NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Monday, July 22, 2013

Eulogy


Warning: this may be a morbid topic for some, and it’s said with a bit of tongue-in-cheek. For me, it’s a normal day. ;) And I figure, if I can’t be morbid with my NYUS friends, where can I?

Today is a release day for me. DEADLY BONDS (Mindhunters, Book 3) released in digital form today. In fact, this whole month has been a busy promo month... AVENGING ANGEL (Mindhunters, Book 2) came out in print via harlequin.com this month. And the first book ONLY FEAR is on sale for 99 cents through July 31st. However, some may find it odd for me to choose to celebrate my release day with a eulogy.

I’m about to confess to a guilty pleasure: I’m a big fan of The Young and the Restless. It’s my lunchtime splurge. I watch it while I make my lunch and allow my brain to decompress from the morning routine and recharge for the afternoon. Or, while I’m doing mundane tasks like folding laundry or doing dishes, I’ll put Y&R on in the background.

Jeanne Cooper, Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
The show has been a staple in my life since I was twelve. Which is why I was so sad when actress Jeanne Cooper (who played the indomitable Catherine Chancellor) passed away in May of this year. It was like losing a friend you saw every week. A couple of weeks later, Y&R aired a tribute to this amazing woman, who’d been a constant presence on the show for forty years. Her fellow actors and actresses reminisced and shared stories of how she mentored and supported them.

And then my brain made a morbid leap (maybe you're not surprised?)... What if my characters (who are, essentially, my coworkers) had to give a tribute on my behalf? What if I died and they had to say something at my funeral? What would they say?

They’d probably say I put them through hell, but also brought them the best days of their lives when they found a happy-ever-after. Maybe they'd even invite me to their weddings.

They’d probably moan and groan about what I put them through, but laugh and smile about the outcome.

They’d talk about how much they learned because of their time with me.

So, as I work to give another pair of characters their happily-ever-after in the fourth book in my series, I’m encouraged to think what a gift I’m giving them. They’ll stretch beyond what they think is possible, face down their demons and survive. And they’ll be stronger, better, faster, happier.

They’ll thank me one day.

DEADLY BONDS (Mindhunters, Book 3)

A dedicated profiler. Dr. Holt Patterson has thrown himself into his work since his wife's death, and his relationship with his young son, Theo, is suffering. He's caught in an impossible choice—how can he make the world a safer place for his son without sacrificing valuable family time?

An unrequited love. Sara Burns, the director at Theo's prestigious academy, once loved Holt Patterson, but he was her best friend's husband. Now a decade has passed, and Sara realizes that her feelings are just as strong—but how can she act on them without betraying her friend's memory?

A terrifying killer. A violent man develops an interest in Sara, and sends a body instead of flowers to get her attention. Holt is determined to keep her safe. But the killer is much closer than they expect…


Anne Marie has always been fascinated by people—inside and out—which led to degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Counseling.  Her passion for understanding the human race is now satisfied by her roles as mother, wife, daughter, sister, and award-winning author of romantic suspense.  
She writes to reclaim her sanity.
Find ways to connect with Anne Marie at www.AnneMarieBecker.com.

13 comments:

Maureen A. Miller said...

Happy release day, Anne Marie!!

All I remember about Young and the Restless, was how mad Grandma was when all the actors from "Return To Peyton Place" 'jumped ship' to climb on board this new soap called, "The Young And The Restless".

And I'm hoping your co-workers are reading this!!

Anne Marie Becker said...

Thanks, Maureen! :D

LOL - I love that about your grandma. My grandma was a rabid fan of Y&R. ;)

CathyP said...

Happy release day!

I love your spin on what your characters would say about you :)

Anne Marie Becker said...

Thanks, Cathy! I sure hope they'd say that about me. LOL

Rita said...

Hugs many wishes for a huge success.

Jean Harrington said...

Congratulations on the release, Anne Marie. As to the soaps, my only story is that when I was teaching, one of my English classes wanted to attend a wedding of two characters from General Hospital. Names forgotten--that's how much I was into it! Anyway, they wore me down and we repaired to The Shanty, the school's snack bar, to watch the show. It was a great bonding experience between teach and pupils. See, you brought that memory flooding back.

Anne Marie Becker said...

@Rita - I'll take those hugs! :) Thanks.

@Jean - My mom was big into General Hospital when I was in middle school...probably one of the reasons soap operas became part of my life. :) There was a show Passions back in college...people used to skip class to watch it. I didn't get into that show, but many shows have diehard fans. Glad it brought back a good memory! :)

Elise Warner said...

Congratulations on your new release, Anne Marie. I was distraught when Inspector Morse died. It's hard to lose friends.

Anne Marie Becker said...

Thanks, Elise. :) Definitely hard to lose friends...sometimes you see actors or characters more than your own family members!

Shelley Munro said...

Congrats on the new releases, both print and ebook.
Huh, my characters would probably start arguing and telling people I did everything wrong. I was contrary and made them do things they didn't want to do.

Anne Marie Becker said...

LOL, Shelley - we do force them into predicaments, don't we? Troublemakers... ;)

Unknown said...

Not morbid at all, Anne Marie. Who hasn't wondered what people would say about them after they died? And congratulations on the new release! Now I have to get busy reading Mindhunters #2 so I can get to #3!

Hildegard said...

Great!

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