Irene Hannon ~ Interview + Giveaway!

**I have recently changed the rules for entering my giveaways and there are new ways to earn extra entries, so be sure to read that section at the bottom of this post. =)**

Today author Irene Hannon is telling us about her new book, In Harm's Way. She has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can include it in your comment for entering the contest. If you are only leaving a question in the comment and not entering the giveaway please say so.

Welcome, Irene! Tell us a little about yourself.

Hmm…where to begin? I could tell you some of the fun stuff I’ve done—like attending the monkey dance in the moonlit jungle on Bali, or gliding over the Alaskan glaciers in a float plane at sunset, or winging down to the Caribbean for lunch on a cruise ship with the CEO and chairman of the board of a Fortune 500 company—but I’ll stick to the basics! I have a B.A. in psychology and a master’s in journalism. I worked for the aforementioned Fortune 500 company for 20+ years in corporate communications, writing fiction on the side. After rising to the executive ranks…and finding myself on call 24/7…I left the corporate world a few years ago to write full time—and never looked back. I’m also married to my very own romantic hero! Want to know more? Check out my website at http://www.irenehannon.com/.

How long have you been writing? How many books do you have published?
My first book was published in 1985, and book #33—In Harm’s Way—came out in April.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in you books?
I would compare the style of my romantic suspense books to Dee Henderson. The romance in my books is definitely G.

In your own words tell us a little about In Harm’s Way.
This is the third and final book in my bestselling Heroes of Quantico series. After writing Against All Odds, which featured a two-continent setting and a terrorist element, and An Eye For An Eye, which focused on a determined killer who shatters the hero and heroine’s unexpected reunion, I wanted to delve into something completely different with the final book in the series. So I have the heroine finding a tattered Raggedy Ann doll that gives her a strange feeling—strange enough to send her to the authorities, despite her fear they’ll ridicule her story. I wanted to intrigue readers with a story that appears to have paranormal elements—appears being the operative word. To say any more would ruin the story!

This series marked my suspense debut and has been incredibly well received. Although the heroes and heroines of previous books do make appearances in subsequent books, each book in any series I write stands alone as a complete story in itself. There are no hanging plot threads from book to book. So you don’t have to read them all, or in order. (Though reading them in order is more fun, because the stories occur chronologically and you can catch up with what’s happening in the lives of the previous heroes and heroines!)

And I’m thrilled to report that this book, along with the first two books in the series (Against All Odds and An Eye For An Eye), has made both the CBA and ECPA fiction bestseller lists!

Blurb:

FBI special agent Nick Bradley, has seen his share of kooks during his fifteen years with the Bureau, from the guy who insisted he’d been abducted by aliens to the woman who claimed God had told her to assist the FBI by acting as His intermediary on difficult cases. But Rachel Sutton is an enigma. She seems normal when she shows up at the FBI office in St. Louis—until she produces a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him it gives her bad vibes. Nick dismisses her—only to stumble across a link between the doll and an abducted infant, setting in motion a chain of events that uncovers startling connections…and puts Rachel’s life on the line.

What made you want to write this story?
I was intrigued by some of the unusual concepts and phenomena in this book and wanted to explore them further. To say more would give the story away!

What research did you have to do for this book?
The research challenge was formidable for this entire series! I have no connections of any kind to the military, the FBI or law enforcement in any form. So in the course of writing these novels, I read books, scoured the Net and consulted police officers, FBI agents, physicians, academics and a host of experts in their fields. I also enrolled in our local Citizen Police Academy, which included a heart-pounding ride-along with a patrol officer. By the time I finished Against All Odds, the first book in the series, I had 75 single-spaced pages of research notes and reference citations for that book alone. That one was particularly challenging, since parts of the story take place in Afghanistan. But every book has unique research requirements, and since I’m a stickler for accuracy, I spend a good part of my work day fact-gathering.

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?
Okay—confession time. I don’t watch TV or go to many movies. I’m too busy writing! In my limited free time, I’d rather read, garden, visit family, take a walk, try a new recipe…the list goes on. So I’ll have to pass on this question, since I’m pathetically ignorant about the current crop of Hollywood leading men and women!

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I am hard at work on my next suspense series, Guardians of Justice, which will debut in January with Fatal Judgment. This series features three siblings (two brothers and a sister), all of whom are involved in justice-related professions. The first book revolves around a federal judge and the U.S. marshal assigned to protect her after her life is threatened.

How can readers get in contact with you?
I love to hear from readers! Feel free to e-mail at ireneHannon at irenehannon.com. (Just change the “at” to @--no direct link because I’m trying to avoid spam!) And do visit my website, http://www.irenehannon.com/, for news on my books. I update it regularly.

What are you currently reading?
I just finished judging a stack of books for Romance Writers of America’s RITA award competition. That kept me busy for a month!

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I love to perform in community musical theatre productions, and I’ve been blessed to play the leading roles in classic shows like “Brigadoon,” “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma,” “The King and I” and “Anything Goes,” to name a few.

If you could be any animal, which would you choose? Why?
I’ve never had this question before! Hmm…maybe a well-loved dog? They seem to lead a nice life!

FAVORITES:

Color?
I like color, period. I’m not big on orange or avocado, but otherwise I’m easy to please. I had a yellow room for a lot of years growing up, and I do like that color because it reminds me of sunshine.

Childhood memory?
I had a wonderful childhood. My mom was—and is—a master at making even ordinary days special. And no father could ever have been more supportive of his daughter’s dreams. So every day is a happy memory.

Era to write about?
All my books are set in modern day.

What is/was this book’s release date?
In Harm’s Way was released in April.

Do you have a link to a place to read the first chapter of this book?
Yes. Excerpts for all three Heroes of Quantico books are posted on my website. Here’s a link to the one for In Harm’s Way: http://www.irenehannon.com/excerpt-harm.htm.

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*USA residents only, please*

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of In Harm's Way!
TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you would not like to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

+2 Read and leave a comment on one of my recent book reviews.

**You can earn a total of 4 entries if you do all of the above requirements. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries.**

*The contest will run from today (May 17) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (May 20). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner on Friday the 21st, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.