All Things Romantic Suspense: Veronica Lynch

Today I welcome Veronica Lynch, author of Those Who Wait. Let's get this party started!

1. Howdy! Please introduce yourself, tell us an interesting fact about you, and if you were an animal, what would it be? I am a retired OR nurse/medical malpractice investigator, former victim advocate. If I were an animal I would be a lioness because it wouldn't be much of a stretch. You try working with fast handed surgeons, misogynistic obstetricians, and less than interested police officers. See how long you last before your claws come out. Oops, got a little snarky there. Sorry. Five Hail Mary's for me.

2. Tell us a bit about your book—We are speaking of Those Who Wait, a short novella, released in September 2010 through Decadent Publishing. A hoot of a story, based on real events and real people, myself included.

3. What was your inspiration for this story? I always wanted to tell a story about a victim advocate and a cop, but I didn't want to get into the emotional baggage this type of work brings with it. I didn't want to relive all the heartache and frustration. Decadent offered me a chance to write something quick, fun and short. It worked. Plus, I got to write about the man of my dreams and turn him into the hero he deserved to be.

4. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser? BTSOOM which is nurse-speak for I-don't-have-the-slightest-idea.

5. When diving into a new work, how much research do you do and how do you go about doing it? Depending on the story idea which I must must have before I begin any new project, I often will develop my characters first, then get into the research. As to how I research, it depends. Some I've done online [like school bullying]; others I've gone to the location. I've spent many memorable weekends in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, the setting for one of my earliest books. As an insurance investigator, I traveled the length of upstate New York so many of the locations are permanently tattooed in my brain, but that makes developing settings easy. I've made rounds with an equine vet, spent an afternoon with a police mounted patrol unit, interrogated a physician who works for Doctors Without Borders over lunch, read more books on genocide than I care to list.

6. If you could be one character from your book, who would it be and why? I would be Megan Muldoon so I could have a chance to go back and have a do-over with her job. This time out, I be more emotionally balanced, show an improved sense of humor and a greater appreciation for the law enforcement side of handling violence against women.

7. And if you had to be stuck in an elevator for 42 hours with one of your characters…? In a heartbeat I'd want to be stuck with Keenan Rossi. Can we be certain the elevator is stuck and we won't be interuppted? That's important to the fantasy. Not that he'd last that long because I'd wear him out, but one can always fantasize.

8. What was the hardest part of writing this book? The editor kept asking for more pages. I gave her what I was capable of giving but then had to stop. This story was designed to be short and quick, not some long drawn out pain-filled emotional wringer.

9. Why romantic suspense? Why not? Do you write any other sub genres of romance? I've tried several times. My fingers and brain refused to cooperate.

10. What books have most influenced your writing or your outlook on life in general? Carolina Moon and Divine Evil by Nora Roberts. Samantha Power's A Problem From Hell. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

11. Quick! The Departed, if this was the cop movie set in Boston with Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, one of the Baldwins, Leo D, and Mark Wahlberg . . . I wept. Leo deserved an Oscar nod. You could see the emotional deterioration on his face; he did not need to speak. He broke my heart—and I really don't care for his movies. If I'm describing a different movie, I'm sorry. I don't get out much.

12. Anything I didn't ask you about that you want to shout out to the world? Yeah, thanks, Mindy. Support your local domestic violence shelter by giving your time and support, gently used clothes and household goods or toys for little ones. Our children are our most precious resource; growing up with violence warps that resource and eventually destroys it.

.

thank you so much for allowing me to be a guest at your blog. This was fun!

----

Purchase Veronica's book at www.DecadentPublishing.com
Excerpt:

“Crime Victim Services,” she murmured into the receiver. “How may I help you?”

The caller's voice was low, husky, and exquisitely male. “Do you know the difference between a barracuda and a victim advocate?”

Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. “Lip gloss.”

“Well damn,” Investigator Keenan Rossi muttered. “You already heard it.”

“An oldie but a goodie, pal.”

“Aren't we all. How you doin' on this gorgeous February day, gorgeous?”

Bringing the face of the handsome sheriff's detective to mind took no great effort. After several moments of imagining twinkling eyes and a dimpled grin, she said, “Not too bad. How's by you?”

“Lemme tell you, cara. If I was any better, I'd scare myself."