Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group discussion
This topic is about
Kristine Cayne
The Author's Nook
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Getting to Know Kristine Cayne
To start things off, I asked Kristine a couple questions:Me: I had the pleasure of reading both your books, Deadly Obsession and Deadly Addiction. Deadly Obsession was more in keeping with traditional romantic suspense, but Deadly Addiction tackled a subject I haven’t read about before, that of the First Nations Vs. “White Man� Governments, and also the problems with drug and alcohol abuse on Native American reservations. I can tell a lot of research went into this story, and I found it both interesting and enlightening. I think you did a great job of presenting both sides of sensitive issues and doing so without bias.
KC:Thank you so much, Dhes! Deadly Obsession is definitely more traditional in terms of romantic suspense, although I did try to show as much as possible the flip-side of Hollywood. Nic's life is not what it appears to be on the surface. In Deadly Addiction, the issues tackled are much more controversial. But I felt that the inherent conflicts made for a great story.Me: When did you first decide to write this particular story, and what inspired it?
KC: I've always enjoyed stories from which I can learn something about another culture, and I'm particularly drawn to stories with Native heroes. Unfortunately, most often these are historicals or westerns.Me: I had grown quite fond of Rémi Whitedeer in Deadly Obsession and was thrilled to hear he had gotten his own book. He’s such a complicated man, yet so down-to-earth, too. Was he difficult to write, or did he write himself?
When I wrote Deadly Obsession, I wanted Nic to have a best friend back home, someone steadfast and loyal. And because I was planning to write a series, I developed my secondary characters in such a way that they could be heroes in their own right. I asked myself what Rémi's story could be. Having grown up in the area, I was aware of the tensions between the Native population and the provincial police (SQ), but like most people, I knew very little about the Native communities. The more research I did, the more fascinated I became and I thought - wow, what a great conflict to have a relationship between an SQ officer and a Native man. And given the strict membership rules in the communities in this area, I heightened the conflict for the man by making him half-native.
Why write this story in particular? I realized that even though I'd grown up in an area with several native communities, they were virtually invisible. All I knew about them was what I'd been taught in history class and events that made the news. For those of you who may not be aware, in 1990, there was a big uprising in Québec that I discuss in the book. It's colloquially called the OKA crisis or Indian Summer. A reserve in the area was put under siege and when an SQ officer was killed, the army was called in. Native people across Canada and the US joined in solidarity against this invasion of their sovereign lands. I wanted to tell this story from all sides--native and white--and to show how it continues to people today.
KC: I loved Rémi from the very first word he spoke in Deadly Obsession. His humor and deep affection for Nic and Nic's sister came through in everything he did and said. Rémi did write himself, but he also hid part of himself from me. In his own way, he was as invisible as his people. But I pushed, and I forced him to show me his true self. And I was floored by what I learned.Me: Alyssa Morgan is an awesome, kick-ass heroine. I love that she's honorable, strong, independent, and, thankfully, never suffers from what so many heroines do; a case of the TSTLs - Too Stupid To Live. Who, if anyone, was your inspiration when writing Alyssa?
KC: I wouldn't say I had a direct inspiration for Alyssa's character. However, I did based many of her attitudes and reactions on what I learned in several workshops given by Margaret Taylor (), a former CHP officer and writer, most notably her workshop called 'Behind the Badge' in which she spoke of the psychology of being a police officer. It gave me great insight into a world as foreign to me as Mars and I credit Margaret with helping me make Alyssa the tough cop she is.Me:What plans do you have for this series in the future? Is it open ended, or do you have a set number of books in mind?
KC: Originally, I had four books planned for this series, but a character popped up in Deadly Addiction and demanded his own book, so now there are five planned :)Me: Thank you so much, Kristine! I'm looking forward to more in the Deadly Vices series, as well as your new series. It sounds great!
The next book in the series is Deadly Betrayal, Kaden's story. He is ex-military and is returning to Afghanistan to help the female Afghani doctor who saved his life.
Book four, Deadly Deception stars a mystery hero :)
The last one planned is Deadly Negligence (working title). This will be Rachel's book.
I'm also working on a new sexy series starring a Technical Rescue Team from Seattle's Fire Department. In September, I'll be kicking off this series with my novelette "Aftershocks," which is being released as part of an anthology called Romance in the Rain.
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Kristine will be stopping by on August 4th and 5th to answer your questions and comments. Please feel free to post them below, in bold, so she can easily find them and answer.
And again, please be sure and read our Question and Answer Guidelines before posting.
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Hi Danielle. I was thrilled when Dhes suggested this chat. I love talking to readers and answering any questions they have about my books, my research, writing , etc. I'm pretty open so I'm sure we'll have a great time. :)
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Hello Kristine! Great event. I tweeted about it for you today. Both sound like great books. Best of luck with the giveaway! Keta
Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "I haven't gotten to read your books yet, Kristine, but hopefully soon. I love romantic suspense."That would be great, Danielle. I'd love to hear what you think of them :)
Keta wrote: "Hello Kristine! Great event. I tweeted about it for you today. Both sound like great books. Best of luck with the giveaway! Keta
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Thank you so much, Keta! I appreciate your support and I hope to see you for the chat next weekend.
I have not read your books yet either but they do sound intriguing! Thank you for the invite to this event. I like finding new authors and stories to explore.
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and I really liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it to readers of romantic suspense. It had an unique setting and just the right blend of romance and suspense. No mystery, of course but that was fine. I will definitely be reading more.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, too, Pamela. Remi and Alyssa are great, and I also enjoyed the unique story.
Hi Kristine! Is there or has there ever been a story that you have in your head, but are hesitant to write?
Hey Kristine!! I've not read your books yet but they do sound interesting - I'm definitely going to be checking them out.I would be very interested to hear which authors you personally like to read and which of those has had the biggest influence on your style.
What is your most favourite book ever and what is the book you've enjoyed the most this year?
Hi Kristine! I've not had a chance to read your books but hope to remedy that very soon:)!! Reading the synopsis for Deadly Obsession, I'm intrigued to find a female stalker. This is unusual as most stalkers I've read are men. I like this:)! Did this character evolve as the book progressed or was there a real life event that inspired you?
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Hey, Kristine! I've read Deadly Obsession, I thought it was great. I plan to read Deadly Addiction very soon. My question was actually answered through one of Dhestiny's questions. Looking forward to reading Deadly Negligence!!
Hi Kristine I havent read your books yet,but Im looking forward to doing so and also glad they are on Kobo!Looking forward to hearing what others here say who have read them:)
Michelle wrote: "I have not read your books yet either but they do sound intriguing! Thank you for the invite to this event. I like finding new authors and stories to explore."Michelle - thank you! I hope you get a chance to meet Nic and Remi :) Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "Just read and I really liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it to readers of romantic suspense. It had an unique setting and just the right blend of romance an..."Pamela - I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed Deadly Addiction. The more I learned about this situation, the more I wanted to write about it. Thank you for stopping by. If you have any questions, it's my pleasure to answer.
Michele from ROL Book Blog wrote: " Hi Kristine! Is there or has there ever been a story that you have in your head, but are hesitant to write? "Michele - that's a great questions. I have a lot of stories running through my head. One of the best things about being an independent author is that I don't have to fit in a publisher's box. The main thing that is preventing me from writing all the stories in my head is time. I have a full-time job, so my writing is limited to evenings and weekends.
That being said, I wouldn't mind venturing into even sexier books, maybe some light erotic romance. They would be shorter and require a lot less research so I could write these in between my bigger books.
Becs wrote: "Hey Kristine!! I've not read your books yet but they do sound interesting - I'm definitely going to be checking them out.I would be very interested to hear which authors you personally like to r..."
Wow! Your questions got my mind working in overdrive :)
Favorite authors: Cherry Adair, JR Ward, Pamela Claire, Kim Harrison, Delilah Marvelle, Diana Gabaldon, Dana Delamar, and so many more. I mostly read romantic suspense and paranormal romance with the occasional historical romance to shake things up a bit.
Which has been the biggest influence? That would have to be Cherry Adair, both as a reader and a writer. Before finding my first T-Flac book at my local library, I read historical and contemporary romance because I hadn't yet discovered the addictive quality of romantic suspense. Cherry cured me of that with Kiss and Tell.
As a writer, she inspired me as well. Each year, at our local writers' conference, Cherry sponsors a contest called "Finish the Damn Book." I signed up for it in 2009 and knew she'd kick my *ss if I didn't get it done by September 2010. So I worked my butt off and finished it. Several revisions later, that book became Deadly Obsession.
Favorite book ever: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Favorite book this year: Lover Reborn by JR Ward
Kristine wrote: "Favorite book this year: Lover Reborn by JR Ward "Oh! Can I just say, AMEN! You have EXCELLENT taste in authors and books.
Just sayin'....
KatLynne wrote: "Hi Kristine! I've not had a chance to read your books but hope to remedy that very soon:)!! Reading the synopsis for Deadly Obsession, I'm intrigued to find a female stalker. This is unusual as mo..."Hi KatLynne. Thank you for your questions! I got a vague idea for the story one day when I was reading about Gerard Butler and the legion of rabid fans who track him wherever he goes, capturing candid photos, sending him mementos, etc. I started wondering, what if one of them were a stalker? I also did some research on celebrity stalkers and was struck by the extent to which some will go. Remember John Hinckley Jr., Jodie Foster's stalker who tried to assassinate president Reagan to impress her? One of the creepiest, in my opinion, was David Letterman's stalker. Margaret Mary Ray broke into his home several times and stole his car with her infant child and pretend to be his wife when she was stopped by the police.
The character evolved as I did more and more research into stalker types and stalking behaviors. I incorporated as much reality into the stalker as I could.
Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "Hi, Kristine! Whose story are you currently working on? Is it related to the Deadly Vices series?"Hi Pamela, I'm actually working on a couple projects right now. The next book in the Deadly Vices series is Deadly Betrayal, Kaden's story. I'm currently doing a little bit more research and fine-tuning the plot before I get down to writing the draft this September.
I'm also starting a new series (still needs a name) that features a team of firefighters from a technical rescue team. These books are going to be a bit sexier, and a bit shorter. I'm thinking something along the same sensuality level as Jace Burton's Play by Play series - erotic romance but not hard core. I'm not up to that yet :)
I have a novelette called "Aftershocks", coming out as part of the Romance in the Rain anthology this September that is an introduction to this new series.
Tammy wrote: "Hey, Kristine! I've read Deadly Obsession, I thought it was great. I plan to read Deadly Addiction very soon. My question was actually answered through one of Dhestiny's questions. Looking forward ..."Tammy - that's great to hear! Was your question about Rachel? She's been an amazingly popular character. I wasn't sure if people were ready to read a story about a heroine with her challenges, but it seems they are, and I couldn't be happier.
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Hi Kristine I havent read your books yet,but Im looking forward to doing so and also glad they are on Kobo!Looking forward to hearing what others here say who have read them:)"Sandi - yay! A Kobo reader :) I recently bought Kobo ereaders for my parents as gifts and they love them. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. As you can see, I'm fairly long winded. LOL
Hi Kristine..I was wondering, when you decided to write the first book did you have the story/plot all planned out,or as you started to write did it take a whole new or different direction? Where did your characters come from,and as they too started forming did they also take a different path than what you set out for them? Was there ever a time when you got "blocked" in your time writing?
Im also hoping that your books will come in paperback? I havent bonded with the ereader and feel more connected to the author/book when its paper in my hand. I would love to have your "books" if they will be published in that format:)
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KRISTINE: Did you have any say in the covers chosen for your books? Do you feel that they portray your characters and the story to draw the reader in? I know they did for me,as soon as I saw the cover I read the write up on the book and added to my TBR list!
Sandi, to comment about your question regardng covers, when I am deciding on a book, the cover does make a difference. I know... 'never judge a book by its cover' but how can you not let it influence your decision??? I know I can't!
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Sandy, to comment about your question regardng covers, when I am deciding on a book, the cover does make a difference. I know... 'never judge a book by its cover' but how can you not let it influen..."Im the same..dont know if that's good or not as some books have beautiful covers but the story is lacking. I found Kristine's book on kobo by the "look" then I read about it and sounded right up my alley. I find the cover has a "mysterious" draw you in feel to it.
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: " I find the cover has a "mysterious" draw you in feel to it. "Yep! That's it exactly!!!!
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Kristine wrote: "Favorite book this year: Lover Reborn by JR Ward "Oh! Can I just say, AMEN! You have EXCELLENT taste in authors and books.
Just sayin'...."
Haha! I know there are a lot of JR Ward fans in this group. I've been reading her books for a long time now and I wait anxiously for each and every new one. I can't wait for Lover At Last!!! But I'm sure Rapture will help tide me over :)
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Hi Kristine..I was wondering, when you decided to write the first book did you have the story/plot all planned out,or as you started to write did it take a whole new or different direction? Where d..."Sandi, I am truly a plotter. Before I begin to write, I have to know all the key elements of the story, not down to every scene, but definitely every chapter. I also have to know in-depth my hero, heroine and villain. I write detailed character profiles and GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) charts for each.
However, despite all that, the story doesn't always go where I thought it would. New ideas come up, sometimes new characters enter a scene and take on an unplanned importance. I don't get upset when this happens though because these changes are usually what makes the story spark, as if it's taken on a life of its own.
As for the characters themselves, they definitely take on more personality as the writing progresses. This is why once my draft is finished, I go back and rewrite most of the dialogue to make it sound more like what each character would really say.
Regarding writers' block, I do get it sometimes, but it's not from a lack of ideas but rather from a sense of fear. The sight of a white page or a blinking cursor at the beginning of a new project or a new chapter can be almost crippling. When this happens, I do one or all of the following (depending on the severity of the blockage):
1) write out the scene in point form
2) focus on the dialogue
3) write longhand
4) use a timer in 30 minute increments
5) go to a coffee shop :)
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Im also hoping that your books will come in paperback? I havent bonded with the ereader and feel more connected to the author/book when its paper in my hand. I would love to have your "books" if th..."Sandi, I know that a lot of people don't have ereaders and some people simply prefer to have a paperback that they can keep on a shelf. My family is mostly in Canada and the ereader hasn't penetrated nearly as much there. If I wanted them to ever read my books, I had to make sure they were available in print. :)
Deadly Obsession:
Deadly Addiction:
Wow..I didnt realize how much heart and soul goes into writing a book.That's truly a gift you have to be able to handle all that,look at the "positive's" when the "negitive's" creep up on you. I applaud :)
Kristine wrote: "Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Im also hoping that your books will come in paperback? I havent bonded with the ereader and feel more connected to the author/book when its paper in my hand. I wo..."Thanks Kristine! Im in Canada too..hopefuly the books will come to amazon.ca as the US amazon charges $9.00 shipping for each book! And your right..Im one who hasnt warmed up to ebooks so far. But I will get your books in PB sometime!:)
Hi Kristine. What was your favorite scene to write in Deadly Obsession?
~Megan~ wrote: "Hi Kristine!! I read Deadly Obsession recently and absolutely loved it! Did you picture any celebrity in your head in particular when you were creating Nic? Also, I loved Nic's sister Rachel......."Megan - thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Deadly Obsession. I can't tell you how many agents and editors told me that books about movie stars didn't sell :)
Nic grew out of a mixture of different celebrities. Some aspects of him are from Gerard Butler and Ashton Kutcher (but only in his movie Killerz). Physically, I had a clear image in my mind, but I haven't found the perfect representation of him. Although, these two come pretty close. Ideally, Nic is a combination of both :)
Rachel's hero is also a very yummy guy. But for him, I have a very clear celebrity in mind :D
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Kristine wrote: "Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Im also hoping that your books will come in paperback? I havent bonded with the ereader and feel more connected to the author/book when its paper..."Ouch! $9 shipping wow. Are you on the east coast or the west coast?
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "Wow..I didnt realize how much heart and soul goes into writing a book.That's truly a gift you have to be able to handle all that,look at the "positive's" when the "negitive's" creep up on you. I ap..."Thank you so much, Sandi. Writing is definitely a vocation. We do it because we love it, not because it's easy :)
Kristen wrote: "Hi Kristine. What was your favorite scene to write in Deadly Obsession?"Kristen - there are so many scenes in Deadly Obsession that I love, but not all those that I love were easy to write :)
Okay - favorite scene to write - maybe surprising to those of you who've read the book, the strip scene was really fun to write. LOL. I kept imaging this guy, kind of a playboy, having the time of his life until he starts to imagine the woman in front of him is someone else. I got to play with Nic and tease him a bit. It was fun and felt good. A little like a jealous girlfriend getting even with her boyfriend for looking at another woman :)
Another favorite scene, which was also fun to write because it was a little naughty, is the second love scene at Nic's loft.
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "KRISTINE: Did you have any say in the covers chosen for your books? Do you feel that they portray your characters and the story to draw the reader in? I know they did for me,as soon as I saw the co..."Yes, I had a lot of control over the covers. I worked directly with a cover artist who provided me with three concepts. From there I picked on. The artist then provided a mock-up of the cover and we tweaked it from there. The most limiting factor is the available cover art. The Nic on the cover isn't exactly as I had pictured him, but his eyes and expression were perfect so we went with it.
For Deadly Addiction, we used an image for the hero that I picked myself. He's the same model as on my FB page and the one I use on my blog whenever I talk about Rémi.
I'm glad the covers worked for you. I'm very proud of them and they look great in print :)
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Sandi, to comment about your question regardng covers, when I am deciding on a book, the cover does make a difference. I know... 'never judge a book by its cover' but how can you not let it influen..."Dhes - I agree. The covers really do influence readers, and well-done ones give the reader a sense of the tone of the story. I'm sure you've noticed that neither has a half-naked man on the cover despite the prevalence of them in romance. That's because I wanted to emphasize the suspense aspects of these books. I think they also stand out because they are so different. When the cover artist suggested this "close-up" technique, I knew it was right for my books.
Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* wrote: "UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Sandy, to comment about your question regardng covers, when I am deciding on a book, the cover does make a difference. I know... 'never judge a book by its cover'...""I find the cover has a "mysterious" draw you in feel to it."
Yes! That's exactly what we were going for :)
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~Megan~ wrote: "Ok, how did you know Channing Tatum is my personal number one hottie??! More excited for Rachel's book than ever!"I've had a thing for him since first seeing him in Step Up and She's the Man. I hope I can do him justice :)
I don't know if you want to answer this or not, but how much of Rachel's disability will she overcome? Will there be a miraculous total healing?And no worries if you'd rather not answer that.
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "I don't know if you want to answer this or not, but how much of Rachel's disability will she overcome? Will there be a miraculous total healing?And no worries if you'd rather not answer that."
Great question, I'm excited for Rachel's book :)
Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Deadly Addiction (other topics)Deadly Addiction (other topics)
Deadly Obsession (other topics)
Deadly Addiction (other topics)
The Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group would like to welcome Kristine Cayne as our Getting To Know... spotlighted author for August. She is the author of two romantic suspense novels, Deadly Obsession and the sequel, Deadly Addiction.
A little more about our guest:
Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.
The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms.
Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.
Ms. Cayne will be giving away 2 ecopies of her books, winners choice.
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