Caroline Winters, the first woman elected president, knew her term wouldn't be easy. Then, months into her office, her husband tragically died in a plane crash--and she began receiving bone-chilling phone calls....

Now, suddenly, Justin Winters had returned. And when the threats on her life began, like an executive bodyguard, Justin performed feats of superhuman skill to protect her. And as the danger escalated around them, it seemed less daunting than facing the feelings provoked by the tender touch of the stranger with her husband's face....

Special Agent Prudence Dunlop was anxious to leave her desk job and get out in the field, but her all-too-handsome boss, John Cahill, denied each request she made. So when the opportunity to catch a cunning serial killer arose, Pru would do anything to prove herself. She'd even strip off her plain Jane persona and pose as a seductive temptress in the hopes of luring out the murderer. Instead, she unleashed an even more dangerous scenario between her and her boss. Though taking on the elusive killer threatened her life, would falling in love with John be the greatest risk of all?

She’d risk her neck to expose the truth.  Kelly Weir wouldn't rest until she brought a murderer to his knees. But if Summer Shores' swirling riptide was any indication, she was in way over her head. Now targeted by the killer, Kelly's very survival depended on an enigmatic stranger with a penchant for keeping dangerous secrets...

He’d cross the line to protect her. Plagued by his role in developing the breakthrough prescription drug that was now being peddled on the black market, Dan Steele joined forces with Kelly to smoke out the "Candy Man." Blindsided by raw, primal desire, he became overwhelmed by his need to protect the captivating beauty. But love was a distraction he couldn't afford. One wrong move and they just might find themselves trapped in the mastermind's lethal maze...

B J Daniels: I love books with a strong sense of place. For me that strong sense of place is Montana. My family moved here when I was five. We have always spent a lot of time camping, boating, hiking and exploring the state so I love setting the majority of my Intrigues here. Many of my experiences have gone into my books. Montana is still wild and dangerous in a lot of ways. And that makes it exciting. That is one reason my I am starting a new series called Montana Mystique. The first book, Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch comes out in February. I got the idea from something that happened years ago -- a discovery that was made in an old well. 

Rita Herron: In my first single title romantic suspense A Breath Away which debuts this month from HQN (Yay!), I used my small town, southern upbringing to add flavor to the fictitious town of Crow's Landing, Tennessee.  Because I love Savannah, and am a Georgia native, I also used the Savannah setting which is rich in character in itself.  Like my Nighthawk Island books, A Breath Away, has a medically oriented element buried inside -- here, I draw on my husband's expertise in the medical research field to turn my premise/theory into fiction. I'm also a lover of folklore, so I incoporated a native Amercian legend to add another dimension. Blend all that with my love of dark, twisted, mysteries and it's a 'keep-the-lights-on' read! 

Mallory Kane: I worked in the medical field for 25 years before retiring early. As a pharmacist at several VA hospitals around the country, I had some interesting experiences. Some of the hospitals are big and old and spooky. Others are brand shiny new. The stories housed in those buildings are as varied as the building themselves. Seeking Asylum (Aug 05), is set in an old mansion that has been turned into a mental facility. I was able to draw on my memories of walking through dark, creepy hallways and listening to the spooky sounds of a hospital, especially the mental wards, late at night. It helped me create the dark, mysterious mood I wanted for Rachel and Eric's nighttime explorations as they try to find out what devious experiments are being conducted on the patients at the Meadows. 

Susan Kearney: In my latest paranormal romantic suspense, On the Edge, (Signature Single Title, May 05), I set the book in Florida--the state where i currently live.  Although I've very familiar with the area, I made a trip to Brooksville to study the animals, the flora and the fauna which were critical to the book.  Besides setting, I always draw on personal emotions when I create a book.  Although my sister has never been kidnapped as in On the Edge, although I don't personally have nightmares or dreams that come true like in my story, I certainly have no difficulty imagining these fears.  For my hero--a man who has a red hot temper that he calms with a blue aura--a skill he learned during martial arts, I called upon ten years of karate training.  However, the part about reading auras comes strictly from my imagination. 

Sylvie Kurtz: I'm not a city girl.  The hurry and buzz tends to make me dizzy.  I love living in the middle of nowhere with the trees so thick with leaves that I can't see my neighbors in the summer.  So I tend to set my stories in small towns and they often become secondary characters to the action of the story.  The next two Seekers offer a contrast.  In Eye of a Hunter (The Seekers, Book 3, Aug. 05), I used the chaos of a big city (Boston) to add suspense to Abbie and Gray's escape from a mad hunter who wants Abbie dead.  In Pride of a Hunter (The Seekers, book 4, Sep 05), Luci and Dom have to deal with both the positive and negative side of small town life to catch a serial conman who's out to ruin Luci's sister--and bulldoze whoever gets in his way. 

Julie Miller: In my 15 years teaching junior and senior high students (and working as an IMPROV counselor during numerous summer camps), I was blessed to make the acquaintance of all kinds of interesting people in varied professions--each of whom had an interest in working with disadvantaged and troubled youth, and heck, just regular ol' teenagers (that's a whole other wealth of research information there!). DEA agents, undercover cops, sheriffs, trauma nurses, prison counselors, probation officers, street cops, forensic specialists, firefighters and on and on--and each one of them has been terrific about answering my questions, especially when it comes to asking for personal insights into the daily life and emotions of their jobs--which is key to building realistic characters for me. 

Look at any of my Taylor Clan or Precinct  books for examples--there are touches of the real people I've worked with--and the care about families and communities they believe in--in each of those books. Police Business (Apr 05), features Detective A.J. Rodriguez, a laid-back, sexy Latino who's a veteran of the force. A.J.'s undercover character owes some of his day-to-day duties, emotional reactions, procedural frustrations, personality and attitude to an undercover drug enforcement cop and a state patrol officer I've worked with in the past. 

Ann Voss Peterson: Because I earned my BA in English-creative writing, I had to resort to working in many different types of jobs to make a living before selling my first book. This myriad of different jobs has been a boon for my storytelling. In my April story for the 3-in-1 Intrigue Desert Sons, I used my experience working with horses in a scene where my hero's and heroine's horses are spooked by a snake. And in Marital Privilege (Oct 05), I use both my experience working in restaurants and in running my own window washing company to write the opening action scenes where my hero, Alec Martin, tries to save his wife Laura from the clutches of the Russian mob. 

Kelsey Roberts: Film at Eleven (Jul  05) is one of those stories that was sparked by 'real life' experience. Several times over the last decade, I've been a live guest on WJZ-TV in Baltimore.  Once, after an appearance, I received a telephone call at home from a person who saw the segment that was, um, less than pleasant.   So, that was the seed for the set-up for the stalker in the story.  While my experience was far, far less dramatic, it was a something I could draw on to, hopefully, lend some realism to the story. 

Dani Sinclair: When my next door neighbor discovered an untamed cat and six days-old kittens under her deck last spring, I found myself fostering them since my neighbor was in the process of moving. As I had worked with the SPCA for a number of years I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. In D.B. Hayes, Detective (Jun 05),  intrepid private investigator, Dee Hayes gets her first big case. The last thing she needs is the distraction of finding her life and her 'no pets allowed' apartment overflowing with felines as her big case takes an unexpected twist.  I had so much fun writing this story, in a large part because I could relate to Dee and her expanding assortment of cats and kittens. Yes, I'd say personal experiences do have a way of showing up in my books from time to time. 

Amanda Stevens: I've always been a conspiracy theory nut.  Government cover-ups, alien abductions, remote viewing...love all that X-Files type stuff.  So when I got the chance to create my own conspiracy in the Quantum Men series for Intrigue, I really let my imagination go wild.  Altered realities, mad scientists, super soldiers...it's all there in His Mysterious Ways (Nov 03), Silent Storm (Mar 04), and Secret Passage (Jun 04).  For more chills and thrills, watch for the legend of el chupacabra to make a brief appearance in an upcoming series for Intrigue. 

Gayle Wilson: The last Intrigue I did that was based on something deeply personal was Rules of Engagement (Oct 04).  The story concerned a mystery that had its roots in Vietnam during the war.  One of the minor characters was a former pilot with the 174th Assault Helicopter Company.  That's the helicopter gunship unit my own husband served with.   He was my technical advisor on the story, and I dedicated the book to the officers and men of the 174th. I wanted to honor those pilots, like my husband, who fought with bravery and honor during that conflict and who came home to a country that didn't seem to appreciate their sacrifice.  As you can probably tell, Rules of Engagement  was a very special book to me. 

Rebecca York: I'm very lucky to be from Washington, D. C.  I moved here when I was four, and I've stayed in the area.  D. C. is a world power center, and setting my books there and using characters who work in government give my stories a broader context.  When I need to research a setting, we just drive into town.   My August Berkley release, BeyondControl, takes advantage of my "hometown."   My heroine lives in a condo a few blocks from my mom's old house.  The hero and heroine meet at a party in Chevy Chase Village, in a house where I visited several times.  And my bad guy's headquarters are on the Virginia bluffs across the Potomac River.  Those bluffs play a major part in the action-packed climax of the story. The book is about sexually linked telepaths who discover a connection between them when they touch casually.  Then, as their contact becomes more intimate, their psychic abilities grow.  But as their powers develop, they're on the run from sinister forces bent on controlling or destroying them.

Clayton Landry would do whatever it took to prove his innocense--and Victoria DeSimone was the key to clearing his name.  Her testimony had sent him to jail for a crime he didn't commit and he could never forget what he had cost her.  Clayton had escaped to find justice...but his salvation meant marrying a woman he couldn't trust.  Newly wedded to an escaped con and on the run from the law, Victoria didn't think things could get much worse--but she was wrong.  When their quest to clear Clayton's name turned deadly, their need to believe in one another was suddenly a matter of life or death.

Julie Miller is pleased to announced that her 2004 Intrigue, Unsanctioned Memories is a finalist for Best Series Romantic Suspense in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest!  Julie says, "I'm honored to be a finalist in a contest that bears Ms. Wilson's name since I love her books and think she's a terrific lady!"

Ruth Glick (writing as Rebecca York) has signed a new contract with Berkley for three more paranormal romantic suspense novels.

• May 25
• 9:00 pm EDT: Susan Kearney will join us in the NovelTalk chat room to discuss On The Edge. 
• June 6
• 9:00 pm EDT: Join the IntrigueAuthors for  their monthly chat. 
• June 9
• Kara Lennox will join us in the NovelTalk chat room to discuss the next book in her exciting series for Harlequin Intrigue, Bounty Hunter Honor!  

 
Rita Herron:  Rita says your romantic suspense beach read is only A Breath Away.  Sign up for her newsletter (or remain on the list), for a chance to win a beach bag full of goodies along with a signed copy of the book

USA Today Bestselling Author Susan Kearney is running a contest to give away a copy of THE HOPE CHEST.  You can enter by visiting her website. 

Sylvie Kurtz:   Sylvie is giving away a signed copy of Personal Enemy and a mini serenity kit.  Visit her website to enter the May contest.  Also, Sylvie sends congratulations to Amy Empey of Canton, NY who was the April winner of a copy of A Rose at Midnight and a chime heart. 

Kara Lennox : To celebrate the release of Hometown Honey, the first in Kara Lennox's Blond Justice series, she's giving away a signed copy of the book and some real hometown honey and other goodies. Visit her website for more details.