Hi all! Cynthia D’Alba back with another wonderful author who loves firemen as much as we do! Here’s a little about her:  Beth started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. A Georgia native, Beth received her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia. After working in Public Relations for a little more than a year, she moved with her husband to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that time, she has written many books, including her romantic suspense CHASING A DREAM, which reached the final round of the 2000 Golden Heart Contest sponsored by the Romance Writers of America. In the summer of 2000, AVID PRESS, an electronic publisher, published CHASING A DREAM in electronic format. In 2001 her manuscript PROTECTIVE CUSTODY not only finaled in the Golden Heart contest but went on to win the coveted prize. Beth is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARs).

Beth lives in Louisiana, with her husband, one son, and three cats who think they are people.

 Okay girl! It’s all yours. Take it away!

Not too long ago, Cynthia D’Alba asked our blog group if anyone had a fireman story they wanted to blog about for this Smokin’ Hot Firemen series. “Oh yes!” I told her, “I have several smokin’ hot fireman to share!”

Firemen of all sorts are heroes to me simply because of the job they do and the risks they take to save lives. I’ve written many firemen into earlier books of mine.

Shall we start with my romantic suspense, REYN’S REDEMPTION from Samhain Publishing? The idea for this book originally came from a dream I had many years ago about a guy who returned to his hometown where he was an outcast. The reason for his outsider status was vague, as dreams tend to be, but the impression of this loner, a mysterious but magnetic personality, stuck with me.

Ta-da! Reyn Erickson was born. I played around with the storyline, secondary characters, and other minutia of the story for months, even years, before this final version was compete, but Reyn stayed true to the original concept that came to me in that dream years earlier.

REYN’S REDEMPTION is, as the title implies, Reyn’s story, and I didn’t want to change anything about him or his journey toward finding peace-of-mind, self-forgiveness, and lasting love. The identity of the killer changed many times through various drafts, but not Reyn… or his inner pain, his brooding manner, his isolation, his gruff facade, his heroism, his kind heart. I do love a tortured hero!

When firefighter Reyn Erikson returns to the small Louisiana town that branded him a killer, he doesn’t want trouble. He plans to slip in, help his hospitalized grandmother, and slip out again as silent as smoke. Instead he runs into two unintended flashpoints: his grandmother’s plea to find the truth behind his mother’s death. And sexy redhead Olivia Crenshaw.

            Olivia has found evidence that her late father, the former sheriff, suspected Reyn’s mother was murdered. The truth is still hiding somewhere in this town, and only Reyn can give his grandmother—and himself—the peace they both deserve.

            Since Olivia plans to investigate with or without him, Reyn has little choice. From the start, her tenacity and inner strength earn his respect. Despite her reservations about his priorities, Olivia is irresistibly drawn to the handsome firefighter with a uniform full of medals and a past full of mysteries.

            The deeper they dig into the past, the more they uncover dark secrets that threaten their sizzling attraction—and draw a killer out of hiding.

Warning- Contains a hero who doesn’t think he is one, and a heroine who will stop at nothing to make him believe otherwise. Hot fires, hot danger and even hotter love scenes. Fire extinguisher recommended. Just in case.

You can find Reyn’s Redemption here:  Samhain | Amazon 

The second fireman book I’d like to share with you has special significance in light of the wildfires out west this summer (and most summers). A special breed of firefighters called smokejumpers, firefighters who parachute into remote locations to battle wildfires, have one of the most dangerous jobs you can do. I’ve long been fascinated by these heroes of wilderness firefighting, and writing a book about a smokejumper was inevitable for me. I relished the idea!

But hurtling out of an airplane at 90 miles an hour, parachuting into areas where tall trees and rocks pose deadly landing hazards, and working endless hours felling trees with chain saws to stop raging infernos wasn’t enough danger for my characters…oh no! I had to add the unexpected threat of terrorists, a sniper, and a loss of communication off a mountain top to the mix. Now we’re talking danger!

UNDER FIRE is the product of many months of research, a full year of writing, and plenty of personal investment in the characters. Writing this book was a challenge and a blessing. The more I poured into the process, the more I loved the story I was creating.

A terrorist plot puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

When Jackson McKay and his daughter are kidnapped, their captors demand his research files on a devastating chemical weapon—or they’ll kill his little girl. Jackson searches desperately for a way to save his daughter and also protect his country from the terrorists. No risk is too great. His daring escape sets in motion a deadly game of cat and mouse.

            Arriving at the scene of a wildfire, smokejumper Lauren Michaels and her crew are caught in the crosshairs of Jackson’s nightmare. Lauren is the only one who can lead Jackson off the burning mountain and to the police. In order to prevent a national crisis and save a child’s life, they embark on a treacherous journey—one step ahead of a sniper!

            But more than their lives are at risk, because an unexpected heat flares between them that may cost them their hearts…

While the focus of the story is about Lauren and Jackson, Lauren’s fellow smokejumpers, a crew of sexy guys who face dangers of their own, is a main secondary plot woven into the main story.

You can find UNDER FIRE here:  Samhain |  Amazon

 Long live smokin’ hot firemen!!