Marie Force: Some Frequently Asked Questions About the Fatal Series

It’s a big week around here with LONGING FOR LOVE, book 7 in my McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, releasing widely after 30 days as a Kindle exclusive, and I’m looking forward to the launch of FATAL DECEPTION, book 5 in my Fatal Series.

I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little about the Fatal Series and answer some of the most commonly asked questions about that series. One of the things I’m most often asked if I know going into a book who the murderer is. The answer to that is a big, fat NO. I like to let Sam’s investigation lead me to the culprit. I believe not knowing keeps me engaged in the story and gives me an experience similar to that of the reader who learns “who done it” at the same time Sam does. I was about halfway through Deception when I asked myself, “Where in the hell are you going with this?” I had no idea! Then one day on the treadmill at the gym, the whole thing presented itself to me the way it often does in my twisted mind, and there was my culprit and my ending rolled out before me like a red carpet. I sped home and wrote 10,000 words that day. Those are the days writers live for! The end result is that Deception is my favorite Fatal book yet, and I hope readers will agree. Here’s what you can expect to find in Deception:

The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing. D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she's forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father's resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford.

As Sam's investigation heats up, so does Nick's political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?

Here are some other questions I’m often asked about the Fatal Series:

What is the order of the books:

FATAL AFFAIR (free for the month of November at all e-book retailers), FATAL JUSTICE, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, FATAL DESTINY, FATAL FLAW and FATAL DECEPTION, with FATAL MISTAKE coming in June 2013.

How many books do you plan to write?

Just like with my popular McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, I give the same answer to this question for the Fatal Series—as long as readers are enjoying the series and it’s still fun for me, I will continue to write it.

Will Sam ever have a baby?

I’m not sure yet. Like the readers, I’d love to grant her fondest desire, but I have to be realistic that giving her a newborn would change her life—and Nick’s—dramatically enough to impact the pace of the series. So IF there’s a baby, and right now that is a big IF, it would happen much later in the series. I have a number of other plans that will impact Sam and Nick’s family and help to fill the void in the meantime.

Will Nick run for president?

Maybe. Maybe not. Can you see Sam as First Lady? Neither can I, but how fun would it be to force our square peg into that round hole? Very fun indeed! We’ll see where life takes them!

Will Sam and Nick adopt Scotty?

More on this in Deception!

Will we ever find out who shot Skip?

I hope so, but sometimes in life we never know why certain things happened. That could be true here, too. I continue to wait for that information to present itself to Sam—and to me. If it does, we’ll find out. If it doesn’t, we may never know. I think Sam is starting to make peace with the possibility that she may never know. I have some fun plans for Skip’s character in upcoming books. I’m looking forward to writing that! We find out more about the mysterious Fitzgerald case in Deception, and this leads to an unusual rift between father and daughter.

Do you have other questions about the series I haven’t answered here? Feel free to ask away! If I have answers, I’ll be happy to provide them—or I’ll check with Sam to see what she has to say. J

We’re giving away an e-book copy of, FATAL DECEPTION (available to winner after November 12). To be entered in the drawing, tell me which element of romantic suspense you like best—the romance or the suspense—and why.

Thanks so much for reading, and if you’re interested in checking out the Fatal Series, book 1, FATAL AFFAIR, will be free for the month of November everywhere e-books are sold!

***Marie's winner is Karen B!  Please drop an email to totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing information!***