Graced with an Interview

I’d like to welcome Alexa Grace author of the of Deadly trilogy. I’m pleased you could make it today to share your stories.

Nina: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Alexa: My journey started in March 2011 when the Sr. Director of Training & Development position I’d held for thirteen years was eliminated. A door closed but another one opened. I finally had the time to pursue my dream of writing books–a childhood dream. My focus is now on writing riveting romantic suspense novels.

I earned two degrees from Indiana State University and currently live in Florida. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America National as well as the Florida Chapter.

The first two books in my Deadly series have consistently been listed on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestselling Romantic Suspense Books. My newest book, Deadly Relations is now in the top 10 of Amazon’s Top 100 Bestselling Romantic Suspense Books.

I was recently named one of the top 100 Indie authors by Kindle Review. A chapter is devoted to me in the book Interviews with Indie Authors by C. Ridgway and T. Ridgway.

My writing support team includes five Miniature Schnauzers, three of which are rescues. As a writer, I am fueled by Starbucks lattes, chocolate and emails from readers. You can keep up with me on my website, facebook and twitter. You’re also welcome to check out and join my street team.

Nina: Please tell us about your newest book.
Alexa: Deadly Relations, the third book of the Deadly Trilogy, was published on September 21. Here is a brief description of the plot.

In Deadly Relations, a serial killer of young women hides in plain sight in a quiet county in the Midwest. Concealed behind a friendly and trustworthy face, no one knows he has a rage to kill he can’t control — until it’s too late.

Detective Jennifer Brennan, still haunted by her abduction five years before, devotes her life to serve and protect others. So when three young women go missing and are found murdered on her watch, she vows to find the killer — or die trying.

A personal relationship with her partner, Detective Blake Stone, would be career suicide. But the connection Jennifer has with him is nothing short of electric. Working with Blake daily and denying her attraction is hard. But when he moves in to protect her, resisting him becomes pure torture.

As they fight temptation, two detectives race against time to find the killer before he strikes again. It is the most important case of their careers. It could be their last.

Available from:
Amazon U.S.
Amazon U.K.
Smashwords

Nina: What can we expect from you in the future?
My next book Profile of Evil will be published in the spring of 2013. It is the first book of the Profile Trilogy. Here is a brief description of the plot.

Carly Stone is a brilliant FBI agent who’s seen more than her share of evil. Leaving the agency, she becomes a consultant for Indiana County Sheriff Brody Chase. He needs her help to catch a savage killer who is luring teenaged girls to their death in the handsome sheriff’s community.
The two are determined to stop a dangerous predator before he takes another life — at any cost.

Nina: How can we find out more about your books?
Alexa: Deadly Offerings, Deadly Deception and Deadly Relations are sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony, Diesel and more. Deadly Offerings is FREE on Amazon.

Please enjoy this EXCERPT from Deadly Relations:
Jennifer left the Sugar Creek Cafe, where she’d filled her thermos with hot coffee. She walked down Main Street toward the county sheriff’s building, where Catherine Thomas’s latest search efforts were being organized. March had been fickle thus far, alternating between unseasonably warm or frigid weather. Today, it was chilly, so she tightened the belt on her coat and lifted her collar as she walked against the wind that whipped her hair about, stinging her face and eyes. Though she’d never admit it, she was exhausted and had averaged around four hours of sleep per night since Catherine went missing. When she wasn’t in her car searching for Catherine, she was sitting in front of her computer using the methods Frankie had taught her to look for a missing person. Her cousin, Frankie, was a private investigator with an expertise in technology, and Jennifer had worked for Frankie prior to going to the Police Academy. But Frankie’s sure-fire methods hadn’t worked to find Catherine.

One look at the gray clouds overhead confirmed what the TV weather guy had said. There was a chance of rain today. At least, she hoped it was just rain. If the temperature dipped below thirty-two degrees, there was a good chance they’d get freezing rain, or what people called “black ice.” That made the roads treacherous to drive, let alone search for a missing person.

The majority of the businesses in the historic downtown area were located on Main Street for six blocks or more. Most of the buildings had been built a hundred or so years before. They’d been preserved by massive renovations and modernization as time went on.

The wind was playing havoc with Catherine Thomas’s missing posters, which peppered the trees and light posts. Lining the inside of nearly every shop or restaurant window was the poster for the world to see, with the silent prayer that someone would find her. Fred and Julie Thomas worked tirelessly to get the word out about Catherine’s disappearance.

Jennifer gritted her teeth as she thought about Catherine. She’d been abducted. Though there was no evidence, she was sure of it. Catherine had been taken against her will, just as Jennifer had been taken years before. The girl was looking forward to going to the police academy. She was not a runaway. There was no way Jennifer would believe Catherine left on her own volition. She had an ominous feeling that time had run out, and their chances of finding Catherine alive were nil. Catherine’s parents hadn’t lost hope of finding her alive, but Jennifer had. She knew the more time that elapsed, the less likely they would find Catherine alive. Like most detectives, Jennifer knew that time and again when they didn’t find the missing person within forty-eight hours, it was likely the person was dead.

It was Thursday and Catherine had been missing for five days — a time period painfully realized by every member of the county sheriff department. The staff took it personally. The sheriff, each of his officers, and all the admins wore a yellow arm band that matched the yellow ribbon tied around a huge oak tree in the Thomas’s front yard. People don’t go missing on their turf, on their watch.

So much time had elapsed that most of the sheriff’s team had lost hope that Catherine was alive, just as Jennifer had. The sense of loss made them more determined to find her body so they could focus on what happened to her. While there was a lot of information they’d gain by finding a dead body in terms of prosecuting a killer, there was a lot more satisfaction in finding the missing alive.

Fear ran rampant, as was evident by increased calls to the station. Paranoid citizens were reporting suspicious strangers, or strange noises outside their homes. High school girls, much to their distress, found themselves with early curfews and increased parental surveillance. Local restaurants were filled with anxious chatter about Catherine, and gossip ran rampant. People were angry, too, firing blame at the county sheriff’s office for not finding Catherine.

For the first time since Jennifer could remember, people were locking their doors at nights and leaving on their outside lights. The quiet street she lived on was usually dim at nightfall, with only a few street lamps to light the way. Since Catherine went missing, the street was flooded bright by house, porch, and garage lights.
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Reader question:  In Deadly Relations, three young women are abducted by a serial killer.  What is the most frightening thing that’s ever happened to you?