Interview with Romantic Suspense Author Toni Anderson and International Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome author Toni Anderson to Book of Secrets!  Her latest release is the romantic suspense novel, EDGE OF SURVIVAL.

Hi, Toni!  Please tell us a little about your background.

I'm a former Marine Biologist who lives about as far from the ocean as possible. I'm married to a shark researcher and we moved from Scotland to Canada seven years ago. I started writing seriously when I was pregnant with my first child. I'm still at it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

It's taken a long time. Maybe after my husband started introducing me as a writer? Maybe after I attended my first RWA conference? I'm not sure.

Please tell us a little about your latest release, EDGE OF SURVIVAL.

Book Blurb:

Dr. Cameran Young knew her assignment wouldn't be easy. As lead biologist on the Environment Impact Assessment team, her findings would determine the future of a large mining project in the northern Canadian bush. She expected rough conditions and hostile miners—but she didn't expect to find a dead body her first day on the job.

Former SAS Sergeant Daniel Fox forged a career as a helicopter pilot, working as far from the rest of the human race as possible. The thrill of flying makes his civilian life bearable, and he lives by his mantra: don't get involved. But when he's charged with transporting the biologist to her research vessel, he can't help but get involved in the murder investigation—and with Cameran, who awakens emotions he's desperate to suppress.

In the harsh and rugged wilderness, Daniel and Cameran must battle their intense and growing attraction while keeping ahead of a killer who will stop at nothing to silence her…

I’m so excited about this book. I absolutely love my hero, Daniel Fox (a British ex-SAS soldier turned helicopter pilot) and my heroine, Cameran Young (a fish biologist who suffers from diabetes). They are such polar opposites. Him--wild and reckless. Her--regimented and controlled. And yet they teach each other how to cope with their respective worlds. Cam brings Daniel back from a self-destructive edge, but his former military skills and disregard for the rules are what he needs to help save her in the end.

This is my first military hero as opposed to law enforcement. That changes the dynamics of the story because the hero doesn’t care about solving the crime, he just doesn’t want anyone else getting nailed on his watch. I think one of the things I like most about the story is the contrast of such strong personalities falling in love. And there’s a fabulous supporting cast too, including some unusual four-legged varieties.

My heroine has diabetes and I'm donating 15% of my royalties to diabetes research.

What was your source of inspiration behind this book?

The story is set in Northern Labrador and the heroine is doing a research study on fish migration—an Environmental Impact Assessment—in one of the most remote regions on earth. The study she’s conducting is one I actually did in 1996. I was flown all over the place in helicopters, dodging bears, and sleeping onboard an icebreaker every night. It was one of the most fascinating experiences of my life and I am thrilled I could use it in a novel.

Who was your favorite character to write and why?

There's a secondary character in the story who came to me in a fully-formed flash. RCMP Staff Sergeant Griff Kershaw is dealing with martial problems while still trying to solve a murder. I just fell in love with him.

Which character was the most challenging to write and why?

I loved writing this hero but he was never easy. Growing up as a Brit, the SAS were always my idols, but the research I've done on these men (and other elite soldiers) suggest they sometimes struggle to cope back in normal civilian life. So not only did I have to get into a male POV, I had to get into the head of a man suffering from PTSD and burying himself in sex and booze, and still doing the right thing.

He tried every trick in the book to get away from Cam, some not always forgiven in the romance reading community, but I never stopped believing in him. He's a bit of a wildcard.

How did you decide on the occupations your characters would have?

I use a lot of scientists in my books. I get pretty fed up when people use the logical and clinical scientist stereotype in their books. I've been surrounded by scientists for 25 years and they tend to be hard-working, idealistic, practical, overworked, underpaid, party animals. Or maybe I'm just lucky with my friends.

Because I write RS books many of my characters are law enforcement. One of the things I really like about EDGE OF SURVIVAL is I managed to have a hero and heroine who weren't cops. I doubt I'll be able to pull that off again.

What makes your book stand out from others in the romantic suspense genre?

Setting is a big thing. My stories are generally set in Scotland or Canada. I have written US settings too, but I hate being tied down :) I like to think I bring the setting alive, wherever it is.

What is your writing process like?

My writing process is...ugly.

I always begin with the flash of a scene in my head. From there I figure out a vague idea for a plot and the characters all at the same time.

When figuring out the characters it's all about knowing what is the worst thing you can do to them and then doing it--hence character being woven into the plot. Then I start digging deeper and when I have my plot map I write the first draft of the story.

I usually hate my first drafts :/

The second draft is for weaving the threads more tightly together and also improving my prose. I'm not sure how many drafts I write before I send it out to my critique partner--it always seems like a million. And I've never actually written THE END at the end of a story. I guess I'm never really finished.

Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

I have a mug that I use when I'm writing. It's a beautiful piece of Highland pottery and feels glorious in my hands. Apart from that, no, I just write.

What is the most interesting thing you've done for research?

I went to the Writers' Police Academy in North Carolina last year. I got to role play with some police training simulation videos and it was such a high. OMG. I'd be a terror on the streets as a cop :)

What are three things many people don't know about you?

• I love growing tomatoes but hate eating them.
• I'm the third of four children.
• I have size 5 (US) feet.

What does romance mean to you?

In a story it's about an unbreakable connection forming between two people which helps them defeat whatever challenge they're facing. I love the passion of people falling in love. The fire. The newness and surprise. On a personal level it's less about roses, more about sharing the load. Although, roses never hurt.

Why do modern women still crave the alpha male in romance novels?

It's weird, isn't it? Perhaps, as most of us tend to identify with the heroine in romance novels, we see alpha heroes as foils for our own personalities. The stronger the man the stronger the woman.

I really don't know, but I do know I'm married to one :) He drives me crazy, but I love him.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

Aha--I have a constantly exploding bucket list. This is the dream list:

• A boat for DH.
• Getting a camper van to travel around the country.
• A trip to Africa to visit my husband's brother's family.

What books have most influenced your life?

When I first moved to Canada in 1995, I discovered Catherine Coulter, Nora Roberts and Karen Robard's books. These changed my life. I'd read my granny's Mills & Boon romances growing up, but these novels blew my reading world wide open. It was wonderful :)

My very favorite author, the one who makes me go all fan-girl inside, is Suzanne Brockmann. Love her.

What was the last amazing book you read?

Tricky--I think the last time I was absolutely enthralled was when I read the WarPrize books by Elizabeth Vaughan.

What are your guilty pleasures in life?

Chocolate. People Magazine. Rewatching 'Lord of the Rings' to see Orlando Bloom as an elf. And Viggio, and Sean Bean :)

Who are the top three sexiest men of all time (real and/or fictional)?

• Paul Newman
• Eric Bana
• Sam Starrett (Suzanne Brockmann's books)

Just 3?? Come on :)

In your writing career, if you could do it all over again, what would you change?

I'd start earlier. I'd spend those nights I lazed around watching TV and start writing instead.

What can readers expect next from you?

More Romantic Suspense stories. Many more :)

Where can readers find you on the web?

I have a website (http://tonianderson.shawwebspace.ca), and a blog (http://tonianderson.blogspot.com), and I’m on Facebook as both me (http://www.facebook.com/toniannanderson) and with an author page with information about my books (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toni-Andersons-books/153356538022559), and I’m a twitterer—Lord, do I ever twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/toniannanderson) and I have an occasional newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Toni_Anderson_Newsletter/join). It’s hard to avoid me on the net :)

Can you leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from your book?

“How do I know you didn’t kill her?” Her words sliced like razorblades across his skin and he flinched.

Murderer. Assassin. The taunts and accusations from the British media flashed through his mind, and for a moment he couldn’t see where he was going. He blinked rapidly to clear his focus. This was why he preferred numbness over feeling; this was why he did not get involved. The breath in his lungs struggled to get past the wave of anger that locked down his teeth. Heat surged through his body and evaporated off his skin like steam. He forced himself to breathe tactically because being accused of murder shouldn’t be a problem.

He should be used to it by now.

And it was a smart question, he conceded after a few breaths. Why the hell should she be stupid enough to trust him?

You always need to be the hero, Maggie’s voice sang in his head. Well, he sure as hell wasn’t a hero anymore. He wasn’t anything except a helicopter pilot trying to do his job.

He narrowed his eyes against the glare of the setting sun. “I could have snuck around the back of the bar, slit Sylvie’s throat and left via the back door before coming in the front to pick up you and Vikki.” He kept his tone moderate. “But one, I’m not covered in blood and that was not a clean or easy kill, and two, I’ve been flying nonstop since dawn, slinging equipment to a new drill site. I didn’t have time to murder anyone today.” His fingers tightened on the cyclic. “Check the logs if you need to verify that.”

He could have easily accused her of malleting Sylvie, but that was rubbish because she wasn’t covered in blood, and he doubted she’d ever killed anything outside a laboratory.

Lucky bloody her.

Doc Young looked like a poster girl for VSO, the antithesis of warfare, the converse of evil. That sort of bone-deep innocence was rare and underrated. A lone caribou crossed barren tundra below but the Doc didn’t even see it. She just watched him with eyes the color of sage.

A muscle ticked in his jaw and he concentrated on the scenery. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

She looked away. He focused on flying, trying to get back the buzz of racing high above the world. Over brooks that snaked across the valley floors, over the three-billion-year-old Laurentian Shield, the oldest rock in the world. Over ponds as deep and blue as the ocean. But excitement eluded him. Right now he was remembering how it felt to have everything ripped away—his career, his life, his honor. How suspicion tainted the air until you choked on every breath. Desperate to forget, he increased speed until they were rushing over the barren country, the boom of the rotors punching the atmosphere. But you couldn’t outrun memories and no one knew that better than him.

It took another ten minutes to navigate the puzzle of islands, inlets and fjords, to the sheltered bay where the Imaviaq was anchored. They arrived just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

“There she is.” Daniel couldn’t wait to ditch his passengers. He radioed ahead for permission to land. The first mate waved them in as a crew member, decked out in yellow protective gear, manned the emergency fire-hoses. They got final clearance and Daniel lowered the aircraft gently into the wind, onto the painted yellow circle on the deck. He started the shutdown process, keyed in the speakers so both women could hear him.

“You can get out now. The first mate over there will show you where you’re quartered and fetch your gear down later.” He heard metallic clinks as both women unbuckled their seatbelts. “Keep your heads down and don’t go around the back of the aircraft. The tail rotor will take your head off.”

The Doc started to get out, but her headphones were still attached to her head. He caught them as she slipped out of her seat. Her hands went up as her ball cap flew off and whipped out to sea. A mass of shoulder-length curly brown hair exploded around her face, and Daniel got slammed in the gut by something other than flying.

She swore. He read the unexpected word on her lips as he leaned over and grabbed her wrist. Her bones felt delicate within his grasp.

“The rotors,” he repeated and jerked his head to the rear of the bird. “Be careful of the rotors.” He maintained eye contact until he was sure she fully understood the danger. She was still spaced from finding Sylvie’s body, and the death toll was high enough for one day. He didn’t want anyone sliced and diced on his watch.

“Right. Got it. Thanks,” she shouted.

He let her go.

She rubbed her wrist as she headed around the nose of the aircraft, and he purposely turned to watch Vikki Salinger sashay her ass across the deck. And though he stared at the motion, enjoyed the synchronicity of perfect female body parts bouncing with each step, he found himself watching Cameran Young out of the corner of his eye. Just as carefully. Just as avidly.

Giveaway Details:

Toni is giving away an ebook of her previous release, STORM WARNING, to one lucky commenter!  Here's the blurb:

Sorcha Logan is looking for peace.

Recently returned to her hometown on Scotland's craggy coast, Sorcha wants to tame the spirits that made her flee. When she finds a corpse in the surf, however, she can't suppress the memory of discovering her father's body. Nor can she suppress the ghosts that haunt her-or the town's conviction that she's dangerous, and a witch.

Ben Foley is looking for a killer.

An American DEA agent, Ben is in town to investigate the suspicious death of his partner. He's sure that Sorcha knows more than she's letting on-but the more time he spends with the sexy suspect, the less he can fight their illicit attraction. And the less certain he is she's involved with a drug cartel.

But can Ben protect Sorcha from being set up? Or worse-killed?

The contest is open internationally.  To enter, please leave a comment on this post or a question for Toni.  Be sure to leave an e-mail address too.  Entries will be accepted until 11/26/2011 at 11:59 pm CST.  Good luck!