Welcome Kat Martin and her latest Brodie Brothers adventure in the wild of Alaska.
AGAINST THE SKY
By Kat Martin
When you read this book you will definitely get a sense of being there because, as always, Kat has done her research.
The Perils of Research--Our Road Trip to Alaska
I can’t speak for other authors, but having written more than sixty books, including AGAINST THE SKY, out the end of January, I’m always looking for new story ideas. Which is why, when the opportunity arose to travel for a month to Alaska in a small pickup camper--I said yes.
With a contract for three new AGAINST novels at Kensington, I needed ideas. A trip to Alaska seemed the perfect opportunity to find new plots and develop interesting characters--though the journey wasn’t my first experience with the vast beauty and rugged conditions of Alaska.
MIDNIGHT SUN was the result of my first trip some years back. AGAINST THE WILD, Dylan Brodie’s story, was the first of my three new Alaska books.
In AGAINST THE SKY, the second book in the trilogy, out January 27th, Nick Brodie, a former Anchorage homicide detective, has a serious case of burnout.
Nick wants a new life, something that doesn't include violence and death. Unfortunately when his neighbor, twelve-year-old Jimmy Evans, comes to him beaten and battered, claiming his father was murdered, Nick has no choice but to help him.
To make matters worse, Nick has a lady friend visiting from San Francisco. Samantha Hollis, owner of the Perfect Pup pet grooming parlor, isn't cut out for the harsh life in Alaska. Unwillingly swept into Jimmy's problems, she finds herself on a wild ride with Nick that leads them into passion and incredible danger.
The first kernel of an idea for AGAINST THE SKY arose when we were in Anchorage. Something about the Russian mob? I thought. And how about a woman who can’t deal with Alaska at all?
As the novel took form, we traveled to Valdez, which became the setting for Nick’s brother, Rafe’s, story, AGAINST THE TIDE, which comes out the end of May.
I love road trips, just heading out with no particular destination, simply rolling along, encountering whatever life throws your way. Dealing with flat tires and engine trouble can be exasperating, but there is the also the reward of meeting new people from all different walks of life.
If you love history, you might wind up in a place like Dawson City, way off the grid, the original destination for Klondike gold miners at the end of the nineteen century. A lot of the buildings are still there, still being used, and the streets are still paved in dirt! It’s a town right out of the wild West, a place that attracted authors like Robert Service and Jack London.
People often ask where I get the ideas for my stories and I can tell you that a five-thousand mile driving trip on a two-lane road is stuffed with fodder for books. Whether you’re an author or a reader, it wonderful to open yourself up to new adventures, new places, and new people.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll watch for Nick Brodie and Samantha Hollis in AGAINST THE SKY.
Very best wishes and happy reading, Kat
ALASKA. In America’s last wilderness there is no limits to what a man can do.
For detective Nick Brodie, that means keeping the perps off the streets of Anchorage 24/7. Nick has never backed down from danger, but after the horrors he’s seen, he’s definitely in need of a break.
Samantha Hollis never thought she’d meet anyone like Nick, especially in a place like Las Vegas. But after one reckless, passionate night, she discovers the charismatic stranger is everything she wants in a man. But can he ever be more than a one-night stand?
When Nick invites her to Alaska, Samantha decides to find out, never guessing the depths she’ll discover in him or the tangle of murder, kidnapping, and danger about to engulf them both …
SHORT BLURB:
AGAINST THE SKY is a fish out of water story. Nick Brodie, an ex-Anchorage cop, is tough as nails, a true man's man, comfortable in the hard life in Alaska. But Samantha Hollis, owner of a pet grooming parlor in San Francisco likes shopping at Sak's and a day at the spa. Unwillingly swept into Nick’s problems, Samantha finds herself on a wild ride that leads them in to passion and terrible danger.
It was fun finding ways to make their relationship work when they seem so very far apart. This one’s very fast paced, but it has a soft heart. It turned out to be one of my favorites.
Chapter One
Samantha had almost reached her door when she saw a man walking toward her, tall and heavyset, weaving a little. His suit was wrinkled, his brown hair mussed and falling over a wide forehead. Obviously he was drunk.
She didn’t like the leering grin that appeared on his flushed face as he spotted her and staggered in her direction. Samantha opened her purse and began digging frantically for her key card. She was still searching when the man stopped in front of her.
“Hello there, sweetheart. Aren’t you a pretty little thing?”
She ignored him, kept on digging, couldn’t find the damned card, prayed she hadn’t left it in her room.
“Not talking, huh? I’m Howard.” He stuck out a meaty hand she ignored, finally let it drop. “Want me to help you find your key?”
“No, thank you.” For once, she wished her purse wasn’t so big.
“Say, why don’t we go downstairs and have a drink? There’s a lot of great restaurants in the hotel. What do you say I buy you dinner?”
His words were thick and a faintly slurred, though Samantha didn’t think he was quite as drunk as he had first seemed.
“I have plans.” Like a soak in the tub and an early evening. “Please leave me alone.”
Pain-in-the-ass Howard’s bushy eyebrows went up. “No reason to take that attitude.” He started crowding her, forcing her back against the door. She wasn’t very big and he towered above her.
He moved closer, knocking the shoes she had taken off to soothe her aching feet out of her hand. “Come on, what do you say?”
“I told you to leave me alone.” Samantha set her palms on his thick chest and tried to push him away. “If you don’t leave, I’m going to call security.” She pushed, didn’t budge him. “Please--I’m just not interested.”
“Come on, sweetheart, it’s only a drink.”
He had her completely boxed in against the door, and though her heart was thrumming away, she was more angry than scared. There were hotel cameras everywhere. In another second, she was going to scream.
She might have done it if good ol’ Howard hadn’t suddenly been jerked away like a puppet on a string and slammed hard against the wall. In an instant, he was facing the opposite direction, spread-eagled, legs splayed, one of his beefy arms forced up behind his back.
“Time to go home, buddy. The lady has other plans.”
“What business is that of yours?”
Her rescuer, tall and broad-shouldered with wavy black hair, cranked the arm up higher, drawing a hiss of pain. “I told you the lady has plans.”
“Don’t hurt him,” Samantha said. “He’s just drunk.”
The most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen swung in her direction. “He a friend of yours?”
“Heavens, no. I was just trying to open the door to my room when he walked up and started accosting me.”
The black-haired man turned back to good ol’ Howard, who seemed to have realized the game was up. “Thanks to the lady, I’m letting you go and not calling the hotel police. If you’re smart, you’ll walk away, go back to your room and sober up.”
Howard stiffened. The arm behind his back got cranked a little higher. Howard hissed and nodded.
“Smart move.” Easing up a little, her rescuer released him and stepped away. With a last angry glance, Howard moved off at a loping stagger down the hall, heading back the way he had come.
“You okay?”
Dear God, the man was handsome. With his blue eyes, high-cheekbones, and straight nose, he was one of the best-looking men she had ever seen. The shadow of a late-afternoon beard along his jaw gave him a slightly dangerous appearance that only made him more attractive.
She managed to drag her gaze away from those arresting blue eyes and found her voice. “Thanks to you, I’m fine. Are you a policeman or something?”
“Used to be. Nick Brodie. Glad I could help.”
She smiled. “I’m Samantha Hollis. You came just in time. I really appreciate what you did. Most people would have just kept walking.”
“Not where I come from.”
“Really? Where’s that?”
“Alaska. Up there, people help each other. Sometimes it’s a matter of life and death.” He looked her up and down. “You aren’t very big. That bastard was twice your size.”
“As I said, he was mostly just drunk.”
“I guess.”
Trying to ignore the nerves she was beginning to feel, she grabbed the purse slung over her shoulder and started searching again for her key. She could feel those amazing eyes regarding her with interest.
“I hope I don’t sound like the guy who just left, but is there any chance you might like to join me for a drink?”
Surprise had her eyes flashing back to him. “Seriously? You’re here by yourself?” Impossible, she thought, for a man who looked as good as he did.
He shrugged a set of impressive shoulders. He was wearing jeans and a crisp white shirt, his hair curling slightly over the collar.
“I needed a break,” he said. “Besides, my brother bought me a plane ticket. I didn’t have much choice. How about that drink?”
She should probably say no. She wasn’t going to give him what he most likely wanted. On the other hand, a guy who looked the way he did wouldn’t have much trouble getting laid.
And she did owe him for coming to her rescue.
Samantha looked up at Nick Brodie and smiled. “You know, after my wrestling match with King Kong a drink really does sound good.”
Nick smiled broadly, all white teeth and sex appeal. The bottom dropped out of stomach. Oh, my. Maybe she was making a mistake.
“What are we waiting for?” Nick said. “Let’s go.”
Nick wasn’t sure why he’d asked her to join him. He wasn’t really looking for female companionship. Or maybe he was, but hadn’t found anyone worth the effort. He’d come to Vegas to get away, see the city that had always intrigued him, relax, maybe gamble a little--not too much.
Samantha winced as she shoved her feet back into her high heel shoes, and he remembered seeing them in the hall in front of her door where she had taken them off and dropped them.
He was afraid he’d scare her if he suggested she open the door, go in and get a different pair, but he wanted her to be comfortable.
“I got a hunch those shoes are hurting like hell. Why don’t I wait for you by the elevator? Give you time to go in and change?”
The smile she gave him was so full of gratitude he figured he’d scored another point--besides the one he’d gotten for pulling that big bastard off her.
She opened her purse, found the key she’d been searching for, flashed it in front the lock and opened the door. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll be right there.”
He frowned. The lady was way too trusting. He could have pushed her inside and done any damn thing he wanted. He thought she would have learned her lesson with the bruiser who’d been manhandling her.
His frown slowly faded, replaced by another smile. In an odd way, he found her naiveté refreshing. Still, if he got a chance, he’d talk to her, make her understand the need to be careful with strangers. Clearly, his cop instincts hadn’t faded, probably never would.
Time ticked past. Standing next to the elevator, he checked his watch. She’d been gone fifteen minutes when he spotted her coming down the hall. She’d changed out of her pale peach linen suit into a short black skirt, pink and black top, and another pair of heels, just as tall but open-toed and apparently more comfortable.
“Thanks for waiting,” she said. “I’ve been working all day. It feels good to get into something that isn’t wrinkled.”
His eyes ran over her. “You look fantastic.” Damned if she didn’t. With her heart-shaped face and warm brown eyes, he’d thought she was attractive. Now he could see she was way more than pretty, with a great figure, curves in all the right places, just a hint of cleavage above the neckline of her blouse. She had taken the clips out of her hair, letting the springy light brown curls that hung down her back tumble softly around her face. He wanted to grab a fistful, to see if it felt as silky as it looked.
AGAINST THE SKY BOOK TRAILER VIDEO
CONTEST
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REVIEW QUOTES
“Against the Sky by Kat Martin sizzles enough to melt a polar icecap. She allows these two polar opposite to find that elusive chemistry that the world craves, but their differences present enough of a challenge that one wonders I love can conquer all or not. Kick in the suspense and danger from the Russian mob and voila! Romantic suspense!”
“Wow, the action scenes are so exciting. I never knew what would happen next.”
“The second book in Kat Martin's Brodie's of Alaska series delivers an awesome punch of suspense and romance.”
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Travel for story ideas sounds like a winner to me! Thanks for joining us today, Kat. Best luck!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you Kat, about road trips being terrific ways to collect story ideas. Even a trip across town can do that if you're able to pay attention to something other than the traffic....and THAT might even stir an idea.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the second in your Brodie series. Sounds wonderful!
Great book cover and your excerpt hooked me, Kat.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing! I'm so happy you shared it, Kat!
ReplyDeleteAlaska is one of the few places I really want to go in my lifetime. I hope to make it there some day.
Alaska sounds like a rough and tumble place. I've heard once that it's a place people live who don't like to be found. Honestly, the cold of it scares me. I'm ready to set fire to my feet to keep warm.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing how authors get ideas and travel certainly is a fun way. I hope you didn't run into any dangers of the law kind while in Alaska. :)
Congrats on your book!
Love the cover. Alaska is a place I've always wanted to go. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds as wonderful as your other books. Loved the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteFunny how often authors get asked where they get their ideas. Since there's no good answer I just say they're always there in my head.
I love road trips. You're right about getting ideas while on a trip. Alaska is one of the places on my bucket list. I loved the excerpt and will certainly look for the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other's road trips are great for story gathering. I love seeing different lifestyles and landscapes through travel.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt Kat, good luck with your book,
Jacquie
I think you've inspired me to take a road trip. Maybe someplace a little warmer than Alaska! I do love the idea of hands on research and the premise of your book! Congrats on the great review and this wonderful new series.
ReplyDeletewow, what a bunch of wonderful comments! I guess we all love to travel. Alaska is amazing and well worth the visit. Like Melissa, as wonderful as it is, I couldn't handle living there full time. Hope you all enjoy Nick and Samantha. thanks for having me! love ya, kat
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your interview, Kat. You are so right - road trips are fodder for a writer's mind. Your stories sound riveting and I'll be checking them out. Best of luck with your new books!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here, Kat. I loved my visit to Alaska...so full of culture I didn't know.
ReplyDeleteI imagine doing research while taking a wine country tour would be fabulous!