HelenKay Dimon

To celebrate my release this week of NO TURNING BACK, I’m doing a cool tour with a few other authors. You can win prizes…see, I have your attention now.

Check out Thea Harrison’s blog for more details today and keep checking over the new few weeks!

I go the back cover copy for FEARLESS, the first in the Corcoran Team miniseries from Harlequin Intrigue. It comes out in early July, but here’s a sneak peek:

HIS JOB HAD ONCE TORN THEM APART…BUT NOW IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BRING THEM BACK TOGETHER

Davis Weeks had a sterling reputation for high-priority, under-the-radar rescue missions. His role in the prestigious undercover agency Corcoran Team trumped everything. Even Lara Bart. Though his loyalty to his position had once driven her away, Lara knew she had to tame her emotions if she wanted to surive. Whether she liked it or not, he was the only man who could protect her.

Showing up at his door after dodging one attempt on her life, she knew Davis had the tools to make sure the next one failed, as well. But was his past to blame for the sudden attacks? Or was the answer, just like their intense relationship, not so clear-cut?

Years ago I read this 2-in-1 anthology by Linda Howard called THE MACKENZIES. In an author’s note at the front she talked about writing the second book in this series, MACKENZIE’S MISSION, completing it, and realizing it was wrong. She thought she didn’t do the hero, Joe, justice and re-wrote it in record time. I remember thinking something along the lines of: wow, that sucks and I hope it never happens to me.

Can you see where this story is going?

Yeah, I had the same exact thing happen. I wrote the book for Travis from my Holloway series, finished it in an illness-induced haze and let the book sit for a day or two so I could look at it with semi-fresh eyes before turning it in. When I did go back and look at it, I didn’t think it was good enough. Travis was fine but the heroine was all wrong. She was NOT the woman for Travis. So, I re-wrote it from scratch – super-fast and in panic mode. This is way past deadline and the only reason I could do this is my editor is pretty awesome (and she’s also on vacation and couldn’t edit it anyway). She comes back later this week and I’m polishing the last of it now.

Did I mention the book – JUST WHAT HE WANTED – comes out in mid-June? Yeah, this is super tight, but I also think it’s a much better book. Travis found the woman he deserved.

Today’s topic is: holding out for a heroine. I pretty much have one of those in every book. Always, actually. Thought this might be a good time to give you a sneak peek of Sophie, the heroine in my second Hanover Brothers book, A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE. This one comes out in July but Sophie is in my March release, NO TURNING BACK. Take a loook…

With one hand she pushed the hall bathroom door open, ignoring the creak as she spun and jumped inside. Her back hit the door and her eyes closed in relief. It took her a second to realize her sneakers slid across the black and white checkered tile beneath her and a wall of heated steam smacked her face.

When she opened her eyes again, she came face to shoulders with bare skin. Her gaze trailed over the broad chest and light sprinkling of hair that ran the deep groove to his flat stomach then down to…yowsa.

There was not as much as a washcloth covering him. Nope. She got an open shot of skin, balls and, yeah, totally naked hottie dude. Looked like Beck Hanover excelled at something other than arguing.

Fingers snapped, breaking her woman-versus-penis staring contest. A deep male voice floated through the tiny room a second later. “Uh, hello?”
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I tend to read in cycles. I’ll have one nonfiction book going for some sort of research or “maybe this will work in the future” purposes and then something that’s more for fun. Right now the two I’m reading don’t have much in common other than the nonfiction sounded interesting and I thought it would be good background for my romantic suspense writing.

The nonfiction, ENEMIES: A History of the FBI –

We think of the FBI as America’s police force. But secret intelligence is the Bureau’s first and foremost mission. Enemies is the story of how presidents have used the FBI as the most formidable intelligence force in American history.

Here is the hidden history of America’s hundred-year war on terror. The FBI has fought against terrorists, spies, anyone it deemed subversive—and sometimes American presidents. The FBI’s secret intelligence and surveillance techniques have created a tug-of-war between protecting national security and infringing upon civil liberties. It is a tension that strains the very fabric of a free republic.

When it comes to the fiction I should say, “What I’m About To Read” since I haven’t started yet. The next up is FOOL FOR LOVE by Beth Ciotta. Beth is someone I know from the online community. I started visiting her site way back when and found her funny and charming. Then I met her in person and realized my impression of her was correct. I lost track of her books a year or so ago, but I found her again and picked this up.

Call her a fool, but chef-in-training Chloe Madison wants to have her cake and eat it too. So when her boyfriend dumps her for some French tart, she decides to start over from scratch—with a new life and job in Sugar Creek, Vermont. What could be sweeter than cooking for an eccentric lady who’s crazy for desserts? What could be more tempting than joining a club called the Cupcake Lovers? Just one thing: local business-hunk Devlin Monroe…

AND HE’S THE ICING ON THE CUPCAKE

Although he’s the grandson of Chloe’s fun-loving boss, Devlin Monroe is all work and no play. Micro-managing the family business, he doesn’t have time to indulge in life’s sweetest pleasures—until he meets Chloe. How can he resist such a vibrant, beautiful woman who brings so much passion to the table? But when old grudges and secrets threaten to destroy the Cupcake Lovers, Devlin must decide if his feelings for Chloe are a recipe for disaster—or a sinfully delicious ever-after…

I just finished writing a novella and am letting it sit for two days before doing a final read and emailing it in. While that one sits, I’m writing a chapter for book #3 of the Corcoran Team, my Intrigue miniseries that starts in July with FEARLESS.

The book I’m working on is tentatively titled RELENTLESS and will be out in June 2014. I’m writing only one chapter now because that’s how the contract process works. I sold books 3-5 in this miniseries based on a synopsis. I now write a chapter of book #3 and turn that in with a cleaned-up synopsis to my editor so she has a better idea what the book is going to look like. The idea is she can be all “I hate it!” if she does, but hopefully she won’t. Then I know I’m good with this idea and as soon as I hit the right time in my schedule I can write the rest of it.

Wanna see my visual inspirations for the characters? Here’s the heroine, Jocelyn Raine (real life Bryce Dallas Howard):

Here’s the hero, Ben Tanner (real life Sam Worthington):

Before Benghazi ever happened I wrote a short story about a Navy SEAL rescuing a foreign service officer from an embassy. It all happens in a made-up country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The story – FINDING HOME – originally was released as part of the SEAL OF MY DREAMS anthology and I’ve now listed it for separate sale (and given it a hottie cover). I’m waiting for it to load at B&N, ARe and Sony and a bunch of other places, but the Amazon version is up. You can buy it HERE.

Or you can just sit a minute and gaze at this cover with me

My general sickness still has me down and coughing like a mad thing, but I’m always happy to talk romance novels. This week’s topic is sweethearts. I thought maybe an early look at FEARLESS, my next romantic suspense from Harlequin Intrigue, was in order. The hero and heroine used to be engaged. Now they’re apart…but do you think that’s going to continue?

He started to stretch his arms over his head and winced from the pull. Glancing around for a clean T-shirt, his gaze fell on the unmade bed. The blinking green light on his phone caught his attention next. With his job at the Corcoran Team he was on call all the time, and that habit gave him some comfort, but he had forgotten to bring the cell with him when he went outside earlier. He’d been unavailable for two hours, which was a record.

He swore under his breath as he reached over. A few buttons later and a voice he hadn’t heard in months buzzed in his ear. Eleven months and twelve days, but who was counting?

Davis, it’s me. I’m in huge trouble. I…need you. Please be home.

Lara Bart, his former fiancé and the sole reason he went off the grid on a job that ended with busted ribs and a bruised jaw. The passing of days didn’t matter. He knew that voice, could hear it every time he closed his eyes.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!!

In addition to selling more Intrigues, I also sold two books to Berkley Heat – wahoo!!! The books are erotic romance and a bit naughtier than my usual contemporary romance single titles. They are much closer in tone to the erotic romance short stories I’ve written. In the first – tentatively titled BRANDED – the hero is a very bad boy and the heroine is a female Jason Bourne type. It’s not romantic suspense but it has a tense vibe. I’m super excited about the books. If you want to read more, you can go to RT Book Reviews (formerly Romantic Times) to read an interview they did with me about the series.