Is it soon apparent in TOUGH JUSTICE who the bad guys are, and the challenge is just finding out how to stop them? Or is part of the mystery uncovering who’s behind it all?
Personally, I like a good mystery, and it seems like most readers feel the same. Makes for a good page-turner. Rather than give too much away up front, I’ve done my best to try and keep readers guessing. So, part of the mystery in this story is figuring out who the bad guys are.
What do you like about writing romantic suspense?
Writing RS allows me to combine elements of my work experience and the interesting (and often quirky!) people I’ve encountered throughout my career, with my love of romance. It seemed like a natural fit for me.
Since you have your other Federal K-9 series, I’m wondering what inspires you to write about K-9 agents specifically?
Honestly, writing K-9 books was not my brainchild. I have to give credit where it’s due. I owe it all to my very first editor, Karen Grove. I’d just finished the last of my NYPD Blue & Gold series, and we were brainstorming over what I should write next. Karen had seen my social media posts, many of which were either about dogs or included pics of my own dogs, so she asked me if I’d ever considered writing a K-9 series. The rest is history. Since then, I’ve done my best to accurately depict K-9s and their handlers, but the K-9 world is a highly specialized subsidiary component of law enforcement that few are privileged to be a part of.
Deck is a DEA K-9 agent and Tori is a doctor. How much, if any, research is involved in a book like this?
Some of the research for this book was easy and quick. Some of it…not so much (understatement!). Having been a federal agent for most of my career, the DEA’s general procedures and protocol weren’t all that different from my own personal experiences on the job. I did, however, reach out to a DEA agent I knew to verify particulars for that agency. On the flip side, the medical research necessary for this story was pretty extensive. I conducted multiple interviews of a NYCFD rescue paramedic, two doctors, including an ER doc, and the head of security at a major Denver hospital. Even after all that, there was a lot of back and forth to get the details just right. I also did extensive online research on opioids, addiction, rehab, and the specific ingredients of the more potent opioid cocktails out there on the street.
The tension seems high in TOUGH JUSTICE. How would you describe the dynamic between Deck and Tori? It appears that they initially have a prickly relationship. Is that because they are so different, or so similar?
The dynamic between Deck and Tori is definitely prickly. They come from completely different backgrounds and have totally different personalities. These differences create the fodder for a lot of mistrust at the beginning of the book and lots of personal drama as these two are forced to work together. Even as they become attracted to each other and their mutual respect and admiration grows, they’re still fighting that attraction. Until the moment they realize it’s a losing battle and the hot sparks of passion ignite a fire that can’t be stopped!
If you could recommend only one of your books to a reader unfamiliar with your work, which would you pick? And why?
Hmm, that depends. If a reader really, really loves books with dogs in them, I’d recommend either LOCK 'N' LOAD or TOUGH JUSTICE, since they’re both a first-in-series. All the books in these series can be read out of order, but most people like to start with book 1 so that they have the opportunity to meet all the heroes of subsequent books early on. If a reader enjoys detective books or small-town stories, I’d say start with BURNOUT, NYPD Blue & Gold, book 1.
A few authors I’ve interviewed in the past have told me that the kind of book they enjoy writing is not the same kind of book they enjoy reading. What do you like to read? Favorite books? Authors?
My absolute fave genre to read or listen to on audio really is romantic suspense. That said, it’s nice to break things up once in a while with a good contemporary, paranormal, or straight up thriller without any romance at all. Bottom line, if the back cover of a book reads well to me, I’ll check it out, even if it’s not what I normally read. Some of my favorite authors include Judith McNaught, Linda Howard, Karen Rose, Karin Slaughter, Tom Clancy…the list goes on and on.
What are you currently working on?
I’m finishing up Fed K-9 book 7 (title tbd), which is Jamie Pataglio’s story. Then I’m jumping right into the sequel to TOUGH JUSTICE - BURNING JUSTICE, which is ATF Special Agent Brett Tanner’s story.
K-9 Special Ops
It should have been a routine investigation. Instead, DEA K-9 agent Adam “Deck” Decker watches in horror as one Denver hospital seems to be Ground Zero for overdoses of a new drug. Now Deck can only hope a certain icy, green-eyed ER doctor will help him and his canine partner track down the deadly source.
Dr. Tori Sampson has her reasons for not trusting federal agents, especially ones working for the DEA. But the rash of overdoses—including a heartbreaking case involving a teen—is alarmingly high. And the new opioid is not only extremely dangerous, it defies all the usual medical treatments. So Tori has a choice: work with the big, brawny, and annoyingly hot DEA agent…or watch more innocent people die.
Tori’s the only person who can help Deck break the case, and they’ll need to trust each other, no matter how high the tension and attraction sizzling between them runs. But with every question answered, they realize there’s something more behind these typical teen overdoses. There’s a pattern here, and a pattern can only suggest one thing. There’s a killer on the loose.
Romance Military | Romance Suspense [Entangled Amara, On Sale: March 29, 2022, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649371430 / eISBN: 9781649371652]
Tee O’Fallon has been a federal agent for twenty-three years, and is now a police investigator, giving her hands-on experience in the field of law enforcement that she combines with her love of romantic suspense. Tee’s job affords her the unique opportunity to work with the heroic men and women in law enforcement on a daily basis. Besides writing, Tee loves cooking, gardening, chocolate, lychee martinis, and all creatures canine.
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