Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Tour: Hot Zone by Catherine Mann (Guest Post & Giveaway)

Today I'd like to welcome an author who writes some fantastic romantic suspense to Reading Between the Wines, please give a warm welcome to Catherine Mann! Catherine is joining us with her new release of Hot Zone and has a great post that I'm sure you'll enjoy, along with a special excerpt from her upcoming novel, Under Fire (May 2012)! Keep an eye out for my review of Hot Zone coming soon! 


“The First Noelle and her Christmas Reindeer Pups!”
By Catherine Mann

Anyone who knows me expects that at some time in our conversation, I will be discussing dogs!  I adore my own three and I also foster for the local Humane Society.  In fact, this Christmas, I’m fostering a mama beagle and her four pups.  We’ve named the mother Noelle, and her pups are named for Santa’s reindeer (Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Rudy!)
  
My love of animals overflows into many parts of my life, so it’s no surprise that dogs show up in my books.  In HOT ZONE (Dec 2011) a secondary character is a search and rescue dog handler.  She goes on to be the heroine in book 3 of my “Elite Force” series coming out in May – UNDER FIRE. 


Below, is a little more about UNDER FIRE, along with a never before seen excerpt from when we first see the heroine and her dog Disco.


***

UNDER FIRE
“Elite Force” Book 3
May 2012
A decorated hero, pararescueman Liam McCabe lives to serve. Six months ago, he and Rachel Flores met in the horrific aftermath of an earthquake in the Bahamas. They were tempted by an explosive attraction, yet parted ways. Still, Liam has thought about Rachel every day—and night—since.

Now, after ignoring all his phone calls for six months, Rachel has turned up on base with a wild story about a high-ranking military traitor. She claims no one but Liam can help her — and she won’t trust anyone else.

With nothing but her word and the testimony of a traumatized military cop to go on, Liam would be insane to risk his career — even his life — to help this woman who left him in the dust.

***

UNDER FIRE by Catherine Mann

From Chapter One:

Rachel Flores learned to break into cars when her mom rescued animals from locked automobiles. But she’d never expected to use that skill to lock herself and her dog inside a vehicle.

Checking over her shoulder, Rachel searched for military cops or a suspicious passerby around the tan concrete buildings on Patrick Air Force Base. The dozen or so camo-wearing personnel all seemed preoccupied with getting out of the Florida storm and into their cars at the end of the workday. Everyone was in too much of a hurry to spare a glance at her. Or maybe she was just that good at pretending she and her dog belonged here. Even though they totally didn’t.

Death threats offered up a hefty motivator for her to circumvent a few rules.

Raindrops slid down her face, her hair and clothes slicked to her skin. She’d wasted valuable minutes trying to pick the lock, but the car was darn near pickproof. Which was actually a waste of technology, when combined with a vulnerable ragtop.

One way or another, she would get inside Liam McCabe’s vehicle.

How ironic that after six months of fighting the damn-near-crippling urge to return his calls, now she was literally throwing herself in his path. Was that fair to him? No, but God, she was scared to death and Liam was a rock. If it was only her life at risk, she could have fought  her own battles. But with other lives at stake, and given the explosive mess she’d landed in… she had nowhere else to turn.

Stifling her conscience and vowing to repay him for the damage, she shielded her hands from view with her body as she slid a penknife along the Jeep’s canvas roof. Not a long slice. Just enough to slip her fingers inside and reach… for…

The lock popped. She secured her hold on her Labrador retriever’s leash and pulled open the door. If all went according to schedule, Liam would finish work within a half hour, according to Wade Rocha’s wife, when   Rachel had risked calling to ask.

At least she’d been able to get on base easily, thanks to her work supplying therapy dogs to PTSD patients at military hospitals throughout southern Florida. She’d wanted to drive straight to Liam’s house off base and wait for him there. But once she’d realized she was being followed, her plans had changed. Going on base got rid of the car trailing her.

Temporarily.

She could have kept strolling around outside, nonchalantly waiting, except for the rain. She’d already ditched her SUV in another lot on base before walking with Disco over here. She didn’t want to leave her  vehicle too near Liam’s workplace. No need to make it easy for people to figure out who   she’d gone to for help.

She shifted the front seat forward and gestured inside. “Ride, Disco. Let’s ride.”

Her dog sprung forward like a streak of ebony lightning into the surprisingly clean car. She’d expected to rake aside bachelor chaos. Just two neatly lined-up green canvas bags rested in back alongside her Lab. Still a tight fit. God, hiding in here would be tougher than she’d expected. Rain drizzled down her neck.

Or was that icy perspiration?

She followed Disco inside. First order of business, cracking open a window for air. Hopefully Liam wouldn’t notice, if she opened the passenger side just a little.

Next she pulled out a water bottle and small bowl from her backpack and filled it for Disco. She set it on the floor, the side closest to the open window. Once her dog started lapping away, she hunched back into the seat at an angle where she could monitor the temperature gauge on the rearview mirror, the number dropping, thanks to the rain and the setting sun.

With luck, the dark would offer a shield, along with her brown clothes and her dog’s black coat, if they held still. Fear nearly immobilized her anyway as she thought of the silver sedan that had been following her for over an hour. The threatening phone calls yesterday. The mind-blowing secret she’d uncovered that made even the secured fortress of a military base unsafe for her.

She rested her cheek against her wet dog’s neck. God, this was reckless and insane, but she was out of options. Liam was her last choice, last chance. Her last hope.

He was also the one man she’d been determined to avoid. The only man to truly tempt her since her soldier fiancé died during a deployment ten years ago.

Hell yes, she’d ignored Liam’s voice mail messages once they’d returned from the Bahamas earthquake rescue six months ago. Her feelings for him scared her clear down to her toenails. Not just lust—although there was plenty of that oozing from her pores  around him. But if it had been only sexual attraction, she could have resisted or just slept with him and moved on.

Liam made her want… more.

And if she felt herself weakening around Liam now? All she had to do was look at those three frilly garters dangling from his rearview mirror. Three reminders that the man had been married and divorced three frickin’ times. The man might be a rock of support for her crisis, but when it came to relationships…?

He was a hot-as-hell train wreck…

***

Thanks for joining me here today and throughout the month on my blog tour celebrating the release of HOT ZONE!  Today, two lucky commenters will receive a copy of HOT ZONE (U.S. and Canada addresses only.) 

Do you recall the name of your first pet?  Or a favorite movie animal?  My first dog was a beagle named Bo. J

***

Author Bio:
USA Today bestseller and RITA Award winner Catherine Mann writes military romantic suspense for Sourcebooks and Berkley, as well as steamy romances for Harlequin Desire.  She, her husband and their four children are active in fostering for their local Humane Society where Catherine serves on the Board of Directors.  She can be found online at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter



~*GIVEAWAY*~
As Catherine mentioned above, two US or Canadian readers will receive a copy of Hot Zone. To enter, just leave a comment on this post answering Catherine's question above and then fill out the rafflecopter below with your name and email address. Additional entries are available but not required. 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

35 comments:

  1. I love your books and admire your family for helping dogs and service to your country! I hate that we have to wait until May for Elite Force! :-)

    Anyway, we currently have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I was raised with cats. The first one I remember is Miss Muffett. She was a beautiful, long hair tuxedo. She had just a touch of white.

    The first dog that we kept for her whole life was a Miniature Schnauzer named "Schatzie". We got her when I was 10. She was the sweetest dog. She lived for 15 years.

    God bless you and your family! Have a wonderful New Year!

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  2. Cathy, I can't wait to read this one. I was hoping that would be next up...I had a feeling though. Next year is soooooo far though. Love the name Disco for her dog, and can't wait to find out how he got that name.

    I absolutely LOVED Hot Zone! It hit me on numerous levels. I cried, laughed, fell in love, got my heart broken, wanted babies, and cried some more. Woman, you have a great skill. I am so glad I get the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

    Peace and love,
    Paula R.

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  3. Cathy I got your one book and I am already loving it and can not wait to start on another one soon!

    Love that you foster animals from the shelter there are not enough people out there that do this, that is awsome.

    My first pet was a cat and I got her from my Aunt in Chicago from a litter her cat had. I was about 5yrs old and I was watching my favorite show at the time which was Seaseme street. Well I had a favorite character on there as well and she just happen to get that name. Yeah I liked the new achor Guy Smiley. So my female cat was names Guy. She lived for 18 yrs and loved her for every day I had her.

    :) Carrie J.

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  4. My very frist pet was a taby cat i named him spiceal.. My grandma found him behind the chruch down the street from the house. He was a big ally cat and was just the coolest pet a kid could have. welber on charolettes web was my fav. tv animal.. i watched that so many times the vcr tape stoped working.. Thank you for sharing with us:)
    elliott2668(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. Oh my gosh... I can't wait to get my hands on this book... Is it May yet?????? Wow... This sounds wonderful... But of course that doesn't surprise me!!!!

    As for my first pet... It was a little wired haired terrier we found on our front door step... We named her cookie... I was only 5 when we got her....when I was in the 5th grade, our living room caught fire... She woke up my dad and he got us all out of the house... As we were running out, Cookie ran back in and hid under my parents bed. The fire chief wouldn't let my dad go back in to get her.... My dad told him, "I'm going in" and when the chief grabbed my dads arm to stop him, my dad punched him... The chief turned to his guys and said... "wet us down, we're going in". And they did, he and my dad went in and saved Cookie...

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  6. Of course I remember my first pet's name. It was Fuzzball. He was a cute little cream-colored fuzzy kitten who looked like he just came out of the dryer. Unfortunately, we did not have him very long. He just disappeared one day.

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  7. My first pet was a Toy Fox Terrier named Mitzi. Next family pet was a part Portugese Water Dog named Eistein (or Einny). Want to find a new dog friend soon.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  8. My first and only pet was a mixed greed cat named Whiskers. We adopted him from the shelter when he was about five months old and he let us live with him until he was eighteen. Sounds like a great book. Can't wait to read it.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  9. cant wait to read this one :)

    reginamayross@gmail.com

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  10. My first pet was a yellow Alaskan Husky that my parents bought when I was a baby. They named her Duchess because she was so regal. She was very protective of me as I was growing up. She loved the mail man but one day when I was 5, he started to hand me the mail, and Duchess was going to jump on him to protect me. Luckily mom was there and diverted the tragedy. Duchess died from a heart attack when I was 14, so we were really blessed to have her that long.

    Catherine, Hot Zone sounds like a must read. I can hardly wait to read it.

    kscathy@yahoo.com

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  11. Congrats on the new release, Catherine. We didn't have any pets growing up, but I did eventually get a beta and I named it Sapphire.

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  12. Hi there! Thank you SO much for all the awesome comments!!! I was out shopping sales with my daughters all day and have had a blast catching up with your notes here. :) Love the pet names (am making notes for naming future foster pets!) And the stories of how they came into your life are priceless!! It's obvious those furbabies left a great legacy of love. :)

    And many thanks too for the cheers for HOT ZONE and UNDER FIRE!

    Happy New Year!!! XXOO!

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  13. I love your books! And I too love dogs we have 4 of them! An Australian Shepard, two dachshunds, and a miniature pinscher. My first dog was a black and tan dachshund named Judy, I got her when I was three.

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  14. Congratulations on the release. Our first dog was a French poodle, so of course, we named him Andre. He was suppose to be a toy poodle, but he was a standard size. We loved him so much. When he was very old, my parents had to go out of town. He took a bad turn while they were gone. They immediately turned around and came home. When he died, that was the first time I ever saw my father cry. I would love a copy of your book. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  15. Love your books!! My first pet was named Candy. She was a big mixed thing. I remember when I was little she would sleep with me and my mom would yell at her because she would pee in my bed all the time...with me. What a mess my mom had to clean up.... me and the dog. UGH! Thanks for the chance!!!!
    girlie0620@yahoo.com

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  16. I have always had pets, either cats &/or dogs so can't remember my first. The first I remember well was a Husky named Niko. I think I was about 4 or 5 when we got her and she was such a good dog. Very protective but gentle. She was a terrific pet and family member until she passed away.

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  17. We have dogs, fish, lizards, and frogs ;) I adore all animals and would have cats too if I wasn't allergic :(

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  18. Congrats on the new release. This book sounds great and would love to read.
    My first pet was a cat and her name was mouser. She was the best cat. We went on vacation and had a friend watch her. She ended up getting out and got ran over by a car. I was 5 years old. I was heartbroken. I have had quite a few other cats since then. My favorite movie animal would have to be lassie or black beauty. I loved the book and the movie. What a beautiful horse.
    Thanks for the chance to win.
    christinebails@yahoo.com

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  19. Our first dog was named Pal. A sweet black mutt that we picked up at the local pound. Had him with us for 13 years.


    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

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  20. The cat I remember the most was a Siamese cat my grandmother had. She used to sleep in the crib with me. We all love her so much. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

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  21. I loved the pet angle of this story and the excerpt was very exciting on a few levels.

    My first pets came as gifts from two different aunts. My dad already had two spaniels and then I got a Doberman which I named 'Skeeter' and a black and white cat named 'Sheds'. We have always had a menagerie of adopted animals.

    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

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  22. my first cat was a long hair tabby with an attitude named Peppermint had her for 13 years and my first dog Motley just passed away a year ago she i had her for almost 16 years i loved them both very much. now mostly because of my boys my house is a rescue shelter 2 dogs and 6 cats (all rescued and i had them all spayed)
    terri_dion@hotmail.com

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  23. So many happy memories with family pets - I love it!! And in reading about cats too, I have to give equal time to our one cat, Cooper! He doesn't like other cats, so he's the lone kitty. But he adores the dogs and will curl up to snooze with them. :)

    Thanks again for all the awesome comments and contest entries!!

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  24. My first pet was a champion German Shepherd named Prinz Von Donner. I just called him Prince. My second pet was a calico cat named Fluffy. I grew up on a farm so I had many many pets over the years. Now I have a gorgeous tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Geisha.

    Congrats on the new release!

    geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

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  25. Sounds like a really good book! Would love to check it out. Thank you so much for the giveaway! My first pet was a dog named Teegar. I have many fond memories of him as a child.
    -Dawn aka dawnmomoffour
    thedoyle6@rogers.com

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  26. You do know how to give an interesting interview! I would love to read this book. It sounds really good. My first dog was a mutt named Lady. She was six months younger than I was(I was a year and a half when we got her). She had to be put to sleep when she was sixteen and a half. I have so many great memories of her!
    mom1248(at)att(dot)net

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  27. You are a new to me author. I can't wait to dive into your books.

    jcross719 at yahoo dot com

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  28. Loved the excerpt! I really can't wait to read this book =D

    My first pet was a family pet (not just mine, but my brother and sisters too) named Samantha. We originally named her Sam, then we found out that our little Mr. Sam and actually a Samantha... lol oops By then we were calling her Sam for a while and the name stuck =)
    Thank you for the conest

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  29. I remember all of our pets. The first cat was Fred and the only dog was Velvet (we live/lived in apts., so dogs were difficult). All of our pets were resuced by us or gotten at shelters.

    acm05atjuno.com

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  30. I remember my first pet, it was a black and white dog named Billy.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  31. Thanks for a fantastic post and giveaway!!! I love dogs (I currently have 3) and I love to hear stories about other people's "four legged" babies :)

    I was very fortunate to grow up with parents who loved dogs. We always had at least 2-3. The dog I remember most vividly b/c we bonded so well was a petite german shepard girl named Gypsy. My grandmother actually had her first b/c she went to walmart where she found her tied up in front. Apparently one of the deliver truckers had found her and dropped her off. Well, she was only like 6 months old and was too much for my grandmother and so she came to my house when I was like 8 or 9. I loved that dog and we did/went everywhere together :) I miss her!!!

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  32. I love the covers of these books! They jump out at you. Yay for Noelle and her pups-that's so awesome to foster them. I'm an animal lover myself and I appreciate it. I also love seeing animals as characters in books.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  33. Great post! I really liked the first book in the series and eagerly waiting for the others :).

    My first pet was a cat named Samantha I got when I was 3. She was a stray cat I secreted food to until she stayed :D. She was already around 4-5 when she came to live with us, she passed away when I was around 17 making her almost 20.

    pams00 @ aol.com

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  34. My first dog was named Tippy and I watched him get run over by someone speeding in our neighborhood. I thought my father would kill him.

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