Katie Reus

We are delighted to welcome back Katie Reus to BLI today! Katie is a multi-published author of romantic suspense, paranormal romance and erotic romance. She writes awesome appealing Alpha heroes for her well crafted, thrilling and action packed plots. Katie is here for a dual celebration as her fast paced, spine tingling romantic suspense thriller His Secret Past was released from Carina Press on January 2nd. As well Alpha Instinct the kick-off novel in her Moon Shifter series is being released from NAL Signet Eclipse on February 7th! Katie and I are chatting today about her upcoming releases!

Lea: Katie! Welcome back to BLI! Congratulations on your exciting new publications! 🙂

Katie: Thank you so much for having me here with you today! It’s always a pleasure to hang out at BLI and with you!

Lea: His Secret Past is a thrilling, action packed romantic suspense about a former DEA agent who, not by choice, left the woman he loved and worked undercover in Central America for 6 years.

Here is the Blurb:

His Secret Past by Katie Reus

Publisher: Carina Press
Formats Available: e-Book, Kindle, Nook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher, Goodreads, Kindle, Nook, All Romance eBooks, Audible.

Six years ago, Alexis Baptiste’s world was turned upside down when Hunter Cassidy disappeared without a trace, leaving her alone and pregnant. She’s finally moving on with her life when he resurfaces, just in time to rescue her from a would-be assassin. Forced to join him on the run to protect herself and her young son, Alexis is now in even more danger: danger of falling for Hunter all over again.

Betrayed by rogue CIA agents after infiltrating an infamous drug cartel, former DEA agent Hunter Cassidy has spent years trying to clear his name. He’s not proud of the things he’s done, and knows he doesn’t deserve a future with Alexis, or the son he never knew he had, but he’s determined to protect them from the men who ruined his life. Convincing Alexis to trust him—and denying his feelings for her—is going to be the hardest mission he’s ever faced.

Excerpt

Lea: Please tell us about stellar hero Hunter Cassidy.

Katie: Hunter is a bit of a tortured, complex character. He grew up in foster care and if it hadn’t been for some kind individuals he would have likely ended up in prison or as a career criminal. Instead, he joined the navy, then after that he went to work for the DEA. He was a man who loved his country and lived by a certain set of ideals. But then due to circumstances in his life (blackmail), he was forced to take on a role that changed the way he viewed himself. To protect the woman he loved, he became someone he hated so when he’s thrust back into her life, he doesn’t think he’s remotely good enough for her. When he discovers he has a son, he plans to financially take care of him but Hunter is so conflicted about his place in his son’s life.

Lea: You created a strong heroine in Alexis Baptiste, a devoted single mom who has a successful career. Alexis harbors significant anger and resentment toward Hunter. She doesn’t know why he left her and feels he abandoned and betrayed her. Please talk a little about their previous relationship and the circumstances that brings Hunter, and a truckload of trouble, back into Alexis and her young son’s life.

Katie: Thank you! Being a single parent is tough (not that I know from actual experience but I have friends who are and they absolutely amaze me) and it has shaped who Alexis has become at the start of His Secret Past. Alexis and Hunter met six years before the story starts and they both fell hard for each other. Despite having a fairly rough childhood herself and living with a mother who endured one abusive relationship after another, Alexis jumped into a relationship with Hunter with open arms because she knew he was a good man and she couldn’t help but love him. Then one day he was just gone. After he left, she discovered she was pregnant but had no way to contact him. Now, it’s years later and a month before her wedding to someone else and the same day Hunter appears back in her life, someone tries to kill her. Hunter saves her, but then restrains her (man is she pissed about that!) and takes her with him to dispose of the man who tried to kill her so she won’t involve the police. They get off to a very rocky start in His Secret Past to say the least.

Lea: This story has a secret baby as well as a lovers reacquainted theme. I loved your realistic portrayal of 5 year old Jonathan, who holds a pivotal important role in the story. Is this the first book you’ve written with a child as one of the primary characters?

Katie: I love secret baby stories (though this wasn’t a secret by choice, she had no way to contact him!) and lovers reunited is probably one of my all time favorite themes so it was fun to combine the two. Yes, this is the first book I’ve written with a child in a primary role and it was so much fun giving him page time 

Lea: Have you spent a lot of time around young boys? I’ve raised 2 of them and have to say I felt you really nailed Jonathan’s persona and his reactions to what happens in the story.

Katie: As of very recently I spend most of my days with a little boy (well, he’s only six months old), but he wasn’t the inspiration for Jonathan. I have a lot of cousins Jonathan’s age (they were when I wrote this story) and I based much of Jonathan’s personality on two of my younger twin boy cousins.

Lea: Were you concerned about how giving Jonathan a major role would be received by readers given Hunter’s background and what happens when he re-enters their lives?

Katie: Actually, no. Even though this isn’t the first book I’ve had published, it is the first book I wrote (though it’s been heavily editing and rewritten since that first draft years ago) and the characters just jumped to life for me and I wrote exactly what I wanted. It never even crossed my mind that I couldn’t give a child a pretty big role in the book.

Lea: You not only gave this couple a child, you gave Alexis a wealthy, influential fiance which really muddies the waters. lol Alexis isn’t exactly head-over-heels in love with the man she has planned to marry though is she? I liked Michael BTW, I’m glad you didn’t place him in an antagonistic role.

Katie: I’m so glad you said that! Alexis never would have been with a jerk and especially never planned to marry one because it would have meant he’d be a terrible influence on her young son so it wouldn’t have made sense for Michael to be a bad person. If anything, he definitely gets a raw deal. Sometimes in relationships there aren’t any ‘bad guys’, stuff just doesn’t work out and I wanted to keep that realism with his role.

Lea: Speaking of antagonists, you sure can write them! lol Tom Davis is a rogue CIA spook who is up to his neck in nefarious stuff. How is the bad guy connected to Hunter?

Katie: He’s been blackmailing Hunter for years and he’s the reason Hunter had to leave Alexis. I really hated this guy and it was so much fun writing such a bad character.

Lea: You have some surprises in store for readers in His Secret Past don’t you Katie? *g*

Katie: Yes! And I don’t want to give away spoilers so that’s all I’ll say!

Lea: Good move! 😉
Okay, we have to talk about Alpha Instinct!
Here’s the Blurb:

Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus

Publisher: NAL Signet Eclipse
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Formats Available: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle, Nook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Goodreads, Powells, Book Depository, IndieBound, Chapters, Kindle, Nook, iBooks

Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

Lea: So in Alpha Instinct readers can look forward to a lovers reacquainted theme. Please tell us more about heroine Ana.

Katie: Ha, yes, I love second chances. Ana became the temporary leader of her pack by default when all the males and the pregnant females in her pack were killed by silver poisoning. She loves her sisters and cousins more than anything and would do anything to protect them. She’s not a warrior but she does have an alpha personality (there are distinctions among shifters) and butts heads a lot with Connor when he takes over as Alpha of their pack because she’s not used to answering to anyone.

Lea: If I know you, we can look forward to a strong alpha male lupine shifter in Connor! lol Without giving away any reveals can you talk a little about the hero and heroine’s previous relationship?

Katie: This is all introduced fairly early in the book so no spoilers here: They were really good friends roughly fifty years ago. Connor had been living on her father’s land—who was her pack Alpha at the time—after roaming around for so long with his brother. Ana thought Connor wanted more than friendship from her and was ready to settle down with him. Then one day when she went to meet him in their secret meeting spot, he wasn’t there. And she hasn’t heard from him once until the day Alpha Instinct begins.

Lea: I’ve found with other shifter stories that mating involves a physiological and emotional bond. Is this true for your shifters?

Katie: Yes. My shifters have unbreakable bonds when they finally settle down with their bondmates. While Connor feels a mating pull for Ana, it’s definitely a male thing in this series to feel the ‘mating’ tug long before the female does. Once shifters are bonded (which is different than being simple lovers or even dedicated mates) there’s no walking away for either party except through death so it’s a serious commitment they make to each other. And Connor wants it all from Ana. While there’s usually a ‘knowing’ for the males early on, these shifters always have a choice in who they eventually mate and/or bond with.

Lea: Can readers expect another evil, maniacal antagonist in Taggart? 😉

Katie: Yes! He’s a real bastard and he was fun writing. However, there is another villain in the story but his identity is unknown until the very end. He was very interesting to write and he didn’t think the atrocities he committed were evil because he didn’t view shifters as having worth since they’re not fully human. I enjoyed writing him because he was a complex character.

Lea: Please tell us more about the future books planned for your Moon Shifter Series.

Katie: The next book, Primal Possession, is coming out in September 2012 and the third book (still untitled) is set to release around March 2013. Primal Possession features Liam and December, both introduced in Alpha Instinct. Liam is Connor’s brother and December is a human who knocks him off his feet the first time they meet. There’s a sneak peek at the end of Alpha Instinct into this book. The third book will feature a woman who plays a small role in Alpha Instinct and a male who is only mentioned but not introduced until Primal Possession.

Lea: What do you think sets Alpha Instinct apart from other shifter novels?

Katie: Okay, this is a hard one! Since I originally wrote Alpha Instinct (a couple years ago…it’s taken a while from submission to production!) I haven’t read that many shifter stories because I don’t want to muddy my world building. But, I think what might set Alpha Instinct apart is that my shifters ‘outed’ themselves to the world decades ago. They, along with vampires and other paranormal creatures made a decision to reveal their existence to the world for a multitude of reasons. Technology was one reason, but there are others. In some paranormal worlds I’ve noticed that the paranormal beings are forced to keep their existence from humans secret (which makes for some great conflict and tension), but I thought having their existence revealed to humans would make things even more interesting.

Lea: That is unique in a sifter novel Katie! I’m so looking forward to reading Alpha Instinct!

You are busy Katie! What can readers look forward to from the desk of Katie Reus after the publication of Alpha Instinct?

Katie: In April I have a paranormal novella releasing from the Harlequin Nocturne Cravings line. If you read Destined Mate, this is the story of the second-in-command to the hero in that book. They’re not series books though and can be read completely stand alone. Then in August I have a novella in the Moon Shifter series releasing (tentative title is Lover’s Instinct) and in September, Primal Possession, the 2nd full length book in the Moon Shifter series will be out. I’m also currently working on a category length romantic suspense I hope to have out in the spring (self-published).

Lea: I loved Destined Mate and really like the Nocturne Cravings line from Harlequin! Looking forward to Destined Mate’s sequel!

Please summarize Alpha Instinct for us twitterstyle (in 140 characters or less)?

Katie: This is hard! Okay…

Alpha Instinct features sexy shifters, dangerous villains & an Alpha who will do anything to protect his intended mate & newly founded pack

Lea: Awesome Tweet! 🙂
Now the hard question! lol Please tell us 3 reasons why readers will enjoy His Secret Past and Alpha Instinct?

1. Sexy alpha males
2. Lots of emotion
3. Super devious villains

Lea: Katie, thank you so much for joining us here today! It’s always a pleasure. 🙂

Katie: Thank you for having me!!

Where To Find Katie:

Website
Twitter
Facebook

 

Heads Up:

Katie is running a contest from January 1, 2012 – February 18, 2012. Each week participants will be eligible to win the weekly prizes, which include: Amazon gift cards, Ghirardelli chocolates, books by other awesome authors, and copies of Alpha Instinct and His Secret Past. The grand prize will be Amazon’s newest Kindle. Each weekly contest will be open until midnight Saturday at the end of that respective week. The more things you do the more times you’re entered.

Click on the Image to get all the details!!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Katie has generously offered a Digital copy of His Secret Past to one lucky commenter! :-)And, she is offering an ARC print copy of Alpha Instinct to one lucky commenter from the USA!

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about Katie’s interview or a question for her!
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

This Giveaway is open Internationally for His Secret Past & US commenters have a chance to win an ARC copy of Alpha Instinct in print!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, February 4th, 2012; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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