I
don’t write the traditional Romantic Suspense. My action adventure books have romance tossed in to make it interesting. Think Romancing the Stone, Indiana
Jones, or more recently Sherlock Holmes. There are bad people,
good people, and different cultures mixed into a tale that is fast-paced,
action-packed, and sizzles with romantic chemistry.
The first book, Secrets of a Mayan Moon, takes place in a Guatemala Jungle. Researching for this book was fun and
daunting. Not only did I need to learn about life in current day Guatemala, but
I also had to read up on the Mayan culture since my heroine is an anthropologist
who specializes in Native American cultures.
To
learn about the modern day culture, I found a Guatemalan blogger who had lived
in the U.S. I asked her if she would be willing to help me keep my book
authentic and she agreed. Once that hurdle was accomplished, I bought the books
about the Maya with the best reviews and a book about archaeological digs.
The
next item I needed to know was the underbelly of the country. I wanted a DEA
agent out for revenge to come in contact with my heroine. I found him in
Augustino Constantine, a Venezuelan who’s family had to flee Chavez's dictatorship
and reinvent themselves in the U.S. However, when his father, mother, and brother
were on a visit to South America while he was in college, they were gunned down
over a remote landing strip owned by a drug lord. Having his family brought down in such a senseless way, sent Tino on a mission of revenge. Tino joins the Drug Enforcement Agency to fight against the drug lords and to get himself close to the man who ordered his family's plane be shot down. While undercover
as a jungle guide, he also scouts out the routes the drug dealers are
using in the jungle. I read online newspaper stories about the drug trade and corruption
in Central America, also the growing artifact trafficking trade along with
human organ trade. Using all this information, I put together a story that kept
me typing at a frantic pace to keep up with my characters.
But
of all the information needed to bring the characters and story to life, the most daunting part was
having a genius level character when I am an average intelligence gal. I hope
Doctor Isabella Mumphrey displays a genius IQ when I haven’t the foggiest
notion what it would feel like.
Blurb for Secrets of a Mayan Moon:
Child prodigy and now Doctor of Anthropology,
Isabella Mumphrey, is about to lose her job at the university. In the world of
publish or perish, her mentor’s request for her assistance on a dig is just the
opportunity she’s been seeking. If she can decipher an ancient stone table—and
she can—she’ll keep her department. She heads to Guatemala, but drug
trafficking bad guys, artifact thieves, and her infatuation for her handsome
guide wreak havoc on her scholarly intentions.
DEA agent Tino Kosta, is out to avenge the
deaths of his family. He’s deep undercover as a jaguar tracker and sometimes
jungle guide, but the appearance of a beautiful, brainy anthropologist heats
his Latin blood taking him on a dangerous detour that could leave them both
casualties of the jungle.
Excerpt
She deposited her
backpack on the floor at her feet. The horn handle of a twelve inch Guatemalan
blade protruded from the side pocket. Tino’s curiosity spiked another notch.
“I have a
reservation. Dr. Isabella Mumphrey.”
Tino snapped the
paper down and stared even harder at the woman. This was the frumpy, old
anthropologist he was to guide? His gaze scanned the length of her one more
time while tuning in the conversation.
“Ahh, Dr.
Mumphrey, Dr. Martin said you were to get the finest room, no?” The clerk acted
like a simpering fool giving the doctor her key and expounding on all the
wonders of the hotel.
“Gracias. May I borrow a paper and
pencil? I need to make a list for the taxi driver.”
The clerk handed
her the items. She stepped to the side of the counter and began writing.
Why would she make a list for a taxi driver? Curious, Tino
folded the paper and strolled to a spot beside her. So intent on her list, she
didn’t even acknowledge his presence as he leaned, reading the items. Army
knife, candle, braided fishing line, hooks, swivels, 24 gauge snare wire…
“You are planning
a trip into the jungle, no?”
She started at his
voice. Deep green eyes rimmed in gold stared at him from behind wire-rimmed
lenses. She blinked, focused on him, and narrowed her eyes.
“Didn’t your
mother teach you manners? You don’t look over people’s shoulders to see what
they’re doing.” She picked up her list and held it to her damp shirt.
“Mi mamá did teach me manners, no? I am
Tino Kosta, your guide to the dig at Ch’ujuña.”
He held out his hand waiting for her to shake.
Her gaze traveled
from his extended hand up his arm to his face. She squinted her eyes and glared
at him.
“You’re not of
Mesoamerican descent, so you can’t possibly be my guide. Are you in cahoots
with the disgusting little man who stole my property?” She bent toward her
backpack, giving him a good view down the front of her blouse.
Si, she didn’t wear a bra. The nipples peaking through
her clingy shirt sat atop a palm-sized mound. Now, being a man who liked his
hands filled to overflowing when it came to handling a woman—
“¡Carajo!” The pointed end of the large
knife that had been tucked in the doctor’s backpack waved inches from his nose.
“What is this about?” A woman who ran around without undergarments shouldn’t be
offended by a man viewing her body.
Other books in the series:
Secrets of an Aztec Temple
Secrets of a Hopi Blue Star
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