Guest Post & #Giveaway – Escape from Devil’s Den by Bonnie Vanak
Escape from Devil’s Den (Harlequin Romantic Suspense)
Romantic Suspense
Setting – Where does your book take place? Florida and North Carolina
Publisher : Harlequin Romantic Suspense (July 23, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback : 272 pages
Synopsis
She’s found the perfect disguise…
Until he uncovers the truth!
FBI agent Jace Beckett goes undercover to infiltrate the motorcycle gang Devil’s Patrol. But he never expected to encounter his stunning former fiancée, Kara Wilmington, hanging around the criminal organization. The gorgeous businesswoman is determined to protect her property—and her family—when she finds out that her cousin is involved with the DP. But as Kara and Jace relentlessly pursue the DP’s ruthless jewel-theft ring, it’s not only Jace’s cover that’s at risk. It’s their lives…
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
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Guest Post
Chasing dreams
by Bonnie Vanak
I remember the day I learned the definition of a “manhood.”
When I was a child, I fell in love with romance novels. My mother would read the sedate ones, like Dorothy Eden’s classic gothics or Phyllis Whitney’s books. But when publishers began churning out huge, sexy historicals with titles like The Flame and the Flower, Mom hid them in the closet. I ferreted them out. It proved educational, learning new words that would never win spelling bees, such as “”ravish” and “throbbing hardness.”
I dreamed of becoming an author. My first poem, written in third grade, seemed like a good start. I had big dreams, dreams as wispy as morning fog burning off the lake where we once swam. Dreams worthy of a good chase.
We need dreams to cling to, to keep us hoping and working and longing and envisioning possibilities. Sometimes the dreams sputter and stall out. Sometimes they die. But you can always replace them with new ones.
When I remarried for the second time, we were blissfully happy on our honeymoon. I dreamed of spending an old-fashioned Christmas with my parents and new husband.
One week after returning home from our honeymoon, we received a call that my mother was hospitalized. The diagnosis was colon cancer. It didn’t look like she’d make it to Christmas.
That dream was dying, along with my mother.
Dad wanted hospice, but I couldn’t accept that the woman who was my best friend was dying. As I nursed her, books she loved reading lay gathering dust. One night, to escape the never-ending whir and click of the oxygen machine, I picked up Barbara Delinsky”s For My Daughters. As I read about a dying woman and her daughters, my heart admitted what my mind knew. The next day, Dad called hospice. Mom admitted to the social worker that she knew she would die of cancer. Not wanting to spoil my wedding, she kept her pain and her knowledge silent, living for the day when her shining eyes proudly watched me walk down the aisle.
That was her dream, and she’d held on to see it come true.
She died a few days before Christmas. Dad died six weeks later from sudden heart failure. Eventually, to cope with loss, I began writing romance novels to pursue my childhood dream of becoming an author. Long before self-publishing became vogue, I wrote books targeting publication by traditional New York publishers.
Each rejection slip delivered frustration, which my husband beat back with encouraging words. “Keep writing,” he’d say. “You can do it. Your mom would want this for you.”
I kept writing. I had a dream of being an author, and this dream was going to come true.
Finally, I stopped writing what everyone said the market wanted. I wrote a historical set in Egypt. I felt certain no publisher would touch it. But it was my book of the heart—a book for my mother. I wrote The Falcon & the Dove in two months, the story of a sheikh and a spirited archaeologist destined for each other through time.
More rejections followed and I was ready to quit. Then one day, my husband handed me a small box. Inside was a tiny gold starfish pendant on a gold necklace. “This is your magic wishing star,” he told me. “You keep it next to your heart where you keep all your dreams alive. And every time you want to give up, just hold your star and keep those dreams alive.”
Two months after that precious gift of hope, I received news. Falcon had won first place in a romance contest and the judge, an editor at Leisure, wanted to see the whole book. I sent it off. Weeks later, I finally got the call. Leisure wanted to publish The Falcon and the Dove.
I dedicated my first book to my mom and dad, who taught me to dream, and to Frank, my husband, who kept those dreams alive.
This month, I am celebrating the release of yet another book from Harlequin, Escape from Devil’s Den. The book is my 65th published fiction book.
Escape from Devil’s Den is about a dedicated FBI agent who grew up with a father in a criminal biker gang. Though he resolved to never be like his old man, Jace, the hero, must rely on his knowledge of motorcycles to pull off a successful undercover op and bring down a dangerous biker gang. The op becomes more complicated when the gang targets his ex-fiancée and he has to protect her from their illicit intentions while trying not to blow his cover.
If he blows his cover, they will get killed.
I’ve written historical romances set in Egypt, self-published the Werewolves of Montana paranormal series, written both paranormal and romantic suspense for Harlequin, and I’ve written erotic romance under another name.When see my name on a book cover, I feel a quiet sense of pride, accomplishment and wonder. I chased a dream that seemed impossible and it came true.
Writing fiction gives me a respite from a world that sometimes tilts on its axis. It humbles and thrills me when readers tell me they enjoy reading my books for an escape. My romance books always have a HEA or an HFN. It’s why I write them, for I’ve always dreamed of writing books with happy endings for the main characters.
Chasing dreams is important in life. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life is precious, time is short and you should never put off your hopes and dreams until tomorrow, because sometimes today is all you have.
If you’ve had a longtime dream and kept saying, “Some day I’m going to…” then start today. Write down your goal and keep it where you can see it daily and affirm it.
Dreams make life worthwhile. You’ll sweat and struggle and work hard and sometimes curse or cry or just want to give up, but this is life. It’s your life, go live it and live it to the best of your ability.
Go chase your dream. You never know if you’ll catch it until you try.
About the Author
Bonnie Vanak is a multi-published author of paranormal, historical, and suspense romance novels. After a career in journalism, she became a writer for an international charity, traveling to poor countries like Haiti to write about issues affecting the poor. When the strain of her job demanded a diversion, she turned to her childhood dream of writing books. Bonnie lives in Florida with her husband and rescue dogs.
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Giveaway
Cynthia Conley
I enjoyed the synopsis. Makes me want to read it.
Lisa P.
The author’s background is interesting in that she used to write for an international charity. It’s nice that she was able to turn her childhood dream of writing into a career. I’m sure her previous career gives her some great ideas for stories.
lisasvance
Sounds like a great read.