3Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348801424&sr=1-1

Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Seized-By-Darkness-C-U-F-F-ebook/dp/B008N3RK3Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347146734&sr=1-1&keywords=seized+by+darkness

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seized-by-darkness-autumn-jordon/1112170730?ean=2940014973335

To learn more about Autumn Jordon please visit www.autumnjordon.com  

Thank you for visiting today, Autumn. Seized by Darkness is another for my TBR pile since I'm reading a lot more suspense these days! Best wishes for the rest of your book launch and for future sales.