Reviews

Terri Reed here.  I'm racing toward a deadline and coming up for air.  This weekend I received a google alert on my name.  When I clicked on the link I found a review of my upcoming May book, Scent of Danger, on a legal news site.  Very interesting place to find a mention of my book!
 http://legalpronews.findlaw.com/article/0aDS9G5fyz0Hh?q=crime+OR+criminal+OR+arrested
From there you have to click on the link to the full article at Fresh Fiction.  The reviewer, Clare O'Beara gave Scent of Danger a favorable review!  For those of you who aren't familiar with Fresh Fiction, its a book review site of popular genre fiction.  I highly recommend stopping in to check out the site.

Which reminds me,  Romantic Times Magazine recently reviewed this book as well.

Here it is:

SCENT OF DANGER
by Terri Reed

Genre: Series, Love Inspired Suspense, Current Series Imprints

RT Rating

SCENT OF DANGER (4.5) by Terri Reed: Detective Melody Zachary is shocked to find an intruder in her office at the local youth center where she volunteers. Melody does not believe that the break-in is coincidental, but instead related to the unsolved death of her nephew, Daniel. Then, Detective Parker Adams appears, investigating rumors of drug deals at the center. Meanwhile, local crime lord “The Boss” is still at large, seeking the mysterious “code.” Are the center, and Daniel, linked to the “code”? Can Parker help Melody — and keep her alive? This fast-paced tale, punctuated with determined characters who tie in nicely with the other books, continues the collaborative Texas K-9 Unit series.(Reviewed by:  Leslie McKee)

Speaking of reviews, what do you all think of reviews?
Do reviews influence your book buying?
Personally, I try not to let reviews influence my enjoyment or displeasure in a book.  Or a movie, for that matter.  As a writer reviews are part of the business.  I am happy when someone likes my book enough to give it a favorable review and I shrug off the unfavorable.  Reviews are out of my control.  And if we all liked the same type of story or movie, there wouldn't be much variety.  I like variety.
What about you?

What Scares You as Conflict

Terri Reed here.  I'm going to piggy back on Margaret's post from yesterday and tackle it from the writing aspect.  The question Margaret posed, What Scares You, is one I ask my characters when I'm first developing them.  A dear friend taught me the onion method.  Sounds stinky right, but its great.  You ask this question of the character.  The first answer is very superficial and benign.  Guys might say, nothing or something that relates to their job, like a cop saying shooting an innocent bystander.  Women might say something like, snakes! (my answer!) or the answer will be more relational such as someone hurting someone they love.  This outer layer of the onion, if you will.   You ask again.  Okay the next answer might have a bit more substance, be a bit more personal, but still only the second layer.  You keep asking the question, peeling away the layers until you find the heart of what scares the character, which is usually a deep seated psychological fear.   This fear is not rational, even though it might be easily understood, i.e.: abandonment, betrayal, unlovable, unworthy.   This fear usually stems from some wound the character has experienced in their past, most often in childhood or in a previous relationship.  In a romance, that fear is the crux of the conflict between the hero and heroine.

In my upcoming March Love Inspired Suspense, The Cowboy Target, the hero, Wyatt Monroe is a widower who's trust and heart were hurt by not only his deceased wife, but by his mother, as well.  He fears trusting his heart to any woman again.  So every interaction with the heroine, Jackie Blain is tainted by this distrust to the point where he is willing to let her walk away rather than let God heal his heart and risking trusting again.
To see how they worked out their conflict, you'll have to read the book!  (Jackie has her fair share as well--it wouldn't be a good romance without lots of conflict :-)

"Reed's fast paced action will keep readers wondering who and why in this quick enjoyable read." Romantic Times Magazine 4 stars