Ice Blue
by Susan Rae
When lives are on the line, sometimes the wrong thing is the right thing to do.
Born into a Chicago cop family, while her brothers get their rush from catching bad guys, paramedic Angela DeLuca gets hers from saving lives. A tough beauty with a heart perhaps too big, she champions the underdog because, as the youngest of six siblings, she often felt like one.
ICE Special Agent Troy Deavers became a cop to prove he wasn’t like his father—a southern politician who brought his family down with greed and corruption. He doesn’t suffer victims well. At first intrigued by Angela’s passion, he soon fears that the fire in Angela’s heart will be her undoing.
What happens when Troy falls in love with the lovely but infuriating Angela, the Chicago paramedic who insists on protecting a young witness and her unborn baby—a witness who could break his case wide open?
You met the DeLuca family in heartbeats, now come to know them even better in ICE blue.
--Even if you haven't read heartbeats, you can still enjoy ICE blue. Each book has it's own gritty suspense tale and is complete within itself.
PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW FOR MY REVIEW!
Follow Along With This Tour:
Susan took some time to answer some questions for me over the weekend. Please enjoy the following interview:
How do you
typically write? Do you plot it all out
beforehand or do you just let the story pour out?
I am a
plotter—to a point. Because I write romantic suspense, I have to have a pretty
good idea of where I’m going and how the characters are going to get
there. Once I get an idea for a story
and who the main characters are, I get my notebook out and start
brainstorming. Most times I already have
the beginning and end in my head, so I start jotting down the other main beats of
the storyline—those scenes that move the story in another direction. At some point though, I have to just sit down
and start writing. And that’s when the
magic happens—the surprises—as the characters start taking over and things
happen that I never thought of originally!
How long do you
think about a story before starting to write the book?
It’s
funny that you ask that. Some books are
in my head for years before I start writing them. Some I start writing and never finish (or
rather, haven’t finished--yet J). The idea for my current novel, ICE
blue, came about a year after heartbeats was first published, however it is a very involved book and
although I started it shortly afterward and had one-hundred and fifty pages
done, I didn’t finish it until last December.
But I think that’s a good thing. Because
I grew from both mine and my family and friends experiences during that time,
the book is so much stronger for it.
Do you have much
say in the title or covers of you books?
I do! Because I am with MUSA Publishing now, I work
very closely with the art director on my covers. In this on-line era, it is more important
than ever that a book cover reflects what the story is about. I want mine to say sophisticated romance and
suspense. I think ICE blue’s cover does
this well, along with the other two covers Musa has done for me. What do you think?
I think Ice Blue is very fitting! I am guessing that is the Chicago skyline in the picture as well?
Was there anything
(or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Actually,
when I was very young, I wanted to be a doctor—a pediatrician. But, as an avid
reader, I found myself gravitating more and more to the written word. I penned
my first melodrama in fifth grade, complete with hero, heroine, and dastardly
villain—not so different really than the romantic suspense I write now. In eighth grade I played the role of Jo in Little Women. By then, I felt it was
type casting. When the words still don’t come so nicely onto the page, I often
recite Jo’s words, “If father were here, he’d tell me to throw it in the fire!”
It puts a smile on my face. Now, even though I am not a doctor, I enjoy writing
one J. (Elizabeth in heartbeats and ICE
blue).
Do you have a
favorite quote?
Tell all the Truth but tell it
slant–
Success in Circuit lies… ~~Emily
Dickenson
When I read
this little poem in college, I realized how true it was. I try to
follow Dickinson’s advice in my writing, in how I approach my characters and
plots. With romance, telling someone that “Love conquers all,” just
doesn’t do it, and it isn’t always exactly true. But creating full, well-rounded
characters, making them as real as possible,
putting them in difficult but believable situations and seeing how through
their grit and determination they get through those situations, often
overcoming desperate odds—that’s telling the truth and hopefully giving the
reader something they will enjoy reading.
What does a day
look like in the life of your main character?
Angela,
the main character in ICE blue is a Chicago
paramedic. I had the opportunity to
interview a former Chicago paramedic for the novel. Her twenty-four hour shift was very
hectic. I am slightly amused now when I
see the paramedics on the TV show Chicago
Fire just hanging out at the station house with the firefighters. My paramedic said they rarely had time to
hang out. They often squeezed twenty to
twenty-three runs into a twenty-four hour shift. That left very little down time!
What time of day do
you like to write?
I
“write” (actually sitting down at the computer and getting words into the
draft) best between the hours of eleven a.m. and six p.m. However, I am brainstorming and thinking
about a novel almost constantly when I get close to starting a book and during
the first draft. Especially annoying are
those four-thirty a.m. wakeups when I can’t get back to sleep because my hero
and heroine had a fight and I’m trying to figure out how to get them back
together!
What is the most
you have written in one day?
Twenty pages, or about 5,000 words.
What themes do you
love to read or write about?
Love, trust, overcoming difficult situations,
and murder most foul!
What is your
favorite way to promote a book?
I do a lot on-line, but I love meeting readers
face to face.
If your book was
made into a TV series or movie, what actors would you like to see playing your
characters?
The hero for ICE blue is easy, Matthew
McConaughey. Sexy, suave. Can be comical, but also quite
serious. Check out this link for some
eye candy! http://www.matthewmcconaughey.com/photos/193087
If you could have a
superpower, what would it be?
Flying, definitely!
Favorite season?
Spring.
Renewal and all that.
Favorite sport?
Participitation? Golf, swimming, canoeing. Watching? Tennis and Football.
Favorite music?
Very eclectic.
Hard and soft rock, to blues and Broadway musicals.
Talk or text?
Yes! Depends on the situation. Mostly talk.
Cat or dog?
Dog.
You can meet Half-pint in ICE blue who is patterned off of my
own dog, Nikute.
Nikute is so adorable! I am so ready to get a puppy!
Coffee or tea?
Tea. I collect teapots.
I found a great teapot last summer at a garage sale - it is Eeyore!
If you could live
in a literary world - what world would
that be and why?
Middle Earth.
It’d be cool to experience wizards, ents, elfs, and all, once the
fighting was over!
Favorite gadget?
Can opener.
At least after the apocalypse I could open a can.
I must say - this is a gadget I would not have thought of!
Ebooks, paperbacks or hardcovers?
YES! Did I mention I love to read? Anything,
anywhere, anytime!
Is there anything
else that you would like my readers to know?
Only that I
love a good sexy romance with a gritty suspense story, and that’s what I try to
give readers with my novels. A try to bring a plot with a lot of meat to it and
well developed characters that will bring joy, fear, laughter, and even tears
to readers while possibly raising their awareness of things outside their
normal everyday life. ICE blue is billed as DeLuca
Family 2, but don’t let that throw you off. Even if you haven’t read heartbeats, the first book in the series, you can enjoy ICE
blue. Each novel has its own
hero and heroine and gritty suspense storyline that is complete within the
novel.
Thank
you Kristi for having me and thank you, readers, for taking the time to visit
with me today. For more information on
my books and my writing, please visit me at www.susanrae.com
Happy
Reading!
