Monday, January 3, 2011

Launch Day For Author Marie Force

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Marie Force back to Thoughts in Progress today as the guest blogger, especially on this very special day for her.

Today - Monday, Jan. 3 - is LAUNCH DAY for Marie’s latest release in the new Fatal Series. FATAL JUSTICE, book 2 in the series, is released today. Marie joins us to talk about her book launch and she has a special surprise in store for those commenting on her post.

Thank you so much for having me today—launch day for FATAL JUSTICE, book 2 in my new Fatal Series. Supreme Court nominee Julian Sinclair, a close friend of our hero, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, has come to town expecting to be confirmed to the high court. Instead, he’s found murdered, plunging Washington, D.C. homicide detective Sam Holland into another high-profile that case that once again involves Nick, her significant other.

Sam and Nick, newly in love and trying to navigate the fishbowl of Washington, have a lot to grapple with in this second book of what I hope will be a long-running series profiling their many adventures in the nation’s capitol.

In this book, Sam also hunts down some new leads into her father’s unsolved shooting. Two years earlier, Deputy Chief Skip Holland was shot during a routine traffic stop and left a quadriplegic. His case haunts his daughter and puts her in grave danger in Fatal Justice.

Here’s an excerpt that features a scene with Sam and her dad:

She closed the phone and found her father watching her.
“What does Reese have to do with my case?”
Her stomach clenched with pain. “Let’s go out in the hallway.”
Skip followed her out of the room.
Sam willed herself to stay calm, to take deep breaths, and to keep her stomach out of the equation.

Skip looked up at her expectantly. “Tell me.”
“We found stuff in his house. Newspaper articles, pictures—”
“About the shooting?”
She nodded.
“And when were you planning to tell me this?”
“When I knew more. I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I was sure.”
“It’s a good thing I can’t throttle you right now.”

“For what? Wanting to protect you from more disappointment?”
“I want him caught, Sam. I really do. But once he’s behind bars, I’ll still be in this chair. Nothing’s going to change for me.”
“How can you stand knowing he’s out there living his life when you’re trapped in hell? How can you stand it?”
“What choice do I have? I’ve got the best detective in this city looking for the guy. I know she’s going to get him one of these days. Beyond that, I don’t give it much thought to be honest with you.”

She stared at him. What was with the men in her life tonight? “You don’t give it much thought?” Tossing up her hands, she
said, “It’s all I think about.”
“That’s because you have the ability to actually do something about it. I don’t.”
Fixating on the wall behind him, she recalled all the near misses and dead ends she’d pursued over the last two years. “Every time I think we’re getting close, it turns into nothing. I constantly feel like I’m letting you down. I hate that.”

“Sam, you’ve never let me down. Not once in your whole life. I know you’ll get him. And when you do, we’ll have the biggest party to celebrate. The biggest party ever.”

Back in the day, Skip Holland’s parties had been the stuff of legend.
Sam bent to rest her head on his shoulder. “I’ll look forward to that. Might be sooner than we think if we can just find that bastard Reese. He’s got two cops to account for now, not to mention his family.”
“You’ll keep me posted?”
“Yeah.” She raised her head to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I kept it from you.”

“And you won’t do it again?”
“No.”
“No matter what happens?”
She squeezed the finger that retained sensation. “I promise.”

I’m really excited to get FATAL JUSTICE out to readers today! You can find it at http://ebooks.carinapress.com under the Romantic Suspense tab. This is the start of a big year for Sam and Nick. Coming up in February, we’ll be asking readers to help us plan their wedding. Watch my website (www.mariesullivanforce.com) and blog (http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com) for more information about how you can participate in the wedding planning and qualify to win some great prizes.

Then in July, watch for book 3, FATAL CONSEQUENCES. In September, we’ll release the Fatal wedding novella, FATAL DESTINY, and then comes FATAL FLAW in February 2012.

I’m happy to take any questions readers might have about the Fatal Series or any of my other books, including my Feb. 1 print release, EVERYONE LOVES A HERO. Sam and Nick are also happy to take questions!

If you want to talk writing, parenting teenagers, puppies and senior citizens, I’m your girl. If you want to talk about the new season of the Bachelor and whether Brad will actually choose someone this time around, bring it on!

I’ll give away a copy of FATAL JUSTICE to one commenter. Thanks again for having me!

Marie, it’s always a pleasure to have you stop by Thoughts in Progress and learn about your latest writing. Sounds like this is going to be an intriguing series with some fun along the way.

For a bit of background on Marie and her writing. She is the author of FATAL AFFAIR (June 2010) and FATAL JUSTICE (Jan. 2011), Books 1 and 2 in her new Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press. Book 3, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, is coming in July 2011, FATAL DESTINY in September 2011 and FATAL FLAW in February 2012.

“This novel is ‘The O.C. does D.C.,’ and you just can’t get enough.” (RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars for FATAL AFFAIR). In its July 2010 issue, RT Book Reviews named Marie a “Future Star of Romantic Suspense.”

Marie is the author EVERYONE LOVES A HERO (Feb. 2011), LINE OF SCRIMMAGE (Sept. 2008) and LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT (July 2009).

Of LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, Booklist said, “With its humor and endearing characters, Force’s charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans.” Wild on Books said, “LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word!”

Marie is also the author of TRUE NORTH and THE FALL, available as ebooks via Amazon.com and Smashwords.

Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to RWA. She is a member of RWA’s New England, From the Heart and Published Author Special Interest Chapters.

While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of Emily, 15, Jake, 12, and a feisty dog named Brandy.

Find her at www.mariesullivanforce.com, on her blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com, where she runs the popular weekly Romance & Oreos Book Club, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909, and on Twitter at twitter.com/MarieForce. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at marie@marieforce.com.

Remember to leave your e-mail address with your comments if it’s not included in your profile just in case you are the winner of FATAL JUSTICE.


34 comments:

  1. Marie, thanks so much for letting us be apart of your launch day for Fatal Justice. Wishing you much success.

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  2. Happy Launch Day, Marie.

    I love discovering new-to-me authors and I just downloaded the first book in your series and look forward to reading the others.

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  3. How exciting... Launch day. Best of luck to you with Fatal Justice. Sounds like a great book.

    Lou

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  4. Congratulations and best wishes for your launch. :) Sounds like a great series--and you've been very productive to have another upcoming release not far away!

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  5. Marie, Congratulations and good luck on your new book. It sounds very interesting ane I love the cover and the title.

    Mason, Thanks for the intro to Marie!

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  6. Thanks so much for having me today and for the warm welcome.

    Dru, thank you so much for checking out Fatal Affair. I hope you enjoy the series!

    Lou, thank you for the good wishes!

    Elizabeth, thank you so much! I had Fatal Justice already written when I sold Fatal Affair, so that helped to expedite matters a bit. Now I'm writing the new books to deadline--gulp! :-)

    Teresa, I love the covers Harlequin has given the Fatal books! They're exactly what I pictured!

    Thanks again for having me today!

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  7. Not commenting to win but wanted to tell Marie congratulations!

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  8. Marie seems and looks like a very nice and charming lady!

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  9. New Year.
    New Release.
    Great Book.
    What else is there?
    Congrats!

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  10. Congrats on the new release; it sounds great. I'm curious to know what three books currently top your TBR list? Thanks for visiting.

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  11. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Fatal Justice and am so excited that everyone else gets to read it today!!!

    Fatal Justice is really a wonderful read that takes you deeper into Washington DC and into the relationship between Sam & Nick.

    If you loved Fatal Affair, you will love Fatal Justice. If you haven't read Fatal Affair, type as fast as you can and go buy it! You will consider it money very well spent!

    Congrats Marie and I can't wait to see what else is on tap for Sam & Nick!

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  12. Thanks Alex and Dezmond!

    Carol--LOL on the what else is there? I am happy with the new year so far! :-)

    LSU, my TBR pile is a strange and scary place. Ha! Right now I am reading Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster, which is the featured book @ my online book club this week (come by my blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com for weekly chats about great books with visits from the authors who usually come bearing gifts!) I'm also reading The Seduction by Nicole Jordan and after reading the first two KGI books by Maya Banks over vacation, I'm interested in checking out more of her work. Finally, I've been gobbling up Sarah Mayberry's backlist lately. I LOVE her books! Hot Island Nights, Best Laid Plans, Home for the Holidays--all very good! I read Robyn Carr's A Summer in Sonoma over vacation and it topped my list of favorite reads in 2010. Highly recommend it! I wish I had more time to read. What recommendations do you all have for my TBR?

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  13. Thanks so much, Aly! That is so sweet of you to say. As you know, I'm having the time of my life writing Sam and Nick. They are among my new BFFs. I spend more time with them than I do with a lot of the REAL people in my life. LOL! Thanks for coming by! xoxo

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  14. Congratulations, Marie!

    Thanks for sharing, Mason.

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  15. Nice launch day promo, Mason and Marie! Love the cover. What a productive time with so many new releases! Congratulations.

    Monti

    NotesAlongTheWay

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  16. Congrats Marie!! What was the most interesting thing that you learned while researching your books?

    cbandy10(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  17. Thanks for coming by Glynis, Monti, Karen and Donna! Happy New Year to you all!

    Cindy, let's see... most interesting thing... Well, to me anything and everything about police procedure is interesting. I have a cop friend who reads all my books for me and he always imparts some pearl of wisdom. I've also enjoyed my research into infertility, an issue Sam grapples with in the Fatal books. Great question! Thanks!

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  18. What a perfect day for me to visit! I love finding out about new books and authors!! Thanks for showing off Marie and having her on your fabulous blog!

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  19. Looks like a good book - I'm going to have to go back & read the first one, too.
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    megalon22 at yahoo dot com

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  20. Hi Jen and Cheryl,
    Thanks for coming by! I hope you enjoy the Fatal books!

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  21. Hi Marie
    As you know I love all your books but I haven't had a chance to read Fatal Justice yet. I love reading sequels. I'm looking forward to reading Everybody Loves a Hero the most.
    Can't wait

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  22. Hi Peach,
    Nice to see you here! So glad you're looking forward to ELaH. Can't believe that's just a month from now--a busy start to 2011!

    Thanks for checking out Fatal Justice. The Fatal books are "stand alone," but you might want to read Fatal Affair first. Enjoy!

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  23. Thanks for the opportunity.

    littleone AT shaw DOT ca

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  24. congrats and best wishes for your launch. I like 'stand alone' series.

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  25. Thanks Lynda! That is something I work hard at--making sure you could pick up any one of the books and have an enjoyable read even if you haven't read the rest of the series. I will confess that is getting harder as the series grows. There's a LOT of back story! :-)

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  26. Congrats Marie!
    Great interview and excerpt!
    chey127 at hotmail dot com

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  27. Marie

    I already read Fatal Affair when it first came out

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  28. Ahhh, that's right, Peach! Can't keep it all straight--LOL! Hope you enjoy Fatal Justice!

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  29. Best wishes on Launch Day Marie - In addition to Fatal Affair, I also just read True North and really enjoyed it. Do you have any more books that you are going to self-publish?
    jen at delux dot com

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  30. Jen,
    Thanks so much for the good wishes and for checking out True North. I'm so glad you liked it! I do have other books that I may publish on my own. Frankly, I've been overwhelmed by the response to the two I posted in Nov and Dec. It's been really exciting. We'll see what happens in the next few months! :-)

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  31. Cool. Congrats on the release. And I really enjoyed the interview. sdeeth@msn.com

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  32. This was a terrific interview and the new book sounds a delight! Thank you!

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  33. Hi Sheila,
    Thanks for coming by! Nice to see you here.

    Thanks, Kaye!!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.