Cate: I'm happy to welcome Sarah Grimm to the Author Spotlight. Sarah, will you please share a short bio with us?Sarah: I live in West Michigan, along the shores of Lake Michigan, with my husband, two sons, three dogs and one guinea pig. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have notebooks filled with poems, story ideas and partial chapters from as far back as age five. It was only when I had children that I first attempted to write more than a few chapters of a story, which led to my first romantic suspense, Not Without Risk.
Cate: Tell us about Not Without Risk and where it's available.
Sarah: Not Without Risk was the first time I sat down and wrote a book from the beginning to the end, so it was always have a special place in my heart. Plus, there’s just something about a wounded hero that draws me. It’s the story of Sergeant Justin Harrison, who returns to his job as a San Diego homicide detective after six months of medical leave. Determined to prove he’s fit for active duty, he doesn’t need the self-doubt that plagues him, or his growing feelings for the leggy brunette who is someone involved in his homicide investigation.Not Without Risk is available in multiple formats including print, eBook and Kindle edition. You can find it at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon and multiple other online retailers.
Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Sarah:
Her hand reached out for him, settled lightly against his left side, just below his sidearm. “What about you, Justin? Do you know, too? Is that what happened to you?”
Her words splintered through him. He swore softly and stepped back, forcing her to drop her hand. “That doesn’t matter now.”
“I think it does,” she persisted, her eyes dark and churning with emotion. “I think it matters a great deal.”
What could he say to her that wouldn’t add to the fear already churning through her? “Paige, please,” he said, attempting to turn the conversation around. “We need to discuss getting you out of here.”
“I’m not leaving. I won’t be driven from my own home.”“You shouldn’t be alone.”
She lifted her chin, determined to show him strength even while her hands shook. “I’ll be fine.”
Frustration wound deeper. He rolled his shoulder where his muscles knotted painfully. “Listen to me-”
“You aren’t going to tell me are you?”
Justin set his jaw.
“Why not?”
Because she mattered to him. Because the truth about what happened to him six months ago would hurt her, push her away and he didn’t want that. Not when he ached to draw her back into his arms, ached to have the sweet, potent taste of her swimming through his system again.
Too late he realized his silence had the same effect on her. Already, her eyes were going cold and distant as she pulled her emotions tightly under control. Only this time, it wasn’t fear she wanted to keep at bay, but him.
The knowledge stung. It didn’t matter that by distancing herself from him – emotionally and physically – she was probably doing him a favor. He’d already spent enough time thinking of her when he should have been concentrating on his job. Recalling the scent of her, the feeling of rightness that filled him when he held her in his arms. When he was supposed to be reestablishing his place in the department.
He needed to remember that any further involvement with her would be a colossal mistake. That he couldn’t afford the distraction Paige Conroy represented.
Still, the ache in his chest as she withdrew even further took him by surprise.
“Tempting as your offer is,” she said quietly, as she eased across the room. “I won’t go home with you. I can’t sleep with you, Justin. You say it doesn’t have to be that way, but you and I both know that’s the way it would be.” Her arms slid around her middle. Her gaze met his. “You’re a risk I can’t afford to take.”
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Sarah: It’s a theme I love to read. As authors, we’re always told ‘write what you know’. I’ve always preferred ‘write what you love’. I love romantic suspense, and I especially love cop heroes/heroines.
Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Sarah: My characters definitely live with me as I write them. I fall asleep listening to them interact with each other, and wake up ready to put their story on a page. Unlike most writers, my characters don’t ‘talk’ to me. It’s more like I’m a fly on the wall, or a third person in the room just there to observe.
Cate: What's next for you?
Sarah: I’m busy re-writing the first three chapters of my contemporary romance, AFTER MIDNIGHT, which I hope to submit by the end of the month. It features a very tortured heroine, Isabeau Montgomery, and is a story about finding love and redemption when you least expect it.
I’m also plotting out a new book about a serial killer who makes death masks of all of his victims.
Cate: Any other published works?
Sarah: Not Without Risk is my first book.
Cate: Debuts are always exciting! Describe your writing in three words.
Sarah: Sexy. Suspenseful. Romantic.
Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Sarah: To me, the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect of writing are the same: Writing the book; discovering the characters, helping them fall in love, foil the villain and live happily-ever-after.
Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Sarah: Larkspur at Long and Short Reviews gave Not Without Risk a BEST BOOK designation. She said “Ms. Grimm takes readers on an amazing journey, a trip where her wonderful talents as a storyteller bring the tale to life.” She was extremely complimentary of both the book and my writing. It blew me away.
Cate: Wow, Best Book is great! Congrats! Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Sarah: My favorite authors include Tess Gerritsen, Kay Hooper, Karen Slaughter, Karen Rose, Lisa Jackson and I recently discovered Dianne Emley. Right now I’m reading Blood Ties by Kay Hooper.
Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Sarah:
Website: http://www.sarahgrimm.com
Blog: http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorsarahgrimm
Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Sarah: What draws you to a new author? Is it a review, friend recommendation or book blurb? I’d love to know.
Cate: Readers, Sarah is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner a week from today and announce it on her blog, Off the Keyboard.
Thanks for being my guest, Sarah! Best of luck.
