Ideas....
People frequently ask where book ideas come from. Of course, the answer is everywhere. Really, everywhere. I carry a small notebook with me all the time just to be ready and often type notes on my phone or send myself emails with snippets of dialog or plot thoughts.
THE PRETENDER grew out of an idea for a kind of book I wanted to write. See, THE PRETENDER takes place on a private island. The heroine’s family is very wealthy. It’s also a mess. The heroine, Gabby, has experienced unimaginable loss. Her parents died in a plane crash and her sister, who was a bit of a recluse, was killed at this private island. And did I mention rumors are circulating that Gabby killed all of them? As I said, this family is a mess.
Setting the book on a private island meant making the book feel very insular with a limited cast of characters and very few scenery changes. It also allowed me to go in-depth on these people’s backstories. I loved the challenge. There aren’t any big shoot-outs, explosions or car chases in the book. No one is an undercover agent. This book had to unravel differently, mixing the romance and suspense in a very confined way.
Researching for the book, I did get to look at pages of beautiful island homes, which was so much fun. The fictional Tabitha Island is set in Maryland, but the one I used as inspiration is actually close to New York. The buildings, the placement of the people, the transportation to and from the island where all things I really had to pay attention to. No one could hop in a car. I couldn’t have one person run off and disappear for a short time. The island is not that big!
Being in such a small area meant the characters either knew each other before the book started or they had to have a very good reason for being on the island for an extended period of time. Since the hero – Harris – is an art thief (sort of a recovering one) that meant using subterfuge. After all, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for a thief to be hanging around unnoticed as Gabby tries to figure out who killed her sister. Which lead to the other factor I wanted in this book – secrets. Lots of them. Gabby’s secrets. Her family’s secrets. Harris’s secrets. The killer’s secrets… So many secrets.
So if you’re thinking you’d like to try a sexy close proximity story with secrets and a bit of suspense in the form of a cold case, this might work for you. It’s a book that’s been kicking around in my head for a long time. The pieces finally came together and the Games People Play series became the perfect home for it. Enjoy!
The Pretender
(Games People Play #3)
by HelenKay Dimon
ebook, 368 pages
Published December 26th 2017 by Avon
ISBN 0062692194
They say it takes a thief to catch a thief, and Harrison Tate is proof. Once a professional burglar, he now makes a lawful living tracking down stolen art. No one needs to know about his secret sideline, “liberating” artifacts acquired through underhanded methods. At least until one of those jobs sees him walking in on a murder.
Gabrielle Wright has long been estranged from her wealthy family, but she didn’t kill her sister. Trouble is, the only person who can prove it is the sexy, elusive criminal who shouldn’t have been at the island estate on that terrible night. She’s not expecting honor among thieves—or for their mutual attraction to spark into an intense inferno of desire.
Under the guise of evaluating her family’s art, Harris comes back to the estate hoping to clear Gabby’s name. But returning to the scene of the crime has never been riskier, with their hearts and lives on the line.
Games People Play Series
About the Author:
HelenKay Dimon spent the years before becoming a romance author as a...divorce attorney. Not the usual transition, she knows. Good news is she now writes full time and is much happier. She has sold over forty novels and novellas to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Kensington, Harlequin, Penguin Random House, Riptide and Carina Press. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named "Red-Hot Reads" and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. She is on the Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America and teaches fiction writing at UC San Diego and MiraCosta College. You can learn more at her website: www.HelenKaydimon.com
Tour-Wide Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
THanks for the great post :) I'm currently reading the Negotiator and it's awesome! Congrats on the new release!
ReplyDeletecongrats on the new release
ReplyDeleteFantastic thank you.
ReplyDelete