Today we have Lisa Marie Rice on the blog with us to talk about her newest release Fatal Heat. Fatal Heat is a novella that will be published by the Avon Impulse imprint, and features a sexy Navy SEAL — who doesn’t love SEALs?!
Rice’s first book in her Protectors Series is also going to be re-released in mass market paperback on November 29th!
Lisa Marie, welcome to The Book Pushers!
Lisa Marie: First of all, let me say how absolutely delighted I am to be here. It’s always so much fun to connect with readers. Books are a very very big part of my life, as a reader, not just a writer, and I feel we all have a lot of things in common right off the bat. First and foremost a love of books and stories.
Book Pushers: What can you tell us about Fatal Heat?
Lisa Marie: I’m really proud to be part of Avon’s new ebook line—Avon Impulse. I love ebooks anyway and now find it hard to read anything not on my Kindle. Most importantly—it’s the great equalizer. Not everyone lives in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Not everybody lives in a city with a great selection of books. Indeed, about 30% of the bookshelves in America closed down with the bankruptcy of Borders. But eager readers are everywhere and ebooks can reach them. I think that’s absolutely great, since I live in a rather remote part of the world myself. Avon Impulse was set up not only to publish books in an eformat, but it’s a line that allows authors to experiment, push the envelope a bit, try out new things. And the books come to the reader fast—no more waiting a year to read your favorite authors!
Having said that, the idea for Fatal Heat was born when an amazingly brave group of SEALs took down Osama bin Laden. With the help of a dog!! Oh man, that dog stuck in my head and was the nucleus for Max, the dog, as opposed to Max, the SEAL.
Book Pushers: Can you tell us a little about your new Protectors series, and how many do you have planned in the series?
Lisa Marie: The third book in the Protectors series, Nightfire, comes out February 7, 2012. Look for an excerpt soon on my website: www.lisamariericebooks.com. The premise for the Protectors series is three men who are unrelated by blood but closer than any brothers could possibly be. They grew up in a brutal foster home, went into the military afterward dedicated their lives to protecting the vulnerable—women and children. The first two books, Into the Crossfire and Hotter Than Wildfire, are already out. I love Nightfire the best, though a mother is never supposed to have favorites. It’s the most emotional and the darkest.
For the moment, the series stops with Nightfire, but…who ever knows what goes on in a writers’ head? I certainly don’t!
Book Pushers: Does Fatal Heat tie in with your other series, or is it going to be a stand-alone?
Lisa Marie: Fatal Heat is very definitely a standalone. It’s the story of one man who was grievously wounded in battle, putting himself back together with pain and determination, who risks all for the love of a woman, because without her, life isn’t worth living.
Book Pushers: Can you tell us what you will be writing for in future titles (after Protectors) for the Avon line, and will it be a series or stand alone novels?
Lisa Marie: I’m really excited about the series I have just started—three books, initially, though there might be more. It’s in a category of its own—near future science fiction with unusual paranormal elements which don’t overwhelm the story, which is and always will be about the characters. About their journey and their chance at love. The series is tentatively called the Shadow Team series, but that will probably change.
In my head, it is definitely the most challenging and romantic series of books of anything I’ve ever written.
Book Pushers: What do you love most about writing navy seals in your stories, and what type of research did you have to do?
Lisa Marie: I actually do a lot of research. I read a lot of memoirs by SEALs and journalistic pieces on them, and I read about the entire career arc, from selection, training, missions, to either retirement of death. They are a fascinating group of men (for they are all men)—sort of like the Nobel Prize winners of soldiers.
It’s not that they are buff—though of course they are. It’s not that they are incredibly competent at so many things—though of course they are. It’s their determination and drive. They represent the very best in a particular endeavor. Like top concert pianists, artists at the top of their game, Olympic athletes, genius mathematicians looking into the heart of the universe and trying to uncover its secrets. It’s human achievement at its finest. And unlike most people who are high achievers they don’t crave the limelight. They do what they do and fade back into the shadows.
Book Pushers: Have you ever thought about branching out and writing in other genres? If so, what?
Lisa Marie: Yep—see above. I’m reading a lot of science fiction. We all know we live in amazing times, fast-changing times. I think it’s important to know that throughout the ages, love is a constant. Historicals, contemporaries, science fiction romance—the setting and the mores change—the love does not. However, what I’m writing isn’t really science fiction, per se. It’s—well, you’ll see.
Book Pushers: What other projects are you currently working on?
Lisa Marie: Those three books—a trilogy in the truest sense of the term, a story arc that works itself out over three books. I’ve just written three novellas for Avon Impulse, and I must say I found I like the shorter form too. Maybe there might be more novellas in my future?
Book Pushers: Looking at your backlist you have a few trilogies. Is that how you prefer to plot out storylines?
Lisa Marie: All the writing books say things come best in threes. It’s true. Adjectives—tall, dark and handsome. Things come well in threes. The classic story arc – particularly for stage and screen plays—is the three-act plot. Trilogies are a natural offshoot of that.
Book Pushers: How did you come up with the names you write under?
Lisa Marie: Lisa Marie Rice is a variation of my first name, my middle name, and a family name. If I ever want to change genres utterly, my next name will be Marie Gregory. Marie is my middle name and Gregory is what my mother would have called me if I’d been a boy.
Book Pushers: Who is your ultimate romantic hero? And what qualities do you think make the best hero?
Lisa Marie: My ultimate hero is steadfast throughout a lifetime. A complete straight arrow. He says what he means and he means what he says. No tricks, no games. No wondering if you can trust him, no worrying if he has tricks up his sleeves.
Book Pushers: What is your all-time favourite love story?
Lisa Marie: Ohhhhh. That is a hard one! I’d have to list two—Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. The ultimate reformed rake, locked in an asylum with only a brave Quaker to save him. And Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas. Simon Hunt is wonderful! And to think I don’t even particularly like historicals, but these two books stick in my mind.
Thank you so much Lisa for being here today!
To be honest, I like Elizabeth Jennings’s books more even if they ‘re one ^^.
@marian: I enjoy the Jennings books as well! Although they aren’t nearly as sexy and steamy as the Rice books. 🙂
Lisa I have to agree Flowers from the Storm is a favorite of mine, too.