Please help me welcome Karalee Long to my blog today. In addition to being a wonderful writer, Karalee is a friend and I hope you’ll give her a warm welcome. She’s also giving away a $5 Starbucks card to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

What inspired your latest book?

I read about a contest in an issue of Writer’s Digest years ago. It gave a list of items to include in a story, and one of the items was a red dress. I didn’t enter the contest, but that darn red dress kept bugging me. So, it made a memorable appearance in my romantic suspense novel Love and Murder In Red Satin.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

I don’t take real people and plunk a facsimile of them down in my book, but I do take habits, gestures, speech patterns, physical and personality traits, things like that from people for my characters—especially secondary or minor ones.

Give us an elevator pitch for my book.

My book features a marriage counselor suspected of murdering her ex-husband, a cop out for redemption and maybe a bit of revenge, a neat-freak killer, burned pancakes, and hot passion.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I love romantic suspense. Besides having a happy ending for two people in love, I want the good guys to win over the bad guys. And women can be the good or bad guys, too. I do some volunteer work for our local police department, and it’s gratifying to be around these unsung heroes. Also, I enjoy reading paranormal, fantasy, futuristic, time travel romance and historical romance.

What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

As soon as I learned how to print, I wrote a little story. I loved to read and was always imagining stories. I thought when I grew up, I’d move out west — I lived in Indiana — marry a cowboy, live on a ranch with horses, and when I wasn’t riding my big black horse, I’d write important novels. Well, I did move out west. I married an English teacher and kept on writing. I’d learned ranch or farm life was not for me. And the horse? Not being able to afford him and having no place to put him, I allowed him to gallop freely off into the western sunset. Coincidently, he ended up as a rescue horse who now lives happily with my wonderful childhood friend in Missouri.

Do you belong to a writing organization? Which one? Has it helped you with your writing? How?

I belong to Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers, and Kiss Of Death. They have helped me immensely. Without them I wouldn’t be published. They taught me about character development, character motivation, how to keep the plot moving forward while building the suspense, and how the writing and publishing business works. Through these organizations I found critique partners, encouragement, and wonderful friends.

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

Early in my writing, I wrote and submitted to an agent a psychological romantic thriller. I had an appointment with that agent at a conference a short time later and learned that when my submission was read, everyone in her office thought I was the victim of mental illness. They were actually afraid of me. I can only assume their conclusion had something to do with the heroine finding her sister beheaded. I never submitted that story again.

What are you reading now?

I recently finished reading Betrayal, a paranormal romance by M.L. Guida that kept me turning the pages. I’m currently reading a nonfiction book, Joseph Anton a Memoir.

Where can readers find you?

My website is at www.karaleelong.com, and I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/karaleelong.

Where can readers find my books?

Love and Murder In Red Satin is a trade paperback published by Passion In Print Press and is available on Amazon and other vendors.

Excerpt from Love and Murder In Red Satin:

Greg knocked and slowly opened Allie’s bedroom door. She was in the closet, yanking clothes from hangers and dropping them over her free arm. He stepped inside and quietly closed the door.

“Allie, let me help.”

She whirled around, clutching the clothes to her chest, her eyes glistening with tears. Wiping them away with the back of her hand, she blinked and swallowed. He could feel her struggle to control the chaos of her situation.

“You can’t.”

The certainty in her voice twisted his gut.

“I can. If you’ll let me.”

“I’m putting everyone in danger. I can’t live with that.”

“And I respect that,” he said, hoping he was saying the right thing. By the tortured look on her face, he knew the wrong word now, the wrong move, the wrong expression on his face, she’d bolt. And he’d be reading her obit in the paper.

“I can protect you, Allie.” At least, he hoped so.

“You were almost killed yesterday because of me.”

The anguish in her eyes told him more than he wanted to know. She cared about him, and not just as a friend. The image of her face down in the dirt yesterday made his heart beat a pained staccato. He had to convince her. Risky for him, but he wouldn’t risk her life.

“If something happens to you, your uncle will be devastated.” He was afraid he would be too. “Security is my business.”

The muscles of her forearms clasping the clothes tightened.

“I’m between jobs now.” He wasn’t exactly lying since he wasn’t sure he’d have his job after this was over.

She frowned, and he added, “Pro bono.”

She swallowed.

“I only have one bedroom, but I’ll sleep on the couch.”

She scraped her teeth over her lower lip, and he mentally groaned.

“You bet you will,” she said.

BIO

Karalee Long has been writing stories since second grade. Reading comic books taught her story structure while her imagination conjured characters to talk with and adventures to plot. She now writes romantic suspense and paranormal romantic suspense novels.

She lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband, an alpha male cockatiel who owns the family room, and Bad Boy Bones who came to visit at Halloween and now resides in the living room—without paying rent. She and her husband are blessed with a wonderful son, amazing daughter-in-law, and lovable grandson.

She loves to hear from readers at www.karaleelong.com. Or catch her at www.facebook.com/karaleelong.