What's New With Suz

April 17, 2013:

Over the past days, I've been able to think of little besides the horrible Patriot's Day attack in my hometown of Boston. It's left me shaken, seeing the evidence of such deep hatred and darkness--who could do such a thing?

We will find out. The people who did this will be caught. I have the utmost faith in our law enforcement personnel's ability to bring the bomber(s) to justice. Jules Cassidy may be a fictional character, but he is based on very real and highly skilled men and women of the FBI.

Like many of you, I've been flashing back to the days following the attacks of 9/11, and, like then, I continue to find comfort in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Terrorists win only when they terrify people into submission and isolation and inaction.

During the Boston Marathon, the men and women who ran toward the blasts to help the wounded may have been afraid, but the love and hope they felt trumped their fear and gave them courage--and in that heroic moment, the terrorists failed.

Let's back them up--those courageous first responders--by refusing to be terrorized.

Me, I'm planning to be in Boston this June for the Pride Parade. I march, as often as I can, with my favorite equal rights org, MassEquality, with a sign saying "I love my gay son!" I'll be there--come find me, high five me, and (after the parade) buy me a Sam. (Or I'll buy you one!)

******

Okay. So. Still April 17th.
More news: Book coming out on April 30th.
HEADED FOR TROUBLE.

This is my Troubleshooters anthology--a collection of short stories and novellas--all published under one cover.

Most of the stories were previously published, but one of the novellas--"A SEAL and Three Babies"--is brand spanking new. (The SEAL in the title is, of course, Sam Starrett. He and Robin and Gina encounter a few, um, glitches during a vacation while Alyssa, Jules, and Max are off on a mission.)

There's also a new Part II to "Home is Where the Heart is," making it novella-size, and providing a desperately needed HEA.

There's a liberal helping of Jules and Robin in the book. Sam & Alyssa, too. And of course, Izzy, Jenk, Gillman and Lopez show up a time or two, as well.

Library Journal calls HFT a "well-done anthology," and a "satisfying collection." They say, "the real market for these engaging short stories and novellas is the dedicated "Troubleshooters" fan (and the libraries that serve them); they won't be disappointed!"

Thanks, Library Journal!

Oh, and the reader FAQ for this book is: "Hey, Suz. Navy SEAL Frank O'Leary was killed in OVER THE EDGE. Is he a zombie or a vampire or (worst of all!) did you forget?!?! What kind of monkey business is it, that he should get a story in HEADED FOR TROUBLE?!"

Easy answer, dear readers. No Zombie Frank, no vampire Frank, and I could never, ever, ever forget. But see, the stories in this collection are set throughout the entire timeline of the TS series. Yes, Frank was KIA in OVER THE EDGE (TS book #3, which takes place in 2001), so his story, "When Frank Met Rosie," takes place much earlier, in 1999, some months before THE UNSUNG HERO (TS book #1). Zero monkey business (or time travel or undead shenanigans!) involved.

HEADED FOR TROUBLE goes on sale April 30, 2013. It's available in paperback, in e-book, and in audiobook, read by my favorite audiobook readers, Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank.

*****

In other April news, THE PERFECT WEDDING, the romcom movie that I co-wrote and co-produced with my husband, Ed Gaffney, and our son, Jason, just won the award for best comedy feature at the Garden State Film Festival, in Asbury Park, New Jersey! (You can watch the trailer, above!)

We are additionally psyched because over the past few months we've made a distribution deal with an American movie distributor, Wolfe Releasing. Wolfe will release THE PERFECT WEDDING on DVD and via internet streaming and in various on-demand formats in late fall 2013. (The movie is set over the Christmas holidays, so the timing is perfect!) Find out more info at the movie's website, www.ThePerfectWeddingMovie.com. I'll also post a note here when Wolfe's website is open to pre-orders!

*****

Last but not least, the book that I should be revising right this moment (oopsie), is called DO OR DIE, and it's the first book in my new romantic suspense trilogy called "Relectant Heroes."

This new series is a Troubleshooters spin-off. In fact, DO OR DIE is set in the Troubleshooters world, so TS lovers will feel right at home. Martell Griffin, from FORCE OF NATURE (Ric & Annie, and Jules & Robin's book) plays a large role in the story, as do Jules Cassidy's FBI underlings, Deb and Yashi.

But all three of those characters come into DO OR DIE unhindered by layers of backstory from books past (it was getting heavy under all those layers, from sixteen books!), so the trilogy is handily accessible to new readers. Yes, Martell is still a very funny man, and he's still working as a lawyer in Sarasota. And yes, Deb and Yashi are still employed by the FBI. They all bring their special skills and talents to DO OR DIE. (I do love writing from Martell's point of view! You'll be seeing more of him in books two and three, coming soon...)

And just to make "Reluctant Heroes" even more warmly familar, the book's hero is a former Navy SEAL (and an alleged international art and jewel thief!) named Ian Dunn. When the story starts, Ian is serving time in a Florida state prison for a relatively low-level crime. The heroine is a lawyer named Phoebe Kruger who gets entangled with Ian over the course of several extremely action-packed days.

DO OR DIE a fun, upbeat book (shades of Kenny Karmody's book, OUT OF CONTROL--which I think of as my version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" meets "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" meets the Troubleshooters series!), with plenty of action, thrills, and suspense, along with fast-paced sparring and sparks between Ian and Phoebe.

Watch my website (coming soon!) for a preview of the exceptionally great cover art that will be adorning this book. It's scheduled to be released in hardcover, e-book, and audio, tentatively in February 2014. But watch this page, and Facebook page, for updates, because dates have been known to change.

Thank you for your time and attention.

(I promise to update my website more often in the future.)