Red Hot Release - Riley Quinn

The winner of the e-copy of Guardian of the Jewel is...Maeve! Thanks for stopping by Maeve.


Please help me welcome Riley Quinn to this second installment of the Jewel of the Night series.

Riley's book, "Blood Diamond" has already received some great reviews, and I can tell you from my own experience, you will be blown away with the world she draws you into. Leave a comment and be in to win your very own e-copy of Blood Diamond. Good luck!

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Thanks for having me today, LaVerne.

I first heard about the Jewel of the Night series last fall. A friend who was already published with The Wild Rose Press forwarded the information on to me. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. Only one problem, I couldn’t think of a story!

So I shoved it to the back of my mind. Then one day I was watching a rerun of Bones, the pilot episode where she’s walking through the airport with a skull. I got to thinking about how physical anthropologists (those that study bones) sometimes went to exotic locations for work. Just that little thought really got the creative juices flowing.

What other kinds of professions required travel like that? Where would I want the action to take place? I didn’t know much about diamonds so Google was my friends. After searching “blue diamonds” for a while, I came across an article that talked about the Republic of Congo getting sanctioned in 2004 for having too many diamonds exported when there were no mines.

Ooh, what could I do with that? So I thought some more. My characters starting talking to me. Around this time last year, I had the kernel of an idea. After the first of the year, I started writing. I turned some pages into a critique group I’m a member of and got some pages of someone’s else’s story about a blue diamond.

What are the chances? So I emailed her and we chatted back and forth. We decided to work with each other to get our stories done and out there. We met for writing sprints. We helped work out plot holes. We helped figure out what our characters were trying to say. We both made the March 31 deadline. I’m proud to say we both got picked up. My book, Blood Diamond released December 1 and my partner in crime, Rachel Lynne’s book comes out December 22.

I had a great time writing my story, thanks in part to working with another author. Writing can be lonely work and for me being in Europe, even more so because of the time difference. I loved my characters and seeing them learn to trust each other. But best of all, I loved the location of the story.

I’ve never been to the Congo jungle where my story is set. I did a LOT of research and I hope it comes across as realistic. It gave me some extra options to add suspense. I hope that my readers enjoy the exotic locale as well.


Blurb:
Dodging an angry warlord and running through the rain forest in Congo Brazzaville was not what Jillian St. James expected when she signed up with Doctors Without Borders. Yet that’s exactly what she gets after a mysterious visit from her brother.
Mercenary Mack Nichols doesn’t have much faith in humanity these days. When the beautiful young doctor denies being part of the theft of a blue diamond from his client, he doesn’t put much stock in her story.
Neither have reason to trust the other and their mutual attraction is an inconvenience to both. A betrayal and the reveal of an evil plan pit these two against an army. Can they put aside their doubts and work together to bring down a corrupt, power-hungry overlord or will their chance at love be over before it ever starts?



Excerpt:
“Are you all right, Jillian?”
The husky timber of his voice sent another shiver through her, this time having nothing to do with fear.
How could she be aroused after being scared so bad? Especially with a man like this one, a man who worked for the General. She was one sick puppy.
“Jillian?” A hand came down on her shoulder and she jumped.
Finally lifting her head, she ignored Mack and trained her attention on the log where she’d been sitting. As recognition set in, her entire body began to shake and her heart pounded so hard she feared cracking a rib. Dear God. A yellow-green snake with ridged scales lay in two pieces on the log she’d occupied. Eyes the same color of its body stared sightlessly toward the fire.
She swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat. “Is that—”
“An African Bush Viper? Yep. I think in the firelight, your hand must have looked like dinner.” Though the snake now lay dead, Mack’s voice still sounded strained.
She stood on shaky legs. “I didn’t even see it there.”
“I’m not surprised. It had coiled its tail around the branch overhead and dropped from there.”
If he hadn’t seen the highly poisonous snake, she’d be dead right now. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his throat. She heard a thud and then his arms were around her, surrounding her in a blanket of safety. For the first time, she thought maybe he really would keep his promise.

Buy Link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/blood-diamond-p-4332.html?zenid=3467be87fcef7a20661864de9906a871

I enjoyed stopping by today and talking about my story. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away. Again, thanks, LaVerne for sharing your space with me.

It's a pleasure Riley : )

Be sure to stop by next post where Christine DePetrillo stops by to talk about her story, Lazuli Moon.