Cornered

by Turner, Linda; Weaver, Ingrid; Miller, Julie

  Was there a particular person, place or thing that inspired this story?

  I’ve been a big Agatha Christie fan since high school, some-odd years ago. It’s been a fun challenge over the years to try to read every book and play she’s written. One of my all-time favorite mysteries by Agatha Christie is And Then There Were None. As a reader, I love the intellectual challenge of trying to solve that perfect murder. There’s such suspense in knowing that there’s a murderer among the group of people upon whom your very life depends.

  And I’ve long been a fan of action-adventure movies—Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Mummy, Speed, etc. So it was a delight creating a real man of action like Rafe Kincaid. I had lot of fun merging my intellectual and adventurous halves into this story.

  What’s your writing routine?

  I try to keep the same hours I did when I was teaching (fifteen years of junior high English!), so basically 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Though when I’m close to a deadline or the creative juices are really flowing, I’ll write late at night—that seems to be my natural creative time, probably because that’s when I wrote while I was still teaching. I was forced to be creative and produce pages after the family went to bed.

  I generally start by reading/editing/revising the scene or chapter I wrote the day before—that accomplishes the revision task, plus gets me into the story and characters to start me on a productive day. I write ten to twenty pages a day on average, unless I’m really stuck. Then I try to distract my brain by doing some of the less creative aspects of writing: answering fan mail, doing research, organizing PR, planning workshops, etc.

  I try to give myself regular breaks about once an hour—walk the dog, throw in a load of laundry, etc.—so my back doesn’t give me fits later on. I find those breaks are also good for some mental planning on the work in progress or upcoming stories.

  How do you research your stories?

  My favorite mode of research is to either experience the thing myself (and I try to get involved with a variety of workshops and community projects to give me a range of life experiences and contacts), or to interview someone who has that experience. I made a great friend at the Kansas City Fire Department that way when I wanted to know more about firefighters and the KCFD. I’ve also participated in community emergency preparedness drills. I have a background in theater, so it’s a lot of fun to role-play the victim of a plane crash with a sucking chest wound. The paramedics, hospital staff, police officers, etc., who are being tested by the drill have always been great about answering my questions about such things as procedure and their daily lives. I’ve also been a part of the state of Nebraska’s IMPROV program—this is a program that teaches teenagers theater skills to use in presenting scenes that help to educate others and generate discussions about a variety of topics. Many professionals from a variety of backgrounds work with the youth as well, counseling them and educating them (and me) on everything from drug use to safe sex to traffic safety to peer pressure. Through IMPROV, I’ve gotten to know a variety of different people: cops, DEA agents, rape trauma survivors and therapists, sheriffs, highway patrol officers, K-9 officers and nurses. I’ve been fortunate that they’ve all been happy to answer my questions—even eager to see if they recognize some part of their story or advice in my books.

  Beyond that, I love to read, and I have several nonfiction books that I use as reference guides. Plus, the Internet is my friend.

  How do you develop your characters?

  I suppose I always look at either the hero or the villain first. (Seems my heroines always have some element of my personality or background in them, so they’re easier to put together.) In my heroes, I tend to put together a man who’s larger than life in some way—physically, intellectually, emotionally. He definitely has to be someone I, as a reader, can fantasize about and fall in love with. I try to develop what it is that makes him unique—a certain skill or talent he possesses, experiences that he’s survived and learned from, a fear, a quest. My hero needs to have a deep internal conflict of some kind, so that he has room to grow throughout the story—becoming a better man, or accepting that he’s a better man than he gave himself credit for, thanks to the love of the heroine. And I always want my heroes to have a code of honor of some kind, and since I write a lot of law-enforcement heroes, that often comes out of the job. But I like to imbue them with some tenet that is more deeply ingrained than what their training has given them, for example to always treat a lady with respect, protect the innocent or strive for justice and truth, even if it means sacrificing his own life or happiness.

  I do something similar with the villains/ antagonists. They need to be larger than life so that the villain is a worthy, tough adversary for my hero and heroine. To me, the best villains have great skills and talents themselves, and they believe their crime is a necessary means to an end or is unavoidable according to the code of honor that they live by. If my villains are unique, smart, strong and resourceful, then my hero and heroine are that much smarter, stronger and more resourceful for conquering them in the end.

  If you don’t mind, could you tell us a bit about your family?

  I have a husband who is a teacher (and former juvenile probation officer), a teenage son (big into music, sports and Scouts) and an all-American dog who has become my constant writing companion. I’m very close to my folks, who live in another state, but whom I call, e-mail and visit as often as possible.

  If you don’t mind, how did you meet your husband?

  Our first real date was to visit the university observatory and look at Halley’s Comet. At the time, he worked with a friend who had been my college roommate. Being new to the state and community, when his birthday came around, he threw his own party and invited his coworkers and their friends. I was a tagalong at the party. I knew he was somebody special because, even though I’d always been tremendously shy, I had no problem talking to him. The intense blue eyes and cute backside didn’t hurt, either. By the end of the party, we’d made plans to go see the comet.

  When you’re not writing, what are your favorite activities?

  Spending time with my family. Reading. Watching movies or favorite TV shows. Traveling.

  What are your favorite kinds of vacations? Where do you like to travel?

  I love to go places where I can see the sights—either historical or geographical. I’ve been most fortunate to have grown up in a family that likes to travel so I’ve seen a lot of the United States, as well as Canada and parts of Europe. Some favorite places have been Yellowstone, Teton and Glacier National Parks, Stratford-on-Avon, England’s Lake District, Scotland, the Ozarks, Washington, D.C., and Williamsburg, Virginia.

  Do you have a favorite book or film?

  Ha! Too many to possibly list them all. But a few classics that I’ve always loved are And Then There Were None, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Rose In Bloom, Gone with the Wind. Some contemporary authors I read voraciously are Suzanne Brockmann, Debra Webb, Kylie Brant, Nancy Warren and Rachel Lee.

  Movies are a hobby of mine so I love a lot of them—ones I own and can watch over and over include The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Mummy, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Shrek, White Christmas, Silverado, The Sound of Music, Pirates of the Caribbean, Speed, Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI and on and on…

  Any last words to your readers?

  Share your love for reading with others.

  Author’s Journal:

  An Interview with Rafe Kincaid of EXTREME, INC.

  Vital Stats

  Name—Rafe Kincaid

  Age—35

  Height—6’4”

  Weight—250 lbs.

  Job Title—Vice-president and Expedition Coordinator, EXTREME, INC. SURVIVAL ADVENTURES

  Job Description—Mountain climbing expedition leader and outdoor survival expert—physical guide to coordinate with private vacationers, corporate retreat participants and thematic bonding groups Hobbies—Anything outdoors

  Tell us a little about your company a
nd how you made the career choice to become an extreme adventure guide.

  EXTREME, INC. is a company that plans adventure vacations for its clients, and has several guides with specialized skills to see them safely through a variety of experiences and locations. My dad, Lucas Kincaid Sr., runs the company with my younger brother, Luke, and myself. Forming the company was my dad’s way of getting us to settle down—as much as the Kincaid men seem to be able to.

  My mom passed away shortly after Luke was born, so Dad raised us. He’s a retired archaeologist now, but when I was growing up, I always thought he was the real Indiana Jones. When he was working, he always made a point of keeping the family together, so he took Luke and me with him all over the U.S. and the world on his expeditions. He put us to work, taught us about each environment, as well as the history and culture of a place. We got to taste a little bit of everything—from mountain climbing in the Andes to kayaking in Iceland to wilderness camping in Australia’s Outback. It made for one heck of an education—better than any classroom. I guess Dad’s adventures inspired me. I’m happiest outdoors, working with my hands, pushing my body to its limits on occasion. Since EXTREME, INC.’s incorporation, we’ve hired associates to assist with the management end of the company so that we can get back out into the field more often, where I, personally, prefer to be.

  According to your résumé, you’ve lived or worked on all seven continents at some time in your life. What is it about Wyoming and the Teton Mountains that made you want to call it home?

  The easy answer is, that’s where EXTREME, INC. is headquartered. I suppose the more complicated answer you’re looking for is that I know who I am. I couldn’t live in the city or be cooped up in a regular office. Hell, I hate to be cooped up anywhere. In the Tetons, there’s plenty of space to move around, and not a lot of people to mess with. The air’s clean, the sky’s blue, and the mountains talk to me—the way a lover would. You know, in a way that’s special and intimate, but not many people on the outside can understand.

  Describe your training to lead expeditions into the mountains, and assist on other—how shall I say it?—“dangerous” vacations. What has prepared you to guide novices and experts alike on an adventure they’ll never forget?

  Life.

  You said the mountains talk to you the way a lover would. Speaking of love, what do you look for in a woman?

  I don’t. I haven’t met one yet who can keep up with me, or who wants to put up with me. Luke’s the lady’s man in the family. I’m not big on sweet talk or candlelight or poetry, and women seem to need that stuff. They like being warm at night, too, and that’s not necessarily a requirement for me.

  What’s your best-kept secret?

  Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a secret, now would it?

  Is there any truth to the rumor that you and other employees of EXTREME, INC. have conducted covert missions for the government and private individuals to search for and recover artifacts, retrieve citizens kidnapped on foreign soil, etc.?

  That’d be quite a story, wouldn’t it? I’d have to say, no comment. I’m just the mountain guy.

  TEN QUOTES

  Smart Readers Should Know

  by Julie Miller

  Like my heroine, Hannah, I believe it pays to know a thing or two about classic literature. Through my years as an English teacher and avid reader, I’ve collected, memorized and analyzed quotes from many works of literature, including the writings from many genres and authors. Knowing your quotes can be essential to help understand references in other stories, or on television or in a movie. Citing a quote or two can add real pizzazz to an ordinary conversation. And in extreme cases—like Hannah’s—knowing the words just might help save your life.

  How’s your general knowledge base? How many quotations from the story did you recognize? Did you know the literary work? The author?

  Here is a sampling of some of my favorite quotations. (by no means complete, and in no particular order)

  1 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

  —A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

  2 “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

  —Macbeth by William Shakespeare

  3 “Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

  Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

  —“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas

  4 “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”

  —“Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes

  5 “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

  —“Sonnets from the Portuguese” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

  6 “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

  —“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

  7 “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

  —As You Like It by William Shakespeare

  8 “All for one, and one for all…”

  —The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (The Elder)

  9 “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”

  —“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

  10 “My dear, I don’t give a damn.”

  —Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

  TOP TEN

  Reasons Women Make Good Sleuths

  10 Being a sleuth is a great way to meet guys.

  9 Being a sleuth is also a great way to discover which guys you don’t want to meet.

  8 Women have plenty of patience for stakeouts—if men had to wait for anything, the human race would have died out after nine months.

  7 Women have a high tolerance for discomfort, for the same reason as number 8.

  6 Superior intelligence: this goes without saying.

  5 Women are naturally curious. Just ask Eve or Pandora.

  4 Keeping secrets is second nature to any female. Just ask a woman her age.

  3 Phenomenal memory: women can relate conversations word for word several years later.

  2 Any wardrobe changes needed for disguises are tax deductible.

  1 Women are always right.

  Here's a sneak peek…

  ROMANCING THE RENEGADE

  by

  Ingrid Weaver

  Don’t miss Ingrid Weaver’s Romancing the Renegade, available in October 2005 from Silhouette Intimate Moments.

  ROMANCING THE RENEGADE

  “I know you said you wanted me to drop you off,” he said, “but it doesn’t seem right for me to just leave you on your own with only thirty dollars and ninety-five cents. Especially with a bunch of guys cruising around who like to mug lone women. Sure you don’t want to call the cops?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  She hesitated, fiddling with the arm of her glasses. “I don’t want the police to know where I am.”

  He pretended to digest that for a while. And in fact, it did take him off guard. This was the kind of confidence he’d been hoping for, but he hadn’t expected her to open up so soon. “Are you on the run?”

  Her hesitation was longer this time. “Yes.”

  “From the cops or those guys with the camo jackets?”

  “I suppose I could say both.”

  He adjusted the wiper speed, keeping his movements casual while he gave a low whistle. “So that wasn’t a random mugging?”

  “No.”

  “Why are they after you? What did you do?”

  “Me? I did nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Sure.”

  She shook her head. “It’s complicated.”

  “Try me.”

  She remained silent.

  “By the way, my name’s Derek Stone.” He held out his right hand. “And if you don’t want to see a cop, that’s fine by me.”


  Still no response.

  “Okeydokey.” He moved his hand to the heater and switched the blower on high, then turned on the CD player and pressed Play. Merle Haggard came on, singing about beer. Derek lowered the volume, just in case Lydia decided to divulge anything else, although at this stage, he was more concerned with winning her trust than with getting information.

  It was a strategy that had always worked for him back in his FBI days. Once he gained a subject’s trust, the rest would inevitably follow on its own. Judging by her speech and body language, Lydia was still high on adrenaline and not thinking straight, but she was bound to crash soon. His best bet was to make sure he was there when that happened.