Stop by her website for more information about Nancy, her books, and social media links.
Welcome, Nancy! Congratulations on the upcoming release of
The Deathbrew Affair, the first book in your new Lethal Webs series. Please tell our readers what they can expect
from this series.
Thanks for having me, PJ.
The series mixes intense action, suspense, and hot romance. Many
successful romantic suspense series are built on that combination, but having
one couple’s romance evolve over the course of several books, as Casey and Jack’s
does, is less common. Some authors are doing that but not many.
I’ve read a lot of mystery series that have the two lead
characters’ romance evolving through subplots as the series continues. This is
not that. In the Lethal Webs books, the romance is every bit as important as
the action-adventure elements. I’m curious to see how people will react to that—and
to Casey’s first-person, snarky voice.
They both broke out of boxes set for them at birth. Jack is an earl but always wanted more than the
parties and clubs and charity functions that were his family’s world. He yearned to make a hands-on difference, to
take the advantages his birth gave him and do something good with them. Casey was very young when she vowed to escape
the mill town where she grew up, where almost everyone married just out of high
school and went to work in the mill, as their parents had before them. The mill
owner’s abuse of his power ignited in her a fierce resolve to stop anyone who
would misuse power to the detriment of others.
That refusal to conform is something they recognize in each
other, though not consciously at first. At the root of things, they share an
ardent desire to see the bad guys brought down, to see justice done. And each
of them secretly admires, just a little bit, the qualities in the other that
they find annoying.
This first book is set in the UK. Will the others be set there
as well or will Casey and Jack be globe-trotting in future adventures?
There’s a little globe-trotting. The novels are mostly set in the UK, with
occasional scenes set in other countries.
For example, the second book opens with Casey on a raid in France. Then
the action moves to England and stays there. A couple of the novellas, though,
will have a more international focus, and the last book will be mostly set in Casey’s
(and my) native North Carolina.
The Deathbrew Affair has a 007 vibe, if Bond had a female
American agent partner. Are you a fan of the franchise? Who is your favorite
James Bond?
I love the Bond movies, as it happens, and I always enjoy
the opening action sequences. My
favorite Bond is Pierce Brosnan. Each of
the others has his strengths and does a good job, but I really liked
Brosnan. In second place would be
Timothy Dalton.
As I read this book, I kept visualizing it playing out on
the big screen. If given the opportunity, who would you cast in the roles of
Casey and Jack?
Why, thank you! I would cast Missy Peregrym of Rookie Blue as Casey and Richard
Armitage (in his MI-5 look, not his
Thorin Oakenshield one) as Jack.
The Deathbrew Affair is packed with non-stop action and
suspense (which I loved!). To what authors do you turn when you want a
rollercoaster read?
Thanks, PJ. I obviously love those elements, too. You can’t go wrong with the Romance Bandits,
several of whom write mysteries and suspense. Jon Land’s series about
fifth-generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong is a must-buy. I also instantly grab J.D. Robb’s In Death
series, Elle Kennedy’s Killer Instincts books, David Baldacci’s John Puller,
Will Robie, or King & Maxwell series, and anything by Karen Rose, Cindy
Gerard, Laura Griffin, or Nichole Christoff.
What is the timetable for future Lethal Webs books?
That’s not firmly set
yet, as I’m juggling several series. The
next book, The Runway Murder Affair, should
be out this year, with the third book, The
Deadly Cargo Affair, coming early next year. After that comes the first novella, The Christmas Village Affair. Since that will definitely miss Christmas,
I’m hoping to have it out by Valentine’s Day, but we’ll see.
Rapid-fire Q&A:
Favorite place to
read?
It’s a toss-up between the couch in my study or in bed.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs. Always. I’m allergic to cats, alas.
Pumpkin Spice or
Apple?
Apple. You just can’t
beat good apple anything.
Favorite place to
vacation?
England.
Where can readers find you online?
Twitter:
@NancyNorthcott
What’s next?
Nemesis, the next
Light Mage Wars book, is about half done and begging to be finished. I’m also
working on Christmas on Outcast Station,
a collaboration with Jeanne Adams. Then will be The Runway Murder Affair.
Sounds like a lot of good reads on the horizon. Thanks for visiting with us today, Nancy. Is there anything
you’d like to add?
Thank you for having me, PJ.
The only thing I want to add is that I’m having a blast writing these
books, and I hope readers will enjoy them, too.
Would you like to ask our readers a question?
Sure. Who’s your
favorite spy in books or movies? Have ever read other action-adventure series
that place equal emphasis on the romance?
One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment before 11:00 PM, September 29 will receive a signed copy of The Deathbrew Affair.
One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment before 11:00 PM, September 29 will receive a signed copy of The Deathbrew Affair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE DEATHBREW AFFAIR: LETHAL WEBS # 1
September
30, 2017
HE’S THE KING OF CONTROL FREAKS.
I’M THE QUEEN OF WINGING IT.
TOGETHER WE’LL SAVE THE WORLD...
UNLESS WE KILL EACH OTHER FIRST.
I’m Casey Billings, an
American operative in the London office of a covert, multinational agency. I’m
working with an MI5 officer, Jack, Lord Bainbridge, to bring down a
bioterrorist who plans to unleash a pandemic. We’re posing as newlyweds to
infiltrate the community that’s a cover for the bioweapons operation.
Unfortunately, we don’t play well together, and not only because of Jack’s
distracting, off-the- scales hotness.
I grew up poor in a mill
town, and he’s an aristocrat with more money than a third-world country.
Besides that, I fly by the seat of my pants while Jack lives by his plans for
every contingency and takes charge of everything. Including me. Or so he
thinks.
Basically, we’d like to
strangle each other. But we have a pandemic to stop first.
Then all bets are off.
#
You can read the first
chapter here:
