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GUEST LAUNCH PARTY + GIVEAWAY: A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake



 Welcome to Casablanca author Kris DeLake, here to celebrate the release of her sci-fi romance, A Spy to Die For!

Escapes
By Kris DeLake

Honestly—and let’s be honest here—it’s Fourth of July week, and I’m hiding. In my office. Staring at the beautiful sunny day and listening to—sirens. Ambulances, fire trucks, police cars. Mixed with car alarms, explosions, and lots of screaming people.

Welcome to the Oregon Coast during the first week of July.

I used to love the first week of July. The weather was warm, the sun was out, people were nice. Then I moved here. The Fourth of July turns our town into an armed camp of us against them.

The locals converge on the grocery store during the last week of June, stockpiling for the onslaught. Only one road goes the length of our town—Highway 101—and it’s stop-and-start traffic from the day before the Fourth until the Monday after. Weeks like this, where the Fourth is a Thursday, we have stop-and-start traffic from June 28 to July 7.

Tourists take over, and they bring fireworks from every state in the nation. If it’s illegal here, they still bring it. Right now, two of my cats are under the bed. The former stray, who spent one entire Fourth outside the  year we rescued her, has come to my office where it’s safe.

I’m in my office too. I live here during Fourth of July week. My music is cranked up (right now: classical—it goes better with sirens) and I let my imagination roam. It roams everywhere. I rarely see this room for what it is, a narrow book-filled space with great windows overlooking our very private garden. I see whatever I’m working on, and generally what I’m working on involves outer space.

I have no idea why my imagination loves to explore outer space. I suspect two reasons: First, I’m a child of the Space Age. I grew up in an era when the world stopped to watch rocket launches and so I’ve always thought about traveling to space. Second, I imprinted on Star Trek at thirteen. My first finished novel (okay, my second: my first involved Keith Partridge; we shall not speak of this) was about James T. Kirk coming to Earth to take me with him on the Enterprise.

I really haven’t changed much. A month ago, I watched the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie to “prepare” myself to see the second. Really, I watched it to fantasize about Kirk.

I’m not that into William Shatner, even when he was younger, and I’m not that interested in the very pretty Chris Pine. But if James T. Kirk appeared in our very private garden this afternoon, I’d go to the Enterprise with him. I’m sure my husband would understand.

My husband understands the next best thing. He knows I fantasize about outer space. He also knows that I populate some of my outer space stories (especially the ones I write as Kris DeLake) with very handsome men. That the men have dodgy backgrounds only makes them more attractive to me.

Because, you know, I imprinted on James T. Kirk, but I fell in love with Han Solo.

Jack Hunter of A Spy To Die For is more Han Solo than Jim Kirk. There’s no Federation here, no obvious good guys. Jack has his own code and it’s enabled him to survive in a hostile (and somewhat grungy) universe.

When he meets Skylight Jones, a woman with her own agenda and her own code, of course he’s attracted. And of course, he can’t really trust her. No one trusts anyone in that difficult universe.

Which is quieter than mine at the moment. No sirens. No car alarms. No screaming tourists. Okay, there might be screaming tourists in the middle of the book. Just a few. Because they seeped into my consciousness as I was writing.

But mostly, you’ll find space adventure, romance, and a world where locals don’t have to hide to get through a holiday weekend.

Me, I’m writing this week. Next week, I’ll have barbecue and a walk on the beach. Right now, I’m going to outer space.

I hope you join me.

A  big thank you to Kris for  joining us here today. To enter to win one of two copies of A Spy to Die For, tell us in the comments—are you more of a Hans Solo fan, or Captain Kirk? Or tell us your favorite sci-fi hero! US and Canada only, please leave an email address so you can be notified of your win. Winners will be announced in the comments on Wednesday, July 10.

A SPY TO DIE FOR BY KRIS DELAKE – IN STORES JULY 2013

When Spy Meets Spy…

Agent: Skylight
Profile: Seasoned Assassin Guild Super-Sleuth. Talented enough that she can write her own rules.
Budget: Unlimited.

Agent: Jack
Profile: Main investigator for the loosely federated Rover Assassins. Guided by a strict moral code, fierce loyalty, and a sense of duty.

More Than Sparks Will Fly…
On opposite sides of a high-stakes game, lust lures two spies together in a passionate encounter. Little do they know that the heat of the moment would bind them, turning their worlds upside down. Hunted by deadly assassins, can the pair and their love withstand the onslaught?

Praise for A Spy to Die For:
“DeLake takes readers on a hair-raising and enjoyable journey with engaging characters and tight, smart plotting.” —Publishers Weekly

“Inventive and charmingly funny…The emotional connection between the main characters is so heartfelt, and the witty repartee so engaging, that it’s easy to get wrapped up in their story.” —RT Book Reviews

“The story of a courageous hero and heroine facing imminent danger in a not-so-glamorous future is sure to appeal to readers who like a sensual romance novel with a fast-moving plot and lots of adventure.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kris DeLake is a pseudonym of Hugo Award winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Writing under three pseudonyms, she has sold 10 million copies of her books. As Kris DeLake, she is launching a new name for her fantasy/sci-fi romances. She lives with writer Dean Wesley Smith in Oregon. For more information, please visit http://krisdelake.com/.

Comments

  1. Kris, sorry about the invasion on the fourth! Maybe you should go invade another town. I like Kirk and Solo, but I have to say Solo wins!

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  2. Congrats on your new book. I am a Han Solo fan.
    Crystal816[at]Hotmail[dot]com

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  3. I pretty much love them all. I watched all the Star Treks repeatedly lol. I also enjoyed Star Wars. My current love is for Nathan Fillion and Firefly - such a shame it didn't stay on the air! I like the way you think so I'm pretty sure I'd really enjoy your book!

    catslady5(at)aol.com

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  4. Congrats on the release! As for your question, I have to say that I'm a fan of the Chris Pine version of Captain Kirk (I've only seen the recent movies, lol).

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Wow, the whole week? I thought my tourist town had it bad. We pretty much hide out for the day.

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  6. Hans Solo

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  7. We get invaded in our little town on most summer holidays because of a little park south of town called Turner Falls. Thousands flock to the area for water sports, swimming, camping and fun all summer long so we're familiar with tourists...but not at that level...bless your heart!

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  8. My cats crawled out of their hiding places this morning, only to return when someone exploded an M80 a block away. :-) Nice to see so many Han Solo fans! (And I'm fond of Nathan Fillion too)

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  9. Between Hans Solo and Captain Kirk, I'd choose Hans. If it's just Star Trek Captains, my favorite is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. But my all time favorite sci-fi hero is Captain Malcom Reynolds from Firefly.

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  10. While I love Star Trek, I was never really a Kirk fan... much prefer Picard and Riker.

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  11. I like 'em scruffy, so definitely a Han Solo fan

    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  13. I fell in love with Star Trek at a young age but agree that bad boys Han Solo and Lando Calrissian really caught my attention when I first was introduced to Star Wars. Congrats on the new book, sounds exciting!

    (sorry, always forget address:

    elewkf1 at yahoo dot com)

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