Jacki Delecki | Five Reasons Seattle Is a Great Setting for Romantic Suspense

My contemporary romantic mystery series featuring Grayce Walters includes a colorful cast of characters. I carefully developed each one so they would bring something unique to the series. James, Grayce’s cross-dressing best friend, is her faithful sidekick, but he also adds a bit of comic relief to contrast the darker elements of the stories. By-the-book hunky arson investigator Ewan Davis is Grayce’s love interest, but his straight-laced logical nature contradicts Grayce’s intuitive approach to life. Hollie Thomas, Grayce’s feisty, tattooed office assistant, represents today’s younger pop culture element.

Included in the lineup, and just as important as any human character, is Seattle, Washington. In AN INNER FIRE, WOMEN UNDER FIRE, and the latest release in the series, MEN UNDER FIRE, I used specific elements of the city when I was plotting the story and composing scenes. And as I travel through my Pacific Northwest hometown, I continue to find inspiration for the next book in the series.

What makes Seattle a great backdrop for a romantic mystery series? I’m happy to share my top five reasons.

- 1. Seattle’s proximity to Mt. Rainier–58 miles—offers potential for natural disaster scenarios.

-2. As a port city on the border of Canada, Seattle is a logical location for stories that include international intrigue such as smuggling or terrorism.

-3. There are numerous naval bases on the islands surround Seattle. Think military action, submarine subterfuge and heroic service men and women.

-4. Seattle’s weather is notoriously dark and gray and rainy, which is equally good for setting up a cozy romantic interlude or bad guy skulking around.

-5. Seattle is home to several high-tech icons, such as Microsoft and Amazon, which translates into corporate espionage, telecommunications disruptions or worse!

GIVEAWAY

Seattle is my favorite destination for romantic suspense. What’s yours? Comment for a chance to win a digital copy of MEN UNDER FIRE, Book 3 in the Grayce Walters series. Good luck!

About Jacki Delecki

Jacki Delecki is the author of two romantic mystery series, the Regency-era Code Breakers series and contemporary Grayce Walters series. She lives and writes in Seattle, Wash.

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About MEN UNDER FIRE

Hollie Thomas, the feisty, tattooed office assistant to Grayce Walters, has come a long way from living on the streets. Along with finding a job she loves, she’s found friends and safety. When her new life unravels, she faces dangers that dwarf her troubled past. Fighting to survive, she discovers that sometimes what you need the most might be found in the one person you failed to see coming.

Returning home from the war and struggling to find his way, Sergeant Nick Welby, and his bomb-sniffing golden lab, use their skill set in the last place he’d ever imagined—Seattle’s Waterfront. To protect the one woman who matters, Nick and his trusty canine partner will risk everything to rescue her and Seattle from disaster.

Embroiled in Grayce Walters’ most perilous case—a terrorist plot with the threat of deadly explosives—can Nick and Hollie work together to save themselves and each other before it’s too late?