Our Top Pick in March Romance is Cindy Gerard's pulse-pounding Taking Fire, the story of two brave military heroes struggling with their feelings for each other—and struggling to stay alive. We asked Gerard to tell us about her extensive warfare and weaponry research, her favorite type of heroines and her many pets!

Describe your novel in one sentence.
From the first page to the last, Taking Fire is an emotionally riveting and explosively charged rocket of a read, as Talia and Taggart struggle with betrayal and retribution and they fight their way toward redemption.

Talia is a strong, brave woman who must make life-or-death decisions on the fly. What’s your favorite kind of heroine to write?
Talia is a great example. She's been through the fire, lit the fire and fanned the flames. How can you not love to write about a kick-ass heroine like that?

There is a lot of detail about warfare and weaponry in your One-Eyed Jack and Black Ops Inc. series. What sort of research do you do for this series?
I've been writing romantic military suspense for over 10 years now. My research is extensive, from military procedural books to true accounts such as Generation Kill, Blackhawk Down and One Bullet Away, to articles in various military publications. My best sources, however, are my many friends in the military or in private security work. You want to know the best weapon to take out a tank? You go to the guy who's done it. You want to know how to commandeer a chopper out from under the nose of the military in the Philippines? Again, you go to the guy who knows how to get it done. Accuracy is everything, and I've been fortunate enough to rely on people who have been there, done that.

What  initially drew you to romantic suspense?
I've always loved romance. And I've always loved the thrill of a great suspense novel. So it seemed the perfect marriage for me to join the two together.

Have you ever considered writing a series that wasn’t romantic suspense?
Sure. Every writer has a little somethin' somethin' of an idea tucked away that they want to dust off and finish when they have the time. I love straight-out thrillers and might like to try my hand at one in the future.

Tell us about some of the pets in your life!
There's not enough room to go into detail :o) The hubby and I have six quarter horses, two dogs, two house cats, and I have two fresh water aquariums. We also feed a lot of wild birds. Needless to say, we love our critters, the dogs (Margaret the Brittany Spaniel and Tater the Cavapoo) and the cats (Buddy and Sly, both rescues). However, they don't think of themselves as critters. They think of themselves as puppet masters and truth to tell, they are quite skilled at making us dance to their tune. We adore them all.

What’s next for you?
Oh, boy. I'm still pondering that question myself. I HOPE I let myself know soon, as this waiting is driving me crazy :o)

Thank you, Cindy!
 

Monica McCarty is something of an expert in alpha males, given that she’s written an entire series starring medieval Scottish warriors. Her latest novel, Going Dark, takes the modern version of that archetype—a veteran Navy SEAL—and pairs him with a brilliant environmental activist. We talked to McCarty about writing a couple on opposite sides of the political spectrum, creating a cover to die for and the never-fading allure of Scotland. 

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
SEAL Team Six meets Rome’s Lost Legion.

This is your first contemporary book—what made you make the switch from historicals? And why contemporary suspense specifically?
I think, like most writers, I want to write the books I love to read. I’ve always read both historical and contemporary romance, and my favorite contemporary subgenre is suspense—especially with sexy military guys. I’m still planning to write more Scottish historical romances, but after completing a long series of 12 books (The Highland Guard), I was looking to do something a little different.

In terms of action and survival scenes, what was the biggest change from writing about a group of Highland soldiers to a group of Navy SEALS?
Not as much as you might think! These type of scenes always take a bit of research whether the technology and weaponry are 21st century or 14th century. It seems as if I’m always trying to figure out what they would have available to use either way.

The main characters in Going Dark disagree politically on a lot of subjects. That's not something I see a lot in literature, especially in romance, even though that is an issue a lot of couples have to deal with. What was your impetus for making that a key element of Dean and Annie’s relationship?
I think it’s not typical because it’s tricky to navigate without being preachy. I tried really hard to avoid that and to present both sides fairly without any kind of authorial slant. I was a lawyer so taking both sides is fun for me—I like to play the devil’s advocate! I also liked the challenge, particularly in today’s politically heated climate. I wanted to take some stereotypes and shake them up a little (bleeding heart liberal activist versus conservative military guy). I think it’s easy to put people in a category and jump to conclusions about how they think—I had fun playing with that. It also certainly provided lots of conflict! 

Who is your favorite couple in classic literature?
I hate to be unimaginative or predictable, but I love Darcy and Lizzie from Pride & Prejudice. A close second would be Farmer Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba from Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.

What is it about Scotland and the Scottish culture that you think makes romance fans and authors gravitate to it so much?
I think it’s both familiar and accessible to American culture, yet different enough to make it interesting with the clans, tartans, great accents and the rich war-torn history that lends itself to great storytelling. For me, there was also the ancestral connection. My grandmother was Scottish. Some of the coolest emails and posts I received about my Highland Guard books were from descendants of people I wrote about—including Robert the Bruce! There is also a romantic element with the beautiful countryside, windswept moors and castles on rocky bluffs. And then there are those sexy guys in kilts. . . .

Going Dark has such a gorgeous cover, and you’ve said in prerelease materials that you were pretty hands-on in deciding what it would look like. What is the cover art process like for the author, and does your level of involvement change based on the book?
I was absolutely thrilled with how the cover came out. I was a little more involved with this one simply because it was the first book of a series, and we really wanted to get the feel of it right. Once the general look of the first cover is established, it’s usually easier for later books. For Going Dark, we discussed a general look at first, and then Berkley did all the hard work from there. I knew I wanted a guy on the cover, and that it was important that he reflect the guy in the pages. In other words, he had to be a hot, sexy badass! Which isn’t always as easy as it sounds, but the art department at Berkley came through with flying stars in that regard. I was thrilled with the model they picked. It was a rare case where the guy actually looked like the character I pictured. From there, it came down to poses. I loved the action shots because they felt a little different than the typical male-torso covers. But even though I’d seen the initial cover shot, I was amazed when they came back with the final cover. The Berkley cover gods worked some serious magic.

What is your favorite genre outside of romance?
I love nonfiction survival or adventure stories (think Jon Krakauer). I’m a sucker for anything about Mt. Everest, and one of my all-time favorite books is about recovering a lost treasure on a sunken ship (Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea).

What’s next for you?
Right now I’m finishing up the second book in the Lost Platoon series, Off the Grid. It will be out next summer!

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Going Dark.

Author photo by Alex Abercrombie.

Romantic suspense fans often list the tough, take-no-prisoners heroines of the genre as one of its biggest selling points, but Diana Muñoz Stewart takes things to an entirely new level. The first book in her new series, I Am Justice, introduces readers to the League of Warrior Women, a multicultural group of talented, ferocious women dedicated to combating misogyny and oppression. We talked to Stewart about flipping gender stereotypes, the most intimidating part about writing I Am Justice and which real-life activists inspire her.

What inspired you to create the League?
I had the idea for the League of Warrior Women after reading a series of disturbing articles about injustices against women. Specifically, I remember reading about María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar—a small-town mayor in Mexico who took on drug cartels and as a result was threatened and beaten, her husband was killed, and she herself was eventually killed. Her story and others I read made me wish for a group like the League—a superhero-like group of women, sisters, who travel the globe righting wrongs against women. Wherever society, misogyny or callous disregard let bad things happen to women, the League would be there.

One of my favorite aspects of Justice’s character is that she follows a lot of the tropes of the badass, snarky male action hero. Was that an intentional choice on your part?
I did consciously play with the classic perceptions of action heroes and gender roles. The female character is all guns blazing while the male hero, who is an ex-Special Forces soldier turned humanitarian, wants to help in more nurturing and caring ways. Though they can both handle themselves in an explosive situation, the male lead, Sandesh, started a charity to help those in need. And the female lead, Justice, is that angry, combative snarky action hero—hopefully with a little more depth. I think this about sums it up: “He’s done with war. She’s just getting started.”

How do you write action scenes that are compelling and not confusing?
This question makes me so happy. If you’re asking that, it means that I succeeded in doing something that I worked very hard at. When I first started writing action scenes, they were a bit too detailed. It slowed down the pacing with unnecessary description and emotion. I went from this abundance to paired-back scenes that my agent, the wonderful Michelle Grajkowski, kindly pointed out were too light on detail. So basically, it was through trial and error that I found, and continue to try and find, that sweet spot in writing action scenes.

There’s a debate throughout I Am Justice as to whether the Parish family and the League should stay predominantly female, or should accept more male members. Where do you stand in that debate?
Oh, good question! The thing I like about the Band of Sisters series is that it tackles this exact question—how men and women can work together to create positive change that benefits everyone. And since I’m not into excluding anyone, I like the idea of adding men. But the League is run by Mukta Parish, and she’s a bit of a hard-ass on the subject. Still, the answer to this question is more fully fleshed out in I Am Grace, the sequel to I Am Justice. I won’t be spoiling anything by saying that the League will always be comprised of mostly women, but as the group develops and finds more love interests willing to become part of the family, it’s inevitable that they add a few more men to the group.

What scared you the most about writing this book?
The idea that I might come off as flip or callous with the serious subject matter in the book. Walking the line between entertaining and speaking about and for people that aren’t always the heroes in books was daunting. There were days when I didn’t think I could pull it off, when the attempt felt silly and disrespectful. But I pushed past that mental barrier, that place where we tell ourselves all the reasons why we shouldn’t be doing something. And I hope the result was respectful and engaging.

What are your biggest pet peeves in romantic suspense?
Oh, man. I think anything can work if the writing is there to support it. I’ve seen out-of-the-box ideas with poor execution that end up feeling stale, and recycled ideas with great execution that sucked me in and carried me through a story. I will pretty much forgive an author anything as long as she or he doesn’t bore me.

Which real-life activists inspire you?
While doing research for I Am Justice, I came across so many incredible examples of women and men that are doing the hard work of changing the world, changing minds. I’m in the process of updating a list of linked organizations on my website, but here are a few of my favorites:

WomenOne
Equality Now
Camfed
PRAJWALA
GEMS
Save the Children
Dofeve

Who would you cast in a movie adaptation of I Am Justice?
I’m so bad at this. This is one of those situations where I’d like to use my lifeline. My phone-a-friend or ask-the-audience button. So if anyone out there has any ideas on who should be cast in I Am Justice, please let me know in the comments!

What’s next for you?
My next novel, I Am Grace, is finished and in production edits. I’m super excited about this novel. It brings together two dynamic characters, Gracie and Dusty. This novel takes on some difficult and timely topics—including sexual abuse and political power—while weaving together a steamy, opposites-attract love story.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of I Am Justice.

HelenKay Dimon must be one of the busiest people in romance. She won the RITA for Best Romantic Suspense at this year’s RWA convention, she just published The Protector, the last book in her Games People Play series, and she’s also president-elect of the RWA. We caught up with Dimon to talk about her goals as incoming president, the fate of the Golden Heart Contest and where the romance genre and community need to do better.

You just won a RITA for The Fixer! What was that moment like for you?
Unreal but fantastic. My category—romantic suspense—was so strong. My fellow finalist authors are really doing amazing work, writing great books. I spent the entire conference name-checking the other finalists, insisting they all deserved to win. I truly believed that and didn’t prepare a speech. I was sitting with friends, just enjoying the night, when my name was called. I’ve had time to reflect, and some of the shock has worn off, but I am still so grateful and honored. I loved writing The Fixer. I love working with my editor, May Chen, and with Avon. To have all of that come together in a RITA win is pretty amazing and special.

How do you think the diversity summit at this year’s RWA conference went? What new ideas or initiatives came out of it?
I’ll put on my President-Elect hat for this one. . . . In an effort to promote open and honest discussion during the Diversity Summit, RWA keeps the attendance to invitation-only and follows the Chatham House Rule. The Summit is an opportunity for industry professionals, members of the RWA Board, RWA’s Diversity Committee, authors in leadership roles and other individuals to come together to discuss inclusion. Those discussions lead to ideas that need time to be assessed, so I don’t have any initiatives to report right now from this year’s Summit, but a summary of the event will be released by RWA this week.

I also can report on an initiative that arose out of the 2017 Diversity Summit. In July, the RWA Board voted to fund up to two housing stipends for summer interns who are from traditionally marginalized groups to work in publishing houses with established romance publishing programs. The idea is to help offset the housing costs associated with living in places like New York City during an internship. With the stipend, publishing houses can look for interns outside of the usual local universities they recruit from to find interns. The stipend recognizes that representation is not just about authors. It’s about promoting diversity when it comes to the people in publishing with the power to acquire and work on books. It took a year to work out the feasibility of such a program and the details, but we are very excited about it.

There have been several high-profile books and authors over the last few years that seem to prove romance is changing for the better in terms of diversity and representation. But do you think books like The Kiss Quotient and An Extraordinary Union are representative of a more lasting change?
I would say all authors need to fight to make sure this is representative of lasting change. Diverse authors are talented and right there. They are not invisible. It’s time to end the thinking that publishing is only a career for people who look or love a certain way. For years the message has been that successful books by authors from traditionally marginalized groups were outliers. Their success was portrayed as something “special” and outside of the normal. The insulting message was then reinforced in cover art and by separating out books, especially those by black authors and LGBT+ romances, onto different shelves in bookstores. That was a huge disservice to authors, readers and the industry. My hope is that we are all more aware of the harm that outlier message sends, whether spoken or unspoken, and that the romance community can lead the way in doing better.

In May, RWA announced that it was reconsidering the Golden Heart Contest for unpublished manuscripts, and potentially ending it. Do you have any updates on that decision-making process you can share? And what led the organization to consider discontinuing the contest?
At the July meeting, the RWA Board voted to discontinue the Golden Heart after one final contest that will begin in fall 2018, with awards being given out at the conference in New York City in July 2019. The Golden Heart is an incredible and important part of RWA’s history. It helped to launch careers and bring unpublished authors together in invaluable support groups. It was also created when there was only one path to publishing—traditional publishing through New York publishing houses. As the industry changed, more people self-published and made other publishing choices, and fewer people were eligible for the contest. Over the last few years, different RWA Boards have made changes to try to highlight the contest and increase the benefits, but the number of people who entered continued to sharply decline. Decreasing interest, changes in the marketplace and the reality that the contest lost money every year for the last few years made continuing it impossible. One of the things I have promised the RWA Board members who will remain next year and the general RWA membership is that we will make figuring out what happens after the Golden Heart a priority.

If you could guarantee that one of your goals as incoming president would be accomplished, what would it be?
The RWA Board is made up of many talented, smart and dedicated members, so I don’t do anything on my own. I wouldn’t want to, because when the RWA Board is working at its best, it’s collaborative. I do have some power over the agenda and can say that my plan is to continue the forward momentum, working to ensure that RWA is open, meaningful and welcoming to all. That means honoring our commitment to our historically marginalized members and pushing to open as many doors as possible in publishing.

In light of industry changes, I believe RWA needs to re-evaluate what it offers all of its members—unpublished, traditionally published, self-published, hybrid published, those switching between groups and those trying to find their way back into publishing. That includes a need for discussions about programs and benefits, as well as making a commitment to figure out what comes after the Golden Heart Contest now that it is ending. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but my presidential year will be my sixth year on the RWA Board, and I’m hoping it will be the most productive one yet.

What is something you think romance writers and fans would be surprised to learn or don’t quite understand about how RWA functions?
Probably how much time, resources, planning and work goes on behind the scenes. RWA is lucky to have an extraordinary and dedicated staff that keeps everything running. As for the RWA Board, every decision is weighed, discussed and assessed. Change might take longer than people would like, but generally that’s because we’re dealing with approximately 10,000 members with 10,000 different careers and needs. It’s detailed and time-consuming work, but it should be. When we make a change, we don’t want to make the wrong one.

The romance community has really embraced self-publishing and eBooks. Why do you think the other literary genres are still holding out?
Romance tends to be on the forefront of changes in publishing. The genre is made up of so many smart business people. When they found it difficult to get the price of their books where they wanted, or to publish the type of books they wanted, they found a way to get the books into the hands of their dedicated fans. Maybe it’s because romance authors hear the “When will you write a real book?” nonsense all the time. We have thicker skin. We’re willing to take chances and not worry about what people outside the genre think. Honestly, I think other genres could take a lesson.

Suzanne Brockmann’s Lifetime Achievement Award speech this year basically lit Twitter on fire. While the reaction was largely positive, there was some criticism of her calls for greater diversity in romance and support of the Democratic Party in the midterm elections this fall. Why do you think there can be such a resistance to romance authors taking explicitly political stances, or even advocating for greater representation in their own genre?
This is me, speaking purely as an author and not as the President-Elect of RWA or on behalf of RWA, because this issue is very important to me on a personal level. For so long authors, not just romance authors, have been told not to be political online. The advice relates to branding and is about not upsetting some readers. I understand why the advice is out there, but it’s just not relevant or realistic in today’s world, to the extent it ever really was. The advice ignores the fact that writing romance is in many ways an inherently political act. Women in charge of their lives, finances, futures and sexuality? Unfortunately, that’s considered bold to some, but romance has been spreading that message for years. What we, as a community, have not been so great about is recognizing that some of our fellow members are hitting roadblocks due to ethnicity, disabilities, sexual preferences and other issues. I hope there is a greater awareness now and a better understanding that fighting for all romance authors is right and needed. I’m happy that people are standing up, that Suzanne Brockmann and Sonali Dev and other speakers issued a challenge for us to do better. I think we need to listen.

You’re about to publish The Protector, the fourth book in your Games People Play series. Will this be the final book? And what would you like to write in your next series?
The Protector is the final book in the Games People Play series. I have loved writing about these couples and solving the cold case in each book. I am working on my new series, which will also be published by Avon starting in summer 2019. It’s a character-driven romantic suspense series set on a fictional island in Washington State where people go when they want to start over. I’m unraveling the first book right now and generally making the lives of the hero and heroine very difficult, which is the fun part.

What recent reads would you give a (metaphorical) presidential stamp of approval?
You might be sorry you asked. I literally could spend pages writing about the books I’ve recently bought and those I’ve already read and loved. To save some space, I’ll tell you about some of the romance authors I’m loving right now who I think you should try: Alyssa Cole, Jill Shalvis, Beverly Jenkins, Scarlett Cole, Jayne Ann Krentz (an all-time favorite), Rebekah Weatherspoon, Vivian Arend, Courtney Milan, Alisha Rai, Lauren Dane, Mia Sosa, Kit Rocha, Farrah Rochon, Alexis Hall, Sarah MacLean, Jackie Lau, Damon Suede, Reese Ryan, Priscilla Oliveras, Tessa Dare, Sonali Dev, Laura Griffin . . . should I keep going? But if you want book titles, the last two romances I read and recommend are The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and The Naked Truth by Vi Keeland.

To read one of Karen Rose’s romantic suspense novels is to enter an expansive, photo-realistic world. Each of her books is populated by a sprawling cast of law enforcement officials, their friends and family, and some truly twisted serial killers. Throughout series set in Chicago, Baltimore and Cincinnati (along with stops in Philadelphia, Atlanta and other major American cities), there are no stock side characters—everyone has a story to tell. With Say You’re Sorry, Rose kicks off a new series set in Sacramento, where an attack on radio personality Daisy Dawson reveals a killer that’s been operating for years, unnoticed by the police until now. We talked to Rose about creating her two complicated leads, why film noir inspires how she depicts violence and why she writes while listening to Barry Manilow.

What came first while you were plotting this novel? The cult or the serial killer?
The serial killer definitely came first. I got the idea for him at least five years ago while I was on a flight from Tampa to NYC. Sitting next to me was this man from Scandinavia. We got to chatting (as I do) and he shared he’d been an electrical engineer, but one day he stopped by the store after working very late and envied the woman behind the cash register because she didn’t take her work home. He changed his career, training to become a pilot. He flew for a service that was a mix between a charter and an airplane timeshare. He might be in Barcelona in the morning, Paris in the afternoon and New York the next day. He’d just delivered a plane to Tampa and was on his way home.

I stared at him and said, “If you were a serial killer, you’d never get caught. There would be no pattern.” He stared back, looking very concerned until I told him I was a thriller writer, LOL. I’ve been waiting for the right book to write this serial killer!

The cult came later, once I’d traveled several times to Northern California and realized how remote it is. Which is why so many cults have formed there.

Your previous series have been based in Baltimore and Cincinnati. What led you to pick Sacramento as the setting for your new series?
I have friends in Sacramento and have been able to visit them more often on my way to Northern California to meet with my writing group for plotting retreats. I’d set Taylor Dawson’s (heroine of Monster in the Closet) backstory in Northern California and decided to continue the Dawsons’ story in Sacramento with Daisy. My friends have been very helpful in showing me the city!

You’re known for writing series with a large cast of characters. How did you balance the central couple's love story, along with introducing the rest of the cast and developing the mystery in Say You’re Sorry?
I never know how to answer this. It just . . . happens. I see the story like I’m in a 360-degree movie theater. It’s happening all around me, parallel stories simultaneously, and I write what I see.

Speaking of the central couple, both Gideon and Daisy have complicated, emotionally fraught backstories. Why did you decide to give both of them such difficult pasts, and what was the most enjoyable aspect of writing two powerful, yet damaged protagonists?
My characters always have complicated, emotionally fraught backstories! I’m really mean that way ☺.

Seriously, to me the damaged characters are more interesting and catch my heart. The most enjoyable part is watching them grow and blossom and find their happily-ever-after. It’s so much more gratifying because they’ve earned it!

I found Daisy’s character to be quite layered, because I’d already told the Dawson family’s backstory in Monster in the Closet. But Daisy’s perspective of the same events is so different. I’m fascinated at how two people can grow up in the same home and be impacted so very differently.

Gideon, despite his harsh upbringing, was still kind and capable of tenderness. He’s not as alpha as some of my other heroes, but he’s still strong. He reminded me of Gregory Peck’s character in The Big Country—quietly solid. They’re different people, Daisy and Gideon, yet they have a mutual respect for each other and I loved that.

Say You’re Sorry does an admirable job depicting violence in a sensitive and non-gratuitous way, as well as portraying its serial killer in a three-dimensional light while never losing sight of the horror of his crimes. Has your approach to depicting violence and the perpetrators of it in your novels changed over the course of your career?
Thank you! I don’t think it’s changed that much. I learned a lot from watching the old film noir movies. You don’t see a lot of blood or gore in these films. What you do see is the reactions of the witnesses and victims to what’s happened. That is often scarier because it puts the viewer—or reader in the case of my books—in the place of the victim. We feel their terror, desperation and loss. Adding the POV of the killer increases the terror because we as the reader know what he’s planning—and what he’s capable of doing.

Violence happens every day and doesn’t need to be gratuitous on the page. We see enough of that in the real-world news. Reading about it in detail degrades the victims. Allowing the reader to emotionally connect with the victim is far more powerful.

How do you decompress from writing the darker material in your novels?
I read voraciously, but I don’t read thrillers as a rule. My decompression diet is contemporary romance of all kinds and comedy films. I have very lowbrow taste in movies. Talladega Nights is my go-to decompression flick ☺.

What are your pet peeves as a reader of mystery & suspense?
I hate, hate, hate when the story just ends. The author’s got a great setup and has me all worked up and then, the book just . . . ends. It’s all wrapped up in a few paragraphs of explanation way too soon. Like they ran out of time or pages. I feel cheated.

I also hate when the bad guy is the most obvious suspect, but nobody suspects him. And when the story doesn’t make sense or requires I take a leap of faith across the Grand Canyon. I clearly have feelings on this subject. LOL.

You love Barry Manilow, but many of your villains have murdered people to his music—does this ruin it a bit for you?
Well, to be fair, only one villain heard the music as he murdered. The rest don’t realize that I’m hearing Manilow’s music while they’re busy being villainous. I love Manilow because his voice is so smooth. It allows me to capture a mood and nothing rips me out of it. Which is why I had to remove “Copacabana” from my playlist—I kept getting ripped from the story and dancing in my chair. And maybe having “I Can’t Smile Without You” playing in the background keeps me from getting sucked too deep into the darkness. Or maybe it simply means I’m twisted ☺. So, nope, it doesn’t bother me at all!

What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing book five in my Cincinnati series, with Diesel and Dani as the central couple. Folks have been waiting for their story for some time, so it has to be good. No pressure, right?

After that book is finished, I’ll be returning to Sacramento for book two—Rafe and Mercy’s story. And I have a few books planned after that, so I’ll be busy!

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Say You’re Sorry.

Author photo by Brian Friedman Photography.