Edge of Sight Blog Tour: Interview and Giveaway with Roxanne St. Claire

The killer she can't escape . . .

The heartbreak she can't forget . . .

The one man who can stop them both.

When Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works, the Harvard-bound law student becomes the next target of a professional assassin. Desperate for protection the authorities won't provide, Sam seeks help from Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter who recruits her brother, Zach, to protect Samantha. A Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he's equally fearless and flawed, Zach takes the job, despite the fact that he and Sam once shared a lusty interlude that ended when he left for war and disappeared from her life. Now, as they crack a conspiracy that leads to Boston's darkest corners, Sam and Zach must face their fears, desires, and doubts, before a hired killer gets a second shot...

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Please welcome Roxanne St. Claire to the blog.  Thank you for being with us today, Roxanne!

1. Please tell us a little about your new release Edge of Sight. Is this the beginning of a new series?

Thank you so much for inviting me, Diana! Yes, EDGE OF SIGHT is the launch of a new series called The Guardian Angelinos. Scarred inside and out, former Army Ranger Zach Angelino reluctantly accepts the first assignment for his sister’s fledgling security firm, protecting Harvard-bound law student Samantha Fairchild after she’s witnessed an assassination and is next on the hit man’s list. The problem? Sam and Zach are former lovers and he left her for a tour of duty in Iraq three years earlier, then never contacted her again. She’s not sure she can trust him. He’s not sure he can resist her. Now they are trying to crack a conspiracy that leads to Boston’s darkest corners of corruption and they must face their fears, desires and doubts before a professional killer takes his next shot.

The Guardian Angelinos are a group of renegade siblings and cousins that band together to form an ad hoc security and investigation team, headed up by Zach and his sister, Vivi Angelino. The series is chock full of larger than life characters who are part of a big Italian clan, and lots of sexy adventures and emotional love stories. I’m so excited to be writing this series, as I’m sure you can tell!

2. What type of research was needed to write this book?

I do research from day one to the end. Everything from setting and character occupation to delving in deep into crimes of all kinds. The setting wasn’t too hard in this one, since the series primarily takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, where I lived for eight years. I had great help with the life of an Army Ranger, as my nephew is a Captain and Ranger, and he spent 15 months in Iraq fighting the war. He and other soldiers helped enormously. The most intense research for this book had to do with the organizations that help exonerate wrongfully accused and imprisoned people. Ten years before the book opens, the heroine witnessed a murder in a convenience store and her testimony put the wrong man in jail. She’s worked tirelessly to get him out and help him build a life, so when she witnesses a second slaying, she doubts everything she’s seen. All of that required a great deal of research, but I learned quite a bit about The Innocence Project and have introduced my son to the organization. He’s only in high school, but wants to pursue a career in law and this group really appealed to him – so the research paid off in more ways than one.

3. Do you usually have a muse when writing a character like an actor or someone you know?

I like to have a title that I love and a picture of my hero – even though I know the title will probably change and so will the hero! Still, I have a hard time writing “Chapter One” without those two things lined up. I don’t really have a muse, but without a doubt, some writing days are easier than others. Some days, the story flows and the characters seem vivid and real…other days I can’t seem to throw down a decent scene. Truthfully, I really hate to write, but I love to rewrite, so the revision days are usually better than the first draft days!

4. Describe the perfect romantic suspense hero.

For one thing, he’s not perfect! How boring would that be? Zach Angelino is actually the most “imperfect” hero I’ve ever written – wounded in battle, darkly miserable, full of angst, and certain that he could never be good enough for the heroine. He and his sister, Vivi Angelino, were orphaned as children in Italy and shipped off to live in the Boston suburbs with their American cousins, the Rossi family. Because of this, Zach’s never felt like he belonged anywhere, which I hope makes his search for love even more poignant. In my opinion, a true romantic suspense hero is first and foremost fearless, he’s decisive, he’s a leader, he’s passionate, he’s intelligent, he’s funny, and he’s so sexy he makes your toes curl.

5. Besides writing, what are a few of your other passions in life?

My family, of course. I have two teenagers who gobble up my time every single day. I’m married to a wonderful man (the Italian who inspired the whole series!) and do my best to keep that love affair as passionate as possible. And I have a sweet little Aussie Terrier, who requires very little but somehow gets a lot. I also love to eat (my husband is an amazing chef), so that means I have to exercise a lot. Fortunately, we live in Florida, so I get to ride my bike to the beach and enjoy our usually incredible weather. But most of the time, I’m on the inside (writing!) looking at the sunshine outside.

In addition to today’s giveaway, I have a Free Read that will introduce readers to Zach and Sam by taking a short trip back in time to the weeks they spent together before he left for war. Called “Taken To The Edge,” this 30 page “freequel” is available on my website and downloadable to everyone. Visit the “free read” section on www.roxannestclaire.com and get to know the characters of the Guardian Angelinos and the hero and heroine of EDGE OF SIGHT!

Thank you, Roxanne!  I agree that the most perfect romance heroes are the imperfect ones!

Giveaway Details:

Thanks to Hachette Books, I have 3 copies of Edge of Sight to give away! To enter, please leave a comment to this post or ask Roxanne a question, and leave me a way to contact you. Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. No P.O. Boxes, please. Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if they win the same title in two or more contests, they will receive only one copy of the title (or one set in the case of grouped giveaways) in the mail. Contest is open until Wednesday, 10/27/2010, at 11:59 pm Central Time. Winners will receive their books directly from Hachette. Good luck!