Harlequin Books discussion

>What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romantic suspense?

I'm partial to men in uniform. ;)

serial killers crazy i know

I'm a police procedural reader all the way. Police, FBI, Marshalls, you name it. If it has an LEO hero or heroine I'll read it. Military is a close second for me.

Harlequin Books wrote: ">What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romanti..."


I love policemen and military.

I also love when a bad boy type character is redeemed

Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know you did it!" It's a little safer to kill characters on paper:)

Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

Ooh, Jennifer, I just finished writing a series with serial killers. Not HQ books, but I loved writing from the killer's POV!

I write military characters as I've been there--but reading them and watching them is a little more difficult. It can be hard for me to suspend my disbelief. That said, I love it when a serial killer is caught.

I like when the hero and heroine are partners. While it may start as the heroine being in jeopardy I prefer that they are suddenly both in jeopardy equally and must work together. Equal amounts of romance to the suspense with a hefty amount of humor mixed in is the way to go for me. As far as settings, I think I'm partial to the great outdoors...or a setting that prohibits calling in law enforcement.

I'll read any kind of suspense. As for how much romance I like in my romantic suspense, I have to say it definitely needs to be ingrained in the plot for me. Otherwise I don't really consider it a romantic suspense, I just consider it a suspense novel with a little bit of romance. I don't really care about settings, though I really like it if a romantic suspense is also a historical.

Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know you did it!" ..."

I would love to be able to take a class that was all research.

As for how much romance, I love it when it's equal to the suspense. For setting, I set all of my books in Oregon, but for some reason I like reading suspense written in the south.

Harlequin Books wrote: ">What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romanti..."

I like reading a lot of what I write: suspense with strong romantic elements or romantic suspense with heavy suspense elements. I tend to write FBI agent heroes & heroines & I love the research that goes along with it. I also read a lot of LEO/military stories. But give me an interesting puzzle & a pair of characters who NEED to get together, no matter the type or place, and I'm in!

I like the woman (or man) in jeopardy stories. It doesn't have to be a person in uniform who comes to the rescue. I'm kind of partial to private detective stories. They can usually tap into uniformed assisstance when needed but they don't have to go by the book and the romance can heat up without the guilt of falling for someone when you are protecting the general public.

any thing but horror

Susan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

Ooh, Jennifer, I just finished writing a series with serial killers. Not HQ books, but I loved writing from the killer's POV!"

Ha ha! There's a lot of crazy here! My debut with MIRA & my debut with Intrigue both involved serial killers!

One theme I never thought I would write was the person wrongly accused. And of course, that's the premise of Presumed Guilty.

Harlequin Books wrote: ">What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romanti..."
Serial killers are usually good suspenses reads, especially when they have you all creeped out!

I do like Elizabeth Lowell novels or Tami Hoag. I don't care for the bloody or gore. I do like the novel to be about 50/50 with the romance/suspense. I really enjoyed reading Katherine Stone books but she hasn't written anything new in years

Susan wrote: "As for how much romance, I love it when it's equal to the suspense. For setting, I set all of my books in Oregon, but for some reason I like reading suspense written in the south."

Hmmm...I might be able to help you out with that. :)

Elizabeth wrote: "Susan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

Ooh, Jennifer, I just finished writing a series with serial killers. Not HQ books, but I loved writing from the killer's POV!"

Ha ha! T..."
Crazy is right, Elizabeth. My daughter is sometimes afraid of what I come up with.

Also I like when the hero rescues the heroine just in time and when the heroine is smart as well.

Becky wrote: "I'm partial to men in uniform. ;)"

Me too!

I don't really have a favorite setting. Something foriegn would be a nice addition but then again hiding in the backwoods in the deep south is good too.

I enjoy all sorts of suspense, from police procedurals to serial killers. I stumbled into writing Amish romantic suspense for Love Inspired Suspense. I do write other kinds of suspense, but my editors keep requesting more Amish. It's a unique challenge to set up suspense around an Amish community...oh, but it certainly lends itself to inherent conflict.

Elizabeth wrote: "Susan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

Ooh, Jennifer, I just finished writing a series with serial killers. Not HQ books, but I loved writing from the killer's POV!"

Ha ha! T..."

I love reading scenes from the villain's POV.

Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know you did it!" ..."

Can you imagine if the police ever checkout your computer history?

Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know you did it!" ..."

Jan, I'm thinking I would have enjoyed your college classes more than mine. A Serial Killer course sounds more exciting than the Pyschology of Love and Friendship.

Harlequin Books wrote: "I don't really have a favorite setting. Something foriegn would be a nice addition but then again hiding in the backwoods in the deep south is good too."

I agree! I don't have a favorite setting either. When I read, I don't really look for place as much as the other elements. When I write, I tend to move my characters around a bit, for variety, and so I have somewhere new to research and explore!

to me the setting is the ambiance to the story line

Note to self: Do not switch to a new keyboard the day of an author event when you'll be doing a bunch of typing and a lot of editing!

The heroine HAS to be smart for me. She can't be totally useless.

When I go to Fred Meyer, I like to stop at the Harlequin section and check out all of the LIS books for that month just to see the creative spin the authors have taken on setting, unique careers, story lines, etc. I like variety and fresh story lines.

Harlequin Books wrote: "Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know y..."

That would be very interesting!

Harlequin Books wrote: "Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ideas. Everyone will know y..."

It was so interesting! The professor was on the Wichita PD when the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, was finally caught. So much insight--he actually got away with the crimes until someone wrote a book about the possiblity he'd died since there hadn't been another murder in over a decade. He wanted everyone to know how smart he was..

Jan wrote: "Harlequin Books wrote: "Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ide..."
Thank God for books!

Jan wrote: "He wanted everyone to know how smart he was.. ..."

Creepy!

are you aware of any romance/suspense novels being made into new tv movies?

I like pretty much any kind of suspense. I do enjoy witness protection stories a lot. I've really been enjoying Susan Sleeman's books where there are just as many women as men in the law enforcement/professional roles.

Amelia wrote: "So if people don't really have a favorite setting, then why are Western/small towns, babies, brides, and small town law men rescuing heroines in danger the perennial bestsellers?"

There's always room for all types of suspense!

I like reading about women in jeopardy. I like a bit of romance, but not so much that it detracts from the suspense element.

Jan wrote: "Harlequin Books wrote: "Jan wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "serial killers crazy i know"

I actually took a college class on Serial Killers. My hubby thought I was nuts and kept saying, "Don't get any ide..."

I read a book on the BTK just BEFORE he was caught. I think the scariest scenarios are the evil people that live among us.

Harlequin Books wrote: ">What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romanti..."
I like more suspense than romance but some is good.

I like to find novels that have someone fall into the plot or not realize their in it

Harlequin Books wrote: ">What kind of suspense do you like to read—women in jeopardy, serial killers, police procedural?

>How much romance do you like in your romantic suspense?

>What’s your favorite setting for romanti..."
I tend to like the desert settings or lost in the mountains is good.

Amelia wrote: "So if people don't really have a favorite setting, then why are Western/small towns, babies, brides, and small town law men rescuing heroines in danger the perennial bestsellers?"

Tonight, I would say that the readers who attended are the ones who live and breathe Romantic Suspense. If you were to poll the average suspense reader, they would tell you they have definite favorites.

Becky wrote: "I'm partial to men in uniform. ;)"

That's usually a draw for me to.

I may be in the minority, but I like my romance to be at least equal to the suspense. In fact, it doesn't bother me if there's more romance than suspense. When I'm writing, I have to be careful to keep the suspense/romance close to even. I always want to send them off on a date...

Jennifer...my lack of computer techy skills would probably seal my fate! But I did work for many years as a police dispatcher and have seen how crazy people can be...especially in the middle of the night!

Laurie wrote: "I like reading about women in jeopardy. I like a bit of romance, but not so much that it detracts from the suspense element."

I agree, Allison! BTK was a Cub Scout leader and a deacon in his church.