Today’s Countdown! An issue of News from Suz!
News from Suz: January 6, 2014
www.SuzanneBrockmann.com
www.facebook.com/SuzanneBrockmannBooks
www.twitter.com/SuzBrockmann
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Happy New Year!
Headlines:
- I’m counting down to DO OR DIE, my next romantic suspense’s February 4th release!
- *Starred* reviews for DO OR DIE!
- Virtual Signing reminder (and Richmond, VA added to my in-person book tour!)
- Countdown special feature: Chat with me (Suz) on January 9th
- Countdown special feature: Chat with audiobook narrators Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank (and me!) on January 15th
- THE UNSUNG HERO is currently on sale for 99 cents in all US e-book formats!
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Deets:
1) The Countdown to the February 4th release of my next book, DO OR DIE, has started! In fact, it’s already Countdown Day Three!
If you are a new reader/follower/Facebook friend and you’re muttering “What’s a Countdown? Day wha…?” or even “Wait, what? DO OR DIE? You have a new book coming out…?” Hang on, I’ll answer your questions in a moment.
If you’re a longtime reader/follower/friend and you’re muttering, “It’s already Day Three, and you’ve neglected to tell us…!?” Feel free to immediately pop over to my website blog page (where I’ll be posting the mostly-daily countdown at https://suzannebrockmann.com/blog/) or to my Facebook reader page (where I’ll cross-post the countdown for FB users convenience, at http://www.facebook.com/SuzanneBrockmannBooks).
But back to that earlier mutter question: “Wait, what, you have a new book coming out…?”
Yes!
DO OR DIE is the first book in my new “Reluctant Heroes” series of romantic suspense novels. It’s a spin-off of the Troubleshooters series, with the books are set in my familiar Troubleshooters world.
In fact, DO OR DIE takes place in Sarasota, where TS Inc. has a Florida office. And there are several cross-over characters, including Martell Griffin, the police-officer-turned-lawyer who appeared in FORCE OF NATURE (Ric and Annie’s story and the book where FBI Agent Jules Cassidy comes face-to-face with movie star Robin Chadwick at the Sarasota Film Festival).
But in DO OR DIE, all of our familiar TS Florida operatives are out of town (or recovering from a gunshot wound). And it’s Martell who’s tasked by everyone’s favorite FBI agent, Jules Cassidy, to approach former Navy SEAL and rogue badass, Ian Dunn, to get his assistance on a mission-impossible operation to rescue some very important kidnapped children.
Even though Jules only plays an off-page role in DO OR DIE, he sends his capable and talented teammates, Deb Erlanger and Joe “Yashi” Hirabayashi to Florida to assist in the rescue op.
(FYI: Deb and Yashi first appear in the TS series in BREAKING POINT, Max and Gina’s book. They also played secondary roles in FORCE OF NATURE — so they’ve worked with Martell Griffin before.)
(You also might remember Yashi from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, where Yashi’s dad might have hooked up with Cosmo’s musical-theatre-loving mom.)
But here’s the deal: All three of these cross-over characters (Martell, Deb, and Yashi) come to DO OR DIE without any complicated story-arc baggage. That makes them the perfect characters for the start of a trilogy that could, indeed, stand alone. See, some readers are daunted at the idea of jumping into the middle of a sixteen book series like the Troubleshooters. So DO OR DIE will be a great place for them to start! And yet, it’s also my hope that those of you who love the earlier books will feel right at home in the Reluctant Heroes branch of the TS world!
2) DO OR DIE has received a starred review from Kirkus, a starred review from Booklist, and a glowing review from Publishers Weekly!
Here’s the Kirkus review, which also gives you a nicely concise and clearly written overview of the plot and main romance:
“Attorney Phoebe Kruger is tasked with negotiating client Ian Dunn’s prison release, against his will, so he can rescue two kidnapped children, not realizing that doing so will set events in motion that will threaten dozens of lives—and a few hearts.
Considering his reputation as a former Navy SEAL and a suspected international jewel thief, Phoebe finds it a little odd that Ian is in jail for getting drunk and losing control of his car. But when an accident incapacitates Ian’s usual attorney, Phoebe is sent in his place. As a recent hire at the respected firm that represents Ian, she isn’t surprised when he’s hesitant to work with her. She is shocked, however, that he’s unwilling to accept a sweetheart deal designed by the government to get him out of jail scot-free in exchange for rescuing two kidnapped kids without causing an international incident.
What neither Phoebe nor Martell—the attorney working on behalf of the government—know is that Ian has his own agenda for being in prison, and if he leaves, for whatever reason, it will threaten the people closest to him. So once they spring him, Ian takes Phoebe hostage, then must rescue his brother and his family from the mob, assemble a team, connect with the FBI, work out a rescue plan with limited resources, deal with the devil in the form of an international assassin and work through long-standing family issues while navigating a sizzling-yet-unwelcome attraction to his new, unasked-for attorney. As outlandish as the plot sounds on paper, Brockmann effortlessly and expertly tosses hundreds of details into the air and juggles them with brilliance.
The first in her Reluctant Heroes series, the novel will captivate readers with its intense, action-filled plot, alpha-and-a-half hero, and his smart, perfect-for-him heroine, as well as secondary characters who contribute pathos and humor.
Enthralling and breathtaking.”
Thanks, Kirkus!
DO OR DIE (Reluctant Heroes #1) comes out on Tuesday, February 4, 2014.
It’s available in hardcover and all e-book formats from Ballantine Books, and in audio from Blackstone Audio. (I’ve got a new audiobook publisher, but we’re continuing to use my favorite extremely talented dual-narrators for the recording! Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank bring their comic chops to this fast-paced action/adventure.)
Here’s the link to the website page for DO OR DIE, where you can see the terrific cover art, read the book’s blurb, and find links to pre-order the book: https://suzannebrockmann.com/upcoming/do-or-die/
3) And here’s the link to my virtual signing, in case you’d like a personalized, signed hardcover of this book: https://suzannebrockmann.com/upcoming/do-or-die/dod-virtual-signing/
(A quick note about my virtual signing! I’m also offering readers a chance to get a signed DVD of my movie, THE PERFECT WEDDING, via the DO OR DIE signing. And, the virtual signing is open to readers internationally.)
I’ll also be doing a number of brick-and-mortar store booksignings to celebrate DO OR DIE’s release, complete with Q&A sessions (ask me anything!) and door prizes.
Starting February 4th, I’ll be driving up the east coast, from Florida to Boston and back, and stopping at bookstores along the way. Cities include Sarasota and Jacksonville, FL; Florence, SC; Raleigh, NC; Wilmington, DE; East Brunswick, NJ; Framingham, MA; Tewksbury, MA; Sharon, MA; and Newton, MA.
And! I’ve just added a Richmond, VA date to my schedule.
Also! Newsflash! I’ll be joined by one of my own favorite authors, Virginia Kantra, at the Raleigh bookstore event! Virginia’s next book, CAROLINA MAN, won’t be out quite yet, but she promises that she’ll have bookmarks! And we’ll have the first two books in her wonderful Carolina series available for her to sign!
You can find the complete list of signing events with dates, times and locations on my appearances page at https://suzannebrockmann.com/about/appearances/
(And I will be talking a bit more about some of the book signing events later on in the countdown, especially since one of the signings is in Florence, SC, where there is a beautiful Veteran’s Park, well worth visiting! Road trip!!!)
I hope you’ll join me on the DO OR DIE Countdown, throughout chilly January and right up until the book’s post-Groundhog Day release on February 4th! (Don’t let him see his shadow, don’t let him see his shadow…)
I’ll be posting on my website blog page (and on my Facebook reader page) on a close-to-daily basis. I’ve got a bunch of fun things planned, including a bunch of real-time chats, a “meet the characters” cast list, contests for early copies of the book and other fun collectibles (a Japanese Manga edition of LADIES’ MAN!), recommended reads and viewings, and a bunch of blog-like musings on topics from heroines who wear glasses, to my new YA series co-written with my daughter Melanie.
Two countdown chat dates to put on your calendar:
4) Chat with me! This Thursday, January 9th, 2014, from 8 – 9:30 pm eastern time, on my website blog’s comment section at https://suzannebrockmann.com/blog/ ! We’re gonna beta-test having a conversation/chat on my website blog page’s comments section! (If you’ve read an advance copy of DO OR DIE, no spoiler questions, please! Thank you!)
5) Chat with DO OR DIE’s audiobook narrators Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank (and me!) on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014, from 9 – 10 pm eastern time. Right now we’re planning to chat over at my website blog page, at https://suzannebrockmann.com/blog/ Hopefully we’ll be able to announce some great news about a really fun audiobook project, too!
6) THE UNSUNG HERO, the first book in my Troubleshooters series, is currently on sale for 99 cents in all US e-book formats! Find links to all e-formats on my website page at https://suzannebrockmann.com/books/troubleshooters/the-unsung-hero/
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Okay, gang. That’s it for now.
Drop by my new website and say hello!
As always, thank you for your support!
To sign up for my email newsletter, visit my website at https://suzannebrockmann.com/about/news-from-suz/
Love,
Suz
