Today's Special -- Cynthia Eden

It is such a pleasure to welcome author CYNTHIA EDEN to The Romance Dish. Cynthia has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories. And boy can Cynthia create some real-life monsters!! Cynthia’s current romantic suspense series is the Deadly Series. Book 2 in the series, DEADLY HEAT, was released January 25, 2011. Book 3 in the series, DEADLY LIES, will be released March 1, 2011. Buffie has raved about both of these books in her reviews. Please join us in welcoming Cynthia as she talks about …



Facing The Fire


“The fire came at him, fast and hot. The orange flames licked across the floor, climbed the walls, and rolled in hungry waves.”

And so begins my new romantic suspense novel, DEADLY HEAT. As you may have gathered from both the title and the opening line, this book is hot. Okay, not just hot—burning. In DEADLY HEAT, FBI Special Agent Kenton Lake must team up with fire fighter Lora Spade in order to catch an arsonist who is bent on death and destruction.

Writing this book was a research-intensive job. But, since a great deal of my research involved studying fire fighters, the research wasn’t a hardship. Visiting fire stations, talking with fire fighters (yes, I love my job!)—that was the good part. Examining the trucks, touring the facilities, and even attempting to control a blast from a fire hose were all activities that I loved. But the research wasn’t all bright spots and fun. A fire fighter’s job isn’t just action and adventure.

Fire fighters must also face the intense sorrow that comes from losing a team member or not being able to rescue a victim. There are times when fire fighters use the phrase, “DRT,” and there is no mistaking the sorrow in their voices as they explain what can cause an individual to be “Dead Right There.”

As I wrote DEADLY HEAT, I tried to make the life of Lora Spade (my fire fighter heroine) as realistic as I could. Lora faces the fire day in and day out, and, like her real-life counterparts, she learns to battle the blaze and the sorrow that it can bring.

I picked up a bit of fire fighter lingo that I used in my DEADLY HEAT, and I thought I’d share a couple of quick fire fighter terms with you (some jargon and slang). :-)

Here we go:

Smoke eaters = fire fighters

CHAOS = Chief Has Arrived On Scene (Alert!)

Bus = Ambulance

Code Four Up Front = Yes, um, I was told this was used when an attractive lady was in the building.

Fire Triangle = Oxygen, heat, and fuel (you need these all for fire)

FTD = Fixin’ To Die

The Bird = Life Flight (emergency air transport)

Fire junkie = Arsonist

I learned a great deal during the course of this book. My son and I now routinely practice fire drills—a practice that I highly encourage everyone to do. Better to be prepared! (And, in my case, a bit obsessive!)

Now I’ll confess. I’ve always thought firefighters were—well—hot. (Yes, I said it again!) Maybe it’s the whole uniform and risking-death bit, but I do enjoy the sight of a male firefighter in his full gear.

What about you? Do the heroes in uniform appeal to you?
Thanks for checking out my post!

One commenter will win a copy of DEADLY HEAT.

DEADLY HEAT--Available now from Grand Central (Forever)

DEADLY LIES--Available 3/1/11 from Grand Central (Forever)

~ Buffie