Psychological Romantic Suspense
Date Published: November 21, 2018
Lizzy Adams spent the summer pining for Tyson Smith, the sexy security agent whose instruction at a safety seminar saved her life. Now, every man she meets is measured against the absolute awesomeness of the brawny black man with the soulful eyes, the baritone voice that whispers over her like a velvet caress, and a smile that turns her knees to jelly. Now she just had to get him to notice her.
Tyson Smith had a lot of respect for Lizzy Adams, the spunky teacher who freed herself from the clutches of a deranged miscreant who’d wanted to take her hostage. But his concept of her wholesome ‘girl-next-door’ image was challenged the night she showed up at a company barbeque dressed as a flirty cowgirl. Always the gentleman, he managed to keep his eyes off her assets as she strolled around the farm. His mother had raised him better, but there was no denying that she was every man’s ‘American Beauty’ fantasy. But the night he’d shown up at her doorstep to help her out altered their relationship forever. Between the fear in her eyes and the baseball bat perched on her shoulder, his protective side surfaced, and he handed her a piece of his heart.
Their whirlwind romance is threatened when a man from Lizzy’s past attacks her. Sam Clark wants vengeance for his son. He blames the jurors from Jason’s trial for Jason’s death and crafts a hit list. But killing Lizzy, the scrappy survivor, is harder than he thought. After Sam fails at his first attempt on Lizzy’s life, he resolves to kill her before he’s forced into hiding. He just has to get past the big, black man who appointed himself Lizzy’s protector.
Interview
with Karen Tjebben
Can you tell us a
little bit about the characters in Lizzy’s Kiss?
Lizzy Adams spent the summer pining for Tyson
Smith, the sexy security agent whose instruction at a safety seminar saved her
life. Every man she meets is measured against the absolute awesomeness of the
brawny black man with the soulful eyes, the baritone voice that whispers over
her like a velvet caress, and a smile that turns her knees to jelly. Now she
just has to get him to notice her.
Tyson Smith had a lot of respect for Lizzy Adams, the spunky teacher who freed herself from the clutches of a deranged miscreant who’d wanted to take her hostage. But his concept of her wholesome ‘girl-next-door’ image was challenged the night she showed up at a company barbeque dressed as a flirty cowgirl. Always the gentleman, he managed to keep his eyes off her assets as she strolled around the farm. His mother had raised him better, but there was no denying that she was every man’s ‘American Beauty’ fantasy. But the night he’d shown up at her doorstep to help her out altered their relationship forever. Between the fear in her eyes and the baseball bat perched on her shoulder, his protective side surfaced, and he handed her a piece of his heart.
Their whirlwind romance is threatened when a man from Lizzy’s past attacks her. Sam Clark wants vengeance for his son. He blames the jurors from Jason’s trial for Jason’s death and crafts a hit list. But killing Lizzy, the scrappy survivor, is harder than he thought. After Sam fails at his first attempt on Lizzy’s life, he resolves to kill her before he’s forced into hiding. He just has to get past the big, black man who appointed himself Lizzy’s protector.
Tyson Smith had a lot of respect for Lizzy Adams, the spunky teacher who freed herself from the clutches of a deranged miscreant who’d wanted to take her hostage. But his concept of her wholesome ‘girl-next-door’ image was challenged the night she showed up at a company barbeque dressed as a flirty cowgirl. Always the gentleman, he managed to keep his eyes off her assets as she strolled around the farm. His mother had raised him better, but there was no denying that she was every man’s ‘American Beauty’ fantasy. But the night he’d shown up at her doorstep to help her out altered their relationship forever. Between the fear in her eyes and the baseball bat perched on her shoulder, his protective side surfaced, and he handed her a piece of his heart.
Their whirlwind romance is threatened when a man from Lizzy’s past attacks her. Sam Clark wants vengeance for his son. He blames the jurors from Jason’s trial for Jason’s death and crafts a hit list. But killing Lizzy, the scrappy survivor, is harder than he thought. After Sam fails at his first attempt on Lizzy’s life, he resolves to kill her before he’s forced into hiding. He just has to get past the big, black man who appointed himself Lizzy’s protector.
Can you tell us a
little bit about your books or what you have planned for the future?
The
Savage Security books are a mixture
of romance and suspense infused with a healthy dose of creep factor.
Book 1 - Blood
Kiss is about a woman who is threatened by a stalker. Alisha is pro-active.
She isn’t waiting around to see what her stalker will do. She decides that she
will protect herself. While gun shopping, she meets Mike, a man with the skills
and the heart to help her. I love Alisha and Mike. They are both smart,
assertive, and have big hearts.
Book 2 - Avenging
Kiss is the second book in my Savage Security Series. I verged off the
regularly taken path within the romance genre and opted for two romances within
one story. One is a dark romance between Logan and Adita that ties in with the suspense or psychological thriller
aspects of the book. The other romance is an unrequited love between Jack Black
and Bella Chan. Jack is used to getting what he wants, but in regard to Bella,
she is off limits. Not only did his boss, Cole Savage, tell him not to hit on
the company receptionist, Jack must watch Bella swoon over a man who is the
opposite of himself. Jack and Bella’s relationship and interactions bring some
humor to the story line.
Book 3 - Coveted
Kiss deals with the fallout from Avenging
Kiss. It can be read independently of Avenging
Kiss, but it would be most enjoyed after reading Avenging Kiss. Jack is in full alpha-male mode as he protects Bella
in the aftermath of Hazeem’s murder attempt. Logan discovers the history behind
Adita’s actions and learns how to forgive. Hazeem realizes that he’s not as
brave as he thought he was. And the men of Savage Security must hunt down the
terrorists living within their community.
Book 4 - Stolen
Kiss focuses on the romance between Cole Savage and Julia Romero. The men from Savage Security are hired to
look into a suicide. They discover a damning photo which launches their hunt
for a murderer. Cole must reconcile his desire for justice with the burning
ache in his heart for Julia Romero. Enlisting her help as a realtor, they work
together to find a new home for Savage Security while the hunt for the killer
continues. As the men discover more victims, they piece together the clues and
realize that one of their own may be in the sights of a ruthless killer.
Book 5 - Grace’s
Kiss focuses on Ryan Mark’s relationship with Grace Berry. Ryan is
everything Grace has avoided in her dating life. He’s wild, cocky, and has an
air of danger that takes her breath away. But as much as she’s attracted to
him, she’s also intimidated by the sexy confidence that oozes from him. After a
bumpy start, she realizes that she has more in common with the buff alpha than
she ever expected.
Book 6 – Lizzy’s
Kiss is the last book in the Savage
Security Series. The book focuses on Lizzy and Tyson. After doing her civic
duty by sitting on a jury panel, Lizzy is added to a kill list when the person
the jury condemned to prison is murdered. Tyson appoints himself Lizzy’s
guardian after she barely escapes an attack on her life. Together, they must
locate and stop the man who is killing off the jurors.
I am currently working on The Making of Daisy Hart. It’s the first
book in my new contemporary romance series. This book introduces readers to
Avenel, a beautiful resort town on the Hidden Banks Islands off the coast of
North Carolina. Cassie Bowmont visits Avenel with her head full of stories and
her heart full of hope. Her goal for the summer is to write a romance novel
that will transition her from her teaching career to a full-time author. Unsure
of what the future holds, she expects to hunker down in a beach cottage with
her laptop and an ensemble of characters in her mind, but a chance meeting with
a handsome man during a raging storm introduces her to a muse she can’t refuse.
How long would you say it takes you to write
a book?
It
takes me anywhere from four to eight weeks to get a rough draft down. After
that, I have several rounds of edits to do. Then I send my book off to my
beta-readers. Once my book is returned with their edits, I go through and add
more details to firm up the story. The entire process typically takes me between
four to six months. To use my time wisely, while waiting for edits or for the cover
to be finished, I typically work on more than one book at a time.
What is your favorite childhood book?
I’d
have to say The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe. This book is
fantastic on so many levels. Children can enjoy the story because the characters
are young, like them, and they get to travel to a fantastical world filled with
magic and talking animals. Adults can enjoy the story for the symbolism and
religious themes that are subtly woven throughout the story. This story opens
the door to conversations with children about forgiveness, trust, honesty,
integrity, love, and commitment.
If you could spend the day with one of the
characters from Lizzy’s Kiss, who
would it be?
I’d
love to hang out with Lizzy. She’s fun and spontaneous with a serious survival
instinct. Whenever she’s threatened, she keeps her cool and doesn’t wait around
for a man to save her.
What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve
always thought it would be cool to write a book. In college, (while studying
elementary education) in my literacy courses, I’d peruse the picture books and
nonfiction children’s books and dream about writing my own book. At the time,
it seemed impossible, but as the internet expanded and companies like Amazon
grew, the dream started to take shape and become a reality. When my twin
daughters went to kindergarten, I set aside time each day to dedicate to
writing. Surprisingly, the story that unfolded in my head was not for
elementary students, but it was better suited for young adults who enjoy
supernatural thrillers. When I finished the first series, The Scintillate Series, I
transitioned to adult romantic suspense and began The Savage Security Series.
Just
for fun
(a Favorite song: Don’t really have one. It changes too often
to commit to one.
(b Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice
(c Favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice – BBC edition with Colin
Firth as Mr. Darcy.
(d Favorite tv show: I love Dexter
and Game of Thrones.
(e Favorite Food: Sea salt caramel covered in chocolate or
peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sundaes.
(f Favorite drink: Dr. Pepper
Thanks so much for visiting
with us today!
About the Author
Karen Tjebben lives in central North Carolina with her wonderful husband, twin daughters, and two hamsters. When her girls left for kindergarten, Karen discovered that she needed to fill her days with something, and that was the beginning of her new career in writing. She loves to create worlds filled with unique characters that she hopes will delight and raise goose bumps on her readers. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and seeing the world through her daughters' eyes.
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1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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