How to Creatively Stalk, Maim and Murder by Jannine Gallant

With a title like that, I'm sure I'm now on some government watch list...LOL But seriously, people, when you write romantic suspense, the well of creative options to do away with the protagonists begins to run a little dry after a while. Especially when you write series. You can't have stalker #2 use the same old methods as stalker #1. And by the time I get to stalker #3, my brain feels like cold oatmeal...and my ideas are just about as appetizing.

My latest release, EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS, is the third in the series. In the first book, my stalker was fairly traditional in a creepy watching from the shadows sort of way with a couple of attempts to grab the heroine and a kidnapping to round things out. In the second book, my villain was an assassin with a personal vendetta against the heroine. Point and shoot was his motto. But his twisted mind added a whole new level of creepiness... Then came the third book. What to do, what to do? The villain believed the heroine broke a promise to marry him, so he became my wedding stalker. He leaves her weird wedding paraphernalia. Party favors. Wedding decorations. Cake toppers. Honeymoon lingerie. Until frustration takes his game to a whole new level of scary... But I'll let you read the book to see what he does next.

The point is, new and creative ideas are hard. I'm currently writing the fourth and final book in my BORN TO BE WILDE series. In the pursuit of endless torture through three books, I've used the obvious (gun shots, poisoning, and cut break lines) and the dramatic (drowning, a fall from a cliff, and a downed private jet) and the increasingly creative (buried live power line and iced over steps). With book four, I've been feeling a little desperate because the goal so far has been to injure, not kill. I came up with a chisel hidden in the hay where my hero actor was literally rolling during a love scene. Then there was the shard of glass under his horse's saddle, and next... I wanted something disfiguring. The creative well of ideas had run dry. I asked my CP. Sorry, Margo, but you weren't any help. I gave up on my sketchy outline and wrote "Attempted disfigurement." Then I wrote right up until the scene needed to take place and added some stalling filler, then had my hero go take a shower... Light bulb! The villain put drain cleaner in his shampoo bottle. Good thing my hero dropped it and spilled it on his foot before he poured it over his head. Whew! What a relief! Mind you, I still have one more mayhem scene (attempted murder this time) to come up with for this book. I want something intended for the heroine that happens to the hero instead. On a movie set would be a bonus. Go ahead...make my day. Give me an idea. LOL It has to be creative, though.

So, what's the most interesting way your bad guy has tortured your hero or heroine? Maybe I'll steal your ideas. Kidding! Sort of...

To find out what the wedding stalker's final move is in EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS, buy your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple. Visit me at my Website.

Let’s Talk Heroes…And a Giveaway by Jannine Gallant

What makes a hero a hero? I mean besides the hot factor. We all know that’s pretty much a given. So far in my Who’s Watching Now series, my heroes have been pretty stereotypical as far as careers and temperament go. In Every Move She Makes, Kane is a police detective hell bent on protecting the heroine and her daughters from a stalker. In Every Step She Takes, Travis is an ex-Navy SEAL who owns a Security and Investigations company. He gets to save the heroine by thwarting an assassin. In other words, these guys are bad-ass. Nothing wrong with that!

Then there’s Jed, my hero in Every Vow She Breaks. In the winter he gives backcountry Nordic ski tours. In the summer, he ran (past tense) a family wilderness camp until it shut down. So Jed is unemployed and doesn’t really care. He owns a two room cabin in the mountains and spends all his time traveling, hiking and basically having fun. Too much fun…or so the heroine thinks. She can’t imagine Jed (who hasn’t changed much since she knew him when he was ten years old) will ever settle down and become a responsible adult. Then there’s the “protect” aspect of the hero’s job description. When Claire starts getting strange notes and gifts, does Jed jump into protection mode like a good hero should? Uh, no, he shrugs it off at first. Although he is intrigued with the idea of figuring out whom the culprit might be, kind of like a who-dun-it game. Hmm, not very hero-like. At least not in the traditional sense. So, does a hero have to be a bad-ass responsible adult, or can he be a sexy, fun-loving guy with a positive attitude and a few other redeeming qualities?

If you want to know if Jed starts acting more hero-like, gets his act together and finds meaningful employment, or saves Claire from the creep who’s watching her, you just might have to buy the book. Or, if you’re lucky, you can win one! An e-copy of Every Vow She Breaks in your choice of formats is up for grabs! Just leave a comment with your thoughts on heroes (along with your email address if I don’t already have it), and I’ll pick a winner. Good luck!

For more information on all my books, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS available now! by Jannine Gallant

The third and final book in my Who's Watching Now series is here! If you've followed the series, this is Jed's story, the fun-loving, sexy brother of Kane from Every Move She Makes. Each book in the series stands alone, but I think it's kind of nice for readers to get a last look at what's going on in the lives of the characters they've gotten to know and love after their HEAs. Don't think this book is just more of the same, however, because you're in for an action-packed ride. Every Vow She Breaks puts its own unique spin on the stalker story, and it has an added twist.

This book began with a title. Now normally we write a book and then choose a title to fit it. Vows was created in reverse. I had Every Move She Makes written and Every Step She Takes half done when I decided on the titles for this series. If you're familiar with the song by The Police, you know my title choices for the final book in the series were limited. I decided on Every Vow She Breaks and then set out to create a plot that would fit the title. Kind of bas-akwards, as my dad used to say, but it was actually pretty fun. I created my heroine, Claire, a childhood friend of Jed's, and then invented a cast of characters she broke a promise to in some way. I hope readers will be kept guessing as to which one is the psycho targeting her with weird wedding paraphernalia. What starts out innocently enough escalates into a sick fantasy by the end of the book.

Okay, I promised you a twist. I decided to set this book in the redwood forest of California near where I grew up. The scenery is gorgeous and a bit otherworldly with all those fog-shrouded trees. My setting was simply crying out for something more... So I delivered. Bigfoot. A group of scientists are determined to prove Sasquatches do exist. Claire wants a picture of one to launch her photography career to the next level. Jed is a kid at heart who would love to believe in gentle giants roaming the forest. So, is Bigfoot real? I guess you'll have to read the book to find out! But here's a short excerpt after Jed and Claire are reunited that will give you a feel for the story.

He grinned. “Claire Templeton, does the heart of a rebel beat beneath that proper façade?”

She glanced down. “What’s so proper about jeans and a T-shirt?”

“It’s the look but don’t touch aura you project.”

“Hmm. Is that why your hands are jammed in your pockets?”

He nodded. “It helps me resist temptation and maintain my good guy persona. I wouldn’t want you to think I grew up to be the sort of man who preys on lone, defenseless women.”

“I’m not defenseless. I took classes. Besides, Scoop isn’t just a pretty face. If you threatened me, he’d rip your arm off.”

“Good to know. I’m in favor of keeping that mutt happy.”

“You have something against dogs?”

“Only ones who look at me like I’m on the dinner menu.”

Claire didn’t blame Scoop one bit. The man was drool-worthy. She licked dry lips and turned when the beach ended at a rock cliff jutting into the water. They started back the way they’d come.

“Do you plan to camp with this research group?”

She glanced over. “Not right away, although I may spend the night out there at some point. I have an appointment with the director tomorrow, so I’ll know more after that.”

“I’d give my left—uh, arm to see a Bigfoot. Can I tag along?”

Pressing a hand to her mouth, she couldn’t hold back a giggle. “You sound exactly like the ten-year-old boy I remember. I’ll tell them I have an associate and ask permission for you to join me on any expeditions.”

“Hot damn!”

The giggle erupted in a laugh. “You know it’s all probably a big, fat farce, right?”

“Sure, but what if it isn’t?”

“What if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are real?”

“If you’re such a skeptic, why’re you writing the story?”

“I’m writing about the process of hunting for a Bigfoot…and photographing a beautiful area of California. Anyway, I have an open mind.” She swept a hand toward the forested hills rising away from the coast. “Who knows, any number of things could be hiding out there.”

So, if you're interested in what happens to Jed and Claire, pick up a copy of Every Vow She Breaks on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks or KOBO. Have a great day!

An Exciting Week...or...Help Wanted! by Jannine Gallant

I Need Help! Probably not a shock to anyone...LOL But this time I need specific help. Book title help. Let me explain what happened...

Last week was an interesting step in my writing career. I had a .99 cent BookBub ad out for Every Step She Takes on Feb. 10th, the second book in my Who's Watching Now series. The third book, Every Vow She Breaks, will be available on March 1st. Last summer, my publisher used the same sales tactic with the first book in the series to promote ESST when it released with really terrific results. But I came up just short of the top 100 overall ranking on Amazon. This time I made it! My lowest ranking was #91 overall and #3 in romantic suspense. Of course the number immediately started a steady upward climb after hitting that milestone, but I felt I'd accomplished something huge. Also, I saw a nice dip in rankings on book one and pre-orders for book three. I hope I can keep the momentum going until EVSB releases on March 1st.

So, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself when I got an email from my editor at Kensington. The uppity-ups wanted a proposal for a new series from me. Was I interested? How soon could I have one ready? Wh...what? My second series with them isn't even finished. The first book in the Born To Be Wilde series, Wilde One, won't release until September. I'm currently 20,000 words into the fourth and final book. Apparently my big ranking milestone caught someone's attention. I can only assume they're banking on the Wilde series doing well to want more books from me. A thought that made me jump up and down a little.

Then reality set in. Here I was, thinking I'd finish Wilde Horses and get to slow down and take a break. Maybe clean my house... Really think about what I wanted to do next. Because I hadn't given my next project a single, solitary thought! I've been too busy writing. The good news was I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was contemporary and a series. Romantic suspense was A-Okay. Terrific! Except I had nothing to guide me in choosing a theme for the new series.

This is where I started pestering my CP, poor Margo, with dozens of emails. I like to call it thinking out loud to someone who will actually answer me, so I don't seem quite as crazy as I would talking to myself. I bounced around ideas. She gave me back a yay or nay and made pertinent suggestions. After getting no writing done for two days, I came up with a series title and rough plots for the first two books. The third is pretty hazy. Here's where the plea for help comes in.

The title for my series is Finders Keepers. The idea is each of the three heroines finds something (but doesn't realize its significance) that the villain of the piece wants back...and will do whatever it takes to get it. Book one is Lost And Found. Book two is Playing For Keeps. Book three is the question mark. I want to use either Find or Keep (or some form of those words) in the title, and I want a common phrase. My plot revolves around my heroine, who searches the countryside for antiques and collectibles for her shop. She finds something related to a crime in a box of junk she bought. Oh, this is a friends to lovers story with a lot of angst getting there. All title suggestions are welcome. Ready, set, go!

If you haven't read Every Step She Takes yet, it's still .99 cents. Buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple iBooks.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Shaking Things Up in the New Year by Jannine Gallant

I've come to the conclusion my writing career is in a constant state of flux. My needs and goals change...and change...and change some more. As 2016 rolled in, I took a hard look at what was working for me and what wasn't--and decided I needed to stir the pot yet again. I don't like confrontation. I lose sleep worrying about it as I suck up the courage to make a big move. This time was no different.

A couple of years ago, my top goal was to get a paperback contract with one of the Big 5 publishers. In order to do that, I needed an agent since these pubs won't take queries from unagented authors. So, I went shopping and collected dozens of rejections until one agent said yes. I was thrilled. But that paperback contract didn't follow. Instead, I signed my Who's Watching Now series with Lyrical Press, the ebook division of Kensington Books.

I've been amazed and excited by the support I've received at Kensington. They actually promote my books. I know, shocker! That's never happened before. After my first two books released, they asked me for a second series, and I agreed. So, for the foreseeable future, I'm pretty well set. If my books do well enough, there's the possibility of a paperback contract with Kensington down the road. We'll have to wait and see, and I've learned the value in not jumping the gun. Building a reader base in the digital market first is a really smart move.

So, I had the contracts and the agent. The thing is, I'm Type A down to my toenails. Every time I had a question or an issue, my agent directed me to go through her. I much prefer getting my own answers. I didn't like having a middleman. And when it came right down to it, I didn't need one. I keep an eagle-eye on everything pertinent to my writing. I'm not afraid to ask questions or stand up for what I want. I didn't need someone who was a heck of a lot more reluctant to rock boats than I am to make requests for me. So, I left the agency. And now that it's a done deal, I'm sleeping again.

Will my needs and goals change again in the future? I'm sure they will. If they do, I'll take a look at my options and go from there. I do feel with each new stage of my career, I go in better prepared with the knowledge I've garnered along the way. I'll have a better idea of what works for me and what doesn't. For now, I'm excited to meet the upcoming challenges!

Every Vow She Breaks, the third book in my Who's Watching Now series will be out on March 1st. It's currently available for pre-order. Until then, the first two books, Every Move She Makes and Every Step She Takes, are on sale for 99 cents! If you haven't checked them out yet, now's the time!

BookBub Results and Exciting News! by Jannine Gallant

So, last month I mentioned EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES would be featured on BookBub. I figured my fellow writers might be interested in the results. I can sum them up in one word: WOW! Impressive doesn't begin to cover it. All I can say is BookBub was worth every penny my publisher paid--and it definitely isn't cheap! Okay, I'll quit gushing and get to the stats.

My book was listed on sale for 99 cents in the Romantic Suspense category. The cost for this is $380 and your listing goes out to 1,210,00+ readers. Granted at 99 cents (after the retail sites and my publisher and my agent get their cut) I think I was making 7 cents per book. If I did the math right! Still, the fallout was extraordinary. I got down as low as  #1 for Romantic Suspense and #34 over all at Barnes &Noble. Results were similar at KOBO. On Amazon, my lowest ranking was around #145 overall. Of course these numbers didn't last long. Slowly they began to rise. The sale price on MOVE remained for two weeks until EVERY STEP SHE TAKES released on July 7th.

At that time, my Amazon ranking for MOVE was back up to about 20,000. This is when I got super excited. A lot of those readers who downloaded the first book on sale started buying the second one. STEP's numbers dropped pretty fast. Then, even better, MOVE's number started going back down. I was stunned and thrilled. For over a week now, both books have been hovering in the 3,000 to 6,000 ranking range. I'm actually selling books for the full price. (Me, throwing confetti and cheering!) And get this, the third book, EVERY VOW SHE BREAKS, due out in March of 2016 started to get pre-orders. No blurb. No cover even. But people were ordering it! The publisher scrambled to put up the cover on the retail sites. Pre-orders got even better. Right now (or at least a couple of day ago when I was writing this post) that book is hanging in the 20,000 to 30,000 range. Amazing! Check out the cover below. I like it, and apparently readers do, too!

So, what do you know. All those people who say you have to spend money to make money are actually right. Had my pub not gotten my book on BookBub, all those readers who downloaded it on sale would not have known I existed. They would never have picked up the second book. So, a combination of high exposure and having a good product (if I do say so myself!) and having the second book ready to go really produced results. How long will these sales last? I don't know. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll hang in there for a while at least.

Now, on to my news... I just signed a four book deal for a new series with Kensington's Lyrical Press line. I asked for a mass-market paperback deal from their paperback division. They said I'm not ready yet. They hope after one more digital series, I'll have enough name recognition to be ready for paperback in the future. After these results, maybe they're right! At any rate, I'm happy to say I signed on the dotted line. The new romantic suspense series, BORN TO BE WILDE, will debut in the fall of 2016. The first book is written. The second is almost finished. Now I have deadlines for the final two books to meet. I gave myself six months per book. Wish me luck!

So, the moral of this story is good things can happen for all of us if we just keep at it!

For more info on my books check out my website or purchase my books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO or iTunes.