Welcome Nancy C Weeks

Hello Nancy!  It's lovely to have you visiting again! I interviewed you in 2013 when Shadow of Greed came out, and you said that it was going to be part of a five book series. How did it feel, seeing the whole Shadows and Light series come together?

It was such a wonderful feeling, but that doesn’t really express what seeing all five books in a row did for me. For years, I dreamed of being an author, like Nora Roberts or Kat Martin. And here I was with a completed five book series, and in less than two years. It verified in me that dreams come true.

Do you think you have changed as a writer over the course of the five books in the series? (And/or) Can you share something you learned along the way?

There is no way I’m the same writer who sent In the Shadow of Greed into Crimson Romance with every finger and toe crossed. I think the greatest learning experience I have had is working through developmental edits with my amazing editor, Julie Sturgeon. With each book, she pushed me to go deeper into my characters and bring out their unique personalities onto the page. It’s grueling, mind boggling –hard work, but hopefully, I’m a better writer.

You've also written a tech-twist on a traditional fairy-tale which appears in Modern Magic - tell us a bit about how you came up with that idea.

I loved being part of Modern Magic. In fact, I was working on The Eyewitness when the project came up and I actually put The Eyewitness aside so I could write His One Wish. I couldn’t resist writing my own modern day Aladdin. The story of a true hero, an injured veteran who can no longer do what he trained for years to do, that one thing that defined him as a man now feeling he has no worth, no value. I had to find him a Jasmine, or in my story, Jazlin, who would turn his world upside down, and prove to him that he has more to offer this world than he could possibly imagine. Now, that’s a romance, a happy-ever-after I had to write. And I loved every minute. His One Wish flew off my fingers as fast as the word formed in my head. That, dear readers, is rare.

Your new book, The Eyewitness, is a romantic suspense novel. What inspired the story? Is it a standalone or part of a new series?

The Eyewitness is the first book in a three book series. I decided to keep my characters in the same world as the Shadow and Light series for one reason---it’s so hard letting go of my sexy, amazing McNeil brothers. And maybe, one of them will find time to pop into this new series.

I explored the amazing world of forensic science in this story. As with all my books, I get my ideas from the sometimes crazy world I live. I don’t think I was would use the word inspired, but the suspense element in The Eyewitness came from a tragic event way to close to home. Two men plague my state of Maryland for months in 2002, shooting victims at random. The news channels dobbed the criminals as The Beltway Snipers. My villains—the way all three series are connected—copy-cat on that event.

Let's see the cover. Can you tell us a bit about the cover image and how it represents your story?

I loved this cover. The woman on the cover is a spitting image of how I imagined my heroine, Emersyn D’Azzo. The Crimson Romance art department rocks!

Are there any other projects, either already published or in the pipeline, we should know about?

My most immediate future goal is to finish the next two books. Once the D’Azzo series, [Emersyn, Tessa and Nathan] is in the world, I want to try writing something a little calmer maybe a romantic suspense comedy. I not sure that sub-genre exist, but I’m going to give it a try.

And finally, can you share the blurb and perhaps a short excerpt? And of course a link to where we can pre-order/buy the book?

I would love to share my blurb. 

I hope the excerpt isn’t too long. I loved writing that scene.

The blurb:

Fans of TV’s Blue Bloods will love this dynamic new suspense series.  Maryland PD forensic scientist Emersyn D’Azzo has an explosive past with her father’s younger, sexy partner, Detective Alec Pearce. Then an ill-timed kiss destroys the thin line of trust between her and her dad, just before tragedy strikes and someone guns down her father. The fatal bullet turns out to be tied to the ongoing spree of random sniper kills across the state, but Emersyn knows this wasn’t a random act of violence and is determined to find the killer. To do so, she’ll need to rely on help from Alec, whom she doesn’t quite trust but just can’t resist. When they discover a connection to a decades-old disappearance of a college student, their investigation takes a deadly twist. Can they learn to trust each other with their hearts to save their lives?

The excerpt for The Eyewitness: 

In this scene, Emersyn did something that she needed to do, but in the process, hurt Alec deeply. As always, they spend a few moments getting along before they turn back into vinegar and oil. But no worries, I eventually give them a good shake. They mix together just fine. Enjoy! 

Emersyn opened the driver’s door then faced Alec. He moved in close, the back of his finger brushing away the moisture on her cheeks. She didn’t pull away when his hand rested on her waist. “I’m sorry, Alec. I thought clearing my father’s office would help.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. I get why you came here, and it is me who should apologize. I took my mood out on you.”

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Emersyn ached to press her hand over his and feel his heat on her face. But at the same time, a new sense of self-preservation prickled across her skin. Who could she trust? Her own mother had warned her that she really didn’t know the man in front of her.

Fear had a way of distorting reality. Her world had become so damn confusing she couldn’t find balance. She slipped her hand into her pocket and fingered the flash drive. The small piece of plastic could be nothing—or it could be everything.

“Em, where did you go?”

She faked a smile. “Just thinking about work. I keep expecting an email from security requesting my badge.”

He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her, his warmth calming her immediately. She couldn’t pull away. She needed this—something else she couldn’t understand.

He finally dropped his arms and took a step back. “I know Angela McCain well. Regardless of how she feels about you right now, she will get to the bottom of what happened yesterday.”

“I keep running the events through my head. The fire had to come from inside the walls, but there was no burning smell.”

“The fire marshal and CI team are on scene. This wasn’t a lab accident, and they aren’t treating it as one.”

“Why haven’t they questioned me?”

“I’m sure they will at some point.” He lifted her chin. “Something else is wrong. I see it in your eyes. What else happened?”

“Nothing.”

“You are a terrible liar.” He let her go, resting his arm on the roof of her car. If he was trying to make her feel trapped, it worked.

“From my house to here, what could have possibly happened?”

“What do I have to do to get you to trust me, Em?”

The annoyance in his voice set her back up. “I’m not getting into this with you in the parking lot.”

“Answer my damn question.”

And they were right back where they always seemed to fall, at each other’s throats. She tossed her shoulder bag into the front seat. Hell, if it was a fight he wanted, then maybe a good bitch-slap was what she needed to clear her head. “For starters, you can stop pissing me off with things like this.” Emersyn knocked his arm off her car so she could drop into the seat. He blocked the door when she tried to close it.

“How, Em? I walk into a room, and your blood starts to boil.”

She couldn’t get the shields up fast enough. “You could at least pretend you don’t despise me, maybe treat me once in a while like you treat Tessa.”

He knelt and reached for her hand. “I don’t despise you.”

“Now who is lying?”

~~~

Sorry, I had to stop. Stephanie asked for a short excerpt. But here is where you can find The Eyewitness . If you chose to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it.

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Barnes and Noble

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Unless there's anything else you'd like to tell us about, that's it for now -thanks very much for visiting!

Thank you, Stephanie! I love dropping by for a chat on your lovely blog.

I love having you to visit too.  And now I'm off to read The Eyewitness!