Interview with Virna DePaul, Excerpt of DANGEROUS TO HER, & International Giveaway

Welcome, Virna! And congratulations on your new romantic suspense release DANGEROUS TO HER, published by the Harlequin Romantic Suspense line!! *throws confetti*

Hi Tanya!  Thank you so much for having me here to talk about DTH.  It’s always a pleasure to get to chat with you and your readers!  :)

Before we begin the interview, let me give readers a look at what this fantastic book is about.

"I'm not afraid anymore." 

For years, court reporter Mattie Nolan kept her child a secret. The man she once loved chose his dangerous job—undercover cop—over her. But now, Sacramento detective Dom Jeffries is all that's standing between her and the drug kingpin set on revenge against everyone who put him away. Including Mattie.

Though teetering on the edge of burnout, Dom goes undercover as a bailiff in Mattie's courtroom. While he pretends not to remember her, thoughts of her touch, her smell and the smile that had been his alone keep resurfacing. Then he uncovers the secret she's protecting. To save the daughter he's never known and the woman he's never forgotten, Dom's ready to sacrifice not just his job, but his life…

Your background as a former criminal prosecutor was certainly advantageous in the creation of DANGEROUS TO HER. Was this what originally inspired the creation of this fabulous 'whodunit' short story?

It definitely helped.  As a prosecutor, I met and interacted with a number of cops, dedicated and good people trying to do their best to protect and serve.  It takes a certain kind of person to risk his life for others, but it’s not all selflessness.  Cops are drawn to the work because it fulfills something inside them and that’s what formed the basis of DTH--a hero who always wanted to be a cop and was a bit of an adrenalin junkie in general.  Only problem is, Mattie, the girl he loves, doesn’t want to risk losing him to the job.  They’re young, she’s inexperienced, and he walks away, thinking it’s the best thing for the both of them.  Of course, they get a second chance at their HEA.  

You completely threw me off the suspect trail! Just when I thought for sure I knew who the perpetrator was ... bam!, a new piece of evidence was dropped in my lap. Did you have to spend a great deal of time outlining the story, or did each of the characters want to partake in erasing the breadcrumb trail?

I’m thrilled you didn’t see the perp coming.  I’m a pantser, so I didn’t outline the story.  I tried to set up a lot of possibilities, and the possibility that ended up happening took me by surprise, as well.  I’ve been told that’s the best way to reveal the bad guy--surprise yourself and you’ll surprise the reader.  

Aside from the suspenseful external conflicts, the internal conflicts of the hero and heroine were very 'real life-like'. Do you as the author find it emotionally taxing to elicit such powerful emotions within the characters that seem to mirror realistic situations?

Normally, I don’t find it taxing.  I think after years of working as a prosecutor, I built up this necessary detachment that allowed me to work through scenarios without a whole lot of emotion. It isn’t that I don’t care, just that I know I have to be focused on the end result and becoming personally invested isn’t conducive to that.  But I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of young lovers reuniting after life has matured them, making it possible for them to take risks they never would have before.  And I definitely view my characters as a way to maintain hope--to see that others can overcome the challenges life throws at them.  I make sure what’s “fair” really happens within the pages of my stories.  

Without giving away spoilers, can you share with readers one of your favorite moments from the book? It can be anything from sexy to shedding light on part of the conflict.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when both Mattie and Dom realize that briefly doubting someone isn’t the same as betraying or not loving him or her.  In truth, Mattie and Dom are loyal and deeply loving people, but they have many responsibilities and a world of experience they just can’t ignore.  When bad things happen, or momentous decisions must be made, part of being human is reacting on an emotional level, but also an analytical one.  I have another favorite part of the book, and it’s one that’s routinely my favorite in books I read and write--the moment the tough cop gives into his own vulnerability for the heroine.  

Can you leave readers with a little teaser?

A teaser from Dangerous To Her?  I’d love to!  Remember my favorite part of books where the hero allows himself to be his most vulnerable with the heroine? Here’s that moment in DTH:

Dom didn’t return Mattie’s embrace.

           Thoughts of Joel and Judge Butler and Mattie and Jordan were swirling in his head with enough force to make him dizzy. She clearly wanted him to release his tight grip on his emotions, and though it was slipping, he desperately held on to what was left. Being a cop meant having to suppress any emotion that would get in the way of the job. It meant having to view the evidence objectively and, just as she’d said, consider things you didn’t want to, even about people you loved...

           Despite his stiffness, she didn’t back away. She simply held him and he let her. After several minutes, he realized the pain in his gut was gone. He could breathe a little easier. It was there—that same sense of “rightness,” of ease, that his body always felt when he was with

           Mattie.

It telegraphed loud and clear how much he needed her.

    His heart pumped hard, shoving blood into his extremities. Making his fingers tingle. Making his skin heat.

           Making him realize how lost he’d been without her and how lost he’d be if he let her walk away from him again...

Back away. Back away now.

           But even as he braced himself to step back from Mattie, his body had other ideas.

           He wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in the curve between her neck and shoulder. Mattie stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed against him. He shuddered as her warmth and fragrance wrapped around him, gentle and comforting.

           She raised her hands to his shoulders, then to his skull, petting him in slow, easy circles. “It’s okay,” she murmured. Her hands caressed his face and he pulled back to look at her. She kissed his forehead, offering him solace in a way he’d never experienced before.

           In a way he might never again.

What's next for you  -- and for us readers?

My next release after Dangerous To Her is Book 2 in my Para-Ops series, Chosen By Fate.  Chosen by Fate is the story of the team's ghost, Wraith, and its human psychic shaman, Caleb O'Flare. Wraith and Caleb first meet in book 1 and their strong reactions to one another are the product of complex back stories. In their own ways, Wraith and Caleb have to deal with the tension between pain and pleasure, a dichotomy that is brought to the forefront when they set out on their next mission, investigating a series of crimes in the feline community.

Where can readers find you in the virtual world?

a.     Twitter: @virnadepaul
b.     Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1555372930
c.     Website: www.virnadepaul.com
d.     Others: www.justsoldabook.com


Giveaway Details:

• I'm gifting a print copy of DANGEROUS TO HER to one commenter, in order to share this wonderful romantic suspense with my readers! :)

• Leave a comment along with your email addy.

• Additionally -- if you comment on my review of DANGEROUS TO HER, it will be an extra entry in the contest.

• Contest is open Internationally (as long as the Book Depository ships to your country).

• Contest will run from 8/23 - 8/27 11:59pm EST.

• Winner will be drawn via random.org and notified by email.

Good Luck, and thanks for supporting Virna on her latest release!