Dani Dunn, the local innkeeper, has just learned of her famous father’s death and must travel back to her home country of Italy to attend the funeral. To say she’s not looking forward to it is an understatement. In fact, she’s petrified. The estate she grew up in holds terrifying memories that she knows she’ll have to confront if she’s ever to get on with her life.
Published: June 16th, 2015
The Lair follows on the heels of Sinner’s Grove, a contemporary suspense novel centered around the fictional artists’ retreat on the northern California coast known as “The Grove.”
Dani Dunn, the local innkeeper, has just learned of her famous father’s death and must travel back to her home country of Italy to attend the funeral. To say she’s not looking forward to it is an understatement. In fact, she’s petrified. The estate she grew up in holds terrifying memories that she knows she’ll have to confront if she’s ever to get on with her life.
Complicating matters is the fact that her flirtatious friend, Detective Gabe de la Torre, is coming along for the ride – without being asked. However, as Dani discovers the true evil that awaits her, Gabe proves he’s much more than a friend – he’s a sworn protector who may lose his own life in the process of saving hers.
Author's Note: THE LAIR deals with a very real, but sensitive subject, human trafficking. It may be disturbing to some readers.
GUEST POST
Writing a Series in Two Genres
When I came up with the idea for my series “Sinner’s Grove,” I thought, “How cool – I’ll create an artists’ retreat in the redwoods of northern California and write about everybody connected with it.” I blue-skied about how my fictional retreat got its start, and that led to my first novel, The Art of Love. I also wanted to follow the retreat in the present day, which I did in my second book, Sinner’s Grove. But wait a minute – those stories take place110 years apart!
Today I find myself with two equally compelling story lines (at least I think so!) and one big challenge: writing a series of stand-alone novels (which you can read without missing something) that have different story requirements but that are still connected. Oh, and did I mention, they don’t always take place at the retreat? The Lair, for instance, is contemporary romantic suspense. It follows two characters connected to Sinner’s Grove who find themselves in a life-threatening situation during a trip to the heroine’s home town of Verona, Italy. The Depth of Beauty (soon to be published) follows on the heels of The Art of Love, and is set both in San Francisco’s turn of the 20th century Chinatown as well as Sinner’s Grove.
Just about anyone reading this post knows that different genres (or sub genres) must fulfill specific expectations. Suspense requires danger, mystery (or at least uncertainty), and generally some plot twists and turns. With historical fiction or historical romance (the difference depends on how prevalent the romance is), the writer must remain true to a particular time period that isn’t present day. The action must at least feel believable for the chosen time and place, and in the best cases, historical events themselves help dictate the course of the story. The kiss of death for a historical fiction writer is to write a scene (or God forbid, an entire novel), which doesn’t respect the time period it’s set in.
I know some readers are loyal to one genre over another, but I really hope they take the time to “follow the story” between the two genres of “Sinner’s Grove.” I cross-reference characters and events, and tie details from the historicals into the contemporary stories. It’s like weaving a tapestry, rich with dramatic and colorful connections between past and present. I sure hope readers agree!
Born and raised in northern California, A.B. Michaels holds master's degrees in history and broadcasting, and worked for many years in the public relations and marketing fields. An avid quilter and bocce player, she currently lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and two furry "sons" who don't seem to realize they're just dogs.
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