LEFT TO DIE by Lisa Jackson: “…I knew I wanted to write a ‘back-woodsy’ kind of story…”

My latest book LEFT TO DIE was an idea that evolved over the years. I knew I wanted to write a “back-woodsy” kind of story peppered with unique characters. I grew up in a small timber town and thought, after writing stories about New Orleans, San Francisco and Savannah, that I’d go back to my roots. Well, kinda. Montana has always held a certain appeal for me. Hence, the setting.

Also, a couple of years ago my editor came up with the idea that I should create a story with two women cops as the protagonists and I thought he’d lost it. Cagney and Lacey, the old cop show from the eighties came to mind and I thought “I’ll never pull this off. What did he want? The female version of The Odd Couple? I back-burnered that idea. Big time. Actually I put it in the wood stove in the guest house on the north forty of the property.

Anyway, years later, as I was coming up with characters for LEFT TO DIE Regan Pescoli, a twice married single mom of a cop entered the scene. A few pages later, her partner, Selena Alvarez, uptight, with secrets of her own, sauntered in.

Everything really came together when I met Jillian Rivers, the heroine of the book, who is driving hell-bent to Montana to find her louse of a first husband who let her think he was dead and also left her to deal with the investors he’d swindled.

These women absolutely intrigued me. Add to the mix a madman who leaves his victims to die along with a sexy loner who has a shady past and I was off and running with this story that truly was fun to write. You can read an excerpt and learn more about the book at www.lisajackson.com

Lisa Jackson is the author of the romantic suspense novel, LEFT TO DIE. You can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com.

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LOST SOULS by Lisa Jackson: “…the opportunities seemed boundless.”

Just for the record, I do NOT believe in vampires. I’m not sure about ghosts, but I’m not buying into the whole werewolf, goblin, flesh-eating zombies scary creatures of the night thing.

That said, I find them fascinating creatures. Our culture seems obsessed with everything that touches on paranormal, and, hey, I’m right there. I LOVE a good ghost story or television show or movie. And I love to be scared (why is this?) So back to the vampire thing. I decided to write a book around a vampire cult.

I’d tossed the idea around for years, discussed it with my editor and just had it simmering on the back burner until the timing was right. Which just so happens turned out to be last year when I was thinking about a story for Kristi Bentz, one of my favorite characters. Kristi was first introduced in HOT BLOODED as New Orleans Detective Rick Bentz’s daughter. They had an interesting relationship from the get go and in the ensuing books of the New Orleans series, Kristi grew up. (It was always hard to keep her from stealing the show.)

So, years later, it’s time for her to have a story of her own and I thought, hey, what about that vampire idea? What if Kristi, after Hurricane Katrina, is at a cross-roads in her life? What if she wants to write a true crime novel and her father is absolutely against the idea? What if she, because of an injury in ALL SOULS has some kind of sixth sense and can see people in black and white just before they die? What if she sees her father’s death? What if she runs across a cult who worship vampires? What if coeds are going missing. What if . . . well, you get the picture.

I started putting ideas down and all those thoughts that had been rattling around in my head for years came together. I even had a natural for the hero when I thought back to her first boyfriend and how she’d dumped him. What if that kid had grown into a sexy man who just happens to become one of her professors.

You see, the opportunities seemed boundless. I had so many ideas I had to pare them all down and so, LOST SOULS was created.
You can read more about LOST SOULS or any of my other novels at www.lisajackson.com.

Lisa Jackson is hte author of the romantic suspense thriller novel, LOST SOULS. You can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com.

Lisa’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit us at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.