Today I’d like to welcome Samantha Keith and her new release ABDUCTED to Daring Debuts.
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Cal Hart walks a blurred line of honor. The rock-hard former militant has his lethal skills at the service of the highest bidder. Until a contract comes in to kill Lana Vanderpoel, the sultry, charismatic heiress and billionaire’s daughter. Cal takes the job—and starts planning how to get Lana to safety while he unearths who’s behind the threat . . .
“Samantha Keith brings the heat in Abducted! With a sizzling hot hero and fierce heroine, each page burns hotter than the last! Abducted is a scorching and seductive read!” — New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti.
And here’s a teaser:
“You never did answer my question.”
“About why I took you?” His eyes met hers. A hard glare glinted in them, his jaw locked. “I wasn’t hired to kidnap you, Lana. I was hired to kill you.”
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Sharon: Thanks so much for being here today, Samantha. Where did you get the idea for ABDUCTED?
Samantha: Like most of my inspiration, the idea for ABDUCTED began with a scene. In this case, it was Lana fighting her captor in the ocean and I pieced in the rest of the book from there.
Sharon: No spoiler, but can you tell us something we won’t find out just by reading the book jacket?
Samantha: Cal comes across as this independent alpha male, but he deeply values his two colleagues and friends who appear as secondary characters. Both men tell each of their stories in the other two books of the series, Bait and Exposed.
[bctt tweet=”If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Connect, connect, connect! Meeting other writers has been one of the best experiences. Everyone in this community has gone through exactly what you have and there’s no greater support system. ~ Samantha Keith #Authors18 @authorsamantha” username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: I can’t wait to hear more about those! Can you share with us who is your favorite character?
Samantha: I love both main characters. Cal is rough and tough, but shows his gentle side when he puts his life on the line to protect Lana. But I think Lana would have to be my favorite. She’s a fierce, strong heroine and was so much fun to write. Nothing phases her and when she’s backed against a wall she fights dirty.
Sharon: My favorite kind of heroine. If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and what would you do?
Samantha: I would love to pick Cal’s brain. He comes across a little guarded at the beginning of the book, but I think he would make a very fun interviewee. He’s lived a dark and dangerous lifestyle and yet he’s gentle despite the shadows in his world.
[bctt tweet=”What is the most challenging part of your writing process? The most challenging thing for me is losing momentum. I always go off with a bang, but mid-book I slow down as other inspirations flow for the next work I have in mind. ~ Samantha Keith #Authors18 @authorsamantha” username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: Are your character based on real people, or do they come from your imaginations?
Samantha: My characters come from my imagination, but the male characters always carry a quality from my husband. In Abducted, Cal’s has two sets of tattoos on his forearms that read “Always vigilant.” My husband has tattoos in the same place that read “Always Conscious.” Which is a reminder for him to see things from every angle before making a judgement.
Sharon: How long did you take to write this book?
Samantha: I finished ABDUCTED in 2013. The original version took about eight months. In true writer fashion, it was rejected numerous times. I ended up having my first daughter and put it on hold. When I started writing again after she turned one, I decided to rewrite the book from scratch… in ten weeks. I queried it through a #PitMad request and the rest is history!
Sharon: What a great story! What kind of research did you do for this book?
Samantha: I’m from central Canada, so the bulk of my research was the location. I’m originally from B.C., so mountain scenery is something I gravitate to in my writing.
Sharon: What did you remove from this book during the editing process?
Samantha: In the last version of Abducted, Cal and Lana know each other prior to him kidnapping her. They had met at a gala and hadn’t seen each other since the initial night they had met… until he was hired to kill her. But my editor thought it best to cut that, and I’m glad we did!
Sharon: I love my editor for that very reason! Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Samantha: Pantser. I usually have a very rough idea of scenes in mind before I start, and then string them together as I go.
[bctt tweet=”Are you a plotter or a pantser? Pantser. I usually have a very rough idea of scenes in mind before I start, and then string them together as I go. ~ Samantha Keith #Authors18 @authorsamantha” username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: What is your favorite part of your writing process?
Samantha: I love being a pantser and not always knowing what happens. I think if I had to have every chapter planned out, there would be no excitement. I love that when I’m stuck on how to end a chapter, I just throw in a shooting or something exciting and it snowballs from there.
Sharon: What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Samantha: The most challenging thing for me is losing momentum. I always go off with a bang, but mid-book I slow down as other inspirations flow for the next work I have in mind.
Sharon: Yes, the curse of the writer. LOL. Can you share your writing routine?
Samantha: I have a three-year-old and three-month-old, so I write during naptime and once they’re in bed. It doesn’t provide me with many hours in a day, but I make it work.
[bctt tweet=”Have you ever gotten writer’s block? If I hit small blocks I just keep moving forward or staying active with other works—like critiquing. That always keeps my creativity alive. ~ Samantha Keith #Authors18 @authorsamantha” username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: Wow! You are busy!! Have you ever gotten writer’s block?
Samantha: After my father died several years ago I stopped writing for a while, and also when I got pregnant with my first daughter. But now if I hit small blocks I just keep moving forward or staying active with other works—like critiquing. That always keeps my creativity alive.
Sharon: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Samantha: Connect, connect, connect! Meeting other writers has been one of the best experiences. Everyone in this community has gone through exactly what you have and there’s no greater support system.
Sharon: Do you have any writing quirks?
Samantha: I wouldn’t say I have any quirks, per se, but I have a pet peeve of “telling” words. I have a hard time using “thought, think, realized, etc.” This is obviously a good thing for a writer, but its like nails on a chalkboard when a copyeditor slips one of those in my book.
Sharon: I fight those words constantly!!! Tell us about yourself.
Samantha: I’m a stay-at-home-mom of two small girls and wife to my husband of nine years (I married young). I also have an eleven-year-old multi-poo named Teddy.
Sharon: I married young too! How did you get into writing?
Samantha: I’ve always written. I wrote poetry as a child and around age fifteen began writing stories. It wasn’t until my early to mid-twenties that I began to pursue a serious writing career.
[bctt tweet=”How did you get into writing? I wrote poetry as a child and around age fifteen began writing stories. It wasn’t until my early to mid-twenties that I began to pursue a serious writing career. ~ Samantha Keith @authorsamantha #Authors18″ username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: Can you share something about yourself that most people probably don’t know?
Samantha: I’m a bit of a health nut, and I jump on any opportunity to persuade people to try acupuncture. I’m also passionate about parental empowerment in pregnancy and natural childbirth.
Sharon: Which book influenced you the most?
Samantha: When I was young, my mom would come home with boxes of books from used book stores and I would read them so quickly she couldn’t keep up. Finally, when I was twelve she handed me FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. Andrews and it was from there that I started reading more mature books. VANISHED by Karen Robards sparked my love for romantic suspense, though.
Sharon: I loved VANISHED as well! What are you working on right now?
Samantha: I’m just wrapping up the first book of my next series and getting it ready to send off to my agent.
Sharon: What’s your favorite writing advice?
Samantha: Keep writing! And find a critique partner.
[bctt tweet=”What’s your favorite writing advice? Keep writing! And find a critique partner. ~ Samantha Keith #Authors18 @authorsamantha” username=”sharonbwray”]
Sharon: Thanks so much for being with us today and I can’t wait to hear about the other books in this series!
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Samantha Keith resides in Saskatchewan, Canada, with her husband, two young daughters, and Teddy the family multi-poo. She spends her days sneaking chocolate and writing during naptime. Aside from writing, she’s passionate about exercise and living a healthy lifestyle.
You can find ABDUCTED here: Amazon US | Amazon CA
You can find Samantha here: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Twitter
Sharon Wray is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes about the men in her Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets meet their match in smart, sexy heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.
Her acclaimed debut book EVERY DEEP DESIRE, a sexy, action-packed retelling of Romeo and Juliet, is about an ex-Green Beret determined to regain his honor, his freedom, and his wife.
EVERY DEEP DESIRE is available on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | |
And adding it to your Goodreads TBR list is also always appreciated!
