One of the hardest things to nail about writing a Harlequin Intrigue is the pacing.  What are some tips and tricks you can share about pacing in a story?  What is it about Intrigue that sets them apart from other books?

B.J. Daniels:   I love fast-paced books so that's another reason I enjoy writing them. With my Intrigues if I'm not a little breathless as I'm writing them, then I'm worried. :) I try to keep things moving so no one can put down the book. I think the trick is to not get bogged down with a lot of details. I try to disperse back-story, history and even descriptions so nothing slows down the story. Ultimately, it's about the story!

Delores Fossen: I think pacing is one of the most critical aspects of writing an Intrigue. In fact, I think it's the pacing that makes Intrigues truly unique in series romance. In my June Intrigue, Daddy Devastating, I started the book with plenty of action, and because of the nature of the plot, the action stayed fast and furious throughout. The RT reviewer, Pat Cooper, said it was "a fast-paced rocket ride of a story." That's exactly what I was aiming for when I first plotted out the book. The hero, Russ Gentry, is a deep cover FBI agent who's been working to bring down a black market adoption ring, and the heroine, Julia Howell, unknowingly walks into that dangerous deep cover operation. Sparks--and yes, bullets--fly, and I hope it's a book that readers can't put down.

Paula Graves:   One of the best bits of advice I ever received about pacing came from a screenwriting book.  I don't remember the actual quote, but the gist is this:  start a scene as late as possible and end it as soon as possible.   If you start a scene as close to the pivotal action as possible, while offering just enough exposition to help the reader catch up on what's going on, you'll never have your scenes bog down at the beginning.  And if you end a scene as soon as possible, you'll avoid the interminable exit, where your readers lose interest in what's happening because the action has petered to a stop.  The other thing I do is try not to answer a question or resolve a conflict in a scene without raising another, more pressing question or creating a newer, bigger conflict to end the scene.  Intrigues are action stories, as a rule.  The action may be mental--solving a riddle--or physical--stopping a killer---but there's always action of some sort driving the story forward.  If you keep the conflicts and questions coming, then you won't run out of steam before you resolve the story at the end.

Mallory Kane:  I think the pacing of an Intrigue definitely helps set them apart from other romances, and even from other romantic suspense books. The very essence of an Intrigue is the feeling throughout the book that the "hounds of hell" are nipping at the hero and heroine's feet, and that one misstep will mean failure and even death. A single misstep will certainly mean that the hero and heroine will never be together.  When I'm writing an Intrigue, I am always writing toward that wonderful moment when the hero and heroine have triumphed over the villain(s) and have won the battle. My favorite part to write and read is the ending, where the hero and heroine declare their love for each other. Since I want so badly to get them to that point, I have to throw lots of obstacles in their way. The stories I love best are those that take place over two or three days. Talk about fast pacing!

Dana Marton: I think pacing is one of the things that sets Intrigue apart from other books. Intrigues usually begin in the middle of some dangerous action and never let up. Many Intrigues have that "thriller" feel. My June release, ROYAL CAPTIVE, starts with a robbery at the Valtrian Royal Treasury. Soon Prince Istvan is chasing the crown jewels all across Europe with a known jewel thief as his very unlikely partner. I found if there's enough plot in a book, the pacing doesn't become a problem. We just have to keep those twists and turns coming!

Julie Miller:   The fast pacing of a Harlequin Intrigue is one of the aspects that makes the line unique among other Series Romance lines—and also one of the hardest things to nail, according to editors.  The best “trick” I know for creating a fast-paced book is to start and end each and every scene/chapter with a hook—that something that makes the reader want to turn the page and keep reading to find the answer instead of setting down the story.  The hook can be action—will they fall off the cliff and plummet to their death or will they find a way to save themselves?  It can be verbal—“I know you killed Clementine.”--and then having to read on to find out how s/he knows.  Or it can be emotional—will the hero admit his feelings for the heroine? Can she really trust the man who kidnapped her?  How will s/he handle facing her/his toughest fear? My one other bit of advice about pacing?  Vary it.  Just as a slowly-paced story can get monotonous, so can one that is zinging along at full speed the entire way through the story without any change at all.  You want to have builds that keep ratcheting up the tension—give your reader a line/paragraph/page/scene of less intensity and then, boom! hit her with something that surprises her or makes her catch her breath.  The impact of that moment will be all the more intense.  If you want some tangible examples of strong, varied, exciting pacing, pick up a Harlequin Intrigue.  That’s why I do!

Angi Morgan:  Intrigue is a unique blend of suspense, love, and adventure.  Just the right combination of each for a well-crafted, well-written story. Just joining the Intrigue authors, I know the quality bar has been set and I hope to help maintain it. I'm not certain about any tips or tricks on how to write fast-paced books. I'm one of those writers that just writes. Horrible, I know, but I'm a basic "pantser" through and through.  I try to never let my characters rest until my critique partners scream I need to slow down. I believe that the pacing is greatly affected by a deadline in the story. I always find that "ticking clock" and race right through to the end. My one tip could be something I learned from my advertising background: White space sells. My stories are very dialogue driven which makes them fast reads.

Kay Thomas: I love to write compressed timelines with a ticking clock. (As a writer this keeps me focused on making every scene count.) For me that combination keeps the suspense tighter and the characters slightly off balance. Their emotions are “rawer,” much closer to the surface. My hero and heroine don’t have time to dissect their feelings (like we do in real life). They simply react and respond to circumstances around them. When I get bogged down in writing a scene or even in plotting, I usually find it’s because my characters are “sitting and thinking” versus acting.  That lack of time for the characters to analyze the relationship, combined with the ticking clock is what I believe keeps the sexual tension building. For the reader, my hope is this “urgency” keeps one turning the pages and wanting to find out what happens next.