Dead Reckoning By Stanalei Fletcher ~ RELEASE DAY spotlight ~ Interview

Dead Reckoning

Northstar Security #2 

By Stanalei Fletcher

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Interview:

Crystal: I am honored to host Stanalei Fletcher today. Welcome Stanalei! I'm so thrilled you have you here today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Stanalei: Ahh, I’m betting you’d like something that probably isn’t in my bio, which after posting it in so many places, is actually a bit boring to me, too. Well, I still have my day job doing technical support. With my husband now retired, the day job continues to help with the bills. So when I write, I’m squeezing in time between a typical 8-6 work day. I’m a grandmother and spend a lot of time at little league baseball and football games in the spring, summer and fall. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it does mean I have to prioritize other activities to have time to craft my stories.


Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Stanalei: My latest book is DEAD RECKONING. There are a few scenes that are my favorite, but here’s one your visitors might enjoy:

Share a bed with Egan? After what had just happened? Could she do it? Had they done it before?
“I’m sleeping on the floor,” he said, as though sensing her thoughts.
She whirled around. “I wasn’t…I was wondering if we…” Her cheeks grew hot. How did she ask that question?
The corner of his mouth twitched. “No. We haven’t.”
“Oh.” That settled the question about being lovers. Disappointment gnawed at her. She wasn’t his student anymore. She was a grown woman, with mature needs and desires. “I’m perfectly fine if you want to sleep on the bed with me.” At least she thought she was. “Besides, you’ll be uncomfortable, and might kink your neck, or worse.”
He shrugged off her concern. “Comfort isn’t the issue.”
“Then what is?”
“Let’s just say I don’t need the distraction.”
Her? A distraction? His admission ignited a flare of hope. Without a second thought, she walked over to him, stood on her toes and planted a kiss on the same cheek she’d slapped earlier. His scruffy whiskers grazed her lips, searing a new memory into her brain.
“What was that for?” Frustration edged his voice.
“For slapping you. You didn’t deserve it. You were doing your job.” She returned to the bed and pulled down the covers, watching him out of the corner of her eye.
Egan stood rooted to the carpet for a moment. Then he strode decisively into the bathroom.
She smiled when she heard him swear just before slamming the door.

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your latest release?

Stanalei: You know, I honestly don’t remember exactly where the idea first came from for DEAD RECKONING. I know it was a conceptual idea sometime after Hurricane Katrina. But I didn’t want to write about the hurricane or the aftermath as much as find a story that had a bit of twist to it and use the storm as a backdrop. I do love to use forces of nature in all my stories. I think a storm or fire can add to the suspenseful trials my characters face.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Stanalei: My next project is book 3 in the Northstar Security Series with a working title: BEYOND DUTY. All the stories feature the head of the firm, Byron O’Neal. In DEAD RECKONING, you meet his daughter, Kellee. In BEYOND DUTY, you get to meet his son, Riley.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Stanalei: Because of the aforementioned day job, I do have routine I try to stick to. When I decided to write for publication, I sacrificed my regular Aikido study nights. For over twenty years, Tuesday and Thursday nights were set aside for training. Now my training is somewhat more sedentary, but it’s training nonetheless. I write on those nights and on Saturdays after my weekly chores. This routine is constant, with the few exceptions when I’m on vacations, at a conference or have purposely chosen not to write. There is no “when I’m writing”…I’m always writing or doing something related to my writing.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so, do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Stanalei: I do research for all my books. If possible, I like to have “boots on the ground” for any location I write about. I live in the western part of the United States and that has been easier research for some stories. But DEAD RECKONING takes place on the east coast. I have visited Florida a few times for my day job, but not the specific locations mentioned in the book. I did a lot of Google Earth research and made the internet and bookstore my friend. I researched amnesia, hurricanes, live-aboard boats, and the history of the Russian Mafia. I learned a lot about boats and even more about Russians when I put out a request to confirm some of the Russian terms I used. As a result of that research, I toned down some of the language to make it less vulgar. Any mistakes or misuse of the nautical and Russian terms in the story are mine alone.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Stanalei: I have my old standby favorites, (listed in my bio) but I also love to read RaeAnne Thayne, Kristan Higgins, Tom Clancy, James Rollins, and Christopher Moore. More accurately, I love to listen to the last three authors on audio CDs. A good reader makes the book a performance and all the difference in the story experience when you listen to the audio.

Crystal:  Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Stanalei: I have a time-travel story out, so I’ve already ventured beyond the Romantic Suspense genre. In fact, I have readers who’ve requested a sequel to the time-travel, so that is rolling up on my to-do list, soon. I also have a small town contemporary series started that is in the WIP phase. I’d like to see if that is a genre that would please my readers.

I want to take a moment to thank you, Crystal, for the support and time you’ve given me on your blog today. I wish you and your visitors the best of days! To keep up with my latest projects, you can sign up for my newsletter here: http://www.stanaleifletcher.com/contact.html.

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Dead Reckoning Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | B&N | iBook | kobo | All Romance eBooks

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BLURB:

Egan Maddox isn’t sure he’s the right man for the job when Northstar director, Byron O’Neal, asks him to find his missing daughter and protect her from an unknown danger. Egan’s never shaken off his attraction to Kellee O’Neal and hiding away with her, could be more than trouble than this former Navy SEAL can handle. 

Kellee is lost, with no memory, and believes someone wants to hurt her. When Egan appears and seems to know her, he convinces her she’ll be safe with him. As her memories resurface, she turns to Egan for comfort, and her youthful crush transforms into a womanly passion she can’t deny. 

With the Russian Mafia closing in, Kellee learns her entire life has been a lie. How can her love for Egan be enough to help her navigate the murky waters of her past and prove that her heritage doesn’t matter as much as the woman she’s become?