'Researching The Strip' With KAT MARTIN!!!

Greetings, TLN'ers!!

If the mid-week blues have got you feeling down, you've clicked over to the 'write' spot!! What better way to make your day bright than hanging out with the radiant KAT MARTIN!!

Kat's latest release, AGAINST THE NIGHT, hit book shelves last week and is the fifth book in her AGAINST Series. Kat's dishing up some juicy tidbits about her research trip to the Sunset Strip for hero Johnnie Rigg's story.

Buckle up and hold on tight because Kat's taking us on a trip to the land of sun and vice!!!

Researching "The Strip"

 

For years I wrote historical romance novels.  The time-frame and settings demanded a lot of research.  Now I’m writing mostly Contemporary Romantic suspense and the odd thing is, in a different way, they required just as much research as the historicals. 

For AGAINST THE NIGHT, my latest release, out the end of February, my husband and I headed for Los Angeles.  Of course, having been raised in the San Joaquin Valley about a hundred miles away, I’d spent a lot of time in L.A. and pretty well knew my way around.  But AGAINST THE NIGHT is set on the Sunset Strip, and I wanted to refresh my memory and also learn a little more about the night life on the Strip.

The novel is Johnnie Riggs’ story, the fifth in my AGAINST series, that started with Against the Wind.  Johnnie’s an ex-Army Ranger turn P.I, whose specialty is the underbelly of the city.  He knows the Strip, lives and works in of an apartment that looks out over his domain.  In a place called the Kitty Cat Club where he’s working on assignment, Johnnie first spots Angel Fontaine, a petite blond exotic dancer. 

From the moment he sees her, John Riggs wants her in his bed.  The problem is that Angel Fontaine is really Amy Brewer, a kindergarten teacher from Michigan, a young woman risking her life to find her missing sister, whose job she has taken in the club.

For our research trip, we stayed at the London West Hollywood, a swanky hotel just off the Strip that caters to rock stars, international travelers, and the hip crowd.  A great place for a writer to just sit and do some serious people watching.

My hubby and I went to dinner at a restaurant called Boa our first night in town, kind of an in-spot for the neighborhood.  The next night we walked the Strip.

What a fun experience that turned out to be!  Not only did it help me get a feel for the area, but as we were meandering along, we walked into a large, old-fashioned bookstore, long-established in the area.  I had just hit the New York Times for my second AGAINST book, which my hubby told the booksellers and they were really excited for me.

So excited they insisted we stop by a little offbeat restaurant they said had great Mexican food and they were sure we would love.  We almost didn’t go.  It was getting late and we were leaving for home in the morning.  Then we thought, what the heck?  Let’s go inside and at least say hello.

We were glad we did!  The booksellers had called ahead and the owner was waiting--with a flight of some expensive brand of tequila, which he insisted we drink to celebrate the Times list.  I’m a wine drinker normally, but this just looked like fun and so we tried it and it was amazing.

Then someone came in and brought us a flight of cocoa tequila and peppermint tequila and so we tried those, too.  We were walking not driving, but still... 

I was glad when the food arrived and the booksellers were right--the meal was delicious.  Or maybe everything just tastes wonderful after a few shots of tequila!

I hope you’ll look for AGAINST THE NIGHT and that you enjoy Johnnie and Amy’s story.  After that, AGAINST THE SUN will be out the end of May.  Till then, all best and happy reading, Kat

Research and tequila--now that sounds like my kind of fun!! I'd like to thank Kat for being here today! I appreciate her taking time out of her busy schedule to visit with us. Please join me in wishing Kat a most hearty round of CONGRATULATIONS for making the Times list and for AGAINST THE NIGHT's release!

**Kat has graciously offered up a copy of AGAINST THE NIGHT to one lucky commenter! Yay! Thanks, Kat!!**

If you'd like to know more about Kat Martin's AGAINST Series please click on the following links and read a tasty excerpt.
http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheNightExcerpt1.htm
http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheNightexcerpt2.htm
http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheNightexcerpt3.htm
http://katbooks.com/AgainstheNightexcerpt4.htm
http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheNightexcerpt5.htm

Here are the purchase links should you be in need of some weekend reading!
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/against-the-night-kat-martin/1105027926?ean=9780778313199&itm=1&usri=against+the+night

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Against-Night-Raines-Wind-Canyon/dp/0778313190/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326835326&sr=1-1

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778313199

BOOK TRAILER Link: http://katbooks.com/againstthenight.htm#VIDEO

RT Book Review (March 2012 issue) AGAINST THE NIGHT by Kat Martin Genre: Romantic Suspense, General Romantic Suspense Sensuality: HOT  RT Rating With sleaze, sex and sizzle twisted into a complicated plot with strong characters and nasty villains, and set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s strip clubs, Against the Night will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Here’s an irresistible tough guy with a marshmallow center and the sassiest kindergarten teacher to ever shake her booty wrapped up in a dangerous, action-packed adventure that both know will end in heartbreak. Martin’s fans will be thoroughly satisfied and looking eagerly forward to her next book. Private investigator Johnnie Riggs went to the Kitty Cat Club to catch a bail jumper, not the show, but he’s diverted by Angel Fontaine, who’s just about the sexiest little thing he’s ever seen dancing around a pole. But Angel has a secret: her real name is Amy Brewer, and she’s a kindergarten teacher working undercover to find her missing sister, who was working as a stripper at the club. When Johnnie learns all this, he steps in to offer assistance, which quickly turns into keeping her alive, as the trail leading to Amy’s sister is littered with sleazy rapists and thugs which seems to lead straight to a drug smuggler on the DEA’s hit list. On the way, Johnnie keeps reminding himself that an ex-mercenary with a disreputable past is no kind of life match for a kindergarten teacher — no matter how he feels about her. (MIRA, Mar., 400 pp., $7.99) Reviewed By: Pat Cooper Publisher: MIRA Published: March 2012

Want to keep up with Kat Martin on Facebook? Be sure to LIKE her page and you'll be in the know for all things Kat!
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Martin/322579975013 

THANK YOU, TLN'ers!! Here's wishing you a fabulous weekend!! Pamper yourself with a good read! Take care and we'll see you next week!