Happy Thursday everyone! We are thrilled to announce that Kiss in the Dark author Lauren Henderson will be joining us next week to discuss her latest work and answer your questions! If you haven't been to her forum yet, check it out now and ask her some questions! In the meantime, here's a letter Lauren wrote to all of you! Enjoy.
Well, hello ladies! (And gentlemen, if there are any out there...)
I’m really looking forward to talking to you all from March 15-19th. By that time I’ll be well into writing Book 4 in the Scarlett Wakefield series, and it’ll be a positive pleasure to take a break every now and then and pop online to meet the people without whom the stories in my head would never go anywhere – the readers. Being a writer basically involves sitting by yourself in a room trying not to watch daytime TV. It’s not exactly sociable. So I love to hear from people who’ve read my books, or might be interested in reading them. Please, bring all your suggestions, comments, questions, criticism (my skin’s fairly thick) and feedback on what you all think of the characters and stories.
One of the most fun parts about writing a mystery series is that the plots have to be strong, and the characters have to be tough and resourceful to cope with all the twists and turns that come their way. I gave my heroine, Scarlett, a background in gymnastics so that she can jump, tumble, and climb her way in and out of trouble when she’s investigating the deaths of the people who keep dropping like flies around her. And her best friend, Taylor, is even more hard-core – she’d probably win a wrestling match with Vin Diesel.
The KISS books are full of action and peril, but they’re also romances. Scarlett Wakefield never kissed a boy till she was sixteen, but she’s been making up for lost time since! Apart from Dan McAndrew, her first kiss, who promptly died straight afterwards (whoops), she’s been dating the gorgeous Jase Barnes, son of the groundskeeper at her school, Wakefield Hall. But in KISSES AND LIES, Scarlett travelled to Scotland and met yet another boy – one whose existence was a huge surprise to her, and one who she was surprised to find herself attracted to. In KISS IN THE DARK, Scarlett’s back at Wakefield Hall, dealing with her relationship with Jase, and about to realise that if she continues dating him, they’ll be walking a very dark path indeed. Lurking secrets from the past will come back to haunt both her and Jase, as they discover how closely their families are linked. And when someone unexpectedly dies, Scarlett will realise that solving the mystery behind that death may rip her and Jase apart…
And of course, family secrets and a possible killer aren’t the only obstacles that face Scarlett. Plum is now at Wakefield Hall, and you can imagine how grumpy Princess Plum can get, cooped up at boarding school without her usual posse. Plum is doing her best to build a robot army of Plum clones, while gunning for Scarlett and Taylor. Meanwhile Taylor’s acting strange, Scarlett’s juggling worrying about her with sneaking out to see Jase, Aunt Gwen is her usual charming self… winter in the countryside is supposed to be dull, but Scarlett isn’t getting a moment’s peace!
It’ll be really cool to be able to chat to you all about the books – and drop hints about Book 4, the final one in the Scarlett series! For more about me, you can visit www.laurenhenderson.net, or find me at MySpace - mslaurenhenderson. I live in London, I’ve written mysteries, romantic comedies, and even a dating guide, many of which have been optioned for TV and film, and on the website you’ll find a lot more info. Including a photo of me doing a handstand in which I am sticking out my ribcage in a way that would have my yoga teacher screaming at me furiously. Tchah.