~Spotlight~
Author
Vickie McKeehan
Author Info
Vickie loves to write and enjoys getting two people together where she mixes in a good mystery or suspense guaranteed to challenge the budding relationship between the two main characters.
Her female leads are usually strong-willed, independent women and definitely not the kind who sit around whimpering, waiting for someone to rescue them. Not only that, when you read one of Vickie's books, you'll get a happy ending.
In her spare time, Vickie loves the outdoors, loves to play video games, and enjoys watching football with the hubby. If you've ever read any of her books, you know she's a die-hard Raider fan, which means she has the patience of Job.
She lives for chocolate, but then who doesn't? She'll kiss for a cup of coffee in the morning. She's convinced the best food on earth is French fries. And she could easily be a vegetarian if not for bacon.
Check out her website: http://www.vickiemckeehan.com/
Visit her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickieMcKeehan
Follow her on Twitter: @vickiemckeehan
Book Blurb/s & Info
Just Evil by Vickie McKeehan
December 2012; ASIN: B006HVKPV0; $3.99 Ebook
Romanitc Suspense; 410 pp; Self-published
Just Evil, the first book in The Evil Secrets Trilogy, focuses on Kit Griffin, the daughter of former actress Alana Stevens, who was a cold and abusive mother. Kit has moved forward with her life, but when Alana is brutally murdered on Mother’s Day, Kit’s life comes to a screeching halt when the police focus their investigation on Kit.
An old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teenager, Jake Boston helps Kit through the investigation. Jake knows about murder investigations, as he was the prime suspect in his wife’s murder two years earlier. Despite his past, Jake’s determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there's a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind.
Forced to delve into Alana's dark past, Jake and Kit uncover a forty-year-old double murder leading them straight to the door of a legal dynasty. Soon they find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried.
Promise Cove, the first in the Pelican Pointe series, is about Jordan Philips, whose husband died while serving his country in Iraq a year ago. Despite this tragedy, Jordan must finish the remodeling of her house turning it into a successful B&B before her house goes into foreclosure or she and her fifteen-month old daughter will lose their home. So when a stranger comes offering to help her remodel the house, she takes him up on his offer.
Nick Harris has had a hard time getting back into civilian life after losing his best friend, Scott Philips, in Iraq. After recovering from the wounds he got when an IED went off, Nick has come to Pelican Pointe to explain to Jordan what happened to Scott. Nick never expects to get drawn into Jordan’s life or to hide his connection to her husband from her.
As Nick and Jordan work together to fix the house into a beautiful B&B before the deadline, they start to connect and must deal with their growing feelings. Nick and Jordan must find a way to get Scott out from between them if their relationship is to survive and thrive.
An old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teenager, Jake Boston helps Kit through the investigation. Jake knows about murder investigations, as he was the prime suspect in his wife’s murder two years earlier. Despite his past, Jake’s determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there's a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind.
Forced to delve into Alana's dark past, Jake and Kit uncover a forty-year-old double murder leading them straight to the door of a legal dynasty. Soon they find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried.
Promise Cove by Vickie McKeehan
December 2011; ASIN: B006IGCAGC; $3.99 Ebook
Contemporary Romance; 352 pp; Self-published
December 2011; ASIN: B006IGCAGC; $3.99 Ebook
Contemporary Romance; 352 pp; Self-published
Promise Cove, the first in the Pelican Pointe series, is about Jordan Philips, whose husband died while serving his country in Iraq a year ago. Despite this tragedy, Jordan must finish the remodeling of her house turning it into a successful B&B before her house goes into foreclosure or she and her fifteen-month old daughter will lose their home. So when a stranger comes offering to help her remodel the house, she takes him up on his offer.
Nick Harris has had a hard time getting back into civilian life after losing his best friend, Scott Philips, in Iraq. After recovering from the wounds he got when an IED went off, Nick has come to Pelican Pointe to explain to Jordan what happened to Scott. Nick never expects to get drawn into Jordan’s life or to hide his connection to her husband from her.
As Nick and Jordan work together to fix the house into a beautiful B&B before the deadline, they start to connect and must deal with their growing feelings. Nick and Jordan must find a way to get Scott out from between them if their relationship is to survive and thrive.
Goodreads
Sex
Ah, now see, I figured that would get your attention.
Now that I have it, I want to talk about the art of leading up to sex, that period of time when two characters first meet and want to rip each other’s clothes off.
But not so fast.
For me, I like buildup. It’s a personal preference. I like a backstory that lets me in on the characters. What they say to each other is important to me. How they feel about each other is a major bonus. That way when I get them to the point where they fall into hot and sweaty sex it “feels” like I’ve rooted for them and it’s happening.
Call me old-fashioned but I love taking two people who might not even like each other when they first meet and blending them into a couple, slowly, over time. I’m hoping I offer my readers more than the sex. First, my goal is to entertain you with a good story, a plot that draws you in. If I give you strong characters to either love, hate, or tolerate, if I give you a touch of mystery, then I’m doing my job.
So when I get two people together it isn’t just about the sex. They have things they need to get done. Sure, it’s about attraction, that dynamic when you first see someone that catches the eye and the juices flow. You want to strip or rip the other out of their clothes in record time. But let’s face it, my couples are usually dealing with some heavy issues that may not allow them to jump in the sack by page twenty-nine.
That’s just the way I roll. Remember that scene in the movie Bull Durham where the coach jogs out to the pitcher’s mound to break up the players' conference and says, “What the hell's going on out here?” The catcher, Crash Davis, which is Kevin Costner, replies, “Well, Nuke's scared because his eyelids are jammed and his old man's here. We need a live...is it a live rooster? We need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose's glove and nobody seems to know what to get Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present.” Crash Davis pauses to look at each player for confirmation before he adds, “Is that about right?” When the players all nod Crash Davis delivers his line, “We're dealing with a lot of s**t here.”
My characters deal with a lot of stuff. It isn’t a formula. I can’t predict when Cord and Keegan are going to fall into bed any more than I can Dylan and Baylee. Not exactly anyway. J Because each couple is different. Every couple presents a new set of challenges in their relationship.
Over the course of 90,000+ words there’s hopefully a lot to keep you entertained all the while I’ve got Kit and Jake or whoever heading to an explosive bedroom scene. Or in the case of Ethan and Hayden in Hidden Moon Bay it’s sex on a rocky shore of Promise Cove. I happen to enjoy the buildup, the byplay, the foreplay, the climatic event. Hence the personal preference. That’s why I write it. Having said all of that, if I’m doing my job, I’m hoping to show you why these two people fall into bed and then eventually fall for each other enough to spend their futures together in spite of their dissimilarities and issues. I won’t make it easy for my main characters. But what I promise I’ll do is take you through their relationship. If I fail at that, I’m not doing my job. And I really, really like what I do. But like anyone I have my good days. I have my bad days. Some of my story ideas have been in the works for years. I have characters sitting around in my head that I’ve developed over time. Unlike what some people think, I don’t crank them out at the speed of light.
But having said all that, when you do enjoy my work and let me know by leaving a post on Facebook or a review, you really do make my day.
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”― Charles M. Schulz
Because it pretty much sums up my entire philosophy about life and it mentions chocolate.
What is your favorite place in the entire world?
First choice, Big Sur but anywhere along the California coast and I’m a happy camper.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I had an excellent middle school English teacher named Mrs. Brown. Somehow the woman saw potential in me unlike many of my other teachers. Mrs. Brown encouraged me to write. As a result, I won a writing contest with one of my stories. It was the first time anyone patted my head to tell me it was okay to make stuff up. And from there, I guess, I thought that was pretty cool.
What inspires you to write and why?
It’s all the different voices and characters living inside my head trying to get out.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
Romantic suspense
What inspired you to write your first book?
Again, I’d say characters that simply refused to go away. You dream about them in vivid color until you have to get up in the middle of the night, turn on the laptop, and write what they tell you to write.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
Hmm, I’d have to say the people who read my first rough drafts, and then said something like, “THIS was inside you all this time. Why didn’t I know this about you?”
Who or what influenced your writing over the years?
It’s the readers who choose to buy my books. And initially, the people who read The Evil Trilogy and contact me about what the stories meant to them. THEY kept me writing.
What made you want to be a writer?
My mother told stories. Even though she only had an eighth grade education and didn’t write anything down, she could entertain me for hours. She would take down a photo album and make up stories to go with each picture. Now this didn’t happen every day. That’s what made it special. It would usually be on a Saturday when she didn’t work or whenever it rained and I couldn’t go outside to play. As I got older, I noticed her stories would change. That’s when I knew she was making stuff up as she went. She was fairly brilliant at it.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
Most challenging thing is staying focused, trying to maintain a level of discipline when life is going on around me at a fast clip and I have to shut everything out in order to get the job done. When, not if, life intervenes, because it always does, I find it difficult to get back to the story.
Have you developed a specific writing style?
Yes, I have a specific writing style. Getting all my characters involved is the true goal because I don’t want my stories one dimensional. I give you different points of view so that the reader gets an up close and personal angle from each character. When I pick up a book, I want something more than fluff. I want an in-depth story. I want characters that pop off the page.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
I’ve been told my characters are so in-depth that they feel like real people. And I find that a rewarding compliment.
Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I don’t call it writer’s block. I tend to go with a more upbeat description. If I can’t nail a scene, I simply do my best to move on to one where I can.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Promise Cove is the first book in the Pelican Pointe series. I’ve added three more, Hidden Moon Bay, Dancing Tides and most recently, Lighthouse Reef. The series is about this little town on the coast of California, the hometown of a soldier, Scott Phillips, who didn’t make it back from the war. Scott plays a role in each book as he tries to help the newcomers settle into the town he loves, even when the new arrivals aren’t 100% certain they want to be there.
Can you tell us about your main character?
Nick Harris is an ex-solider, Scott’s buddy. Nick is battling survivor’s guilt. He comes to Pelican Pointe to fulfill a promise, to finally sit down with Scott’s wife and explain a few things to her. Nick has no intentions of staying in what he considers a backwater little town. But when he sees how much Jordan is struggling with a toddler, with trying to turn an old house into a bed and breakfast, Nick finds he can’t possibly leave her with those kinds of uphill battles to deal with alone.
Why did you choose to write this particular book?
Believe it or not, it started out as a screenplay for the Hallmark Channel. Friends who read it, encouraged me to turn it into a book.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Scott Phillips, the soldier who loved his hometown and country so much he gave his life for both. Since Scott is now the resident ghost of Promise Cove and the town, as the series progresses you’ll find out much more about that soldier’s past in Pelican Pointe.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
That I could write an effective tear-jerker. Keep Kleenex handy. That’s my warning. ~smiles~
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
If there’s a message in Promise Cove, I suppose it is that military families make incredible sacrifices. Those sacrifices are sometimes the highest, heart-wrenching a person can make.
Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot?
I always put something of myself into my work, in every book I write I’m there within the pages. I learned that in creative writing class. If you know me well, you’ll recognize a quirk or two. J
How important do you think villains are in a story?
In my opinion, a good villain makes the plot pop.
What are your goals as a writer?
To tell a good story.
Can we expect any more books from you in the future?
I always plan for three a year. But I’ll be happy with two.
Have you started another book yet?
I always have a book in the works. I’m trying to put together an outline for another Evil Secrets book where it picks up two years after Ending Evil.
What are your current writing projects now?
Other than adding a book after Ending Evil, I’m working getting ready Starlight Dunes, the 5th Pelican Pointe novel comes out in December 2013. After that, The Box of Bones, the 3nd book in the Skye Cree series is due out in March.
If you could leave your readers with one bit of wisdom, what would you want it to be?
Read. Read. Read. You’ll escape to places you could never actually go to in real life. It’s the least expensive way to take an adventure into another era, another character’s mind, another writer’s plot. And how cool is that?
Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers?
To readers, I appreciate your buying and taking the time to read my books. I appreciate it when you leave a review or take the time to message me. After all, without you, I’d still be writing for myself. So thank you for spending your dollars on my work.
When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?
I made people laugh. I made people cry. And I always left them with a happy ending.
Guest Post
Sex
Ah, now see, I figured that would get your attention.
Now that I have it, I want to talk about the art of leading up to sex, that period of time when two characters first meet and want to rip each other’s clothes off.
But not so fast.
For me, I like buildup. It’s a personal preference. I like a backstory that lets me in on the characters. What they say to each other is important to me. How they feel about each other is a major bonus. That way when I get them to the point where they fall into hot and sweaty sex it “feels” like I’ve rooted for them and it’s happening.
Call me old-fashioned but I love taking two people who might not even like each other when they first meet and blending them into a couple, slowly, over time. I’m hoping I offer my readers more than the sex. First, my goal is to entertain you with a good story, a plot that draws you in. If I give you strong characters to either love, hate, or tolerate, if I give you a touch of mystery, then I’m doing my job.
So when I get two people together it isn’t just about the sex. They have things they need to get done. Sure, it’s about attraction, that dynamic when you first see someone that catches the eye and the juices flow. You want to strip or rip the other out of their clothes in record time. But let’s face it, my couples are usually dealing with some heavy issues that may not allow them to jump in the sack by page twenty-nine.
That’s just the way I roll. Remember that scene in the movie Bull Durham where the coach jogs out to the pitcher’s mound to break up the players' conference and says, “What the hell's going on out here?” The catcher, Crash Davis, which is Kevin Costner, replies, “Well, Nuke's scared because his eyelids are jammed and his old man's here. We need a live...is it a live rooster? We need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose's glove and nobody seems to know what to get Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present.” Crash Davis pauses to look at each player for confirmation before he adds, “Is that about right?” When the players all nod Crash Davis delivers his line, “We're dealing with a lot of s**t here.”
My characters deal with a lot of stuff. It isn’t a formula. I can’t predict when Cord and Keegan are going to fall into bed any more than I can Dylan and Baylee. Not exactly anyway. J Because each couple is different. Every couple presents a new set of challenges in their relationship.
Over the course of 90,000+ words there’s hopefully a lot to keep you entertained all the while I’ve got Kit and Jake or whoever heading to an explosive bedroom scene. Or in the case of Ethan and Hayden in Hidden Moon Bay it’s sex on a rocky shore of Promise Cove. I happen to enjoy the buildup, the byplay, the foreplay, the climatic event. Hence the personal preference. That’s why I write it. Having said all of that, if I’m doing my job, I’m hoping to show you why these two people fall into bed and then eventually fall for each other enough to spend their futures together in spite of their dissimilarities and issues. I won’t make it easy for my main characters. But what I promise I’ll do is take you through their relationship. If I fail at that, I’m not doing my job. And I really, really like what I do. But like anyone I have my good days. I have my bad days. Some of my story ideas have been in the works for years. I have characters sitting around in my head that I’ve developed over time. Unlike what some people think, I don’t crank them out at the speed of light.
But having said all that, when you do enjoy my work and let me know by leaving a post on Facebook or a review, you really do make my day.
Interview
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”― Charles M. Schulz
Because it pretty much sums up my entire philosophy about life and it mentions chocolate.
What is your favorite place in the entire world?
First choice, Big Sur but anywhere along the California coast and I’m a happy camper.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I had an excellent middle school English teacher named Mrs. Brown. Somehow the woman saw potential in me unlike many of my other teachers. Mrs. Brown encouraged me to write. As a result, I won a writing contest with one of my stories. It was the first time anyone patted my head to tell me it was okay to make stuff up. And from there, I guess, I thought that was pretty cool.
What inspires you to write and why?
It’s all the different voices and characters living inside my head trying to get out.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
Romantic suspense
What inspired you to write your first book?
Again, I’d say characters that simply refused to go away. You dream about them in vivid color until you have to get up in the middle of the night, turn on the laptop, and write what they tell you to write.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
Hmm, I’d have to say the people who read my first rough drafts, and then said something like, “THIS was inside you all this time. Why didn’t I know this about you?”
Who or what influenced your writing over the years?
It’s the readers who choose to buy my books. And initially, the people who read The Evil Trilogy and contact me about what the stories meant to them. THEY kept me writing.
What made you want to be a writer?
My mother told stories. Even though she only had an eighth grade education and didn’t write anything down, she could entertain me for hours. She would take down a photo album and make up stories to go with each picture. Now this didn’t happen every day. That’s what made it special. It would usually be on a Saturday when she didn’t work or whenever it rained and I couldn’t go outside to play. As I got older, I noticed her stories would change. That’s when I knew she was making stuff up as she went. She was fairly brilliant at it.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
Most challenging thing is staying focused, trying to maintain a level of discipline when life is going on around me at a fast clip and I have to shut everything out in order to get the job done. When, not if, life intervenes, because it always does, I find it difficult to get back to the story.
Have you developed a specific writing style?
Yes, I have a specific writing style. Getting all my characters involved is the true goal because I don’t want my stories one dimensional. I give you different points of view so that the reader gets an up close and personal angle from each character. When I pick up a book, I want something more than fluff. I want an in-depth story. I want characters that pop off the page.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
I’ve been told my characters are so in-depth that they feel like real people. And I find that a rewarding compliment.
Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I don’t call it writer’s block. I tend to go with a more upbeat description. If I can’t nail a scene, I simply do my best to move on to one where I can.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Promise Cove is the first book in the Pelican Pointe series. I’ve added three more, Hidden Moon Bay, Dancing Tides and most recently, Lighthouse Reef. The series is about this little town on the coast of California, the hometown of a soldier, Scott Phillips, who didn’t make it back from the war. Scott plays a role in each book as he tries to help the newcomers settle into the town he loves, even when the new arrivals aren’t 100% certain they want to be there.
Can you tell us about your main character?
Nick Harris is an ex-solider, Scott’s buddy. Nick is battling survivor’s guilt. He comes to Pelican Pointe to fulfill a promise, to finally sit down with Scott’s wife and explain a few things to her. Nick has no intentions of staying in what he considers a backwater little town. But when he sees how much Jordan is struggling with a toddler, with trying to turn an old house into a bed and breakfast, Nick finds he can’t possibly leave her with those kinds of uphill battles to deal with alone.
Why did you choose to write this particular book?
Believe it or not, it started out as a screenplay for the Hallmark Channel. Friends who read it, encouraged me to turn it into a book.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Scott Phillips, the soldier who loved his hometown and country so much he gave his life for both. Since Scott is now the resident ghost of Promise Cove and the town, as the series progresses you’ll find out much more about that soldier’s past in Pelican Pointe.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
That I could write an effective tear-jerker. Keep Kleenex handy. That’s my warning. ~smiles~
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
If there’s a message in Promise Cove, I suppose it is that military families make incredible sacrifices. Those sacrifices are sometimes the highest, heart-wrenching a person can make.
Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot?
I always put something of myself into my work, in every book I write I’m there within the pages. I learned that in creative writing class. If you know me well, you’ll recognize a quirk or two. J
How important do you think villains are in a story?
In my opinion, a good villain makes the plot pop.
What are your goals as a writer?
To tell a good story.
Can we expect any more books from you in the future?
I always plan for three a year. But I’ll be happy with two.
Have you started another book yet?
I always have a book in the works. I’m trying to put together an outline for another Evil Secrets book where it picks up two years after Ending Evil.
What are your current writing projects now?
Other than adding a book after Ending Evil, I’m working getting ready Starlight Dunes, the 5th Pelican Pointe novel comes out in December 2013. After that, The Box of Bones, the 3nd book in the Skye Cree series is due out in March.
If you could leave your readers with one bit of wisdom, what would you want it to be?
Read. Read. Read. You’ll escape to places you could never actually go to in real life. It’s the least expensive way to take an adventure into another era, another character’s mind, another writer’s plot. And how cool is that?
Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers?
To readers, I appreciate your buying and taking the time to read my books. I appreciate it when you leave a review or take the time to message me. After all, without you, I’d still be writing for myself. So thank you for spending your dollars on my work.
When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?
I made people laugh. I made people cry. And I always left them with a happy ending.
Glad I stopped on this post! I am a romantic suspense addict for sure, so I'm thrilled to find another author to feed my reading habit. And I am glad to hear her say that the sensual build-up is where the excitement is...not the deed itself. Too much and too soon for the latter makes it simply an erotic story rather than a romantic one. Again, thanks for the post! jdh2690@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi, Janice, happy to meet another lover of the romance novel!! :) Have a great Thanksgiving! Vickie
ReplyDeleteHi Janice, happy to meet another lover of romance. :) Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season. Vickie
ReplyDelete