Reporter Annie Wylde and Mother Nature are lifelong enemies, but she signs up for a Maine canoe trip to honor a promise to her friend who was murdered by a serial killer dubbed the Hunter. When she meets the wilderness guide, former Major Leaguer Sam Kincaid, a look from him makes her toes curl, but she wants nothing to do with an ex-jock like her former lover. Sam finds Annie a sexy challenge but believes he's a failure and they're too different. He needs to prove he can succeed at something, even with a bum hand. When the Hunter stalks the group, Sam and Annie must borrow from each other's strengths to defeat him.
The Romance Studio - "Susan Vaughan writes an intensely romantic thriller.... The depth of the characters in the story is probably the part that makes this such a great read. They're all exceptionally well crafted.... For most the author gives them the kind of strength that comes with validation of who they are and what they're capable of when faced with challenges. This is an excellent tale of people at their best and worst learning to work together through adversity." - 5 Hearts
WRDF Reviews - "Primal Obsession is a first-class thriller with the author successfully throwing suspicion on all characters. The twists in the plot were both unpredictable and believable and will keep the reader riveted from the very first page....a class apart. The strong characterization of Annie Wilde (sic) and the multi-faceted characterization of all the characters in this book, the meticulous attention to detail, and the riveting story-telling pushes (sic) this book way beyond good and entertaining--well into the realm of a (sic) unforgettable and powerful experience. A definite MUST READ!"
Susan Vaughan is multi-published with Silhouette Intimate Moments. Her books have been both a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Nominee and a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award. She loves writing romantic suspense because it throws the hero and heroine together under extraordinary circumstances and pits them against a clever villain. She lives with her husband and dog on the coast of Maine. Her single title, Primal Obsession, is a recent release from The Wild Rose Press. Readers can visit her website at http://www.susanvaughan.com to read excerpts and enter her contest.
Backlist
DEADLY MEMORIES (ISBN 978-0-373-27500-7) BREAKING ALL THE RULES (0-373-27476-9) CODE NAME: FIANCÉE (0-373-27412-2) GUARDING LAURA (0-373-27384-3) DANGEROUS ATTRACTION (0-373-27156-5)
An Interview with Susan Vaughan
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Susan, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, Primal Obsession.
SV: I love to talk about PRIMAL OBSESSION. This story puts two of my favorite characters together. Annie Wylde is a nature-phobic reporter who takes the canoe trip as a promise to her murdered friend. She's so out of her element in the Maine woods. And Sam Kincaid is a former major league ball player who is trying to make a new career for himself as a Maine guide. He's out of his element when a killer stalks the group to get to Annie. The two of them spar and banter and seem so wrong for each other but find they're exactly what each other needs when things get dicey.
HH: What do you admire most about Annie and how do you relate to her?
SV: I admire that Annie is able to do what I never could. I suppose we writers do that a lot with our heroines, have them achieve things we can't. When faced with the real probability her friend's murderer has followed her into the woods and endangers the entire canoe party, she steps up to the plate--to use one of Sam's baseball metaphors--and sets out to capture the killer, with Sam's help.
HH: As a writer, how do you go about building a tale that combines danger and romance?
SV: When I started writing romantic suspense, I didn't realize how difficult combining the two would be so that they intertwine. To begin with, I create a plot that involves the characters in a personal way, so they have personal stakes in solving the mystery or stopping the bad guy. In addition, the suspense plot must impact the romance every step of the way, either by throwing the hero and heroine together for protection or sometimes by throwing suspicion on one of them, thus making one lover suspect the other. In a romantic suspense, there are layers of conflict.
HH: What can you tell us about the books you wrote for Silhouette Intimate Moments?
SV: The five books I wrote for SIM were both challenging and great fun. My first IM, DANGEROUS ATTRACTION, was the result of several rejections saying my romantic conflict wasn't strong enough. I took that as a challenge to create the toughest conflict I could. My heroine believed that anyone she got close to would die. That book won two awards for Best First Book. After that I began a series about a fictional government agency, ATSA (Anti-Terrorism Security Agency). GUARDING LAURA was the first in that series, involving a woman who'd witnessed a murder and then disappeared. The second book, CODE NAME: FIANCÉE, moved from Maine to Washington, D.C., to follow the trail of the money from the previous book. BREAKING ALL THE RULES, my Daphne award finalist, features one of my favorite heroes, Simon Byrne, a rebel if there ever was one. And my last book, DEADLY MEMORIES, a Romantic Times Top Pick, took the series to Italy, with a tortured agent and a woman with partial amnesia whose memories hold the key to the bad guy's hideout.
HH: How disciplined are you as a writer?
SV: Never as disciplined as I should be. I generally write for the entire morning, with short breaks to walk the dog and check email. Writing category romance for Silhouette teaches one discipline in writing in another way. I had to adhere to the parameters of word count, of a balance of romance and suspense, and of sensuality. I found more freedom in writing PRIMAL OBSESSION as a full-length novel but what I learned writing shorter books was of immeasurable value.
HH: Where and when do you do your best work?
SV: I write at a computer desk my husband built for me. It has shelves for my research books and printers as well as desktop space--as long as I haven't filled it up with stuff that needs filing. LOL. My best writing is what I achieve first, before I do anything else like email. I think early in the morning, our creative juices are pumping after a night's sleep. It works for me anyway.
HH: What do you do when you get stuck in a story?
SV: I'm in that situation right now. I need another scene for the WIP that brings the internal conflict out. Sometimes I take the dog for a long walk. That seems to free my brain when I'm stuck. Sometimes I consult one of the other writers I critique with. My chapter also has a brainstorming loop, so I can take my problem to that group for ideas.
HH: What goals have you set for yourself at this point in your career?
SV: My goals are to keep publishing both full-length novels and category romances.
HH: To this point, what in your career are you most proud of?
SV: Two things. I'm most proud of all my books. I set out to have a book published. And look, I'm on number six. That blows me away. Second thing I'm proud of is that I've been able to pass on the advice and help given to me as an unpublished writer.
HH: What do you consider a good writing day?
SV: A good writing day is when I've written or revised a scene and made it the best I can. Or when I've broken through whatever barrier has me stuck in a story.
