The Reading Frenzy: Interview with author D. D. Ayers

Today I'm pleased to welcome D D Ayers to the blog. She's here talking about her new K-9 Rescue novel, Force of Attraction.

ISBN-13: 9781250042187
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: 3/31/2015
Series: A K-9 Rescue Novel Series, #2
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 352

Overview

"Incredible! You'll be on the edge of your seat to see if the heroine can make it out alive."--Catherine Coulter, New York Times bestselling author on Irresistible Force

The only thing more powerful than fear is desire…

A seasoned K-9 officer with the police in Maryland, Cole Jamison has left her old life behind her. With a new home and a new partner--a protective canine named Hugo--Cole is ready for fresh challenges. A crucial position on an important drug task force is exactly what she wants…until she discovers her gorgeous, infuriating ex-husband will be the DEA agent in charge.

Hi D D welcome to The Reading Frenzy.

Thank you thank for the opportunity to be here.

Tell us a little about your new release and second plus one novella in your K-9 Rescue novels, Force of Attraction.

A seasoned K-9 officer with the police in Maryland, Cole Jamison has left her old life behind. With a new position and a new partner--a protective canine named Hugo--Cole is ready for fresh challenges. A crucial position on an important drug task force is exactly what she wants…until she discovers her gorgeous, infuriating ex-husband will be the DEA agent in charge.

DEA K-9 Agent Scott Lucca, along with his narcotics detection dog Izzy, may be pros when it comes to undercover assignments, but this job is different. Scott’s heart is involved. He wants Cole back in his life, even if it’s just an assignment for her.

Posing as a happy live-in couple on the dog competition circuit should be a walk in the park compared to tracking down drug traffickers. But suddenly nothing could be more dangerous than the raw passion they rekindle...until a larger threat appears in the form of an outlaw biker from Scott’s past.

Are there a set number of books in this series?

Luckily, the answer is no. I originally contracted for a novella and three novels. Just recently I’ve been asked to continue the series with three more novels: two for next year and one, so far, in 2017. If readers continue to love and buy them, I’ll do more.

How are the books connected?

They are connected by the K-9 team theme -- dog and handler. Each novel is about a K-9 team in some branch of law enforcement or, going forward, a service dog trainer or first responder, for instance, an arson detective. Necessary Force features a FBI K-9 explosives detection team. Irresistible Force has a dual-purpose Police K-9 team. Force of Attraction boasts two teams; a DEA narcotics detection K-9 team and a Police K-9 team, for twice the action and twice the fun. Primal Force -- out in September -- will feature a PTSD service dog.

The other thing the books all have in common is that the canine half comes from Harmonie Kennels, a professional dog training facility in Virginia run by famed dog trainer Yardley Summers. Yardley, who has paired most of the teams, makes an appearance in every book up to book #4 where she will get her own story.

Should they be read in chronological order?

Not necessary. Each book focuses on a different K-9 team and set of lovers, so the books can be read independently. As I go forward in the second set of three books, readers who read them all will notice an appearance here and there of characters from previous books. And a character like Yardley, finally, gets put front and center.

D D it says you're a veteran author but new to Romantic Suspense.
What led you to this sub genre?

As a writer I look for challenges to help me keep my writing chops. Audiences change, too, looking for new and fresh storytelling. Turns out Romantic Suspense and I fit. I love keeping a strong thread of suspense throughout, the faster pace of storytelling, and meatier plot twists. Starting from scratch in a new genre required me to think about the way stories are told, what a reader looks for when picking up a book in a particular genre, and how to deliver on those expectations while offering something a little different. The romantic elements are more straight forward, the sensuality heavy-duty, like the sexy Alpha males who are crucial to my K-9 teams. The change of pen name was to give myself permission to change up my style, make it gutsier, sexier, and go more in depth about the K-9 teams operations.

D D you got a rave review from Publisher’s Weekly. Congrats!!!
Are you an author who loves to read her reviews/hates them/ somewhere in between?

Thank you. I was thrilled. Reviews are trial by fire. Love the good ones. Hate the bad ones. Who doesn’t? It’s life. As long as sales are brisk I trust that I’m delivering what readers want. If a reader is moved to review a book of mine she or he enjoyed, I’m very grateful.

Publishers Weekly

02/02/2015
Undercover assignments can play havoc with personal lives. Just ask Officer Scott Lucca. His marriage broke up right after his last assignment went to hell, and it’s taken him years to get back to some semblance of normal life. In this action-packed and romantic second K-9 Rescue adventure (after Irresistible Force), Ayres introduces dastardly smugglers who surgically implant packets of drugs into puppies in order to cross state borders. Scott and his SWAT dog, Izzy, can’t take down the operation without a cover story. Unfortunately, their ideal partners are Scott’s ex-wife, Cole, and her new K-9, Hugo, a 95-pound Bouvier des Flandres. While play-acting a couple in the first bloom of love, Scott and Cole find that the longer the case goes on, the more confused their feelings get. Heavy-duty sensuality and solidly researched K-9 operations are hallmarks of this appealing series and will delight fans of smart dogs, exciting action, and steamy romance. Agent: Denise Marcil, Denise Marcil Literary Agency. (Apr.)

See all the reviews here

The Review says the novel is “solidly researched”.
How did you research these novels?

By going out and meeting people who do the work I write about in these stories. I wanted to get it right, not just guess about what the jobs entail. Writing these books is an education for me in so many ways. The K-9 law enforcement personnel I've met have been so generous with their time and their stories, and in explaining the ins and outs of their craft. K-9 handlers are very passionate about what they do. Once they realized I was serious, I’ve been given many opportunities to see what the teams can do. This has allowed me to learn the mindset. It takes a special person to make a K-9 partnership work. And the dogs! K-9 canines are specially bred and trained. Most dogs can’t do what these animals do. Think of them as the Olympians/SWAT/Mensa members of the canine world.

So D D what do you enjoy reading?

A bit of everything. I’m not a favorites kind of girl. As soon as I send off a list I’ll do a head smack and think, why didn’t I add...? Aside from the nonfiction books I’ve been reading about K-9 dog training, dog psychology (yep), and service dog training? Oh, and law enforcement. For fun, right now I’m reading Darynda Jones’s Charlie Davidson series. I love Robert Crais, Cherry Adair, Catherine Coulter, Charlaine Harris, Diane Kelly, Harlan Coben, Louise Penny, Tana French, Lisa Verge Higgins, Carla Neggers...stop me anytime.

D D thanks so much for answering my questions.
Good luck with the new novel and your K-9 Rescue Series

Thank you!

Are your author/signing events listed on your website?

Yes. Here’s my essential information:

Website: www.ddayres.com

Newsletter: http://www.ddayres.com/#!contact/c1kcz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-D-Ayres/816950304998835

Twitter: @ddayresk9

MEET D. D.

D. D. Ayres loves men in uniforms and dogs, making the K-9 Rescue Novel Series with St. Martin's Press a dream come true. She currently lives in Texas where she's at work on her next novel.