Here is the December question:
Have you ever used a holiday setting in one of your Intrigues?
What was fun or challenging about writing a holiday-themed story?
If not, which holiday do you think would make a great background setting or plot device for an Intrigue and why?
And what holiday would have the most significance for your current hero and heroine?

BJ Daniels
Christmas is my favorite holiday for setting books -- especially here in Montana. Winter is a beautiful time of the year with lots of snow and bright, sunny days. Classified Christmas, my December Whitehorse series book, is set right before the holidays. It is cold, snowy and the lakes and rivers are frozen over. There is an excitement in the air. Everyone is all bundled up on the streets. There is Christmas music playing downtown and even a winter parade in the small Montana town where I now live. Winter here has a cozy, snuggled up feel to it. Imagine then, a woman who has grown up in Texas finding herself in Whitehorse, Montana in December. Not only is Andi not prepared for the weather, she's really not prepared for cowboy Cade Jackson -- and the deadly secrets that surround him.

Delores Fossen
I've had several holiday-themed Intrigues, including my current release, The Christmas Clue. The story is set on an isolated west Texas estate, and the hero and heroine pose as temporary help hired to decorate the house and grounds. Since this is an Intrigue, they're really there to find the truth about the hero's stolen baby daughter and to discover evidence that'll clear the heroine's name. All does not go well, and they have to dodge bullets before they find their happily ever after among the Christmas lights.

Elle James
I’m writing my first Intrigue with a holiday setting starting in December 2007. The book comes out November of 2008 and is tentatively titled Nick of Time. I’m excited about this story because it’s based in North Pole, Alaska where it’s Christmas all year round. My characters are Mary Christmas whose Dad is the resident Santa Claus and he goes missing right before Christmas. A Stealth Operations Specialist is called in to help find Santa and it wouldn’t be the same unless his name was Nick, right? Nick St. Clair hasn’t believed in Santa and Christmas in a long time. Mary left North Pole, Alaska to leave the legacy of being the daughter of Santa Claus and do her own thing in the lower 48. But when dear old dad is missing, she joins forces with Nick to find him. Many people go to Alaska to escape their pasts or start over. , Mary’s father came to Alaska to hide from his past, but his past has come back to haunt him and his daughter left the place. Together, Nick and Mary work to save Santa and in the meantime find the meaning of Christmas and a love so hot it melts the snow. I’m glad I’m writing this story in December, surrounded by the music and spirit of Christmas. It seems fitting and gets me in the mood!

Mallory Kane
One of my favorite stories I've written for Intrigue is a Christmas story. It's called "Merry's Christmas" and is in Epiphany, an anthology with Rita Herron and Debra Webb from 2005. For some unfathomable reason, those two talented ladies let me have the night before Christmas. So what could I do but write a pregnant heroine/no room at the inn story? My heroine had never had a homey Christmas because her parents were jet-setters. So while she's in protective custody in a safe house over Christmas, she decides to make a homey Christmas for her about-to-be-born baby. Of course, her hero, a jaded cop whose ex-wife got drunk and had a miscarriage on Christmas eve several years ago,  hates Christmas and everything connected with it. These two have a mad, deadly chase in an ice-storm with her in labor the whole time. But by the time Christmas Day dawns, the two are safe, in love, and welcoming a brand new baby into the world.  Archer and Resa, my hero and heroine from Silent Guardian, January 2008, are probably more suited to Hallowe'en, because each of them, in their own way, is hiding behind a mask. Archer is reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera, since he's buried himself in his own version of the Phantom's lair. He's convinced his heart has died. Resa is the one woman who can bring him back to life, if he can keep her safe long enough.

Dana Marton
I haven't yet used a holiday setting for my Intrigues, but would love to do a Christmas story. I think it would be great since the season adds a lot of different emotions for people. Old regrets tend to come up, memories, new joys. Definitely a lot of themes to play with. My current release, Sheik Seduction, takes place in a very short time frame. It's a fast-paced action thriller where even if there was a holiday, the hero and heroine would definitely not have time to stop and celebrate it--with being kidnapped by desert bandits and all that. But I would love to write a holiday Intrigue in the future and I recently submitted a proposal for one. So keep your fingers crossed!

Julie Miller
My very first Intrigue, One Good Man, was centered around Thanksgiving. For a couple of reasons--one, I wanted to establish the Kansas City setting that is so much a part of my Precinct books. And one of the most beautiful things about KC is the Plaza and the glorious splendor of all the Christmas lights they turn on Thanksgiving evening. It's a big social event. Plus, I wanted to show how isolated my heroine was, and playing off the hero's big family (the Taylor Clan!) and how they come together at Thanksgiving was a vivid juxtaposition tool to use.

I'm about to start on my first Christmas Intrigue, Kansas City Christmas, which will be the fourth book in my Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series (out in 2008). The eldest Kincaid brother, Edward--a cop on extended bereavement and injury leave--has no reason to celebrate Christmas. His family was murdered, his body and soul are deeply scarred--and his father's killer remains at large. While his family heals and readies for the Christmas season, he feels like joy and good will just ain't gonna happen for him. Pursuing his father's killer--and playing reluctant bodyguard to the female M.E. who can bust the case wide open--is the only thing that makes him feel anything. I love the Christmas setting for this one. At first, the season of hope feels mighty hopeless to him. But by the end of the story, he's fighting to get home to the woman and family he loves. And the present he brings? Justice.

Ann Voss Peterson
I've yet to publish a holiday Intrigue, but I'm writing one now that will be released next year as part of a series with Rebecca York and Patricia Rosemoor. Not only is it fun to include Christmas themes, but these themes can be a great way to explore different sides of the characters and the suspense story. Our series is a twist on ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. The next holiday theme I would most love to include in an Intrigue is Halloween. The darkest and spookiest of all the holidays echoes the feel of Intrigue perfectly! As for my current hero and heroine, Jace and Shanna from my upcoming Intrigue Thriller, Wyoming Manhunt (March, 2008), would be happy to survive to celebrate any holiday! 

Patricia Rosemoor
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday--seeing family and friends in a decorated wonderland that takes us all far from the realities of our world, if just for a few days. If you haven't seen the movie Joyeux Noelle, do.It illustrates the true meaning of Christmas for me. My new book Wolf Moon is written at Christmas time. I needed a winter setting and Christmas seemed to be a good choice, especially since this is a McKenna Legacy book. A Christmas tree plays an important part in the big finish, and family members you haven't seen in years get together in a big Christmas celebration in the epilogue. I also have written two Intrigues in the past in which the mysteries were Christmas-centric. My fourth Intrigue, Crimson Holiday, was released twenty years ago this month. The story begins in a big department store during the Christmas party...and "Santa Claus" is murdered. I won't tell you how, because that would spoil the end if you decide to read the book now. Then in 1994, I was asked by my editor to revisit the first book. Crimson Nightmare again starts at a Christmas party at the same department store. And again, Santa is killed, this time by eight tiny reindeer...or is it an allergic reaction from an appetizer he shouldn't have had? In both stories, my heroine is suspect. I had a great time writing them. Just thinking about them is making me smile. Merry Christmas to all...and to all, lots of good nights. 

Dani Sinclair
Like most people, when I think of holidays, I generally think of family. That tends to lend itself to the type of stories I often write and helps to add emotional impact. My 1997 RITA nominated book, Better Watch Out used Christmas as a setting. My 1999, For His Daughter used Father’s Day. And in 2005, Secret Cinderella used New Year’s Eve. All were challenging stories to write because of their high levels of intensity, but building the stories around those holidays gave impact to each book that they wouldn’t have had otherwise. Although my 2008 release, Bodyguard to the Bride takes place in the summer, Thanksgiving would have a strong impact on the hero and heroine because of the sense of family and belonging that would strike at the core of both of them.
Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of the year, I wish you joy and the warmth of the people that you love and cherish the most.