Hi Terri, I love the sound of your
book, Resolutions and look forward to reading it.
Thanks! It was a fun book to research
and write.
Please describe Resolutions in
twenty words. A strong-willed DEA agent
and the Alpha male she once loved are thrown together in a race for their
lives.
What is your writing process from
inspiration, editing, to feeling your book is ready for publication?
Inspiration for my books can come from many
places. Songs, TV shows, movies, news clips...you get the picture. I’ve got
plots tucked away in notebooks, on my computer, and on scraps of paper shoved
in drawers. I even have a few dozen store receipts and napkins covered with
scribbled ideas. Once I pick the idea I’m going to use, I think about the story
for a while before I actually start putting words down on paper. I prefer to
start with an outline. I spend less time staring mindlessly at my WIP when I
have a plan to follow. Which of course I never seem to actually follow. Once
I’m well into the book, my characters have a tendency to push me in other
directions. They obviously don’t know who is in charge! I guess I’m a
plotter/pantser crossbreed. I have a tendency to read through and edit what I
wrote the day before. It slows me down, but I can’t seem to kick the habit.
Once I finish the manuscript, I have a few people read through it to look for
obvious story flaws. I get their input and read through the MS a few times to
tighten it. When I think it’s ready, I start submitting it to publishers.
Where did you get your ideas for the
storyline in your book?
I really can’t remember where the idea for Resolutions
came from.
What research did you do for your
book and did you enjoy it?
I enjoy doing the research. It’s always fun to learn
new things. I did a lot of research on the internet. I looked up countries
where the drug trade is out of control. I researched types of drugs and how
they are transported to buyers. The DEA and Homeland Security probably have my
computer flagged. I did a full two weeks looking at helicopters and finding two
model types that would work with my storyline. I also interviewed a helicopter
pilot who is a currently serving in the Italian Army. I researched guns until I
thought I had more information than I’d need for fifty books.
Do you have a favourite writing
place, or writing routine?
I have an office at the building where our family
business is located. My room has a great view of a wooded area and pond. I
spend a few hours in the morning doing boring housewife stuff. Afterwards, I
head to my office and get down to the business of romance, murder, and all
things fiction. I spend five to eight hours working. I try to keep the amount of
time I work on promotions and social media to 1-2 hours. Sometimes, if the mood
hits, I write at home after dinner. I’ve been known to write in bed while the
rest of the world sleeps.
What do you think is the most
important thing that every writer should know, or have?
A strong backbone.
Rejection is not easy. You have to be able to pick yourself up and move on to
the next submission. If you’re not careful, a bad review can ruin a perfectly
good day. It stings when you realize not everyone is going to love your
writing.
What are your writing dreams for the
future?
To work more efficiently and put out multiple books a year. I’d like to
continue to learn everything I can about the art of writing fiction.
Press Kit ~ Resolutions
DEA agent Eve Taylor has had her fill of alpha
males. When Resolutions’ operative and former lover, Dillon “Mac” McKenna,
threatened her hard-earned independence, she ran. On a mission to gather
evidence against a Colombian drug-lord, Eve discovers the drug-lord is helping
terrorists plan an attack on American soil. Before she can escape with the
vital information, she’s captured and comes face to face with her mortality…
As a teen, Mac watched his family fall apart after his mother died doing
dangerous U.N. work. The possibility of losing Eve to a mission ignited an
overwhelming need to protect her. When he forced her to choose him or her job,
she walked away. Two years later, it seems all his nightmares have come true
and he’s tasked with rescuing her from a Colombian prison. Mac has never
stopped loving Eve, but does he dare risk his heart when he’s so terrified of
losing…
On the run, Mac and Eve must learn to trust each other again in order to stay
alive.
About the Author
Teri Riggs was destined to be a
writer. As a small girl she didn’t read bedtime stories, she made up her
own. Who needed Little
Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs when there were so many great tales bouncing
around in her head? When she grew up and became a mother to three little
girls, she continued the tradition of making up bedtime stories. On the
occasions she chose to tell conventional fairytales, Teri usually gave them a
bit of tweaking here and there or added a new ending. Her girls loved it.
After her daughters had the nerve
to actually grow up and leave home, Teri discovered she had a passion for
writing and jumped right in. It came as no surprise she chose to write
mysteries and happily-ever-after’s since that’s the genres she loves to read.
Teri lives in Marietta, Georgia
with her husband, one of her daughters and two dogs that seem to think they
rule the world. And some days Teri thinks maybe they do.
Teri still frequently tells
herself stories as she falls asleep. The only difference now is she wakes
up the next morning and turns her bedtime stories into books.
Author Links
Twitter - @TeriLRiggs https://twitter.com/TeriLRiggs
