Meet Lynda Kaye Frazier

Today I’m happy to introduce you to Lynda Kaye Frazier. I met her through the great group Authors Helping Authors. She is very supportive of her fellow authors.

Welcome, Lynda. Please tell us about yourself.

Well I’m an avid reader of romantic suspense and started writing about a year ago after a vivid dream. I know, sounds cliché, but that’s how it started. I work full time at a Cardiology clinic, then at night you will find me in front of my computer writing. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but now live in Arkansas, surrounded by the Ozark Mountains where I get to enjoy the four seasons without a long, cold winter. Other than spending time with my wonderful family, my favorite things to do are writing, reading and listening to music, but my most favorite is going to the beach. Surf, sand and a good book, my stress relief.

Where can readers find you? 

blog: http://lyndafrazier.blogspot.com

website: www.lyndakayefrazier.com

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynda-Kaye-Frazier/189048967838229

Twitter- @lynda_kaye

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009L7TK04

Publisher:  www.blackopalbooks.com

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I never thought about writing a book until I had a dream about a troubled girl, walking on the beach trying to find answers. It was so vivid that I got up and write it down. That’s how my first book started.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I wrote my first full length novel in two months. But it took several more to perfect it for publishers. Writing the story is the easy part. Perfecting it takes the most time but it is time well spent.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I have a day job so my only time to write is in the evening. Usually after 7pm you will find me in front of my computer, writing or answering e-mails

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

From dreams, thoughts and sometimes through people watching. I love to sit in a coffee shop and just watch other customers. I work out a story to their actions. It’s a lot of fun as long as they don’t see you and think you’re a stalker.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Love to watch movies and listen to music.

What does your family think of your writing?

My family is my biggest support system. When I was discouraged they pushed me forward. I wouldn’t be here without them

How many books have you written?

I have two short stories and one full length novel complete. I have to say my novel is my favorite. All the characters I love are there.

What do you think makes a good story?

Plot. It has to be deep, capture me from the beginning and hold my interest. I read every day and I read all genres. My favorite is romantic suspense but as long as it has a good plot/story line I will read it. I have read quite a few that had very little plot and did not keep my interest.

What is the best part of writing for you?

Watching my characters come to life on paper. Their personalities open up and bonds form. They become part of my life until I finish their story.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

I enjoy how relaxing it is. I lose the stress of the day as my fingers fly across the keyboard.

What do you enjoy most about life?

I work in an office where patients deal with serious health issues every day so it humbles you to where you value the simple things. Every moment you get with your family and how beautiful the sunsets are each night.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?

I just start typing and let the story unfold. My characters have in the most part, wrote their own story. It makes writing a story pretty easy. I have tried outlines and plotting but I never stay on course so I just stopped doing it. I do a lot of research because I write about suspense, terrorists and Agents lives. I want to make sure my story is believable with what I write. Being in the medical field I find it hard to watch a tearful moment in a movie where the main character is near death when they have their ventilator tube taped near their ear. Kind of makes you lose the moment when the scene is not believable.

What did you learn from writing your first book?

I learned that writing the book is the easy part. Making it a book worth publishing is the hard part, but most important part. I had no idea how to write when I finished my story and found out quickly after I sent it through a few critiques. I was humbled and forged ahead with workshops and classes on basic grammar and punctuation, something that is so important to making a book a success.

How many hours a day to you spend writing?

Not as many as I would like. E-mails and marketing are taking up a lot of my time but I still try to get a couple hours a day in.

If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?

Pay more attention during English class in high school.

Are your stories driven by plot or character?

Both. I have a character and an idea for a plot and between the two the story unfolds.

How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?

It’s not easy. My children are grown so I don’t have little ones around but everyday life can get in the way and steal your writing time. I set aside computer time every day. Normally in the evening since I have a day job. Now I just have to be disciplined enough to stay off of time stealers like Facebook, Twitter and any other social site so I can spend my time writing. Some days it’s easier than others.

What are some jobs you've done that would end up in a book?

I’m in the medical field so my contemporary story is about a cancer patient. I have also been a bartender during college, I see that one in there also.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

I only have one so this is an easy question. My first one, Rescued from the Dark. You will get introduced to the most wonderful group of eight men who will go out of their way to right the wrong in your world.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

The need for more. I mark on my calendar when the next book comes out from one of my favorite authors. I want someone to mark on their calendar when my next book will be out.

What two authors would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?

Cindy Gerard and Suzanne Brockman.  Love both them.

Tell us about your latest book.

Rescued from the Dark is a Romantic Suspense. This is a story about an FBI agent, Jason Michaels who goes undercover with the Irish Mob to get information on their gun smuggling ring. While on assignment he realizes they have joined forces with a known terrorist group manufacturing drugs. He searches for information to tie the two together when he finds out they have kidnapped a fellow agent and the only girl he has ever loved, Mercedes Kingsley. Jason soon realizes they’re using Mercy to perfect their dosage and that his cover has been blown. He knows he has to save her so takes off on a journey that will take him up against his enemies, peers and the Agency that he loves, but willing to give up, to save his country and bring Mercy back to him.

I don’t think it crosses over to any other genres. Strictly suspense with a little intrigue and romance thrown in.

Rescued from the Dark published through Black Opal Books, release date February 16, 2013

Blurb:

She has no memory of their love...

Kidnapped by terrorists and sent into a drug-induced coma, FBI intern Mercedes Kingsley awakes with no memory of her ordeal—or the intimate interlude that left her pregnant. Convinced her child was fathered by her ex-fiancé, she walks away from the only man she has ever loved, determined to make things work with her ex, a man the FBI suspects is implicated in her abduction.

He knows the truth, but no one will listen...

FBI undercover agent Jason Michaels remembers what Mercy can’t and those memories are breaking his heart. Forced to keep his distance from his lover and their unborn child, Jason risks his life to protect Mercy from a cell of international terrorists who have vowed to get the secrets locked in her memory, no matter the cost. Can Jason convince Mercy to trust him until she remembers their past, or will he lose her to a man who will trap her in a nightmare world of darkness from which there is no escape?

EXCERPT:

A

n explosion ricocheted behind Jason Michael’s eyes as the pressure mounted in his head. The rush of panic consumed him. He struggled to move, tried to swallow, but nothing. His throat burned as the flames engulfed his lungs. He needed to breathe but couldn’t. Shit. He strained to make out the muffled voice, but the pounding in his ears erased all hope. His head started to spin and he succumbed to the realization, this was it, the end. He won. The flames dampened and his heartbeat slowed as the drums subsided, then the voice became clear.

     “Give it to him now you son of a bitch. What were you thinking? We still need him.”

     In a split second, Jason sucked in a breath, causing stabbing pains to shoot through his chest. Every muscle fiber burned as the cold blast of air shot through his lungs releasing the oxygen his body craved. He arched his back, raising his chest up to pull in more air when his head snapped to the side and the crack from his neck echoed in his ears. The pain ripped through his jaw, racing across his cheekbone. Before he could gather his senses, intense burning set his face on fire. What the hell?

     The slap against his cheek stung, and his eyes snapped open. He wrenched upright, hitting his head on the roof of the SUV. His gaze darted back and forth looking for something familiar until he locked onto the ice-cold stare of the devil himself, Shaun Flanagan.

     Damn, that was close. Jason could not blow his cover, even if it meant he would die as David Logan and not Jason Michaels.

      “You’re finally awake, my boy. We almost lost you,” Shaun cold, emotionless laugh caused Jason’s blood to boil. “You stopped breathing, I think. It’s hard to tell with this new stuff. I hope you’re not too injured. We’ve got work to do.”

      Jason’s vision blurred, but his other senses were sharp. Shaun had known exactly what the drug would do and the burn in Jason’s throat was a harsh reminder. Shaun’s sarcastic tone spoke volumes to him. He was evil and did not play by anyone’s rules but his own. Jason had spent the last two months undercover, playing their games and doing their dirty work to buddy up tight to this family. He’d earned his spot with Thomas Flanagan, but his son Shaun had issues trusting anyone, even his own father.

     Jason’s anger burned inside of him, but he couldn’t afford to make mistakes, not now. He was too close. It’s time to step it up, but first the drugs had to stop. He rubbed his aching jaw with one hand, clenching his other into a fist to hide his visible shaking. He had to get control of this game before he lost everything.

Rescued From the Dark is available at Amazon.

Lynda, thanks so much for being here today.